Separation of Phenols from the Leaves of Toona Sinensis (Meliaceae) by Capillary Electrophoresis

A micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) method, using UV detection, was developed for the determination of polyphenols in Toona sinensis (Meliaceae); the procedure involved precipitation of polyphenols from the leaves of T. sinensis using methanol. The structures can be established with fifteen compounds including methyl gallate, gallic acid, kaempferol, quercitin, quercitrin, rutin, kaempferol‐glucoside, catechin, epicatechin, stearic acid, palmitic acid, β‐sitosterol, stigmasterol, β‐sitosteryl‐glucoside, and stigmasteryl‐glucoside by spectroscopic analysis. However, there has been no investigation to quantitate the polyphenols that form T. sinensis. Thus, seven polyphenols of T. sinensis with UV absorbance, catechin (C), epicatechin (EC), methyl gallate (MG), rutin (R), gallic acid (G), quercitrin (Q), and kaempferol (K) were separated within 10 min with a 40 cm uncoated fused‐silica column, with the RSD < 3% (migration times), voltage at 15 kV using this method. On‐column detection was carried out at 254 nm. The detection limit of this method for all analytes ranged from 19.5 to 0.02 μM (RSD < 3.1%). The method provided a rapid and sensitive identification of polyphenols of interest in T. sinensis and is suitable for biological activity studies.     

Selenium Enrichment on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cordyceps militaris</Emphasis> Link and Analysis on Its Main Active Components

To investigate the effects of selenium on the main active components of Cordyceps militaris fruit bodies, selenium-enriched cultivation of C. militaris and the main active components of the fruit bodies were studied. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and contents of cordycepin, cordycepic acid, and organic selenium of fruit bodies were sodium selenite concentration dependent; contents of adenosine and cordycep polysaccharides were significantly enhanced by adding sodium selenite in the substrates, but not proportional to sodium selenite concentrations. In the cultivation of wheat substrate added with 18.0 ppm sodium selenite, SOD activity and contents of cordycepin, cordycepic acid, adenosine, cordycep polysaccharides, and total amino acids were enhanced by 121/145%, 124/74%, 325/520%, 130/284%, 121/145%, and 157/554%, respectively, compared to NS (non-selenium-cultivated) fruit bodies and wild Cordyceps sinensis; organic selenium contents of fruit bodies reached 6.49 mg/100 g. So selenium-enriched cultivation may be a potential way to produce more valuable medicinal food as a substitute for wild C. sinensis.     

Metabolomic variation in wild and cultured cordyceps and mycelia of Isaria cicadae

Isaria cicadae is one of the fungi used in traditional Chinese medicine with the longest tradition. It is used not only as a herbal medicine but also as a health food in Asia, together with cultured cordyceps and mycelia of the fungus used as substitute. However, the differences in their metabolite are unknown. Using a high‐performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS)‐based metabolomic method, we found that the fungus varies in its metabolism during growth on wild insects, artificially raised insects and artificial medium. There were 109 discriminatory metabolites detected in the samples by orthogonal projection to latent structure discriminant analysis and one‐way ANOVA. High level of nonribosomal peptides (NRPs) only existed in the insect portions of the wild cordyceps (WI) and cultured cordyceps (CI), revealing that immunostimulation of the host insects enhanced the synthesis of NRPs in the fungus. The finding of a significantly higher level of sphingolipids in both the insect portions (WI, CI) and the coremia of the wild cordyceps (WC) and cultured cordyceps (CC) but not in cultured mycelia (CM) of I. cicadae implies that the immunostimulation of the live insects can induce the fungus to produce more sphingolipids, and this enhanced ability is probably heritable. Apart from NRPs and sphingolipids, the insect portions also contained higher levels of bioactive compounds such as lateritin, anisomycin, streptimidone and ustiloxins. In contrast, the coremium groups (WC, CC) and CM contained 10‐fold less NRP but much higher levels of sanative metabolites such as tocotrienol, 3′‐deoxy‐hanasanagin, γ‐aminobutyric acid and phospholipids than the insect portions. The significantly higher content of antioxidants in WC, CC and CM than in WI and CI suggests that environmental oxygen has a significant effect on the metabolites. The temperature stress which the wild cordyceps encounters during growth is responsible for the relatively high content of trehalose. These findings indicate that the immunity of the host insect and growth environment have a strong impact on the metabolomic variation in Isaria cicadae. The variation in metabolites suggests differential utilization value for the insect portions, coremia and mycelia of the fungus.     

