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Mixtures of l-methyl-3-ethylimidazolium chloride and aluminum chloride are ionic liquids that melt below room temperature. They may be used as solvent and catalyst for Friedel-Crafts reactions. The scope of the reactions was studied relative to alkylating and acylating agents and to aromatic substrates. The nature of the catalyst that promotes the reactions was established.

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Detection of drugs in tissue typically requires extensive sample preparation in which the tissue is first homogenized, followed by drug extraction, before the extracts are finally analyzed by LC/MS. Directly analyzing drugs in intact tissue would eliminate any complications introduced by sample pretreatment. A matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS n ) method as been developed for the quantification of cocaine present in postmortem brain tissue of a chronic human cocaine user. It is shown that tandem mass spectrometry (MS 2 and MS 3 increase selectivity, which is critical for differentiating analyte ions from background ions such as matrix clusters and endogenous compounds found in brain tissue. It is also shown that the use of internal standards corrects for signal variability during quantitative MALDI, which can be caused by inhomogeneous crystal formation, inconsistent sample preparation, and laser shot-to-shot variability. The MALDI-MS n method developed allows for a single MS 3 experiment that uses a wide isolation window to isolate both analyte and internal standard target ions. This method is shown to provide improved precision [ϳ10 -20 times reduction in percent relative standard deviation (%RSD)] for quantitative analysis compared to using two alternating MS 3 experiments that separately isolate the target analyte and internal standard ions. (J Am Soc Mass Spectrom 2010, 21, 564 -571)

Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine available in numerous over-the-counter preparations. Often used for its sedative effects in adults, it can cause paradoxical central nervous system stimulation in children, with effects ranging from excitation to seizures and death. Reports of fatal intoxications in young children are rare. We present five cases of fatal intoxication in infants 6, 8, 9, 12, and 12 weeks old. Postmortem blood diphenhydramine levels in the cases were 1.6, 1.5, 1.6, 1.1 and 1.1 mg/L, respectively. Anatomic findings in each case were normal. In one case the child's father admitted giving the infant diphenhydramine in an attempt to induce the infant to sleep; in another case, a daycare provider admitted putting diphenhydramine in a baby bottle. Two cases remain unsolved; one case remains under investigation. The postmortem drug levels in these cases are lower than seen in adult fatalities. We review the literature on diphenhydramine toxicity, particularly as it pertains to small children, and discuss the rationale for treating these cases as fatal intoxications.