Nutritional parameters of commercially available milk samples by FTIR and chemometric techniques

A chemometric study on the prediction of the main nutritional aspects of milk has been carried out by using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) attenuated total reflectance (ATR) measurements of commercially available milk samples of different types. Whole, semi and skimmed milks, enriched or not with calcium, vitamins or modified by alteration of lipid or sugar composition were considered. After evaluating different strategies for data acquisition and ATR cleaning between samples, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was carried out for classification of samples in order to choose the calibration set. The prediction capabilities of partial least squares (PLS) data treatment were evaluated in order to obtain information about total fat, total protein, total carbohydrates (CH), calories and calcium. On using the mean square error of cross-validation and prediction as control variables, a critical evaluation were made about the calibration set to be used, the spectral range to be considered and the data treatment (PLS-1 or PLS-2) to be performed. By selecting a calibration set of 33 samples the properties of 48 samples were predicted with relative precision of triplicates of 0.062, 0.040 and 0.039% w/v for total fat, protein and carbohydrates, and 0.66 kcal/100 ml for calories, and 2.1 mg of Ca/100 ml. The mean difference (d_x−y) between predicted and actual values and standard deviation of mean differences (s_x−y), were of 0.06 (0.38), 0.03 (0.18) and −0.15 (0.41), being s_x−y values between brackets, for total fat, proteins and carbohydrates, 0.06 (3.8) kcal/100 ml for calories and −4.5 (9) mg/100 ml for calcium.The sensitivity and selectivity of the methodology developed were evaluated on terms of the net analyte signal. Selectivity factors ranging from 2 to 7.6% have been calculated for the five parameters considered.     

Mass distribution in a dynamic sample zone inside a flow injection manifold: modelling integrated conductimetric profiles

A mathematical model for fitting the experimental ICM (integrated conductimetric method) curves developed by the authors in a previous work, is presented for the first time in this study. The proposed model fits the experimental curves with great precision and allows to predict physical dispersion for single-line flow injection system. The correlation of the model’s parameters with typical reactionless FIA peak parameters is also assessed. The IDQ coefficient—a novel dispersion estimator previously reported by the authors—can also be predicted when operational FIA variables are changed. Experimental and modelled profiles are compared as a function of the system’s variables, showing an excellent agreement.     

Terreinol--a novel metabolite from Aspergillus terreus: structure and C labeling

A novel metabolite from Aspergillus terreus, named terreinol, was isolated and its biosynthetic origin was determined by NMR based on the incorporation of [1-¹³C]-d-glucose. The labeling pattern indicated a predominant polyketide biosynthetic origin for this metabolite.     

Peptide backbone folding induced by the C(alpha)-tetrasubstituted cyclic alpha-amino acids 4-amino-1,2-dithiolane-4-carboxylic acid (Adt) and 1-aminocyclopentane-1-carboxylic acid (Ac5c). A joint computational and experimental study

The conformational study of a new group of synthetic peptides containing 4-amino-1,2-dithiolane-4-carboxylic acid (Adt), a cysteine-related achiral residue, has been carried out through a joint application of computational and experimental methodologies. Molecular Dynamics simulations clearly suggest the tendency of this molecule to adopt a gamma-turn conformation in vacuum and help in analyzing the complex and crucial conformational behaviour of the dithiolane ring which appears to preferentially adopt a C(S)-like structure. Electronic structure calculations carried out in solution using the Density Functional Theory also indicate the preservation of the gamma-like folding in apolar solvents and the helix-like one in more polar solvents. A comparison with the achiral 1-aminocycloalkane-1-carboxylic acid (Ac5c) has been carried out using the same computational tools. NMR and IR data on dipeptide derivatives containing the Adt or Ac5c residue show that in chloroform solution all the models prefer a gamma-turn structure, centered at the cyclic residue, stabilized by an intramolecular H-bond, whereas in a more polar solvent, i.e. dimethyl sulfoxide, this folding is not maintained. The experimental conformational studies, extended to N-Boc protected tripeptides, clearly indicate the remarkable tendency of both the five-membered C(alpha)-tetrasubstituted cyclic amino acids Adt and Ac5c to induce the gamma-turn structure also in models able to adopt the beta-bend conformation.     

Efficient chiral discrimination by 77Se NMR

[reaction: see text] Several (77)Se NMR experiments were performed by titrating a sample of selenides with the chiral shift reagent methylbenzylamine (MBA), followed by acquisition of (77)Se NMR spectra. Eventually, we observed the appearance of two anisochronous resonances, with a relatively large separation, from 37 to 56 Hz, corresponding to the formation of the diastereomeric complexes. This methodology avoids derivatization processes, and the studied compound can be easily recovered from the NMR tube.     

A Protein‐Resistant Matrix for Electrochemical Based Recognition Assays

In this work, two well known polymers, carboxymethyl dextran and poly(ethyleneglycol), are used for easily producing a platform for electrochemical affinity assays, avoiding nonspecific adsorption of proteins. In this way, modified electrode surfaces able to bind a recognition agent are constructed through simple and reliable reactions.     

