Studies towards the total synthesis of hygrocins A and B

The western segment of hygrocins A–B has been synthesized through the coupling of a chiral C5–C13 synthon with the sterically demanding hexasubstituted naphthalenic core. The C5–C13 chiral fragment has been assembled via a stereoselective Johnson orthoester rearrangement of an optically pure allylic alcohol derived from d-glucose. Our studies lay the platform for the determination of the absolute configuration of the unassigned C8-stereocenter of the title compounds in addition to the completion of the total synthesis of the unique ansamacrolides hygrocins A and B.     

Amphiphilic building blocks as head groups in linear polymers

Starting with asymmetric A,A′-carbonate couplers A1–A4 via substitution reaction with primary amines at low temperatures (0–25 °C) followed by addition reaction with primary amines at higher temperatures (60–80 °C), bis(functional) compounds with a free hydroxyl group were prepared. These compounds were used: (i) as initiators for ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone; (ii) as substrate for the preparation of an ATRP initiator for MMA polymerization; (iii) as substrate for the preparation of an activated carbonate for grafting of an amine end-functionalized linear polymer (Jeffamine® M1000). Via modifications (i)–(iii), amphiphilic end-functionalized poly(ε-caprolactone)s, poly(methyl methacrylate)s, and polyethers were prepared, respectively.     

A nonelectrolyte local composition model and its application in the correlation of the mean activity coefficient of aqueous electrolyte solutions

The local composition models have been widely used for the correlation of activity coefficient of nonelectrolyte and electrolyte solutions. A new equation for the excess Gibbs energy function is developed based on the local composition expression of Wilson and the random reference state. This new function, the nonelectrolyte Wilson nonrandom factor (N-Wilson-NRF) model, is presented in the form of a molecular framework so that it can be used for both nonelectrolyte and electrolyte solutions. Without any particular assumptions for ionic solutions, the new function is used to described the short-range contribution of the excess Gibbs energy of electrolyte solutions. The long-range contribution is represented by Pitzer–Debye–Hückel model. With two adjustable parameters per electrolyte, the new model is applied to correlate the mean activity coefficients of more than 150 binary aqueous electrolyte solutions at 25 °C. The results are compared with various local composition models such as the electrolyte-NRTL, electrolyte NRF-Wilson and electrolyte-NRTL-NRF models. The comparison of the results with experiment demonstrates that the new model can correlate the experimental data accurately. Moreover, the model shows high precision of predictability for the osmotic coefficient of binary electrolyte solutions.     

A biomimetic cascade for the formation of the methyl [2(5H)-furanylidene]ethanoate core of spongosoritin A and the gracilioethers

The polyketide secondary metabolites spongosoritin A and gracilioethers A–C contain a unique methyl [2(5H)-furanylidene]ethanoate core. A synthetic model of a suspected biosynthetic intermediate to these natural products was constructed in seven steps and 48% overall yield. This model undergoes a facile cyclisation/double dehydration cascade to give the desired furanylidene motif, with the required (2Z) isomer obtained in >90 dr when an ethyl substituent is located at C3′ of the furanylidene.     

Mechanochemical synthesis and physical–chemical properties of carbon–fluorocarbon nanocomposition materials. A review

