Occurrence of Cis-11,12-Methylene-Hexadecanoic Acid in the Red Alga Solieria pacifica (Yamada) Yoshida

Fatty acids in marine algae have attracted the attention of natural chemists because of their biological activity. The fatty acid compositions of the Solieriaceae families (Rhodophyceae, Gaigartinales) provide interesting information that unusual cyclic fatty acids have been occasionally found. A survey was conducted to profile the characteristic fatty acid composition of the red alga Solieria pacifica (Yamada) Yoshida using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-NMR). In S. pacifica, two cyclopentyl fatty acids, 11-cyclopentylundecanoic acid (7.0%), and 13-cyclopentyltridecanoic acid (4.9%), and a cyclopropane fatty acid, cis-11,12-methylene-hexadecanoic acid (7.9%) contributed significantly to the overall fatty acid profile. In particular, this cyclopropane fatty acid has been primarily found in bacteria, rumen microorganisms or foods of animal origin, and has not previously been found in any other algae. In addition, this alga contains a significant amount of the monoenoic acid cis-11-hexadecenoic acid (9.0%). Therefore, cis-11,12-methylene-hexadecanoic acid in S. pacifica was likely produced by methylene addition to cis-11-hexadecenoic acid.     

Identification of cis/trans isomers of methyl ester and oxazoline derivatives of unsaturated fatty acids using GC–FTIR–MS

Identification of cis/trans isomers of unsaturated fatty acids cannot usually be achieved by GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) without reference substances. In this study a GC-FTIR-MS system (gas chromatography-Fourier transform-mass spectrometry) was used to identify fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) and differentiate between the cis/trans isomers. Besides methyl esters, 2-alkenyl-4,4-dimethyloxazoline derivatives (DMOX), which have been used to locate double bond positions of unsaturated fatty acids, were examined with respect to their suitability for cis/trans differentiation. A combined GC-FTIR-MS system with a wide band (4000–550 cm^?1) mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) detector was used in series and parallel to identify 31 reference unsaturated fatty acids, including 7 pairs of cis/trans isomers. Serum samples of healthy persons and commercially available fish oil were analyzed as examples of complex mixtures. Using splitless injection the detection limit for the less sensitive IR detector was 25 ng/μl in case of the weak cis and trans bands. In the FTIR spectra cis/trans isomers were identified by analysis of bands arising from C? H out-of-plane (oop) bending: for both the FAME and DMOX derivatives cis-1,2-disubstituted double bonds give a strong band near 720 cm^?1 and the corresponding trans isomers near 967 cm^?1. cis Isomers could be identified further by a band at 3012 cm^?1. With the combined data of the GC-FTIR-MS system it is now possible to identify polyunsaturated fatty acids with regard to the discrimination of cis/trans isomers.     

Isolation by HPLC. and Identification by NMR. Spectroscopy of 11 mono-, di- and tri-cis isomers of an aromatic analogue of retinoic acid,ethyl all-trans-9-(4-methoxy-2,3,6-trimethylphenyl)-3,7-dimethyl-nona-2,4,6, 8-tetraenoate

Photoisomerization of an aromatic analogue of retinoic acid, ethyl all-trans-9-(4-methoxy-2,3,6-trimethylphenyl)-3,7-dimethyl-nona-2,4,6, 8-tetraenoate 1 in dilute solutions of hexane, benzene, and ethanol yielded multi-component mixtures of cis isomers which were separated by HPLC. FT-¹H-NMR. at 270 MHz and, in some cases, homonuclear decoupling and Overhauser experiments as well as ¹³C-NMR. were applied to establish the structures of 4 mono-cis, 4 (of 6 possible) di-cis, and 3 (of 4 possible) tri-cis isomers. The structures of 3 isomeric esters, namely (2Z, 4E, 6E, 8E) 6 , (2Z, 4Z, 6E, 8E) 9 , and (2Z, 4Z, 6Z, 8E) 7 were independently confirmed by direct syntheses. The ¹H-NMR. data of all these compounds and the ¹³C-NMR. data of the all-trans and of 6 cis isomers available in sufficiently large quantities are discussed.     