Multicanonical schemes for mapping out free-energy landscapes of single-component and multicomponent systems

Multicanonical (MUCA) sampling is a powerful approach for simulating large domains of thermodynamic macrostate space that relies on mapping out either the density of states or a free energy of the system as a function of a suitable "order parameter." The purpose of this study is to extend and apply to more complex systems the method introduced in a previous paper [M. K. Fenwick and F. A. Escobedo, J. Chem. Phys. 120, 3066 (2004)] that uses Bennett's acceptance ratio method for estimating MUCA free energies. Four types of MUCA schemes are considered according to what order parameter is adopted and how the macrostate space is traversed: a la grand canonical ensemble, a la semigrand canonical ensemble, a la semigrand isothermal-isobaric ensemble, and a la isothermal-isobaric ensemble. Two types of systems are studied, the first is a two-component Lennard-Jones mixture that exhibits a vapor-liquid transition, and the second is a hard-cuboid containing system that exhibits an isotropic-liquid crystalline transition. These systems are simulated with different MUCA schemes and the resulting free-energy profiles are used to determine phase-coexistence conditions. For the Lennard-Jones systems, it is also demonstrated that different types of MUCA simulations can be conveniently performed over different macrostate regions and the results can be subsequently pieced together into a continuous weighting function.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Heterodinuclear IrCo, RuCo, IrNi, and RuNi Complexes Containing Pyrazolate and Pyrazolylborate Ligands

Treatment of the metallo ligands [ML(pz)(2)(Hpz)] (pz = pyrazolate; L = C(5)Me(5), M = Ir (1); L = mesitylene, M = Ru (3)) with [M'Cl{HB(3-i-Pr-4-Br-pz)(3)}] (M' = Co (4), Ni (5)) yields heterodinuclear complexes of formula [LM(&mgr;-pz)(2)(&mgr;-Cl)M'{HB(3-i-Pr-4-Br-pz)(3)}] (L = C(5)Me(5); M = Ir; M' = Co (6), Ni (7). L = mesitylene; M = Ru; M' = Co (8)). The related complex [Ru(eta(6)-p-cymene)(pz)(2)(Hpz)] (2) reacts with equimolar amounts of 4 or 5 to give mixtures of the corresponding bis(&mgr;-pyrazolato) &mgr;-chloro complexes [(eta(6)-p-cymene)Ru(&mgr;-pz)(2)(&mgr;-Cl)M'{HB(3-i-Pr-4-Br-pz)(3)}] (M' = Co (9), Ni (10)) and the triply pyrazolato-bridged complexes [(eta(6)-p-cymene)Ru(&mgr;-pz)(3)M'{HB(3-i-Pr-4-Br-pz)(3)}] (M' = Co (11), Ni (12)). Complex 1 reacts with 5 in the presence of KOH to give the IrNi complex [(eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))Ir(&mgr;-pz)(3)Ni{HB(3-i-Pr-4-Br-pz)(3)}] (13) whereas its reaction with 4 and KOH rendered the bis(&mgr;-pyrazolato) &mgr;-hydroxo complex [(eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))Ir(&mgr;-pz)(2)(&mgr;-OH)Co{HB(3-i-Pr-4-Br-pz)(3)}] (14). The molecular structure of the heterobridged IrCo complex (6) and those of the homobridged RuNi (12) and IrNi (13) complexes have been determined by X-ray analyses. Compound 6 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n, with a = 10.146(5) ?, b = 18.435(4) ?, c = 22.187(13) ?, beta = 97.28(4) degrees, and Z = 4. Complex 12 is monoclinic, space group P2(1), with a = 10.1169(7) ?, b = 21.692(2) ?, c = 11.419(1) ?, beta = 112.179(7) degrees, and Z = 2. Compound 13 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group Cc, with a = 13.695(2) ?, b = 27.929(6) ?, c = 13.329(2) ?, beta = 94.11(4) degrees, and Z = 4. All the neutral complexes 6, 12, and 13 consist of linear M.M'.B backbones with two (6) or three (12, 13) pyrazolate ligands bridging the dimetallic M.M' units and three substituted 3-i-Pr-4-Br-pz groups joining M' to the boron atoms. The presence in the proximity of the first-row metal M' of the three space-demanding isopropyl substituents of the pyrazolate groups induces a significant trigonal distortion of the octahedral symmetry, yielding clearly different M'-N bond distances on both sides of the ideal octahedral coordination sphere of these metals.     

Non empirical quantum mechanical calculations of the1H,13C,15N and17O magnetic shielding constants and of the spin-spin coupling constants in formamide,hydrated formamide and N-methylformamide

The magnetic shielding constants of the different atoms of formamide, hydrated formamide and N-methylformamide are calculated by anab initio method. For the protons of formamide the measured differences between their chemical shifts are correctly reproduced by theory, provided that the molecular geometry used as input is carefully chosen. The differences between the values of the magnetic shielding constants calculated for formamide and hydrated formamide show that intermolecular hydrogen bonding produces variations of chemical shifts for all the atoms of the molecule except the formyl proton. The calculated chemical shift variations between formamide and N-methylformamide are compared to the experimental values and discussed in relation with different hydrogen bonding possibilities of the two molecules. The calculation of the contact term of the spin-spin coupling constants of formamide and hydrated formamide shows that in most cases the measured trends are satisfactorily reproduced and that the variations of these terms upon hydration are less than 3%.     

Photooxidative treatment of sulfurous water for its potabilization

The feasibility of potabilization of sulfurous water was investigated by photochemical oxidation processes using a batch photoreactor and a continuous-flow photoreactor, equipped with UV lamps of 1000 W and 1500 W, respectively. Additionally, two advanced processes of oxidation were applied i.e. with a use of a UV light/H2O2/air and UV light/H2O2/O3/air. These two processes were compared for their efficiency to the direct oxidation process where ozone is used in the absence of UV light. Results obtained for both advanced processes showed better oxidation than takes place by ozone in the absence of UV light. After the photooxidation processes, different processes for the absorption or precipitation of sulfates were investigated to comply with the World Health Organization (WHO) norm that demands a limit of < or =250 mg L(-1) of SO4(2-) in drinking water. Additionally, reverse osmosis was simulated using Osmonics Inc. software to predict the feasibility of lowering the salt concentration below WHO limits.