Sensitive o-toluidine reagent for glucose assay at moderately elevated temperatures

A reagent is developed for increasing the sensitivity of the direct o-toluidine procedure for glucose so that the reaction may be carried out at temperatures as low as 37 °C.The sensitivity is achieved by eliminating all water from the system, except for a minute percentage introduced with the samples and by using a high boric acid concentration. Under these conditions protein does not precipitate and lipids remain dissolved. At 55 °C, interference from bilirubin at a concentration of 20 mg/100 ml is 3.5%.Blood may be collected with sodium fluoride since it does not interfere in the procedure. The rate of color development is slower for aqueous standards than it is for serum at the lower temperatures. This may be corrected by preparing the standards in a 6% albumin solution.Results obtained by applying the reagent with the continuous flow system of analysis (Technicon), and with the discrete sample analyzers, Beckman DSA, Lars Jungberg Autolab (Sweden), Robot Chemist, and RaBA (Japan) are reported.The reagent is useful as a spray reagent for sugar identification on thin-layer chromatography plates. Heating at different temperatures permits the differentiation between certain sugars with similar R_f values.     

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Mo-Based Oxide Catalysts and Selective Oxidation of Alkanes

Mo-V-M(=Al, Ga, Bi, Sb and Te)–O mixed oxide catalysts were synthesized hydrothermally for the first time, characterized structurally, and tested for ethane and propane oxidation after activation by various ways. These catalysts were black solids of rod-shaped (fiber like) crystals, which had a layer structure in the direction of fiber axis and a high dimensional arrangement of metal octahedra in the cross-section plane. These fresh crystalline materials became active for catalytic oxidation of alkanes after heat-treatment at 600 °C and subsequent grinding in order to increase exposed plane of the cross-section. The resulting catalysts were very active for an oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane with 80% of the ethylene selectivity in the reaction temperature range of 300 to 400 °C and also showed about 50% selectivity to acrylic acid in the propane oxidation. Multi-functional character which derived from the high dimensional structure of the catalysts and mechanism of the selective alkane oxidation were discussed.     

The participation of the anion and alkyl substituent of diaryliodonium salts in photo‐initiated cationic polymerization reactions

The photo‐initiated cationic polymerization (PCP) of epoxides using diaryliodonium salt photoacid generators (PAGs) bearing alkyl groups and anions was investigated. The properties and reactivities of a series of iodonium salts containing various cations and anions were compared in the context of a PCP reaction. The products from the decomposition of the cations of these salts were analyzed using gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) spectra. The relationship between the molecular structure of the salts and their reaction mechanism in the PCP reaction was investigated. Based on the results of the investigation, it was concluded that the structures of the cations and anions of theiodonium salts affect the PCP reaction rate, which was controlled by the products from the diaryliodonium salts. As part of an additional investigation, the diaryliodonium salts‐epoxide materials were applied to 254 nm‐photo‐patterning. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of surface covering of lactose carrier particles on dry powder inhalation properties of salbutamol sulfate

The effect of the surface covering of lactose carrier particles on the dry powder inhalation properties of salbutamol sulfate was investigated. Lactose carrier surfaces were covered with sucrose tristearate (J-1803F) by a high-speed elliptical-rotor-type powder mixer (Theta-Composer). In the present study, drug/carrier powder mixtures were prepared consisting of micronized salbutamol sulfate and lactose carriers with various particle surface conditions prepared by surface covering. These powder mixtures were aerosolized by a Jethaler), and the in vitro inhalation properties of salbutamol sulfate were evaluated by a twin impinger. Compared with the powder mixed with uncovered lactose carrier, the in vitro inhalation properties of the powder mixture prepared using the surface covering lactose carrier were significantly different, showing that the in vitro inhalation properties of salbutamol sulfate were improved. In vitro inhalation properties increased with the percentage of J-1803F added. Using this surface covering system would thus be valuable for increasing the inhalation properties of dry powder inhalation with lactose carrier particles.     

Influence of storage humidity on the in vitro inhalation properties of salbutamol sulfate dry powder with surface covered lactose carrier

The influence of storage humidity on the in vitro inhalation properties of salbutamol sulfate dry powder with surface covered lactose carrier was investigated. In the present study, drug/carrier powder mixtures were prepared consisting of micronized salbutamol sulfate and lactose carriers with different particle surface conditions prepared by surface covering. Lactose carrier surfaces were covered with vegetable magnesium stearate (Mg-St-V) by a high-speed elliptical-rotor-type powder mixer (Theta-Composer). These powder mixtures were aerosolized by a Jethaler), and the in vitro inhalation properties of salbutamol sulfate were evaluated by a twin impinger. Compared with the powder mixed with uncovered lactose carrier, the in vitro inhalation properties of the powder mixture prepared using the surface covered lactose carrier were little decreased with increased in relative humidity (RH), showing that the in vitro inhalation properties of salbutamol sulfate were improved at high RH. Using this surface covering technique would thus be valuable for storage humidity of dry powder inhalation (DPI) with lactose carrier particles.     

