Chiral microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography: Effect of cosurfactant identity on enantioselectivity, methylene selectivity, resolution, and other chromatographic figures of merit

The effect of cosurfactant identity on microemulsion size, elution range, retention factor, enantioselectivity, methylene selectivity, efficiency, and resolution in chiral microemulsion formulations was examined. The chiral surfactant dodecoxycarbonylvaline was used in conjunction with the cosurfactants 1-butanol, 1-pentanol, 2-pentanol, 1-hexanol, 2-hexanol, cyclopentanol, and cyclohexanol. The millimolar concentration of cosurfactant was held constant regardless of identity. Ethyl acetate was incorporated as the microemulsion oil core and the buffer utilized was 50 mM phosphate at a pH of 7.0. In general, secondary alcohols improved enantioselectivities and primary alcohols had the opposite effect, with the exception of the 1-butanol. The trends observed varied slightly depending on analyte. Of the six chiral analytes tested, cyclopentanol provided the best enantioselectivity for three, 1-butanol for two compounds, and 2-pentanol for one analyte. The lowest enantioselectivities were achieved with 1-pentanol or 1-hexanol for all compounds. Methylene selectivity was found to decrease with reductions in alcohol chain length. Among equal carbon number alcohols, methylene selectivity was lower for secondary alcohols. Efficiency and resolution values varied with different cosurfactants and depended on analyte identity.     

Analyses of phenolic compounds by microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography

In this study, a microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) method was developed to analyze and detect 13 phenolic compounds (syringic acid, p-cumaric acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, (-)-epicatechin gallate, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, (-)-epicatechin, and (-)-gallocatechin), which are present in many plant-derived foods. The effects of cosurfactant, organic modifier, and oil were examined in order to optimize the separation of these phenolic compounds. The amounts of cosurfactant (cyclohexanol) and organic modifier (acetonitrile) were determined as the major influence on the separation selectivity, while the type of oil partially affected the separation resolution of the phenolic compounds. A highly efficient MEEKC separation method was achieved within 14 min by using a microemulsion solution of pH 2.0 containing 2.89% w/v SDS, 1.36% w/v heptane, 7.66% w/v cyclohexanol, and 2% w/v ACN. Furthermore, the present work could demonstrate that the nature of the oil phase has a significant influence on the separation selectivity of phenolic compounds.     

Simultaneous analysis of tea catechins, caffeine, gallic acid, theanine and ascorbic acid by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

A micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) method for the simultaneous analysis of five tea catechins, theanine, caffeine, gallic acid and ascorbic acid has been developed. The catechins are (-)-epicatechin, (+)-catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, (-)-epicatechin gallate and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate. p-Nitrophenol serves as both reference and internal standard. All the components are separated within 13 min with a 57 cm uncoated fused-silica column. On-column detection was carried out at 200 nm. This method has been used to measure these compounds in fresh tea leaves and tea liquor. The limit of detection for all analytes ranged from 1 to 20 microg/ml.     

Sample stacking for the analysis of catechins by microemulsion EKC

In this study, an on-line concentration method, ASEI (anion-selective exhaustive injection)-sweeping technology which was coupled with microemulsion EKC (MEEKC), was used to analyze and detect six catechins ((-)-epicatechin, (+)-catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, (-)-epicatechin gallate, (-)-epigallocatechin, and (-)-gallocatechin). In addition to the effects of the buffer pH and electrolyte concentration on stacking, the compositions of microemulsion (types of oil phase, and types and levels of cosurfactant) also dominated the stacking effect of catechins. In MEEKC, the effect of the type of oil in microemulsion on separation mechanism is often unclear. This study had demonstrated that the oil type in microemulsion indeed altered the affinity of oil droplets with analytes. Finally, this proposed ASEI-sweeping MEEKC method was able to detect trace level of catechins in food products that was not previously possible by a normal MEEKC method.     

