The reaction of ${\alpha}$-Benzilmonoxime with palladium(II) produces a green complex in triton X-100 micellar media. Palladium has been determined using zero and first derivative spectrophotometric methods. The absorbances of Pd(II)- ${\alpha}$--benzilmonoxime complex at 441.8 and 677.0 nm in 0.10 M perchloric acid solution were monitored and linear working ranges of 0.3-12.0 and 0.7-20 ${\mu}$g mL$^{-1}$ with detection limits of 0.07 and 0.10 ${\mu}$g $mL^-1$ were obtained, respectively. Also, recoveries in the range of 92.8 to 100.1% and relative standard deviations in the range of 0.4 to 7.1% were obtained. First derivative spectrophotometry has also been applied for palladium determination under the optimum condition. The linear dynamic range of 0.2-24.0 ${\mu}$g $mL^{-1}$ palladium with relative standard deviations of 0.6-6.9% and recoveries in the range of 94.9-102.5% has been obtained by first derivative spectrophotometry. The method shows high selectivity because of the high concentration of acid used, which prevents formation of complexes of ${\alpha}$--benzilmonoxime with the other cations. The palladium complex formed was stable at least one day. The method was successfully applied to the determination of palladium in some synthetic palladium alloys and palladium-charcoal powder.

Azo-functionalized calix[4]arenes as ionophores for chloride-selective electrode, 5,11,17,23-Tetra-tert-butyl-25,27-bis[(N,N-dimethyl-aniline-azo-phenylthioureido)ethyl]oxy-26,28-dihydroxycalix[4]arene (4a) and 5,11,17,23-Tetra-tert-butyl-25,27-bis[(N,N-dimethyl-aniline-azo-phenylthioureido)ethyl]oxy-26,28-dimethoxycalix[4]arene (4b) were synthesized. The PVC membrane electrode based on azo-functionalized calix[4]arene 4a with o-NPOE exhibits a linear stable response over a wide concentration range ($1.5{\times}10^{-4}-1.0{\times}10^{-1}$) with a slope of -52.0 mV/decade and a detection limit of log[$Cl^-$] = -4.02. This ionophore-based membrane exhibited improved selectivity for chloride anion compared with classical Hofmeister series.

In order to characterize the hydrophobic parameters of N-acetyl amino acid amides in 1-octanol/water, a theoretical calculation was carried out using a solvation free energy density model. The hydrophobicity parameters of the molecules are obtained with the consideration of the solvation free energy over the solvent volume surrounding the solute, using a grid model. Our method can account for the solvent accessible surface area of the molecules according to conformational variations. Through a comparison of the hydrophobicity of our calculation and that of other experimental/theoretical works, the solvation free energy density model is proven to be a useful tool for the evaluation of the hydrophobicity of amino acids and peptides. In order to evaluate the solvation free energy density model as a method of calculating the activity of drugs using the hydrophobicity of its building blocks, the contracture of Bradykinin potentiating pentapeptide was also predicted from the hydrophobicity of each residue. The solvation free energy density model can be used to employ descriptors for the prediction of peptide activities in drug discovery, as well as to calculate the hydrophobicity of amino acids.

An electrochemical study related to the electroreduction of 4-amino-6-methyl-3-thio-1,2,4-triazin-5-one(I), 6-methyl-3-thio-1,2,4-triazin-5-one(II), and 2,4-dimetoxy-6-methyl-1,3,5-triazine(III) in dimethylformamide at glassy carbon electrode has been performed. A variety of electrochemical techniques, such as differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry, and coulometry were employed to clarify the mechanism of the electrode process. The compounds I and II with thiol group exhibited similar redox behavior. Both displayed two cathodic peaks, whereas the third compound, III, without thiol group showed only one cathodic peak in the same potential range of the second peak of I and II. The results of this study suggest that in the first step the one electron reduction of thiol produced a disulfide derivative and in the second reduction step the azomethane in the triazine ring was reduced in two electron processes. A reduction mechanism for all three compounds is proposed on this basis. In addition, some numerical constants, such as diffusion constant, transfer coefficient, and rate constant of coupled chemical reaction in the first reduction peak were also reported.

