A short and efficient synthesis, solvent extraction and potentiometric measurements of new thiazole-containing naphtho-crown ethers are reported. The naphthalene moiety enhances the ammonium ion selectivity over potassium ion. The selectivity of ${NH_4}^+/K^+$ follows the trend $3\;{\approx}\;2\;>\;1$, indicating that the differences in conformational changes of 2 and 3 in forming ammonium complexes affect little on the resulting ammonium/potassium extraction selectivity ratio. The ammonium ion-selective electrodes were prepared with noctylphenyl ether plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) membranes containing 1-4 the effect of one naphthalene unit introduced on either right (2) or left (3) side of thiazolo-crown ether on their potentiometric properties (e.g., ammonium ion selectivity over other cations, response slopes, and detection limits) were not apparent. However, the ammonium ion selectivity of 1, 2 and 3 over other alkali metal and alkaline earth metal cations is 10-100 times higher than that of nonactin.

An efficient dynamic kinetic resolution of racemic ${\beta}$-hydroxyalkylferrocene and 1,1'-bis( ${\beta}$-hydroxyalkyl)-ferrocene derivatives was achieved using lipase/ruthenium-catalyzed transesterification in the presence of an acyl donor. The racemic ${\beta}$-hydroxyalkylferrocene derivatives were successfully transformed to the corresponding chiral acetates of high optical purities in high yields.

A sodium ion- selective electrode based on dibenzopyridino-18-crown-6 as membrane carrier was successfully prepared. The electrode exhibits a Nernstian response for $Na^+$ ions within the concentration range of $1.0\;{\times}\;10^{-4}-1.0\;{\times}\;10^{-1}$ M. The response time of the sensor is 20 s. The sodium ion-selective electrode exhibited comparatively good selectivities with respect to alkali, alkaline earth and some transition metal ions.

We present the tandem mass spectrometry applications carried out to elucidate the coordination structure of Zn(II) bound lysine ternary complexes, $(Zn+Lys+Lys-H)^+$, which is a good model system to represent a simple (metallo)enzyme-substrate complex (ES). In particular, experimental efforts were focused on revealing the involvement of a lysine side chain ${\varepsilon}$-amino group in the coordination of $Zn^{2+}$ divalent ions. MS/MS fragmentation pattern showed that all the oxygen species within a complex fell off in the form of $H_2O$ in contrast to those of other ternary complexes containing amino acids with simple side chains (4-coordinate geometries, Figure 1a), suggesting that the lysine complexes have different coordination structures from the others. The participation of a lysine basic side chain in the coordination of Zn(II) was experimentally evidenced in MS/MS for $N{\varepsilon}$-Acetyl-L-Lys Zn(II) complexes with acetyl protection groups as well as in MS/MS for the ternary complexes with one $NH_3$ loss, $(Zn+Lys+Lys-NH_3-H)^+$. Detailed structures were predicted using ab initio calculations on $(Zn+Lys+Lys-H)^+$ isomers with 4-, 5-, and 6-coordinate structures. A zwitterionic 4-coordinate complex (Figure 7d) and a 5-coordinate structure with distorted bipyramidal geometry (Figure 7b) are found to be most plausible in terms of energy stability and compatibility with the experimental observations, respectively.

The thiocyanate-selective PVC membrane electrodes based on 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)-porphyrinatomanganese(III) chloride [Mn(TMP)Cl] and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(2,6-dichlorophenyl)porphyrinatomanganese(III) chloride $[Mn(Cl_8TPP)Cl]$ as ion carriers were investigated. The effect of ionophores, membrane compositions, plasticizers, and solution pHs on the response characteristics were studied. The Mn(TMP)Cl as an ionophore shows the best potentiometric sensitivity with a slope of -58.7 mV/decade and a detection limit of $log[SCN^-]$ = -6.90, and selectivity for thiocyanate over strong hydrophobic interfering anions such as ${ClO_4}^-$ and salicylate. The potentiometric response is affected by the electronic effect of the substituents and solution pHs. The presence of substituents with electron donating and more liphophilic characters around the ligated metal center produces an improved response toward $SCN^-$.

