Radioactive 129I in surface water of the Celtic Sea

Relatively large amounts of radioactive iodine ¹²⁹I (T _1/2  = 15.7 Ma) have been documented in seawater such as the English Channel, the Irish Sea and the North Sea. Data on the concentration of the iodine isotopes in waters of the Celtic Sea are missing. Aiming to provide first ¹²⁹I data in the Celtic Sea and compare them with levels in the other close-by seawater bodies, surface seawater samples were analyzed for the determination of ¹²⁷I and ¹²⁹I concentrations. The results revealed a high level of ¹²⁹I in these waters and suggest strong influence by liquid discharges from La Hague and Sellafield reprocessing facilities. ¹²⁷I concentrations are rather constant while the ¹²⁹I/¹²⁷I ratio reaches up to 2.8 × 10^?8 (ranging from 10^?10 to 10^?8), which is 2–4 orders of magnitude higher than pre-nuclear era natural level. Transport of ¹²⁹I to the Celtic Sea is difficult to depict accurately since available data are sparse. Most likely, however, that discharges originated from La Hague may have more influence on the Celtic Sea ¹²⁹I concentrations than the Sellafield. Comprehensive surface water and depth profiles ¹²⁹I data will be needed in the future for assessment of environmental impact in the region.     

Adsorptive removal of La(III) from aqueous solutions with 8-hydroxyquinoline immobilized GMZ bentonite

Due to the low permeability, high swelling capacity and good retardation properties, bentonite has been considered as the main component of buffer/backfill material for high level radioactive wastes repository all over the world. The adsorptions of metal ion were widely investigated recently. In this presentation, we provide an easy-to-use method to immobilize 8-hydroxyquinoline onto the surface of bentonite for the use of adsorption studies of La(III) from the aqueous solution. The effects of various parameters such as contact time, pH of the solution, ionic strength and metal ion concentration on the adsorption were investigated by the batch experiments. The biggest adsorption capacity is 41.7 mg/g, higher than the value reported by our previous work which is performed by the raw bentonite. Langmuir isotherm fits the experimental data well and the adsorption follows pseudo-second-order kinetic model. In summary, 8-hydroxyquinoline immobilized GMZ bentonite is an effective adsorbent for the removal of La(III) from aqueous solutions.     

Combination of UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS,NMR spectroscopy,and ECD calculation for screening and identification of reactive metabolites of gentiopicroside in humans

The metabolic investigation of natural products is a great challenge because of unpredictable metabolic pathways, little knowledge on metabolic effects, and lack of recommended analytical methodology. Herein, a combined strategy based on ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation was developed and employed for the human metabolism study of gentiopicroside (GPS), a naturally hepato-protective iridoid glycoside. The whole metabolic study consisted of three major procedures. First, an improved UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS method was used to separate and detect a total of 15 GPS metabolites that were obtained from urine samples (0 to 72 h) of 12 healthy male participants after a single 50-mg oral dose of GPS. Second, a developed “MS-NMR-MS” method was applied to accurately identify molecular structures of the observed metabolites. Finally, given that the associated stereochemistry may be a crucial factor of the metabolic activation, the absolute configuration of the reactive metabolites was revealed through chemical calculations. Based on the combined use, a pair of diastereoisomers (G05 and G06) were experimentally addressed as the bioreactive metabolites of GPS, and the stereochemical determination was completed. Whereas several novel metabolic transformations, occurring via oxidation, N-heterocyclization and glucuronidation after deglycosylation, were also observed. The results indicated that GPS has to undergo in vivo metabolism-based activation to generate reactive molecules capable of processing its hepato-protective activity.

Simultaneous determination of chlorpyrifos and 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol in duck muscle by modified QuEChERS coupled to gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS)

A rapid, specific, and sensitive method based on modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) coupled to gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of chlorpyrifos (CP) and its metabolite 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) in duck muscle. The residues of CP and TCP were extracted by acidified acetonitrile. The fat layer of the extract was removed under ?20 °C, then the organic layer was evaporated. The analytes were derivatized by N-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-N-methyltrifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA) and cleaned up by a mixture of 150 mg MgSO₄, 25 mg graphitized carbon black (GCB), and 50 mg N-propylethylenediamine (PSA) to remove interference. The final extract was analyzed by GC-MS/MS. Recovery values at the spiking concentrations ranged from 86.2 to 92.3 % for CP and from 74.8 to 81.8 % for TCP, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) lower than 9.5 and 12.3, respectively. The correlation coefficients of CP (from 2 to 2,000 μg/kg) and TCP (from 1 to 1,000 μg/kg) were equal to or higher than 0.998. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.3 and 0.15 μg/kg, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were 1.0 and 0.5 μg/kg for CP and TCP in duck muscle, respectively. The average intra- and inter-day accuracy ranged from 84.6 to 91.2 % for CP and 75.6 to 82.3 % for TCP, and the intra- and inter-day precisions were from 5.8 to 8.2 % for CP and 6.5 to 11.9 % for TCP. Furthermore, the CP and TCP residues in duck muscle samples were detected for dietary risk assessment using the validated method.

