Chemical composition of the essential oil of Salvia microstegia Boiss. et Balansa growing wild in Lebanon

The essential oil of aerial parts of Salviamicrostegia Boiss. et Balansa (Lamiaceae) growing wild in Lebanon was obtained by hydrodistillation and was analysed by GC and GC-MS. 70 compounds, representing 94.0% of the oil, were identified. The major components were caryophyllene oxide (6.2%), pulegone (5.7%), 4-vinylguaiacole (5.3%), hexadecanoic acid (5.1%) and menthone (4.9%).     

Antibacterial activity of the essential oils of Pistacia lentiscus used in Moroccan folkloric medicine

The essential oil of the leaves of Pistacia lentiscus, collected from the middle Atlas in Morocco, was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Altogether 43 components in concentrations of more than 0.2% were identified representing 97.4% of the oil composition. The main constituents were germanicol (12.8%), thunbergol (8.8%), himachalene (7.4%), trans-squalene (6.7%), terpinyl propionate (6.7%), 3,3-dimenthol (6.2%) and cadina-1.4-diene (5.1%). The oils showed strong activity against Klebsiella pneumonia, but no activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.     

Volatile chemical constituents of Piper aduncum L and Piper gibbilimbum C. DC (Piperaceae) from Papua New Guinea

Exhaustive hydro-distillation of the leaves of Piper aduncum and fruits of Piper gibbilimbum (Piperaceae) afforded colorless and pale orange colored oils in 0.35 and 0.30 % yields, respectively. Detailed chemical analysis by GC/MS indicated the volatile constituents of Piper aduncum to be composed of dill apiole (43.3%), beta-caryophyllene (8.2%), piperitione (6.7%) and alpha-humulene (5.1%), whilst the oil of P. gibbilimbum is dominated by the gibbilimbols A-D (74.2%), with the remaining major constituents being the terpenes camphene (13.6%) and alpha-pinene (6.5%).     

Headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of volatile compounds in murici (Byrsonima crassifolia l. Rich)

Northern and Northeastern Brazil have a natural diversity of fruits, many of which are considered exotic, presenting different flavors and aromas. The enormous diversity of fruits represents a promising area for research on aromas. There is also a great potential for the manufacture of juices, desserts or other processed products. Murici is a typical fruit from these regions presenting a different flavor, reminiscent of that of cheese. This fruit is consumed mainly as juice, ice cream or as liquor, greatly appreciated by the local population. Headspace volatile compounds of three lots of the fruit from Ceará (Fortaleza) were collected by suction on Porapak Q for 2 h and desorbed with 300 microl of acetone. The isolated volatile compounds were separated by high resolution GC. Forty-six volatile compounds were detected, of which 41 were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and Kovats indices. The most abundant compounds were ethanol (28.3%) and ethyl hexanoate (25.1%). Butanoic acid (5.1%), hexanoic acid (5.1%) and methyl butyrate (2.8%) were also detected in the headspace of the fruit and confirm its unusual cheese aroma.     

COMPOSITION OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF Arbutus unedo

Water-distilled essential oil from leaves ofArbutus unedoL. of Turkish origin was analyzed by GC/MS. Thirty-seven constituents were characterized with (E)-2-decenal (12.0 %), -terpineol (8.8 %), hexadecanoic acid (5.1 %), and (E)-2-undecenal ( 4.8 %) as the major constituents.     

Determination of carbon dioxide and acid components in exhaust gas by suppressed ion chromatography.

Although anions are usually determined by suppressed ion chromatography (IC), carbonate and bicarbonate ions can not be determined, because a mixed solution of sodium carbonate and sodium hydrogencarbonate is used as the eluent. This paper describes an IC method for the determination of carbonate ion and common anions using an IonPac AG17/AS17 column, an EG 40 eluent generator and a conductivity detector. The proposed IC method could determine carbonate ion and anions within 6 min. The relative standard deviations (n = 5) for chloride (0.4 mg L(-1)), nitrite (0.8 mg L(-1)), carbonate (100 mg L(-1)), nitrate (1.0 mg L(-1)) and sulfate (2.0 mg L(-1)) ions were 5.1%, 1.1%, 4.2%, 5.1% and 1.1%, respectively. In addition, the absorbing solution of carbon dioxide was examined, and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol was found to be a good absorbing solution. The proposed IC method was applied to the determination of carbon dioxide and acid components in flue gas and automobile exhaust gas.     

