Potassium(I) with 5,7-dihydroxy-6,4'-dimethoxyisoflavone-3'-sulfonate (L) assembles to K($H_2O$)L (L = 5,7-dihydroxy-6,4'-dimethoxyisoflavone-3'-sulfonate). It was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, element analysis, IR and $^1H$ NMR spectroscopy. It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group $P2_1$/n and reveals a seven-coordinate complex. Polyhedra potassium chains, C-H${\cdot}{\cdot}{\cdot}\pi$ and C-H${\cdot}{\cdot}{\cdot}$O and O-H${\cdot}{\cdot}{\cdot}$O hydrogen bonds lead K($H_2O$)L to a three-dimensional network structure. The biological activity of resistance to hypoxia was tested, and the results showed that the biological activity of resistance to hypoxia of K($H_2O$)L is as good as that of its precursor, irisolidone.

In this study, a solid phase extraction method has been developed for the preconcentration and separation of the elements Cr(III), Fe(III), Co(II) and Pb(II) at trace levels by using a column packed with Amberlite XAD-1180 resin loaded with 4-(2-pyridylazo)-resorcinol (PAR) reagent. After preconcentrating, the metals retained on the column were eluted with 20 mL of 3 mol/L $HNO_3$ and then determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The factors affecting the recovery of the elements, such as pH, type and concentration of eluent, volume of sample and elution solution, and matrix components, were also ascertained. The recoveries of Cr(III), Fe(III), Co(II) and Pb(II) were found to be $99\;{\pm}\;4,\;97\;{\pm}\;3,\;95\;{\pm}\;3$ and $98\;{\pm}\;4$%, respectively, under the optimum conditions at 95% confidence level and the relative standard deviations found by analyzing of nine replicates were $\leq4.4$%. The preconcentration factors for Cr(III), Fe(III), Co(II) and Pb(II) were found as 75, 125, 50 and 75 respectively. The detection limits (DL, 3s/b) were 3.0 $\mu g/L$ for Cr(III), 1.25 $\mu g/L$ for Fe(III), 3.3 $\mu g/L$ for Co(II), and 7.2 $\mu g/L$ for Pb(II). The recoveries achieved by adding of metals at known concentrations to samples and the analysis results of Buffalo river sediment (RM 8704) show that the described method has a good accuracy. The proposed method was applied to tap water, stream water, salt and street dust samples.

A systematic study of the structure, energetics and spectral characteristics of substituted aminoketenes $R(NH_2)$C=C=O (R = H, $CH_3$, $NH_2$, OH, $OCH_3$, CH=$CH_2$, C$\equiv$CH, CN, CHO, NO, $NO_2$) which are highly reactive and transient intermediates in synthesis has been conducted by ab initio calculations at the MP2/6- 31G*//MP2/6-31G* level. Twenty four stable isomers of the eleven substituted aminoketenes having dihedral angles $\phi NH_2\sim120{^{\circ}}$ and $60^{\circ}$ have been identified and their optimized geometries and energies obtained. Electrostatic and steric effects on the molecular geometries have been analyzed. While the $\pi$-acceptor groups lead to planar conformations, the electron-donor groups give rise to non-planar conformations. Isodesmic substituent stabilization energies relative to alkenes have been calculated and correlation with group electronegativities established. Role of induction effect by the substituent groups and resonance effects in charge distribution in the molecules has been analyzed. An analysis of the asymmetric stretching frequencies and intensities of the C=C=O group shows that affect of non-$\pi$ acceptor substituents on the frequency is determined by the field effect (F) and resonance effect (R) parameters, the calculated intensities I (km/mol.) are correlated to group electronegativities $x$ of the substituents by the relationship I = 640.2–100.1 $x$ (r = 0.92). The $\pi$-acceptor substituents increase the intensity which may be explained in terms of their delocalizing effect on the negative charge at the $C_{\beta}$ atom.

Photolysis of (2-hydroxymethylphenyl)pentamethyldisilane 1 in methanol provides a novel intramolecular photoproduct 4 via silene intermediate 2 but the photoreaction of (2-acetoxymethyl- or allyloxymethylphenyl) pentamethyldisilanes 5 or 10 in methanol affords unexpected photoproducts 8 or 13, respectively, instead of expected intramolecular photoproducts.