The interrelation between retention factors of several L-amino acids and their physico-chemical and structural properties can be determined in chromatographic research. In this paper we describe a predictor for retention factors with various properties of the L-amino acids. Eighteen L-amino acids are included in this study, and retention factors are measured experimentally by RP-HPLC. Binding energy ($E_b$), hydrophobicity (log P), molecular refractivity (MR), polarizability (${\alpha}$), total energy ($E_t$), water solubility (log S), connectivity index (${\chi}$) of different orders and Wiener index (w) are theoretically calculated. Relationships between these properties and retention factors are established, and their predictive and interpretive ability are evaluated. The equation of the relationship between retention factors and various descriptors of L-amino acids is suggested as linear and multiple linear form, and the correlation coefficients estimated are relatively higher than 0.90.

Algal growth studies of Chlorella strains were conducted in a batch mode with bench type experiments. Carbon dioxide fixation rates of the following green microalgae were determined: Chlorella sp. H84, Chlorella sp. A2, Chlorella sorokiniana UTEX 1230, Chlorella vulgaris, and Chlorella pyrenoidosa. C. vulgaris, among other strains of microalgae, showed the highest growth rate (1.17 optical density/5 days). Cultivating conditions for C. vulgaris that produced the highest growth rate were at concentrations of 243 ${\mu}g\;CO_2$/mL, 10 mM ammonia, and 1 mM phosphate, with an initial pH range of 7-8.

A simple, rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric method is herewith proposed for the determination of copper(II) by using diamine-dioxime ligand, meso-3,6,6,9-tetramethyl-4,8-diazaundecane-2,10-dione dioxime or meso-HexaMethyl Propylene Amine Oxime (meso-HMPAO). This method is based on the formation of a stable 1 : 1 red-pink complex between copper(II) and meso-HMPAO in aqueous solution. Absorption measurements were carried at 497 nm, with a molar absorptivity value of 338 L $mol^{-1}\;cm^{-1}$. Beer's law was obeyed over the concentration range of 0.5-370 ${\mu}$g $mL^{-1}$ with a Sandell's sensitivity value of 0.18 ${\mu}$g $cm^{-2}$. The proposed method has been successfully applied for determination of copper(II) in foodstuffs and pharmaceutical samples. The results obtained from this method are comparable with those obtained AAS.

CNTs have been synthesized by catalytic $C_2H_2$ decomposition through $Pd/Al_2O_3$ at low temperature. The CNTs were grown to a length of about 10 ${\mu}$m and diameter 150-200 nm with multiwalled structure. Pd catalysts have two major roles; one is the active catalyst for $C_2H_2$ decomposition, the other is a nucleation site of CNT's growth.

A continuous flow system has been developed to determine trace Cu(II), Mn(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) in a large volume of water samples by a solvent sublation technique. The mixed solution of 1,10-phenanthroline(phen) and thiocyanate ion was used as ligands for the formation of their ternary complexes. The continuous system was constructed in this laboratory with a peristaltic pump, a mini shaker, three mixing bottles and a flotation cell by connecting each part with a polyethylene tube. The flotation conditions such as the flow rate of sample solution and the injection rates of ligand, buffer and surfactant solutions have been investigated to obtain the best sublation efficiencies. Each solution flowed into the flotation cell through each polyethylene tube by the peristaltic pumps. The ternary complexes were floated and extracted into MIBK in a flotation cell of 2 L by bubbling a nitrogen gas. The absorbances of extracted analytes in MIBK were directly measured by graphite furnace-AAS. The concentrations of 1,10-phenanthroline and thiocyanate ion were $2.6\;{\times}\;10^{-3}$ M and $2.3\;{\times}\;10^{-2}$ M in the mixed solution, respectively. The pH of sample solution was adjusted to 5.0 with a buffer solution and 1%(m/v) sodium lauryl sulphate solution was added as a surfactant to support the effective flotation of the complexes. The $N_2$ gas was bubbled at 30 mL/min for 90 minutes for 20 L of sample. Reproducible results of less than 10% RSD and recoveries of 80-120% could be obtained in real samples.