Sol-Gel Processing of Transparent PLZT((Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3) Fibers

PLZT((Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O₃) ceramic fibers were prepared by the sol-gel method from a solution of lead acetate trihydrate, lanthanum isopropoxide, zirconium n-propoxide and titanium isopropoxide containing 2-methoxyethanol as the solvent. The as-drawn gel fibers were pretreated in an autoclave and preheated in flowing H₂O vapor prior to the heat-treatment for crystallization. The effects of autoclaving and preheating in flowing H₂O vapor on the structure and composition of the resultant fibers were investigated. Optically transparent single phase perovskite PLZT fibers of 5–15 m in thickness and 5 cm in length were successfully prepared when the autoclave-treatment and the preheating in flowing H₂O vapor were conducted prior to crystallization. These treatments are thought to promote hydrolysis of the organic groups and polycondensation reaction in the gel fibers, leading to the successful formation of dense, crack-free transparent PLZT fibers.     

Low temperature properties of acetonitrile confined in MCM-41

The effect of confinement on the phase changes and dynamics of acetonitrile in mesoporous MCM-41 was studied by use of adsorption, FT-IR, DSC, and quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) measurements. Acetonitrile molecules in a monolayer interact strongly with surface hydroxyls to be registered and perturb the triple bond in the C[triple bond]N group. Adsorbed molecules above the monolayer through to the central part of the cylindrical pores are capillary condensed molecules (cc-acetonitrile), but they do not show the hysteresis loop in adsorption-desorption isotherms, i.e., second order capillary condensation. FT-IR measurements indicated that the condensed phase is very similar to the bulk liquid. The cc-acetonitrile freezes at temperatures that depend on the pore size of the MCM-41 down to 29.1 A (C14), below which it is not frozen. In addition, phase changes between alpha-type and beta-type acetonitriles were observed below the melting points. Application of the Gibbs-Thomson equation, assuming the unfrozen layer thickness to be 0.7 nm, gave the interface free energy differences between the interfaces, i.e., Deltagamma(l/alpha) = 22.4 mJ m(-2) for the liquid/pore surface (ps) and alpha-type/ps, and Deltagamma(alpha/beta) = 3.17 mJ m(-2) for alpha-type/ps and beta-type/ps, respectively. QENS experiments substantiate the differing behaviors of monolayer acetonitrile and cc-acetonitrile. The monolayer acetonitrile molecules are anchored so as not to translate. The two Lorentzian analysis of QENS spectra for cc-acetonitriles showed translational motion but markedly slowed. However, the activation energy for cc-acetonitrile in MCM-41 (C18) is 7.0 kJ mol(-1) compared to the bulk value of 12.7 kJ mol(-1). The relaxation times for tumbling rotational diffusion of cc-acetonitrile are similar to bulk values.     

A hybrid density-functional study of the one-dimensional ferromagnetic ordering of (BDTA)[Ni(mnt)2]

The one-dimensional intermolecular ferromagnetic interaction of a charge-transfer (CT) complex, (BDTA)[Ni(mnt)₂] (BDTA: 1,3,2-benzodithiazolyl, mnt: maleonitriledithiolate), is studied by the Kohn–Sham hybrid density functional method, in order to understand the mechanism of the magnetism. All possible effective exchange integrals, J, between the spin pairs of the system indicate that a ferromagnetic interaction (J = 172 cm⁻¹) exists along the b-axis. Magnetic susceptibility, simulated with the ab initio determined J values by the quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) method, is qualitatively consistent with that measured experimentally.     

Small angle X-ray scattering from lamellar phase for β-3,7-dimethyloctylglucoside/water system: comparison with β-n-alkylglucosides

Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is measured for the lamellar phase in aqueous systems of 1-o-β-3,7-dimethyoctyl-D-glucopyranoside (β-Glc(Ger)), which has recently been prepared by us, 1-o-β-decyl-D-glucopyranoside (β-GlcC₁₀), and 1-o-β-octyl-D-glucopyranoside (β-GlcC₈). The repeat distance d obtained from the position of the diffraction peak does not follow the swelling law d = 2δ_hc/_hc, where δ_hc and _hc are the thickness and the volume fraction of the hydrophobic layer, respectively. This may result from the fact that δ_hc increases and, equivalently, the surface area per surfactant molecule (a_s) decreases with increasing concentration. So we calculate δ_hc and a_s from the observed d value at each concentration using the above swelling law. The half-thickness δ_hc increases in the order β-GlcC₈ < β-Glc(Ger) < β-GlcC₁₀ at a fixed concentration. On the other hand, the data on a_s for β-GlcC₁₀ and β-GlcC₈ lie on the same line and the data for β-Glc(Ger) lies above this line. These results suggest that the cross-sectional area of the geranyl chain is larger than that of the glucose headgroup. Existence of water filled defects in bilayer sheets is also discussed based on the SAXS pattern and the concentration dependence of d.     

Synthesis and structure of 1-zirconacyclopent-3-yne complexes without substituents adjacent to the triple bond

Five-membered metallacyclic alkynes that have no substituents adjacent to the triple bond have been synthesized, isolated, and structurally characterized. Zirconocene dichlorides, Cp'2ZrCl2 (Cp' = C5H5, C5H4-t-Bu), reacted with 1,4-dichlorobut-2-yne in the presence of magnesium to give 1-zirconacyclopent-3-yne compounds (5 (a) Cp' = C5H5, (b) Cp' = C5H4-t-Bu) that have a -CH2CCCH2- moiety in good yields. They are stable enough to be isolated in a pure form, despite the absence of substituents. 5a reacted with an equimolar amount of Cp2Zr(but-1-ene)(PMe3) to produce a bimetallic complex in which the zirconacyclopentyne coordinates to the other zirconocene moiety as an alkyne.