Validation of the Tessier scheme for speciation of metals in soil using the Bland and Altman test

The Tessier extraction method was used for speciation of Cu, Pb, Zn, As, Fe and Mn in a large concentration range in contaminated soil with various mineralogical compositions. The results were compared by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) as a reference method using the Bland and Altman test. A sum of five fractions (exchangeable, bound to carbonates, Fe-Mn oxides, organic matter and residual forms) was compared with the total content determined on solid matrix by the reference method. A good agreement between the methods in the whole concentration range was found for Cu, Zn, As, and Fe. For Mn and Pb, XRF was found suitable to verify the sequential extraction only for concentrations above 250 mg kg⁻¹. This was a consequence of a poorer reproducibility of Pb extraction using the Tessier scheme due to a great difference in the mineralogical composition and the diversity of the Pb species identified in soil. The poorer result of Mn was attributed to the spectral interference of Fe in XRF. Presented at the 34th International Conference of the Slovak Society of Chemical Engineering, Tatranské Matliare, 21–25 May 2007.     

Clustering versus percolation in the assembly of colloids coated with long DNA

We report an experimental study in which we compare the self-assembly of 1 mum colloids bridged through hybridization of complementary single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) strands (12 bp) attached to variable-length double-stranded DNA spacers that are grafted to the colloids. We considered three different spacer lengths: long spacers (48 500 bp), intermediate length spacers (7500 bp), and no spacers (in which case the ssDNA strands were directly grafted to the colloids). In all three cases, the same ssDNA pairs were used. However, confocal microscopy revealed that the aggregation behavior is very different. Upon cooling, the colloids coated with short and intermediate length DNAs undergo a phase transition to a dense amorphous phase that undergoes structural arrest shortly after percolation. In contrast, the colloids coated with the longest DNA systematically form finite-sized clusters. We speculate that the difference is due to the fact that very long DNA can easily be stretched by the amount needed to make only intracluster bonds, and in contrast, colloids coated with shorter DNA always contain free binding sites on the outside of a cluster. The grafting density of the DNA decreases strongly with increasing spacer length. This is reflected in a difference in the temperature dependence of the aggregates: for the two systems coated with long DNA, the resulting aggregates were stable against heating, whereas the colloids coated with ssDNA alone would dissociate upon heating.     

Interaction of giant extracellular Glossoscolex paulistus hemoglobin (HbGp) with zwitterionic surfactant N-hexadecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate (HPS): effects of oligomeric dissociation

The present work focuses on the interaction between the zwitterionic surfactant N-hexadecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate (HPS) and the giant extracellular hemoglobin of Glossoscolex paulistus (HbGp). Electronic optical absorption, fluorescence emission and circular dichroism spectroscopy techniques, together with Gel-filtration chromatography, were used in order to evaluate the oligomeric dissociation as well as the autoxidation of HbGp as a function of the interaction with HPS. A peculiar behavior was observed for the HPS–HbGp interaction: a complex ferric species formation equilibrium was promoted, as a consequence of the autoxidation and oligomeric dissociation processes. At pH 7.0, HPS is more effective up to 1 mM while at pH 9.0 the surfactant effect is more intense above 1 mM. Furthermore, the interaction of HPS with HbGp was clearly less intense than the interaction of this hemoglobin with cationic (CTAC) and anionic (SDS) surfactants. Probably, this lower interaction with HPS is due to two factors: (i) the lower electrostatic attraction between the HPS surfactant and the protein surface ionic sites when compared to the electrostatic interaction between HbGp and cationic and anionic surfactants, and (ii) the low cmc of HPS, which probably reduces the interaction of the surfactant in the monomeric form with the protein. The present work emphasizes the importance of the electrostatic contribution in the interaction between ionic surfactants and HbGp. Furthermore, in the whole HPS concentration range used in this study, no folding and autoxidation decrease induced by this surfactant were observed. This is quite different from the literature data on the interaction between surfactants and tetrameric hemoglobins, that supports the occurrence of this behavior for the intracellular hemoglobins at low surfactant concentration range. Spectroscopic data are discussed and compared with the literature in order to improve the understanding of hemoglobin–surfactant interaction as well as the acid isoelectric point (pI) influence of the giant extracellular hemoglobins on their structure–activity relationship.     