Metabolomic comparison between natural Huaier and artificial cultured Huaier

Vanderbylia robiniophila (Murrill) B.K. (Huaier) is a kind of higher fungal fruiting body that is parasitic on the trunk of Sophora japonica and Robinia pseudoacacia L.. As a traditional Chinese medicine with a history of more than 1,600 years, Huaier has attracted wide attention for its excellent anticancer activity. A systematic study on the metabolome differences between natural Huaier and artificial cultured Huaier was conducted using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry in this study. Principal component analysis and orthogonal projection on latent structure-discriminant analysis results showed that cultured Huaier evidently separated and individually separated from natural Huaier, indicating metabolome differences between natural and cultured Huaier. Hierarchical clustering analysis was further performed to cluster the differential metabolites and samples based on their metabolic similarity. The higher contents of amino acids, alkaloids and terpenoids in natural Huaier make it an excellent choice as a traditional Chinese medicine for anticancer or nutritional supplementation. The results of the Bel-7,402 and A549 cell cytotoxicity tests showed that the anticancer activity of natural Huaier was better than that of cultured Huaier. This may be due to the difference in chemical composition, which makes the anticancer activities of natural and cultured Huaier different.     

Physico-chemical properties and cytotoxic potential of Cordyceps sinensis metabolites

This study was conducted to estimate the antioxidant activities, biochemical properties and biological activities of one of the entomopathogenic fungi, Cordyceps sinensis. Analysis of fungal metabolites indicated that the most abundant free sugar was glucose; the highest component of organic acids was citric acid from 10-day culture medium and the glutamate was the predominant amino acid observed from 3-day culture medium. Maximum total polyphenols and flavonoids were detected in the 15-day culture medium. For cytotoxicity test, three cancer cell lines, HepG2 (liver), MCF-7 (breast) and A549 (lung) were used. The IC₅₀ values of the highest toxicity of HepG2 cell lines were observed from 10-day cultured medium, whereas the highest toxicity of MCF-7 and A549 was observed on 5-day cultured medium. This is the first study reporting on the strong antioxidant and cytotoxic potential of C. sinensis. Culture medium of C. sinensis may thus be used as an effective antioxidant and anticancer treatment of natural origin.     

Different fingerprinting strategies to differentiate Porana sinensis and plants of Erycibe by high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection,ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry,and chemometrics

Plants of Erycibe are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of joint pain and rheumatoid arthritis. With the reduction of Erycibe resources in the wild, Porana sinensis has been widely used as a substitute. However, it is important to understand the chemical distinctions between the two kinds of plants and identify their individual chemical markers. In this study, multiwavelength chromatographic fingerprint and precursor ion fingerprint techniques were used in conjunction with chemometric tools to fingerprint and thus differentiate between plant samples. The similar results obtained from different fingerprints prove the reliability of the two fingerprints. Results obtained from principal component analysis and orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminant analysis identified similarities between the chemical components of P. sinensis and plants of Erycibe. However, concentrations of 4‐caffeoylquinic acid, 3,5‐dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,4‐dicaffeoylquinic acid, and 4,5‐dicaffeoylquinic acid were higher in P. sinensis than in plants of Erycibe, suggesting that P. sinensis may be more effective in medical treatments of some diseases than Erycibe.     