Sulfur-substituted $LiMn_{0.9}Cr_{0.1}O_{2-x}S_x$ $(0\;\leq\;x\;\leq\;0.1)$ layered oxides have been prepared by solid state reaction under inert atmosphere. From powder X-ray diffraction analyses, all the present lithium manganates were found to be crystallized with monoclinic-layered structure. Electrochemical measurements clearly demonstrated that, in comparison with the pristine $LiMn_{0.9}Cr_{0.1}O_2$, the sulfur-substituted derivatives exhibit smaller discharge capacities for the entire cycle range but the recovery of discharge capacity after the initial several cycles becomes faster upon sulfur substitution. The effect of the sulfur substitution on the chemical bonding nature of $LiMn_{0.9}Cr_{0.1}O_{2-x}S_x$has been investigated using X-ray absorption spectroscopic (XAS) analyses at Mn and Cr K-edges. According to Mn K-edge XAS results, the trivalent oxidation state of manganese ion remains unchanged before and after the substitution whereas the local structure around manganese ions becomes more distorted with increasing the substitution rate of sulfur. On the other hand, the replacement of oxygen with sulfur has negligible influence on the local atomic arrangement around chromium ions, which is surely due to the high octahedral stabilization energy of $Cr^{+III} $ ions. Based on the present experimental findings, we have suggested that the decrease of discharge capacity upon sulfur substitution is ascribable to the enhanced structural distortion of $MnO_6$ octahedra and/or to the formation of covalent Li-S bonds, and the accompanying improvement of cyclability would be related to the depression of Mn migration and/or to the pillaring effect of larger sulfur anion.

The following study describes the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) based screening and confirmation analysis of urinary androgenic steroids. Four commercially available solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges, Serdolit PAD-1, Sep-pak $C_{18}$, amino-propyl, and Oasis HLB, and three different extractive organic solvents, diethyl ether, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), and n-pentane, were tested for sample preparation. Overall, Oasis HLB combined with MTBE extraction provided the highest recoveries in 39 of 46 total androgenic steroids examined and it showed a good extraction yield (>82.1%) for polar steroids, such as metabolites of fluoxymesterone, oxandrolone, and stanozolol, which gave a poor recovery in both n-pentane (9.2-64.3%) and diethyl ether (22.2-73.6%) extractions. All SPE sorbents tested showed potential, because they were efficient in extraction for most or selective steroids. When applied to positive urine samples based on the results obtained, the present method allowed selective and sensitive analysis for detection of urinary androgenic steroids. The experiments showed that the high-resolution MS method is clearly more efficient than the low-resolution MS technique for the detection of many urinary steroids. However, comprehensive sample clean-up procedures also might be needed especially in confirmation analysis to increase detectability.

Mesoporous nickel intercalated aluminosilicate nanohybrid has been synthesized through a recombination reaction between the colloidal suspension of exfoliated montmorillonite nanosheets and aqueous nickel acetate solution. According to powder X-ray diffraction and field emission-scanning electron microscopic analyses, the intercalation of nickel species expands significantly the basal spacing of the host montmorillonite clay and the crystallites of the intercalation compound are assembled to form a house-of-card structure. $N_2$ adsorption-desorption isotherm measurements with BJH pore analyses clearly demonstrated that the porosity of the intercalate originates mainly from mesopores (diameter $\sim50\;\AA$) formed by the house-of-card type stacking of clay crystallites. From FT-IR and X-ray absorption spectroscopic analyses, it becomes certain that intercalated nickel ion is stabilized in an isolated $NiO_6$ octahedral unit. The present mesoporous intercalation compound is expected to be applicable as efficient catalysts or absorbents.

The electrochemical reduction of coumarin, 7-acetoxy-4-methyl coumarin (AMC), and 7-acetoxy-4-bromomethyl coumarin (ABMC), in 0.1 M tetraethyl ammonium perchlorate/acetonitrile solution was carried out by direct current, differential pulse polarography, cyclic voltammetry, and controlled potential coulometry. The electrochemical reduction of ABMC was proceeded through three steps of electron transfer coupled with the chemical reactions. The color of solution was changed to yellow when the carbonyl group was reduced during 2nd step (-1.8 volts) and independented with cleavage of bromo group. Highest fluorescence intensity showed when the electrochemical reduction of AMC was controlled at near the potential (-2.3 volts vs. Ag/AgCl).

