Differentiation of 18O‐ and 16O‐rich layers in anodic alumina films by glow discharge time‐of‐flight mass spectroscopy

The performance of glow discharge time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry in isotopic differentiation is revealed using the distribution of oxygen isotopes ¹⁶O and ¹⁸O in barrier‐type anodic alumina films as a focus. Anodic alumina films comprising ¹⁸O‐rich layers of controlled thickness were formed by the appropriate combination of anodising of superpure aluminium in electrolytes enriched with ¹⁸O isotopes and of natural abundance of ¹⁸O isotopes. Analysis of the elemental depth profiles of selected ionic species, i.e. ¹⁶O¹⁸O, allowed determination of the locations of the ¹⁸O‐rich layers and the ¹⁸O/¹⁶O interface. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pharmaceutical metabolite profiling using quadrupole/ion mobility spectrometry/time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

The use of hybrid quadrupole ion mobility spectrometry time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (Q/IMS/TOFMS) in the metabolite profiling of leflunomide (LEF) and acetaminophen (APAP) is presented. The IMS drift times (T_d) of the drugs and their metabolites were determined in the IMS/TOFMS experiments and correlated with their exact monoisotopic masses and other in silico generated structural properties, such as connolly molecular area (CMA), connolly solvent‐excluded volume (CSEV), principal moments of inertia along the X, Y and Z Cartesian coordinates (MI‐X, MI‐Y and MI‐Z), inverse mobility and collision cross‐section (CCS). The correlation of T_d with these parameters is presented and discussed. IMS/TOF tandem mass spectrometry experiments (MS² and MS³) were successfully performed on the N‐acetyl‐p‐benzoquinoneimine glutathione (NAPQI‐GSH) adduct derived from the in vitro microsomal metabolism of APAP. As comparison, similar experiments were also performed using hybrid triple quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry (QTRAPMS) and quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (QTOFMS). The abilities to resolve the product ions of the metabolite within the drift tube and fragment the ion mobility resolved product ions in the transfer travelling wave‐enabled stacked ring ion guide (TWIG) demonstrated the potential applicability of the Q/IMS/TOFMS technique in pharmaceutical metabolite profiling. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectroscopic characterization of the nitrogen profile of shallow gate oxynitride thermally grown on a silicon substrate

Silicon oxynitride has been used as a shallow gate oxide material for microelectronics and its thickness has been reduced over the years to only a few tens of angstroms due to device size scaling. The nitride distribution and density characteristic in the gate oxide thus becomes imperative for the devices. The shallow depth profiling capability using time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS) has huge potential for the nitrogen characterization of the shallow gate oxide film. In this article, both positive and negative spectra of TOF‐SIMS on silicon oxynitride have been extensively studied and it was found that the silicon nitride clusters Si_xN^? (x = 1–4) are able to represent the nitrogen profiles because their ion yields are high enough, especially for the low‐level nitride doping in the oxide, which is formed by the annealing of nitric oxide on SiO₂/Si. The gate oxide thickness measured by the TOF‐SIMS profiling method using ¹⁸O or CsO profile calibration was found to correlate very well with transmission electron microscope measurement. The nitrogen concentration in the gate oxide measured using the TOF‐SIMS method was consistent with the results obtained using the dynamic SIMS method, which is currently applied to relatively thicker oxynitride films. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Depth profiling of oxygen in oxide films by 18O(p,α)15N nuclear reaction analysis

The paper describes the determination and depth profiling of oxygen in thin oxide films using ¹⁸O(p,??)¹⁵N nuclear reaction. The excitation function of ¹⁸O(p,??)¹⁵N nuclear reaction exhibits a resonance at 629?keV and a plateau at 730?keV with uniform cross-section. The resonance is used to determine the depth profile of oxygen in films while the plateau, to estimate its overall concentration. The resonance, characterized by a width of 2.1?keV enables high-depth resolution (~20?nm) measurements and has a probing depth of more than a micron. The paper presents depth profile measurements of oxygen in several metal oxide films (SiO₂, TiO₂ and HfO₂) using this resonance. Possible interferences arising from ¹⁵N(p,??)¹²C, ¹⁹F(p,??)¹⁶O and ¹¹B(p,??)2?? nuclear reactions are also discussed. It has been shown that it can serve as a suitable alternative to 3.05?MeV ¹⁶O(??,??)¹⁶O resonant scattering which is generally used for depth profiling oxygen. It is, in fact, more reliable and precise in materials that witness significant large angle multiple scattering. It can also be advantageously used to monitor ¹⁸O, when used as a tracer.     

