Poly(pyrrole‐co‐pyrrole‐2‐carboxylic acid)/Pyruvate Oxidase Based Biosensor for Phosphate: Determination of the Potential,and Application in Streams

A biosensor based on conductive poly(pyrrole‐co‐pyrrole‐2‐carboxylic acid) [Poly(Py‐co‐PyCOOH)] copolymer film coated gold electrode was developed for the quantitative phosphate determination. Enzyme pyruvate oxidase was immobilized chemically via the functional carboxylated groups of the copolymer. The potential to be applied which is deficiency of phosphate biosensor studies for precise phosphate detection was clarified by using differential pulse voltammetry technique. Performance of the sensing ability of the biosensor was improved by optimizing cofactor/cosubstrate concentrations, polymeric film density and pH. The biosensor showed a linearity up to phosphate concentration of 5 mM, operational stability with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.07 % (n=7) and accuracy of 101 % at ?0.15 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Detection limit (LOD) and sensitivity were calculated to be 13.3 μM and 5.4 μA mM^?1 cm^?2, respectively by preserving 50 % of its initial response at the end of 30 days. It's performance was tested to determine phosphate concentrations in two streams of Zonguldak City in Turkey. Accuracy of phosphate measurement in stream water was found to be 91 %.     

High quality and tuneable silica shell–magnetic core nanoparticles

Obtaining small (<50 nm), monodispersed, well-separated, single iron oxide core–silica (SiO₂) shell nanoparticles for biomedical applications is still a challenge. Preferably, they are synthesised by inverse microemulsion method. However, substantial amount of aggregated and multicore core–shell nanoparticles is the undesired outcome of the method. In this study, we report on the production of less than 50 nm overall size, monodispersed, free of necking, single core iron oxide–SiO₂ shell nanoparticles with tuneable shell thickness by a carefully optimized inverse microemulsion method. The high degree of control over the process is achieved by understanding the mechanism of core–shell nanoparticles formation. By varying the reaction time and precursor concentration, the thickness of silica layer on the core nanoparticles can be finely adjusted from 5 to 13 nm. Residual reactions during the workup were inhibited by a combination of pH control with shock freezing and ultracentrifuging. These high-quality tuneable core–shell nanocomposite particles exhibit superparamagnetic character and sufficiently high magnetization with great potential for biomedical applications (e.g. MRI, cell separation and magnetically driven drug delivery systems) either as-prepared or by additional surface modification for improved biocompatibility.     

A Novel Flow-injection Rhodium Nanoparticles Modified Phosphate Biosensor and its Operation in Artificial Urine

A biosensor for phosphate determination with the flow-injection system was developed using rhodium nanoparticles modified Poly(pyrrole-co-[1-(2-aminophenyl) pyrrole])/pyruvate oxidase. The biosensor showed a very wide linearity up to 70 mM phosphate concentration compared to previously reports, response time of 4 s., operational stability with a relative standard deviation of 0.009 % and accuracy of 99.4 %±0.949 at a flow rate of 2.0 Ml min.⁻¹ at exactly −0.68 V. Detection limit were calculated to be 21±0.001 μM by preserving 81.1 % of its initial response at the end of 16^th days. Artificial urine was analyzed without dilution to investigate biosensor performance.     

Determination and speciation of selenium in water samples collected from Muğla (Turkey) province by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry

In this work, determination of selenium in various water samples was done by using hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. The most appropriate values of HCl concentration, NaBH₄ concentration, NaOH concentration, flow rate of argon and flow rate of waste solution were determined. The optimum concentration of the HCl, NaBH₄ and NaOH solutions were found to be 7.0 mol L^?1, 1.0% and 0.75%, respectively. The optimum flow rate of Ar gas and waste solution were also found to be 100.9 mL min^?1 and 4.0 mL min^?1, respectively. Values of LOD and LOQ were calculated separately for total Se and Se(IV). LOD and LOQ values were calculated 0.56 μg L^?1, 1.87 μg L^?1 for total Se and 0.72 μg L^?1, 2.40 μg L^?1 for Se(IV), respectively. The precision was evaluated by relative standard deviation (RSD%) was found to be 3.5% for total Se and 3.1% for Se(IV) (n = 11). A standard reference material (NIST 1643e) was used in order to check the accuracy of the proposed method. There was a good agreement between certified and found values for standard reference material. The method was applied to the analysis of total Se and Se(IV) concentrations in tap water samples collected from the various regions of Mu?la. Proposed method showed spike recovery ranges from 92% to 116% in water samples.     