It has been found that a number of diseases are associated with mutations in the mitochondrial DNA. Therapeutic gene delivery to mitochondria has been suggested as a clinical option for these diseases. In this study, we developed a gene carrier to mitochondria by the conjugation of mitochondrial leader peptide (LP) to polyethylenimine (PEI). Mitochondrial LP conjugated PEI (PEI-LP) was synthesized with low molecular weight PEI (2,000 Da, PEI2K). Gel retardation assay showed that PEI2K-LP formed complexes at a 1.0/1 weight ratio. In addition, PEI2K-LP protected DNA from the enzymatic degradation for at least 60 min, while naked DNA was completely degraded within 20 min. PEI2K-LP was compared with LP conjugated high molecular weight PEI (25,000 Da, PEI25K) in terms of toxicity and delivery efficiency. MTT assay showed that PEI2K-LP had much lower cytotoxicity than PEI25K-LP to 293 cells. In addition, cell-free DNA delivery assay showed that PEI2K-LP delivered more DNA to mitochondria at a 1.8/1 weight ratio than naked DNA or PEI. This result suggests that PEI2K-LP may be useful for the development of mitochondrial gene therapy system with lower cytotoxicity.

An electrostatic interaction is responsible for the attachment of gold seeds of 1-3 nm onto APTMS (3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane)-coated silica cores in the formation of gold clusters. A surface plasmon resonance and morphology of gold clusters were significantly affected by the pH of gold colloids prepared by THPC reducing agent. Gold colloids of alkaline pH induced the heterogeneous deposition of gold seeds onto the silica nanoparticles, probably due to the continuous reduction of residual gold ions during the attachment process. Gold colloids of acidic pH induced the monodisperse deposition of gold seeds, consequently leading to the formation of smooth gold layer on the silica nanoparticles surface. The gold nanoshells (core radius = 80 nm) prepared by gold colloids of pH 3.1 exhibited the more red-shift and relatively stronger intensity of plasmon absorption bands, compared with gold nanoshells prepared by alkaline gold colloids of pH 9.7.

We describe an effective method of microchip electrophoresis (ME) based on single strand conformation poly-morphism (SSCP) analysis to rapidly detect the point mutation, Leu72Met, in a human obesity gene. The 207-bp dsDNA in the Leu72Met region, an estimate of the child obesity DNA mutant, was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and submitted to a conventional glass microchip analysis with a sieving matrix of 1.75% poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (Mr 1 300 000), 1.0% poly(ethyleneoxide) (Mr 600 000) and 5.0% w/w glycerol. When combined with base stacking (BS) with hydroxide ions, the SSCP-ME provided rapid analysis as well as sensitive detection. The detection sensitivity was effectively enhanced in the OH- concentration range of 0.01-0.025 M NaOH. The sensitivity and speed of this ME-based SSCP methodology for the rapid detection of Leu72Met point mutations makes this an attractive method for diagnosing childhood obesity in a clinical diagnostic laboratory.

We investigated in vitro T-cell inhibitory activity and bioavailability of small chemical inhibitors for Lck SH2 domain, which had a different scaffold such as an amide bond, reduced amide bond, N-methyl amide bond, thioamide bond, and urethane bond. Each of these compounds, with its particular scaffold, showed a different logP value, stability against serum enzyme, stability in buffer solution, and in vitro T-cell inhibitory activity. Overall results indicated that the SH2 inhibitor containing urethane bond can be a new lead compound because of its superior bioavailability, potent in vitro T-cell inhibitory activity, and facile synthesis.

Novel anthracycline analogues 2-9 as potential anticancer agents were synthesized from daunomycin (1a) and doxorubicin (1b). Compounds 2, 6, and 7 were prepared by the nucleophilic displacement type esterification of a 14-bromodaunomycin (1c) with a sodium lactate, and stearic acid, respectively. Compounds 3-5 and 7-9 were prepared by the reaction of either daunomycin (1a) or doxorubicin (1b) with L-lactic and stearic acids in the presence of EDCI/PP reagents.

New liquid-crystalline biphenyl carboxylates with an achiral swallow-tail derived from 1,3-dialkoxy-2-propanol $[(ROCH_2)_2CHOH$] where R is methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, $CH_2CF_3$, and $CH_2CF_2CF_3$ were prepared. These achiral liquid crystals having 1,3-dialkoxy-2-propyl moieties exhibit diverse phase sequences [I-SmA-(SmC)-(SmCalt)-Cr] depending on the substituent R group of the swallow-tail. The compounds carrying a fluorinated swallow-tail exhibit antiferroelectric-like smectic C phases, and their temperature ranges are broader than the corresponding non-fluorinated swallow-tailed ones.

