Selective extraction of benzoic acid from landfill leachate by solid-phase extraction and ion-exchange chromatography

In this work a simple method was described for selective extraction of benzoic acid from landfill leachate samples. The samples were submitted to solid-phase extraction (SPE) with XAD-4 resin as the stationary phase and ion-exchange chromatography (IEC) using the ion-exchange resin Amberlyst A-27. The instrumental analysis was performed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MSD). Benzoic acid was isolated, identified and quantified. The extraction process is rapid, simple and of low cost. It was also environmental friendly, that is, it was used a minimum amounts of hazardous organic solvents and produced also minimum quantities of residues.     

Simple HPLC‐UV for the quantification of a new leishmanicidal candidate (E)‐1‐4(trifluoromethyl) benzylidene)‐5‐(2‐4‐dichlorozoyl) carbonylhydrazine (LASSBio‐1736) in rat plasma for pharmacokinetics assessment

In this study, a sensitive HPLC‐UV assay was developed and validated for the determination of LASSBio‐1736 in rat plasma with sodium diclofenac as internal standard (IS). Liquid–liquid extraction using acetonitrile was employed to extract LASSBio‐1736 and IS from 100 μL of plasma previously basified with NaOH 0.1 M. Chromatographic separation was carried on Waters Spherisorb^®S5 ODS2 C₁₈ column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) using an isocratic mobile phase composed by water with triethylamine 0.3% (pH 4), methanol and acetonitrile grade (45:15:40, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. Both LASSBio‐1736 and IS were eluted at 4.2 and 5 min, respectively, with a total run time of 8 min only. The lower limit of quantification was 0.2 μg/mL and linearity between 0.2 and 4 μg/mL was obtained, with an R² > 0.99. The accuracy of the method was >90.5%. The relative standard deviations intra and interday were <6.19 and <7.83%, respectively. The method showed the sensitivity, linearity, precision, accuracy and selectivity required to quantify LASSBio‐1736 in preclinical pharmacokinetic studies according to the criteria established by the US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of organic compounds of water-in-crude oil emulsions separated by microwave heating using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry

In this work the higher peak capacity and resolution of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC) has been successfully applied, for the first time, to tentatively identify several polar organic compounds of organic extracts of aqueous phases resulting from microwave demulsification process of water-in-crude oil emulsions. Results have shown that higher temperatures and longer exposure time to microwave irradiation produced water phases with a wider variety of polar organic compounds. The microwave process showed to be suitable for the extraction of several polar compounds classes of petroleum. The proposed microwave extraction method and GCxGC identification of polar compounds of petroleum samples are of practical interest for the petrochemical industry due to corrosion and related problems associated with these polar compounds in refinery equipments. The GCxGC/time-of-flight MS technique shows to be very important in the total separation of different classes of compounds and allows the identification of many compounds in these classes.     

Development and Validation of a Reversed-Phase HPLC Method for the Determination of Deflazacort in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for quantitative determination of deflazacort in tablets and in compounded capsules. Isocratic chromatography was performed on a C₁₈ column with acetonitrile–water 80:20 (v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min^?1. UV detection was at 240 nm. The linearity of the method was good (r > 0.999), as also were intra-day and inter-day precision (RSD <2%) and accuracy (recovery >98%). The method was also validated for specificity and robustness. The results showed the proposed method is suitable for its intended use.     

Chemical composition of mate tea leaves (Ilex paraguariensis): a study of extraction methods

The objective of this work was to investigate the extraction of Ilex paraguariensis leaves by means of three extraction techniques: pressurized liquid extraction (PLE, also called accelerated solvent extraction – ASE), maceration, and sonication. Samples of mate tea leaves were collected from an experiment conducted under agronomic control at Indústria e Comércio de Erva‐Mate Bar?o LTDA, Brazil. Six solvents with increasing polarities (n‐hexane, toluene, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, acetone, and methanol) were used in this investigation. Chemical analysis of the extracts was performed by GC coupled with a mass spectrometer detector. The identification and quantification were accomplished by coinjections of certified standards. The results showed that no significant differences in the qualities of the extracts were noticed regarding the extraction methods. On the other hand, the PLE technique was found to be more effective for the extractions of caffeine, phytol, palmitic, and stearic acid. The use of PLE led to a significant decrease in the total extraction time, amount of solvent consumption, and manipulation of samples compared to maceration and ultrasound‐assisted extraction methods.     

Determination of omeprazole in bulk and injectable preparations by liquid chromatography

An accurate, simple, reproducible, and sensitive liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the determination of omeprazole in powder for injection and in pellets. The analyses were performed at room temperature on a reversed-phase C18 column of 250 x 4.6 mm id, 5 microm particle size. The mobile phase, composed of methanol-water (90 + 10, v/v), was pumped at a constant flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. Detection was performed on a UV detector at 301 nm. The method was validated in terms of linearity, precision, accuracy, and ruggedness. The response was linear in the range 32-48 microg/mL (r2 = 0.9976). The relative standard deviation values for intra- and interday precision studies were 1.22 and 1.56% for injectable and 2.13 and 2.45% for pellets, respectively. Recoveries ranged between 95.81 and 100.48%.     

