The impact of flow injection on modern chemical analysis: has it fulfilled our expectations? And where are we going?

Presenting a condensation of the opening lecture of the 12th ICFIA conference, this communication presents a view of the impact that flow injection analysis (FIA) has had on modern analytical chemistry, evaluated both within the academic community and outside it, i.e. in “industry”. The ensuing developments of FIA, encompassing sequential injection analysis (SIA) and bead injection lab-on-valve (BI-LOV), are described and their individual features discussed. Finally, some recent results of the activities from the author’s own research group are briefly mentioned.     

Säurekatalysierte Umlagerung von Allyl-cyclohexadienon-tosyl-hydrazonen: Beispiel einer Dienimin-Anilin-Umlagerung

The tosylhydrazones of 4-allyl- and 4-crotyl-4-methyl-cyclohexa-2, 5-dien-l-one ( 14 and 15 ) rearrange in the presence of acid to yield the corresponding 2-allyl- and 2-α-methylallyl-hydrazines 17 and 18 , respectively. A similar behaviour is shown by the tosylhydrazone of 2-allyl-2-methyl-cyclohexa-3, 5-dien-1-one ( 16 ). 16 could not be isolated. The observed acidcatalysed [3 s, 3 s]-sigmatropic rearrangement of the tosylhydrazones can be regarded as a rearrangement of the dienimine-aniline type.     

Multiple binding modes of the camptothecin family to DNA oligomers

The binding constants of camptothecin, topotecan and its lactone ring-opened carboxylate derivative to DNA octamers were measured by UV and NMR spectroscopy. The self-association of topotecan (TPT) was also measured. The carboxylate form of TPT binds in the same way as the lactone, but more weakly. Titration of TPT into d(GCGATCGC)2 shows a preferred location stacked onto the terminal G1 base. However, the intermolecular NOEs cannot be reconciled with a single conformation of the complex, and suggest a model of a limited number of conformations in fast exchange. MD calculations on four pairs of starting structures with TPT stacked onto the G1-C8 base pair in different orientations were therefore performed. The use of selected experimental "docking" restraints yielded ten MD trajectories covering a wide conformational space. From a combination of calculated free energies, NOEs and chemical shifts, some of the structures produced could be eliminated, and it is concluded that the data are consistent with two major families of conformations in fast exchange. One of these is the conformation found in a crystal of a TPT/DNA/topoisomerase I ternary complex [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2002, 99, 15 387-15 392].     

A multisyringe flow-through sequential extraction system for on-line monitoring of orthophosphate in soils and sediments

A fully automated flow-through microcolumn fractionation system with on-line post-extraction derivatization is proposed for monitoring of orthophosphate in solid samples of environmental relevance. The system integrates dynamic sequential extraction using 1.0 mol l⁻¹ NH₄Cl, 0.1 mol l⁻¹ NaOH and 0.5 mol l⁻¹ HCl as extractants according to the Hieltjes-Lijklema (HL) scheme for fractionation of phosphorus associated with different geological phases, and on-line processing of the extracts via the Molybdenum Blue (MB) reaction by exploiting multisyringe flow injection as the interface between the solid containing microcolumn and the flow-through detector. The proposed flow assembly, capitalizing on the features of the multicommutation concept, implies several advantages as compared to fractionation analysis in the batch mode in terms of saving of extractants and MB reagents, shortening of the operational times from days to hours, highly temporal resolution of the leaching process and the capability for immediate decision for stopping or proceeding with the ongoing extraction. Very importantly, accurate determination of the various orthophosphate pools is ensured by minimization of the hydrolysis of extracted organic phosphorus and condensed inorganic phosphates within the time frame of the assay. The potential of the novel system for accommodation of the harmonized protocol from the Standards, Measurement and Testing (SMT) Program of the Commission of the European Communities for inorganic phosphorus fractionation was also addressed. Under the optimized conditions, the lowest detectable concentration at the 3σ level was ≤0.02 mg P l⁻¹ for both the HL and SMT schemes regardless of the extracting media. The repeatability of the MB assay was better than 2.5% and the dynamic linear range extended up to 7.0 mg P l⁻¹ in NH₄Cl and NaOH media and 15 mg P l⁻¹ whenever HCl is utilized as extractant for both the HL and SMT protocols.     

