Biodistribution study of free and microencapsulated 6‐methylcoumarin in Wistar rats by HPLC

A sensitive, specific and reproducible HPLC method has been developed and validated for the quantitative determination of 6‐methylcoumarin (6MC) in plasma and other tissues in Wistar rats. A C₁₈ column was used with UV detection at 321 nm and a gradient system consisting of methanol‐deionized water was used as mobile phase. The retention time for 6MC was 14.921 min and no interfering peaks were observed for any of the matrices. Linear relationships (r² > 0.997) were obtained between the peak height ratios and the corresponding biological sample concentrations over the range 0.4–12.8 µg/mL. Precision and accuracy were evaluated; the coefficient of variation and the relative error for all of the organs were <2 and 7%, respectively. The limit of quantitation was 0.20 µg/mL for the heart and 0.30 µg/mL for the other tissues evaluated. This HPLC method was successfully used in the determination of 6MC in the biodistribution study after administration of 200 mg/kg of both 6MC‐free and 6MC‐loaded polymeric microparticles. In this study, extensive 6MC was found, in both free and microencapsulated forms, in all the organs tested. The 6MC‐free showed a range of between 1.7 and 11.5 µg/g, while the microencapsulated 6MC showed concentrations of between 6.35 and 17.7 µg/g, suggesting that 6MC improved absorption rate. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Negatively Charged Metallacarborane Redox Couples with Both Members Stable to Air

The metallacarborane [3,3′‐Co(1,2‐closo‐C₂B₉H₁₁)₂]^? has been synthesized. This species allows the formation of redox couples in which both partners are negatively charged. The E_1/2 potential can be tuned by adjusting the nature and number of substituents on B and C. The octaiodinated species [3,3′‐Co(1,2‐closo‐C₂B₉H₇I₄)₂]^? is the most favorable, as it is isolatable and stable in air. A DFT study on stability and redox potentials of complexes has been performed.     

Synthesis,Electronic Properties and WOLED Devices of Planar Phosphorus‐Containing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

We describe the synthesis and the physical properties of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) containing a phosphorus atom at the edge. In particular, the impact of the successive addition of aromatic rings on the electronic properties was investigated by experimental (UV/Vis absorption, fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry) and theoretical studies (DFT). The physical properties recorded in solution and in the solid state showed that the P‐containing PAHs exhibit properties expected for an emitter in white organic light‐emitting diodes (WOLEDs).     

Beyond Stereoselectivity,Switchable Catalysis: Some of the Last Frontier Challenges in Ring‐Opening Polymerization of Cyclic Esters

Metal‐based catalysts and initiators have played a pivotal role in the ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclic esters, thanks to their high activity and remarkable ability to control precisely the architectures of the resulting polyesters in terms of molar mass, dispersity, microstructure, or tacticity. Today, after two decades of extensive research, the field is slowly reaching maturity. However, several challenges remain, while original concepts have emerged around new types or new applications of catalysis. This Review is not intended to comprehensively cover all of these aspects. Rather, it provides a personal overview of the very recent progress achieved in some selected, important aspects of ROP catalysis—stereocontrol and switchable catalysis. Hence, the first part addresses the development of new metal‐based catalysts for the isoselective ROP of racemic lactide towards stereoblock copolymers, and the use of syndioselective ROP metal catalysts to control the monomer sequence in copolymers. A second part covers the development of ROP catalysts—primarily metal‐based catalysts, but also organocatalysts—that can be externally regulated by the use of chemical or photo stimuli to switch them between two states with different catalytic abilities. Current challenges and opportunities are highlighted.     

Mass Power Spectrum in a Universe Dominated by the Chaplygin Gas

The mass power spectrum for a Universe dominated by the Chaplygin gas is evaluated numerically from scales of the order of the Hubble horizon to 100 Mpc. The results are compared with a pure baryonic Universe and a cosmological constant model. In all three cases, the spectrum increases with k, the wavenumber of the perturbations. The slope of the spectrum is higher for the baryonic model and smaller for the cosmological constant model, the Chaplygin gas interpolating these two models. The results are analyzed in terms of the sound velocity of the Chaplygin gas and the moment the Universe begins to accelerate.     

Modified gravity on the brane and dark energy

We analyze the dynamics of an AdS₅ braneworld with matter fields when gravity is allowed to deviate from the Einstein form on the brane. We consider exact five-dimensional warped solutions which are associated with conformal bulk fields of weight –4 and describe on the brane the following three dynamics: those of inhomogeneous dust, of generalized dark radiation, and of homogeneous polytropic dark energy. We show that, with modified gravity on the brane, the existence of such dynamical geometries requires the presence of non-conformal matter fields confined to the brane.