International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry

The Standards, Measurements and Testing Programme (formerly BCR) of the European Commission proposed a three-step sequential extraction procedure for sediment analysis, following extensive expert consultations and two interlaboratory studies. This scheme was recently used to certify the extractable trace element contents of a sediment reference material (CRM 601). Although this procedure offers a means to ensure the comparability of data in this field, some difficulties concerning the interlaboratory reproducibility still remain, and a new project is currently being conducted to determine the causes of poor reproducibility in the extraction scheme. The final objective of the project is the certification of new sediment and soil reference materials for their extractable contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. This paper presents the results of a small-scale interlaboratory study, which aimed to test a revised version of the extraction schemes by comparing the original and the modified protocols using the CRM 601 sample. This work offers an improvement to the BCR sequential extraction procedure through intercomparison exercises. This improved procedure will allow the obtaining of CRMs to validate analytical data in the analysis of soils and sediments, and it will also facilitate comparability of data in the European Union.

Abstract. This article, the first in the series, presents kinetic and photochemical data evaluated by the IUPAC Subcommittee on GasKinetic Data Evaluation for Atmospheric Chemistry. It covers the gas phase and photochemical reactions of Ox, HOx, NOx and SOx species, which were last published in 1997, and were updated on the IUPAC website in late 2001. The article consists of a summary sheet, containing the recommended kinetic parameters for the evaluated reactions, and five appendices containing the data sheets, which provide information upon which the recommendations are made.

The first IUPAC Manual of Symbols and Terminology for Physicochemical Quantities and Units (the Green Book) of which this is the direct successor, was published in 1969, with the object of 'securing clarity and precision, and wider agreement in the use of symbols, by chemists in different countries, among physicists, chemists and engineers, and by editors of scientific journals'. Subsequent revisions have taken account of many developments in the field, culminating in the major extension and revision represented by the 1988 edition under the simplified title Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry. This 2007, Third Edition, is a further revision of the material which reflects the experience of the contributors with the previous editions. The book has been systematically brought up to date and new sections have been added. It strives to improve the exchange of scientific information among the readers in different disciplines and across different nations. In a rapidly expanding volume of scientific literature where each discipline has a tendency to retreat into its own jargon this book attempts to provide a readable compilation of widely used terms and symbols from many sources together with brief understandable definitions. This is the definitive guide for scientists and organizations working across a multitude of disciplines requiring internationally approved nomenclature.

ISSN:0959-6658

A number of short peptide amphiphiles consisting of dipeptides linked to fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl spontaneously form fibrous hydrogels under physiological conditions (see figure). The structural and physical properties of these gels are dictated by the amino acid sequence of the peptide building blocks, and the gels support the three-dimensional cell culture of chondrocytes.

This report constitutes the ninth annual assessment and review of entrepreneurial activity and entrepreneurial perceptions in countries participating in the GEM project. Since the first report was published in 1999 by scholars at Babson College and London Business School, GEM has developed into one of the world's leading research consortia concerned with improving our understanding of the relationships between perceptions of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial activity, and national economic growth. To this end, the project has, from the start, been designed as a multinational, harmonized research program providing annual assessments of the entrepreneurial sector for a range of countries.

The self assembly of peptide hydrogelators that carry aromatic substituents can be modeled by a novel nanocylindrical architecture. The proposed model suggests that the nanocylinders are formed by anti-parallel β-sheets interlocked by the π-stacking interactions of fluorenyl groups and phenyl rings. This explanation is consistent with the structures observed in TEM and the data obtained by a variety of spectroscopic techniques. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2089/2008/c1221_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.

Abstract The sections in this article are Introduction General Definitions and Terminology Methodology Methods for the Determination of Adsorption Isotherms Operational Definitions of Adsorption Experimental Procedures Outgassing the Adsorbent Determination of the Adsorption Isotherm Evaluation of Adsorption Data Presentation of Primary Data Classification of Adsorption Isotherms Adsorption Hysteresis Determination of Surface Area Application of the BET Method Empirical Procedures for Isotherm Analysis Assessment of Mesoporosity Properties of Porous Materials Application of the K elvin Equation Computation of Mesopore Size Distribution Assessment of Microporosity Terminology Concept of Surface Area Assessment of Micropore Volume General Conclusions and Recommendations

RasGRP, a guanyl nucleotide-releasing protein for the small guanosine triphosphatase Ras, was characterized. Besides the catalytic domain, RasGRP has an atypical pair of "EF hands" that bind calcium and a diacylglycerol (DAG)-binding domain. RasGRP activated Ras and caused transformation in fibroblasts. A DAG analog caused sustained activation of Ras-Erk signaling and changes in cell morphology. Signaling was associated with partitioning of RasGRP protein into the membrane fraction. Sustained ligand-induced signaling and membrane partitioning were absent when the DAG-binding domain was deleted. RasGRP is expressed in the nervous system, where it may couple changes in DAG and possibly calcium concentrations to Ras activation.