An improved nicotinic pharmacophore and a stereoselective CoMFA-model for nicotinic agonists acting at the central nicotinic acetylcholine receptors labelled by [3H]-N-methylcarbamylcholine

A study of a series of compounds with agonistic effect at the alpha4beta2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors resulted in an improved pharmacophore model as well as a CoMFA model. The pharmacophore was composed of three pharmacophoric elements: (1) a site point (a) corresponding to a protonated nitrogen atom, (2) a site point (b) corresponding to an electronegative atom capable of forming a hydrogen bond, and (3) the centre of a heteroaromatic ring or a C=O bond (c). The pharmacophoric elements were related by the following parameters: (a-b) 7.3-8.0 A, (a-c) 6.5-7.4 A, and the angle between the two distance vectors (delta bac) 30.4-35.8 degrees. In addition to this, a stereoselective CoMFA model was developed, which showed good predictability even for compound classes not present in the training set.     

Discovery of a new phosphotyrosine mimetic for PTP1B using breakaway tethering

Protein tyrosine phosphatases play important roles in many signaling cascades involved in human disease. The identification of druglike inhibitors for these targets is a major challenge, and the discovery of suitable phosphotyrosine (pY) mimetics remains one of the key difficulties. Here we describe an extension of tethering technology, "breakaway tethering", which is ideally suited for discovering such new chemical entities. The approach involves first irreversibly modifying a protein with an extender that contains both a masked thiol and a known pY mimetic. The extender is then cleaved to release the pY mimetic, unmasking the thiol. The resulting protein is screened against a library of disulfide-containing small molecule fragments; any molecules with inherent affinity for the pY binding site will preferentially form disulfides with the extender, allowing for their identification by mass spectrometry. The ability to start from a known substrate mimimizes perturbation of protein structure and increases the opportunity to probe the active site using tethering. We applied this approach to the anti-diabetic protein PTP1B to discover a pY mimetic which belongs to a new molecular class and which binds in a novel fashion.     

Zur Photochemie von Allylaryläthern. 55. Mitteilung über Photoreaktionen

The photochemical reactions of different allyl aryl ethers (Scheme 3) were investigated in hydrocarbons (Chap. 3.1) and in alcoholic solvents (Chap. 3.2). The composition of the photoproducts depended very much on the nature of the solvent. Irradiation (3–95 h) of different methyl substituted allyl aryl ethers ( 1, 3, 5, 7 and 11 ) with a low pressure mercury lamp (λ_Emiss. = 254 nm; 6 or 15 Watt) under argon (quartz vessel) resulted in the formation of 2-, 3– and 4-substituted phenols, dienones and products of consecutive reactions (Tables 1–4 and 6). The results suggested that all products were formed by homolytic cleavage of the C? O bond in the singlet state of the ethers to intermediate radical-geminates (Scheme 5) followed by radical recombination of the two fragments. No products were formed by concerted processes (Table 5, Schemes 5 and 6). Upon irradiation of allyl aryl ethers lacking alkyl substituents at position 4 ( 1 and 5 ) in protic solvents, mainly 2- and 4-allylated phenols were obtained (Tables 1 and 4); 3-allylated phenols were formed only in small amounts (0.02%). However, in aromatic hydrocarbons or cyclohexane 3-allylated phenols were obtained from 1 , 5 and 11 in significant amounts (3–11%; Tables 1, 4 and 6). E.g., upon irradiation of allyl-2,6-dimethyl-2,4-cyclohexadien-1-one ( 6 ) besides 3- and 4-allyl-2, 6-dimethyl-phenol ( 23 and 24 ). Irradiation of 5 in methanol afforded 23 and 6 only in traces, whereas 24 was the main product.     

