Novel HPLC Method to Evaluate the Quality and Identify the Origins of Longjing Green Tea

A novel model of evaluating the quality and identifying the origins of Longjing green tea was established for the first time in this study. The analysis procedures in the model included the structure speculation of the major compounds and the identification of the bioactive components, the establishment of the fingerprint, the multiple analysis of the fingerprint, and the quantitative determination of the bioactive components. All the analysis procedures were conducted on an HPLC coupled with diode array detection (DAD) and an ion-trap coupled with a time-of-flight mass spectrometry (IT-TOF-MS). In this study, 13 batches of Longjing green tea from five traditional production sites and a new production site in Hangzhou, China were selected to establish the model. The result showed that using the model, the difference between Longjing green tea from the traditional and the new production sites was revealed successfully. It indicated that the model could be successfully applied to evaluate the quality and identify the origin of unknown Longjing green tea.     

Screening and quantifying the quality markers of DuHuo by fingerprint modeling

Abstract

With environmental health and safety becoming a concern for people, supercritical fluid chromatography has been regarded as a “green chemistry” method that gradually has peaked people’s interest. The purpose of this study was to establish a method to screen and quantify the quality markers of Duhuo (DH) through an environmentally friendly ultra-performance convergence chromatography (UPC²) method. Firstly, the fingerprint of different batches of DH samples was established by UPC². Then, the quality markers that can represent the whole information of DH was screened through chemometrics. Finally, the content of the selected quality markers was determined using the UPC² method. From the fingerprint analysis, 24 common peaks were identified. The quantitative analysis results showed that the four compounds could be used as quality markers to represent the overall information and to monitor the quality of DH. This is the first time a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) fingerprint has been established by UPC² and also the first time to screen the quality markers in DH. The method established in this study can be used for a comprehensive and overall analysis of DH or other natural medicines, and it could serve as an efficient method to contribute to the expansion of the global market for TCMs.     

Isotopic finger-printing of active pharmaceutical ingredients by 13C NMR and polarization transfer techniques as a tool to fight against counterfeiting

The robustness of adiabatic polarization transfer methods has been evaluated for determining the carbon isotopic finger-printing of active pharmaceutical ingredients. The short time stabilities of the adiabatic DEPT and INEPT sequences are very close to that observed with the one pulse sequence, but the DEPT long time stability is not sufficient for isotopic measurements at natural abundance or low enrichment. Using the INEPT sequence for ¹³C isotopic measurements induces a dramatic reduction in the experimental time without deterioration in short time or long time stability. It appears, therefore, to be a method of choice for obtaining the isotopic finger-print of different ibuprofen samples in a minimum time. The results obtained on 13 commercial ibuprofen samples from different origins show that this strategy can be used effectively to determine ¹³C distribution within a given molecule and to compare accurately differences in the isotopic distribution between different samples of the given molecule. The present methodology is proposed as a suitable tool to fight against counterfeiting.     

Extraction and Spectrophotometric Determination of Manganese(VII) with N1-Hydroxy-N1,N2-Diphenylbenzamidine

Abstract

Spectrophotometric determination of manganese(VII) at 614 nm after its extraction with N¹ -hydroxy-N¹,N²-diphenylbenzamidine into amyl alcohol at pH 7–8 is described. Beer's law was obeyed for 0.1–10 μg ml^?1 Mn(VII). The effects of experimental variables and of several diverse ions on the determination of manganese(VII) have been studied. The method has been applied to the determination of manganese in steels and in water extracts of a commercial tea and is found to be simple, precise and highly selective.     

