A validated spectrofluorometric method for the determination of celecoxib in capsules

A rapid, selective, sensitive and simple fluorescence method was developed for the direct determination of celecoxib in capsules. The capsules were emptied, pulverized and dissolved in either ethanol or acetonitrile, sonicated and filtered. Direct fluorescence emission was measured at 355±5 nm (exciting at 272 nm). The method was fully validated and the recoveries were excellent, even in presence of excipients.     

A theoretical investigation of the preferred conformations of glutathione and its constituent amino acid residues

The preferred conformations of the tripeptide glutathione have been investigated by performing quantum mechanical calculations using the PCILO method. A series of model compounds representing fragments of the tripeptide has been studied as well as the complete molecule. The results are compared with the available experimental data.     

Hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometric determination of ultratraces of selenium and tellurium in cow milk

A sensitive procedure has been developed for selenium and tellurium determination in milk by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS) after microwave-assisted sample digestion. The method provides sensitivity values of 1591 and 997 fluorescence units ng⁻¹ ml⁻¹ with detection limits of 0.005 and 0.015 ng ml⁻¹ for Se and Te, respectively. The application of the developed methodology to the analysis of cow milk samples of the Spanish market evidenced the presence of concentration ranges from 11.1 to 26.0 ng ml⁻¹ for Se, and from 1.04 to 9.7 ng ml⁻¹ for Te having found a good comparability with data obtained after dry-ashing of samples.     

Supramolecular structures of macromolecules containing bipyridine–copper(I) complexes as revealed from transmission electron microscopy studies

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies on bipyridine (bpy) containing block copolymer systems showed the formation of nanoscopic polymer–ion complexes through complexation with copper(I) ions which segregated to highly ordered columnar domains of mesoscopic dimensions. The domains, i.e. stacks of [(bpy)₂Cu(I)] complex moieties could be visualized by complementary TEM techniques. First, electron energy loss spectra (EELS) showed the absorption edges of copper and nitrogen, which are specific for the bipyridine copper complexes. The element spectroscopic imaging (ESI) technique allowed the imaging of the net copper and net nitrogen distribution, and the coinciding pictures exhibited a microphase separated system in the case of a 3-block copolymer with complexed end segments. High resolution elastic bright field images showed interference lines with a line to line distance of about 8 A which could be related to the Cu–Cu distance in staggered Cu(I)–bipyridine complexes. Received: 6 August 1997 Accepted: 28 April 1998     

Simulation of aerated lagoon using artificial neural networks and multivariate regression techniques

The aim of this study was to develop an empirical model that provides accurate predictions of the biochemical oxygen demand of the output stream from the aerated lagoon at International Paper of Brazil, one of the major pulp and paper plants in Brazil. Predictive models were calculated from functional link neural networks (FLNNs), multiple linear regression, principal components regression, and partial least-squares regression (PLSR). Improvement in FLNN modeling capability was observed when the data were preprocessed using the PLSR technique. PLSR also proved to be a powerful linear regression technique for this problem, which presents operational data limitations.     

Speciation and biosynthetic variation in four dictyoceratid sponges and their cyanobacterial symbiont, Oscillatoria spongeliae

Four species of marine sponges (Phylum Porifera, Order Dictyoceratida), which contain the filamentous cyanobacterial symbiont Oscillatoria spongeliae, were collected from four locations in Palau. The halogenated natural products associated with the symbiont were characterized from each sample, revealing that each species contained either chlorinated peptides, brominated diphenyl ethers, or no halogenated compounds. Analysis of the host sponges and the symbionts indicated that each species of sponge contained a distinct strain of morphologically similar cyanobacteria. Although cospeciation may be present in this group, we have identified that at least one host switching event has occurred in this symbiosis. Only the strain of O. spongeliae in the sponge containing the chlorinated compounds possessed genes involved in the biosynthesis of chlorinated leucine precursors, indicating that the chemical variation observed in these animals has a genetic foundation.     

Silica-Based and Transition Metal-Based Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Materials—A Comparison

Organically substituted metal alkoxides can be prepared by reaction of the parent alkoxides with complexing organic compounds. The chemical and structural consequences of such substitutions are discussed in this article. Examples are given showing how functional organic moieties, such as polymerizable groups, can be incorporated into sol-gel materials via the complexing ligands. Major structural differences between silica-based and metal-based hybrid materials originate from the different charge/coordination number ratios of silicon and most metals. This results in a high tendency for the molecular building blocks to aggregate. In many cases, metal oxide clusters are formed which are capped by the organic ligands. Such surface-modified clusters are themselves very valuable condensed matter units for materials syntheses.     

Automated multiple-layer spotting for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry of synthetic polymers utilizing ink-jet printing technology

Recently, a new multiple-layer matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) sample spotting technique for poly(ethylene glycol), offering improved analysis possibilities, was described. In this contribution the application of ink-jet printing to automated, multiple-layer MALDI-TOFMS sample preparation of synthetic polymers is presented, allowing accurate deposition of matrix, additive and analyte solutions. The new sample preparation technique was evaluated for poly(ethylene glycol) as well as poly(methyl methacrylate) standards, and optimized settings for both synthetic polymers have been obtained.     

Hydrogenation without a transition-metal catalyst: on the mechanism of the base-catalyzed hydrogenation of ketones

The hydrogenation of unsaturated organic substrates such as olefins and ketones is usually effected by homogeneous or heterogeneous transition-metal catalysts. On the other hand, a single case of a transition-metal-free and purely base-catalyzed hydrogenation of ketones was reported by Walling and Bollyky some 40 years ago. Unfortunately, the harsh reaction conditions (ca. 200 degrees C, >100 bar H(2), potassium tert-butoxide as base) limit the substrate spectrum of this reaction to robust, nonenolizable ketones such as benzophenone. We herein present a mechanistic study of this process as a basis for future rational improvement. The base-catalyzed hydrogenation of ketones was found to be irreversible, and it shows first-order kinetics with respect to the substrate ketone, hydrogen, and catalytic base. The rate of the reaction depends on the type of alkali ion present (Cs > Rb - K > Na > Li). Using D(2) instead of H(2) revealed a rapid base-catalyzed isotope exchange/equilibration between the gas phase and the solvent as a concomitant reaction. The degree of deuteration of the product alcohols did not indicate a significant kinetic isotope effect. It is proposed that both ketone reduction and isotope exchange proceed via similar six-membered cyclic transition states involving the H(2)(D(2))-molecule, the alkoxide base, and the ketone (solvent alcohol in the case of isotope exchange). Mechanistic analogies are pointed out which apparently exist between the base-catalyzed hydrogenation of ketones studied here and the Ru-catalyzed asymmetric ketone hydrogenation developed by Noyori. In both cases, heterolysis of the hydrogen molecule appears to be assisted by a Br?nsted-base (i.e., alkoxide), the latter being bound to the substrate ketone or the catalyst ligand, respectively, by a bridging Lewis-acidic alkali ion.