There are the described novel class of porous carbon–fluorocarbon nanocomposition materials “C–CF_1+x”, prepared via the mechanochemical activation (MA) in the heterogeneous mixed systems “nano-C–nano-CF_1+x”, having an atomic ratio C:F as 1.14–4.0. As nano-C it was used thermally expanded graphite TEG and mesoporous carbon material NUMS (free porosity 45–95% and specific area 25–400 m²/g). As nano-CF_1+x these were used a superstoichiometric fluorocarbons FS and FT (CF_1.18–1.25) having the coherent diffraction area (CDA) ∼20–25 Å, free porosity 60–70%, sum O + H₂O in mixtures ∼0.1–0.5 wt.%, and metals sum <0.01 wt.%.Prepared nanocomposites “C–CF_1+x” were studied by FTIR, Raman, XPS C1s, O1s, F1s, X-ray diffraction and by chemical C, H, F-analyses. It was shown, that decrease of weight in systems “C–CF_1+x” does not exceed 0.5 wt.% and stated two main features of the temporary dynamics in changes for all MA-products. These are monotonous changes in bulk properties, such as decrease of C-nanophase relative amounts, confirmed with XRD. Simultaneously, a decrease of sp³-C–F and sp³-CF₂-groups at 1200 and 1320 cm⁻¹ and an origination of sp³-C–F-groups at 1080–1120 cm⁻¹, typical for C₂F-like structures are observed. Decrease of specific surface is corresponding to decrease in CDA sizes and dencity for all MA-products.O-containing admixtures in starting materials have a key influence to interactions in nano-“C–CF_1+x” systems during MA-processing, despite to their low content. The main O-contained participant is H₂O and it is interaction with sp³-C–F–bonds is leading to primary hydrolytic substitution of F onto OH with the origin of surface sp³-C–OH-bonds and their subsequent transformations into edged sp²>CO or/and into ester bridges C–O–C among basal and edged nano-C and nano-fluorocarbon blocks. The presence of basal sp³-C–OH and edged sp²>CO (sp²>COOH)-groups is confirmed by FTIR and XPS C1s and O1s spectra for all MA-nanocomposites in “C–CF_1+x” systems. Changes in the surface properties of prepared MA-“C–CF_1+x” nanocomposites are corresponded to the origin of extrema in properties for MA-time 6–10 min, such as content of surface C-nanophases and surface F with the simultaneous appearance of extrema in the specific electro conductivities and capacitances. The nature of observed phenomena is explained by the origin of chemical carbon nanosized contacts on particle surface and it is possible to use for practical applications. The main difference among MA-“C–CF_1+x” nanocomposites is that the “FS–TEG” systems are dominated by sp²-C–sp³-C–F electroconductive bridges, whereas in “NUMS–FT” systems the character of conductivity is determined by contribution of ester bridges C–O–C.     

On the Stark broadening in the Au I and Au II spectra from a helium plasma

The Stark FWHM (Full-Width at Half of the Maximal line intensity, W) of 5 neutral and 26 singly ionized gold (Au I and Au II, respectively) spectral lines have been measured in laboratory helium plasma at approximately 16,600 K electron temperature and 7.4 × 10²² m^− 3 electron density. Five Au I and ten Au II W values are reported for the first time. The Au II W values are compared with recent theoretical data, calculated based on a modified semi-empirical approach, and also with existing experimental W values. Our normalized Stark widths are six times higher than those measured in a laser-produced plasma. Possible explanation of this is recommended here. An agreement (within the accuracy of the experiment and uncertainties of the theoretical approach used) with the recently calculated W data was found in the 6p–7s Au II transition. The calculated hyperfine splitting for the five Au II lines in the 6s–6p transition is also presented. At the stated helium plasma conditions, Stark broadening has been found to be the dominant mechanism in the Au I and Au II line shape formation. A modified version of the linear low-pressure pulsed arc was used as a plasma source operated in helium, with gold atoms as impurities evaporated from the thin gold cylindrical plates located in the homogeneous part of the discharge, providing conditions free of self-absorption. This plasma source ensures good conditions for generation of excited gold ions due to Penning and charge exchange effects.     

A mild oxidation of deactivated naphthalenes and anthracenes to corresponding para-quinones by N-bromosuccinimide

A new method to synthesize 1,4-naphthoquinone and 9,10-anthraquinone from naphthalene and anthracene functionalized with either –CHO or –COOH groups, using N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) in aqueous N,N-dimethylformamide at 75–80 °C, has been developed. Further, –CN and –CONH₂ functionalized naphthalenes and anthracenes can also be transformed into respective para-quinones in a one pot reaction, after successive acid hydrolysis and subsequent reaction with NBS. We believe that the present finding may serve as a valuable alternative to the classical approaches for the synthesis of polycyclic quinones from polyaromatic carbaldehydes through Dakin oxidation followed by further oxidation of the resulting hydroquinone by heavy metal oxides.     

