Analysis of neem oils by LC–MS and degradation kinetics of azadirachtin-A in a controlled environment

Since it was first isolated, the oil extracted from seeds of neem (Azadirachtin indica A juss) has been extensively studied in terms of its efficacy as an insecticide. Several industrial formulations are produced as emulsifiable solutions containing a stated titer of the active ingredient azadirachtin-A (AZ-A). The work reported here is the characterization of a formulation of this insecticide marketed under the name of Neem-azal T/S and kinetic studies of the major active ingredient of this formulation. We initially performed liquid–liquid extraction to isolate the neem oil from other ingredients in the commercial mixture. This was followed by a purification using flash chromatography and semi-preparative chromatography, leading to ¹³C NMR identification of structures such as azadirachtin-A, azadirachtin-B, and azadirachtin-H. The neem extract was also characterized by HPLC–MS using two ionization sources, APCI (atmospheric pressure chemical ionization) and ESI (electrospray ionization) in positive and negative ion modes of detection. This led to the identification of other compounds present in the extract—azadirachtin-D, azadirachtin-I, deacetylnimbin, deacetylsalannin, nimbin, and salannin. The comparative study of data gathered by use of the two ionization sources is discussed and shows that the ESI source enables the largest number of structures to be identified. In a second part, kinetic changes in the main product (AZ-A) were studied under precise conditions of pH (2, 4, 6, and 8), temperature (40 to 70 °C), and light (UV, dark room and in daylight). This enabled us to determine the degradation kinetics of the product (AZ-A) over time. The activation energy of the molecule (75±9 kJ mol^–1) was determined by examining thermal stability in the range 40 to 70 °C. The degradation products of this compound were identified by use of HPLC–MS and HPLC–MS–MS. The results enabled proposal of a chemical degradation reaction route for AZ-A under different conditions of pH and temperature. The data show that at room temperature and pH between 4 and 5 the product degrades into two preferential forms that are hydrolyzed to a single product over time and as a function of pH change.     

Mechanisms and kinetics of polymerization of thermoplastic polyimides. II. Study of “bridged” dianhydride/aromatic amine systems

The aim of the present work was to identify and follow the main and side reactions involved in the ring dehydration of amic acid prepared from “bridged” dianhydrides whose central substituent is an electron acceptor or donor, and an aromatic diamine. Several isomeric structures may appear as a result of the opening reactivity and selectivity of anhydride groups towards the aromatic amine. Reaction mechanisms and kinetics were thus studied in solvent phase with HPLC and ¹³C-NMR and in solid molten phase by FTIR and solid ¹³C-NMR. The experimental conditions (liquid and solid) and the structure of the products (type of central substituent) affecting the mechanisms and kinetics of the reactions were noted. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Photon channelling in foams

Experiments by Gittings, Bandyopadhyay and Durian (Europhys. Lett. 65, 414 (2004)) demonstrate that light possesses a higher probability to propagate in the liquid phase of a foam due to total reflection. The authors term this observation photon channelling which we investigate in this article theoretically. We first derive a central relation in the work of Gitting et al. without any free parameters. It links the photon's path-length fraction f in the liquid phase to the liquid fraction ɛ. We then construct two-dimensional Voronoi foams, replace the cell edges by channels to represent the liquid films and simulate photon paths according to the laws of ray optics using transmission and reflection coefficients from Fresnel's formulas. In an exact honeycomb foam, the photons show superdiffusive behavior. It becomes diffusive as soon as disorder is introduced into the foams. The dependence of the diffusion constant on channel width and refractive index is explained by a one-dimensional random-walk model. It contains a photon channelling state that is crucial for the understanding of the numerical results. At the end, we shortly comment on the observation that photon channelling only occurs in a finite range of ɛ.     

Structure de modèles de polyesters—3[1] transférabilité de structure état solide (RX,RMN 13C solide) état dissous (RMN 13C, 1H) du bistriméthyl-3,3,5 cyclohexyl phtalate

The structure of bis-3,3,5-trimethyl cyclohexyl phthlate is described for the solid state (X-rays, ¹³C NMR) and in solution (¹³C and ¹H NMR). The results show similarity of structure in the two states.     