[2+4] and [2+2] Cycloaddition Reactions of N‐Sulfinyl Carboxylic Acid Amides with (CF3)2BNMe2. Crystal Structure of cyclo‐(CF3)2B‐NMe2‐S(=O)‐N=C(p‐CH3C6H4)‐O

N‐sulfinylacylamides R‐C(=O)‐N=S=O react with (CF₃)₂BNMe₂ ( 1 ) to form, by [2+4] cycloaddition, six‐membered rings cyclo‐(CF₃)₂B‐NMe₂‐S(=O)‐N=C(R)‐O for R = Me ( 2 ), t‐Bu ( 3 ), C₆H₅ ( 4 ), and p‐CH₃C₆H₄ ( 5 ) while N‐sulfinylcarbamic acid esters R‐O‐C(=O)‐N=S=O react with 1 to yield mixtures of six‐membered (cyclo‐(CF₃)₂B‐NMe₂‐S(=O)‐N=C(OR)‐O) and four‐membered rings (cyclo‐(CF₃)₂B‐NMe₂‐S(=O)‐N(C=O)OR) for R = Me ( 6 and 9 ), Et ( 7 and 10 ), and C₆H₅ ( 8 and 11 ). The structure of 5 has been determined by X‐ray diffraction.     

Metabonomic analysis of the anti‐inflammatory effects of volatile oils of Angelica sinensis on rat model of acute inflammation

Metabonomics based on GC‐MS was used to study the possible anti‐inflammatory mechanisms of volatile oils of Angelica sinensis (VOAS) in rats with acute inflammation. Acute inflammation was induced by subcutaneous injection of carrageenan in rats. The levels of prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), histamine (HIS) and 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) in the inflammatory fluid were detected. Principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares‐discriminant analysis models were performed for pattern recognition analysis. After the administration of VOAS, the levels of PGE₂, HIS, and 5‐HT returned to levels observed in normal group. According to GC‐MS analysis, the intervention of VOAS in rats with acute inflammation induced substantial and characteristic changes in their metabolic profiles. Fourteen metabolite biomarkers, namely, lactic acid, malic acid, citric acid, trans‐dehydroandrosterone, aldosterone, linoleic acid, hexadecanoic acid, pregnenolone, octadecenoic acid, myristic acid, l ‐histidine, octadecanoic acid, arachidonic acid (AA) and l ‐tryptophan, were detected in the inflammatory fluid. The levels of all biomarkers either increased or decreased significantly in model groups. VOAS possibly intervened in the metabolic process of inflammation by altering histidine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, AA metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism and energy metabolism. Metabonomics was used to reflect an organism's physiological and metabolic state comprehensively, and it is a potentially powerful tool that reveals the anti‐acute‐inflammatory mechanism of VOAS. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Calorimetry in nonstandard conditions: The noncrystalline phases of linear polyethylene

A linear Union Carbide PE (UC) has been analyzed by nonstandard calorimetry with a common DSC calorimeter and a Setaram C80 calorimeter. Nonstandard calorimetry entails using a low rate of heating (0.5–1 K/min), a small mass (0.5–1.5 mg), and an open cell (O‐cell) instead of the standard C‐cell. Events in O‐cells overlap less and occur with a faster kinetics than in C‐cells. PE crystals are nascent, solution‐grown (S‐grown), press‐grown (P‐grown), and strained by extrusion. In Part A, the traces show that the phase‐changes in the melt, previously observed in a C80 calorimeter (slow T‐ramp) and characterized by ΔH_network, can be observed with a common DSC in nonstandard conditions. In Part B, the difference between the C‐ and O‐cells and the changes in the main peak enthalpy (ΔH_ortho) are of interest. The main result is that, in O‐cells, the value of ΔH_ortho around T_ortho, exceeds unambiguously in certain conditions ΔH_ortho found for perfect orthorhombic crystals. The main endotherm contains then another contribution, namely ΔH_network. Crystal reorganization during the slow T‐ramp is followed in the C‐ and O‐cells on S‐grown crystals. In O‐cells, lamellar thickening observed in the slow‐ramp is more extensive. The ease of phase‐change depends on the sample history. It is as follows: strained‐part extruded > nascent > S‐grown > P‐grown. Co‐operative chain motions are more hindered in the standard C‐cells than in the O‐cells. In Part C, lower values of m succeed in bringing phase‐changes in P‐grown (O‐cells) samples. The origin of the events is discussed: three processes are thought to contribute to the phase‐changes namely, melting of strained short‐range order, activation of vibrations in the CH₂ groups, and fast decay of chain orientation which occurs simultaneously with melting. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1932–1949, 2007     