Discrepancy in infrared measurement results of carbon monoxide in nitrogen mixtures due to variations of the 13C/12C isotope ratio

Significant errors in the non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) analyses of carbon monoxide (CO) can be made when the ¹³C/¹²C isotope ratio in the sample and the calibrant differ significantly. This paper shows that variations in the ¹³C/¹²C isotope ratio of 5×10⁻² mol/mol CO in nitrogen mixtures on three different NDIR CO analysers may lead to serious deviations in the instrument response, whereas the instrument response using GC-TCD is unaffected. The observed deviations in the assigned amount-of-substance fraction CO for a ¹³C depleted mixture vary from +2 to −5% relative to the gravimetric amount-of-substance fraction for different NDIR analysers. A GC-MS method has been developed to perform a pre-screening of the isotopic composition of CO in nitrogen mixtures. This method proved to be an adequate tool to measure differences in the ¹³C/¹²C ratio. Based on the GC-MS results a suitable measurement technique can be selected, or information about a possible error in NDIR analysis can be given to the producer or user of the calibration gas mixture. Presented at 3. International Gas Analysis Symposium, October 6–8, 2004, in Amsterdam     

Microwave‐assisted extraction followed by CE for determination of catechin and epicatechin in green tea

In this work, for the first time, microwave‐assisted extraction (MAE) followed by CE was developed for the fast analysis of catechin and epicatechin in green tea. In the proposed method, catechin and epicatechin in green tea samples were rapidly extracted by MAE technique, and then analyzed by CE. The MAE conditions and the method's validation were studied. It is found that the extraction time of 1 min with 400 W microwave irradiation is enough to completely extract catechin and epicatechin in green tea sample, whereas the conventional ultrasonic extraction (USE) technique needs long extraction time of 60 min. The method validations were also studied in this work. The calibration curve shows good linearity in 0.01–3 mg/mL for catechin (R²=0.993), and 0.005–3 mg/mL for epicatechin (R²=0.996), respectively. The RSD values for catechin and epicatechin are 0.65 and 2.58%, respectively. This shows that the proposed method has good reproducibility. The proposed method has good recoveries, which are 118% for catechin and 120% for epicatechin. The proposed method was successfully applied to determination of the catechin and epicatechin in different green tea samples. The experiment results have demonstrated that the MAE following CE is a simple, fast and reliable method for the determination of catechin and epicatechin in green tea.     

Detection of Hg2+ ion using highly selective fluorescent chemosensor in real water sample and in-vitro cell study upon breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7)

A novel rhodamine-based chemosensor (R) was designed and synthesised for selective recognition of Hg²⁺ ion in real water samples collected from different places. The chemosensor was prepared in green condition with high yield. The selectivity of R was examined with various metal ions, among which only Hg²⁺ was identified selectively with off–on mechanism along with enhancement of fluorescence. Metal ions recognition has been carried out using UV–vis and fluorescence studies taking µM concentration of chemosensor R in HEPES buffer. The detection limit of R was calculated and found to be 4.4 × 10^–9 M. Quantum chemical (DFT) calculation was carried out in order to acquire knowledge about the stability of R in presence of Hg²⁺ ions. Cell viability and fluorescence microscopic experiments showed R as cytocompatible and can be used as a fluorescent probe for detecting Hg²⁺ in living cells.     

HPLC–MS2 Analysis of Chlorophylls in Green Teas Establishes Differences among Varieties

Green teas are nonfermented teas, the quality of which is measured by the green color. However, this category encompasses a high number of tea varieties that differ in cultivation and processing. For example, leaf or stem/bubble tea, plants cultivated under a light or shadow regime, powdered or unpowdered tea, etc. These variables determine the different qualities among green teas (Matcha, Sencha, Gyokuro, etc.) and consequently their different values on the market. Our purpose is to determine if these variables can exert an influence on the chlorophyll profile and to establish a characteristic profile for specific green teas. With such an aim, we analyzed the chlorophyll profiles of 6 different green tea varieties via HPLC-hr ESI/APCI–MS² and identified up to 17 different chlorophyll compounds. For the first time, 13²-hydroxy-chlorophylls, 13²-hydroxy-pheophytins, and 15¹-hydroxy-lactone-pheophytins have been identified in green teas. Shadow teas (Matcha and Sencha) and light-regimen green teas can be statistically differentiated by the total chlorophyll content and the a/b ratio. However, only Matcha tea contains a higher proportion of chlorophylls a and b among the green tea varieties analyzed, justifying the higher quality and price of this variety. Other chlorophyll metabolites (pheophytins, pyropheophytins, and oxidized chlorophylls) are indicative of the various processing and storage conditions.     

