Solution Equilibria of Ternary Systems Involving Nickel(II) Ion,Picolinic Acid,and the Amino Acids Histidine,Cysteine, Aspartic and Glutamic Acids

Solution equilibria of the ternary systems Ni(II)–picolinic acid (Hpic) and the amino acids aspartic acid (H₂asp), glutamic acid (H₂glu), cysteine (H₂cys) and histidine (Hhis), where the amino acids are denoted as H _i L, have been studied pH-metrically. The formation constants of the resulting mixed ligand complexes have been determined at 25 °C using a ionic strength 1.0 mol·dm^?3 NaCl. In the Ni(II)–Hpic–H₂asp and Ni(II)–Hpic–H₂glu systems, the complexes [Ni(pic)H₂L]⁺, Ni(pic)HL, [Ni(pic)L]^? and [Ni(pic)L(OH)]^2? were detected. In the Ni(II)–Hpic–H₂cys system the complexes [Ni(pic)H₂L]⁺ and [Ni(pic)L]^? are present. Additionally, in the Ni(II)–Hpic–Hhis system the species [Ni(Hpic)HL]²⁺, Ni(pic)L and [Ni(pic)L(OH)]^? were identified. The species distribution diagrams as functions of pH are briefly discussed.     

Determination of Organic Acids in Red Wine and Must on Only One RP-LC-Column Directly After Sample Dilution and Filtration

A new method for simultaneous determination of organic acids in red wine and must by liquid chromatography was studied. The determination of organic acids in wines can be achieved in less than 13 min, preceded only by a simple sample dilution and filtration step. With this method, the chromatographic separation of eight organic acids and interfering peaks present in red wine, required only one reversed phase column (Waters Atlantis dC18 column, 4.6 × 150 mm ID, 5 μm). As mobile phase, isocratic acetonitrile–0.01 mol L^?1 KH₂PO₄ at pH 2.7 5:95 (v/v) at a flow rate of 0.8 mL min^?1 was used. Detection wavelength was set at 210 nm except for ascorbic acid which was detected at 243 nm. Application to red wine and must confirmed good repeatability and showed a wide variation range for concentrations of organic acids.     

Volumetric Investigations on Interactions of Acidic/Basic Amino Acids with Sodium Acetate, Sodium Propionate and Sodium Butyrate in Aqueous Solutions

The apparent molar volumes, V _φ , of L-aspartic acid, L-glutamic acid, L-lysine monohydrate and L-arginine in water and in aqueous (0.1, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0) mol?kg^?1 sodium acetate and sodium propionate, and (0.1, 0.25 and 0.5) mol?kg^?1 sodium butyrate solutions have been determined at 288.15, 298.15, 308.15 and 318.15 K from density measurements. The partial molar volumes at infinite dilution, V ₂ ^o , obtained from V _φ data, have been used to calculate hydration numbers and partial molar expansibilities of amino acids in water and in the presence of the studied cosolutes at different temperatures. These parameters have been discussed in terms of various interactions between the acidic/basic amino acids and organic salts in these solutions. The effect of the hydrophobic chain length of the carboxylate ions has also been discussed.     

GC Analysis of Amino Acids Using Trifluoroacetylacetone and Ethyl Chloroformate as Derivatizing Reagents in Skin Samples of Psoriatic and Arsenicosis Patients

The separation and determination of 19 amino acids were examined using two stages derivatization with trifluoroacetylacetone and ethyl chloroformate from the column HP-5 (30 m × 0.32 mm id) with film thickness 0.25 ??m at an initial column temperature 100 °C for 2 min with ramping of 20 °C min^?1 up to 250 °C with nitrogen flow rate of 3 mL min^?1. The detection was performed by flame ionization detector. Total separation time was 10 min. The separation was repeatable with relative standard deviation (RSD) (n = 5) within 1.5?C1.9 and 1.3?C1.7% in terms of retention time and peak height/peak area, respectively. The method was applied for the determination of amino acids from skin samples of psoriatic patients (n = 6), arsenicosis patients (n = 5) and normal subjects (n = 9) and variation in the contents of the amino acids was noted. The RSDs for the determination were obtained within 3%.     

