Application of principal component regression to the determination of Captopril by differential pulse polarography with no prior removal of dissolved oxygen

As shown in this paper, multivariate calibration in general and principal component regression (PCR) in particular allow the determination of Captopril by differential pulse polarography (DPP) in the presence of oxygen despite the overlap between their polarographic bands. Electrochemical parameters (pulse amplitude, pulse delay and drop time) are optimized from response surfaces using PCR to determine the relationship between the variables to be optimized and the relative square error of prediction (RSEP), which was adopted as the parameter to be minimized. The proposed method is quite fast and inexpensive as a result of the decreased analysis times and sparing use of the inert gas. It was applied to the determination of Captopril in synthetic samples and a commercially available pharmaceutical preparation, with relative errors and confidence intervals <2.5% and 2.0%, respectively. It should be noted that the sample can be analysed directly following dissolution in water without the need to remove the excipients.     

2-Mercaptomethyl-thiazolidines use conserved aromatic–S interactions to achieve broad-range inhibition of metallo-β-lactamases

Infections caused by multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria are a major public health threat. Carbapenems are among the most potent antimicrobial agents that are commercially available to treat MDR bacteria. Bacterial production of carbapenem-hydrolysing metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) challenges their safety and efficacy, with subclass B1 MBLs hydrolysing almost all β-lactam antibiotics. MBL inhibitors would fulfil an urgent clinical need by prolonging the lifetime of these life-saving drugs. Here we report the synthesis and activity of a series of 2-mercaptomethyl-thiazolidines (MMTZs), designed to replicate MBL interactions with reaction intermediates or hydrolysis products. MMTZs are potent competitive inhibitors of B1 MBLs in vitro (e.g., K_i = 0.44 μM vs. NDM-1). Crystal structures of MMTZ complexes reveal similar binding patterns to the most clinically important B1 MBLs (NDM-1, VIM-2 and IMP-1), contrasting with previously studied thiol-based MBL inhibitors, such as bisthiazolidines (BTZs) or captopril stereoisomers, which exhibit lower, more variable potencies and multiple binding modes. MMTZ binding involves thiol coordination to the Zn(ii) site and extensive hydrophobic interactions, burying the inhibitor more deeply within the active site than d/l-captopril. Unexpectedly, MMTZ binding features a thioether–π interaction with a conserved active-site aromatic residue, consistent with their equipotent inhibition and similar binding to multiple MBLs. MMTZs penetrate multiple Enterobacterales, inhibit NDM-1 in situ, and restore carbapenem potency against clinical isolates expressing B1 MBLs. Based on their inhibitory profile and lack of eukaryotic cell toxicity, MMTZs represent a promising scaffold for MBL inhibitor development. These results also suggest sulphur–π interactions can be exploited for general ligand design in medicinal chemistry.

Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are major culprits of resistance to carbapenems in bacteria. A series of thiazolidines are potent MBL inhibitors, restoring the activity of carbapenems. Metal binding and sulphur–π interactions are key to inhibition.     

Nickel(II) and copper(II) – l-cysteine,l-methionine,l-tryptophan-nucleotide ternary complexes

Four new ternary complexes of Cu^II with l-methionine and the nucleotides 5AMP (adenosine 5-phosphate), 5GMP (guanosine 5-phosphate) and 5IMP (inosine 5-phosphate), and with l-tryptophan and 5AMP, were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and i.r. spectroscopy. One ternary complex of N^II with l-cysteine and 5IMP was also prepared and characterized. The study of the three ternary compounds of Cu^II, of general formulae Cu-5NMP-l-methionine, indicates coordination of the phosphate group and of N(7) of the purinic ring. l-Methionine is bound by the carboxylic and amino groups. The ternary complex obtained from a mixture of Cu-5AMP and l-tryptophan is a dimer in which the nucleotide bridges the two copper atoms. In the complex of Ni-5IMP and l-cysteine, the nucleotide seems to bind the metal through the N(7) of the heterocyclic ring, and the l-cysteine is coordinated as a bidentate chelate by the carboxyl and thiol groups. E.s.r. spectra of the copper complexes are in good agreement with the low symmetry structure proposed. The one-electron reduction potentials E_c(Fc⁺/Fc) (V) of Cu^II to Cu^I were established for the four copper complexes from cyclic voltammetry studies. The one-electron oxidation potential E_a(Fc⁺/Fc⁺) (V) of Ni^II to Ni^III was also measured for the nickel complex.     

