The role of central ion in chiral recognition by taking phenylalanine as an example

Chiral recognition of phenylalanine (Phe) was achieved in the gas phase by electrospray ionization Q-TOF tandem mass spectrometry. In this method, two central ions, i.e. proton and divalent copper, were used and chiral crown ether, (+)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid-18-crown-6 (18-C-6-TCA), was used as a chiral host. Dimeric complexes were readily formed by electrospray ionization of a methanol/water (50/50, V/V) solution containing central ions, Phe and 18-C-6-TCA. The dimeric complex included proton-bound (18-C-6-TCA)(Phe)H+ and copper-bound deprotonated [Cu²⁺(18-C-6-TCA)(Phe)-H]⁺ ions were mass selected and then collided with Ar in the CID experiments. The chiral recognition capability of these complexes was evaluated using the relative abundance of daughter ion to parent ion. A higher degree of chiral recognition ability was observed with Cu²⁺ compared to that of H⁺. Different central ions exhibited distinctive dissociation pathways and unique chiral recognition characteristics. The chiral recognition mechanism was also discussed in detail with the help of the structure of copper-bound complex predicted by theoretical calculation.     

Nickel(II)‐assisted enantiomeric differentiation and quantitation of tadalafil by direct electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A facile method based on electrospray mass spectrometry was established and validated for the differentiation of enantiomeric tadalafil isomers without using chiral chromatographic separation. The enantiomers were coupled with a chiral selector to form diastereomeric complex ions. Nickel–tadalafil complexes, [Ni^II(tadalafil)(l ‐Trp)‐H]⁺, produced a characteristic fragment ion at m /z 524 by loss of 1‐methyl‐1,6‐dihydropyrazine‐2,5‐dione via collision‐induced dissociation. The relative abundance of this fragment ion to the precursor contributed to differentiate tadalafil enantiomers, and energy‐resolved product‐ion spectra were applied to determine the molar composition of tadalafil in the mixture (R ,R and S ,S ) as well. In addition, the other two forms of stereomeric isomers of tadalafil (R ,S and S ,R ) could be also distinguished and analyzed by this method. The method was validated in different types of mass spectrometers (AB quadrupole time‐of‐flight and Bruker ion trap) and also verified by a chiral high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight. The chiral determination of tadalafil using MS method proved to be rapid (1‐min run time for each sample) and to have the same accuracy and precision comparable to chiral liquid chromatography mass spectrometry methods. This method provides an alternative to commonly used chromatographic technique for chiral determination and is particularly useful in rapid screening in enantioselective synthesis and enantiomeric impurity detection in pharmaceutical industry. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isomeric discrimination and quantification of thyroid hormones, T3 and rT3, by the single ratio kinetic method using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The single ratio kinetic method is applied to the discrimination and quantification of the thyroid hormone isomers, 3,5,3′-triiodothyronine and 3,3′,5′-triiodothyronine, in the gas phase, based on the kinetics of the competitive unimolecular dissociations of singly charged transition-metal ion-bound trimeric complexes [M^II(A)(ref*)₂-H]⁺ (M^II = divalent transition-metal ion; A=T₃ or rT₃; ref* = reference ligand). The trimeric complex ions are generated using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and the ions undergo collisional activation to realize isomeric discrimination from the branching ratio of the two fragment pathways that form the dimeric complexes [M^II(A)(ref*)-H]⁺ and [M^II(ref*)₂-H]⁺. The ratio of the individual branching ratios for the two isomers R_iso is found strongly dependent on the references and the metal ions. Various sets are tried by choosing the reference from amino acids, substituted amino acids, and dipeptides in combination with the central metal ion chosen from five transition-metal ions (Co^II, Cu^II, Mn^II, Ni^II, and Zn^II) for the complexes in this experiment. The results are compared in terms of the isomeric discrimination for the T₃/rT₃ pair. Calibration curves are constructed by relating the ratio of the branching ratios against the isomeric composition of their mixture to allow rapid quantitative isomer analysis of the sample pair. Furthermore, the instrument-dependence of this method is investigated by comparing the two sets of results, one obtained from a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer and the other from a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer.     