A gas chromatography/mass spectrometric assay method was developed for the determination of persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs) in hair. For the exact extraction study was used hair of rat exposed with POPs. Sonication of the hair matrix with 3 M HCl solution in methylene chloride of the extraction methods studied was the most efficient and rapid sample preparation method. After sonication of rat hair was achieved clean up with a solid phase extraction procedure using silica gel-florisil. Elution was performed with 8 mL of methylene chloride. The eluate was concentrated to approximately 100 ${\mu}L$ and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Detection limits of POPs were in the concentration range of 0.6-1.2 ng/g in rat hair. Aldrin, dieldrin, p,p-DDT and mirex were dosed rat for 4 weeks at concentration of 0.01 mg/L in drinking water and detected in rat hair at concentration of 2.8, 11.3, 7.9 and 15.6 ng/g, respectively. Aldrin and p,p-DDT were metabolized to dieldrin and p,p-DDE, which were detected in concentration of 9.7 and 2.9 ng/g in rat hair, respectively. The developed method may be valuable to be used to analyze POPs in human hair.

A novel-type of structurally simple fluorescent chemosensor for oxalic acid was designed, synthesized, and evaluated to show that it detects oxalic acid in methanol with high selectivity over other anions including monoand dibasic carboxylic acids.

An amperometric biosensor based on carbon paste electrodes (CPEs) for the determination of urea was constructed by enzyme (urease/GL-DH)-modified method. Urea was hydrolyzed to ${NH_4}^+$ by catalyzing urease onto the enzyme-modified electrode surface in sample solution. In the presence of ${\alpha}$-ketoglutarate and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide(NADH), a liberated ${NH_4}^+$ produce to L-glutamate and $NAD^+$ by Lglutamate dehydrogenase (GL-DH). After the chemical reaction was proceeded, the electrochemical reaction was occurred that an excess of the NADH was oxidized to $NAD^+$. The oxidation current of NADH was monitored at +1.10 volt vs. Ag/AgCl. An optimum conditions of biosensor were investigated: The optimum pH range for catalyzed hydrolysis reaction of urea was pH 7.0-7.4. The linear response range and detection limit were $2.0\;{\times}\;10^{-5}{\sim}2.0\;{\times}\;10^{-4}M\;and\;5.0\;{\times}\;10^{-6}M$, respectively. Another physiological species did not interfere, except L-ascorbic acid.

New synthetic methodology of the saturated and unsaturated Er(III)-chelated prototype complexes based on benzoate and pentafluorobenzoate ligands was developed through ligand-exchange reaction. The saturated 8-coordinated Er(III) complexes exhibit stronger near-IR emission than those of the unsaturated 6-coordinated Er(III) complexes, obtained from the direct photoexcitation of Er ions with 488 nm. Three $H_2O$ molecules coordinated in the unsaturated 6-coordinated complexes seriously quenched the near IR emission by the harmonic vibration relaxation decay of O-H bonds. Also, the stronger emission of the Er(III) complexes was obtained by the indirect photoexcitation of ligands than by the direct photoexcitation of the Er(III) ions, due to the energy transfer between the excited ligand and the erbium ion. Furthermore, the saturated Er(III)-chelated complex with C-F bonds shows much stronger near IR emission than that of the saturated Er(III)-chelated complex with C-H bonds. It is attributed to the influence of C-F bonds on near IR emission.

A gas chromatography/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) method has been developed for the determination of trace mono-n-butyltin (MBT), di-n-butyltin (DBT), and tri-n-butyltin (TBT) compounds in sediments. Samples were extracted by 10% acetic acid in methanol containing 0.03% tropolone and were then derivatized for GC/MS analysis. Ethylation by sodium tetraethylborate and phenylation by sodium tetraphenylborate were evaluated as a derivatization reaction of the organotins in sample extract. n-Hexane was added into reaction media in the beginning of the reaction for the continuous extraction of derivatized organotins. Ethylation requires less than 2 hours to get proper derivatization yields for MBT, DBT, and TBT altogether and produces relatively low amounts of side reaction products. Compared to ethylation, phenylation requires much longer time but provides relatively lower yield and produces considerable amounts of side reaction products. Therefore, the ethylation reaction was applied for the analysis of organotin compounds in sediment. An isotope dilution mass spectrometric (IDMS) method based on GC/MS has been applied to the accurate determination of DBT compounds in the sediments. The IDMS results from the analyses of sediment samples showed a reasonable repeatability and a good agreement with the values obtained by IDMS based on liquid chromatography/induced coupled plasma/mass spectrometry.