Interaction between green tea extract and 99mTc-pertechnetate on in vivo distribution

People drink various types of tea without knowing the side effects of biological and chemical contents and radiopharmaceutical interactions. In current study, it is aimed to evaluate the effects of green tea extract in different extraction solvents on the radiolabeling of the blood constituents with ^99mTc and on the biodistribution of radiopharmaceutical sodium pertechnetate (Na^99mTcO₄) in male Wistar Albino rats. The extraction of green tea was performed in different solvents. Biodistribution studies were performed on male rats which were treated via gavage with green tea extract in different extraction solvents or saline (0.9 % NaCl) as a control group for 7 days. The radiolabeling of blood constituents performed incubating with SnCl₂ and ^99mTc. According to experimental results, radiolabeling blood components with ^99mTc were not modified in the usage of the different extraction solvents for green tea extraction, but a significant alteration (P < 0.05) of biodistribution of Na^99mTcO₄ was observed after treatment with green tea extract in distilled water. Although there is no considerable effect on radiolabeling of blood components, there is an outstanding change on the biodistribution studies especially with green tea extract in distilled water. The identified change monitored in this study may cause to reduce the risk of misdiagnosis and/or avoid the repetition of the examinations in nuclear medicine.     

Marine Sediments and Snow from Ross Sea Region (Antarctica) Dating by 210Pb Method

Abstract

²¹⁰Pb is widely used to determine accumulation rates in order to obtain a time scale in environmental samples. The most accurate method uses the determination of ²¹⁰Pb via its grand-daughter ²¹⁰Po by alpha spectrometry. Unfortunately this method requires a complex wet-chemistry procedure to achieve the separation of ²¹⁰Po from its matrix. In this work a simplified procedure for the chemical separation of ²¹⁰Po is proposed and applied to three marine sediment cores and a 10 m snow core collected in Antarctica. The calculated sedimentation rates for marine sediments range from 0.053 to 0.071 cm y^?1. The mean annual accumulation rate for the snow is 16.6 cm y^?1 w.e. A comparison with literature data in the same region is given.     

Determination of Trace Copper by Fluorescence Spectrophotometry Based on Cu(DP)2+ and Cu‐4.0‐Generations Polyamidoamine Dendrimers Catalyze Cu2+ to Oxidize Fluorescein

Abstract

Fluorescein can emit strong and stable fluorescence. Cu²⁺ can oxidize fluorescein, which causes the fluorescence signal to diminish. Cu(DP)²⁺ (DP refers to α,α′‐dipyridyl) and Cu‐GPD‐4.0 (GPD‐4.0 refers to 4.0‐generations polyamidoamine dendrimers) both can catalyze Cu²⁺ to oxidize fluorescein, which causes the fluorescence signal to diminish sharply. The ΔF is directly proportional to the content of copper. Based on the facts above, a new catalytic fluorescence spectrophotometry for the determination of trace copper using Cu(DP)²⁺ and Cu‐GPD‐4.0 was established. The linear range of this method is 0.040–28 pg mL^?1. The regression equation for working curve is ΔF=209.5+14.39 C_Cu ²⁺ (pg mL^?1), n=7; correlation coefficient is 0.991. The detection limit of this method is 1.0×10^?14 g mL^?1. After replicate measurement times, RSDs are 3.1% and 4.2% for samples containing 0.040 and 28 pg mL^?1 Cu²⁺, respectively. This method is rapid and precise with high sensitivity and good repeatability. The method has been applied to the determination of trace copper in tea and human hair with satisfactory results. Meanwhile, the mechanism for the determination of trace copper by catalytic fluorescence spectrophotometry using Cu(DP)²⁺ and Cu‐GPD‐4.0 was also discussed.     