Tissue imaging and serum lipidomic profiling for screening potential biomarkers of thyroid tumors by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Changes in serum lipidome and in tissue lipidome are associated with cancer. In this study, tissue mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) and serum lipid profiling by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (MALDI-FTICR MS) were performed to investigate significantly changed lipids in both tumor (malignant thyroid cancer (MTC) and benign thyroid tumor (BTT)) tissues and sera. Y-scatterplots of variable importance in the projection (VIP) values vs. fold change values indicate that change trends in the levels of ten lipids (i.e., phosphatidylcholine (PC)(34:1), PC(36:1), PC(38:6), phosphatidic acid (PA) (36:2), PA(36:3), PA(38:3), PA(38:4), PA(38:5), PA(40:5), and sphingomyelin (SM)(34:1)) in both tissues and sera from MTC patients, BTT patients, and normal individuals are significantly associated with these three types of pathophysiological status. In order to examine their diagnostic ability, 289 serum samples from 124 MTC patients, 43 BTT patients, and 122 normal controls were randomly divided into the training set and validation set. A biomarker of PC(34:1) exhibited excellent diagnostic ability to differentiate both MTC and BTT patients from normal individuals, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve value of 0.984, a sensitivity of 96.4 %, and a specificity of 92.7 %. A panel which included PA(36:3) and SM(34:1) could distinguish between MTC and BTT, with an area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.961, a sensitivity of 87.8 %, and a specificity of 92.9 %. It is worth noting that a panel consisting of PC(34:1), PA(36:3), and SM(34:1) could differentiate MTC patients from both BTT patients and normal individuals, with an AUC of 0.841, a sensitivity of 86.6 %, and a specificity of 75.5 %.

New Conjugated Molecules with Two and Three Dithienyldiketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) Moieties Substituted at meta Positions of Benzene toward p‐ and n‐Type Organic Photovoltaic Materials

Two conjugated molecules, TADPP3 and TADPP2‐TT , are reported, in which three and two dithienyldiketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) moieties, respectively, are substituted at the meta positions of benzene. Based on cyclic voltammetry and absorption data, TADPP3 and TADPP2‐TT possess similar HOMO and LUMO energies of about ?5.2 and ?3.4 eV, respectively. Thin films of TADPP3 and TADPP2‐TT exhibit p‐type semiconducting behavior with hole mobilities of 2.36×10^?3 and 3.76×10^?4 cm² V^?1 s^?1 after thermal annealing. Molecules TADPP3 and TADPP2‐TT were utilized as p‐type photovoltaic materials to fabricate organic solar cells after blending with phenyl C₇₁ butyric acid methyl ester ( PC₇₁BM ) and phenyl C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester ( PC₆₁BM ). The relatively low J_SC and fill factor values can be attributed to poor film morphologies based on AFM and XRD studies. A solar cell with a thin film of TADPP3 with PC₇₁BM in a weight ratio of 1:2 exhibits a high open‐circuit voltage (V_OC) of 0.99 V and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.47 %. Interestingly, TADPP3 can also be employed as an n‐type photovoltaic material. The blended thin film of TADPP3 with P3HT in a weight ratio of 1:2 gave a high V_OC of 1.11 V and a PCE of 1.08 % after thermal annealing.     

A Base‐Free Neutral Phase‐Transfer Reaction System

Although phase‐transfer reactions catalyzed by using quaternary ammonium salts are generally believed to require base additives, we discovered that, even without any base additives, conjugate additions of 3‐substituted oxindoles to nitroolefins proceeded smoothly in the presence of lipophilic quaternary ammonium bromide under water–organic biphasic conditions. The mechanism of this novel base‐free neutral phase‐transfer reaction system is investigated and the assumed catalytic cycle is presented together with interesting effects of water and lipophilicity of the phase‐transfer catalyst. The base‐free neutral phase‐transfer reaction system can be applied to highly enantioselective conjugate addition and aldol reactions under the influence of chiral bifunctional ammonium bromides as key catalysts. The structure of the chiral ammonium enolate intermediate is discussed based on the single‐crystal X‐ray structures of relevant ammonium salts and the importance of bifunctional design of catalyst is clearly explained in the model of intermediate.     

Ligand‐Free Palladium‐Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidative Coupling of Carboxylic Anhydrides with Arylboronic Acids

We report a new, effective and environmentally friendly protocol for selective aerobic oxidative coupling of arylboronic acids with carboxylic anhydrides in the presence of ligand‐free palladium catalyst. The aryl benzoates are obtained in good to excellent yields.     

Polypeptide‐b‐Poly(Phenyl Isocyanide) Hybrid Rod‐Rod Copolymers: One‐Pot Synthesis,Self‐Assembly,and Cell Imaging

Hybrid rod‐rod diblock copolymers, poly(γ‐benzyl L‐glutamate)‐poly(4‐cyano‐benzoic acid 2‐isopropyl‐5‐methyl‐cyclohexyl ester) (PBLG‐PPI), with determined chirality are facilely synthesized through sequential copolymerization of γ‐benzyl‐L‐glutamate N‐carboxyanhydride (BLG‐NCA) and phenyl isocyanide monomers bearing chiral menthyl pendants using a Ni(cod)(bpy) complex as the catalyst in one‐pot. Circular dichroism and absorption spectra reveal that each block of the block copolymers possesses a stable helical conformation with controlled helicity in solution due to the induction of chiral pendants. The two diastereomeric polymers self‐assemble into helical nanofibrils with opposite handedness due to the different chiral induction of the L‐ and D‐menthyl pendants, confirmed by transmission electron micro­scopy (TEM). Deprotection of the benzyl groups of the PBLG segment affords biocompatible amphiphilic diblock copolymers, poly(L‐glutamic acid)‐poly(4‐cyano‐benzoic acid 2‐isopropyl‐5‐methyl‐cyclohexyl ester) (PLGA‐PPI), that can self‐assemble into well‐defined micelles by cosolvent induced aggregation. Very interestingly, a chiral rhodamine chromophores RhB(D) can be selectively encapsulated into the chiral polymeric micelles, which is efficiently internalized into living cells when directly monitored with a confocal microscope. This contribution will be useful for developing novel rod‐rod biocompatible hybrid block copolymers with a controlled helicity, and may also provide unique chiral materials for potential bio‐medical applications.