We investigate a series of synthesized ${\beta}$-methoxyacrylate analogues for their 3D QSAR & HQSAR against Magnaporthe grisea (Rice Blast Disease). We perform the three-dimensional Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (3D-QSAR) studies, using the comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) procedure. In addition, we carry out a two-dimensional Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (2D-QSAR) study, using the Hologram QSAR (HQSAR). We perform these studies, using 53 compounds as a training set and 10 compounds as a test set. The predictive QSAR models have conventional $r^2$ values of 0.955 at CoMFA, 0.917 at CoMSIA, and 0.910 at HQSAR respectively; similarly, we obtain cross-validated coefficient $q^2$ values of 0.822 at CoMFA, 0.763 at CoMSIA, and 0.816 at HQSAR, respectively. From these studies, the CoMFA model performs better than the CoMSIA model.

The effect of $H_2$ gas on the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) synthesis with CO-$H_2$ gas mixture was investigated using mass measurements and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The maximum weight and yield of the synthesized carbon were obtained when the mixture ratio of $H_2$: CO was 3 : 7 and 9 : 1, respectively. In case of 100% carbon monoxide (CO) without hydrogen ($H_2$) addition, the weight of carbon increased, but CNTs were not observed. The CNTs began to be made when the contents of $H_2$ reaches at least 10%, their structures became more distinct with an increase of $H_2$ addition, and then the shapes of CNTs were more thin and straight. When the contents of $H_2$ was 80% ($H_2$ : CO = 8 : 2), the shapes and growth of CNTs showed an optimal condition. On the other hand, when the contents of $H_2$ was higher than the critical value, the shapes of CNTs became worse due to transition into inactive surface of catalyst. It was considered that the inactive surface of catalyst resulted from decrease of carbon (C) and $H_2$ concentration by facilitation of methane ($CH_4$) gasification reaction (C + 2$H_2$ ${\rightarrow}$ $CH_4$) between C and $H_2$ gases. It was also found that H2 addition had an influence considerably on the shape and structure of CNTs.

Mutagen X (MX) exists in our drinking water as the bi-products of chlorine disinfection. Being one of the most potent mutagen, it attracted much attention from many researchers. MX and its analogs are synthesized and modeled by quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) methods. As a result, factors affecting this class of compounds have been found to be steric and electrostatic effects. We tried to collect all the data available from the literature. With both CoMFA and CoMSIA various combinations of physiochemical parameters were systematically studied to produce reasonable 3-dimensional models. The best model for CoMFA gave $q^2$ = 0.90 and $r^2$ = 0.97, while for CoMSIA $q^2$ = 0.85 and $r^2$ = 0.94. So the models seem to be reasonable. Unlike previous result of CoMFA, in our case steric parameter alone gave the best statistics. Although the steric contribution was found to be the most important in both CoMFA and CoMSIA, steric parameter along with electrostatic parameter produced slightly better model in CoMSIA. Overall, steric contribution is clearly the most important single factor. However, when we compare chlorine and bromine substitution, chlorine substitution can be more mutagenic. This indicates that other factors such as electrostatic effect also influence the mutagenicity. From the contour maps, steric contribution seems to be focused on rather small area near C6 substituent of the furanone ring, rather than C3 substituent. Therefore the locality of steric contribution can play a significant role in mutagenicity.

Twenty four thiol-functionalized ionic liquids based on imidazolium cation, 1-(12-mercaptododecyl)-3-alkylimidazolium salts, have been synthesized, and utilized to investigate the effects of alkyl-chain length and anion on the wettability of Au surfaces on the basis of self-assembled monolayers presenting [(CnSAMIM)X], where n = 1-6, X = Br, $BF_4$, $PF_4$ and $NTf_2$. Water wettabilities of the surfaces were measured as a water contact angle by contact angle goniometry. It was found that water wettability of the Au surfaces coated with imidazolium ions was largely dependent not only on counter anions but also on the length of alkyl chains. In the case of SAMs of N-alkylimidazolium ions having short length of N-alkyl chain (C1-$C_4$), anions played great role in determining water wettability of the surfaces.