Evaluation of analytical performance and reliability of direct nanoLC‐nanoESI‐high resolution mass spectrometry for profiling the (xeno)metabolome

Mass spectrometry (MS) profiling techniques are used for analysing metabolites and xenobiotics in biofluids; however, detection of low abundance compounds using conventional MS techniques is poor. To counter this, nanoflow ultra‐high‐pressure liquid chromatography‐nanoelectrospray ionization‐time‐of‐flight MS (nUHPLC‐nESI‐TOFMS), which has been used primarily for proteomics, offers an innovative prospect for profiling small molecules. Compared to conventional UHPLC‐ESI‐TOFMS, nUHPLC‐nESI‐TOFMS enhanced detection limits of a variety of (xeno)metabolites by between 2 and 2000‐fold. In addition, this study demonstrates for the first time excellent repeatability and reproducibility for analysis of urine and plasma samples using nUHPLC‐nESI‐TOFMS, supporting implementation of this platform as a novel approach for high‐throughput (xeno)metabolomics. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The chain‐breaking antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds with different numbers of O‐H groups as determined during the oxidation of styrene

The technique based on monitoring oxygen consumption was applied to test 18 polyphenols (PP) and model phenolics as a chain‐breaking antioxidant during the oxidation of styrene initiated by 2,2′‐azobis(2,4‐dimethylvaleronitril) at 37°C. The chain‐breaking capability of PP was characterized by two parameters: the rate constant k₁ for the reaction of antioxidants with the peroxy radical produced from styrene and the stoichiometric coefficient of inhibition, f, which shows how many kinetic chains are terminated by one molecule of PP. Rate constants k₁ × 10⁵ (in M^?1 s^?1) were found to be 10 (catechol), 27 (pyrogallol), 34 (3,6‐di‐tert‐Bu‐catechol), 4.3 (protocatechic acid), 12 (gallic acid), 15 (caffeic acid), <0.01 (chrysin), 1.3 (kaempferol), 19 (quercetin), 5.3 (baicalein), 16 (epicatechin), 32 (epigallocatechin), 9.0 (dihydroquercetin), 3.3 (resveratrol), and 16 (nordihydroguaiaretic acid). The value of k₁ increases when going from one to two and three adjacent O‐H groups in a benzene ring (catechol and pyrogallol derivatives, respectively). At the same time, two O‐H groups in metaposition in a A‐ring of flavonoids actually do not participate in the inhibition. For the majority of PP, f is near to 2 independent of the number of OH groups. The correlation of k₁ with the structure of PP and the O? H bond dissociation enthalpy has been discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 41: 92–100, 2009     

Luminescence properties of Cu‐ion‐implanted and annealed ZnO thin films deposited by chemical vapor deposition and pulsed laser deposition

Ion implantation techniques were used to study the effect of an MgO additive on the luminescence properties induced by Cu in ZnO thin films. Cu ions (accelerating voltage of 75 keV, dose of 4.5 × 10¹⁴ ions/cm²) were implanted at room temperature in nondoped and Mg‐doped ZnO thin films. After annealing, emissions in the visible region originating from Cu phosphor were observed at 510 nm in CVD‐ZnO and at 450 nm in Mg‐doped ZnO (MZO) thin films. The Cu depth profile shows distortion in the low‐concentration region of CVD‐ZnO. After the annealing, the Cu implant was homogenized in thin films, and then the Cu concentration was determined to be 1.5 × 10¹⁹ ions/cm³ in CVD‐ZnO and 5.6 × 10¹⁸ ions/cm³ in MZO thin films. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electrical,optical, and structural characterization of p‐type N‐doped SnO thin films prepared by thermal oxidation of sputtered SnNx thin films

We present a study of electrical and optical properties of nitrogen‐doped tin oxide thin films deposited on glass by the DC Magnetron Sputtering method. The deposition conditions to obtain p‐type thin films were a relative partial pressure between 7% and 11% (N₂ and/or O₂), a total working pressure of 1.8 mTorr and a plasma power of 30 W. The deposited thin films were oxidized after annealing at 250°C for 30 minutes. X‐ray diffraction results showed that the as‐deposited thin films exhibit a Sn tetragonal structure, and after annealing, they showed SnO tetragonal structure. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed the presence of nitrogen in the samples before and after annealing. The measured physical parameters of the thin films were optical band gap between 1.92 and 2.68 eV, resistivity between 0.52 and 5.46 Ωcm, a concentration of p‐type carriers between 10¹⁸ and 10¹⁹ cm^?3, and a Hall mobility between 0.1 and 1.94 cm²V^?1s^?1. These thin films were used to fabricate p‐type thin film transistors.     