Simultaneous determination of catechins, caffeine and gallic acids in green, Oolong, black and pu-erh teas using HPLC with a photodiode array detector

A simple and fast HPLC method using a photodiode array detector was developed for simultaneous determination of four major catechins, gallic acid and caffeine. After multiple extractions with aqueous methanol and acidic methanol solutions, tea extract was separated within 20 min using a methanol-acetate-water buffer gradient elution system on a C(18) column. The sample extraction data demonstrated that the single extraction used in the previous studies with aqueous acetonitrile or methanol is not sufficient; the multiple extraction procedure is essential for the quantitative analysis of catechins, phenolic acids and caffeine in teas. Several green, Oolong, black and pu-erh teas were successfully analyzed by this method. The analytical results obtained indicated that green teas contain higher content of catechins [(-)-epigallocatechin gallate, (-)-epigallocatechin, (-)-epicatechin gallate, and (-)-epicatechin] than both Oolong, pu-erh and black teas because fermentation process during the tea manufacturing reduced the levels of catechins significantly. The fermentation process also remarkably elevated the levels of gallic acid in full-fermented pu-erh and black teas. Another interesting finding is the low level of caffeine in Oolong teas, especially in Fujian Oolong tea.     

Simultaneous determination of polyphenols and major purine alkaloids in Greek Sideritis species, herbal extracts, green tea, black tea, and coffee by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection

Herein, a high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of 15 phenolic antioxidants: flavan-3-ols, (-)-epigallocatechin, (+)-catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epicatechin gallate, (-)-gallocatechin, a phenolic acid (gallic acid), a hydroxycinnamic acid (chlorogenic acid), flavones (apigenin), flavonols (kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin), and purine alkaloids (caffeine theophylline, theobromine) in different herb extracts, tea, and coffee varieties. The developed method was validated and successfully applied in order to determine the polyphenolic content to estimate the antioxidant activity of the Sideritis species commonly known as Greek mountain tea. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the quantitative determination of catechins and other polyphenols in Greek mountain tea. Acidic hydrolysis was necessary for the simultaneous determination of the aglycones of the target analytes. According to our results, chlorogenic acid, myricetin, apigenin, catechin, and epicatechin gallate are found in the Sideritis species.     

Comparison of microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography and micellar electrokinetic chromatography methods for the analysis of phenolic compounds

In this study, microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) were compared for their abilities to separate and detect thirteen phenolic compounds (syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, (-)-epicatechin gallate, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, (-)-epicatechin, and (-)-gallocatechin), and two other ingredients (caffeine and theophylline) in teas and grapes. Separation of phenolic compounds was improved by changing the SDS concentration for MEEKC, but the SDS concentration rarely affected the resolution for MEKC. Organic modifier (acetonitrile or methanol) was found to markedly influence the resolution and selectivity for both MEEKC and MEKC systems. In addition, a higher voltage and a higher column temperature improved the separation efficiency without any noticeable reduction in resolution for MEEKC whereas they caused a poor resolution for the MEKC system. Although separations with baseline resolution were achieved by the optimized MEEKC and MEKC methods, the separation selectivity resulting from the proposed MEEKC method was completely different from that of MEKC.     

High-performance liquid chromatography of aromatic compounds with photochemical decomposition and tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(III) chemiluminescence detection

A novel high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of aromatic compounds based on the on-line photochemical degradation and subsequent tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(III) chemiluminescence detection has been developed. Chemiluminescence intensity depended upon the number of aromatic rings, UV irradiation time, and variety of substituted functional groups. One of the decomposition products of aromatic compounds by UV irradiation was identified as oxalic acid. As one application of this methodology, determination of catechins in tea has been shown. Calibration graphs, based on standard (-)-epicatechin and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate solutions, were linear over the range of 0.1-50 microM. The detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio=3) were 0.8 pmol for (-)-epigallocatechin gallate and 1.2 pmol for (-)-epicatechin. The high-performance liquid chromatography-chemiluminescence (HPLC-CL) detection method with a post-column photochemical reactor can be applied to the sensitive and selective determination of catechins in tea.     

