Thermal analysis of neuroleptic drugs and vitamins

The thermal decomposition of 41 drugs containing acetylsalicylic acid, 5-pyrazolone derivatives, the components stimulating the central nervous system, the Aviomarin, Glutamic acid, and Laxative chocolate tablets, and vitamins has been studied by employing the differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetry (TG), and differential TG (DTG) techniques. The possibility has been demonstrated to employ the DTA, TG, and DTG curves of their thermal decomposition for the identification of particular dosage forms and for the qualitative and quantitative monitoring of their composition. Based on the stages due to dehydration, decarboxylation, and formation of intermediate decomposition products, the content of the active components was determined in 17 of the drugs. The results of the determinations were in good agreement with those calculated from information supplied by the manufacturers.     

Determination of melatonin and its precursors and metabolites using capillary electrophoresis with UV and fluorometric detection

A micellar electrokinetic chromatography method has been developed for simultaneous determination of melatonin and its precursors and metabolites. A 20 mM borate buffer pH 9.5 with 50 mM SDS served as the electrolyte. Tryptophan, 5-methoxyindoleacetic acid, 6-hydroxymelatonin, melatonin, serotonin, and 5-methoxytryptamine were baseline separated in less than 13 min. The limits of detection for UV detection and fluorometric detection based on native fluorescence of analytes were at the sub-ppm level. The proposed method with UV detection was applied to melatonin content control in pharmaceutical tablets with a precision expressed as RSD (n = 7) = 1.6%. For biological samples extraction with chloroform and ethyl acetate was examined. With ethyl acetate and chloroform recoveries of 87.2% and 82.1% melatonin, respectively, were obtained from plasma samples. The recovery of melatonin from spiked urine samples was 80.0% for ethyl acetate and 82.5% for chloroform. Fluorometric detection provides about two-fold improvement over UV in the detection of melatonin and minor improvements for three other analytes, but is much poorer than UV for tryptophan and 6-hydroxymelatonin in applied conditions.     

A potentiometric polypyrrole-based glucose biosensor

A new concept is described for monitoring a biomolecule with a sensor having an enzyme entrapped in a conducting polymer. This is based on the sensitivity of the electroactive polymer itself to changes of pH in solution. The concept has been investigated for a glucose sensor with glucose oxidase (GOD) immobilized in a polypyrrole (PPy) layer on an inert platinum electrode. Measurements with a Pt/PPy/GOD electrode for glucose concentrations in the physiological range gave a linear correlation with logarithm of concentration over one decade with a satisfactory dynamic response. There was practically no change of slope or range of linear response to glucose after several days of use; this was in contrast to the amperometric response of the detector when there was about a 50% loss of sensitivity.     

Pegylated tetraarylporphyrin entrapped in liposomal membranes. A possible novel drug-carrier system for photodynamic therapy

A system of poly(ethylene glycol) bound tetraarylporphyrin entrapped in liposomal membranes was investigated. The interactions between the 5-(4-hydroxymethylphenyl)-10,15,20-tritolylporphyrin (Po) covalently attached to the poly(ethylene glycol) chain (PEG-Po), and phosphatidylcholine liposomes in the aqueous solution were studied. The adsorption of the investigated polymer to lipid vesicles was confirmed by measurements of dynamic light scattering and zeta potential. Experimental results demonstrate that the diameter of liposomes increased and the absolute value of the zeta potential decreased after addition of PEG-Po. The binding constants (K(b)) of Po chromophores to liposome in pH range from 5.2 to 9.0 were determined using fluorescence spectroscopy. The degree of binding was found to be pH-independent and the average value was 24.6 +/- 0.9 mg ml(-1). The acid-base properties of the porphyrin chromophores and their aggregation in an aqueous solution were also studied. pK values associated with imine-N protonation of the porphyrin core were found to be 2.59 and 0.68 at the ionic strength of 0.1 M. The equilibrium constant for dimerization, K(D), was found to be 5 x 10(3) M(-1).     

