Buffer crystallization

In Ref. 42 a similar approach was chosen as in Ref. 39 using stereoisomers of the type Fmoc-L-Asp-L-Asp-D-Xaa-D-Xaa (Xaa = Gly, Ala, Phe, His, Ser, Tyr). Interestingly, in part the findings are different. The ACE/MS hyphenation caused a number of practical problems affecting the reliability of the system. Surprisingly, the authors faced problems with positive ESI and were forced to use negative ionization. Because of the use of the nonvolatile Tris buffer, crystallization problems occurred frequently. Only high-EOF conditions prevented this knockout scenario. However, the description of problems and related solutions is very instructive. 

Pump check valves (buffer crystallization), seal (tearing leading to leakage), and plunger (breakage) ... 

The aqueous solubility of a compound is another key property in drug discovery and poor solubility is often the cause of a series demise. Aqueous solubility is inversely related to lipophilicity. High-throughput methods are now available to measure solubility, " but approaches to estimate solubility from computational models are less suc-cessfnl. The models are not sufficiently accurate to predict poor solubility with great precision. Moreover, solubility is influenced by many factors such as ionic strength, type of buffer, crystal packing, etc., all properties which are difficult... 

The valve balls are from ruby, the seats from sapphire. In its seat, the ball seals only through the thin ring where the two parts are in contact, if a particle of dust or a buffer crystal is trapped there, the valve will be leaky. This is one of the reasons why mobile phases must rigorously be kept particle-free. 

To prepare the standard pH buffer solutions recommended by the National Bureau of Standards (U.S.), the indicated weights of the pure materials in Table 8.15 should be dissolved in water of specific conductivity not greater than 5 micromhos. The tartrate, phthalate, and phosphates can be dried for 2 h at 100°C before use. Potassium tetroxalate and calcium hydroxide need not be dried. Fresh-looking crystals of borax should be used. Before use, excess solid potassium hydrogen tartrate and calcium hydroxide must be removed. Buffer solutions pH 6 or above should be stored in plastic containers and should be protected from carbon doxide with soda-lime traps. The solutions should be replaced within 2 to 3 weeks, or sooner if formation of mold is noticed. A crystal of thymol may be added as a preservative. 

Figure 18.4 The hanging-drop method of protein crystallization, (a) About 10 pi of a 10 mg/ml protein solution in a buffer with added precipitant—such as ammonium sulfate, at a concentration below that at which it causes the protein to precipitate—is put on a thin glass plate that is sealed upside down on the top of a small container. In the container there is about 1 ml of concentrated precipitant solution. Equilibrium between the drop and the container is slowly reached through vapor diffusion, the precipitant concentration in the drop is increased by loss of water to the reservoir, and once the saturation point is reached the protein slowly comes out of solution. If other conditions such as pH and temperature are right, protein crystals will occur in the drop, (b) Crystals of recombinant enzyme RuBisCo from Anacystis nidulans formed by the hanging-drop method. (Courtesy of Janet Newman, Uppsala, who produced these crystals.)...

This is a crystalline product of insulin and an alkaline protein where the protein/insulin ratio is called the isophane ratio. This product gives a delayed and uniform insulin action with a reduction in the number of insulin doses necessary per day. Such a preparation may be made as follows 1.6 g of zinc-insulin crystals containing 0.4% of zinc are dissolved in 400 ml of water, with the aid of 25 ml of 0.1 N hydrochloric acid. To this are added aqueous solutions of 3 ml of tricresol, 7.6 g of sodium chloride, and sufficient sodium phosphate buffer that the final concentration is As molar and the pH is 6.9. 

Figure 1.53 shows diagrammatically various types of pits that can range from hemispherical with a polished surface, in which crystallographic etching has been completely suppressed, to crystallographic pits whose sides are composed of the crystal planes that corrode at the slowest rate. Pits formed on Ni during anodic polarisation in an acetic acid-acetate buffer of pH 4-6 are shown in Fig. 1.54. 

Determination of chromium as lead chromate (precipitation from homogeneous solution) Discussion. Use is made of the homogeneous generation of chromate ion produced by the slow oxidation of chromium(III) by bromate at 90-95 °C in the presence of excess of lead nitrate solution and an acetate buffer. The crystals of lead chromate produced are relatively large and easily filtered the volume of the precipitate is about half that produced by the standard method of precipitation. 

Crystallization. A solution of purified photoprotein was saturated with ammonium sulfate, and centrifuged. The precipitate was dissolved in a small amount of the pH 6.0 buffer, and ammonium sulfate was added to produce slight cloudiness. Crystals of photoprotein were formed in several hours (Fig. 7.1.2). 

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