Flow system esters

Instead of immobilizing the antibody onto the transducer, it is possible to use a bare (amperometric or potentiometric) electrode for probing enzyme immunoassay reactions (42). In this case, the content of the immunoassay reaction vessel is injected to an appropriate flow system containing an electrochemical detector, or the electrode can be inserted into the reaction vessel. Remarkably low (femtomolar) detection limits have been reported in connection with the use of the alkaline phosphatase label (43,44). This enzyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphate esters to liberate easily oxidizable phenolic products. 

Van Zoonen et al. [19,20] employed an alternative approach, in an attempt to overcome the limited aqueous solubility of diaryloxalate ester-type POCL reagents. In this work, granular TCPO was mixed with controlled pore glass and packed in a flow cell, forming a solid-state TCPO reactor. When this was used in conjunction with a flow system, some of the TCPO dissolved in the carrier solution. Numerous difficulties were encountered with this approach, namely, limited reactor lifetime (approximately 8 h) and low CL emission obtained as the carrier became more aqueous (a 90% reduction of CL intensity occurred when the aqueous content of the carrier stream comprised 50% water, as compared to pure acetonitrile). The samples also required dilution with acetonitrile to increase the solubility of TCPO in the sample plug. 

Activated esters (see Section 2.9) with 1-hydroxybenzotriazole as a catalyst are employed — pentafluorophenyl or 4-oxo-3,4-dihydrobenzotriazin-3-yl esters in particular for continuous-flow systems and special cases such as dicarboxylic amino acids. Other activated esters are not reactive enough. An alternative is preparation of benzotriazolyl esters using a carbodiimide followed by addition of the solution to the peptide-resin. 

Plastourgou, M. and Hoffman, M.R. Transformation and fate of organic esters in layered-flow systems the role of trace metal catalysis. Environ. Sci Techno , 18(10) 756-764, 1984. 

The radical polymerization in aqueous solution of a series of monomers—e.g., vinyl esters, acrylic and methacrylic acids, amides, nitriles, and esters, dicarboxylic acids, and butadiene—have been studied in a flow system using ESR spectrometry. Monomer and polymer radicals have been identified from their ESR spectra. fi-Coupling constants of vinyl ester radicals are low (12-13 gauss) and independent of temperature, tentatively indicating that the /3-CH2 group is locked with respect to the a-carbon group. In copolymerization studies, the low reactivity of vinyl acetate has been confirmed, and increasing reactivity for maleic acid, acrylic acid, acrylonitrile, and fumaric acid in this order has been established by quantitative evaluation of the ESR spectra. This method offers a new approach to studies of free radical polymerization. 

Plastourgou, M., and M. R. Hoffmann (1984), Transformation and Fate of Organic Esters in Layered-Flow Systems The Role of Trace Metal Catalysis, Environ. Set. Technol. 18, 756-764. 

The same group reported a second multiphase flow system for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols, catalyzed by bimetallic nanoclusters (Au-Pt and Au-Pd) in a packed-bed configuration [29]. In addition, the direct oxidative methyl ester formation of various aliphatic and benzylic alcohols was achieved, showing much higher yields and selectivities as compared with its batch counterpart. 

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