A rapid and reliable direct method for quantifying meat acylglycerides with monomode microwave irradiation

A rapid methodology for direct analysis of meat acylglycerides is proposed. A transesterification is carried out in a microwave reactor consisting of a monomode oven using chlorotrimethylsilane (CTMS) and methanol. High-temperature gas chromatography was used to check the absence of underivatized acylglycerides. Whereas transesterification is complete after 30 s at 90 °C in the microwave method, the reference method needs 2 h to complete this process. Moreover, the CTMS–microwave method shows higher recoveries of individual saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. No influence of microwave irradiation on the composition of the fatty acids was observed.     

A highly sensitive and selective immunoassay for the detection of tetrabromobisphenol A in soil and sediment

Tetrabromobisphenol A is the most widely used brominated flame retardant. A sensitive and selective enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of tetrabromobisphenol A was developed. The limit of detection and the inhibition half-maximum concentration of tetrabromobisphenol A in phosphate buffered saline with 10% methanol were 0.05 and 0.87 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. Cross-reactivity values of the ELISA with a set of important brominated flame retardants including tetrabromobisphenol A-bis(2,3-dibromopropylether), 2,2′,6,6′-tetrabromobisphenol A diallyl ether, hexabromocyclododecane, 1,2-bis(pentabromodiphenyl) ethane, 1,2-bis(2,4,6 tribromophenoxy) ethane, bis(2-ethylhexyl)-3,4,5,6-tetrabromophthalate, 2-ethylhexyl-2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers were <0.05%. Concentrations of tetrabromobisphenol A determined by ELISA in the soils from farmlands, the soils from an e-waste recycling site, and the sediments of a canal were in the range of non-detectable–5.6 ng g⁻¹, 26–104 ng g⁻¹ and 0.3–22 ng g⁻¹ dw, respectively, indicating the ubiquitous pollution of tetrabromobisphenol A. The results of this assay for 16 real world samples agreed well with those of the liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method, indicating this ELISA is suitable for screening of tetrabromobisphenol A in environmental matrices.     

Modeling solubility of acid gases in alkanolamines using the nonelectrolyte Wilson-nonrandom factor model

The nonelectrolyte Wilson-nonrandom factor local composition model (N-Wilson-NRF) by Haghtalab and Mazloumi is applied for modeling the vapor–liquid equilibrium of the acid gases (CO₂ and H₂S)–alkanolamine–water systems. The model is used to calculate the nonideality of species in liquid phase through the activity coefficient equations. In this work, we use the N-Wilson-NRF model for short-range forces in the aqueous electrolyte system of alkanolamines by using the concept of ion-pair. For the long-range interaction the Pitzer–Debye–Hückel theory is applied. The model is used to correlation of the solubility data of CO₂ and H₂S in aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) and 2-amino-2methyl-1-propanol (AMP) systems over wide range of temperature (0–140 °C), partial pressure (0.001–1000 kPa) and acid gases loading (0.001–1.0 mol gas/mol amine). To show the predictability of the model, the interaction parameters without any additional adjustable parameters are used to predict the solubility of CO₂ in aqueous AMP solution at different conditions. The results of the model show a very good agreement with the experimental data.     

A potential tool for high-resolution monitoring of ocean acidification

Current anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions generate besides global warming unprecedented acidification rates of the oceans. Recent evidence indicates the possibility that ocean acidification and low oceanic pH may be a major reason for several mass extinctions in the past. However, a major bottleneck for research on ocean acidification is long-term monitoring and the collection of consistent high-resolution pH measurements. This study presents a low-power (<1 W) small sample volume (25 μL) semiconductor based fluorescence method for real-time ship-board pH measurements at high temporal and spatial resolution (approximately 15 s and 100 m between samples). A 405 nm light emitting diode and the blue and green channels from a digital camera was used for swift detection of fluorescence from the pH sensitive dye 6,8-Dihydroxypyrene-1,3-disulfonic acid in real-time. Main principles were demonstrated by automated continuous measurements of pH in the surface water across the Baltic Sea and the Kattegat region with a large range in salinity (∼3–30) and temperature (∼0–25 °C). Ship-board precision of salinity and temperature adjusted pH measurements were estimated as low as 0.0001 pH units.     

