Use of Copper to Increase the Yield of Ethyl Bromide

It has been discovered that the addition of copper punchings to small quantities of the reaction mixture of 95 per cent ethyl alcohol, sulfuric acid, water, and sodium bromide increases the yield of ethyl bromide from 57 per cent obtained without the copper to 80 per cent. The copper reacts with the sulfuric acid producing sulfur dioxide which reduces any bromine formed back to bromide ion and thus prevents a loss of bromine and, of course, increases the yield. The presence of copper as a reducing agent prevents formation of free bromine

Host Iron Binding Proteins Acting as Niche Indicators for Neisseria meningitidis

Neisseria meningitidis requires iron, and in the absence of iron alters its gene expression to increase iron acquisition and to make the best use of the iron it has. During different stages of colonization and infection available iron sources differ, particularly the host iron-binding proteins haemoglobin, transferrin, and lactoferrin. This study compared the transcriptional responses of N. meningitidis, when grown in the presence of these iron donors and ferric iron, using microarrays