Enantiomeric differentiation of β‐amino alcohols under electrospray ionization mass spectrometric conditions

The enantiomeric differentiation of a series of chiral β‐amino alcohols (A) is attempted, for the first time, by applying the kinetic method using L‐proline, L‐tryptophan, 4‐iodo‐L‐phenylalanine or 3, 5‐diiodo‐L‐tyrosine as the chiral references (Ref) and Cu²⁺ or Ni²⁺ ion (M) as the central metal ion. The trimeric diastereomeric adduct ions, [M+(Ref)₂+A‐H]⁺, formed under electrospray ionization conditions, are subjected for collision‐induced dissociation (CID) experiments. The products ions, formed by the loss of either a reference or an analyte, detected in the CID spectra are evaluated for the enantiomeric differentiation. All the references showed enantiomeric differentiation and the R_chiral values are better for the aromatic alcohols than for aliphatic alcohols. Notably, the R_chiral values of the aliphatic amino alcohols enhanced when Ni²⁺ is used as the central metal ion. The experimental results are well supported by computational studies carried out on the diastereomeric dimeric complexes. The computational data of amino alcohols is correlated with that of amino acids to understand the structural interaction of amino alcohols with reference molecule and central metal ion and their role on the stabilization of the dimeric complexes. Application of flow injection MS/MS method is also demonstrated for the enantiomeric differentiation of the amino alcohols. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The preparation and characterization of some new nickel(II), copper(II), zinc(II) and cadmium(II) complexes of the pyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde Schiff bases ofS-alkyl esters of dithiocarbazic acid

Summary New complexes of general formulae [Ni(HL)₂], [ML]·H₂O and [Cu(HL)X] (H₂L = pyrrole-2-aldehyde Schiff bases ofS-methyl- andS-benzyldithiocarbazates; X = Cl or Br; M = Ni^II, Cu^II, Zn^II or Cd^II) were prepared and characterized by a variety of physicochemical techniques. The Schiff bases coordinate as NS bidentate chelating agents in [Ni(HL)₂] and [Cu(HL)X], and as tridentate NNS chelates in [ML] (M = Ni^II, Cu^II, Zn^II or Cd^II). Both the [Ni(HL)₂] and [NiL] complexes are diamagnetic and square-planar. Based on magnetic and spectroscopic evidence, thiolate sulphur-bridged dimeric square-planar structures are assigned to the [Cu(HL)X] and [ML] (M = Ni^II or Cu^II) complexes. The complexes ML (M = Zn^II or Cd^II) are polymeric and octahedral.     

Chiral discrimination of β‐3‐homo‐amino acids using the kinetic method

Chiral discrimination of seven enantiomeric pairs of β‐3‐homo‐amino acids was studied by using the kinetic method and trimeric metal‐bound complexes, with natural and unnatural α‐amino acids as chiral reference compounds and divalent metal ions (Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺) as the center ions. The β‐3‐homo‐amino acids were selected for this study because, first of all, chiral discrimination of β‐amino acids has not been extensively studied by mass spectrometry. Moreover, these β‐3‐homo‐amino acids studied have different aromatic side chains. Thus, the emphasis was to study the effect of the side chain (electron density of the phenyl ring, as well as the difference between phenyl and benzyl side chains) for the chiral discrimination. The results showed that by the proper choice of a metal ion and a chiral reference compound, all seven enantiomeric pairs of β‐3‐homo‐amino acids could be differentiated. Moreover, it was noted that the β‐3‐homo‐amino acids with benzyl side chains provided higher enantioselectivity than the corresponding phenyl ones. However, increasing or decreasing the electron density of the aromatic ring by different substituents in both the phenyl and benzyl side chains had practically no role for chiral discrimination of β‐3‐homo‐amino acids studied. When copper was used as the central metal, the phenyl side chain containing reference molecules (S)‐2‐amino‐2‐phenylacetic acid (L ‐Phg) and (S)‐2‐amino‐2‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐acetic acid (L ‐4′‐OHPhg) gave rise to an additional copper‐reduced dimeric fragment ion, [Cu^I(ref)(A)]⁺. The inclusion of this ion improved noticeably the enantioselectivity values obtained. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chiral detection of entecavir stereoisomeric impurities through coordination with R‐besivance and ZnII using mass spectrometry

