Investigation of the surfactant type and concentration effect on the retention factors of glutathione and its analogues by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

In the present study, a micellar electrokinetic chromatographic method was used to determine the retention factors of hydrophilic monomeric and homodimeric forms of glutathione analogues. Ionic‐liquid‐based surfactant, 1‐tetradecyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride, as well as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) were employed in the experiments. Since the studied peptides possess a negative charge under physiological conditions, it is expected that the peptides interact with the oppositely charged 1‐tetradecyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide micelles via hydrophobically assisted electrostatic forces. The dependence of the retention factor on the micellar concentration of 1‐tetradecyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide is nonlinear and the obtained curves converge to a limiting value. The retention factor values of GSH analogues were in the range of 0.36–2.22 for glutathione analogues and –1.21 to 0.37 for glutathione when 1‐tetradecyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride was used. When cetyltrimethylammonium bromide was employed, the retention factor values were in the range of 0.27–2.17 for glutathione analogues and –1.22 to 0.06 for glutathione. If sodium dodecyl sulfate was used, the retention factor values of glutathione analogues with carnosine moiety were in the range of –1.54 to 0.38.     

Influence of Water Content on Basicities in Acetonitrile

The influence of water content at impurity level (5–10,000 ppm) in acetonitrile, on the changes in relative basicity differences (ΔpK _a values) of 13 pairs of bases, was studied both experimentally and computationally (COSMO-RS). The ΔpK _a values involving smaller bases with localized charge in the cationic form were found to be more affected. A computational parameter, weighted average negative sigma (WANS), was proposed to quantify the charge delocalization in cations and succeeded in describing the observed changes of ΔpK _a. The results validate the previously published basicity scale in acetonitrile with respect to solvent dryness and give guidelines for better experimental planning.     

CE separation of various analytes of biological origin using polyether ether ketone capillaries and contactless conductivity detection

The development of efficient and sensitive analytical methods for the separation, identification and quantification of complex biological samples is continuously a topic of high interest in biological science. In the present study, the possibility of using a polyether ether ketone (PEEK) capillary for the CE separation of peptides, proteins and other biological samples was examined. The performance of the tubing was compared with that of traditional silica capillaries. The CE analysis was performed using contactless conductivity detection (C⁴D), which eliminated any need for the detection window and was suitable for the detection of optically inactive compounds. In the PEEK capillary the cathodic EOF was low and of excellent stability even at extremes pH. In view of this fast biological anions were analyzed using an opposite end injection technique without compromising separation. A comparison of the performances of fused‐silica and polymer capillaries during the separation of model sample mixtures demonstrated the efficiency and separation resolution of the latter to be higher and the reproducibility of the migration times and peak areas is better. Furthermore, PEEK capillaries allowed using simple experimental conditions without any complicated modification of the capillary surface or use of an intricate buffer composition. The PEEK capillaries are considered as an attractive alternative to the traditional fused‐silica capillaries and may be used for the analysis of complex biological mixtures as well as for developing portable devices.     

Gas-Phase Lithium Cation Basicity: Revisiting the High Basicity Range by Experiment and Theory

According to high level calculations, the upper part of the previously published FT-ICR lithium cation basicity (LiCB at 373 K) scale appeared to be biased by a systematic downward shift. The purpose of this work was to determine the source of this systematic difference. New experimental LiCB values at 373 K have been measured for 31 ligands by proton-transfer equilibrium techniques, ranging from tetrahydrofuran (137.2 kJ mol^?1) to 1,2-dimethoxyethane (202.7 kJ mol^?1). The relative basicities (ΔLiCB) were included in a single self-consistent ladder anchored to the absolute LiCB value of pyridine (146.7 kJ mol^?1). This new LiCB scale exhibits a good agreement with theoretical values obtained at G2(MP2) level. By means of kinetic modeling, it was also shown that equilibrium measurements can be performed in spite of the formation of Li⁺ bound dimers. The key feature for achieving accurate equilibrium measurements is the ion trapping time. The potential causes of discrepancies between the new data and previous experimental measurements were analyzed. It was concluded that the disagreement essentially finds its origin in the estimation of temperature and the calibration of Cook’s kinetic method. Graphical Abstract

?     

Analysis of dammar resin with MALDI-FT-ICR-MS and APCI-FT-ICR-MS

Comprehensive analysis of high-resolution mass spectra of aged natural dammar resin obtained with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (FT-ICR-MS) using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) is presented. Dammar resin is one of the most important components of painting varnishes. Dammar resin is a terpenoid resin (dominated by triterpenoids) with intrinsically very complex composition. This complexity further increases with aging. Ten different solvents and two-component solvent mixtures were tested for sample preparation. The most suitable solvent mixtures for the MALDI-FT-ICR-MS analysis were dichloromethane-acetone and dichloromethane-ethanol. The obtained MALDI-FTMS mass spectrum contains nine clusters of peaks in the m/z range of 420-2200, and the obtained APCI-FTMS mass spectrum contains three clusters of peaks in the m/z range of 380-910. The peaks in the clusters correspond to the oxygenated derivatives of terpenoids differing by the number of C(15)H(24) units. The clusters, in turn, are composed of subclusters differing by the number of oxygen atoms in the molecules. Thorough analysis and identification of the components (or groups of components) by their accurate m/z ratios was carried out, and molecular formulas (elemental compositions) of all major peaks in the MALDI-FTMS and APCI-FTMS spectra were identified (and groups of possible isomeric compounds were proposed). In the MALDI-FTMS and APCI-FTMS mass spectrum, besides the oxidized C(30), triterpenoids also peaks corresponding to C(29) and C(31) derivatives of triterpenoids (demethylated and methylated, correspondingly) were detected. MALDI and APCI are complementary ionization sources for the analysis of natural dammar resin. In the MALDI source, preferably polar (extensively oxidized) components of the resin are ionized (mostly as Na(+) adducts), whereas in the APCI source, preferably nonpolar (hydrocarbon and slightly oxidized) compounds are ionized (by protonation). Either of the two ionization methods, when used alone, gives an incomplete picture of the dammar resin composition.     