Mechanism of adhesion promotion between aluminium sheet and polypropylene with maleic anhydride‐grafted polypropylene by γ‐aminopropyltriethoxy silane

The effect of concentration of γ‐aminopropyltriethoxy (γ‐APS) solution on shear strength of adhesive bonding between aluminium sheet and polypropylene (PP) with addition of a certain amount of maleic anhydride‐grafted polypropylene (PP‐g‐MAH) has been investigated. It is shown that the lap shear strength is promoted obviously with pre‐treatment of aluminium sheet by γ‐APS. The maximum strength is obtained at a concentration of 3% γ‐APS solution. With further high concentration of γ‐APS, the lap shear strength decreases. The examination of the separated surfaces by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows that (C?O)₂? O? Al and C(?O)? O? Al are formed for adhesive bonding between PP with the addition of 20 wt% PP‐g‐MAH and aluminium sheet without pre‐treatment by γ‐APS, and that the area ratio of C related to oxygen on the separated aluminium side is 33.28%, which is obviously higher than 14% on the polymer side. As for adhesive bonding between PP with the addition of 20% PP‐g‐MAH and 3% γ‐APS pre‐treated aluminium sheet, C(?O)? N? C(?O) and C(?O)? NH are formed. The area ratio of C related to oxygen on the separated polymer side increases to 24.99%. It is proposed that γ‐APS pre‐treatment improves the distribution and shape of PP‐g‐MAH chains in the region adsorbed on the substrate and the region adjacent to this region. The chemical interactions at the interface are also proposed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pre‐Irradiation Grafting of Styrene/Divinylbenzene onto Poly(tetrafluoroethylene‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) from Non‐Solvents

Pre‐irradiation grafting of styrene/divinylbenzene (DVB) onto poly(tetrafluoroethylene‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (FEP) films was studied with respect to the influence of solvent. Particularly favorable grafting conditions with long radical lifetimes and reasonably high polymerization rates were achieved with solvents that are precipitants for the newly formed polystyrene, e.g., low‐molecular‐mass alcohols like ⁱPrOH, AcOH, their mixtures with H₂O, and H₂O/surfactant systems. Using one of these solvents significantly extended the range of accessible graft levels, and a specific degree of grafting was obtained at a much lower monomer concentration and irradiation dose than with grafting in a good solvent such as toluene. As practical consequences, the monomer was used more efficiently, and the radiation damage of the perfluorinated base material was reduced with the result of improved mechanical properties of the grafted films.     

Photocurrent Enhancement of Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells owing to Increased Dye‐Adsorption onto Silicon‐Nanoparticle‐Coated Titanium‐Dioxide Films

The inverse‐micellar preparation of Si nanoparticles (Nps) was improved by utilizing sodium naphthalide. The Si Nps were subsequently functionalized with 4‐vinylbenzoic acid for their attachment onto TiO₂ films of dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The average diameter of the COOH‐functionalized Si (Si? COOH) Nps was 4.6(±1.7) nm. Depth profiling by secondary‐ion mass spectrometry revealed that the Si Nps were uniformly attached onto the TiO₂ films. The number of Ru^II dye molecules adsorbed onto a TiO₂ film that was treated with the Si? COOH Nps was 42 % higher than that on the untreated TiO₂ film. As a result, DSSCs that incorporated the Si? COOH Nps exhibited higher short‐circuit photocurrent density and an overall energy‐conversion efficiency than the untreated DSSCs by 22 % and 27 %, respectively. This enhanced performance, mostly owing to the intramolecular charge‐transfer to TiO₂ from the dye molecules that were anchored to the Si? COOH Nps, was confirmed by comparing the performance with two different Ru^II–bipyridine dyes (N719 and N749).     