A rapid ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography for the simultaneous determination of seven benzodiazepines in human plasma samples

A simple and efficient ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (UA-DLLME) method has been developed for the determination of seven benzodiazepines (alprazolam, bromazepam, clonazepam, diazepam, lorazepam, lormetazepam and tetrazepam) in human plasma samples. Chloroform and methanol were used as extractant and disperser solvents, respectively. The influence of several variables (e.g., type and volume of dispersant and extraction solvents, pH, ultrasonic time and ionic strength) was carefully evaluated and optimized, using an asymmetric screening design 3²4²//16. Analysis of extracts was performed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection (UPLC-PDA). Under the optimum conditions, two reversed-phases, Shield RP18 and C18 columns were successfully tested, obtaining good linearity in a range of 0.01–5 μg mL⁻¹, with correlation coefficients r > 0.996. Quantification limits ranged between 4.3–13.2 ng mL⁻¹ and 4.0–14.8 ng mL⁻¹, were obtained for C18 and Shield RP18 columns, respectively. The optimized method exhibited a good precision level, with relative standard deviation values lower than 8%. The recoveries studied at two spiked levels, ranged from 71 to 102% for all considered compounds. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of seven benzodiazepines in real human plasma samples.     

A highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for simultaneous determination of hydroquinone and bisphenol A based on the ultrafine Pd nanoparticle@TiO2 functionalized SiC

A titanium dioxide–silicon carbide nanohybrid (TiO₂–SiC) with enhanced electrochemical performance was successfully prepared through a facile generic in situ growth strategy. Monodispersed ultrafine palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) with a uniform size of ∼2.3 nm were successfully obtained on the TiO₂–SiC surface via a chemical reduction method. The Pd-loaded TiO₂–SiC nanohybrid (Pd@TiO₂–SiC) was characterized by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry. A method for the simultaneous electrochemical determination of hydroquinone (HQ) and bisphenol A (BPA) using a Pd@TiO₂–SiC nanocomposite-modified glassy carbon electrode was established. Utilizing the favorable properties of Pd NPs, the Pd@TiO₂–SiC nanohybrid-modified glassy carbon electrode exhibited electrochemical performance superior to those of TiO₂–SiC and SiC. Differential pulse voltammetry was successfully used to simultaneously quantify HQ and BPA within the concentration range of 0.01–200 μM under optimal conditions. The detection limits (S/N = 3) of the Pd@TiO₂–SiC nanohybrid electrode for HQ and BPA were 5.5 and 4.3 nM, respectively. The selectivity of the electrochemical sensor was improved by introducing 10% ethanol to the buffer medium. The practical application of the modified electrode was demonstrated by the simultaneous detection of HQ and BPA in tap water and wastewater samples. The simple and straightforward strategy presented in this paper are important for the facile fabrication of ultrafine metal NPs@metal oxide–SiC hybrids with high electrochemical performance and catalytic activity.     

A sheath flow gating interface for the on-line coupling of solid-phase extraction with capillary electrophoresis

A sheath flow gating interface (SFGI) is presented for the on-line coupling of solid-phase extraction (SPE) with capillary electrophoresis (CE). The design, construction and operation of the SFGI are described in detail. After operating conditions were investigated and selected, the SFGI was evaluated on a SPE–CE–UV setup using hydroxylated poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) monolith as the absorbent and using three phenols as the test analytes. The preconcentration factors obtained with the SPE–CE–UV system and the SPE–UV part are 530 and 550, respectively. The plate numbers obtained using the SPE–CE–UV system are slightly better than or comparable to those with the CE–UV part. The precisions (RSDs) of 100 consecutive injections are 2.43%, 3.86%, and 4.25% for peak height, peak area and migration time, respectively. The measured recoveries for the river water samples spiked at three different levels are in the range of 93.6–102.8% with the interday RSD values ranging from 2.0 to 4.5% (n = 3). These data collectively demonstrate that the SFGI has the ability to exactly and reproducibly transfer nanoliters of fractions from SPE onto CE with no degradation of the efficiencies of SPE and CE, suggesting a great potential to be routinely used for the coupling of SPE, microcolumn LC or FIA with CE.     