In this study, a mass spectrometry (MS)‐based kinetic method (KM) is shown to be successful at analyzing a multichiral center drug stereoisomer, entecavir (ETV), both qualitatively and quantitatively. On the basis of the KM, the bivalent complex ion [M^II(A)(ref*)₂]²⁺ (M^II = divalent metal ion, A = analyte, and ref* = chiral reference) was set as precursor ion in MS/MS. The experiment results suggest strong chiral selectivity between ETV and its isomers when using Zn^II coordinated with the chiral reference R‐besivance (R‐B). The logarithm of the fragment ion abundance ratio and the enantiomeric percentage (%) exhibits a strong linear relation because of the competitive loss of the reference and analyte. The product ion pair [Zn^II(R‐B)A‐H]⁺ (m/z 733) and [Zn^II(R‐B)₂‐H]⁺ (m/z 849), together with [R‐B + H]⁺ (m/z 394) and [A + H]⁺ (m/z 278), can realize the identification of ETV and all of its chiral isomers. Theoretical calculation were also performed using the B3LYP functional with the 6‐31G* and LanL2DZ basis set to clarify the mechanism of structural difference of these bivalent complex ions. The results reveal that MS‐KM can be used to detect optical impurities without a chiral chromatographic column and fussy sample pretreatment. The established method has been used to determine stereoisomeric impurities of less than 0.1% in ETV crude drug, a demonstration of its simple and effective nature for rapid detection of stereoisomeric impurities.     

A kinetic study of the oxidation of hydroxamic acids by compounds I and II of horseradish peroxidase: Effect of transition metal ions

Abstract

Oxidation of hydroxamic acids (HXs) generates HNO, and it is not clear whether it is formed also in the presence of metal ions. The kinetics of the oxidation of HXs, such as acetohydroxamic acid, suberohydroxamic acid, and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), by compounds I and II of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) at pH 7.0 and 25?°C have been studied using rapid-mixing stopped-flow. The kinetics of these reactions were compared to those observed in the presence of Cu(ClO₄)₂, NiSO₄, or ZnSO₄. The rates decrease upon increasing [Cu^II] at constant [HXs], and no oxidation of HX occurs when [HX]/[Cu^II] ≈ 2, implying that HX oxidation in the presence of Cu^II proceeds through the free ligand since the predominant complex is CuX₂. In the case of Ni^II, the oxidation rate decreases upon increasing the ratio [Ni^II]/[HX] beyond 1, where the predominant complex is Ni^IIX⁺, implying that its oxidation is feasible. The effect of Zn^II could be studied only on the rate of HXs oxidation by compound II demonstrating similar behavior to that of Ni^II. HXs were also oxidized catalytically by HRP/H₂O₂ at pH 7.0, demonstrating that metal ions facilitate the formation of HNO while hardly affecting its yield and the extent of HX oxidation.     