Herstellung enantiomerenreiner cis- oder trans-konfigurierter 2-(tert-Butyl)-3-methylimidazolidin-4-one aus den Aminosäuren (S)-Alanin, (S)-Phenylalanin, (R)-Phenylglycin, (S)-Methionin und (S)-Valin

Preparation of the Enantiomerically Pure cis- and trans-Configurated 2-(tert-Butyl)-3-methylimidazolidin-4-ones from the Amino Acids (S)-Alanine, (S)-Phenylalanine, (R)-Phenylglycine, (S)-Methionine, and (S)-Valine In contrast to α-hydroxy and α-mercapto carboxylic acids, simple α-amino acids do not form acetal-type derivatives ( 2 , X = NH) with pivalaldehyde. For the generation of amino-acid-derived chiral, nonracemic enolates (cf. 3 ), and hence, for the α-alkylation of amino acids without racemization and without an external chiral auxiliary, the imidazolidinones 12–14 were prepared diastereoselectively. To this end, the methyl or ethyl esters of amino-acid hydrochlorides were first converted to N-methylamides of amino acids which in turn were condensed with pivalaldehyde to give (neopentylidenamino)amides ( 11 ). These Schiff bases could be cyclized either to trans-or to cis-imidazolidinones ( 12, 14 and 13 , respectively), which were obtained in enantiomerically pure form after recrystallization. The enantiomeric purities were confirmed by HPLC with chiral stationary phases or by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy in the presence of chiral shift reagents. The configurations (cis, trans) were assigned by NOE measurements on 300- or 360-MHz ¹H-NMR spectrometers.     

Two methods for the separation of monounsaturated octadecenoic acid isomers

The identification and quantification of complex mixtures of cis and trans octadecenoic (18:1) fatty acid isomers presents a major challenge for conventional one-dimensional GC/FID analysis of their methyl esters. We have compared the use of two methods to achieve optimized separations of positional and geometrical octadecenoic fatty acid isomers—comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC), and silver ion high performance liquid chromatography interfaced to atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) mass spectrometry. Nine isomers of octadecenoic acid methyl ester were well separated on a single silver ion column with a mobile phase of 0.018% acetonitrile and 0.18% isopropanol in hexane. Reproducible retention times were obtained with relative standard deviations of around 1% over 5 injections. The extra selectivity and reproducibility afforded by APPI-MS, together with the wide separation of cis and trans isomers by silver ion chromatography, resulted in a promising method for measurement of octadecenoic acid FAME. The GC × GC separation was performed using various column combinations, and optimal separation was obtained by coupling an ionic liquid column (Supelco SLB-IL100 [1,9-di(3-vinyl-imidazolium) nonane bis(trifluoromethyl) sulfonyl imidate]) in the first dimension with a SGE BPX50 (50% phenyl polysilphenylene-siloxane) in the second dimension. These methods have been applied to the analysis of octadecenoic acid in milk and beef fat.     

Stereoisomeric complexes of Pt(II) with threonine and allothreonine

The paper describes the synthesis of geometrical isomers and diastereomers of Pt(II) bischelates with diastereomeric hydroxy-amino acids threonine (threo-α-amino-β-hydroxybutyric acid CH₃C*H(OH)C*H(NH₂)COOH=ThrH) and allothreonine (erythro-α-amino-β-hydroxybutyric acid=alloThrH) containing two asymmetric carbon atoms C*: cis-,trans-[Pt(S-Thr)₂], cis-,trans-[Pt(RThr)(S-Thr)], cis-,trans-[Pt(R-alloThr)(S-alloThr)] (where R and S are the absolute configurations of the asymmetric carbon atom bonded to the carboxyl group). ¹⁹⁵Pt NMR spectroscopy is used to investigate the successive phases of the synthesis of the stereoisomeric Pt(II) complexes with threonine. The synthesized complexes are studied by ¹H, ¹³C, ¹⁹⁵Pt NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, and single crystal XRD.     

Strukturaufklärung von N6-, 9- und 7-Acyladeninen durch 1H-und 13C-NMR-Spektroskopie von Festkörpern und in Lösung

Structure Determination of N⁶-, 9-and 7-Acyladenines by ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR Spectroscopy of Solids and in Solution . Adenine (1) reacts with carboxylic acid anhydrides or chlorides 2 to yield the acyladenine isomers 3–5 . The isomeric structures were determined by ³³C- and ¹H-NMR spectroscopy in solution and by solid-state ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy.     