Über die Temperaturabhängigkeit der 13C-NMR.-Spektren von Tetracarbonyl (η-(Z)-cycloocten)eisen und (Z)-cycloocten

On the Temperature Dependence of the ¹³C-NMR.-Spectra of Tetracarbonyl (η-( Z )-cyclooctene)iron and of ( Z )-Cyclooctene Reaction of (Z)-cyclooctene (1) with Fe₂(CO)₉ in pentane at 0° yielded tetracarbonyl(η-(Z)-cyclooctene)iron (2) as a yellow oil which can be stored over a longer period only at ?78°. It is shown that the title compounds ( 1 and 2 , respectively) are fluxional. The activation parameters for the conformational C-atom site exchange of (Z)-cyclooctene (1) and tetracarbonyl (η-(Z)-cyclooctene)iron (2) (in CCl₂F₂) have been determined between 113 K and 151 K for 1 and between 151 K and 205 K for 2 , respectively, by a complete line shape analysis of the temperature dependent proton noise-decoupled ¹³C-NMR. signals of the olefinic C-atom. The kinetic data and activation parameters are given in Tables 1 and 2.     

Photochemisches Verhalten von 1- und 2-alkylierten 1, 2-Dihydronaphthalinen bei tiefen Temperaturen

The irradiations of 1, 1-dimethyl- (8), 1, 1-di-(tri-deuteriomethyl)- (d₆– 8 ), 1, 1, 2, 2-tetramethyl- ( 9 ) and cis- and trans-1, 2-dimethyl-1, 2-dihydronaphthalenes (cis- and trans- 10 ) were investigated in 2, 2-dimethylbutane/pentane at ?100° using a mercury high-pressure lamp, and with mercury high- and low-pressure lamps at room temperature. The results were compared with one another, and those of the individual compounds are collected in schemes 2 and 4–7. The most important results are the following: 1. The 1, 2-dihydronaphthalenes undergo a conrotatory ring opening to the o-quinodimethanes on irradiation with high- or low-pressure lamps at room temperature or at ?100°. Thermal reactions ([1, 7a]H-shifts, electrocyclisations) are suppressed at ?100°. The o-quinodimethanes formed from 8 (scheme 2), 9 (scheme 5) or cis- 10 (scheme 6) undergo on irradiation with the high-pressure lamp, [1, 5]H-shifts or photochemical Diels-Alder reactions after renewed photochemical excitation, to yield the benzobicyclo[3.1.0]hex-2-ene derivatives. These Diels-Alder reactions do not proceed stereospecifically, and therefore are not orbital symmetry controlled reactions. 2. If the 1, 2-dihydronaphthalenes are irradiated at room temperature with either a high- or a low-pressure lamp, then the initially formed o-quinodimethanes undergo thermal [1, 7a]H-shifts, in preference to all other reactions, as long as this is sterically possible; the resulting products can undergo secondary photochemical transformations. Such o-quinodimethanes are formed on irradiation of 8, 9 and cis- 10 . From trans- 10 , an o-quinodimethane mixture is formed, of which one component (cis, cis- 22 ) undergoes thermal [1, 7a] H-shifts, while the other (trans, trans- 22 ) suffers a thermal disrotatory electrocyclisation to give cis- 10 . If a high-pressure lamp is used in the last experiment, then the competing photochemical Diels-Alder cyclisation to bicyclic compounds of the type 23 (scheme 7) can result in the trans, trans- 22 . As was shown by Salisbury [3], and confirmed by ourselves in other cases [2], photochemical Diels-Alder reactions or [1, 5]H-shifts in the o-quinodimethanes require light of wavelength ? 400 nm (high-pressure lamp). The present photochemical investigations amplify and confirm our earlier conclusions concerning the photochemistry of the 1, 2-dihydronaphthalenes [2].     

The critical probability for Voronoi percolation in the hyperbolic plane tends to 1/2

We consider percolation on the Voronoi tessellation generated by a homogeneous Poisson point process on the hyperbolic plane. We show that the critical probability for the existence of an infinite cluster tends to 1/2 as the intensity of the Poisson process tends to infinity. This confirms a conjecture of Benjamini and Schramm [5].