The present work aims at the application of several methods to explain differences in the physical interaction of some aryl propionic acid derivatives (ibuprofen [IBP], ketoprofen [KET], flurbiprofen [FLU], naproxen [NAP], fenbufen [FEN]) with poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) K30, stored together at 298 +/- 0.5 K and 22% RH. X-ray powder diffractometry and (13)C-solid state NMR demonstrated that IBP was able to strongly interact with the polymer, while weak interaction was observed for KET, FLU, NAP, and the least for FEN. The interaction of comelted drug and PVP was studied by differential scanning calorimetry by applying the Gordon-Taylor equation, which revealed that small molar drug volumes may favour the drug diffusion through the PVP amorphous chains increasing the polymer free volume and decreasing the mixture T(g). The molecular docking study revealed that intermolecular energy is mainly due to the contribution of van der Waals energy component, causing the differences among the drugs, and is related to the drug-PVP surface contact area in the complex formed. Solid-state kinetic study demonstrated that IBP molecules are involved in a three-dimensional diffusion mechanism within the polymer favoured by its low molar volume that reduces molecular hindrance, and by the weakness of its crystal lattice, which facilitates crystallinity loss and stabilisation of the amorphous phase.

Simple tripeptides are scaffolds for the synthesis and further assembly of peptide/silver nanoparticle composites. Herein, we further explore peptide-controlled silver nanoparticle assembly processes. Silver nanoparticles with a pH-responsive peptide coating have been synthesized by using a one-step precipitation/coating route. The nature of the peptide/silver interaction and the effect of the peptide on the formation of the silver particles have been studied via UV/Vis, X-ray photoelectron, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopies as well as through electron microscopy, small angle X-ray scattering and powder X-ray diffraction with Rietveld refinement. The particles reversibly form aggregates of different sizes in aqueous solution. The state of aggregation can be controlled by the solution pH value. At low pH values, individual particles are present. At neutral pH values, small clusters form and at high pH values, large precipitates are observed.

Direct dissolution of glycosylated polybutadiene-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymers can lead to the spontaneous formation of vesicles or membranes, which on the outside are coated with glucose and on the inside with poly(ethylene oxide).

In this study we demonstrate the possibility to identify the production area of the scrolls, coupling non-destructive quantitative analysis of trace elements to spectroscopic investigation of the inks. This approach, that allowed us to determine the Dead Sea area as origin of 1QHodayot a , is of general validity.

Variable-temperature 13C CPMAS NMR spectra of the metal–carbonyl complexes FeCp(CO)2X (where X = I, CH3) and Mo2Cp2(CO)6 included in β- or γ-cyclodextrin (CD) cavities were investigated in the temperature range 133 to 293 K. The motion of the guest molecule inside the CD can be detected by comparing these spectra with the static crystalline patterns of FeCp(CO)2I and Mo2Cp2(CO)6. In the case of FeCp(CO)2CH3, solid-state plastic crystal behaviour is noted for the free guest; the molecular motion is further modified by inclusion within the CD cavity. The nature of the molecular motion found within the metal–carbonyl/CD adducts was shown to be dependent on the symmetry, size and orientation of the guest molecule within the host cavity. In the case of Mo2Cp2(CO)6 included in γ-CD, the two [MoCp(CO)3] ends of the dimer may be considered as separate dynamic entities: one half of the moiety within the CD cavity exhibits a greater freedom of motion, whereas the other end of the dimer is anchored. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)

