Partial Least-Squares Study of the Effects of Organic Modifier and Physicochemical Properties on the Retention of Some Thiazoles

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - Reversed-phase (RP) HPTLC with aqueous ammonia-organic modifier (acetonitrile, dioxane, acetone) mobile phases has been used to...     

Development of novel antioxidants: design,synthesis, and reactivity

We are attempting to develop novel synthetic antioxidants aimed at retarding the effects of free-radical induced cell damage. In this paper we discuss the design strategy and report the synthesis of seven novel antioxidants, including six catechols and a benzylic phenol. The bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE) for the most active (weakest) OH bond in each molecule was calculated by theoretical methods, as well as the BDE for the semiquinone radical. Reaction rates with the nitrogen-centered free radical DPPH(*) were measured in ethyl acetate. The log of k(DPPH) for bimolecular reaction correlated well with the primary BDE. The correlation between rate constants and calculated BDEs shows that the BDE is a good predictor of antioxidant activity with DPPH(*), suggesting that our design criteria are useful and that these compounds should undergo further testing in cell cultures and in animal models.     

Structure–electrochemical properties correlations of some phenol derivatives investigated by electrochemical techniques

A series of 25 phenol derivative compounds having potential antioxidant capacity were studied by cyclic voltammetry and square-wave voltammetry, in order to estimate the electrochemical parameters of the redox process occurring at the graphite electrode. A correlation between the structure of phenol derivatives, the peak potential, the HOMO–LUMO gap and their antioxidant activity lead to a qualitative classification of the studied compounds as a function of the increase of their antioxidant capacity.     

Comparative Study of the Chemical Compositions and Antioxidant Activities of Fresh Juices from Romanian Cucurbitaceae Varieties

Cucurbitaceae is a family of health-promoting plants due to their compounds with beneficial effects. The aim of this study was to analyze, for the first time, the chemical composition, the antioxidant activity and the metal chelating properties of fruit juices obtained from four different species of the Cucurbitaceae family cultivated in Romania, namely Momordica charantia, Cucumis metuliferus, Benincasa hispida and Trichosanthes cucumerina. The samples of juice were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and all the four species displayed high levels of the two triterpenes, oleanolic and ursolic acids, and also in phenolic compounds, including catechin, (−)-epicatechin and gallic acid. The juices demonstrated significant antioxidant activity against the free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (ranging from 20 to 95%,), a good iron binding ability (ranging from 7.45 ± 0.28% to 86.95 ± 0.97%) and also promising antioxidant potential against the ABTS radical (ranging from 4.97 to 32.60 μETx/mL juice). Our findings raise interesting questions for further research on Cucurbitaceae fruit juices and, consequently, their very good antioxidant potential suggests these fruits should be further explored for their protective effect against oxidative damage. This is the first time the chemical composition and antioxidant activities of fruit juices from these four Romanian Cucurbitaceae varieties have been investigated.     

Robust fuzzy principal component analysis (FPCA). A comparative study concerning interaction of carbon-hydrogen bonds with molybdenum-oxo bonds

Principal component analysis (PCA) is a favorite tool in chemometrics for data compression and information extraction. PCA finds linear combinations of the original measurement variables that describe the significant variations in the data. However, it is well-known that PCA, as with any other multivariate statistical method, is sensitive to outliers, missing data, and poor linear correlation between variables due to poorly distributed variables. As a result data transformations have a large impact upon PCA. In this regard one of the most powerful approaches to improve PCA appears to be the fuzzification of the matrix data, thus diminishing the influence of outliers. In this paper we discuss a robust fuzzy PCA algorithm (FPCA). The new algorithm is illustrated on a data set concerning interaction of carbon-hydrogen bonds with transition metal-oxo bonds in molybdenum complexes. Considering, for example, a two component model, FPCA accounts for 97.20% of the total variance and PCA accounts only for 69.75%.     

Scanning tunneling microscopy and surface simulation of zinc-blende GaN(001) intrinsic 4x reconstruction: linear gallium tetramers?

Scanning tunneling microscopy images confirm electron diffraction studies that the zinc-blende GaN(001)-4x reconstruction consists of rows aligned along [110] with a spacing along [110] of 4a. Dual-bias imaging shows a 180 degree shift of the corrugation maximum position between the profiles of empty and occupied states, in agreement with surface simulations based on the 4 x 1 linear tetramer model of Neugebauer et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 3097 (1998)]. Electronic structure calculations predict a surface band gap of 1.1 eV, close to the measured value of 1.14 eV and the previously predicted value (1.2 eV). Despite the successes of this model, high-resolution images reveal an unexpected 3x periodicity (not seen in diffraction) along the [110] row direction, indicating the need for a 4 x 3 model, and putting into question the existence of linear Ga tetramers.     

Spiroheterocyclic compounds: old stories with new outcomes

An efficient and straightforward method for the preparation of spirodiazine derivatives is reported which involves mild reaction conditions and easily accessible reactants. A new class of spiroazaheterocycles, spiro[pyrrolidine-pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrroles], is obtained. A feasible explanation is given for the unexpected results obtained at high energy (high temperatures, MW and ultrasound irradiation).     

Thermal desorption/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry approach for characterization of the volatile fraction from amber specimens: A possibility of tracking geological origins

Research on the chemical composition of fossil resins has evolved during the last decades as a multidisciplinary field and is strongly oriented toward the correlation with their geological and botanical origin. Various extraction procedures and chromatographic techniques have been used together for identifying the volatile compounds contained in the fossil resin matrix. Hyphenation between thermal desorption (TD), gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry detection (MS) has been chosen to investigate the volatile compounds fraction from ambers with a focus on Romanite (Romanian amber) and Baltic amber species. A data analysis procedure was developed for the main purpose of fingerprinting ambers based on the MS identity of the peaks generated by the volatile fraction, together with their relative percentual area within the chromatogram. Chromatographic data analysis was based entirely on Automated Mass Spectral Deconvolution & Identification System (AMDIS) software to produce deconvoluted mass spectra which were used to build-up a mixed mass spectra and relative retention scale library. Multivariate data analysis was further applied on AMDIS results with successful discrimination between Romanite and Baltic ambers. A special trial was conducted to generate pyrolysis “like” macromolecular structure breakdown to volatile compounds by gamma irradiation with a high absorbed dose of 500 kGy. Contrary to our expectations the volatile fraction fingerprints were not modified after irradiation experiments. A complementary non-destructive new approach by ESR spectroscopy was also proposed for discriminating between Romanite and Baltic ambers.     

Stationary-fiber rotary probe with unobstructed 360° view for optical coherence tomography

A side-scanning fiber probe is a critical component for optical coherence tomography in medical imaging and diagnosis. We propose and fabricate an on-axis rotating probe that performs in situ, circumferential scanning that is shadow-free (not susceptible to shadow effects caused by the motor's wires). A miniature motor that incorporates a bored-out shaft for the optical fiber is located at the distal end of the probe, which results in a more stable and uniform circumferential scan, free from wire-shadow interference effects. More importantly, this design, novel to our knowledge, compared to other probes avoids the insertion losses introduced by optical coupling components and the multitude of optical interfaces, which is very important for sensing weak signals backscattered from structures deep in the tissue.