Gas phase reactions between hydrated protons H+(H2O)n and a substance M, as seen in atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) with mass spectrometry (MS) ion mobility (IMS), were modeled computationally using initial amounts of [M] [H+(H2O)n], rate constants k1 to form protonated monomer (MH+(H2O)x) k2 proton bound dimer (M2H+(H2O)z), diffusion constants. At 1 × 1010 cm–3 (0.4 ppb) for [H...

Nanostructured polyelectrolyte membranes (PEMs), which are widely used as permselective diffusion barriers in fuel cell technologies and electrochemical processing, are considered as protective membranes suitable for blocking warfare toxins, including water-soluble nerve agents such as sarin. In this article, we examine the mechanisms of sorption and diffusion of sarin in hydrated PEMs by means...

Novel analogues of the P2 receptor antagonist pyridoxal-5'-phosphate 6-azophenyl-2',5'-disulfonate (2) were synthesized and studied as antagonists in functional assays at recombinant rat P2X1, P2X2, and P2X3 receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes (ion flux stimulation) and at turkey erythrocyte P2Y1 receptors (phospholipase C activation). Selected compounds were also evaluated as antagonists of...

The uncharacterized protein Rsp3690 from Rhodobacter sphaeroides is a member of the amidohydrolase superfamily of enzymes. In this investigation the gene for Rsp3690 was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity, and the three-dimensional structure was determined to a resolution of 1.8 Å. The protein folds as a distorted (β/α)8-barrel, and the subunits associate as a homotetrame...

Recently, microcantilever-based technology has emerged as a viable sensing platform due to its many advantages such as small size, high sensitivity, and low cost. However, microcantilevers lack the inherent ability to selectively identify hazardous chemicals (e.g., explosives, chemical warfare agents). The key to overcoming this challenge is to functionalize the top surface of the microcantilev...

Poly(3-methylthiophene) (PMeT) thin films were electrochemically deposited on quartz crystal microbalance QCM transducers to investigate their volatile organic compound (VOC) sensing properties depending on ambient conditions. Twelve different VOCs including alcohols, ketones, chlorinated compounds, amines, and the organosphosphate dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) were used as analytes. The re...

HEPD belongs to the superfamily of 2-His-1-carboxylate non-heme iron-dependent dioxygenases. It converts 2-hydroxyethylphosphonate (2-HEP) to hydroxymethylphosphonate (HMP) and formate. Previously postulated mechanisms for the reaction catalyzed by HEPD cannot explain its conversion of 1-HEP to acetylphosphate. Alternative mechanisms that involve either phosphite or methylphosphonate as interme...