Enhanced Xylose Recovery from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch by Efficient Acid Hydrolysis

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) is abundantly available in Malaysia and it is a potential source of xylose for the production of high-value added products. This study aimed to optimize the hydrolysis of EFB using dilute sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) via response surface methodology for maximum xylose recovery. Hydrolysis was carried out in an autoclave. An optimum xylose yield of 91.2 % was obtained at 116 °C using 2.0 % (v/v) H₂SO₄, a solid/liquid ratio of 1:5 and a hydrolysis time of 20 min. A lower optimum xylose yield of 24.0 % was observed for dilute H₃PO₄ hydrolysis at 116 °C using 2.4 % (v/v) H₃PO₄, a solid/liquid ratio of 1:5 and a hydrolysis time of 20 min. The optimized hydrolysis conditions suggested that EFB hydrolysis by H₂SO₄ resulted in a higher xylose yield at a lower acid concentration as compared to H₃PO₄.     

Reversed Phase Chromatographic Analysis of 13 Amino Acids in Honey Samples

A simple method using reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was developed for the simultaneous analysis of 13 amino acids. Amino acids were pre-column derivatized with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC-Cl) before analysis by RP-HPLC. Experimental parameters affecting the derivatization and chromatographic separation were investigated. Amino acids were derivatized with FMOC-Cl under alkaline condition in 0.1 mol/L borate buffer pH 10.0 at room temperature. The FMOC-amino acid derivatives were separated on an Atlantis C18 column under the gradient elution of 0.05 % trifluoroacetic acid and acetonitrile and UV detection at 265 nm. Linear ranges were 0.2–100.0 μg/mL with the correlation coefficients greater than 0.992. Limits of detection and limits of quantitation were in the range of 0.05–2.0 and 0.2–5.0 µg/L, respectively. The intra-day precision (n = 3) of retention time was less than 1 %, while for the peak area was less than 4 %. The inter-day precision (n = 3 × 3) of retention time was less than 2 % and the peak area was less than 8 %. This method was applied in honey samples and the results showed that proline is the major amino acids in honey samples.

     

Sensitivity of the Multiple Functional Moieties of Amino Acids for the Self-Assembly of Au Nanoparticles on Different Physicochemical Properties

This paper investigates the extent of the self-assembly process of Au nanoparticles, depending on the nature of structural and functional moieties of various amino acids (l-cystine, glutathione, l-cysteine and N-acetyl cysteine) and their influence on the plasmon sensitivity and electrokinetic parameters in correlation with the catalysis of p-nitrophenol reduction. DLS particle size analysis revealed that the hydrodynamic size 10–20 nm of Au nanospheres was increased to 135–550 nm, 100–460 nm and 130–240 nm after the addition of l-cystine, l-cysteine and glutathione, respectively, in contrast to no significant change of particle size (15–60 nm) after N-acetyl cysteine addition. This difference in the extent of aggregation as a function of structures of amino acids is further evidenced by lengthy tubular arrays formation by glutathione as compared to branched chain like morphology obtained by l-cystine through TEM. FTIR studies further confirmed the binding of amino acids to Au nanospheres via –SH followed by linking of adjacent nanoparticles through H-bonding. Due to the conformational diversity of amino acids, the surface adsorbed –SH, –COO^? and –NH₃ ⁺ species over assembled Au nanoparticles led to the alteration of zeta potential and conductance, thus affected the catalysis for the reduction of p-nitrophenol as compared to unmodified Au nanoparticles.     

Determination of neurotransmitter amino acids in mouse central nervous system by CE–LIF

An MEKC method with LIF detection has been developed for the determination of seven neurotransmitter amino acids (NAAs) using 1,3,5,7‐tetramethyl‐8‐(N‐hydroxysuccinimidyl butyric ester)difluoroboradiaza‐S‐indacene as the labeling reagent. After derivatization at room temperature for 30 min, the seven target NAAs including glycine, alanine, γ‐aminobutyric acid, taurine, glutamine, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid were separated in running buffer, which consisted of 70 mM pH 4.00 H₃PO₄/Na₃PO₄ buffer, 5.5 mM cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide and 20% v/v acetonitrile within 17 min. The LODs were 2 ～ 14 × 10^?10 M without interference from other coexisting amino acids. The proposed method has been applied to the analysis of NAAs in the central nervous systems of healthy mice and those with Alzheimer's disease with recoveries of 92–104%.     