Preparation of sigma- and pi-allylcopper(III) intermediates in SN2 and SN2' reactions of organocuprate(I) reagents with allylic substrates

The first pi-allyl complexes of CuIII have been prepared and characterized by using rapid injection nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (RI-NMR). The prototype, (eta3-allyl)dimethylcopper(III), was prepared by injection of allyl chloride into a THF-d8 solution of iodo-Gilman reagent, Me2CuLi.LiI (A), spinning in the probe of an NMR spectrometer at -100 degreesC. A sigma-allyl ate complex, lithium (eta1-allyl)trimethylcuprate(III), was prepared in high yield by including 1 equiv of tributylphosphine in the reaction mixture or by using allyl acetate as the substrate. Cyano ate complex, lithium cis-(eta1-allyl)cyanodimethylcuprate(III) was obtained in high yield by injecting allyl chloride or allyl acetate into the cyano-Gilman reagent, Me2CuLi.LiCN (B), in THF-d8 at -100 degrees C. Reactions of A with allylic substrates show a definite dependence on leaving group (chloride vs acetate), whereas those of B do not. Moreover, these reagents have different regioselectivities, which in the case of A vary with temperature. Finally, the exclusive formation of cis-cyano sigma-allyl CuIII intermediates in both the 1,4-addition of B to alpha-enones and its SN2alpha reaction with allylic substrates now makes sense in terms of pi-allyl intermediates in both cases, thus unifying the mechanisms of these two kinds of conjugate addition.     

Additional Minor Phytoecdysteroids of Serratula wolffii

Three new and one known ecdysteroids were identified in the MeOH extract of the roots of Serratula wolffii. The new compounds isolated were (11α)‐11‐hydroxyshidasterone ( 1 ), (2β,3α,5β,14β,22R)‐2,3,20,22,25‐pentahydroxycholest‐7‐en‐6‐one ( 2 ), and (2β,3α,5β,22R)‐2,3,20,22,25‐pentahydroxycholest‐7‐en‐6‐one ( 3 ), together with the known ponasterone A ( 4 ). This latter compound was now better characterized than earlier. The structures of compounds 1 – 4 were established by extensive spectroscopic techniques, including one‐ and two‐dimensional NMR methods.     

Photodissociation dynamics of methyl nitrate at 193 nm: energy disposal in methoxy and nitrogen dioxide products

The photodissociation dynamics of methyl nitrate, CH(3)ONO(2), has been investigated at 193 nm by examining the products from the primary dissociation channel, namely CH(3)O and NO(2). The CH(3)O (X (2)E) photoproducts were probed by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) on the A (2)A(1)-X (2)E transition under both nascent and jet-cooled conditions. The 3 and 3 bands originating from the vibrationless and C-O stretch (nu(3)) levels, respectively, were characterized to obtain the internal energy distribution of the CH(3)O products. Only a small fraction of the CH(3)O products (< or =10%) were produced with one quantum of C-O stretch excitation as determined from the relative intensities of the bands in combination with transition probabilities derived from dispersed fluorescence measurements and/or calculated Franck-Condon factors. The CH(3)O products also had minimal rotational excitation: those produced in the ground vibrational state had a rotational temperature of 238 +/- 7 K, corresponding to less than 1% of the available energy. Products with C-O stretch excitation were found to have a higher rotational temperature, but still a small fraction of the total energy. Combining the CH(3)O internal energy findings with previous photofragment translational energy measurements [X. Yang, P. Felder and J. R. Huber, J. Phys. Chem., 1993, 97, 10903] indicates that most of the available energy is deposited in the NO(2) fragment. This is verified through dispersed fluorescence measurements which show that the NO(2) fragment is produced electronically excited with internal energies extending to the NO + O dissociation limit. Ab initio calculations confirm that the dominant initial excitation is strongly localized on the NO(2) moiety. The calculations are also used to reveal the forces that give rise to internal excitation of the CH(3)O fragment upon electronic excitation.     

