Determination of the interconversion energy barrier of 2,3-pentadienedioic acid enantiomers by HPLC. 2. On-column interconversion

In this paper, an HPLC method is used to determine the enantiomerization barrier of 2,3-pentadienedioic acid enantiomers. The racemate of 2,3-pentadienedioic acid was separated by HPLC on a chiral CHIROBIOTIC T column with a 90:10 (100:0.5:0.5 MeOH/HOAc/TEA)/H2O mobile phase. Peak areas of enantiomers prior to (A(+)0, A(-)0) and after the separation (A(+), A(-)), were used for calculation of the rate constants and the enantiomerization barrier, as determined by computer-assisted peak deconvolution of the peak clusters on the chromatograms. The kinetic equation for irreversible reactions was used to determine the apparent enantiomerization rate constants and the interconversion energy barrier. The dependence of the apparent enantiomerization barrier (deltaG1(app), deltaG-1(app)) on temperature was used to determine the apparent activation enthalpy (deltaH1(app), deltaH(-1)app) and entropy (deltaS1(app), deltaS-1(app)) for the interconversion of 2,3-pentadienedioic acid enantiomers, where the coefficients 1 and -1 designate the interconversions (+) --> (-) and (-) --> (+), respectively.     

A modified HPLC method for the determination of ochratoxin A by fluorescence detection

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method (HPLC) with fluorescent detector is described for the determination of ochratoxin A (OTA). A mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile:water:acetic acid (99:99:2, v/v/v) was used for the resolution of the compound on a C(18) Hypersil column. The retention time for OTA and diflunisal which was used as an internal standard (IS) were 11.7 and 12.8 min, respectively. The method is selective, reliable, reproducable with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.70 and linear in the range of 2.5 x 10(-9)-1.5 x 10(-8) M OTA. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 2.5 x 10(-10) M corresponding to 0.1 ng mL(-1) and 8.2 x 10(-10) corresponding to 3.3 ng mL(-1), respectively. Recovery studies were 81.2 +/- 1.9 (SD). The method was applied for analysis of OTA in wheat, corn, red pepper, cheese and wine. The proposed method can be used for the routine analysis of OTA in food and animal feed.     

A gradient HPLC test procedure for the determination of impurities and the synthetic precursors in 2-[4-(1-hydroxy-4-[4-(hydroxydiphenylmethyl)-1-piperidinyl]-butyl)-phenyl]-2-methylpropionic acid

A gradient high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) test procedure is developed and evaluated for its ability to establish the levels of impurities and remaining synthetic precursors in 2-[4-(1-hydroxy-4-[4-(hydroxydiphenylmethyl)-1-piperidinyl]-butyl)-phenyl]-2-methylpropionic acid. A gradient program with a mobile phase of 0.02 M sodium phosphate buffer and 0.004 M sodium perchlorate in acetonitrile-water (approximately pH 2.5) is used with a Spherisorb C6 column. The acetonitrile composition is increased linearly from 40% to 65% over a 45-min period and held at 65% for 20 min. UV detection at 210 nm is used to quantitate all components. The procedure is validated for accuracy using spiked levels (0.1% to 1.5%, w/w) with two suspected impurities, the synthetic precursors. A multiday repeatability study using two different Spherisorb C6 columns and HPLC systems shows consistent impurity quantitation results with one production lot of the bulk compound.     

Co2+-selective membrane electrode based on the Schiff Base NADS

A new PVC membrane electrode for cobalt(II) ions based on a recently synthesized Schiff base of 5-((4-nitrophenyl)azo)- N-(2',4'-dimethoxyphenyl)salicylaldimine is reported. The electrode exhibits a Nernstian response for Co(2+) ions over a wide concentration range (9.0 x 10(-7)-1.0 x 10(-2) M) with a slope of 29(+/-1). The limit of detection is 8.0 x 10(-7) M. The proposed sensor revealed good selectivities over a wide variety of other cations including hard and soft metals. This electrode could be used in a pH range of 3.5-6.0. It was used as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titrations of cobalt(II) ions and can be used in the direct determination of Co(2+) in aqueous solutions.     

Stir bar sorptive extraction and thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for trace analysis of triclosan in water sample

A simple and highly sensitive method called stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) and thermal desorption (TD)-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which is used for the determination of trace amounts of 5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol (triclosan) in river water samples, is described. A stir bar coated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is added to a 10mL water sample and stirring is carried out for 120min at room temperature (25 degrees C) in a vial. Then, the PDMS stir bar is subjected to TD-GC-MS. The detection limit of triclosan is 5ngL(-1) (ppt). The method shows linearity over the calibration range (0.02-20mugL(-1)) and the correlation coefficient is higher than 0.997 for triclosan standard solution. The recovery of triclosan in river water samples ranges from 91.9 to 108.3% (RSD: 4.0-7.0%). This simple, accurate, sensitive, and selective analytical method may be used in the determination of trace amounts of triclosan in river water samples.     