A highly selective and sensitive dual-channel chemosensor for cyanide based on sulfahydrazone derivative

A colorimetric and fluorescent cyanide probe bearing naphthol and sulfahydrazone groups has been designed and synthesized. This structurally simple probe displays a rapid response and high selectivity for cyanide in DMSO/EtOH (v/v = 2:8) solution. The addition of CN^? to the sensor p-toluenesulfonyl-2-hydroxy-1-naphthylhydrazone (L3) induced a remarkable color change from pale-yellow to yellow, and green fluorescence changed to yellow. The ¹H NMR titration and DFT calculations suggested that the selective sensing process is based on a nucleophilic addition reaction of cyanide to imine. Test strips based on sensor L3 were fabricated, which could act as a convenient and efficient test kit to detect CN^? for “in-the-field” measurements.     

Detection of Δ9-Tetrahydr0Cannabin0L in Human Breath Following Marijuana Smoking

Abstract

Two techniques were used for enriching human breath samples for δ⁹ -tetrahydrocannabinol (I). One method utilized a polyethylene foam wafer which was positioned in front of the expired air stream using a modified face mask. The second technique was a cryogenic trap containing ethanol. Analysis of the enriched breath samples following smoking of a marijuana cigarette was accomplished using a previously described hplc-ms procedure. Results demonstrated that (I) was detectable with either enrichment method following marijuana smoking.     

Vertical Distribution of137 Cs in The Lacustrine Areas and Preliminary Results of 7Be Activity in Snow Samples at Terra Nova Bay (ANTARCTICA)

Abstract

¹³⁷ Cs activity in samples from lacustrine areas around the Italian base in Antarctica is reported as an integration of a previous work. Preliminary data of cosmogenic ⁷ Be activity determined in snowfalls, total atmospheric depositions, soil and air particulate collected during the 1990–91 and 1991–92 Italian expeditions in Antarctica is presented. The results obtained point out the efficiency of snow in the processes of air particulate scavenging and provide useful information for the development of research in Antarctica in the study of air/snow transfer processes by means of natural radionuclides.     

13C, 15N and 113Cd NMR and Molecular Orbital Studies of Novel Bile Acid N-(2-aminoethyl)amides and Their Cd2+-complexes

Lithocholic acid N-(2-aminoethyl)amide (1) and deoxycholic acid N-(2-aminoethyl)amide(2) have been prepared and characterized by¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR. The accurate molecular masses of 1 and 2 have been determined by ESI MS. The formation of the Cd²⁺-complexes (1+Cd and 2+Cd) in CD₃OD solution have been detected by ¹H,¹³C, ¹⁵N and ¹¹³Cd NMR. The ¹³C NMR chemical shift assignments of 1 and 2 and their Cd²⁺-complexes are based on DEPT-135 and z-GS ¹H,¹³C HMQC experiments as well as comparison with the assignments of the related structures. The ¹⁵N NMR chemical shiftassignments of the ligands and theirCd²⁺-complexes are based on z-GS¹H,¹⁵N HMBC experiments. ¹³C NMR chemical shift differences between 1and its 1:1 Cd²⁺-complex based on ab initiocalculations at Hartree-Fock SCI-PCM level using3-21G(d) basis set are in agreement with theexperimental shift changes observed onCd²⁺-complexation.     

Ho3+/Yb3+共掺ZnO-Al2O3-GeO2-SiO2玻璃陶瓷的制备和上转换发光性质

综合ZnO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂系和锗酸盐玻璃陶瓷的优点,采用熔融-晶化法首次制备了Ho³⁺/Yb³⁺共掺以ZnAl₂O₄为主晶相的ZnO-Al₂O₃-GeO₂-SiO₂系玻璃陶瓷。因[GeO₄]四面体和[SiO₄]四面体都是玻璃网络形成体,讨论了GeO₂取代SiO₂对玻璃陶瓷样品硬度及发光性能的影响,最终确定GeO₂的取代量为10.55%（w/w）时,玻璃陶瓷综合性能最佳。在980 nm泵浦光的激发下,发现强的绿色（546 nm）和弱的红色（650 nm）上转换发光,并研究了不同Ho³⁺/Yb³⁺掺杂比对样品上转换发光的影响,最终结果表明当Ho³⁺/Yb³⁺掺杂比为1：11（n/n）时样品荧光强度最强,在绿色上转换发光材料方面具有潜在的应用。     