Development of HPLC Method for Catechins and Related Compounds Determination and Standardization in Miang (Traditional Lanna Fermented Tea Leaf in Northern Thailand)

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for catechins and related compounds in Miang (traditional Lanna fermented tea leaf) was developed to overcome the matrices during the fermentation process. We investigated a variety of columns and elution conditions to determine seven catechins, namely (+)-catechin, (−)-gallocatechin, (−)-epigallocatechin, (−)-epicatechin, (−)-epigallocatechin gallate, (−)-gallocatechin gallate, (−)-epicatechin gallate, as well as gallic acid and caffeine, resulting in the development of reproducible systems for analyses that overcome sample matrices. Among the three reversed-phase columns, column C (deactivated, with extra dense bonding, double endcapped monomeric C18, high-purity silica at 3.0 mm × 250 mm and a 5 µm particle size) significantly improved the separation between Miang catechins in the presence of acid in the mobile phase within a shorter analysis time. The validation method showed effective linearity, precision, accuracy, and limits of detection and quantitation. The validated system was adequate for the qualitative and quantitative measurement of seven active catechins, including gallic acid and caffeine in Miang, during the fermentation process and standardization of Miang extracts. The latter contain catechins and related compounds that are further developed into natural active pharmaceutical ingredients (natural APIs) for cosmeceutical and nutraceutical products.     

Direct enantioseparation of catechin and epicatechin in tea drinks by 6-O-alpha-D-glucosyl-beta-cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography was applied to the enantioseparation of catechin and epicatechin using 6-O-alpha-D-glucosyl-beta-cyclodextrin together with sodium dodecyl sulfate and borate-phosphate buffer. Factors affecting chiral resolution and migration time of catechin and epicatechin were studied. The optimum running conditions were found to be 200 mM borate-20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 6.4) containing 25 mM 6-O-alpha-D-glucosyl-beta-cyclodextrin and 240 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate with an effective voltage of +25 kV at 20 degrees C using direct detection at 210 nm. Under these conditions, the resolution (Rs) of racemic catechin and epicatechin were 4.15 and 1.92, respectively. With this system, catechin and epicatechin enantiomers along with other four catechins ((-)-catechin gallate, (-)-epicatechin gallate, (-)-epigallocatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate) and caffeine in tea samples were analyzed successfully. The difference of migration time between catechin and epicatechin is discussed.     

Uniformly-sized, molecularly imprinted polymers for (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, -epicatechin gallate and -gallocatechin gallate by multi-step swelling and polymerization method

Uniformly-sized, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), -epicatechin gallate (ECg) and -gallocatechin gallate (GCg) were prepared by a multi-step swelling and polymerization method using 2-vinylpyridine as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker and cyclohexanol as a porogen. Molecular recognition abilities of the obtained MIPs were evaluated in liquid chromatography using a mixture of ethanol and water, or ethanol as the eluent. Each MIP gave the highest molecular recognition ability for the respective template molecule. In addition, (-)-EGCg and -ECg had the same configuration (2R,3R) at positions 2 and 3, and therefore resulting in high cross reactivity each other. However, (-)-GCg, which has different configuration at position 2 with (-)-EGCg and -ECg, showed low cross reactivity with them. On the other hand, those MIPs showed no molecular recognition against (-)-epigallocatechin and -epicatechin, which have no gallate group at position 3. These results indicate that the MIPs prepared can recognize configuration at position 2 and a gallate group at position 3. Furthermore, the MIP for (-)-GCg could be successfully used for isolating (-)-EGCg and -ECg from green tea extract.     