Simultaneous determination of eight components in Angelica sinensis based on UHPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS method for quality evaluation

A method employing ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) for determination of eight components including ferulic acid, senkyunolide A, butylphthalide, ligustilide, butylidenephalide, senkyunolide I, senkyunolide H and levistolide A in Angelica sinensis was established. The separation was carried out using a Waters ACQUITY UHPLC BEH C₁₈ column with gradient elution with 0.1% formic acid aqueous and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. Good linearity was attained with R² of 0.9983–0.9998 in wide concentration ranges. The method had limit of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) in the range of 0.42–6.98 ng/mL and 1.39–23.28 ng/mL, respectively. Intra‐ and inter‐day precisions varied with relative standard deviations (RSDs) from 0.33% to 0.88% and 0.37% to 1.04%, respectively. Moreover, the average recoveries were in a satisfactory range of 92.7%–102.1% with RSDs of less than 3.60%. Finally, the method was successfully applied to analyze 19 batches of A. sinensis samples grown in Min County, Gansu province, China, as well as that collected in other regions. The findings indicated that the established method is reliable and may thus be applied as a powerful tool for qualitative and quantitative analysis of components in A. sinensis, which has its implications in quality control of A. sinensis.     

Functional Analysis of Ribonucleotide Reductase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cordyceps militaris</Emphasis> Expressed in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis>

Cordyceps militaris produces cordycepin (3′-deoxyadenosine), which has various activities, including anti-oxidant, anti-tumoral, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory. Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) seems to be a candidate to produce cordycepin in C. militaris because RNR catalyzes the reduction of nucleotides to 2′-deoxynucleotides, whose structures are similar to that of cordycepin. However, the role of RNR has not been confirmed yet. In this study, complementary DNAs (cDNAs) of C. militaris RNR (CmRNR) large and small subunits (CmR1 and CmR2) were cloned from C. militaris NBRC9787 to investigate the function of CmRNR for its cordycepin production. C. militaris NBRC9787 began to produce cordycepin when grown in a liquid surface culture in medium composed of glucose and yeast extract for 15 days. CmR1 cDNA and CmR2 cDNA were obtained from its genomic DNA and from total RNA extracted from its mycelia after cultivation for 21 days, respectively. Recombinant CmR1 and CmR2 were expressed individually in Escherichia coli and purified. Purified recombinant CmR1 and CmR2 showed RNR activity toward adenosine diphosphate (ADP) only when two subunits were mixed but only show the reduction of ADP to 2′-deoxyADP. These results indicate that the pathway from ADP to 3′deoxyADP via CmRNR does not exist in C. militaris and cordycepin production in C. militaris may be mediated by other enzymes.     

Production of Cordycepin and Mycelia by Submerged Fermentation of Cordyceps militaris in Mixture Natural Culture

The submerged fermentation of Cordyceps militaris for cordycepin production and mycelial growth was investigated in this study. Three natural materials of brown rice paste (BRP), beerwort (B), and soybean meal juice (SMJ) were used for fermentation of C. militaris in shaking flasks. The effects of the ratio of three natural materials on dry mycelium weight (DMW) and on cordycepin yield (CY) were analyzed. D-Optional mixture design was used to optimize the ratio of these materials. Compared with the signal culture, the higher mycelial growth and cordycepin production were obtained in mixture. The analysis of Design Expert 6.0 indicated that BRP, B, and SMJ very significantly influenced (P < 0.001) DMW and CY of C. militaris, respectively. The highest DMW (18.96 g/l) and CY (2.17 mg/g) were both obtained at a ratio of 53:6:42. The experiments’ results indicated that the above mixture of these natural materials by D-optional mixture design can be used as a proper medium for the growth of mycelium and the production of cordycepin.     

Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of neutral α ‐amino acids by sodium N‐chloro‐p‐toluenesulfonamide in acid medium

Kinetics of oxidation of α ‐amino acids, glycine, valine, alanine, and phenylalanine, by sodium N‐chloro‐p‐toluenesulfonamide or chloramine‐T (CAT) has been investigated in HClO₄ medium at 30°C. The rate shows first‐order dependence on both CAT and amino acid concentrations and an inverse first‐order on [H⁺]. The variation of ionic strength and the addition of p‐toluenesulfonamide and Cl^? ion had no effect on the reaction rate. Decrease of dielectric constant of the medium by increasing the MeOH content decreased the rate. Rate studies in D₂O medium showed the inverse solvent‐isotope effect of k_D2O/k_H2O=0.50. Proton‐inventory studies were carried out using H₂O–D₂O mixtures. The activation parameters have been computed. The proposed mechanism and the derived rate law are consistent with the observed kinetic data. An isokinetic relationship is observed with β=323 K, indicating enthalpy as a controlling factor. The rate of oxidation increases in the following order: Gly < Val < Phe < Ala. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 34: 49–55, 2002     

Molecular Weight and Proposed Structure of the Angelica sinensis Polysaccharide‐iron Complex

The molecular weight and the proposed structure of the Angelica sinensis polysaccharide‐iron complex (APIC) were studied. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray powder diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, transmission electron microscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, thermogravimetric analysis, atomic force microscopy, and gel filtration chromatography were used to characterize APIC, which is a macromolecule complex composed of Angelica sinensis polysaccharide (ASP) and iron. The structure of APIC was proposed to be a polynuclear ferrihydrite core chelated firmly by an encircling framework of ASP chains, forming a core molecule, which is surrounded by a removable outer protective sheath of colloidal ASP. And the molecular formula of APIC was proposed to be {[(Fe₂O₃·2.2H₂O)₁₀₄₃(ASP)₃₂](ASP)₁₂}, with MW=270000 Da.     

Supramolecular architectures in two 1:1 cocrystals of 5‐fluorouracil with 5‐bromothiophene‐2‐carboxylic acid and thiophene‐2‐carboxylic acid

In solid‐state engineering, cocrystallization is a strategy actively pursued for pharmaceuticals. Two 1:1 cocrystals of 5‐fluorouracil (5FU; systematic name: 5‐fluoro‐1,3‐dihydropyrimidine‐2,4‐dione), namely 5‐fluorouracil–5‐bromothiophene‐2‐carboxylic acid (1/1), C₅H₃BrO₂S·C₄H₃FN₂O₂, (I), and 5‐fluorouracil–thiophene‐2‐carboxylic acid (1/1), C₄H₃FN₂O₂·C₅H₄O₂S, (II), have been synthesized and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction studies. In both cocrystals, carboxylic acid molecules are linked through an acid–acid R ₂²(8) homosynthon (O—H…O) to form a carboxylic acid dimer and 5FU molecules are connected through two types of base pairs [homosynthon, R ₂²(8) motif] via a pair of N—H…O hydrogen bonds. The crystal structures are further stabilized by C—H…O interactions in (II) and C—Br…O interactions in (I). In both crystal structures, π–π stacking and C—F…π interactions are also observed.     

1H NMR-based metabonomics of the hypoglycemic effect of polysaccharides from Cordyceps militaris on streptozotocin-induced diabetes in mice

Abstract

The crude polysaccharide was extracted from Cordyceps militaris. Material ratio of powder and water was 1:10. The polysaccharide was successively purified by Sevag and chromatography on Sephadex G-100 column to produce a polysaccharide fraction termed CBPS-II. The average molecular weight of CBPS-II was 1.273?×?10³ kDa. The study was conducted to investigate the hypoglycemic effect of Cordyceps militaris polysaccharide on diabetic mice. Analysis of the clinical chemistry of the serum samples included serum creatinine (CRE), urea nitrogen (BUN), triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC). Results revealed that a certain dose of polysaccharide can alleviate the symptoms of metabolic disorders of diabetes, contributing to the body to restore the normal levels. The metabolic profiling method was adopted to find the related biomarkers and the metabolic pathway of diabetes. Moreover, results showed that 100?mg·kg^?1 of Cordyceps polysaccharides can effectively reduce the blood glucose level of diabetic mice, thus regulating the metabolism of their energy, amino acids and intestinal microbes. The biomarkers noted in their metabolism were glucose, lactic acid, 3-hydroxy butyric acid, creatine, glutamate, valine, leucine, isoleucine and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL).     