Anion binding by fluorescent Fmoc-protected amino acids

Two non-natural amino acids with fluorescent urea side-chains were prepared from Fmoc-protected aspartic and glutamic acids. In acetonitrile solution, the emission of the Asp derivative is strongly quenched by HCO₃^?  or H₂PO₄^?  (K ≥ 10⁴ M^? 1) but not by less-basic Cl^?  or NO₃^? . Solutions containing excess bicarbonate ion appear peach-colored, with λ_abs at 394 and 495 nm ascribed to the anion complex and urea-deprotonated sensor, respectively. Corresponding fluorescence bands are observed at 475 and 579 nm. Dihydrogenphosphate is not sufficiently basic to remove H⁺ from the ground state of the fluorophore. However, deprotonation of the excited state occurs in the presence of>1 equiv of H₂PO₄^?  (λ_em = 578 nm). According to ¹H NMR in DMSO-d₆, recognition of H₂PO₄^?  occurs at the urea N–H groups and the amino acid backbone N–H. DFT techniques further predict that the backbone C = O group accepts an H-bond from the anion. The Glu derivative has lower affinity for anions; the additional CH₂ group in its side-chain apparently sets the backbone N–H and C = O too far from the urea to contribute significantly to binding. To demonstrate suitability for standard Fmoc-based solid-phase peptide synthesis, the Asp derivative was incorporated into a 12-residue peptide.     

Crystal structure and thermal behavior of a chromium-piperazinium phosphate

(C₄N₂H₁₂)CrO(H_1.5PO₄)₂·H₂O has been synthesized hydrothermally using piperazine as organic template. Its crystal structure was solved ab initio using synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction data [monoclinic, a = 16.9649(4) Å, b = 9.8609(2) Å, c = 7.14375(14) Å, and β = 94.896(3)°, space group P2₁/a, Z = 4]. 1D structure is composed by isolated infinite anionic chains [CrO(H_1.5PO₄)₂]_n (vertex-sharing {CrO₆} octahedra joined by phosphate moieties). Their 2D plate-like morphology is propitiated by a very strong inter-chain interaction (P–O···H···O–P symmetric hydrogen bonds). KAS isoconversional method was applied to determine the activation energy for both thermal and thermo-oxidative decomposition of (C₄N₂H₁₂)CrO(H_1.5PO₄)₂·H₂O.     

Ion-Pair LC Analysis of Pyrroloquinoline Quinone in Neurotransmitter Amino Acid Incubations: Determination of Chemical Kinetics

Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers of the brain. Many neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system are related to abnormal neurotransmitter activity. Pyrroloquinoline quinine (PQQ) has previously been shown to be a promising candidate for preventing cognitive deficit in neurodegeneration. To investigate whether PQQ can modulate the levels of brain neurotransmitter amino acids, a rapid and reliable ion-pair liquid chromatographic method was established and validated for the analysis of PQQ in reaction mixtures containing specific neurotransmitter amino acids. The reaction mixtures were separated on an amethyst C18-P reverse-phase column with 35:65 (v/v) acetonitrile:20 mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate, pH 5.5, containing 20 mM tetrabutyl ammonium bromide as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 mL min⁻¹. The validated method was applied successfully to study the chemical kinetics of PQQ reactions with five neurotransmitter amino acids. Order of reaction n, rate constant k, and activation energy E _a values for the reactions were calculated. This work provides important information for studying the possible protective mechanisms of PQQ in neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, the simplicity of this method combined with its sensitivity and reliability make it a novel contribution in the field of neurotransmitter research.

     

Enantioseparation of Dioxopromethazine Hydrochloride in Urine with Liquid–Liquid Extraction by CE-ECL Detection

Capillary electrophoresis coupled with electrochemiluminescence detection was developed for the separation and determination of dioxopromethazine hydrochloride (DPZ) enantiomers. Performance parameters of the proposed method were evaluated. An improved separation of DPZ enantiomers could be achieved after adding boric acid to buffer. The enantiomers were completely separated with running buffer of 16.5 mM β-CD in 25 mM tris-H₃PO₄–40 mM H₃BO₃ at pH 2.5. The proposed method was successfully applied to the separation and determination of DPZ enantiomers in human urine with a liquid–liquid extraction procedure.     