Antioxidant activity and chemical composition of essential oil from Atriplex undulata

The essential oil from aerial parts (stems and leaves) of Atriplex undulata (Moq) D. Dietr. (Chenopodiaceae) has been studied for its in vitro antioxidant activity. The chemical composition of the oil obtained by hydrodistillation was determined by GC and GC-MS. The major constituents were p-acetanisole (28.1%), beta-damascenone (9.3%), beta-ionone (5.1%), viridiflorene (4.7%) and 3-oxo-alpha-ionol (2.2%). The antioxidant activity of the oil was determined by two methods: Crocin bleaching inhibition (Krel = 0.72 +/- 0.15) and scavenging of the DPPH radical (IC50 = 36.2 +/- 1.6 microg/mL). The presence of active compounds like p-acetanisole, carvone, vanillin, 4-vinylguaiacol, guaiacol, terpinen-4-ol and alpha-terpineol could explain the antioxidant activity observed for this oil.     

Antibacterial activity and GC/MS analysis of the essential oils from flower, leaf and stem of Origanum vulgare ssp. viride growing wild in north-west Iran

Essential oils obtained from flowers, leaves and stems of Origanum vulgare L. ssp. viride (Boiss.) Hayek., growing wild in Ardabil Province (north-west Iran), were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. beta-Caryophyllene was the major constituent in all three oils (48.1%, 50.1% and 60.2%, respectively). Of the 19 components detected in the flower oil, comprising 96.3% of the total, the major components were 1,8-cineole (11.6%), alpha-pinene (6.9%), and gamma-cadinene (4.8%). 1-Octen-3-ol (23.8%), and 1,8-cineole (8.5%) predominated in the leafoil. In the stem oil, other main constituents were bicyclogermacrene (9.8%), 1,8-cineole (6.4%), borneol (5.1%), and pinocarvone (4.4%). The essential oils were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against 10 selected microorganisms. The data obtained contribute to the future use of certain essential oils as natural preservatives for food products, due to their safety and positive effect on shelf life.     

Chemical composition of the essential oils of Centaurea tomentella Hand.-Mazz. and C. haussknechtii Boiss. (Asteraceae) collected wild in Turkey and their activity on microorganisms affecting historical art craft

In the present study the chemical composition of the essential oils from aerial parts of Centaurea tomentella Hand.-Mazz. and C. haussknechtii Boiss. collected in Turkey was evaluated by GC and GC-MS. The main components of C. tomentella L. were hexadecanoic acid (19.7%), caryophyllene oxide (6.6%) and spathulenol (4.8%) whereas C. haussknechtii was rich in hexadecanoic acid (26.2%), (Z,Z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid (19.3%), heptacosane (5.3%) and nonacosane (5.1%). Antibacterial and antifungal activities against some microorganisms infesting historical art craft, were also determined.     

Determination and on-line clean-up of (fluoro)quinolones in bovine milk using column-switching liquid chromatography fluorescence detection

A simple, cost-effective, and high throughput method using on-line column-switching liquid chromatography fluorescence detection was developed and validated for analysing five (fluoro)quinolones (FQs)--enrofloxacin (ENRO), ciprofloxacin (CIPR), sarafloxacin (SARA), oxolinic acid (OXOL), and flumequine (FLUM) in bovine milk. Norfloxacin (NORF) and nalixidic acid (NALI) were used as internal standards. After simple deproteination of milk sample with 5% (w/v) metaphosphoric acid, the supernatant was subject to on-line column clean-up and direct analysis by LC-FLD. The extraction cartridge was prepared in-house by slurry packing with hydrophilic-lipophilic polymer sorbent. The accuracy of measurement for each (fluoro)quinolone at different maximum residue limits (MRL) was 101-103% (ENRO), 92.8-97.4% (CIPR), 89.8-92.8% (SARA), 116-121% (OXOL), and 81.3-85.5% (FLUM), whilst the precision was 2.9-6.1% (ENRO), 2.5-5.1% (CIPR), 2.3-5.0% (SARA), 3.1-5.9% (OXOL), and 5.6-6.5% (FLUM). The decision limits, detection capabilities, specificity and analytes stability during storage were also investigated.     