Diodes as sensors in solution thermochemistry

The advantages of using diodes as thermal sensors in solution thermochemistry are discussed and a simple, low-cost circuit for the use of diodes as temperature sensors is reported. In preliminary studies, the titration of TRIS and hydrochloric acid is used to compare the precision of thermistors and diodes in thermometric titrimetry. Several systems are assayed at various temperatures by enthalpimetric methods to illustrate the advantages of diodes as sensors for monitoring thermal methods capable of being used in quality control system.     

Spectrophotometric determination of fluoride in fluoride-bearing minerals after decomposition by fusion with sodium hydroxide

The decomposition of highly insoluble minerals (fluorspar and cryolite) by fusion with molten alkali-metal hydroxides is studied. The introduction of additives such as aluminium compounds or sodium peroxide to obtain total liberation of fluoride from calcium fluoride samples, is tested. The fusion is done in a silver crucible with a Bunsen burner. The cooled melt is easily soluble, giving solutions suitable for spectrophotometric fluoride determination by the Zr(IV)-fluoride-Erichrome Cyanine R method.     

Determination of thiabendazole in fruit juices by a new monoclonal enzyme immunoassay

A competitive, indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for thiabendazole has been developed and applied to the analysis of fruit juices spiked with this fungicide. The immunoassay is based on a new monoclonal antibody derived from a hapten functionalized at the nitrogen atom in the 1-position of the thiabendazole structure. To our knowledge, such a structure has not been previously used to obtain antibodies to thiabendazole. The I50 value and the detection limit of the ELISA for standards were 0.2 and 0.05 ng/mL, respectively. Fruit juices were analyzed by diluting samples in assay buffer, without extraction or cleanup. Samples were not even centrifuged or filtered to remove fruit pulp. Under these conditions, the immunoassay was able to accurately determine thiabendazole down to 1 ng/mL in orange and grapefruit juices, down to 5 ng/mL in banana juice, and down to 20 ng/mL in apple and pear juices. Sensitivity differences of the ELISA were caused by the minimum dilution required by each juice to minimize matrix effects: 1/10 for orange and grapefruit juices, 1/50 for banana juice, and 1/100 for apple and pear juices. In an attempt to further increase the sensitivity of the immunoassay for matrixes showing the strongest interferences, apple and pear juices spiked with thiabendazole at low levels (1-20 ng/mL) were extracted with ethyl acetate before analysis. This simple procedure entailed a significant reduction of matrix effects, which in fact allowed us to determine accurately as low as 5 ng/mL thiabendazole in apple and pear juices. Irrespective of whether samples were analyzed by the direct dilution method or after extraction, the simplicity, sensitivity, and sample throughput of this monoclonal immunoassay makes it a very convenient method for the routine monitoring of thiabendazole residues in fruit juices.     

Cyclohexylethynyl complexes of CoII and FeII

This paper deals with the synthesis of six σ-cyclohexylethynyl complexes of Co^II and Fe^II and their characterization by chemical analysis, infrared and ¹H NMR spectra, and magnetic measurements. Four of them are six-coordinate complexes, unsubstituted or substituted, namely K₄[M(C≡C—C₆H₁₁)₆] nNH₃(M = Co, n = 2; M = Fe, n = 0), K₂[Co(C≡C₆H₁₁)₄(NH₃)₂] and K₄[Fe(CN)₄-(C≡C—C₆H₁₁)₂]. Two are four-coordinate complexes of formula [(Ph₃P)₂M-(C≡C₆H₁₁)₂] (M = Co, Fe). All are low-spin complexes, the magnetic moment for the six-coordinate Co(II) complexes, measured at various temperatures, being intermediate between low- and high-spin values.     