Separation of Different Enantiomeric Amino Acids by Capillary Array Electrophoresis

Abstract

Enantiomers of alanine, methionine, tryptophan, serine, threonine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and glutamic acid are sampled respectively in different channel of a new capillary array electrophoresis with rotary fluorescence scanner that was built by ourselves and separation conditions for these respective enantiomers are screened with different types and concentrations of additives to the separation buffer. The experimental results indicate that 2.5 mM β‐cyclodextrin additives are preferred for the respective separation of the eight kinds of amino acids.     

The nitrosation of Amino Acids

With a view to clarifying analogies and differences between the mechanisms involved in the nitrosation of amino acids and secondary amines, we studied the kinetics of the nitrosation of five imino acids (azetidine-2-carboxylic acid, pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid, piperidine-2-carboxylic acid, piperidine-3-carboxylic acid, and piperidine-4-carboxylic acid) and of the ethyl esters of three of them. Reaction kinetics were determined by the initial rate method, by spectrophotometric monitoring of the concentration of nitroso amino acid formed. The presence of the ? COO^? group in the amino acids opens a new mechanistic route for the nitrosation of the secondary amino group: a nitrosyl carboxylate formed initially acts as an internal nitrosating agent, resulting in intramolecular migration of ? N ? O from the carboxylate group to the secondary amino group. The observed order of the α?, β?, and γ-amino acids as regards the ease of N-nitrosation by this route is explained in terms of the relative energies of (a) the equatorial and axial orientations of the C_ring? C_carboxyl bond, and (b) the chair and boat forms of the piperidine ring. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Development and Validation of a Liquid Chromatographic Method Useful for the Determination of Amino Acids in New and Commercial Alimentary Supplements

In this study, a new liquid chromatographic method with pre-column derivatization was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of acetylcarnitine taurinate, asparagine, potassium aspartate, asparagine and carnosine in new and commercial alimentary supplements. The effect of complex matrices was evaluated by the study of the amino acid derivatization reaction with 2,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrole-3,4-dicarbaldehyde in placebo solutions (DPD). Experimental parameters affecting the derivatization and chromatographic separation were investigated. The reaction was carried out at room temperature for 10 min. The adducts were separated on a Synergi Hydro-RP 80 Å column using a mobile phase consisting of 11 mM aqueous tetrapropylammonium bromide (pH 3.5)/methanol by gradient elution conditions at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. UV absorbance detection was set at λ = 320 nm. The validation parameters such as linearity, sensitivity, accuracy, precision, specificity and ruggedness were highly satisfactory. Linear responses were obtained by placebo solutions (determination coefficient ≤ 0.9994). Intra-day precision (RSD) was ≤1.06 % for corrected peak area and ≤1.14 % for retention times (t _R) without significant differences between intra- and inter-day data. Recovery studies showed good results for all the examined compounds (from 97.72 to 101.5 %) with RSD ≤1.30 %.     

Microwave-Assisted Esterification of Diverse Carboxylic Acids and Chiral Amino Acids

A facile and efficient synthetic method of esters from their corresponding carboxylic acids and amino acids is described. The esterification reaction of carboxylic acids and amino acids could be greatly accelerated under microwave irradiation because the reactions described in this article took place in only 5 min with almost quantitative yields, and distinct acidity of catalytic acids was well tolerated. Unlike the racemation problem in microwave-assisted N-acylation reactions, the esters of chiral amino acids could be achieved with retention of configuration under this condition.     