Synthesis of the (Z) and (E) isomers of 1,2-diaryl-3-methyl-4,5-dioxo-3-pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid esters. Structural assignment by nmr and mass spectroscopy

Reaction of N-benzylideneaniline, 1a , with 3-methyl-2-oxobutanedioic acid diethyl ester, 2a , produced isomeric 3-methyl-4,5-dioxo-1,2-diphenyl-3-pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid ethyl esters, 3a and 3b . The higher melting isomer, 3a , was shown to have the (Z) configuration by nmr spectroscopy. The (Z) and (E) isomers of 3-methyl-4,5-dioxo-1,2-diphenyl-3-pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid methyl esters, 3c and 3d , were prepared from 1a and 3-methyl-2-oxobutanedioic acid dimethyl ester, 2b . The higher melting isomer, 3c , was shown to have the (Z) configuration. Similarly, N-benzylidene-p-toluidine, 1b , reacted with 2a to form (Z) and (E) isomers of 3-methyl-4,5-dioxo-1-(4-methylphenyl)-2-phenyl-3-pyrrolidinecarboxlic acid ethyl esters, 3e and 3f . Assignment of the ¹³C carbonyl carbon nmr chemical shift was made by preparing 2-methyl-3-oxobutanedioic-1-¹³C acid diethyl ester, 4 , and from it the corresponding (Z) and (E) isomers of 3-methyl-4,5-dioxo-1,2-diphenyl-3-pyrrolidinecarboxylic ¹³C acid ester, 5a and 5b . The mass spectra of the (Z) isomers exhibit prominent ions corresponding to the masses of the Schiff bases used to make them, and ions corresponding to the loss of ArNCOCO from the parent ion. The (E) isomers 3b, 3d and 5b exhibit a prominent ion of mass 264; 3f gives mass 278, corresponding to the loss of the carboalkoxy group.     

Quantitative estimation of trans-1,4 and cis-1,4 isomers in polychloroprene by high-resolution NMR

In the ¹H-NMR spectrum of polychloroprene dissolved in C₆D₆, the ?CH proton signal was separated into two triplet peaks. These triplet signals were assigned to the ?CH proton in the trans-1,4 and cis-1,4 isomers by measurement of ¹H-NMR spectra of 3-chloro-1-butene and a mixture of trans- and cis-2-chloro-2-butene as model compounds for the 1,2, trans-1,4 and cis-1,4 isomers. In ¹H-NMR spectra (220 Mcps) of polychloroprene dissolved in C₆D₆, two triplet signals were separated completely from which the relative concentrations of trans-1,4 and cis-1,4 isomers could be obtained quantitatively.     

cis-trans Isomerization of bis(Dialkylsulfide)Dihaloplatinum(II) Complexes in Solution

The equilibrium energetics and the kinetics of cis-trans isomerization of some bis(dialkylsulfide)dihaloplatinum(II) complexes have been examined by ¹H-NMR. spectroscopy. The isomers are stable in chloroform but each form isomerizes to an equilibrium mixture when free dialkylsulfide is added. The cis to trans process is endothermic and the position of the equilibrium is markedly dependent on the nature of the donor atoms and of the solvent. The rate of isomerization of Pt(Me₂S)₂Cl₂ is first order in complex and in Me₂S. The isomerization proceeds by a double displacement mechanism as it is shown that the tris(dimethylsulfide)chloroplatinum(II) cation is an isolable intermediate of the reaction. When free Me₂S is added to trans-Pd(Me₂S)₂Cl₂, isomerization does not occur and one observes instead a fast ligand exchange. Its mechanism is the usual associative one for substitutions in square planar d⁸complexes.     

Determination of astaxanthin and astaxanthin esters in the microalgae <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haematococcus pluvialis</Emphasis> by LC-(APCI)MS and characterization of predominant carotenoid isomers by NMR spectroscopy

The oily product ZANTHIN® consists of natural astaxanthin, which is manufactured from the microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis by supercritical CO₂ extraction. An HPLC method was developed to separate all of the components of the complex astaxanthin extract using a C₃₀ column. The separation resulted in different isomers of astaxanthin accompanied by two other carotenoids. The main component consisted of astaxanthin singly esterified with several different fatty acids. C18:3, C18:2, C18:1 and C16:0 were identified as the most commonly occurring fatty acids. Doubly esterified astaxanthin was also found, although in lower concentrations compared to singly esterified astaxanthin. After performing a detailed fatty acid analysis by GC-MS, the peaks from the extract were assigned via HPLC-MS. A trans to cis transmutation of the all-trans compound was performed by thermal treatment in order to obtain an enrichment of cis isomers as the basis for unambiguous identification via NMR experiments. The all-trans as well as the 9- and 13-cis isomers of astaxanthin were characterized in detail by UV/Vis, ¹H, and ¹H,¹H COSY NMR spectroscopy.     