A new interface for coupling solid phase microextraction with liquid chromatography

A modified Rheodyne 7520 microsample injector was used as a new solid phase microextraction (SPME)–liquid chromatography (LC) interface. The modification was focused on the construction of a new sample rotor, which was built by gluing two sample rotors together. The new sample rotor was further reinforced with 3 pieces of stainless steel tubing. The enlarged central flow passage in the new sample rotor was used as a desorption chamber. SPME fiber desorption occurred in static mode. But all desorption solvent in the desorption chamber was injected into LC system with the interface. The analytical performance of the interface was evaluated by SPME–LC analysis of PAHs in water. At least 90% polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were desorbed from a polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/C18 bonded fuse silica fiber in 30 s. And injection was completed in 20 s. About 10–20% total carryovers were found on the fiber and in the interface. The carryover in the interface was eliminated by flushing the desorption chamber with acetonitrile at 1 mL min⁻¹ for 2 min. The repeatability of the method was from 2% to 8%. The limit of detection (LOD) was in the mid pg mL⁻¹ range. The linear ranges were from 0.1 to 100 ng mL⁻¹. The new SPME–LC interface was reliable for coupling SPME with LC for both qualitative and quantitative analysis.     

Pervaporation dehydration of alcohol–water mixtures: Optimization for permeate flux and selectivity by central composite rotatable design

A central composite rotatable design (CCRD) of response surface methodology was used to analyze pervaporation performance of homogeneous poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes. A regression model was developed for the pervaporation flux and selectivity as a function of the operating conditions: temperature, concentration and flow-rate. Dehydration experiments were performed on two different alcohol–water systems: isopropanol–water (IPA–water) and ethanol–water (Et–water) mixtures around their azeotropic concentrations. Based on preliminary experiments and CCRD design, the ranges of values of the operating conditions were selected: temperature 33–67 °C, feed flow-rate 46–114 L/h, and concentration 83–92 wt% for IPA and 93–98 wt% for Et in feed mixtures. A total of 20 pervaporation experiments were conducted for each alcohol–water system. Judged by the lack-of-fit criterion, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed the regression model to be adequate. From the regression analysis, the flux and selectivity were expressed with quadratic equations of temperature, feed concentration and flow-rate. The predicted flux and selectivity from the regression model were presented in 3D surface plots. For both alcohol–water systems, quadratic terms of temperature and feed alcohol concentration showed significant (p < 0.0001) influence on the flux and selectivity. A strong interaction effect of temperature and concentration was observed on the selectivity for the Et–water system. However, the interaction of flow-rate with temperature or concentration was found to be less significant. In order to optimize the pervaporation flux and selectivity of azeotropic alcohol–water mixtures, the desirability function approach was applied to analyze the regression model equations by commercial software. For the azeotropic IPA–water mixture (87.5 wt% IPA), the optimized dehydration variables were found to be 50.5 °C and 93.7 L/h for temperature and flow-rate, respectively. For the azeotropic Et–water mixture (95.5 wt% Et), the optimized temperature and flow-rate were found to be 57 °C and 89.2 L/h, respectively. Compared with experiments performed at optimized temperature and flow-rate, the predicted flux and selectivity of the azeotropic mixtures showed errors to be within 3–6%.     