Selenium speciation in animal tissues after enzymatic digestion by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A procedure is described for the enzymatic digestion of tuna and mussel samples that allows the determination of selenium species by high-performance liquid chromatography in conjunction with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The species were extracted by two-step enzymatic hydrolysis with a non-specific protease (subtilisin). The selenium species were separated on a Spherisorb 5 ODS/AMINO column using two different chromatographic conditions, namely phosphate buffers at pH 2.8 and pH 6.0 as mobile phases. The method determines organic (trimethylselenonium, selenocystine, selenomethionine and selenoethionine) and inorganic selenium species (selenite and selenate), but only organic selenium species were found in the samples. The sum of identified selenium species in the sample was about 30% of the total selenium present in the enzymatic extract despite the fact that recoveries of total hydrolysed selenium were 93-102%. Trimethylselenonium ion and selenomethionine were found in both tuna and mussel samples and an unknown selenium species was also found in tuna samples.     

The structure of a trimolecular liquid: tert-butyl alcohol:cyclohexene:water

The structure of the trimolecular liquid mixture of 2:6:1 cyclohexene, tert-butyl alcohol, and water has been investigated using hydrogen/deuterium substitution neutron scattering techniques, and a three-dimensional structural model refined to be consistent with the experimental data has been built using the technique of Empirical Potential Structure Refinement. The model shows a well-mixed solution of the three molecular components where the competing interactions between the nonpolar cyclohexene and polar water molecules are balanced in the solution leading to largely pure-alcohol-like interactions between the tert-butyl alcohol molecules. Cyclohexene molecules favor direct solvation by alcohol methyl groups while water molecules are accommodated, dispersed throughout the solution, via hydrogen bonding interactions with the alcohol molecule hydroxyl groups. Rare occurrences of direct cyclohexene-water interactions are of the classic hydrophobic hydration type and no evidence is found for microscopic heterogeneity in the trimolecular mixture in contrast to the general findings for binary alcohol-water solutions.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Sol-Gel Cu-ZrO2 and Fe-ZrO2 Catalysts

Fe-ZrO₂ and Cu-ZrO₂ xerogels were prepared by a sol-gel method. The effect of the hydrolysis catalyst during the gelation step, namely H₂SO₄ or NH₄OH, on the properties of the resulting materials was investigated by XRD, BET, TGA/DTA, TPD of ammonia, FTIR, and TPR. Fe-ZrO₂ and Cu-ZrO₂ xerogels, with sulfuric acid introduced as the hydrolysis catalyst, mainly crystallyzed in the tetragonal phase and exhibited larger surface area and acid amount than those obtained with NH₄OH. Ammonia TPD shows that copper promoted sulfated zirconia is the most acidic material. TGA and FTIR reveal that under oxidizing conditions sulfated zirconia promoted with iron and copper retains more sulfate species than unpromoted sulfated zirconia. Regardless of the hydrolysis catalyst employed, copper promoted catalysts calcined at 600°C, contain a large fraction of copper oxide specieseasily reduced at low temperatures. These copper oxide species are believed to have different environment and interactions with the surface oxygen vacancies of the zirconia support. A FeO-like phase appears to be the most probable one after reduction of Fe-ZrO₂ catalysts prepared with NH₄OH as the hydrolysis catalyst. The formation of Fe° species may be hindered by the high dispersion and interaction of Fe²⁺ ions with the zirconia support. On the other hand, the reduction peaks of iron oxide and sulfate species exhibit a considerable overlap in the TPR profiles of sulfated Fe-ZrO₂ samples. Hence, the nature of the supported phase in the latter samples is rather uncertain.