Ab initio calculations on low-lying electronic states of SbO2- and Franck-Condon simulation of its photodetachment spectrum

Geometry optimization and harmonic vibrational frequency calculations have been carried out on the low-lying singlet and triplet electronic states of the antimony dioxide anion (SbO2-) employing a variety of ab initio methods. Both large-core and small-core relativistic effective core potentials were used for Sb in these calculations, together with valence basis sets of up to augmented correlation-consistent polarized-valence quintuple-zeta (aug-cc-pV5Z) quality. The ground electronic state of SbO2- is determined to be the X (1)A1 state, with the a (3)B1 state, calculated to be approximately 48 kcal mole(-1) (2.1 eV) higher in energy. Further calculations were performed on the X (2)A1, A (2)B2, and B (2)A2 states of SbO2 with the aim to simulating the photodetachment spectrum of SbO(2) (-). Potential energy functions (PEFs) of the X (1)A1 state of SbO2- and the X (2)A1, A (2)B2, and B (2)A2 states of SbO2 were computed at the complete-active-space self-consistent-field multireference internally contracted configuration interaction level with basis sets of augmented correlation-consistent polarized valence quadruple-zeta quality. Anharmonic vibrational wave functions obtained from these PEFs were used to compute Franck-Condon factors between the X (1)A1 state of SbO2- and the X (2)A1, A (2)B2, and B (2)A2 states of SbO2, which were then used to simulate the photodetachment spectrum of SbO2-, which is yet to be recorded experimentally.     

Synthesis of n,n′-biquinolines by a coupling reaction of bromoquinolines using organonickel(0) complexes

Tris(triphenylphosphine)nickel(0) (A) and a zerovalent pyridine–nickel complex (B) have been used as reagents for the coupling reaction of 3-, 6- and 8-bromoquinolines: 3,3′-, 6-6′- and 8,8′- Biquinolines were obtained in quantitative yields when A was used as the coupling reagent. B gave always a mixture of the n,n′ -biquinoline and substitution products. A mechanism can be outlined to explain the coupling reaction of bromoquinolines using zerovalent nickel complexes.     

Highly sensitive laser fluorimetry of europium(III) with1,1,1-trifluoro-4-(2-thienyl)-2,4-butanedione

The detection limit for tris(1,1,1-trifluoro-4-(2-thienyl)-2,4-butanediono)-europium(III) is established as 2 pg l^-1. A highly sensitive fluorimetric system consisting of a nitrogen laser and a pulse-gated photon counter is used.     

Aluminium(III)-selective electrode based on a newly synthesized tetradentate Schiff base

A PVC membrane electrode for aluminium ion based on bis(5-phenyl azo salicylaldehyde) 2,3-naphthalene diimine (5PHAZOSALNPHN) as an ion carrier was developed. The electrode exhibits a Nernstian slope of 19.3+/-0.8 mV per decade and a linear range of 5.0x10(-6)-1.0x10(-2) M for Al(NO(3))(3). The limit of detection is 2.5x10(-6) M. It has a fast response time of about 10 s and can be used for at least 10 weeks without observing any deviation. The proposed membrane sensor revealed good selectivity for Al(3+) over a wide variety of other metal ions and could be used in pH range of 2.9-5.0. It was used as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of aluminium ion.     

Simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of La, Ho, Mn 5-Br-PADAP complexes using multivariate calibration with partial least-squares (PLS) data evaluation

A simple and fast analytical pocedure is proposed for the simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of lanthanum, holmium and manganese in synthetic ceramics, (La(0.8-x) Hox Sr0.2 MnO3), by using the partial least-squares (PLS) method. As chromogenic agent 5-Br-PADAP [2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol] was used, which form colored complexes with the three elements studied. To avoid metal hydrolysis, a mixture of ethanol and Triton X-100 at pH 9.5 was used for all experiments. A set of 17 calibration solutions measured throughout the 400-700 nm wavelength range was used in the calibration step. The concentration range for Mn(II) was 1-12 x 10(-6) mol L-1, while the range for the rare earth elements La(III) and Ho(III) was 2-8 x 10(-6) mol L-1. In order to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method, a set of artificial samples containing the three analytes in variable proportions was prepared and analyzed. The analytical results obtained were quite acceptable with relative errors not greater than 7% in most cases.     