Characterization of creaming precipitate of tea catechins and caffeine in aqueous solution

The content of a crude precipitate formed by creaming, which was made from a catechin mixture and caffeine, was investigated by an integral volume of H-2 proton signals of tea catechins in the (1)H-NMR spectrum. Gallated catechins formed a crude precipitate more predominantly than non-gallated catechins. The 2,3-cis-non-gallated catechin (-)-epicatechin (EC) formed a 1?:?1 complex with caffeine, and 2,3-cis-gallated catechin (-)-epicatechin gallate (ECg) formed a 2?:?4 complex with caffeine. The π-π complexation site of EC with caffeine was only the A ring, whereas that of ECg included all aromatic rings, A, B, and B'. It was thought that the hydrophobicity of the 2?:?4 complex of ECg and caffeine was stronger than that of the 1?:?1 complex of EC and caffeine, with the result that the 2?:?4 complex of ECg and caffeine precipitated by creaming more predominantly than the 1?:?1 complex of EC and caffeine in aqueous solution.     

Full Validation of a Simple Method for Determination of Catechins and Caffeine in Brazilian Green Tea (Camellia sinensis var. assamica) Using HPLC

This paper describes the validation of an HPLC method for the assay of a green tea brew. The method employs a RP-18 column with water:methanol:ethyl acetate elution and UV detection at 280 nm. Specificity was evaluated using a photodiode array detector. The validation data showed that the assay is specific, accurate, precise, and reproducible for determination of six catechins and caffeine simultaneously. The response was linear over a range of 37–185 μg mL^?1 for caffeine, 99–500 μg mL^?1 for (?)-epigallocatechin (EGC), 20–100 μg mL^?1 for (+)-catechin (C), 30–150 μg mL^?1 for (?)-epicatechin (EC), 150–800 μg mL^?1 for (?)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), 20–105 μg mL^?1 for (?)-gallocatechin gallate (GCG) and 40–205 μg mL^?1 for (?)-epicatechin gallate (ECG) (r > 0.9999 for all compounds). The range of recoveries was 96.12–110.48% according to substances. The RSD values for intra- and inter-day precision studies were <2.07 and <6.65%, respectively. The composition of samples assayed suggests that the summer is the best season for extract a major content of EGCG and caffeine. This assay can be readily utilized as quality controlled method for major green tea compounds.     

Enzymatic esterification and phase behavior in ionic microemulsions with different alcohols

The esterification of hexanoic acid and 1-pentanol catalyzed by the lipase fromChromobacterium viscosum was studied at 298.2 K using different Winsor systems as reaction medium. The microemulsion systems consisted of brine and alkane stabilized by the anionic surfactant sodium dodecylsulphate and a short-chained alcohol. The alcohol acts both as a reactant and as a part of the reaction medium. Therefore, it is of great fundamental interest to know the phase behavior of the used microemulsion systems. Partial phase diagrams were determined and the efficiency of different alcohols on the transition from a Winsor I system to a Winsor III or a Winsor IV system with bicontinuous structure and further to a Winsor II system was investigated. The investigated alcohols were 2-methyl-1-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 1-pentanol, 2-pentanol, 3-pentanol, 2-methyl-1-pentanol, 3-methyl-1-pentanol, 4-methyl-1-pentanol, and 1-hexanol. The aqueous medium consisted of 0.5 m NaCl(aq) or a phosphate buffer (pH=7) and the organic medium of octane or 2,2,4-trimethyl pentane. A long alkyl chain of the alcohol or a branching far from the hydroxyl group gives a more efficient cosurfactant and a transition from Winsor I to Winsor III or Winsor IV at lower alcohol contents. In the Winsor III system the yield of 1-pentyl hexanoate is twice as high as the yield in the bicontinuous Winsor IV system.     