Structural elucidation of gemifloxacin mesylate degradation product

Gemifloxacin mesylate (GFM), chemically (R,S)‐7‐[(4Z)‐3‐(aminomethyl)‐4‐(methoxyimino)‐1‐pyrrolidinyl]‐1‐cyclopropyl‐6‐fluoro‐1,4‐dihydro‐4‐oxo‐1,8‐naphthyridine‐3‐carboxylic acid methanesulfonate, is a synthetic broad‐spectrum antibacterial agent. Although many papers have been published in the literature describing the stability of fluorquinolones, little is known about the degradation products of GFM. Forced degradation studies of GFM were performed using radiation (UV‐A), acid (1 mol L^?1 HCl) and alkaline conditions (0.2 mol L^?1 NaOH). The main degradation product, formed under alkaline conditions, was isolated using semi‐preparative LC and structurally elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance (proton – ¹H; carbon – ¹³C; correlate spectroscopy – COSY; heteronuclear single quantum coherence – HSQC; heteronuclear multiple‐bond correlation – HMBC; spectroscopy – infrared, atomic emission and mass spectrometry techniques). The degradation product isolated was characterized as sodium 7‐amino‐1‐pyrrolidinyl‐1‐cyclopropyl‐6‐fluoro‐1,4‐dihydro‐4‐oxo‐1,8‐naphthyridine‐3‐carboxylate, which was formed by loss of the 3‐(aminomethyl)‐4‐(methoxyimino)‐1‐pyrrolidinyl ring and formation of the sodium carboxylate. The structural characterization of the degradation product was very important to understand the degradation mechanism of the GFM under alkaline conditions. In addition, the results highlight the importance of appropriate protection against hydrolysis and UV radiation during the drug‐development process, storage, handling and quality control. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The use of ultrasound in the extraction of Ilex paraguariensis leaves: a comparison with maceration

The objective of this work is to discuss the main parameters that influence the sonication extraction of Ilex paraguariensis leaves. For this purpose, the extraction time, solvent polarity, solvent volume, sample mass and particle size were evaluated. Results showed that the main variable affecting the extraction process was the solvent polarity. Though in a less extent, temperature and extraction time also demonstrated to be important parameters, while the other variables did not present a significant influence on the extraction yield. The extracts at the optimized condition were compared with those obtained by maceration, in terms of mass yield and chemical composition. The major compounds identified in the extracts were caffeine and palmitic acid. Some saturated hydrocarbons such as fatty acids, fatty acid methyl esters, phytosterols, and theobromine were also identified in the fractions.     

Reduction of diphenyl diselenide and analogs by mammalian thioredoxin reductase is independent of their gluthathione peroxidase-like activity: a possible novel pathway for their antioxidant activity

Since the successful use of the organoselenium drug ebselen in clinical trials for the treatment of neuropathological conditions associated with oxidative stress, there have been concerted efforts geared towards understanding the precise mechanism of action of ebselen and other organoselenium compounds, especially the diorganyl diselenides such as diphenyl diselenide, and its analogs. Although the mechanism of action of ebselen and other organoselenium compounds has been shown to be related to their ability to generally mimic native glutathione peroxidase (GPx), only ebselen however has been shown to serve as a substrate for the mammalian thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), demonstrating another component of its pharmacological mechanisms. In fact, there is a dearth of information on the ability of other organoselenium compounds, especially diphenyl diselenide and its analogs, to serve as substrates for the mammalian enzyme thioredoxin reductase. Interestingly, diphenyl diselenide shares several antioxidant and neuroprotective properties with ebselen. Hence in the present study, we tested the hypothesis that diphenyl diselenide and some of its analogs (4,4'-bistrifluoromethyldiphenyl diselenide, 4,4'-bismethoxy-diphenyl diselenide, 4.4'-biscarboxydiphenyl diselenide, 4,4'-bischlorodiphenyl diselenide, 2,4,6,2',4',6'-hexamethyldiphenyl diselenide) could also be substrates for rat hepatic TrxR. Here we show for the first time that diselenides are good substrates for mammalian TrxR, but not necessarily good mimetics of GPx, and vice versa. For instance, bis-methoxydiphenyl diselenide had no GPx activity, whereas it was a good substrate for reduction by TrxR. Our experimental observations indicate a possible dissociation between the two pathways for peroxide degradation (either via substrate for TrxR or as a mimic of GPx). Consequently, the antioxidant activity of diphenyl diselenide and analogs can be attributed to their capacity to be substrates for mammalian TrxR and we therefore conclude that subtle changes in the aryl moiety of diselenides can be used as tool for dissociation of GPx or TrxR pathways as mechanism triggering their antioxidant activities.     

Influence of probability distribution in measurement uncertainty of plane-strain fracture toughness test

Accreditation and Quality Assurance - The evaluation of measurement uncertainty by testing laboratories has a direct impact on the interpretation of the results. In several cases, it is recommended...