A series of novel hexafluorophosphate salts, based on N,N′-dialkylimidazolium and substituted N-alkylpyridinium cations, display liquid crystalline behaviour at temperatures above their melting point. The temperature range over which liquid crystalline behaviour is observed increases markedly with increasing alkyl chain length. Alkyl substitution at the 3- and 4-positions on the pyridinium ring results in a decrease in the melting point compared with the equivalent unsubstituted salt, but also leads to a large decrease in the tendency towards liquid crystalline behaviour (or mesogenicity). The salts prepared are fully characterised using a wide variety of techniques, including NMR and IR spectroscopy, DSC, and single crystal X-ray diffraction in the case of 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate. The effect of preparing mixtures containing different proportions of two cations is also reported.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) can provide positive identification of an analyte or an analyte mixture with high sensitivity and selectivity. Better understanding of the theory and advances in the understanding of the practice have led to the development of practical applications in which the unique advantages of SERS/SERRS have been used to provide effective solutions to difficult analytical problems. This review presents a basic theory and illustrates the way in which SERS/SERRS has been developed for practical use.

This article explores recent advances in the design and engineering of materials wholly or principally constructed from peptides. We focus on materials that are able to respond to changes in their environment (pH, ionic strength, temperature, light, oxidation/reduction state, presence of small molecules or the catalytic activity of enzymes) by altering their macromolecular structure. Such peptide-based responsive biomaterials have exciting prospects for a variety of biomedical and bionanotechnology applications in drug delivery, bio-sensing and regenerative medicine.

Historically, single-metal organometallic species such as organolithium compounds have been the reagents of choice in synthetic organic chemistry for performing deprotonation reactions. Over the past few years, a complementary new class of metalating agents has started to emerge. Owing to a variable central metal (magnesium, zinc, or aluminum), variable ligands (both in their nature and number), and a variable second metallic center (an alkali metal such as lithium or sodium), "ate" complexes are highly versatile bases that exhibit a synergic chemistry which cannot be replicated by the homometallic magnesium, zinc, or aluminum compounds on their own. Deprotonation accomplished by using these organometallic ate complexes has opened up new perspectives in organic chemistry with unprecedented reactivities and sometimes unusual and unpredictable regioselectivities.

Abstract

We demonstrate that proteases can be used to selectively trigger the self-assembly of peptide hydrogels via reversed hydrolysis.

Abstract

Abstract. This article, the fifth in the ACP journal series, presents data evaluated by the IUPAC Subcommittee on Gas Kinetic Data Evaluation for Atmospheric Chemistry. It covers the heterogeneous processes on surfaces of solid particles present in the atmosphere, for which uptake coefficients and adsorption parameters have been presented on the IUPAC website in 2010. The article consists of an introduction and guide to the evaluation, giving a unifying framework for parameterisation of atmospheric heterogeneous processes. We provide summary sheets containing the recommended uptake parameters for the evaluated processes. Four substantial appendices contain detailed data sheets for each process considered for ice, mineral dust, sulfuric acid hydrate and nitric acid hydrate surfaces, which provide information upon which the recommendations are made.

We demonstrate the use of a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) equipped with a monochromator and an electron energy loss (EEL) spectrometer as a powerful tool to study localized surface plasmons in metallic nanoparticles. We find that plasmon modes can be influenced by changes in nanostructure geometry and electron beam damage and show that it is possible to delineate the two effects through optimization of specimen preparation techniques and acquisition parameters. The results from the experimental mapping of bright and dark plasmon energies are in excellent agreement with the results from theoretical modeling.

The ability to detect multiple disease-related targets from a single biological sample in a quick and reliable manner is of high importance in diagnosing and monitoring disease. The technique known as surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has been developed for the simultaneous detection of multiple targets present in biological samples. Advances in the SERS method have allowed for the sensitive and specific detection of biologically relevant targets, such as DNA and proteins, which could be useful for the detection and control of disease. This review focuses on the strengths of SERS for the detection of target molecules from complex mixtures and the clinical relevance of recent work combining SERS with multiplexed detection of biological targets.

In the present study, molecularly imprinted affinity sorbents against theophylline and 17β-estradiol are synthesised via precipitation polymerisation, a synthetic method that yields monodisperse, spherical polymer particles in the micron-scale range, quickly, cleanly and in good yield. The specific binding sites that are created during the imprinting process are analysed via radioligand binding analysis. The molecularly imprinted microspheres are highly specific and have higher load capacities compared to the ‘classical’ particles obtained by grinding the imprinted monolith. The successful imprinting against model compounds with very different hydrophobicities demonstrates the generality of the current simple approach.