Determination of enantiomeric excess for organic primary amine compounds by chiral recognition fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry

Enantiomeric excess (ee) of organic primary amine compounds such as phenylglycine methyl ester hydrochloride (2) has been determined by fast-atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry (NBA matrix). Chiral recognition in host–guest complexation systems between crown ethers [H] and amino acid ester ammonium ions [G] has been extended to the ee determination. The method characteristically uses a 1/1 mixture of a pair of enantiomeric hosts whose enantiomer is isotopically labeled [(RRRR)-1 and (SSSS)-1-d₆]. Chiral recognition of a given guest is simply measured with the given host–pair reagent from the relative peak intensities of the two corresponding diastereomeric host–guest complex ions in I[(H_RRRR · G)⁺]/I[(H_SSSS-d6 · G)⁺ = I_R/I_S-d6, so called IRIS value. The IRIS value varies in a linear fashion with the ee quantitiy of 2 and produces a symmetric linear V-shaped plot, indicating that in the case of a primary amine guest (such as 2) with unknown ee, one can determine the ee by this type of chiral recognition FAB mass spectometry. Further, based on the observed concentration effects on the IRIS values, it is suggested that the present IRIS value reflects the concentration ratio of the diastereomeric complex ions formed in the matrix.     

Ligand and metal-ion effects in metal-ion clusters used for chiral analysis of alpha-hydroxy acids by the kinetic method

Chiral recognition of alpha-hydroxy acids has been achieved, and mixtures of enantiomers have been quantified in the gas phase, by using the kinetics of competitive unimolecular dissociation of singly-charged transition metal ion-bound trimeric complexes, [M(II)(A)(ref*)(2)-H](+) (M(II)=divalent transition metal ion; A=alpha-hydroxy acid; ref*=chiral reference ligand), to form the dimeric complexes [M(II)(A)(ref*)-H](+) and [M(II)(ref*)(2)-H](+). Chiral selectivity, the ratio of these two fragment ion abundances for the complex containing the analyte in one enantiomeric form expressed relative to that for the fragments of the corresponding complex containing the other enantiomer, ranges from 0.65 to 7.32. Chiral differentiation is highly dependent on the choice of chiral reference compound and central metal ion. The different coordination geometry of complexes resulting from the different d-orbital electronic configurations of these transition metal ions plays a role in chiral discrimination. Of all the transition metal ions examined chiral recognition is lowest for Cu(II), because of large distortion of the coordination complexes, and hence weak metal-ligand interactions and small stereochemical effects. It seems that two independent pi-cation interactions occur when N-acetyl-substituted aromatic amino acids used as the reference ligands and this accounts for improved chiral discrimination. If both metal-ligand and ligand-ligand interactions are optimized, large chiral selectivity is achieved. The sensitive nature of the methodology and the linear relationship between the logarithm of the fragment ion abundance ratio and the optical purity, which are intrinsic to the kinetic method, enable mixtures to be analyzed for small enantiomeric excess ( ee) by simply recording the ratios of fragment ion abundances in a tandem mass spectrum.     

Synthesis and Reductive Complexation Properties of a Cone-Configurated Tetra[p-(tert-butyl)]calix[4]arene incorporating bipyridyl and pyridine subunits. NMR characterization and crystal structure of its chiral copper(I) complex

The hetero-armed p(tert-butyl)calix[4]arene 1 was synthesized by a stepwise procedure. This ligand presented a very strong complexing behavior towards Cu¹, giving the chiral complex 2 and parent species when reacted with Cu^II salts. High-resolution NMR techniques were employed for the characterization of 2 , demonstrating notably exchange processes between its two enantiomeric forms. The racemic nature of 2 was confirmed by X-ray crystal-structure analysis.     

Chiral recognition of zinc(II) ion complexes composed of bicyclo[3.3.0] octane-2,6-diol and <Emphasis Type="Italic">s</Emphasis>-Naproxen probed by collisional-induced dissociation