Electronic and vibrational spectra of the low-lying pisigma* state of 4-dimethylaminobenzonitrile: comparison of theoretical predictions with experiment

Comparison of the TD-BP86cc-pVDZ electronic excitation energies and the CIScc-pVDZ vibrational frequencies of 4-dimethylaminobenzonitrile with the available experimental data indicates that the picosecond transient absorption at about 700 nm, and the excited-state vibration of frequency 1467 cm(-1), belong to the lowest-energy pisigma(CN) (*) state of bent geometry (CCN bond angle of about 120 degrees and a large CN bond distance). Consistent with these assignments, the 1467 cm(-1) Raman band, attributed to the CN stretch, exhibits a large resonance enhancement of intensity when the probe (Raman excitation) wavelength is set to the spectral region of the pisigma(*)<--pisigma(*) absorption. The result corroborates the occurrence of an ultrafast state switch from the initially excited (1)pipi(*) (L(b)) state to the (1)pisigma(*) state of lower energy.     

High ionic strength electrokinetics

The electrokinetic potentials at high ionic strengths can be measured by means of electroacoustic method. The reported values are surprisingly high: up to 25 mV in 1 mol dm(-3) 1:1 electrolyte solution. The IEP of metal oxides in concentrated solutions of 1:1 electrolytes shifts to substantially higher pH values with respect to the pristine value, although these electrolytes are inert at low concentration. The shift in the IEP is salt-specific, and it is correlated with the hard-soft character of the anion and of the cation.     

Potential 1,1′-binaphthyl NLO-phores with extended conjugation between positions 2 and 6, and 2′ and 6′

A synthetic approach is reported which allows independent introduction of alkynyl groups to positions 2,2′ and then to 6,6′ of binaphthyls. The approach is based on the high selectivity of the Stephens-Castro alkynylation of 6,6′-dibromo-2,2′-diiodo-1,1′-binaphthyl. The tetraalkynylated derivatives exhibit extended conjugation between groups at positions 2 and 6, and 2′ and 6′, achieved by overcoming steric hindrance at positions 2 and 2′ by using alkynyl spacers.     

Matrix elements for intersystem crossing

A new formulation of intersystem-crossing matrix elements is presented which includes correction for prompt scattering and avoids the Herzberg-Teller expansion for nonadiabatic coupling.     

Easily prepared chiral scorpionates: tris(2-oxazolinyl)boratoiridium(i) compounds and their interactions with MeOTf

Optically active C 3-symmetric monoanionic ligands are uncommon in organometallic chemistry. Here we describe the synthesis of readily prepared tris(4 S-isopropyl-2-oxazolinyl)phenylborate [To (P)] and fluxional, zwitterionic four- and five-coordinate iridium(I) compounds [Ir(To (P))(eta (4)-C 8H 12)] ( 4) and [Ir(To (P))(CO) 2] ( 5). The highly fluxional nature of 4 and 5 makes structural assignment difficult, and the interaction between the iridium(I) center and the [To (P)] ligand is established by solid-state and solution (15)N NMR methods that permit the direct comparison between solution and solid-state structures. Although iridium cyclooctadiene 4 is a mixture of four- and five-coordinate species, the dicarbonyl 5 is only the five-coordinate isomer. The addition of electrophiles MeOTf and MeI provides the oxazoline N-methylated product rather than the iridium methyl oxidative addition product. N-Methylation was unequivocally proven by through-bond coupling observed in (1)H- (15)N HMBC experiments.     

Geometries and excited-state dynamics of van der Waals dimers and higher clusters of 1-cyanonaphthalene

Mass-selected resonant two-photon ionization and infrared-ultraviolet double-resonance spectroscopies are combined with correlated (second Moller-Plesset perturbation) quantum chemistry calculation to probe electronic spectra and ground-state geometries of the jet-cooled dimer and higher clusters of 1-cyanonaphthalene. The results indicate that the dimer and trimer have stacked geometries, consistent with the highly efficient, rapid excimer formation that follows photoexcitation of the ground-state clusters.