Spectrophotometric determination of silver with cadion 2B and triton X-100

A highly sensitive and selective procedure for spectrophotometric determination of silver has been developed. At pH 9.2, in the presence of Triton X-100, silver forms a dark red-violet complex with cadion 2B which has an absorption maximum at 565 nm. The molar absorptivity is 1.0 x 10(5) l.mole(-1).cm(-1). Beer's law is obeyed for silver in the range 0.02-0.8 mug ml . The colour reaction, if EDTA is used as a masking agent, is free from interference by the 20 cations and 19 anions investigated. Only Cl(-), Br(-), I(-), S(2-) and CN(-) interfere and must be absent. This method has been used to determine silver in waste-water.     

Chromium(III) ion-selective electrode based on 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene

A PVC-based membrane of 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene reveals a Nernstian potentiometric response (with slope of 19.5+/-0.6 mV/decade and a correlation coefficient of 0.999) for Cr(III) over a wide concentration range (1.66 x 10(-6)-1.0 x10(-2) mol dm(-3)). The potential of this electrode is independent of pH in the range of 3.0-5.5. It has a fast response time of about 10 s and was used for a period of 3 months with good reproducibility. The detection limits of this membrane electrode was 8 x 10(-7) M. the proposed electrode has been used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of Cr(III) with EDTA. This sensor exhibits a very good selectivities for Cr(III) over a wide variety of metal ions.     

Electron spin resonance for quantitative assay of chlorpromazine in drug formulations by oxidation with cerium(IV) in sulfuric acid media

For the first time electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopic technique has been used for a highly selective determination of chlorpromazine. The method is based on the oxidation reaction of chlorpromazine with cerium(IV) in sulfuric acid media. In this method 3.8x10(-3) mol dm(-3) cerium(IV) was used in 0.035 mol dm(-3) sulfuric acid with the ESR spectra recorded at room temperature. A calibration equation of the following form was obtained over the linear concentration range of 10-100 ppm with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.999: A=1.355+0.0382C. The results obtained by the ESR method were found to be comparable with those obtained by the British Pharmacopoeia (BP) method. The method suffers no interferences excipients rendering the method suitable for determination of this drug in pharmaceutical preparations.     

Lead(II)-selective electrode based on phenyl disulfide.

A PVC membrane electrode for lead ions based on phenyl disulfide as the membrane carrier was developed. The electrode exhibits a good Nernstian slope of 29.3 +/- 0.7 mV/decade and a linear range of 2.0 x 10(-6)-1.0 x 10(-2) M for Pb(NO3)2. The limit of detection is 1.2 x 10(-6) M. It has a response time of 45 s and can be used for at least fifty days without any divergence in potential. The proposed membrane sensor revealed high selectivity for Pb2+ over a wide variety of other metal ions and could be used in the pH range of 3.5-6.3. The electrode was used as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of lead ions.     

Separation of gallium and indium from ores matrix by sorption on Amberlite XAD-2 coated with PAN

A chelating sorbent obtained by adsorption of 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) on Amberlite XAD-2 was used for the preconcentration of Ga and In. The analytical characteristics of the chelating sorbent were investigated and optimun sorption conditions for these metals under dynamic conditions were established. A peristaltic pump is used to adjust the flow rate of the solution. Elements are collected from the column by using a mixture adjusted to a pH range of 4-7 and 6-12 by ammonia or ammonium chloride for Ga and In, respectively. The procedure developed was applied to the analysis of different ores.     

A novel water-soluble fluorescent probe for the determination of methylamine

A novel water-soluble fluorescent probe, monosodium 7-(4,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazinylamino)-1,3-naphthalenedisulfonic acid (DTND), was synthesized by reacting cyanuric chloride with 7-amino-1,3-naphthalenedisulfonic acid monopotassium salt at 0-5 degrees C. This new reagent was used for the determination of methylamine. The linear range is 3x10(-6)-2x10(-4) mol L(-1) with a detection limit (S/N=3) of 7.2x10(-8) mol L(-1), and the relative S.D. is 1.3% for ten replicate determinations of 1x10(-5) mol L(-1) CH3NH2. Common species in the aqueous environment have no or only slight influence on the determination. The method can be used to determine methylamine in real water samples.     

Vanillin-condensed tannin study using flow injection spectrophotometry

Studies involving the kinetic reaction between vanillin and condensed tannins were developed using a flow injection system with spectrophotometric determination. A solution of the monomeric compound (-)-epicatechin was used as the analytical standard. This compound was chosen due to its structure, which is similar to a polymeric unit of the condensed tannin present in plants. The results indicated that the vanillin-condensed tannin reaction is time dependent and affected by the degree of polymerization of the condensed tannin. The flow system allowed (-)-epicatechin to be used without overestimating the content of the tannin present in the forage legume, guandu (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.), studied. A relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of <1% was found for a 4 h period work and allowed the determination of about 60 samples h(-1) with a detection limit of 1.05 mg l(-1) for condensed tannin. When compared to the manual vanillin procedure, the proposed approach can be used with various advantages.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of cocaine binding with human butyrylcholinesterase and its mutants