Synthesis and Optoelectronic Properties of Hexahydroxylated 10‐O‐R‐Substituted Anthracenes via a New Modification of the Friedel–Crafts Reaction Using O‐Protected ortho‐Acetal Diarylmethanols

A new modification of the Friedel–Crafts type intramolecular cyclization involving O‐protected ortho‐acetal diarylmethanols as a new type of reactant, was carried out for the first time in a medium containing a large amount of water at room temperature and enabled synthesis of a series of electron‐rich, hexahydroxylated 10‐O‐R‐substituted anthracenes, where R is an alkyl (Me, nBu, n‐C₁₆H₃₃) or arylalkyl group (CH₂Ph, CH₂‐2‐Napht, CH₂C₆H₄CH₂OAr) and also evaluation of their electronic and optoelectronic properties in solution, crystal, and solid thin film. In this transformation, a central 10‐O‐R‐substituted benzene ring was formed, fused to rings originating from two independent aromatic aldehydes. The reaction proceeded via two identified mechanisms involving acetal and/or free aldehyde groups. The acid sensitive acetal and dibenzyl alkoxy functions have never been used together in the intramolecular Friedel–Crafts type cyclization. The new compounds revealed deep blue fluorescence and quantum yields in solution around 0.3. The electrical properties investigated for thin films obtained by vacuum deposition on glass were 10‐O‐R‐substituent dependent and showed much faster transient current decay in the case of the 10‐O‐CH₂Ph derivative than for the material with a 10‐O‐Me substituent (the lifetime of charge carriers was 25 times shorter in this case). The AFM images of thin films, Stokes shifts, and X‐ray analysis of π‐stacking interactions in crystals of the new materials have been also obtained.     

Metabolomics data exploration guided by prior knowledge

In metabolomics research, it is often important to focus the data analysis to specific areas of interest within the metabolome. In this paper, we describe the application of consensus principal component analysis (CPCA) and canonical correlation analysis (CCA) as a means to explore the relation between metabolome data and (i) biochemically related metabolites and (ii) an amino acid biosynthesis pathway. CPCA searches for major trends in the behavior of metabolite concentrations that are in common for the metabolites of interest and the remainder of the metabolome. CCA identifies the strongest correlations between the metabolites of interest and the remainder of the metabolome.CPCA and CCA were applied to two different microbial metabolomics data sets. The first data set, derived from Pseudomonas putida S12, was relatively simple as it contained metabolomes obtained under four environmental conditions only. The second data set, obtained from Escherichia coli, was much more complex as it consisted of metabolomes obtained under 28 different environmental conditions. In case of the simple and coherent P. putida S12 data set, CCA and CPCA gave similar results as the variation in the subset of the selected metabolites and the remainder of the metabolome was similar.In contrast, CCA and CPCA yielded different results in case of the E. coli data set. With CPCA the trends in the selected subset - the phenylalanine biosynthesis pathway - dominated the results. The main trends were related to high and low phenylalanine productivity, and the metabolites showing a similar behavior in concentration were metabolites regulating the phenylalanine biosynthesis route in the subset and metabolites related to general amino acid metabolism in the remainder of the metabolome. With CCA, neither subset truly dominated the data analysis. CCA described the differences between the wild type and the overproducing strain and the differences between the succinate and glucose grown cells. For the difference between the wild type and the overproducing strain, metabolites from the beginning and the end of aromatic amino acid pathways like erythrose-4-phosphate, tryptophan, and phenylalanine were important for the selected metabolites.CCA and CPCA proved to be complementary data analysis tools that enable the focusing of the data analysis on groups of metabolites that are of specific interest in relation to the remainder of the metabolome. Compared to an ordinary PCA, focusing the data analysis on biologically relevant metabolites lead especially for the complex E. coli data to a better biological interpretation of the data.     

