Simple Extraction and HPLC Determination of UV-A and UV-B Filters in Sunscreen Products

The determination of 11 organic UV filters, worldwide authorised in sunscreen formulations, was performed by HPLC with UV spectrophotometric detection. The filters determined were: phenylbenzimidazole sulfonic acid, benzophenone-4, benzophenone-3, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, octocrylene, methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutyl phenol, butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyltriazine, ethylhexyl triazone, and diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate. Three analytical methods were developed which were based on an ultrasonic extraction of the sample in methanol/1% aqueous acetic acid (70:30, v/v) or dimethylacetamide/propan-2-ol (1:1, v/v) in dependence of the water or fat-solubility of the filter, followed by HPLC separation and quantitation. HPLC was carried out using three different columns and eluting conditions. Standard calibration curves were linear for all the analytes over the concentration range 0.5–100 μg mL^?1. UV measurements were carried out at 280, 300, 310 or 360 nm with the aid of a diode array detector in dependence on the maximum absorption of each filter. Quantitative recoveries were obtained for all sunscreen compounds determined in homemade formulations. The proposed analytical procedure has been successfully applied for the analysis of commercial samples in order to check the presence of UV filters and to determine their concentration.     

The Drell-Hearn-Gerasimov sum rule and the constituent quark model

The helicity structure function of the nucleon has been calculated for the constituent quark model and compared to the prediction of the Drell-Hearn-Gerasimov sum rule. The multipole decomposition of the sum rule shows large cancellations between different resonances. The small isoscalar-isovector contribution is related to the admixture of aD-state (bag deformation) in the nucleon's wave function. The calculations indicate a relatively slow saturation of this part of the sum rule with excitation energy.Work supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare     

Synthesis and x-ray crystal structure of the TiMgCl5(OOCCH2Cl) · (ClCH2COOC2H5)3 Adduct

The synthesis of the TiMgCl₅(OOCCH₂Cl) · (ClCH₂COOC₂H₅)₃ adduct, obtained by reacting TiCl₄ with a solution of MgCl₂ in dry ClCH₂COOC₂H₅, is reported together with its molecular and crystal structure as determined by x-ray diffraction. The structure was solved by direct and Fourier methods and refined by least-squares techniques to R = 0.057 for 1318 independent observed reflections. Crystals are monoclinic, space-group P2₁/c, with 4 formula units in a unit-cell of dimensions a = 10.480(4), b = 19.641(9), c = 16.597(6) Å, β = 120.21(5)°. The titanium(IV) atom is octahedrally coordinated by five chlorine atoms and an oxygen atom of a OOCCH₂Cl residue. The magnesium atom is similarly coordinated by two chlorine atoms, the carbonyl oxygen atoms of three ClCH₂COOC₂H₅ molecules and an oxygen atom of the OOCCH₂Cl residue. The two octahedra share an edge by a double chlorine bridge between the magnesium and the titanium atoms and are also connected by the COO group of the OOCCH₂Cl residue. Changes in the configurations and dimensions with respect to the free acceptor and donor molecules are discussed.     

An energy-independent nonlocal potential model for bound and scattering states

The general expression of the nucleon-nucleus optical potential has been obtained using Watson's multiple scattering theory and Wolfenstein's parametrization of the nucleon-nucleon scattering amplitude. The resulting theoretical potential is nonlocal and consists of an energy-independent central volume plus surface real and imaginary potential and of a Thomas-like spin-orbit term. The analysis has been restricted to N = Z spherical nuclei, so that neither isospin-isospin nor spin-spin interactions have been included. The widely used Perey-Buck, Greenlees, and Watson expressions of the optical potential are easily obtained as particular cases. For practical purposes, the nonlocal potential has been parametrized in the Frahn-Lemmer form, using Woods-Saxon radial form factors, and the equivalent local potential (ELP) has been calculated by a Perey-Buck-like transformation.The ELP has a radial behavior very similar to the original nonlocal one, but the potential depths and radii are energy dependent. The six free parameters in the ELP have been adjusted to fit the available experimental data in the ?70 to + 150 MeV range of interest in nuclear reactions, namely, energies of single hole and single particle states, charge distributions, proton elastic scattering cross sections, and polarizations. The fitted potential depths show an energy dependence in remarkable agreement with the model predictions with a central nonlocality range β ? 1 F and a spin-orbit nonlocality range β₃ ? 0.8 F. The relative importance of surface and volume dependence in the real central potential in also discussed.     

Sub‐ and Supramolecular X‐Ray Characterization of Engineered Tissues from Equine Tendon,Bovine Dermis,and Fish Skin Type‐I Collagen

Collagen represents one of the most widely used biomaterial for scaffolds fabrication in tissue engineering as it represents the mechanical support of natural tissues. It also provides physical scaffolding for cells and it influences their attachment, growth, and tissue regeneration. Among all fibrillary collagens, type I is considered one of the gold standard for scaffolds fabrication, thanks to its high biocompatibility, biodegradability, and hemostatic properties. It can be extracted by chemical and enzymatic protocols from several collagen‐rich tissues, such as tendon and skin, of different animal species. Both the extraction processes and the manufacturing protocols for scaffolds fabrication provide structural and mechanical changes that can be tuned in order to deeply impact the properties of the final biomaterial. The aim of this review is to discuss the role of X‐rays to study structural changes of type I collagen from fresh collagen‐rich tissues (bovine, equine, fish) to the final scaffolds, with the aim to screen across available collagen sources and scaffolds fabrication protocols to be used in tissue regeneration.