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out to study cocaine binding with wild-type human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and its mutants based on a recently reported X-ray crystal structure of human BChE. For each BChE-cocaine system, we simulated both the nonprereactive and prereactive complexes in water. Despite the significant difference found at the acyl binding pocket, the simulated structures confirm the fundamental structural and mechanistic insights obtained from earlier computational studies of wild-type BChE with cocaine based on a homology model, e.g. the rate-determining step for BChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of biologically active (-)-cocaine is the (-)-cocaine rotation in the active site from the nonprereactive BChE-(-)-cocaine complex to the prereactive complex. It has been demonstrated that the MD simulations on both the nonprereactive and prereactive BChE-cocaine complexes can clearly reveal whether specific mutations produce the desired BChE-(-)-cocaine binding structures in which the (-)-cocaine rotation is less hindered while the required prereactive BChE-(-)-cocaine binding is maintained. Based on the MD simulations, both A328W/Y332A and A328W/Y332G BChE's are expected to have catalytic activity for (-)-cocaine hydrolysis higher than that of wild-type BChE and the activity of A328W/Y332G BChE should be slightly higher than that of A328W/Y332A BChE due to the less-hindered (-)-cocaine rotation in the mutant BChE's. However, the less-hindered (-)-cocaine rotation is only a necessary condition for a higher activity mutant BChE. The (-)-cocaine rotation is also less hindered in A328W/Y332A/Y419S BChE, but (-)-cocaine binds with A328W/Y332A/Y419S BChE in a way that is not suitable for the catalysis. Thus, A328W/Y332A/Y419S BChE is expected to lose the catalytic activity. The computational predictions were confirmed by our experimental kinetic data, demonstrating that the MD simulation-based computational protocol used in this study is reliable in prediction of the catalytic activity of BChE mutants for (-)-cocaine hydrolysis.     

Cobalt(II)-selective membrane electrode based on a recently synthesized benzo-substituted macrocyclic diamide.

A PVC-membrane electrode based on a recently synthesized 18-membered macrocyclic diamide is presented. The electrode reveals a Nernstian potentiometric response for Co2+ over a wide concentration range (2.0 x 10(-6)-1.0 x 10(-2) M). The electrode has a response time of about 10 s and can be used for at least 2 months without any divergence. The proposed sensor revealed very good selectivities for Co2+ over a wide variety of other metal ions, and could be used over a wide pH range (3.0-8.0). The detection limit of the sensor is 6.0 x 10(-7) M. It was successfully applied to the direct determination and potentiometric titration of cobalt ion.     

Normal mode analysis of Pyrococcus furiosus rubredoxin via nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) and resonance raman spectroscopy

We have used (57)Fe nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) to study the Fe(S(cys))(4) site in reduced and oxidized rubredoxin (Rd) from Pyrococcus furiosus (Pf). The oxidized form has also been investigated by resonance Raman spectroscopy. In the oxidized Rd NRVS, strong asymmetric Fe-S stretching modes are observed between 355 and 375 cm(-1); upon reduction these modes shift to 300-320 cm(-1). This is the first observation of Fe-S stretching modes in a reduced Rd. The peak in S-Fe-S bend mode intensity is at approximately 150 cm(-1) for the oxidized protein and only slightly lower in the reduced case. A third band occurs near 70 cm(-1) for both samples; this is assigned primarily as a collective motion of entire cysteine residues with respect to the central Fe. The (57)Fe partial vibrational density of states (PVDOS) were interpreted by normal mode analysis with optimization of Urey-Bradley force fields. The three main bands were qualitatively reproduced using a D(2)(d) Fe(SC)(4) model. A C(1) Fe(SCC)(4) model based on crystallographic coordinates was then used to simulate the splitting of the asymmetric stretching band into at least 3 components. Finally, a model employing complete cysteines and 2 additional neighboring atoms was used to reproduce the detailed structure of the PVDOS in the Fe-S stretch region. These results confirm the delocalization of the dynamic properties of the redox-active Fe site. Depending on the molecular model employed, the force constant K(Fe-S) for Fe-S stretching modes ranged from 1.24 to 1.32 mdyn/A. K(Fe-S) is clearly diminished in reduced Rd; values from approximately 0.89 to 1.00 mdyn/A were derived from different models. In contrast, in the final models the force constants for S-Fe-S bending motion, H(S-Fe-S), were 0.18 mdyn/A for oxidized Rd and 0.15 mdyn/A for reduced Rd. The NRVS technique demonstrates great promise for the observation and quantitative interpretation of the dynamical properties of Fe-S proteins.