Chiral recognition of racemic bicyclo[3.3.0] octane-2,6-diol(B) was achieved in the gas phase using s-Naproxen(A) as reference, using the kinetics of competitive unimolecule dissociation of tetrameric zinc(II)-bound complexes by electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer(ESI-FTMS). As undergoing a mild competitive collision-induced dissociation(CID) experiment with a constant pressure argon gas introduced by leak valve, the tetrameric cluster ion [A(2)B(2)Z(n)(II)-H](+) forms only two trimeric ions and R(chiral) is subsequently obtained in the kinetic method. Further studies obtained the difference of Gibbs free energy of [ABZ(n)(II)-H](+)(Delta Delta G(ABZn(II)-H](+))) by dissociating [A(2)BZ(n)(II)-H](+), resulting two fragment ions [ABZ(n)(II)-H](+) and [A(2)Z(n)(II)-H](+), which can be established to a linear relationship between Delta Delta G([ABZn(II)-H](+)) and R(chiral)' basing on the kinetic method. The value of R(chiral)' suggested that Delta Delta G([ABZn(II)-H](+)) could be regarded as zero. Meanwhile, dissociation of [AB(2)Z(n)(II)-H](+) generated only one daughter ion [ABZ(n)(II)-H](+) in a stable pressure. Thus, a linear relationship was established between the difference of Gibbs free energy of [AB(2)Z(n)(II)-H](+)(Delta Delta G([AB(2)Zn(II)-H](+))) and R(chiral)" if the Delta Delta G([ABZn(II)-H](+)) can be negligible. Because there is also a linear relationship of R(chiral) in the tetrameric ion [A(2)B(2)Z(n)(II)-H](+) and the Gibbs energy difference of trimeric cluster ion [A(2)BZ(n)(+)(II)-H](Delta Delta G([A(2)BZn(II)-H](+))) plus that of [AB(2)Z(n)(II)-H](+), Delta Delta G([A(2)BZ(n)(II)-H]+]) is easy to be calculated in the dissociation process of tetrameric ion. Stable of R(chiral), R(chiral)' and R(chiral)" under different pressures show T(eff) does not affect the chiral recognition of cluster ions in the condition selected. If an only-one-daughter-ion fragment process of [A(2)BZ(n)(II)-H](+) was existed, R(chiral)' relating to this dissociation would be calculated just like R(chiral)" of [AB(2)Z(n)(II)-H](+) does. Conclusion was obtained that [A(2)BZ(n)(II)-H](+) makes more contribution to chiral recognition of tetrameric ion measured by kinetic method than [AB(2)Z(n)(II)-H](+) does as R(chiral)' and R(chiral)" were applied as index to evaluate the Gibbs free energy difference of these two trimeric cluster ions. Further discussion shows that steric interactions and pi-pi stacking interactions are the major factors responsible for the observed efficient chiral recognition in this system.     

Studies ono-hydroxyacetophenone-2-furoylhydrazone complexes of some 3d-bivalent metal ions

Summary Complexes ofo-hydroxyacetophenone-2-furoylhydrazone, H₂L, of the types M(H₂L)C1₂ · nH₂O [Mn = Co^II, n=0; Ni^II, n=2]; Cu(HL)Cl, M(HL)₂ [M = V^IVO, Co^II, Ni^II or Cu^II] and M(L)(H₂O)_n [M = Co^II or Ni^II, n=2; M = Cu^II, n=0] have been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductance, magnetic susceptibility, visible, e.s.r. and i.r. spectral studies. The different modes of ligand chelation and the stereochemistry around the metal ions are discussed.     

Magnesium interference and different efficiencies of diastereoisomeric cluster formation in phenylalanine enantiomeric discrimination by the kinetic method

The kinetic method has been applied for determination of d-Phe/l-Phe enantiomeric ratio. Discrimination of enantiomers was inferred from product ion mass spectra of trimeric cluster ions containing the analyte (l,d-Phe), Cu²⁺ as a central metal and l-Trp as a chiral reference ligand. Unsatisfactory quantitative results achieved on an ion trap were rationalized by high-resolution mass spectrometry. The formation of Mg²⁺-containing cluster isobaric to trimeric cluster [Cu(l-Trp)₂Phe]⁺ was observed. Interference like this was identified as a possible reason for deterioration of quantitative low-resolution mass spectrometric analyses of real-world samples based on the kinetic method. Cation-exchanger was used for easy removal of magnesium from a sample and improvement of quantitation.Chiral dependence of formation of the Cu²⁺-containing trimeric cluster was also observed. Heterochiral diastereoisomeric ions were created less effectively.     