Pallada‐ and platinacycle complexes of phosphorus ylides; synthesis,X‐ray characterization,theoretical and electrochemical studies and application of Pd(II) complexes as catalyst in Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling reaction

The new unsymmetrical phosphonium salts [Ph₂PCH₂PPh₂CH₂C(O)C₆H₄R]Br (R= m ‐Br ( S ₁ ) and p ‐CN ( S ₂ )) were synthesized in the reaction of 1,1‐bis(diphenylphosphino)methane (dppm) and BrCH₂C(O)C₆H₄R (R= m ‐Br and p ‐CN) ketones, respectively. Further treatment with NEt₃ gave the α‐keto stabilized phosphorus ylides Ph₂PCH₂PPh₂C(H)C(O)C₆H₄R (R= m ‐Br ( Y ₁ ) and p ‐CN ( Y ₂ )). These ligands were reacted with [MCl₂(cod)] (M= Pd and Pt; cod= 1,5‐cyclooctadiene) to give the pallada‐ and platinacycle complexes [MCl₂(Ph₂PCH₂PPh₂C(H)C(O)C₆H₄R)] (M= Pd, R= m ‐Br ( 3 ); R= p ‐CN ( 4 ) and M= Pt, R= m ‐Br ( 5 ); R= p ‐CN ( 6 )). Cyclic voltammetry, elemental analysis, IR and NMR (¹H, ¹³C and ³¹P) spectroscopic methods were used for characterization of the obtained compounds. Further, the structure of complexes 3 and 4 were characterized crystallographically. Palladacycles 3 and 4 were proved to be excellent catalysts for the Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling reactions of various aryl chlorides and arylboronic acids in mixed DMF/H₂O media. Also, the bonding situations between two interacted fragments [PtCl₂] and Y ₁ and Y ₂ ligands in platinacycles 5 and 6 were investigated based on DFT method by using NBO, EDA and ETS‐NOCV analysis.     

Synthesis of comb‐type polycarbosilanes via nucleophilic substitution reactions on the main‐chain silicon atoms

A series of comb‐type polycarbosilanes of the type [Si(CH₃)(OR)CH₂]_n {where R = (CH₂)_mR′, R′ = ? O‐p‐biphenyl? X [X = H (m = 3, 6, 8, or 11) or CN (m = 11)], and R′ = (CF₂)₇CF₃ (m = 4)} were prepared from poly(chloromethylsilylenemethylene) by reactions with the respective hydroxy‐terminated side chains in the presence of triethylamine. The product side‐chain polymers were typically greater than 90% substituted and, for R′ = ? O‐p‐biphenyl? X derivatives, they exhibited phase transitions between 27 and 150 °C involving both crystalline and liquid‐crystalline phases. The introduction of the polar p‐CN substituent to the biphenyl mesogen resulted in a substantial increase in both the isotropization temperature and the liquid‐crystalline phase range with respect to the corresponding unsubstituted biphenyl derivative. For R = (CH₂)₁₁? O‐biphenyl side chains, an analogous side‐chain liquid‐crystalline (SCLC) polysiloxane derivative of the type [Si(CH₃)(O(CH₂)₁₁? O‐biphenyl)O]_n was prepared by means of a catalytic dehydrogenation reaction. In contrast to the polycarbosilane bearing the same side chain, this polymer did not exhibit any liquid‐crystalline phases but melted directly from a crystalline phase to an isotropic liquid at 94 °C. Similar behavior was observed for the polycarbosilane with a fluorocarbon chain, for which a single transition from a crystalline phase to an isotropic liquid was observed at ?0.7 °C. The molecular structures of these polymers were characterized by means of gel permeation chromatography and high‐resolution NMR studies, and the crystalline and liquid‐crystalline phases of the SCLC polymers were identified by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 984–997, 2003