Determination of Co(II) ion as a 4-(2-thiazolylazo)resorcinol(TAR) or 5-methyl-4-(2-thiazolylazo)resorcinol(5MTAR) chelate was accomplished by reversed-phase capillary high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-Capillary-HPLC) using a Vydac $C_4$ column and MeCN-water mixture as mobile phase. The effect of change in pH and MeCN percentage of the mobile phase on the retention factor, k and peak intensity were evaluated. It was found that 30% MeCN (v/v) of pH 5.60 or 7.20 was adequate as mobile phase when TAR or 5MTAR is used. Detection limit (D.L., S/N=3) in each case was $2.0\;{\times}\;10^{-7}$M (11.8 ppb) and $3.0\;{\times}\;10^{-7}$ M (17.7 ppb). The Co(II) ion in mineral and waste water was determined with the optimum column and mobile phase.

Zirconia modified with $MoO_3$ was prepared by impregnation of powdered $Zr(OH)_4$ with ammonium heptamolybdate aqueous solution followed by calcining in air at high temperature. Spectroscopic studies on prepared catalysts were performed by using FTIR, Raman, XRD, and DSC and by measuring surface area. Upon the addition of molybdenum oxide to zirconia up to 15 wt%, the specific surface area increased in proportion to the molybdate oxide content, while acidity measured by irreversible chemisorption of ammonia exhibited a maximum value at 3 wt% of $MoO_3$. Since the $ZrO_2$ stabilizes the molybdenum oxide species, for the samples equal to or less than 30 wt%, molybdenum oxide was well dispersed on the surface of zirconia and no phase of crystalline $MoO_3$ was observed at any calcination temperature above $400^{\circ}C$. The catalytic activities for cumene dealkylation were roughly correlated with the acidity of catalysts measured by ammonia chemisorption method, while the catalytic activities for 2-propanol dehydration were not correlated with the acidity because weak acid sites are necessary for the reaction.

A series of amorphous molecules that possess both photoconductive and electro-optic properties was synthesized in order to investigate photorefractive properties of bifunctional organic-glasses. Diethylaminobenzaldehyde-diphenylhydrazone was covalently attached to 5-(4-diethylamino-benzylidene)-1,3-dimethylpyrimidine-2,4,6-trione through a flexible alkyl chain (3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 carbons) containing two ether linkages. The longer linkage not only lowered the glass transition temperature ($T_g$) of the molecules, but also allowed faster orientation of the chromophore. To examine the photorefractive properties, a 50 ${\mu}$m-thick film was prepared from the mixture of a bifunctional molecule, butyl benzyl phthalate, and $C_{60}$. The photoconductivity of this composite was as high as $8.01\;{\times}\;10^{-12}$ S/cm at 60 V/ ${\mu}$m, and the maximum diffraction efficiency ( ${\eta}_{max}$) of 50 ${\mu}$m-thick film was about 5% at 80 V/ ${\mu}$m.

Acetolatate synthase(ALS) catalyzes the first common step in the biosynthesis of valine, leucine, isoleucine in plants and microorganisms. ALS is the target of several classes of herbicides, including the sulfonylureas, the imidazolinones, and the triazolopyrimidines. To elucidate the roles of arginine residues in tobacco ALS, chemical modification and site-directed mutagenesis were performed. Recombinant tobacco ALS was expressed in E. coli and purified to homogeneity. The ALS was inactivated by arginine specific reagents, phenylglyoxal and 2,3-butanedione. The rate of inactivation was a function of the concentration of modifier. The inactivation by butanedione was enhanced by borate, and the inactivation was reversible on removal of excess butanedione and borate. The substrate pyruvate and competitive inhibitors fluoropyruvate and phenylpyruvate protected the enzyme against inactivation by both modifiers. The mutation of well-conserved Arg198 of the ALS by Gln abolished the enzymatic activity as well as the binding affinity for cofactor FAD. However, the mutation of R198K did not affect significantly the binding of FAD to the enzyme. Taken together, the results imply that Arg198 is essential for the catalytic activity of the ALS and involved in the binding of FAD, and that the positive charge of the Arg is crucial for the interaction with negatively charged FAD.

