Cs[Ag4Zn2(SCN)9]

Caesium tetrasilver dizinc nona­thio­cyanate, Cs[Ag₄Zn₂(SCN)₉], forms a continuous structure, where the Ag atoms and the S atoms of the thio­cyanate groups form chains which run along [101]. These chains are bonded together through the Cs and Zn atoms. It is not possible to distinguish between space groups P1 and P, but, if the latter space group is correct, the structure contains a thio­cyanate group disordered across a centre of inversion. The structure is described in space group P, in which the Cs atom also lies on a centre of inversion.     

Spectral pattern recognition of improved voice quality

The self-organizing map (a neural network) was applied to the spectral pattern recognition of voice quality in 34 subjects: 15 patients operated on because of insufficient glottal closure and 19 subjects not treated for voice disorders. The voice samples, segments of sustained /a/, were perceptually rated by six experts. A self-organized acoustic feature map was first computed from tokens of /a/ and then used for the analysis of the samples. The locations of the samples on the map were determined and the distances from a normal reference were compared with the perceptual ratings. The map locations corresponded to the degree of audible disorder: the samples judged as normal were overlapping or close to the normal reference, whereas the samples judged as dysphonie were located further away from it. The comparison of pre- and postoperative samples of the patients showed that the perceived improvement of voice quality was also detected by the map.     

Thermal and spectroscopic investigation of europium and samarium sulphates hydrates by TG-FTIR and ICP-MS techniques

The investigation of europium(III) sulphate hydrate and samarium(III) sulphate hydrate was performed by thermal analysis (TG-DTG) and simultaneous infrared evolved gas analysis-Fourier transformed infrared (EGA-FTIR) spectroscopy. The TG, DTG and DTA curves were recorded at the 25–1400 °C in the dynamic air atmosphere by TG/DTA analyser. The infrared evolved gas analysis was obtained on the FTIR spectrometer. Eu₂(SO₄)₃·nH₂O (n = 3.97) and Sm₂(SO₄)₃·nH₂O (n = 8.11) were analysed, the dehydration and decomposition steps were investigated and the water content was calculated. The formation of different oxysulphates was studied.

The trace rare earth elements in Eu and Sm sulphates were determined by ICP-MS. The concentration of trace Eu, Sm, La, Gd, Y and Ce ranged from 3.9 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.5 × 10⁻⁴% (m/m).     

Electronic spectroscopy of C2 in solid rare gas matrixes

Electronic spectroscopy of the C(2) molecule is investigated in Ar, Kr, and Xe matrixes in the 150-500 nm range. In the Ar matrix, the D ((1)Sigma(u)(+)) <-- ((1)Sigma(g)(+)) Mulliken band near 240 nm is the sole absorption in the UV range, whereas in the Kr matrix additional bands in the 188-209 nm range are assigned to the Kr(n)()(+)C(2)(-) <-- Kr(n)()C(2) charge-transfer absorptions. Because of the formation of a bound C(2)Xe species, the spectral observations in the Xe matrix differ dramatically from the lighter rare gases: the Mulliken band is absent and new bands appear near 300 and 423 nm. The latter is assigned to the forbidden B'((1)Sigma(g)(+)) <-- X ((1)Sigma(g)(+)) transition, but the origin of the former remains unclear. The spectral assignments are aided by electronic structure calculations at the MCSCF, CCSD(T), and BCCD(T) levels of theory and correlation consistent basis sets. A significant presence of multireference character of the C(2)Xe system was noted and a linear ground-state structure is predicted. The computational results contradict previous density functional studies on the same system.     

An Improved HPLC Post-Column Methodology for the Identification of Free Radical Scavenging Phytochemicals in Complex Mixtures

The importance of natural antioxidants principally relates to their health-promoting properties. The discovery of new sources of established compounds or more potent compounds is a costly exercise and any technique capable of aiding this procedure would be highly significant. An approach combining chromatographic separation, component analysis and post-column identification of free radical scavenging has been reported. However, its effectiveness is dependent upon various factors and the number of samples analyzed without operator intervention is restricted. A more applicable technique using a 10% to 100% methanol with 2% acetic acid mobile phase and a citric acid-sodium citrate buffered methanolic 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical reagent is presented, whereby free radical scavengers can be detected within crude extracts of variable polarity without special considerations. As an illustration, acetone, 70% (aq.) methanol and acetonitrile-soluble extracts were prepared from sage (Salvia officinalis L.) for extraction of polar and non-polar radical scavengers and analyzed. Radical scavenging components were identified as carnosic, caffeic and rosmarinic acids and luteolin-7-O-glycoside. Others radical scavengers were tentatively identified as benzoic and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, flavonoids and diterpenoids. Through the application of this technique, carnosic acid and rosmarinic acid were identified as the principal free radical scavengers.     