Coordinating properties of C2-symmetric chiral bis(oxazolinylpyridinyl)dioxolane ligands

Metal complexes of general formula M(L)X₂ and M(L)X₃ [L = (4S,5S)-2,2-dimethyl-4,5-bis{6-[(4,5-dihydro-4-(S)-(1-methylethyl)oxazol-2-yl)pyridin-2-yl]}-1,3-dioxolane] were obtained by reacting, respectively, Co^II, Cu^II, Ni^II, and Zn^II nitrate salts and the Rh^III chloride salt, with a chiral C₂-symmetric bis(oxazolinylpyridinyl)dioxolane (L) ligand, in MeOH/CHCl₃ solution. A single crystal X-ray analysis was carried out on [Ni(L)(OH₂)₂](NO₃)₂ · 2H₂O and the molecular structure of L was also determined. In the free ligand the two symmetric arms are essentially planar and oriented nearly perpendicular to the dioxolane average plane. In the Ni complex one seven-membered and two five-membered chelation rings are formed. The metal atom also lies on the C₂ axis, and two symmetry-related water molecules complete the octahedral coordination environment. Both compounds crystallize in chiral space groups; the ligand crystallizes in orthorhombic system, space group C 2 2 2₁, Z = 4; the nickel complex crystallizes in tetragonal system, space group P 4₃ 2₁ 2, Z = 4.     

Nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes of ONS ligands formed from 2-hydroxyacetophenone and S-alkyldithiocarbazates and the X-ray crystal structure of the [Ni(Ap-SMe)py] complex (Ap-SMe = anion of the 2-hydroxyacetophenone Schiff base of S-methyl-dithiocarbazate)

Summary New nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes of general formulae [M(Ap-SR)] and [Ap-SR)B] (Ap-SR = dianionic forms of the Schiff bases of 2-hydroxyacetophenone and S-alkyl esters of dithiocarbazic acid; M = Ni^II or Cu^II; R = Me or CH₂Ph; B = py, phen or dipy have been synthesized and characterized by a variety of physicochemical techniques. Magnetic and spectroscopic data support an oxygen-bridged binuclear structure for the [M(Ap-SR)] complexes. The [M(Ap-SR)py] complexes are four-coordinate and square planar, whereas the [M(Ap-SR)B] complexes (B = phen or dipy) are five-coordinate and probably trigonal bipyramidal. The [Cu(Ap-SR)B] complexes (B = py, phen or dipy) obey the Curie-Weiss law over the 298-93 K range.The structure of the [Ni(Ap-SMe)py] complex has been determined by X-ray crystallography. It has an approximately square-planar structure in which the doubly-deprotonated Schiff base is coordinated to the Ni^II ion via the azomethine N atom, the phenolic O atom and the thiolato S atom. The fourth coordination position around the Ni^II ion is occupied by the N of the pyridine ligand.     

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of metal complexes of cefazolin

Cefazolin (Hcefaz) interacts with transition metal(II) ions to give [M(cefaz)Cl] complexes (M = Mn^II, Co^II, Ni^II, Cu^II, Zn^II, Pd^II) and [Ag₂(cefaz)₂Cl₂] which were characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. Their i.r. and the ¹H-n.m.r. spectra suggest that cefazolin behaves as a monoanionic tetradentate ligand. The complexes have been screened for antibacterial activity and the results are compared with the activity of cefazolin.     