A Resin‐Linker‐Vector Approach to Radiopharmaceuticals Containing 18F: Application in the Synthesis of O‐(2‐[18F]‐Fluoroethyl)‐L‐tyrosine

A Resin‐linker‐vector (RLV) strategy is described for the radiosynthesis of tracer molecules containing the radionuclide ¹⁸F, which releases the labelled vector into solution upon nucleophilic substitution of a polystyrene‐bound arylsulfonate linker with [¹⁸F]‐fluoride ion. Three model linker‐vector molecules 7 a – c containing different alkyl spacer groups were assembled in solution from (4‐chlorosulfonylphenyl)alkanoate esters, exploiting a lipase‐catalysed chemoselective carboxylic ester hydrolysis in the presence of the sulfonate ester as a key step. The linker‐vector systems were attached to aminomethyl polystyrene resin through amide bond formation to give RLVs 8 a – c with acetate, butyrate and hexanoate spacers, which were characterised by using magic‐angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. On fluoridolysis, the RLVs 8 a , b containing the longer spacers were shown to be more effective in the release of the fluorinated model vector (4‐fluorobutyl)phenylcarbamic acid tert‐butyl ester ( 9 ) in NMR kinetic studies and gave superior radiochemical yields (RCY≈60 %) of the ¹⁸F‐labelled vector. The approach was applied to the synthesis of the radiopharmaceutical O‐(2‐[¹⁸F]‐fluoroethyl)‐L ‐tyrosine ([¹⁸F]‐FET), delivering protected [¹⁸F]‐FET in >90 % RCY. Acid deprotection gave [¹⁸F]‐FET in an overall RCY of 41 % from the RLV.     

4‐Carboxypyridinium perchlorate 18‐crown‐6 dihydrate clathrate and 4‐carboxypyridinium tetrafluoroborate 18‐crown‐6 dihydrate clathrate

Mixtures of 4‐carboxypyridinium perchlorate or 4‐carboxypyridinium tetrafluoroborate and 18‐crown‐6 (1,4,7,10,13,16‐hexaoxacyclooctadecane) in ethanol and water solution yielded the title supramolecular salts, C₆H₆NO₂⁺·ClO₄⁻·C₁₂H₂₄O₆·2H₂O and C₆H₆NO₂⁺·BF₄⁻·C₁₂H₂₄O₆·2H₂O. Based on their similar crystal symmetries, unit cells and supramolecular assemblies, the salts are essentially isostructural. The asymmetric unit in each structure includes one protonated isonicotinic acid cation and one crown ether molecule, which together give a [(C₆H₆NO₂)(18‐crown‐6)]⁺ supramolecular cation. N—H...O hydrogen bonds between the protonated N atoms and a single O atom of each crown ether result in the 4‐carboxypyridinium cations `perching' on the 18‐crown‐6 molecules. Further hydrogen‐bonding interactions involving the supramolecular cation and both water molecules form a one‐dimensional zigzag chain that propagates along the crystallographic c direction. O—H...O or O—H...F hydrogen bonds between one of the water molecules and the anions fix the anion positions as pendant upon this chain, without further increasing the dimensionality of the supramolecular network.     

Fate of the Oxygen Atoms in the Diol‐Dehydratase‐Catalyzed Dehydration of meso‐Butane‐2,3‐diol

¹⁸O‐Substituted propane‐1,2‐diols and meso‐butane‐1,2‐diols were synthesized and fed to growing cells of Lactobacillus brevis. Propan‐1‐ol and butan‐2‐ol, prepared from such diols through diol‐dehydratase‐catalyzed dehydration followed by intracellular reduction, were analyzed for their ¹⁸O‐content. For each propane‐1,2‐diol enantiomer, partial retention or complete loss of the isotope appeared to be related to the mode of substrate binding. Specific retention of the O‐atom linked to the (R)‐configured C‐atom of meso‐butane‐1,2‐diol indicates that the diol dehydratase handles this substrate like (R)‐propane‐1,2‐diol.     