Mass spectrometric approaches for elucidation of antigenantibody recognition structures in molecular immunology

Mass spectrometric approaches have recently gained increasing access to molecular immunology and several methods have been developed that enable detailed chemical structure identification of antigen-antibody interactions. Selective proteolytic digestion and MS-peptide mapping (epitope excision) has been successfully employed for epitope identification of protein antigens. In addition, "affinity proteomics" using partial epitope excision has been developed as an approach with unprecedented selectivity for direct protein identification from biological material. The potential of these methods is illustrated by the elucidation of a beta-amyloid plaque-specific epitope recognized by therapeutic antibodies from transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. Using an immobilized antigen and antibody-proteolytic digestion and analysis by high resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry has lead to a new approach for the identification of antibody paratope structures (paratope-excision; "parex-prot"). In this method, high resolution MS-peptide data at the low ppm level are required for direct identification of paratopes using protein databases. Mass spectrometric epitope mapping and determination of "molecular antibody-recognition signatures" offer high potential, especially for the development of new molecular diagnostics and the evaluation of new vaccine lead structures.     

Dependence of DNA sequence selectivity and cell cytotoxicity on azinomycin A and B epoxyamide stereochemistry

Evaluation of the importance of C18/C19 stereochemistry of azinomycin A/B epoxyamide partial structures with respect to DNA alkylation sequence selectivity is reported using a unique assay with a DNA oligomer containing imbedded normal (5'-GGC-3'/3'-CCG-5') and inverted (5'-CGG-3'/3'-GCC-5') azinomycin consensus cross-linking sequences. Both species were found to have unique selectivity profiles and alkylate DNA in a manner distinct from azinomycin B. Computational docking experiments support altered binding modes for the enantiomers.     

Infrared action spectroscopy and dissociation dynamics of the HOOO radical

The HOOO radical has long been postulated to be an important intermediate in atmospherically relevant reactions and was recently deemed a significant sink for OH radicals in the tropopause region. In the present experiments, HOOO radicals are generated in a pulsed supersonic expansion by the association of O(2) and photolytically generated OH radicals, and the spectral signature and vibrational predissociation dynamics are investigated via IR action spectroscopy, an IR-UV double resonance technique. Rotationally resolved IR action spectra are obtained for trans-HOOO in the fundamental (nu(OH)) and overtone (2nu(OH)) OH stretching regions at 3569.30 and 6974.18 cm(-1), respectively. The IR spectra exhibit homogeneous line broadening, characteristic of a approximately 26-ps lifetime, which is attributed to intramolecular vibrational redistribution and/or predissociation to OH and O2 products. In addition, an unstructured feature is observed in both the OH fundamental and overtone regions of HOOO, which is likely due to cis-HOOO. The nascent OH X(2)Pi, v = 0 or v = 1, products following vibrational predissociation of HOOO, nu(OH) or 2nu(OH), respectively, have been investigated using saturated laser-induced fluorescence measurements. A distinct preference for population of Pi(A') Lambda-doublets in OH was observed and is indicative of a planar dissociation of trans-HOOO in which the symmetry of the bonding orbital is maintained.     

Dual-labeled oligonucleotide probe for sensing adenosine via FRET: a novel alternative to SNPs genotyping

A novel FRET based strategy for DNA sequence analysis utilising base-discriminating fluorescence (BDF) nucleoside, (Py)U/(2-Ant)U, as donor in the dual-labelled oligonucleotide probe is reported; a selective/specific emission from acceptor, was observed upon excitation at the donor, only when the opposite base of the "smart" fluorescently labeled BDF nucleoside, (Py)U/(2-Ant)U, is adenine on the complementary target sequence.