Efficient procedure for isolating methylated catechins from green tea and effective simultaneous analysis of ten catechins,three purine alkaloids,and gallic acid in tea by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection

Monomers of (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), (−)-epicatechin (EC), (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), (−)-epigallocatechin 3-O-(3-O-methyl) gallate (EGCG3″Me) and (−)-3-O-methyl epicatechin gallate (ECG3′Me) (purity, >97%) were successfully prepared from extract of green tea by two-time separation with Toyopearl HW-40S column chromatography eluted by 80% ethanol. In addition, monomers of (−)-catechin (C), (−)-gallocatechin (GC), (−)-gallocatechin gallate (GCG), and (−)-catechin gallate (CG) (purity, >98%) were prepared from EC, EGC, EGCG, and ECG by heat-epimerization and semi-preparative HPLC chromatography. With the prepared catechin standards, an effective and simultaneous HPLC method for the analysis of gallic acid, tea catechins, and purine alkaloids in tea was developed in the present study. Using an ODS-100Z C₁₈ reversed-phase column, fourteen compounds were rapidly separated within 15 min by a linear gradient elution of formic acid solution (pH 2.5) and methanol. A 2.5–7-fold reduction in HPLC analysis time was obtained from existing analytical methods (40–105 min) for gallic acid, tea catechins including O-methylated catechins and epimers of epicatechins, as well as purine alkaloids. Detection limits were generally on the order of 0.1–1.0 ng for most components at the applied wavelength of 280 nm. Method replication generally resulted in intraday and interday peak area variation of <6% for most tested components in green, Oolong, black, and pu-erh teas. Recovery rates were generally within the range of 92–106% with RSDs less than 4.39%. Therefore, advancement has been readily achievable with commonly used chromatography equipments in the present study, which will facilitate the analytical, clinical, and other studies of tea catechins.     

Effect of tea catechins on the structure of lipid membrane and beta-ray induced lipid peroxidation

Inhibiting effect of four tea catechins, (−)-epicatechin (EC), (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), on the lipid peroxidation induced by β-ray in tritiated water was examined using a spin probe method. 16-Doxylstearic acid (16NS) was incorporated into the liposome prepared from egg yolk phosphatidylcholine and the rate of the decrease of ESR intensity of 16NS was used as a measure of the inhibiting effect. In the low concentration region below 10⁻⁵M, catechins showed their inhibitions on the lipid peroxidation according to the order of ECG>EGCG>EC>EGC. This result was explained by a model that the initiator of the peroxidation is the hydroxyl radical (·OH) and the catechins adsorbed on the lipid membrane surface acting as scavengers of ·OH. In the high concentration range, however, the effect was diverse and it decreased with the increase of it in the case of EGCG. EGCG in this range was considered to enter into the interior of the membrane and break the structure, which causes the decrease of 16NS. Observation with transmission electron microscope (TEM) revealed that the size of the liposome became larger with the increasing concentration of EGCG and finally it was broken into fragments, showing that EGCG broadened the area of the liposome as expected from the result of ESR.     

Reversal of Elution Order between Enantiomers of Binaphthol on an Immobilized Polysaccharide-Based Chiral Stationary Phase

Enantioseparation of 1,1??-bi-2-naphthol (BINOL) was performed on an immobilized polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phase (CSP), Chiralpak IA, in the normal-phase mode. The effects of polar modifier in the mobile phase and column temperature on retention, enantioseparation, and elution order were investigated. An interesting reversal of elution order for BINOL was observed. When ethanol was used as a polar modifier, R-BINOL was eluted first with marginal enantioseparation. Excellent enantioseparation was obtained when ethanol was replaced by 1-propanol, and S-BINOL was eluted first, this effect being retained with 2-butanol, 1-butanol, 1-pentanol or 1-hexanol as the modifier. When isoamyl alcohol was used, reversal of elution order was again observed, i.e., R-BINOL eluted first with marginal enantioseparation, similar to the case of ethanol. When cyclohexanol and cyclopentanol were used, R-BINOL was still eluted first, but enantioseparation was as good as with 1-propanol as the modifier. This is the first report of large enantioseparation obtained in both elution orders for a given selector/selectant system. A retention model based on stoichiometric displacement theory for retention (SDT-R) was investigated to fit the chromatographic data. The reason for solvent-induced reversal of elution order was elucidated based on a derivation of the retention model. Reversal of elution order for BINOL induced by the content of isoamyl alcohol was also predicted based on the model and confirmed by experiment.     