BACE 1 ($\beta$-secretase), a membrane bound aspartic protease, is a key enzyme in the process of amyloid precursor protein (APP) into A$\beta$ peptide which is considered to play a causative role in Alzheimers Disease (AD). Here, we reported the synthesis and inhibitory activity of optically active 3-amino-4-aryl-piperidines.

The technique of corona-excited supersonic expansion was applied to produce electronically excited but rovibrationally cooled m-tolunitrile. The well-resolved vibronic emission spectrum of the jet-cooled m-tolunitrile in the $S_1\;\rightarrow \;S_0$ transition was recorded in the uv region using a Fourier transform spectrometer equipped with a Quartz-uv beam splitter. From an analysis of the spectrum observed, it was confirmed that the electronic transition and vibrational mode frequencies in the ground electronic state were accurately determined.

Cobalt (cyclam) complex has been successfully immobilized onto SBA-15, and proven to be an active catalyst for the epoxidation of styrene with tert-butyl hydroperoxide as a terminal oxidant. The selectivity for styrene oxide was observed to be up to 66% with 40% styrene conversion after 12h reaction time. The reversible redox cycle between Co(III) and Co(II) couple which was supposed to play key role during the epoxidation reaction was supported by a cyclic voltametry analysis. The textural properties of the catalyst was characterized by XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption, and TEM analysis.

Kahweol and cafestol significantly reduced t-BHP-induced oxidative injuries in cultured rat hepatocytes, as determined by cell cytotoxicity, intracellular glutathione (GSH) content and lipid peroxidation in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, kahweol and cafestol provided good protection from the t-BHPinduced production of intracellular reactive oxygen species and DNA damage. The in vivo study showed that pretreatment with kahweol and cafestol prior to the administration of t-BHP significantly prevented the increase in serum levels of hepatic enzyme markers (alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase) and reduced oxidative stress, such as GSH content and lipid peroxidation, in the liver in a dose-dependent manner. The histopathological evaluation of the livers also revealed that kahweol and cafestol reduced the incidence of liver lesions induced by t-BHP. Taken together, these results support the anti-oxidative role of kahweol and cafestol and demonstrate that kahweol and cafestol can protect hepatocytes from oxidative stress.

The 1+1 two-photon Resonant Enhanced Multiphoton Ionization (REMPI) spectra of 1,4-dichlorobenzene was obtained from 240 nm through to 250 nm on a laser mass spectrometer. Special care was taken to build up a heatable sample inlet system suitable for detecting a trace semi-volatile organic compound and reducing the memory effort on the inner wall of the inlet system. The detection limits of 1,4-dichlorobenzene in ppbV/V concentration range at certain wavelengths are presented.

A detailed spectroscopic study ($^1H$ NMR, COSY, ROESY) of complexation of venlafaxine hydrochloride (VEN) with $\beta$-cyclodextrin ($\beta$--CD) was carried out in solution. The stoichiometry of the complex was determined to be 1 : 1 and penetration of aromatic ring into $\beta$-Cyclodextrin cavity was confirmed from primary rim side, with the help of ROESY spectral data. The structure of the venlafaxine hydrochloride-$\beta$-CD complex has been proposed. The association constant was determined to be 234 $M^{-1}$.

Eight structurally different acetylcholinesterase reactivators derived from currently commercially available oximes were tested for their potency to reactivate acetylcholinesterase inhibited by pesticide paraoxon (P) and DFP (D). Housefly AChE (F) and bovine red blood cell AChE (B) were used as the source of the cholinesterases. Ellman's method was taken to examine cholinesterases activity. The results show that four AChE reactivators are potent AChE reactivators, able to reach reactivation potency of more than 30% in all cases - PF, PB, DF and DB. Their reactivation potency was comparable with that of pralidoxime and even higher compared with that of HI-6, standard AChE reactivators currently available on the market.