Fragmentations and proton transfer reactions of mono-, di-, and triethanolamines were studied using FTMS. It was found that the most abundant fragment ion was $[M-CH_2OH]^+$. The $[M-CH_2OH-H_2O]^+$ was observed in the mass spectra of diethanolamine and triethanolamine. By increasing the ion trapping time in the ICR cell, the $[M+H]^+$ and $[M+H-H_2O]^+$ ions were notably increased for all the samples while the $[M+H-2H_2O]^+$ was observed in the mass spectra of diethanolamine and triethanolamine. The proton transfer reactions between the fragment ions and neutral molecules occurred predominantly by increasing the ion trapping time. The rate constants for the proton transfer reactions were calculated from experimental results. The proton transfer reaction of $CHO^+$ was the fastest one, which is consistent with the heats of reaction. The rate constants for proton transfer reactions of triethanolamine were much slower than those of ethanolamine and diethanolamine because of the steric hindered structure of triethanolamine. The plausible structures of observed ions and heats of reaction for proton transfer were calculated with AM1 semiempirical method.

meso-Functionalized dipyrromethanes 6-10 were synthesized by acid-catalyzed addition of pyrrole to ${\alpha}$-position of 2-alkenyl pyrroles. The regiochemistry of the reaction can be explained by either the formation of more stable carbocation intermediate or ${\beta}$-addition of ${\alpha},{\beta}$-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. The starting 2-alkenyl pyrroles were synthesized by Aldol condensation of 2-formylpyrrole with active methylene compounds such as nitromethane, diethylmalonate and malononitrile. Attempted ‘2+2' condensation of meso-diethylmalonyldipyrromethane, meso-(p-tolyl)dipyrromethane and p-tolualdehyde afforded three different porphyrins 12, 13 and 14 in reasonable yields. On the other hand, meso-(nitromethyl)dipyrromethane with p-(tbutyl) benzaldehyde resulted in the formation of three different porphyrins such as 5,15-dicyano-10,20-diarylporphyrin (16), 5-cyano-15-formyl-10,20-diarylporphyrin (17) and 5,15-diformyl-10,20-diarylporphyrin (18) in low yields. Conversion of nitromethyl groups to nitrile and (or) formyl group was observed under the porphyrin forming conditions.

In the presence of laccase, low molecular weight (M.W.) fractions from lignosulfonate (M.W. 97 kD) were produced. By Sephadex column chromatography, four lower M.W. fractions of 9 kD, 1.8 kD, 1 kD and 0.85 kD were identified. The addition of acetovanillone (AV) or acetosyringone (AS) enhanced to the degradation of lignosulfonate with fungal laccase. During this process, there were found new generation of lower M.W. fractions, e.g. approximately 20 kD, 1.8 kD, 1 kD and 0.85 kD for AV, and 20 kD, 3 kD, 1 kD and 0.85 kD for AS, respectively. The quantities of lower M.W. products (especially the fractions of M.W. 1 kD and 0.85 kD) were larger than those in the controls. Also, its degradation became more active in the presence of AS than AV. The presence of AS or AV seems to prevent the re-polymerization of degraded lignosulfonate by the laccase.

Prunioside A is a unique, highly oxidized monoterpene glycoside isolated from the methanol extract of Spiraea prunifolia var. Simpliciflora's root. The ester derivatives were synthesized from the hydrolyzed compounds of prunioside A by ${\beta}$-glucosidase. The derivatives showed suppressive effects on the generation of nitric oxide in murine machrophage-like RAW 264.7 cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide and interferon- ${\gamma}$.

The topoisomerase II poisoning effect of certain protoberberine alkaloids is associated with anti-cancer activity. Structure-activity relationships of protoberberine analogues substituted on the ring protons reveal that substitution at the C19 position is an important determinant of biological activity. In this study, the effects of substituent modification at the C19 position on the interaction of protoberberines with DNA are determined using UV and NMR spectroscopy. The line broadening effect on aliphatic resonances, chemical shift changes of the imino protons of HP14 upon berberine and berberrubine binding to HP14, and the rate of the exchange process between protoberberine analogs bound indicate that berberrubine binds HP14 more specifically than berberine. In addition, the free HP14 is altered by the substituent at the 19-position. UV spectra of berberrubine have shown a hypochromic effect together with a slight red shift, which are usually regarded as characteristics of DNA intercalation. These results are consistent with our previous report that the berberrubine is partially intercalated with HP14 with molar ratio 1 : 1, whereas a non-specific interaction is predominant between the berberine and HP14.