Amino Acid Functionalization of {Ni6PW9}-Based Clusters Under Hydrothermal Conditions

Two novel hexa-nickel(II)-substituted Keggin-type {Ni₆PW₉}-based tungstophosphates [Ni₆(μ ₃-Tris)(en)₃(Pr)(damp)(H₂O)₂(B-α-PW₉O₃₄)]·10H₂O (1) and [Ni₆(μ ₃-Tris)(en)₃(damp)₂(H₂O)₂(B-α-PW₉O₃₄)]·7H₂O (2) (en = ethylenediamine, Pr = CH₃CH₂COO^?, damp = 2-aminoisobutyrate, Tris = pentaerythritol) were hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by IR spectra, elemental analyses, powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analyses, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Crystal data for 1: orthorhombic, Pca2₁, a = 21.6962(7) Å, b = 20.6398(5) Å, c = 14.7825(4) Å, β = 90º, V = 6619.7(3) Å³, Z = 4; for 2: orthorhombic, Pca2₁, a = 21.6978(9) Å, b = 20.6658(7) Å, c = 14.7767(4) Å, β = 90º, V = 6625.9(4) Å³, Z = 4. 1 consists of a {Ni₆(μ ₃-Tris)(en)₃(Pr)(damp)(H₂O)₂}⁹⁺ core and a [B-α-PW₉O₃₄]^9? (PW₉) unit and is covalently functionalized by one Pr and one damp, as well as en and Tris ligands. The structure of 2 is the same to 1 except that the Pr anion in 1 is substituted by the other damp ligand. Most interestingly, 1 contains four kinds of organic ligands, while 2 includes three kinds of organic ligands, which are first observed in polyoxometalate chemistry.     

Simultaneous Determination of Atenolol and Chlorthalidone in Pharmaceutical Preparations by Capillary-Zone Electrophoresis

Abstract

A capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method for the simultaneous determination of the β-blocker drugs atenolol and chlorthalidone in pharmaceutical formulations has been developed. The CZE separation was performed under the following conditions: capillary temperature, 25°C; applied voltage, 25 kV; 20 mM H₃PO₄–NaOH running buffer (pH 9.0); and detection wavelength, 198 nm. Phenobarbital was used as internal standard. The method was validated and showed not only good precision and accuracy but also good robustness. The method has been successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of both atenolol and chlorthalidone in pharmaceutical tablets.     

Cloning, Expression, and Characterization of a Novel Methylglyoxal Synthase from Thermus sp. Strain GH5

A gene encoding methylglyoxal synthase from Thermus sp. GH5 (TMGS) was cloned, sequenced, overexpressed, and purified by Q-Sepharose. The TMGS gene was composed of 399 bp which encoded a polypeptide of 132 amino acids with a molecular mass of 14.3 kDa. The K _m and k _cat values of TMGS were 0.56 mM and 325 (s^?1), respectively. The enzyme exhibited its optimum activity at pH?6 and 75?°C. Comparing the amino acid sequences and Hill coefficients of Escherichia coli MGS and TMGS revealed that the loss of Arg 150 in TMGS has caused a decrease in the cooperativity between the enzyme subunits in the presence of phosphate as an allosteric inhibitor. Gel filtration experiments showed that TMGS is a hexameric enzyme, and its quaternary structure did not change in the presence of phosphate.     

HPLC with In-Capillary Optical Fiber Laser-Induced Fluorescence Detection of Picomolar Amounts of Amino Acids by Precolumn Fluorescence Derivatization with Fluorescein Isothiocyanate

In this paper, a fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) precolumn derivatization technique in conjunction with an HPLC-in-capillary optical fiber laser-induced fluorescence (HPLC-ICOF-LIF) detection method has been developed for determination of amino acids. The HPLC separation of FITC-labeled amino acids and the ICOF-LIF detection system are studied and optimized. Optimum separation conditions were obtained with a gradient elution program of acetonitrile and phosphate buffer (10 mM, pH 6.8). The ICOF-LIF detection system comprises a 530-??m capillary and a 380-??m optical fiber. The analyses of amino acids display excellent linear relationship between peak area and concentration with correlation coefficients greater than 0.999 and the method also provides good repeatability with RSD < 3%. The detection limits for FITC-tagged amino acids are very low and the lowest LOD for tyrosine is 51 pM. The proposed method has been successfully applied to determination of amino acids in human serum. Our developed HPLC-ICOF-LIF system is cheap, simple, stable, and sensitive which is potentially useful for the formulation analysis and bioanalysis.