Occurrence of oleic and 18:1 methyl-branched acyl chains in lipids of Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4.1

The fatty acids (FAs) composition of lipids extracted from Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4.1 was investigated by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis of the corresponding FA methyl esters (FAMEs), obtained through trans-esterification of the original lipid species. A GC stationary phase based on a highly polar ionic liquid (IL) was selected, aimed to enhance the separation of isomeric FAMEs with particular emphasis on positional and geometrical isomers of monounsaturated 16:1 and 18:1 fatty acyl chains. The occurrence of 18:1 cis-Δ⁹ (oleic) acid, a positional isomer of the well-known and most predominant 18:1 cis-Δ¹¹ (cis-vaccenic) acid, has been demonstrated here for the first time. Furthermore a methyl branched 18:1 FA was also identified and its structure tentatively assigned as 11-methyl-Δ¹²-octadecenoic acid (most likely as trans isomer). The unprecedented observation about 18:1 cis-Δ⁹ FA occurrence in R. sphaeroides 2.4.1 is, even indirectly, supported by a biosynthetic pathway postulated with the aid of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database. The concurrent presence of 16:1 cis-Δ⁷ and 18:1 cis-Δ⁹ FAs suggested the existence of parallel and/or complementary processes to those invoked for the formation of most common 16:1 cis-Δ⁹ and 18:1 cis-Δ¹¹ FAs. A further route was hypothesized for the trans FAs biosynthesis in wild-type cells of R. sphaeroides.     

13C NMR spectroscopy of 4,5- and 5,6-double bond isomers of spiro-3-steroidal ketone derivatives : The determination of the structures of steroidal thiazolidines

The thiazolidine isomers obtained upon the reaction of aminoethanethiols with α,β-unsaturated steroidal ketones were found to be double bond positional isomers based on their optical rotations and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra. The ¹³C NMR spectra of analogous ketals, hemithioketals and a thioketal of steroidal ketones were also reported, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy was shown to be a convenient method of assigning the position of the double bond in the double bond isomers for all four of these derivatives. Finally, ¹³C NMR spectroscopy was found to be useful in determining that thiazolidine formation was stereospecific to give only one C-3-isomer.     

trans/cis Isomerization of Astaxanthin Diacetate/Isolation by HPLC. and Identification by 1H-NMR. Spectroscopy of Three Mono-cis- and Six Di-cis-Isomers

Thermal and iodine-catalyzed photochemical trans/cis isomerization of synthetic, racemic astaxanthin diacetate (3,3′-dihydroxy-β,β-carotene-4,4′-dione diacetate) yielded multi-component mixtures of cis-isomers. Separation and isolation of 10 different cis-isomers in quantities between 10 and 70 μg was achieved by HPLC. Investigation of their 270-MHz-FT-¹H-NMR. spectra led to the identification of 9 of these isomers, namely the 9-, 13-, and 15-mono-cis-, the 9,9′-, 9,13-, 9,13′-, 9,15-, 13,13′-, and 13,15-di-cis-astaxanthin diacetate.     

Polymérisation radicalaire du pentadiène-1,3. II. Microstructure des résidus pentadiéniques dans les homo- et copolymères des cis et trans pentadiènes-1,3 avec l'acrylonitrile

The microstructure of diene units was investigated in radical homopolymers of the cis and trans isomers of 1,3-pentadiene and copolymers with acrylonitrile, synthetized in bulk and emulsion. Experiments were carried out by infrared spectroscopy, 100 MHz ¹H-NMR, and 25 MHz ¹³C-NMR studies. No difference between the bulk and emulsion samples was noted. The microstructure of poly(1,3-pentadiene) is practically independent of the cis or trans configuration of the diene monomer and is as follows: 56–59% trans-1,4, 15–17% cis-1,4, 16–20% trans-1,2 7–10% cis-1,2 and 0% 3,4. On the other hand, up to about 30% of incorporated acrylonitrile (10% in the feed), the microstructure of the pentadiene fraction in the copolymers is not affected. This finding suggests that the penultimate unit has very little influence on the polymerization process involving the terminal pentadienly unit. Beyond 10% of acrylonitrile in the feed, the proportions of the structural units were linearly dependent upon the acrylonitrile content: trans-1,4 content increased whereas the amounts of cis-1,4 trans-1,2 and cis-1,2 decreased (except the cis-1,2 fraction, constant in the copolymers from the cis-diene). These results are discussed on the assumption that the microstructure of pentadiene residues is strongly associated with the acrylonitrile comonomer in the feed.     