The geometrical structures, potential energy surfaces, and energetics for the ligand exchange reactions of tetracoordinated platinum $(PtY_2L_2\;:\;Y,\;L=Cl^-,\;OH^-,\;OH_2,\;NH_3)$ complexes in the ligand-solvent interaction systems were investigated using the ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF) and Density Functional Theory (DFT) methods. The potential energy surfaces for the ligand exchange reactions used for the conversions of $(PtCl_4\;+\;H_2O)^{^\ast_\ast}\;to\;[PtCl_3(H_2O)\;+\;Cl^-]$ and $[Pt(NH_3)_2Cl_2\;+\;H_2O]$$[Pt(NH_3)_2Cl_2\;+\;H_2O]$ to $[Pt(NH_3)_2Cl(H_2O)\;+\;Cl^-] $ were investigated in detail. For these two exchange reactions, the transition states $([PtY_2L_2{\cdot}{\cdot}{\cdot}L^\prime])^{^\ast_\ast} $ correspond to complexes such as $(PtCl_4{\cdot}{\cdot}{\cdot}H_2O)^{^\ast_\ast}$ and $[Pt(NH_3)_2Cl_2{\cdot}{\cdot}{\cdot}H_2O]^{^\ast_\ast}$, respectively. In the transition state, $([PtCl_4{\cdot}{\cdot}{\cdot}H_2O]^{^\ast_\ast}$ and $[Pt(NH_3)_2Cl_2{\cdot}{\cdot}{\cdot}H_2O]]^{^\ast_\ast})$ have a kind of 6-membered $(Pt-Cl{\cdot}{\cdot}{\cdot}HOH{\cdot}{\cdot}{\cdot}Cl)$ and $(Pt-OH{\cdot}{\cdot}{\cdot}Cl{\cdot}{\cdot}{\cdot}HN)$ interactions, respectively, wherein a central Pt(II) metal directly combines with a leaving $Cl^-$ and an entering $H_2O$. Simultaneously, the entering $H_2O$ interacts with a leaving $Cl^-$. No vertical one metal-ligand interactions $([PtY_2L_2{\cdot}{\cdot}{\cdot}L^\prime]) $ are found at the axial positions of the square planar $(PtY_2L_2)$ complexes, which were formed via a vertically associative mechanism leading to $D_{3h}$ or $C_{2v}$-transition state symmetry. The geometrical structure variations, molecular orbital variations (HOMO and LUMO), and relative stabilities for the ligand exchange processes are also examined quantitatively. Schematic diagrams for the dissociation reactions of {PtCl4(H2O)n(n=2,4)} into {$PtCl_3(H_2O)_{(n-2)}\;+\;Cl^-(H_2O)_2$} and the binding energies {$PtCl_4(H_2O)_n$(n = 1-5)} of $PtCl_4$ with water molecules are drawn.

In this work the construction of a novel poly(vinyl chloride) membrane sensor based on 2,2'-dianiline disulfide (DADS) as a neutral carrier, o-nitrophenyloctyl ether (NPOE) as a plasticizer and sodium tetraphenyl borate (NaTPB) as an anionic site with unique selectivity towards Tm(III) ions is reported. The electrode has a linear dynamic range between $1.0\;{\times}\;10^{-6}$ and $1.0\;{\times}\;10^{-2}$ M, with a nice Nernstian slope of 19.5 ${\pm}$ 0.3 mV per decade and a detection limit of $4.0\;{\times}\;10^{-7}$ M at the pH range of 4.8-8.5. It has a very fast response time (<15 s) in the whole concentration range, and can be used for at least 4 weeks without any considerable divergence in the electrode potentials. The proposed sensor revealed comparatively good selectivity with respect to most common metal ions, and especially lanthanide ions. It was used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of Tm(III) ions with EDTA and in direct determination of concentration of Tm(III) ions in binary mixtures. It was also applied in determination of fluoride ions in mouth wash preparations.

In this study, we have prepared pitch binded AC (activated carbon)/$AC/TiO_2$ composites photocatalysts through carbon tetrachloride solvent method. The developed samples were characterized with surface properties, structural crystallinity between AC and $AC/TiO_2$, elemental identification and photocatalytic activity. The results of the textural surface properties demonstrate that there are slight increases in the BET surface area and adsorbed volume from adsorption isotherm of composite samples with increasing of the amount of AC. The SEM results present to the characterization of porous texture on the pitch/AC/$AC/TiO_2$ composites and homogenous compositions in the particle for all the materials used. From XRD data, a weak and broad carbon peak of graphene remained rutile peaks kept with anatase structure were observed in the X-ray diffraction patterns for the pitch/AC/$AC/TiO_2$ composites. The EDX spectra show the presence of C, O and S with strong Ti peaks. Most of these samples are richer in carbon and major Ti metal than any other elements. Finally, the excellent photocatalytic activity of the pitch/AC/$AC/TiO_2$ composites between relative concentration ($c/c_o$) of MB and UV irradiation time could be attributed to the both effects between photocatalysis of the supported $AC/TiO_2$ and adsorptivity of the two kinds of carbons.