Volatile constituents of flowers and leaves of Anthemis hyalina

The chemical composition of the essential oils of the flowers and leaves of Anthemis hyalina were analyzed by GC and GC-MS for the first time. The oils were found to contain seventy-two components. cis-Chrysanthenyl acetate (14.9% and 17.8%), camphor (11.6% and 1.7%), terpinen-4-ol (8.3% and 1.2%), germacrene-D (5.1% and 2.1%), β-caryophyllene (4.1% and 5.4%), myrcene (3.6% and 16.9%), bicyclogermacrene (3.5% and 0.9%), α-pinene (2.3% and 4.1%), cis-β-ocimene (2.1% and 4.3%) and isospathulenol (0.4% and 4.3%) were found to be the major constituents of the oils of flowers and leaves respectively. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 5, pp. 428–429, September–October, 2006.     

Contribution to the analysis of the essential oil of Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don. Determination of ester bonded acids and phenols

The essential oil of Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don (everlasting or Immortelle essential oil) was isolated by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC and GCMS. Forty four compounds were identified. The main components were alpha-pinene(12.8%), 2-methyl-cyclohexyl pentanoate (11.1 %), neryl acetate (10.4%), 1,7-di-epi-alpha-cedrene (6.8%) and other compounds. The oil was fractionated and ester-containing fraction was hydrolysed with KOH/H(2)SO(4). The liberated volatiles were analysed by GC and GC-MS: three phenols and twenty seven volatile carboxylic acids were identified[70% low fatty acids (C(2)-C(5)), 15% C(10)-C(12) acids and 15% other acids]. The main acids were acetic acid (24.3%) propanoic acid (17.2%), 2-methylpropanoic acid (11.4%),dodecanoic acid (8.7%), 2-methylbutanoic acid (8.3%), (Z)-2-methylbutenoic acid(5.1%) and decanoic acid (4.6%). With respect to the identified bonded carboxylic acids,the minimal number of esters in the oil was twenty seven, but their overall quantity was probably larger due to different possible combinations of alcohols with acids to form esters. On the other hand, only six main esters were identified in the oil before fractionation and hydrolysis.     

Simultaneous enrichment and separation of flavonoids from Herba Epimedii by macroporous resins coupled with preparative chromatographic method

An efficient, feasible enrichment and separation method of epimedins A, B, C and icariin from Herba Epimedii was developed by the combination of microwave-assisted extraction, macroporous resins and preparative HPLC. WDX-5 macroporous resin shows better recoveries at 96.2%, 97.0%, 98.2% and 97.1% for epimedins A, B, C and icariin than other macroporous resins used in the experiments. As a result, epimedins A (5.1 mg), B (15.3 mg), C (7.6 mg) and icariin (14.3 mg) were obtained from 6.0 g crude Herba Epimedii with the recoveries at 70.8%, 68.9%, 66.7% and 95.3%, respectively. The method developed in this study may provide scientific references for the enrichment and separation of flavonoids from Herba Epimedii.     

Chemical composition of the essential oil from Thapsia garganica L. (Apiaceae) grown wild in Sicily and its antimicrobial activity

In this study, the chemical composition of the essential oil from flowers and leaves of Thapsia garganica L. collected in Sicily was evaluated by GC and GC–MS. The main components of T. garganica flower oil (T.f.) were chamazulene (58.3%), humulene oxide II (9.0%), tricosane (8.2%) and pentacosane (8.2%). Also the oil from leaves (T.l.) was characterised by high content of chamazulene (49.2%). Other abundant metabolites were 1,4-dimethylazulene (18.5%), (E)-phytol (6.3%) and neophytadiene (5.1%). The comparison with other studied oils of genus Thapsia is discussed. Antimicrobial activity against several micro-organisms, including some ones infesting historical art craft, was also determined.     

In vitro degradation of insoluble lignin in aqueous media by lignin peroxidase and manganese peroxidase

The abilities of lignin peroxidase (LIP) and manganese peroxidase (MNP) fromPhanerochaete chrysosporium to degrade an insoluble hardwood lignin in vitro in aqueous media were tested. Neither LIP nor MNP appreciably changed the mass or lignin content, although both produced small amounts of unique solubilized lignin fragments. Treatment with both LIP and MNP, however, decreased the mass by 11%, decreased the lignin content by 5.1% (4.2% as total weight), and solubilized unique lignin-derived molecules. These results suggest that LIP and MNP synergistically degrade high molecular weight insoluble lignin, but singly, neither enzyme is sufficient to effect lignin degradation.     