Amino acid influence on copper binding to peptides: Cysteine versus arginine

Matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) and theoretical calculations [density functional theory (DFT)] were utilized to investigate the influence of cysteine side chain on Cu⁺ binding to peptides and how Cu⁺ ions competitively interact with cysteine (−SH/SO₃H) versus arginine. Results from theoretical and experimental (fragmentation reactions) studies on [M+Cu]⁺ and [M+2Cu−H]⁺ ions suggest that cysteine side chains (−SH) and cysteic acid (−SO₃H) are important Cu⁺ ligands. For example, we show that Cu⁺ ions are competitively coordinated to the −SH or SO₃H groups; however, we also present evidence that the proton of the SH/SO₃H group is mobile and can be transferred to the arginine guanidine group. For [M+2Cu−H]⁺ ions, deprotonation of the −SH/SO₃H group is energetically more favorable than that of the carboxyl group, and the resulting thiolate/sulfonate group plays an important role in the coordination structure of [M+2Cu−H]⁺ ions, as well as the fragmentation patterns.     

Silver (Ι)‐assisted enantiomeric analysis of ginsenosides using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

For identification of ginsenoside enantiomers, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) was used to generate silver complexes of the type [ginsenoside + Ag]⁺. Collision induced dissociation of the silver‐ginsenoside complexes produced fragment ions by dehydration, allowing differentiation of ginsenoside enantiomers by the intensity of [M + Ag ? H₂O]⁺ ion. In the meanwhile, an approach based on the distinct profiles of enantiomer‐selective fragment ion intensity varied with collision energy was introduced to refine the identification and quantitation of ginsenoside enantiomers. Five pairs of enantiomeric ginsenosides were distinguished and quantified on the basis of the distribution of fragment ion [M + Ag ? H₂O]⁺. This method was also extended to the identification of other type of ginsenoside isomers such as ginsenoside Rb2 and Rb3. For demonstrating the practicability of this novel approach, it was utilized to analyze the molar ratio of 20‐(S) and 20‐(R) type enantiomeric ginsenosides in enantiomer mixture in red ginseng extract. The generation of characteristic fragment ion [M + Ag ? H₂O]⁺ likely results from the reduction of potential energy barrier of dehydration because of the catalysis of silver ion. The mechanism of enantiomer identification of ginsenosides was discussed from the aspects of computational modeling and internal energy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spectral and structural studies of cobalt(II,III), nickel(II), and copper(II) complexes of dehydroacetic acid N4-dialkyl- and 3-azacyclothiosemicarbazones

Co^II,III, Ni^II, and Cu^II complexes of new dehydroacetic acid N4-substituted thiosemicarbazones have been studied. The substituted thiosemicarbazones, N4-dimethyl-(DA4DM), N4-diethyl-(DA4DE), 3-piperidyl-(DApip) and 3-hexamethyleneiminyl-(DAhexim), when reacted with the metal chlorides, produced two Co^II complexes, [Co(DA4DE)Cl₂] and [Co(DAhexim)₂Cl₂]; two Co^III complexes, [Co(DA4DM-H)₂Cl] and [Co(DApip-H)(DApip-2H)]; a paramagnetic Ni^II complex, [Ni(DAhexim)(DAhexim-H)Cl]; three diamagnetic Ni^II complexes, [Ni(DA4DM-H)Cl], [Ni(DA4DE-H)Cl] and [Ni(DApip-H)Cl]; and four Cu^II complexes with the analogous stoichiometry of the latter three Ni^II complexes. These new thiosemicarbazones have been characterized by their melting points, as well as i.r., electronic and ¹H-n.m.r. spectra. The metal complexes have been characterized by i.r. and electronic spectra, and when possible, n.m.r. and e.s.r. spectra, as well as elemental analyses, molar conductivities, and magnetic susceptibilities. The crystal and molecular structure of the four-coordinate Cu^II complex, [Cu(DAhexim-H)Cl] has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction and the anionic ligand coordinates via an oxygen of the dehydroacetic acid and the thiosemicarbazone moiety's imine nitrogen and thione sulfur.