The simultaneous determination of As(III), As(V), and DMA has been performed by ion chromatography (IC) coupled with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The separation of the three arsenic species was achieved by an anionic separator column (AS 7) with an isocratic elution system. The separated species were directly detected by ICP-MS as an element-selective detection method. The IC-ICP-MS technique was applied for the determination of arsenic species in a NIST SRM 1643d water sample. An As(III) only was detected in the sample. The detection limits of As(III), As(V) and DMA were 0.31, 0.45, and 2.09 ng/mL, respectively. It was also applied for the determination of arsenic species in a human urine obtained by a volunteer, and three arsenic species were identified. The determination of total As in human urines that were obtained from 25 volunteers at the different age was also carried out by ICP-MS.

Monomeric antioxidant 1 was prepared by the reaction of 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol with N-[4-(chlorocarbonyl)phenyl]maleimide in the presence of imidazole. Monomeric antioxidant 2, bearing carbamate group, was synthesized from the reaction of 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol and azidomaleimide. Antioxidant 3 was prepared by the reaction of N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)maleimide and 3-(3,5-ditert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) propionic chloride in the presence of triethylamine. These reactive antioxidants were grafted onto polypropylene (PP) by melt-processing with free radical initiators in a mini-max moulder. From the infrared spectra of the grafted PP, it was found that the monomeric antioxidants were grafted onto PP. IR spectroscopic methods were used for the quantitative determination of the extent of grafting of monomeric antioxidant. To optimize the reaction conditions, the influences of the concentration of DCP, monomeric antioxidant, reaction time and temperature on the extent of grafting were studied.

$Li^+$ and $H^+$ co-exchanged LSXs (Li-H-LSX) with various ratios of $Li^+$ and $H^+$ were prepared, and those adsorption characteristics of nitrogen and oxygen were compared with Li-Na-LSX and Li-Ca-LSX. Li-H-LSX showed higher nitrogen capacity and selectivity than that of Li-Na-LSX in the wide range of Li-exchanged ratio. The nitrogen capacity of Li-Ca-LSX was slightly higher than that of fully Li- or Ca-exchanged LSX (Li- LSX or Ca-LSX). However, Li-Ca-LSX showed low nitrogen/oxygen adsorption selectivity until the Li content reached about 80%, which was a tendency near that of Ca-LSX.

In connection with the studies for developing new enzymes that could be useful in organic synthesis, practical preparation of racemic and enantiopure forms of ${\gamma}$-hydroxy-${\alpha}$-keto acids has been successfully achieved. For racemic form of ${\gamma}$-hydroxy-${\alpha}$-keto acids, indium-mediated allylation of aldehydes with 2-(bromomethyl)acrylic acid has been employed as a key step. Oxidative cleavage of the thus formed 2-methylenebutyrolactones provided the desired ${\alpha}$-ketobutyrolactones. Enzymatic resolution of the ${\gamma}$-hydroxy-${\alpha}$-methylene esters provided the desired${\gamma}$-hydroxy-${\alpha}$-methylene acids which were successfully converted to ${\gamma}$-hydroxy-${\alpha}$-ketobutyrolactones in optically pure forms.

Field emission of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) fabricated by disproportionation of CO has been studied. CNTs fabricated on well-ordered Co nanowire arrays formed on the porous anodic aluminum oxide templates were well graphitized, uniform in diameter and aligned vertically with respect to the plane of the template, and showed a good field emission property. Very uniform emissions were observed from the CNTs fabricated at relatively low temperature, $500-600^{\circ}C$. Low fabrication temperature such as $500^{\circ}C$ could make it possible to fabricate CNTs on soda lime glass, a low-cost substrate, for display panel.