Synthesis of N3-substituted uridine and related pyrimidine nucleosides and their antinociceptive effects in mice

Seventy eight N(3)-substituted derivatives of uridine (1), thymidine (2), 2'-deoxyuridine (3), 6-azauridine (4), 2',3'-O-isopropylideneuridine (5), and arabinofuranosyluracil (6) were synthesized and their antinociceptive effects were evaluated. N(3)-(2',4'-Dimethoxyphenacyl)uridine (1l), N(3)-(2',4'-dimethoxyphenacyl)2'-deoxyuridine (3l), and N(3)-(2',5'-dimethoxyphenacyl)arabinofuranosyluracil (6m) possessed 93, 86, and 82% of the antinociceptive effects tested by hot plate, respectively. The antinociceptive effects of three derivatives were 5.8, 5.4, and 5.1-folds of the effect of N(3)-phenacyluridine (1h) (16%), respectively. The structure-activity relationship of N(3)-substituted pyrimidine nucleosides was also discussed.     

南五味子中五味子甲素的薄层扫描色谱定量分析

南五味子是2000年中国药典开始收录的中药材。南五味子与北五味子的性状完全不同，所含化学成分亦不同，功能主治各有侧重。南五味子为木兰科植物华中五味子的干燥成熟果实，性味酸、甘、温，具有收敛固涩，益气生津，补肾宁心之功效。现代研究表明，南五味子的活性成分主要包括五味子甲素和五味子酯甲等木脂素成分。五味子甲素具有显著的功效，但药典仅有五味子酯甲的含量测定，未有五味子甲素的含量测定，相关研究报道也很少，因此有必要研究建立南五味子中五味子甲素含量测定方法。     

Volatile constituents of Origanum vulgare L., 'thymol' chemotype: variability in North India during plant ontogeny

Essential oils derived from six different phenophases, namely early vegetative stage, late vegetative stage, early flowering stage, full flowering stage (FFS), late flowering stage and seed shattering stage of Origanum vulgare L. grown in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, India were investigated by GC and GC-MS. A total of 38 constituents, representing 97.4-99.7% of the total oil composition, were identified. Major components of oils were thymol (40.9-63.4%), p-cymene, (5.1-25.9%), γ-terpinene (1.4-20.1%), bicyclogermacrene (0.2-6.1%), terpinen-4-ol (3.5-5.9%), α-pinene (1.6-3.1%), 1-octen-3-ol (1.4-2.7%), α-terpinene (1.0-2.2%), carvacrol (<0.1-2.1%), β-caryophyllene (0.5-2.0%) and β-myrcene (1.2-1.9%). Thymol, terpinen-4-ol, 3-octanol, α-pinene, β-pinene, 1,8-cineole, α-cubebene and (E)-β-ocimene were observed to be higher during FFS. The study showed that plant stage had a significant effect on the essential oil content and composition of O. vulgare grown in the hilly tracks of Northern India.     

微乳液相色谱法同时测定降压中成药及保健品中添加的10种化学药物

建立了微乳液相色谱(MELC)同时测定中成药及保健品中添加的10种降压药物的分析方法。考察了微乳流动相的组成成分(包括表面活性剂、助表面活性剂、油相的种类及质量分数)、pH值和固定相种类对分离效果的影响。同时利用星点设计-响应面优化法进一步优化微乳组成。实验得到的最佳分离条件:色谱柱为Agela Promosil C18(2)(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm);微乳流动相为5.6%(质量分数)十二烷基聚乙二醇醚(Brij35)-0.17%(质量分数)十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)-5.1%(质量分数)正丁醇-0.46%(质量分数)环己烷-水(pH 3.0);流速为1.0mL/min;检测波长为230 nm;柱温为30℃。该方法具有灵敏度高、稳定性好和环保的优点。     

Molecular dynamics simulations and experimental measurements of complex permittivity of aqueous solutions of NaCl at remote sensing frequencies

The dielectric properties of seawater are extremely important for ocean remote sensing at 5.1 and 13.6 GHz (frequencies that are commonly used by ocean remote sensing satellites). In this study, molecular dynamics simulations of aqueous sodium chloride solutions at mass concentrations between 1 and 10% and at the temperature ranges from 20 to 40°C were investigated. Cole-Cole equation was used to describe the frequency-dependent complex permittivity. The simulated results were compared with experimental results at 5.1 and 13.6 GHz, and proved to approximatively agree with experimental results.