Synthesis and biological activity of (Z) and (E) isomers of 3-(3,4-diaryl-1,2,4-triazole-5-yl)prop-2-enoic acid

Abstract  (Z)-3-(3,4-diaryl-1,2,4-triazole-5-yl)prop-2-enoic acid derivatives were obtained in the course of the reaction of N ³-substituted amidrazones with maleic anhydride, and isomerized into the (E) isomers by heating under reflux in acetic acid solution. The molecular structure of the compounds obtained was confirmed by IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy, and by X-ray crystallography for (2E)-3-(4,5-diphenyl-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)prop-2-enoic acid. The antiviral and immunomodulating activity of several of the compounds was examined. Graphical abstract        

Trennung und Charakterisierung von β-Carotin-Isomeren

Separation and Characterization of the cis-Isomers of β,β-Carotene A stable HPLC. system is described allowing the excellent separation of 11 different cis-isomers of β,β-carotene from the all-trans compound. The system is applied to the analysis of cis/trans mixtures obtained from plant extracts and by photoisomerization of the all-trans isomer. Al₂O₃ is used as the stationary phase while hexane with controlled H₂O content is utilized as the mobile phase. With the aid of the optimum conditions 8 sufficiently stable cis isomers were isolated and their structures shown to be the 9-, 13- and 15-cis, the 9,9′-, 9, 13-, 9, 13′- and 13,13′-di-cis and, tentatively, the 9,13,13′-tri-cis β,β-carotenes by application of 270-MHz-FT.-¹H-NMR. spectroscopy.     

Synthesis,separation, and resolution of cis- and trans-3-ethylproline

The synthesis, separation, and optical resolution of cis- and trans-3-ethylproline are described. Two different approaches were employed: (1) The Michael addition reaction of 2-pentenal with diethyl-N-carbobenzyloxyaminomalonate gave the intermediate 3-ethyl-5-hydroxy-N-benzyloxypyrrolidine. Hydrogenolysis of this intermediate followed by acid hydrolysis gave a mixture of cis- and trans-3-ethylproline. Separation of the isomers was accomplished by selective saponification of N-(p-toluenesulfonyl)-cis- and trans-3-ethylproline methyl esters using 0.25N methanolic sodium hydroxide. (2) The Michael condensation of diethyl acetamidomalonate with 2-pentenoic acid ethyl ether produced the intermediate 5,5-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)-4-ethylpyrrolidine. Partial saponification followed by decarboxylation afforded a mixture of cis- and trans-isomers of ethyl-3-ethylpyroglutamate. The diastereoisomers were separated using low temperature fractional crystallization. Reduction of these isomers and tosylation in situ afforded the corresponding N-(p-toluenesulfonyl)-cis- and trans-3-ethylprolinols. Chromic acid oxidation gave N-(p-toluenesulfonyl)-cis- and trans-3-ethylproline. Reaction of these tosylates with 30% hydrogen bromide in acetic acid gave cis- and trans-3-ethylproline. Both optically active isomers of D(+)-and L(-)-trans-3-ethylproline were successfully resolved using (+)-dibenzoyl-D -tartaric acid and (-)-dibenzoyl-L -tartaric acid as resolving agents. The absolute configurations of the optically active isomers were determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy.     

Synthesis and spectroscopic studies of some halogen-dimethylsulphoxide/tetramethylenesulphoxide-ruthenium(II) and ruthenium(III) complexes with 2-aminobenzimidazole

Synthesis and characterization of seven ruthenium(II) and ruthenium(III) complexes of sulphoxide with 2-aminobenzimidazole are reported. Three different formulations exist; [cis-RuCl₂(SO)₃(2-ABZ)]; [trans-RuCl₂(SO)₃)(2-ABZ)]; and [trans-RuCl₄(SO)(2-ABZ (where SO?=?dimethylsulphoxide(DMSO)/tetramethylenesulphoxide(TMSO); 2-ABZ?=?2-aminobenzimidazole). These complexes are characterized by elemental analysis, conductivity magnetic susceptibility, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C{¹H}-NMR and electronic spectroscopy.     

Isolation and Identification of Three Major Metabolites of Retinoic Acid from Rat Feces

Following the intraperitoneal administration of high doses of ¹⁴C- and ³H- labelled retinoic acid (1) to rats, three major metabolites and the intact compound were isolated from the feces in microgram amounts by use of column, thin-layer and high-pressure liquid chromatography. Their structures were elucidated by mass spectrometry and Fourier Transform ¹H-NMR. spectroscopy as 2 (all-trans-4-oxoretinoic acid), 3 (7-trans-9-cis-11-trans-13-trans-5′-hydroxy-retinoic acid). Hydroxylation of the 5-methyl group of the cyclohexene ring, oxidation of the cyclohexene ring in position 4 and cis-trans isomerisation of the nonatetraenoic acid side chain were the reactions, which produced these products from retinoic acid. The metabolites 2 and 4 each accounted for about 4% of the radioactivity administered. The metabolite 3 and the parent compound accounted for about 16% and 17% of the dose, respectively.