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons were separated by a capillary supercritical fluid chromatographic (SFC) column and detected by a UV detector at the wavelength of 280 $\mu$m. The temperature-controlled restrictor was designed for UV detection. The temperature-controlled restrictor is a 20 cm length of deactivated fused silica of 7 mm i.d. which is held right after UV detector of the capillary SFC. The temperature of the restrictor will control the flow rate of the supercritical carbon dioxide mobile phase through the capillary column in SFC. Thus as the pressure in the column is increased from 1500 psi to 4000 psi during a pressure program, the temperature of 7 $\mu$m fused-silica tube can be varied from 100 to 350 ${^{\circ}C}$ to maintain a constant flow rate.

An AsFlFFF channel was designed and built, and then tested for analysis of pullulans and proteins. Pullulans and proteins having various nominal molecular weights were injected at various conditions of the cross-flow rate ($F_c$) and the channel-out flow rate ($F_{out}$). The retention (measured by the retention ratio R) and the zone broadening (measured by the plate height H) were measured, and then compared with theory. When the incoming flow rate, $f_{in}$ (and thus $F_{out}$) was varied with $F_c$ fixed at 2.5 mL/min, the plate height measured for the pullulan with nominal molecular weight (M) of about 100,000 showed the trend expected by the longitudinal diffusion theory (H decreases with increasing flow rate). In contrast, when $F_{out}$ was varied with the flow rate ratio, $F_c/F_{out}$, fixed constant at 5, the plate height measured for the same sample showed the trend expected from the non-equilibrium theory (H increases with increasing flow rate). Calibration plots (log D vs. log M) obtained with pullulans and proteins were not coincide, probably due to the difference in molecular conformation, suggesting the analysis of pullulans and proteins using AsFlFFF requires independent calibration. It was found that the linearity of the protein-calibration plot was improved by using a buffer solution as the carrier.

A $Cu^{2+}$ ion-selective membrane microelectrode has been fabricated from poly vinyl chloride (PVC) matrix membrane containing a new symmetrical hexadentate Schiff,s base 2-{1-(E)-2-((Z)-2-{(E)-2-[(Z)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)ethylidene]hydrazono}-1-methylpropylidene)hydrazono]ethyl}phenol (HDNOS) as a neutral carrier, Potassium tetrakis(4-chlorophenyl) borate (KTpClPB) as an anionic excluder and o-nitrophenyloctyl ether (NPOE) as a plasticizing solvent mediator. The microelectrode displays linear potential response in the concentration range of $1.0\;{\times}\;10^{-5}-1.0\;{\times}\;10^{-11}$ M of $Cu^{2+}$. The microelectrode exhibits a nice Nernstian slope of 25.9 ${\pm}$ 0.3 mV $decade^{-1}$ in the pH range of 3.1-8.1. The sensor has a relatively short response time in whole concentration ranges ($\sim$5 s). The detection limit of proposed sensor is $5.0\;{\times}\;10^{-12}$ M (320 pg/L), and it can be used over a period of eight weeks. The practical utility of the sensor has been demonstrated by using it as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of $Cu^{2+}$ with EDTA. The proposed membrane electrode was used for the direct determining of $Cu^{2+}$ content in black and red pepper, and in waste water samples.

Molecular tweezers based on chenodeoxycholic acid bearing different lengths of arm were synthesized andtheir anion binding affinities were evaluated by $^1H$ NMR, isothermal calorimetric titration, and ESI mass spectrometry. Molecular tweezer 6 showed a high selectivity toward $H_2PO_4\;^-$ over $Cl^-,\;Br^-,\;I^-, $ and $CH_3CO_2\;^-$ by $^1H$ NMR titration, whereas the association constant for $F^-$ revealed the largest value as determined by ITC. The selectivity of 6 towards $F^-$ was about 103 times higher than that of $Cl^-,\;H_2PO_4\;^- $, and $CH_3CO_2\;^-$. ITCexperiment of 6 with $F^-$ in a DMSO showed two binding modes; two sequential association constants $K_1\;=\;2.77\;{\times}\;10^5\;M^{-1}$ and $K_2\;=\;8.68\;{\times}\;10^6\;M^{-1}$ were found. These sequential bindings were confirmed by ESI massspectrometry. 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 complexes of 6 and $F^-$ were found at m/z 868.08 and 884.04.