Cross-linking kinetics study and high temperature mechanical properties of ethylene–octene copolymer (EOC)/dicumylperoxide(DCP) system

Ethylene–octene copolymer (EOC) was cross-linked by dicumyl peroxide (DCP) at various temperatures (150–200 °C). Six concentrations of DCP in range 0.2–0.7 wt.% were investigated. Cross-linking was studied by rubber process analyzer (RPA). From RPA data analysis real part modulus s′, tan(delta) and reaction rate constant K were investigated as a function of peroxide content and temperature. The highest s′_max and the lowest tan(delta) were found for 0.7% of DCP at 150 °C. The quantitative analysis confirmed that the DCP–EOC cross-linking was occurring as first order reaction. The highest cross-linking kinetics constant K was found for 0.6% of peroxide at 200 °C. The activation energy of cross-linking E_A obtained by Arrhenius plot had maximum at 0.5–0.6% of peroxide. While at 190–200 °C temperature range there was no detectable degradation for 0.2% of peroxide, for 0.4–0.7% of peroxide there was increasing level of degradation with increasing peroxide content. Generally, at low temperatures (150–180 °C) the increasing peroxide content caused increase in cross-linking kinetics. However at higher temperatures (190–200 °C) increase in kinetics (for 0.2–0.5% of peroxide) was followed by decrease. Especially in 0.6–0.7% peroxide level range the cross-linking is in competition with degradation which lowers the overall cross-linking kinetics. Gel content of the cross-linked EOC samples was found to be increasing with increase in peroxide content, which is caused by the increased cross-link network. Cross-linked samples were subjected to creep studies at elevated temperature (150 °C) and the result was found in agreement with the gel content and RPA results. Storage modulus and tan(delta) values obtained by Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) also support the RPA results.     

A practical enantioselective total synthesis of (−)-(S)-stepholidine

A convergent enantioselective total synthesis of (−)-(S)-stepholidine, a drug candidate for the treatment of schizophrenia and/or drug abuse, was described, which represented the first example of successful auxiliary-assisted Bischler–Napieralski cyclization of amide bearing bromine atom at 2-position of the C ring, followed by an introduction of the aryl methyl ester via Br–Li exchange. (−)-(S)-Stepholidine was synthesized in 6 steps, with 52% overall yield and >99% ee. The reported synthesis is practically free from chromatographic separation.     

Phase equilibrium and intermediate phases in the Eu–Sb system

Rapid heating rate thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, fluorescence spectrometry, and differential dissolution method were used to study the high-temperature phase equilibrium in the Eu–Sb system within the composition range between 37 and 96 at% Sb. The techniques were effective in determination of the vapor–solid–liquid equilibrium since intermediate phases except Eu₄Sb₃ evaporated incongruently after melting. A thermal procedure was developed to determine the liquidus and solidus lines of the T−x diagram. Six stable phases were identified: two phases, EuSb₂ and Eu₄Sb₃, melt congruently at 1045±10 °C and 1600±15 °C, the Eu₂Sb₃, Eu₁₁Sb₁₀, Eu₅Sb₄, and Eu₅Sb₃ phases melt incongruently at 850±8 °C, 950±10 °C, 1350±15 °C, and 1445±15 °C, respectively. The exact composition shifting of Sb-rich decomposable phases towards Eu₄Sb₃, the most refractory compound, was determined. The topology of the Eu–Sb phase diagram was considered together with that of the Yb–Sb system.     

Metal-free carbon–carbon cross-couplings between the ion pairs in sulfonium tetraphenylborates

A series of sulfonium tetraphenylborates can be readily prepared by the metathesis of sulfonium halides with sodium tetraphenylborates. After heating at 120–150 °C, the sulfonium tetraphenylborates can smoothly undergo the cross-couplings between the tetraphenylborate anions and the sulfonium cations in the absence of a metal catalyst. For carbonylmethyl-, benzyl-, and allylsulfoniums, the corresponding carbonylmethyl–phenyl, benzyl–phenyl, and allyl–phenyl cross-coupling products can be obtained in 22–76% yields. An interionic electron-transfer mechanism for this cross-coupling reaction is proposed.