Di‐Benzo‐18‐Crown‐6 and its Derivatives as Ligands in the Search for Ion Channels

Based on the previously reported one‐dimensional channel system [(H₂O)?(DB18C6)(μ₂‐H₂O)_2/2][(H₃O)?(DB18C6)(μ₂‐H₂O)_2/2]I₃ ( 2 ), which is realized by stacking of crown ether molecules (DB18C6 = dibenzo‐18‐crown‐6), other synthetic approaches towards ionic channels and their results are presented in this paper. The “cutting out” approach using DB18C6 as scissor, applied on NaI, yields the compound [Na?(DB18C6)I(THF)][Na?(DB18C6)(H₂O)₂]I(THF)₂(CHI₃) ( 1 ), in high yield. It is based on a neutral and a cationic complex of sodium by DB18C6 linked via H‐bonding to give short chain fragments. The anion exchange approach, trying to replace I₃^? by Br₃^? leads to the intercalation of a cation into a DB18C6 chain in [(Me₃NPh)(DB18C6)]Br₃ ( 3 ). A similar reaction as for the synthesis of 2 , but replacing iodide with bromine, yields finally a brominated DB18C6 ligand. In the presence of iron, the compound [(H₅O₂)?(Br₄‐DB18C6)₂][FeBr₄], 4 , is observed, in which a H₅O₂⁺‐cation is encapsuled by two brominated crown ether molecules. The absence of Fe and an excess of Br₂ leads to the complexation of H₃O⁺, and co‐crystallisation of bromine in [(H₃O)?(Br₄‐DB18C6)]Br₃Br₂ ( 5 ).     

Fractionated crystallization of α‐ and β‐nucleated polypropylene droplets

A layer multiplying coextrusion process was used to produce multilayered polypropylene/polystyrene (PP/PS) films with various nucleating agents. When heated into the melt, the thin PP layers broke up into submicron PP droplets that exhibited fractionated crystallization. If the initial PP layers were 20 nm or less, the resulting droplets exhibited exclusively homogeneous nucleation. If a nucleating agent was added, the systematic departure from homogeneous nucleation provided insight into the nature of the heterogeneous nucleation. In this study, we used thermal analysis, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and wide angle X‐Ray scattering (WAXS) to examine the effect of two nucleating agents. We confirmed with WAXS and AFM that a soluble sorbitol nucleating agent for the PP α‐form operates in three concentration regimes as proposed in a previous study. Morphologically, homogeneous nucleation of the submicron droplets produced a granular texture. The correlation length from small‐angle X‐Ray scattering (SAXS) suggested that the grains contained 1–3 mesophase domains. Drawing on classical nucleation theory, the critical size nucleus of an individual mesophase domain was estimated to be about 2 nm³, which was considerably smaller than the mesophase domain. This pointed to mesophase crystallization that included the processes of nucleation and growth. Additional experiments were performed with nucleating agents for the PP β‐form. However, they were not effective in nucleating crystallization of the droplets, presumably because they were essentially insoluble in PP and the nucleating particles were too large to be accommodated in the PP droplets. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

Engineering of UV‐absorbing polypropylene films containing poly(2‐(2′‐hydroxy‐5′‐methacryloxyethylphenyl)‐2H‐benzotriazole) nanoparticles

Ultraviolet‐absorbing nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by emulsion co‐polymerization of the vinylic monomer 2‐(2′‐hydroxy‐5′‐methacryloxyethylphenyl)‐2H‐benzotriazole (Norbloc?, NB) with the crosslinking monomer divinylbenzene. The effect of total monomer, surfactant, crosslinker, and initiator concentrations on the size and size distribution of the formed NPs was elucidated. The NB monomer and the formed polyNB (PNB) NPs of 19 ± 2 nm were then incorporated into polypropylene (PP) films by melt‐compounding technique by using cast film extrusion. Increasing the PNB NP concentrations integrated within the PP films decreased their UV transmittance. Migration of the UV absorbing PNB NPs from the PP films was not observed during 3 years of storage at room temperature or while exposure to extreme conditions. Under the same conditions, a significant migration was observed for the NB monomer‐containing films. Overall, the PNB NP‐containing films are clear and transparent, although the haze was affected by the addition of NB and PNB NPs. Moreover, the films have good mechanical properties and UV‐blocking quality. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The synergistic flame‐retardant effect of O‐MMT on the intumescent flame‐retardant PP/CA/APP systems

