From quality inspection to quality assurance

Summary Systematic quality assurance, e.g. in accordance with the provisions of ISO 9000, requires not only the targeted use of quality as a management tool, but also a revised attitude to operational procedures. Although sophisticated checking of the final results of a procedure (e.g. results of analyses, sales products, reports) meets the legal requirements and often also the customers' requirements, this misses the chance of being able to influence the quality of a final result at the earliest possible stage. It is then only possible subsequently to take the uneconomic decision as to whether the result of the work is useable or must be discarded or the object reworked. Within quality assurance, all operations are to be considered as processes with the aim of arriving at a statistically controlled process. The advantages of statistical process control are explained by way of examples from analytical procedures and production. The status of internal audits is explained as it interrelates with process control.     

Development of reactive thiol-modified monolithic capillaries and in-column surface functionalization by radical addition of a chromatographic ligand for capillary electrochromatography

Reactive thiol-modified capillary columns for capillary electrochromatography (CEC) were developed by transforming the pendent 2,3-epoxypropyl groups of poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) (poly(GMA-co-EDMA)) monoliths into 3-mercapto-2-hydroxy-propyl residues by a nucleophilic substitution reaction, employing sodium-hydrogen sulfide as nucleophilic reagent. Conditions for this modification reaction were systematically optimized with respect to different parameters, such as reaction temperature, pH-value, reaction time, type and concentration of organic modifier, and concentration of the sodium-hydrogen sulfide solution. The amount of thiol groups that was generated on the monolith surface was determined directly in the capillaries by a disulfide-exchange reaction employing 2,2'-dipyridyl disulfide (DPDS). This reaction in the capillary liberates pyridine-2-thione in equimolar amount to the surface sulfhydryls, which was collected into a vial and determined photometrically at 343 nm by RP-HPLC. About 17% of the total lateral epoxide moieties of the monolithic substrate could be transformed to reactive sulfhydryl groups, which corresponds to about 0.7 mmol g(-1) monolithic polymer, with a column-to-column repeatability of 3.2% R.S.D. The reactive thiol groups can be utilized to attach any chromatographic ligand with appropriate anchor in a second step, e.g. by radical addition, graft polymerization, nucleophilic substitution, disulfide formation or Michael addition reaction. To demonstrate the feasibility of the concept, we chose an anion exchange type chromatographic ligand based on a quinine derivative, O-9-tert-butylcarbamoylquinine (t-BuCQN) which was attached to the monolith in a radical addition reaction, for a further in-column surface functionalisation. About 78% of the sulfhydryl groups were derivatized with t-BuCQN as determined from differential DPDS assays before and after the selector immobilization reaction. The applicability of these surface-functionalised monolithic capillary columns could be shown by an electrochromatographic separation of the enantiomers of N-3,5-dinitrobenzoyl-leucine, which performed fairly well compared to an analogous capillary that was fabricated by an in situ copolymerization approach.     

Assignment of the 5,6-Double-Bond Configuration in Iloprost and Isoiloprost from 13C-NMR Shifts Determined by 2D Methods

The configurations of the 5,6-double bond in the carbacyclins iloprost ( 3 ; (E)) and isoiloprost ( 4 ; (Z)) are based on a complete assignment of the ¹³C and ¹H resonances determined by 1D and 2D ¹³C-NMR and ¹H-NMR methods.     

13C- and 1H-NMR. Spectra of ortho-benzoquinones. On the assignment problem in 13C spectra

¹³C- and ¹H-NMR. spectra of ortho-benzoquinone 1 and its methyl derivatives have been analysed. By means of heteronuclear double resonance experiments it is shown that assignments given in the literature for the olefinic carbon resonances of 1 and of a series of substituted ortho-benzoquinones have to be inverted. ¹³C-carbonyl frequencies of various six-membered cyclic ketones are presented.     

Enzymatic synthesis of 7-deoxy-N-acetylneuraminic acid and 7-O-methyl-N-acetylneuraminic acid

7-Deoxy-N-acetylneuraminic Acid and 7-O-methyl-N-acetylneuraminic acid were synthesized through the sialic acid aldolase-catalyzed aldol addition reactions of 4-deoxy-N-acetyl-D-mannosamine and 4-O-methyl-N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, respectively, with pyruvate. The obtained sialic acids will be used as probes for the investigation of the unusual mechanism of a novel sialidase from leech.     

Determination of 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone in human serum by high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A simple method is described which allows the quantification of 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP) in human serum. NVP is extracted from serum with diethylether and determined with HPLC/UV-detection. 1-Cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone serves as an internal standard. The detection limit is 0.1 mg/l. The method has shown that NVP can enter the organisms of workers occupationally exposed to this substance.     

Synthesis and Odor of Chiral Partial Structures of Khusimone. Part 1

Khusimone (1), one of the main odor-donating compounds of vetiver oil is subject of the following study on structure/odor relationship. The omittance of the ethano bridge of the tricyclic khusimone leads to a bicyclic system. The stereoselective approach to this degraded structure is described, and the olfactory properties are studied. The key step of the synthesis of the hydrindane nucleus is based on a highly diastereoselective conjugate addition to a chiral oxo-cyclopentene-2-carboxylate.     

Solvothermal Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Properties of the First Zinc Containing Thioantimonate(III) [Zn( tren)] 2Sb 4S 8·0.75 H 2O

Yellow crystals of the title compound were obtained under solvothermal conditions reacting elemental Zn, Sb, and S in a solution of tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (=tren) and water. The compound crystallises in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c with a=13.0247(7), b=22.308(2), c=12.1776(6) Å, and =105.352(6)°. In the structure of [Zn(tren)]₂Sb₄S₈·0.75 H₂O two [Zn(tren)]²⁺ cations are bound to the [Sb₄S₈]^4– anion via S atoms. The Zn²⁺ ions are in a trigonal bipyramidal environment of four N atoms of the tetradentate tren ligand and one S atom of the [Sb₄S₈]^4– anion. The anion is formed by SbS₃ and SbS₄ units which share common corners and edges. The interconnection mode yields three different non-planar Sb₂S₂ heterorings. The shortest intermolecular Sb–S distance amounts to about 3.7Å, and taking this long separation into account undulated chains running along [001] are formed with the water molecules residing in the pocket-like cavities. Upon heating the compound decomposes in one step starting at about 240°C. The final decomposition product was identified as ZnS and Sb₂S₃ by X-ray powder diffractometry. Additionally, spectroscopic data as well as synthetic procedures for [Zn(tren)]₂Sb₄S₈·0.75 H₂O are reported.     

Inter- and intra-annular proton exchange in gaseous benzylbenzenium ions (protonated diphenylmethane)

Two distinct proton exchange reactions occur in metastable gaseous benzylbenzenium ions, generated by isobutane chemical ionization of diphenylmethane and four deuterium-labelled analogues. Whereas the proton ring-walk at the benzenium moiety is fast giving rise to a completely random intraannular proton exchange, the interannular proton exchange is surprisingly slow and competes with the elimination of benzene. A kinetic isotope effect of k_H/k_D= 5 has been determined for the interannular proton transfer, and a particularly high energy barrier of 50–75 kJ mol^?1 has been estimated. These observations are attributed to steric restrictions of the ring-to-ring proton transfer in benzylbenzenium ions and contrasted to the fast interannular proton exchange in the higher homologues.