Potentiometric flow injection determination of manganese(II) by using a hexacyanoferrate(III)-hexacyanoferrate(II) potential buffer

A highly sensitive potentiometric flow injection analysis method for the determination of manganese(II), utilizing a redox reaction with hexacyanoferrate(III) in near neutral media containing ammonium citrate is described. The analytical method is based on the detection of the change in potential of a flow-through type redox electrode detector, resulting from the composition change of an [Fe(CN)₆]³⁻-[Fe(CN)₆]⁴⁻ potential buffer solution. A linear relationship between the potential change (peak height) and the concentration of manganese(II) was found. Manganese(II) in a wide concentration range from 10⁻⁴ to 10⁻⁷ M could be determined by appropriately altering the concentration of the potential buffer from 10⁻³ to 10⁻⁵ M. The lower detection limit of manganese(II) was determined to be 1×10⁻⁷ M. The sampling rate and relative standard deviation were 20 h⁻¹ and 1.9% (n=8) for 6×10⁻⁶ M manganese(II), respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of manganese(II) in actual soil samples obtained from tea fields. Analytical results obtained by the proposed method were in good agreement with those obtained by an atomic absorption spectrophotometric method.     

Halogen-Free Room-Temperature Brønsted Acidic Ionic Liquid [Hmim]+ HSO4 − as a Recyclable Green “Dual Reagent” Catalysis for the Synthesis of Triarylmethanes (TRAMs)

Abstract

The halogen-free Brønsted acidic ionic liquid methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate ([Hmim]⁺ HSO₄ ^?) acts as a very efficient catalyst for the one-pot, two-component Baeyer condensation of a variety of aromatic aldehydes with dimethyl or diethyl aniline at room temperature. This “green” reagent behaves as both catalyst and solvent; that is, it exhibits “dual-reagent catalysis.” The room-temperature acidic ionic liquid could be recycled several times with almost no loss in the yield of the reaction. This is the first report of the Baeyer synthesis with a halogen-free ionic liquid.     

Analytical methods to determine Po and Pb in marine samples

This paper describes the methods of sampling, preconcentration, chemical separation and final count of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb present in different marine matrices to determine their background levels in a marine ecosystem. Complex, time consuming and selective radioanalytical methods have been used to prepare final clear sources for alpha spectrometry and beta count; in fact, gamma spectrometry, a method direct and non destructive, cannot be taken into account because the ²¹⁰Pb activity is very low which does not allow to carry out sufficiently accurate measurements and ²¹⁰Po is not a gamma emitter but it emits only alpha particle at 5.40 MeV. The results of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb activity concentrations obtained in different marine samples collected in the first two campaigns are still very few to discuss about the ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb behavior in marine environment.     

A Stability Indicating Proton NMR Spectroscopic Assay Method for Succinylcholine Chloride Injections

Abstract

A simple, accurate, and specific -¹H-NMR spectroscopic method is presented for the assay of succinylcholine chloride injections. After freeze-drying the sample solution, a mixture of the residue with acetamide, serving as the internal standard, is dissolved in deuterium oxide, and the spectrum of the solution is recorded. The quantity of drug in the dosage form is calculated from the integral values for the resonance signals at ca. 2.01 ppm (acetamide) and ca. 3.27 ppm (succinylcholine chloride). The mean ± SD recovery value from synthetic formulations was 99.93 ± 0.60% (n = 10), with a corresponding CV of 0.60%. Assay values for a group of 10 commercial samples ranged from 86.1 to 100.7 (mean = 98.01)% of declared. Injection additives such as methyl paraben and benzyl alcohol did not interfere with the assays. The proposed method will also permit the simultaneous monitoring of the hydrolytic degradation of succinylcholine to its ester components.