The flame retardancy of a novel intumescent flame‐retardant polypropylene (IFR‐PP) system, which was composed of a charring agent (CA), ammonium polyphosphate (APP), and polypropylene (PP), could be enhanced significantly by adding a small amount (1.0 wt%) of an organic montmorillonite (O‐MMT). The synergistic flame‐retardant effect was studied systematically. The thermal stability and combustion behavior of the flame‐retarded PP were also investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical burning test (UL‐94), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and cone calorimeter test (CCT). TGA results demonstrated that the onset decomposition temperatures of IFR‐PP samples, with or without O‐MMT, were higher than that of neat PP. Compared with IFR‐PP, the LOI value of IFR‐PP containing 1.0 wt% O‐MMT was increased from 30.8 to 33.0, and the UL‐94 rating was also enhanced to V‐0 from V‐1 when the total loading of flame retardant was the same. The cone calorimeter results showed that the IFR‐PP with 1.0 wt% of O‐MMT had the lowest heat release rate (HRR), total heat release (THR), total smoke production (TSP), CO production (COP), CO₂ production (CO₂P), and mass loss (ML) of all the studied IFR‐PP samples, with or without O‐MMT. All these results indicated that O‐MMT had a significantly synergistic effect on the flame‐retardancy of IFR‐PP at a low content of O‐MMT. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Charge‐derivatized amino acids facilitate model studies on protein side‐chain modifications by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

The α‐amino groups of histidine and lysine were derivatized with p‐carboxylbenzyltriphenylphosphonium to form the pseudo dipeptides, PHis and PLys, which can be sensitively detected by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOFMS) due to the fixed positive charge of the phosphonium group. Detection limits of PHis and PLys by MALDI‐TOFMS were both 30 fmol with a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 5:1. These pseudo dipeptides were excellent surrogates for His‐ or Lys‐containing peptides in model reactions mimicking proteins with reactive electrophiles, prominently those generated by peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids including 4‐hydroxy‐2(E)‐nonenal (HNE), 4‐oxo‐2(E)‐nonenal (ONE), 2(E)‐octenal, and 2(E)‐heptenal. An air‐saturated solution of linoleic acid (d₀:d₅ = 1:1) was incubated in the presence of Fe(II) and ascorbate with these two pseudo dipeptides, and the reaction products were characterized by MALDI‐TOFMS and liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI‐MS). By using PHis and PLys, the previously reported ONE‐derived His‐furan adduct was detected along with evidence for a cyclic α,β‐unsaturated ketone. A dimer formed from ONE was found to react with PHis through Michael addition. Alkenals were found to form two novel adducts with PLys. 2(E)‐Octenoic acid–His Michael adduct and N^ε‐pentanoyllysine were identified as potential protein side‐chain adducts modified by products of linoleic acid peroxidation. In addition, when PHis or PLys and AcHis or BocLys were exposed to the linoleic acid peroxidation, an epoxy‐keto‐ocatadecenoic acid mediated His–His cross‐link was detected, along with the observation of a His–ONE/9,12‐dioxo‐10‐dodecenoic acid–Lys derived pyrrole cross‐link. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of lignans in Schisandra chinensis and rat plasma by high‐performance liquid chromatography diode‐array detection,time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry

High‐performance liquid chromatography/diode‐array detection (HPLC/DAD), time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (HPLC/TOFMS) and quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry (HPLC/QIT‐MS) were used for separation, identification and structural analysis of lignans in Schisandra chinensis and rat plasma after oral administration of the herbal extract. Six lignans in Schisandra chinensis extract were identified unambiguously by comparing the retention time, their characteristic ultraviolet (UV) absorption and accurate mass measurement. A formula database of known lignans in Schisandra chinensis was established, against which the other 15 lignans were identified effectively based on the accurate extract masses and formulae acquired by HPLC/TOFMS. In order to distinguish the isomers, multi‐stage mass spectrometry (ion trap mass spectrometry, MSⁿ) was also used. The fragmentation behavior of the lignans in the ion trap mass spectrometer was studied by the six lignan standards, and their fragmentation rules in MSⁿ spectra were summarized. These deduced fragmentation rules of lignans were successfully implemented in distinguishing the three groups of isomers in Schisandra chinensis by HPLC/QIT‐MS. By using the three different analytical techniques, 21 lignans in Schisandra chinensis were identified within 30 min. After oral administration of the extract, 11 lignans in rat plasma were detected and identified by comparing their retention time, characteristic UV absorption and accurate mass measurement of peaks in HPLC/TOFMS chromatograms of the herbal extract. Finally, HPLC/TOFMS fingerprints of Schisandra chinensis in vitro and rat plasma in vivo were established. It is concluded that a rapid and effective method based on three analytical techniques for identification of chemical components was established, which is useful for rapid identification of multiple components in Schisandra chinensis in vitro and in vivo. In addition, it can provide help for further pharmacology and action mechanism study of lignans in Schisandra chinensis. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.