Advanced microanalytical techniques are extensively used in art and archeology for validation and authentication, studying materials and processes, attribution, obtaining forensic clues, and more. Multipleinstrument analyses of selected features-of-interest (FOIs) on an object are required to provide their comprehensive characterization. It is necessary, therefore, to be able to repeatedly locate and re-locate the very same FOI on an object in different instruments, often in remote laboratories. For example, a FOI may be a tiny ink stain on a papyrus, paint on a ceramic tile fragment, or corrosion spots on an ancient coin. A precise re-location method, sometimes down to the micrometric range, should be utilized. The first examination of an art object is usually done under a light microscope, a SEM equipped with a microanalyzer for elemental composition determination, or a micro-XRF scanning device. They are termed "source instruments". Then, the object is transferred to a "target instrument" where the same FOI is re-located and subjected to further analyses. A target instrument may be the synchrotron (for micro-XRF tomography, micro-XRD, micro-XANES, etc), micro-Raman, LA-ICPMS, SIMS, or even a micromanipulation system where microscopic evidence can be removed leaving the rest of the sample practically intact. The described methods have been originally developed for single radioactive particles analyses, and implemented in several laboratories in the fields of environmental research and nuclear forensics. In this paper the FOI re-location and micromanipulation methods will be discussed, and their application in a test case. In the test, a parchment sample, with an inscription on it as well as a few planted small agglomerates of metallic particles, was transferred between 3 remote laboratories. The same FOIs were re-located and measured by different analytical techniques. This experiment demonstrates the applicability and potential value of the methods to art and archeological objects. INTRODUCTION A small number of intact or nearly intact scrolls and about 15,000 fragments were recovered in the '50s from caves in the cliffs of the Dead Sea west shore. The famous Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) collection has been studied extensively by scholars for 60 years. Recently natural scientists started an ambitious international project of the material study of the scrolls [Rabin, 2007a]. With the help of non-destructive analysis methods they are addressing two central questions of the Dead Sea Scrolls research: their long term preservation on one hand and their provenance, on the other. The aim of the project is characterization of the writing media (parchment and inks) of the ancient scrolls found in the Dead Sea area. The information obtained will be implemented into conservational, historical and palaeographic research. To achieve a comprehensive characterization and meaningful results specialists from different laboratories united their efforts. Thus, the objects under study are moved from place to place for experiments. Usual 9th International Conference on NDT of Art, Jerusalem Israel, 25-30 May 2008 For more papers of this publication click: www.ndt.net/search/docs.php3?MainSource=65

The anhydrous sodium naproxen (ASN) can form several hydrated phases if maintained at different relative humidities (RH). The water uptake can promote crystallographic modifications, according to the amount of water. In a previous work, the authors showed that a dihydrated form could be obtained either by crystallization in water or by exposure of the anhydrous form to a RH of 55%. In the present work, the authors report about the formation and characterization of a new tetrahydrated form, obtained by exposing the ASN to RH >or= 75%. All the hydrated compounds were characterized by the combined use of several spectroscopic, thermal, and crystallographic techniques. The thermal stability of both the dihydrated and tetrahydrated compounds was also tested.

The novel inclusion compound of γ-cyclodextrin with the binuclear metal carbonyl complex (η5-C5H5)2Fe2(CO)4 as guest molecule is reported. 13C CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy, in the temperature range 100 to 353 K, is used to probe the structure and dynamics of the included molecules. Specifically, below ca. 240 K evidence is presented for the existence of both cis and trans isomers of included (η5-C5H5)2Fe2(CO)4. Analysis of the temperature-dependence of the NMR line shapes shows that the microenvironment provided by the γ-cyclodextrin cavity allows much more extensive dynamic rearrangements of the guest molecules, in comparison to pure cis- or trans-(η5-C5H5)2Fe2(CO)4, for which no isomerization or bridging−terminal carbonyl exchange processes are observed in this temperature regime. Notably, even at 100 K, bridging−terminal carbonyl exchange for the included trans isomer is rapid on the exchange-broadening time scale. However, the inclusion cavity is still more dynamically restrictive than a solution environme...

Parchment is composed mostly of the protein collagen, which displays a discrete structural hierarchy, from the molecular to microscopic levels. Collagen degradation at any or all levels of the structural hierarchy over time may influence the physical characteristics of historically important documents. We present a multidisciplinary approach to understanding collagen degradation, using a variety of techniques capable of detailed analysis of various levels of the structural hierarchy, collated to produce a damage picture. A large pool of artificially aged and historical samples is assessed to provide a clear understanding of the potential degradative pathways of parchment.