Determination of catechins and catechin gallates in biological fluids by HPLC with coulometric array detection and solid phase extraction

Tea polyphenols are well known for their beneficial health effects that involve their anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic, anti-pathogenic and anti-oxidative properties. The main polyphenols of green tea are favan-3-ols (catechins) and their corresponding gallate compounds, which constitute about one-third of the dry weight of tea leaves. Their main ingredients are (+)-catechin (C), (−)-epicatechin (EC), (−)-gallocatechin (GC), (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (−)-catechin gallate (CG), (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), (−)-gallocatechin gallate (GCG) and (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Each has slightly different biological properties. We have developed a method to simultaneously analyze all these compounds in plasma and urine. The samples were first incubated with β-d-glucuronidase and sulfatase to release the catechin residues from their corresponding conjugates for subsequent extraction by selective solid phase column, Waters Oasis HLB extraction cartridges. The extracted molecules were resolved by reversed phase HPLC and monitored by coulometric chemical detection on a CoulArray detector. All eight catechin compounds were analyzed in a single chromatogram within 25 min. For plasma and urine analyses, good linearity (>0.9950) was validated in the range 10-2000 and 10-5000 ng/ml, respectively. The coefficients of variance (CV) were less than 5%. Absolute recovery was greater than 85% and detection limit was 5 ng/ml. The chromatogram exhibited minimal interference as a result of the highly selective solid phase extraction and CoulArray detection.     

Inhibition of gut bacterial β-glucuronidase by chemical components from black tea: Inhibition interactions and molecular mechanism

Gut bacterial β-glucuronidase is regarded as an important molecular target for several therapeutic applications. Inhibitors of β-glucuronidase can effectively alleviate the drug-induced gastrointestinal tract toxicity. In this study, the ethanol extracts of black tea was found to display significant inhibitory activities against Escherichia coli β-glucuronidase (EcGUS), and seven polyphenols including catechins and theaflavins were identified as the key components responsible for the strong inhibitory potency of black tea towards EcGUS. Among these seven identified naturally occurring inhibitors, (−)-catechin gallate (CG), theaflavin-3-monogallate (TF-3-G), theaflavin-3′-monogallate (TF-3′-G) and theaflavin-3,3′-digallate (TFDG) were more potent inhibitors of EcGUS compared with (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), (−)-gallocatechin gallate (GCG), and (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Furthermore, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation results further indicated that TFDG could bind in the cavity of EcGUS and interacted with key residues Ser360, Glu413 and Ile560 of EcGUS through hydrogen bonds. Taken together, these data offer important information for efficient development of black tea and its catechins and theaflavins constituents for treating drug-induced enteropathy.     

Rate constants for the gas phase reactions of OH with C5 through C7 aliphatic alcohols and ethers: Predicted and experimental values

Absolute rate constants were determined at 298 K for the gas phase reactions of hydroxyl radicals with several C₅ through C₇ aliphatic alcohols and ethers using the flash photolysis resonance fluorescence technique. The values obtained (in units of 10^?12 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1) were: 3-methyl-2-butanol, (12.4 ± 0.7); 2-pentanol, (11.8 ± 0.8); 3-pentanol, (12.2 ± 0.7); cyclopentanol, (10.7 ± 0.7); 1-hexanol, (12.4 ± 0.7); 2-hexanol, (12.1 ± 0.7); 1-heptanol, (13.6 ± 1.3); methyl-n-butylether, (16.4 ± 0.6); ethyl-n-butylether, (22.8 ± 0.9); ethyl-t-butylether, (8.12 ± 0.32); and methyl-t-amylether, (7.91 ± 0.42). These results are discussed in terms of group reactivities in such molecules and are compared with values estimated from an additive structure-reactivity index.