Sur la Similitude des Déformations du Noyau Cyclohexanonique Induites par les Groupes Tertiobutyle et gem-Diméthyle

X-ray and NMR (250 MHz) data for chlorinated 4,4-dimethylcyclohexanones lead to the following conclusions: carbonyl and chlorine substituent effects on ²J and ³J coupling constants are similar to those observed for 4-tert-butylcyclohexanones. In other respects, the gem dimethyl and the tert-butyl groups induce on the ring similar large ⁴J coupling constants (H-3′? C-3? C-4? C-5? H-5′); the results can be interpreted in terms of local gemoetric deformations and additivity of these deformations. The determination of dihedral angles by Lambert's method and from X-ray data shows the identity of the structures in the solid state and the dissolved state and confirms the great structural similarity between 4-tert-butyl- and 4,4-dimethylcyclohexanone derivatives.     

Authenticity control of essential oils containing citronellal and citral by chiral and stable-isotope gas-chromatographic analysis

Enantioselective capillary GC on a Supelco β-DEX 225 column (heptakis(2,3-di-O-acetyl-6-O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-β-cyclodextrin SPB 20poly—20% diphenyl, 80% dimethylsiloxane) and isotope-ratio mass spectrometry, coupled online with capillary GC on an HP5 column have been used for origin-specific analysis and authenticity control of essential oils, for example lemon (Citrus limon), lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus and Cymbopogon flexuosus), citronella (Cymbopogon nardus L.—Ceylon type and Cymbopogon winterianus—Java type), Litsea cubeba, Lippia citriodora, lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora), lemon gum (Eucalyptus citriodora), and, especially, precious lemon balm oil (Melissa officinalis L.). Isotope data (δ¹³C_PDB and δ²H_V-SMOW) for citral (neral + geranial) and citronellal from on-line GC–C/Py–IRMS and chiral data for citronellal in these essential oils are reported. The possibility of using these data to determine the origin of these essential oils and to detect adulteration is discussed. Principal-components analysis (PCA) of specific compounds in two essential oils of lemongrass and Litsea cubeba was performed as a practical statistical method for distinguishing between these two types of oil.     

High precision delta(17)O isotope measurements of oxygen from silicates and other oxides: method and applications

The use of infrared laser-assisted fluorination to release oxygen from milligram quantities of silicates or other oxide mineral grains is a well-established technique. However, relatively few studies have reported the optimisation of this procedure for oxygen-17 isotope measurements. We describe here details of an analytical system using infrared (10 μm) laser-assisted fluorination, in conjunction with a dual inlet mass spectrometer of high resolving power ( approximately 250) to provide (17)O and (18)O oxygen isotope measurements from 0.5-2 mg of silicates or other oxide mineral grains. Respective precisions (1) of typically 0.08 and 0.04 per thousand are obtained for the complete analytical procedure. Departures from the mass-dependent oxygen isotope fractionation line are quantified by Delta(17)O; our precision (1) of such measurements on individual samples is shown to be +/-0.024 per thousand. In turn, this permits the offset between parallel, mass-dependent fractionation lines to be characterised to substantially greater precision than has been possible hitherto. Application of this system to investigate the (17)O versus (18)O relationship for numerous terrestrial whole-rock and mineral samples, of diverse geological origins and age, indicates that the complete data set may be described by a single, mass-dependent fractionation line of slope 0.5244+/- 0.00038 (standard error). Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Copper and iron interactions with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. A study by fast-atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry

Fast atom bombardment, combined with high-energy collision-induced tandem mass spectrometry, has been used to investigate gas-phase metal-ion interactions with captopril, enalaprilat and lisinopril, all angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.Suggestions for the location of metal-binding sites are presented. For captopril, metal binding occurs most likely at both the sulphur and the nitrogen atom. For enalaprilat and lisinopril, binding preferably occurs at the amine nitrogen. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.