Rapid separation of microcystins and nodularin using a monolithic silica C18 column

A monolithic C18-bonded silica rod column (Merck Chromolith) was compared to particle-based C18 and amide C16 sorbents in the HPLC separation of eight microcystins and nodularin-R. Two gradient mobile phases of aqueous trifluoroacetic acid modified with acetonitrile or methanol, different flow-rates and different gradient lengths were tested. The performance of the Chromolith column measured as the resolution of some microcystin pairs, the selectivity, efficiency (peak width) and peak asymmetry equalled, or exceeded, the performance of traditional particle-based columns. The Chromolith column allowed a shortening of the total analysis time to 4.3 min with a flow-rate 4 ml min(-1).     

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy for the fast identification of PVC-based films

Near infrared (NIR) reflectance spectroscopy was used to develop a non-destructive and rapid qualitative method for the analysis of plastic films used by the pharmaceutical industry for blistering. Three types of films were investigated: 250 microm PVC [poly(vinyl chloride)] films, 250 microm PVC films coated with 40 g m(-2) of PVDC [poly(vinylidene dichloride)] and 250 microm PVC films coated with 5 g m(-2) of TE (Thermoelast) and 90 g m(-2) of PVDC. Three analyses were carried out using different pre-treatment options and a PLS (partial least squares) algorithm. Each analysis was aimed at identifying one type of film and rejecting all types of false sample (different thickness, colour or layer). True and false samples from four plastics manufacturers were included in the calibration sets in order to obtain robust methods that were suitable regardless of the supplier. Specificity was demonstrated by testing validation sets against the methods. The tests showed 0% of type I (false negative identification) and 1% of type II errors (false positive identification) for the PVC method, 13 and 3%, respectively, for the PVC-PVDC method and no error for the PVC-TE-PVDC method. Type II errors, mostly due to the slight sensitivity of the methods to film thickness, are easily corrected by simple thickness measurements. This study demonstrates that NIR spectroscopy is an excellent tool for the identification of PVC-based films. The three methods can be used by the pharmaceutical industry or plastics manufacturers for the quality control of films used in blister packaging.     

Synthesis, characterization and thermal properties of new aromatic quaternary ammonium bromides: precursors for ionic liquids and complexation studies

Series of new aromatic R₂R′₂N⁺Br⁻ (R=benzyl, 4-methylbenzyl, 2-phenylethyl, 3-phenylpropyl; R′=ethyl, methyl, isopropyl) or RR′₂NH⁺Br⁻-type (R=benzyl, R′=isopropyl) quaternary ammonium bromides were prepared by using novel synthetic route in which a formamide (N,N-diethylformamide, N,N-dimethylformamide, N,N-diisopropylformamide) is treated with aralkyl halide in presence of a weak base. The compounds were characterized by ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Structures of the crystalline compounds were determined by X-ray single crystal diffraction, and in addition the powder diffraction method was used to study the structural similarities between the single crystal and microcrystalline bulk material. Three of the compounds crystallized in monoclinic, two in orthorhombic and one in triclinic crystal system, showing ion pairs, which are interconnected by weak hydrogen bonds and weak π-π interactions between the phenyl rings. Three of the compounds appeared as viscous oil or waxes. Finally, TG/DTA and DSC methods were used to analyze thermal properties of the prepared compounds. The lowest melting points were obtained for diethyldi-(2-phenylethyl)ammonium bromide (122.2 °C) and for diethyldi-(3-phenylpropyl)-ammonium bromide (109.1 °C). In general, decomposition of the compounds started at 170-190 °C without identifiable cleavages, thus liquid ranges of 30-70 °C were observed for some of the compounds.     

A One‐Pot Synthesis of N‐Aryl‐2‐Oxazolidinones and Cyclic Urethanes by the Lewis Base Catalyzed Fixation of Carbon Dioxide into Anilines and Bromoalkanes

The multicomponent assembly of pharmaceutically relevant N‐aryl‐oxazolidinones through the direct insertion of carbon dioxide into readily available anilines and dibromoalkanes is described. The addition of catalytic amounts of an organosuperbase such as Barton's base enables this transformation to proceed with high yields and exquisite substrate functional‐group tolerance under ambient CO₂ pressure and mild temperature. This report also provides the first proof‐of‐principle for the single‐operation synthesis of elusive seven‐membered ring cyclic urethanes.