Pentakis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl, a sterically crowded and electron-withdrawing group: synthesis and acidity of pentakis(trifluoromethyl)benzene, -toluene, -phenol, and -aniline

A general route to functionalized pentakis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl (C6(CF3)5) derivatives, promising building blocks for designing novel stable carbenes, radical species, superacids, weakly coordinating anions and other practically and theoretically useful species, is presented. This pertrifluoromethylation route proceeds via conveniently pregenerated (trifluoromethyl)copper (CF3Cu) species in DMF, stabilized by addition of 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI). These species react with hexaiodobenzene at ambient temperature to give the potassium pentakis(trifluoromethyl)phenoxide along with hexakis(trifluoromethyl)benzene and pentakis(trifluoromethyl)benzene in a combined yield of 80%. A possible reaction pathway explaining the formation of pentakis(trifluoromethyl)phenoxide is proposed. Pentakis(trifluoromethyl)phenol gives rise to easily functionalized pentakis(trifluoromethyl)chlorobenzene and pentakis(trifluoromethyl)aniline. Pertrifluoromethylation of pentaiodochlorobenzene and pentaiodotoluene allows straightforward access to pentakis(trifluoromethyl)chlorobenzene and pentakis(trifluoromethyl)toluene, respectively. XRD structures of several C6(CF3)5 derivatives were determined and compared with the calculated structures. Due to the steric crowding the aromatic rings in all C6(CF3)5 derivatives are significantly distorted. The gas-phase acidities (Delta Gacid) and pKa values in different solvents (acetonitrile (AN), DMSO, water) for the title compounds and a number of related compounds have been measured. The origin of the acidifying effect of the C6(CF3)5 group has been explored using the isodesmic reactions approach.     

Monitoring of the electroosmotic flow of ionic liquid solutions in non-aqueous media using thermal marks

The possibility of applying a new method employing thermal marks to measuring the rate of the electroosmotic flow (EOF) in non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) was investigated. The thermal marks were monitored by using a contactless conductivity detection. During one experiment and in between the series of experiments the reproducibility of the method was excellent. The EOF rate was measured 4-7 times during one experiment, the precision of measurement being around 0.5%. In this study, the influence of 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium salts in organic solvents on the rate of the EOF was investigated. Various organic solvents were mixed with an ionic liquid of various concentrations and the EOF rate was measured using thermal marks. The accuracy of the method was compared with that of the neutral marker one. Five benzoic acid derivatives were separated while the EOF was monitored. The relative standard deviations of the corrected effective mobilities of the above analytes were in the range of 1.0-6.1%.     

Heteroconjugation-based capillary electrophoretic separation of phenolic compounds in acetonitrile and propylene carbonate

A mixture of methyl- and hydroxy-substituted phenols was separated by capillary electrophoresis in pure acetonitrile and propylene carbonate. Interactions between undissociated phenolic compounds and the background electrolytes were investigated. In the present work, benzyltriethylammonium chloride, tetrabutylammonium acetate, and two room temperature-molten salts, 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium trifluoroacetate and 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium heptafluorobutanoate, were used as background electrolytes. The formation of a negative complex between background electrolyte anion and neutral phenolic compound was observed and the formation constant calculated. The formation constants for anion-analyte complexes were approximately the same in propylene carbonate and in acetonitrile. In both solvents the formation constants were the highest for acetate and the lowest for trifluoroacetate. The separation of analytes was slightly influenced by the nature of the solvent: in acetonitrile the resolution between peaks was higher for 1,3-dihydroxyphenol and 1,3,5-trihydroxyphenol, in propylene carbonate 3-methylphenol and phenol were better separated. It was demonstrated that traces of water influence the mobilities of anion-phenol complexes in propylene carbonate.     

Influence of water content on the acidities in acetonitrile. Quantifying charge delocalization in anions

The effect of traces of water on the relative strengths of acids (ΔpK(a) values) in acetonitrile was quantitatively evaluated experimentally and computationally (COSMO-RS). Water affects first of all the anions by selective solvation. Expectedly, the more localized is the charge in acid anions the higher is the effect of water. The energetic effect of increasing water content from 0 to ca. 10,000 ppm on solvation enthalpies of anions ranged from 0.2-0.4 kcal mol?1 (anions with delocalized charges) to 15 kcal mol?1 in the case of the highly charge-localized acetate ion. In the case of ΔpK(a) values the change ranges from 0.01 to ca. 1.7 pK(a) units (acid pair involving acetic acid). The COSMO-RS method was found to satisfactorily describe the trends in ΔpK(a) values. To quantify the extent of charge localization/delocalization in anions a parameter, weighted average positive σ (WAPS), was introduced, which can be conveniently computed using the COSMO approach. WAPS characterizes the distribution of charge density across the molecular surface and was found to correlate well with the extent of water influence on the dissociation of the respective acid.