An overview of laboratory performance studies conducted by the IAEA for marine pollution studies of metals and organic contaminants

Aspects of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Analytical Quality Control Services (AQCS) for marine environmental studies are discussed, focusing on recent laboratory performance studies (LPS) and the production of reference materials for trace metals and organic compounds in various marine matrices. The IAEA has organized seventeen global interlaboratory studies for a range of organic contaminants. Of note has been the inclusion of numerous polychlorinated biphenyl congeners (PCBs) and some sterols of anthropogenic origin. Concurrently, there have been eleven worldwide intercomparison exercises for trace metals in the marine environment, most of which included methylmercury. Although such interlaboratory studies can help improve performance in individual laboratories and regional laboratory networks, the results reveal that problems remain in the determination of some metals and many organic contaminants.     

Synthesis and Photoreaction of 5-Aikenyloxypsoralen Derivatives

Abstract— In order to investigate the intramolecular "quenching" of the photoexcitation of some 5-alkenyloxypsoralen derivatives, we have prepared model compounds in which a psoralen moiety was linked at position 5 to a terminal double bond via a polymethylenic chain of various length (n = 2-9). The isolation and characterization of photocycloadducts obtained for each compound after irradiation at 365 nm in a polar solvent was performed. The results on the photoreactivity of this series of compounds show that the 3,4-pyrone double bond of 5-alkoxypsoralens is the most reactive. Four kinds of intramolecular photocycloadducts between the 3,4-pyrone double bond and the chain unsaturation were obtained according to the length of the linking chain: cis-syn, trans-syn, cis-anti and trans-anti. Their structures were established by a combination of ¹H and ¹³C NMR and fully assigned by ^lH NOE (nuclear Overhauser effect) and ¹H-¹³C HMQC (heteronuclear multiquantum correlation) spectroscopies. No traces of 4',5' adducts were detected.     

Modifications de la position C-8 de purines nucleosides par action de reactifs electrophiles sur leurs derives silyles et lithies

The alkylation of 8-lithiopurine trimethylsilyl nucleosides at carbon 8 can be carried out conveniently by reaction with various electrophilic reagents.     

Competitive Complexation of Lanthanide Cations by Xylitol and Nitrate Anion in Aqueous Solution: A Microcalorimetric Investigation

The apparent equilibrium constants and enthalpies of complexation of Nd³⁺, Sm³⁺, Eu³⁺, and Gd³⁺ by xylitol in aqueous solutions containing NaNO₃ at an ionic strength of 2.0 mol-kg^–1 have been determined by microcalorimetry at 25°C. Since nitrate anion weakly complexes the lanthanide cations, these values are analyzed in terms of competition between xylitol and NO ₃ ^- The method leads to the apparent equilibrium constants and enthalpies of complexation of the lanthanide cations by NO ₃ ^- at this particular ionic strength. Despite the difficulties encountered in characterizing rather weak associations, the results are, whenever comparison is possible, in good agreement with those obtained by direct microcalorimetry. The advantage of this competition method is that it can be used when the enthalpic effects are too weak and insufficiently concentration dependent for direct microcalorimetric determination. In the present case, it allows us to thermodynamically characterize the formation of SmNO ₃ ²⁺ and EuNO ₃ ²⁺ , processes we have not been able to study directly.     

Ecdysteroid glycosides: identification, chromatographic properties, and biological significance

Ecdysteroid glycosides are found in both animals and plants. The chromatographic behavior of these molecules is characteristic, as they appear much more polar than their corresponding free aglycones when analyzed by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), whereas the presence of glycosidic moieties has a very limited (if any) impact on polarity when using reversed-phase HPLC. Biological activity is greatly reduced because the presence of this bulky substituent probably impairs the interaction with ecdysteroid receptor(s). 2-Deoxy-20-hydroxyecdysone 22-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, which has been isolated from the dried aerial parts of Silene nutans (Caryophyllaceae), is used as a model compound to describe the rationale of ecdysteroid glycoside purification and identification.     

Oxygen-17 nuclear magnetic resonance: The effects of remote unsaturation on 17o-chemical shifts in polycyclic ethers

Natural-abundance ¹⁷O-NMR spectra of 7-oxanorbornane exo-3-oxatricyclo [3.2.1.0^2.4]octane and their unsaturated derivatives (endo cyclic and exocyclic double bonds) have been measured. Linear correlation laws were observed for $\text{δ}{}_{\mathrm{o}}\text{δ}{}_{\mathrm{c}}$ of these ethers/corresponding hydrocarbons. The “cyclization shifts” for δ_o in ethers were not correlated by the “cyclization shifts” for δ_c of the corresponding hydrocarbons.     

Synthesis of modified Weinreb amides: N-tert-butoxy-N-methylamides as effective acylating agents

An efficient preparation of N-methyl-O-tert-butylhydroxylamine hydrochloride has been settled, which allowed the synthesis of modified Weinreb amides. Nucleophilic addition of organolithium and Grignard reagents on these N-tert-butoxy-N-methylamides afforded efficiently the corresponding ketones and reduction with DIBAL furnished the corresponding aldehydes in good yields up to 97%.     

Aza-Diels-Alder reaction in fluorinated alcohols. A one-pot synthesis of tetrahydroquinolines

Hexafluoroisopropanol and trifluoroethanol are found to promote imino-Diels-Alder reactions of the N-aryl aldimine 1 with alkyl vinyl ethers to afford the corresponding tetrahydroquinolines in good yields without Lewis acid under mild and neutral conditions. The reaction is also efficient in a three component process from aldehyde, amine and vinyl ethers.     

Epoxy-amine multimethacrylic prepolymers,kinetic and structural studies

Epoxy-amine methacrylated prepolymers are prepared in a 1-step synthesis by the reaction of Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether, glycidyl methacrylate, and different diamines. The adaptation of these reactions to production processes with a reduced reaction time requires a kinetic control and the use of efficient catalysts. The comparative kinetic treatment of the epoxy-amine reaction in the frame of Horie's and Rozenberg's kinetic schemes have been made. Cases where an efficient acid catalyst is used are also examined. Structural studies of these reactions established the occurrence of a Michael amine/double bond addition, when some amines are used. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Etude de l'équilibre azido ⇌ tétrazole dans la séric du thiazolo[2,3-e]-tétrazole. III. Effects des substituants

The substituent effects on azido/tetrazole equilibrium on a series of 2-substituted thiazoles, benzothiazoles, thiadiazoles, benzoxazoles and isoxazoles has been studied by proton magnetic resonance in two solvents (DMSO-d₆ and deuteriochloroform). For thiazole an excellent Hammett relationship was found, both for the 4 and 5 positions.