Peer validation of a method to confirm chloramphenicol in honey by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Chloramphenicol (CAP) is extracted from an aqueous dilution of honey using ethyl acetate. The extracts are evaporated and redissolved in water. CAP is then extracted from the aqueous solutions using reversed-phase solid-phase extraction cartridges. CAP is eluted from the reversed-phase cartridges with acetonitrile-water and re-extracted into ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetate is evaporated, and the residue is reconstituted in an aqueous solution. Extracts are chromatographed using a reversed-phase column and analyzed by electrospray negative mode tandem mass spectrometry. Four product ions of precursors m/z 321 or 323 are monitored. The method meets confirmation criteria recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and 4-point identification criteria established by the European Union. With slight modifications to accommodate different equipment, the method was validated in 2 laboratories.     

Cyclocarbopalladation of alkynes: a stereoselective method for preparing dibenzoxapine containing tetrasubstituted exocyclic alkenes

[reaction: see text] A palladium-catalyzed cascade carbometalation-cross coupling of alkyne route was developed for the preparation of tetrasubstituted exocyclic alkenes with high stereo- and regiocontrol. The effectiveness of this novel methodology was demonstrated by the synthesis of a number of dibenzoxapines in sufficient quantities to support their further development.     

Optical attenuation in titania-silica glasses

The bleaching of bulk titania-silica glasses in the annealing temperature range is investigated. The sample-size kinetics can be predicted from the hydrogen diffusion coefficient. Hydrogen gas is evolved from both titania-silica and silica glass but in larger amount from the former. In the bleaching process, Ti³⁺ ions disappear from the titania-silica glass. These results are consistent with the coloration caused by Ti³⁺ which is oxidized by OH- in the glass to produce gaseous hydrogen.     

Organoallylaluminum reagents promote easy access to trihalomethyl triazolyl homoallylic alcohols analogous to rufinamide

The results of allylation reactions employing allylaluminum reagents are described for 5-substituted (2,6-difluorobenzyl)-4-trifluoro(chloro)acetyl-1H-1,2,3-triazoles (1), in which the 5-substituents are H, Me, and Ph. The allylating reagents were generated in situ by the catalytic insertion of aluminum into allyl and crotyl bromides (2), in order to furnish a new series of twelve trihalomethyl triazolyl homoallylic alcohols (3) at yields of up to 94%. The excellent reactivity of these organoallyl reagents is highlighted as an economical alternative to the indium-mediated reactions to produce homoallylic alcohols, which are important building blocks in organic synthesis.     

MALDI imaging directed laser ablation tissue microsampling for data independent acquisition proteomics

A multimodal workflow for mass spectrometry imaging was developed that combines MALDI imaging with protein identification and quantification by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS). Thin tissue sections were analyzed by MALDI imaging, and the regions of interest (ROI) were identified using a smoothing and edge detection procedure. A midinfrared laser at 3‐μm wavelength was used to remove the ROI from the brain tissue section after MALDI mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI). The captured material was processed using a single‐pot solid‐phase‐enhanced sample preparation (SP3) method and analyzed by LC‐MS/MS using ion mobility (IM) enhanced data independent acquisition (DIA) to identify and quantify proteins; more than 600 proteins were identified. Using a modified database that included isoform and the post‐translational modifications chain, loss of the initial methionine, and acetylation, 14 MALDI MSI peaks were identified. Comparison of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways of the identified proteins was achieved through an evolutionary relationships classification system.     

A naphthodithiophene-diketopyrrolopyrrole donor molecule for efficient solution-processed solar cells

We report the synthesis, characterization, and first implementation of a naphtho[2,3-b:6,7-b']dithiophene (NDT)-based donor molecule in highly efficient organic photovoltaics (OPVs). When NDT(TDPP)(2) (TDPP = thiophene-capped diketopyrrolopyrrole) is combined with the electron acceptor PC(61)BM, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.06 ± 0.06% is achieved-a record for a PC(61)BM-based small-molecule OPV. The substantial PCE is attributed to the broad, high oscillator strength visible absorption, the ordered molecular packing, and an exceptional hole mobility of NDT(TDPP)(2).     

In vivo flow speed measurement of capillaries by photoacoustic correlation spectroscopy

We recently proposed photoacoustic correlation spectroscopy (PACS) and demonstrated a proof-of-concept experiment. Here we use the technique for in vivo flow speed measurement in capillaries in a chick embryo model. The photoacoustic microscopy system is used to render high spatial resolution and high sensitivity, enabling sufficient signals from single red blood cells. The probe beam size is calibrated by a blood-mimicking phantom. The results indicate the feasibility of using PACS to study flow speeds in capillaries.     

Synchrotron-based multiple-beam FTIR chemical imaging of a multi-layered polymer in transmission and reflection: towards cultural heritage applications

IRENI (infrared environmental imaging) is a recently commissioned Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) chemical imaging beamline at the Synchrotron Radiation Center in Madison, WI, USA. This novel beamline extracts 320 mrad of radiation, horizontally, from one bending magnet. The optical transport separates and recombines the beam into 12 parallel collimated beams to illuminate a commercial FTIR microspectrometer (Bruker Hyperion 3000) equipped with a focal plane array detector where single pixels in the detector image a projected sample area of either 0.54×0.54 μm² or 2×2 μm², depending in the measurement geometry. The 12 beams are partially overlapped and defocused, similar to wide-field microscopy, homogeneously illuminating a relatively large sample area compared to single-beam arrangements. Both transmission and reflection geometries are used to examine a model cross section from a layered polymer material. The compromises for sample preparation and measurement strategies are discussed, and the chemical composition and spatial definition of the layers are distinguished in chemical images generated from data sets. Deconvolution methods that may allow more detailed data analysis are also discussed.     

Homotopy method for the eigenvalues of symmetric tridiagonal matrices

We will present the homotopy method for finding eigenvalues of symmetric, tridiagonal matrices. This method finds eigenvalues separately, which can be a large advantage on systems with parallel processors. We will introduce the method and establish some bounds that justify the use of Newton’s method in constructing the homotopy curves.