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The effect of ligands and lithium chloride on the rates of the palladium catalyzed coupling between organic triflates and arylstannanes was studied. The dependence of the rate on the ligand is similar to the one previously reported for the coupling of vinylstannanes, but in the present case triphenylarsine is shown to be superior to both triphenylphosphine and tri(2-furyl)phosphine. The effect of added chloride is complex and varies depending on solvent and ligand used. Ortho-substituted arylstannanes tend to transfer alkyl moieties to a substantial extent, and therefore rates and efficiencies of aryl vs alkyl transfer were quantitated. When ortho substituents that are potentially coordinating to tin are used, no rate acceleration in the alkyl transfer process was observed, which is in contrast with two recently reported studies that suggest nucleophilic assistance at tin to be important in the transmetalation step. An important side reaction in the coupling of poorly reactive vinyltriflates and most aryltriflates is the Pd-induced homocoupling of the stannane to form biaryls. The experimental factors that control this process were evaluated.

Structurally ordered Pt3Ti or Pt3V intermetallic nanoparticle catalysts with ultrasmall particle sizes have never been successfully synthesized. Herein, we present a KCl-nanoparticle method to successfully provide such compounds. These two catalysts show enhanced catalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation compared to pure Pt.

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The concept that calcium stone formation may be explained on the basis of a number of risk factors is developed. The main risk factors involved are shown to be calcium, oxalate, pH, acid mucopolysaccharides and uric acid. A method is described for calculating and combining the individual risk factors into a measure of the "relative probability" of forming stones (PSF). PSF values are generally lower in normal subjects than in stone-formers. Amongst the normals, PSF values are lower in children and women than in men. Recurrent stone-formers have the highest PSF values and these correlate well with the severity of the diseases as defined by the stone episode rate of the patient. Single stone-formers have PSF values intermediate between those of normal men and those of recurrent stone-formers.

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Studies were carried out on multiple urine samples from eight patients with recurrent idiopathic calcium oxalate stone formation and eight normal persons to define an index of the risk of forming calcium oxalate stones. Under the same conditions of dietary and fluid intake the urine samples of the patients with stone formation were more supersaturated with calcium oxalate (P less than 0.001) and had lower concentrations of protective inhibitors of crystallization (P less than 0.001) than those of the controls. However, the best separation between the groups was defined by a discriminant line relating inhibitory activity and urine saturation. A measure of the risk of forming large crystals, the saturation-inhibition index, was defined as the distance of each urine from the discriminant line. The patients with stone formation had a significantly higher mean saturation-inhibition index than the controls (P less than 0.001). Both the percentage of large calcium oxalate crystals excreted (P less than 0.001) and the stone episode rate (P less than 0.005) were significantly correlated with the saturation-inhibition index.

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