Nonlocal fractional elliptic equations and applications

The L_p-coercive properties of a nonlocal fractional elliptic equation is studied. Particularly, it is proved that the fractional elliptic operator generated by this equation is sectorial in L_p space and also is a generator of an analytic semigroup. Moreover, by using the L_p-separability properties of the given elliptic operator the maximal regularity of the corresponding nonlocal fractional parabolic equation is established.     

Half-sandwich ruthenium(II) complexes containing 4-substituted aniline derivatives: structural characterizations and catalytic properties in transfer hydrogenation of ketones

Transition Metal Chemistry - Four half-sandwich Ru(II) complexes (1)–(4) with the general formulae [Ru(η6-p-cymene)(L)Cl2] were synthesized by the reaction of one equivalent of the...     

Direct synthesis of tetrazine functionalities on polymer backbones

Tetrazine mediated inverse Electron Demand Diels–Alder Reaction (IEDDA) is an important modification technique due to its high selectivity and super‐fast kinetics. Incorporation of tetrazine moieties on polymer chains requires multistep synthetic pathways and a post‐polymerization step leading to functional polymeric materials. Such approaches involve separate syntheses of polymer and the molecule which will be employed in modification. Herein, we introduce a straightforward synthetic approach for direct synthesis of tetrazine groups on polymers as side chains. As model systems, tetrazine functional poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐and poly(ethylene glycol)‐based polymers from corresponding precursor polymers with nitrile moieties as pendant groups are prepared and IEDDA Click Reaction is achieved with trans‐cyclooctene derivatives. The click reaction is monitored by both NMR and UV–vis spectroscopies. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 673–680     

Ovalbumin mediated synthesis of Mn3O4

By using Mn²⁺ and Mn³⁺ salts, and freshly extracted ovalbumin, Mn₃O₄ nanocrystals have been synthesized successfully. The X-ray diffraction results indicated that the synthesized nanoparticles have only the spinel structure without the presence of any other phase impurities. As the ovalbumin–water mixture was highly basic, the process did not require any use of base to increase the pH where hydrolysis took place. A gel formed where water soluble ovalbumin proteins served as a perfect matrix for entrapment of metal ions (Mn²⁺ and Mn³⁺). Upon heat treatment, the dried gel precursor decomposed into nanocrystalline Mn₃O₄. The discrepancy between the crystallite size from XRD and particle size SEM analysis reveals polycrystalline nature of the synthesized particles with this route. EPR analysis of Mn₃O₄ shows a narrow and symmetric line indicating the absence of hyperfine splitting.     

Metals and the integrity of a biological coating: the cuticle of mussel byssus

The cuticle of mussel byssal threads is a robust natural coating that combines high extensibility with high stiffness and hardness. In this study, fluorescence microscopy and elemental analysis were exploited to show that the 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-l-alanine (dopa) residues of mussel foot protein-1 colocalize with Fe and Ca distributions in the cuticle of Mytilus galloprovincialis mussel byssal threads. Chelated removal of Fe and Ca from the cuticle of intact threads resulted in a 50% reduction in cuticle hardness, and thin sections subjected to the same treatment showed a disruption of cuticle integrity. Dopa-metal complexes may provide significant interactions for the integrity of composite cuticles deformed under tension.     

A rapid LC-MS/MS method for determination of urinary EtG and application to a cut-off limit study

Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) is a metabolite and a specific marker of alcohol consumption that can be detected days after the complete elimination of alcohol after drinking. A rapid, simple, and sensitive LC-ESI-MS/MS method for the determination of urinary ethyl glucuronide was developed and fully validated in accordance with analytical standards, using the C₁₈ column. The whole process including sample preparation and LC-MS/MS lasted 10 min. A comprehensive validation including HorRat, measurement uncertainty, system suitability and intermediate precision calculations among analysts, and a cut-off limit study was performed. The method was applied to real samples and a cutoff limit determination study. The LOD and LOQ (using the IUPAC and Eurachem methods) were determined as 104.21 ng mL^?1 and 165.00 ng mL^?1. A cut-off limit of ≈ 818 ng mg^?1 (normalised to creatinine) was found for urinary EtG. The results showed that the cut-off limits currently in use should be re-considered in further studies and standardised on a global scale. Normalisation to creatinine is important because of the risk of the dilution of urine intentionally or with a change of diet. The concentrations of real samples from subjects who had consumed alcohol were successfully predicted using this method, after zero HS-GC/MS results of urine alcohol concentration.