Quantitative detection of trace perfluorinated compounds in environmental water samples by Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry with 1,8-bis(tetramethylguanidino)-naphthalene as matrix

Determination of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) is very important because of their potential hazards to the environment and human health. In present work, 1,8-bis (tetramethylguanidino)-naphthalene (TMGN), a superbasic proton sponge, was firstly employed as the matrix for quantitative detection of acidic PFCs in environmental water samples by Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Several acidic PFCs, such as perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), were selected as model analytes for demonstrating the feasibility of the detection method. The results showed that deprotonated ions of these PFCs were detected without any other matrix ions interference. The achieved sensitivity with TMGN for PFOS detection was ten-fold higher than that with 1,8-bis (dimethyl-amino)-naphthalene (DMAN) which was used for the detection of fatty acid by MALDI-TOF-MS. The high sensitivity of this method made it feasible to monitor and quantify acidic PFCs in complicated environmental water samples. Furthermore, a novel combined strategy of solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by MALDI-TOF-MS detection was developed for quantifying PFCs in environmental water samples. The calibration curves with a wide linear dynamic range (0.1-10 ng L⁻¹ for PFOS, PFHxS, and PFBS, and 0.5-50 ng L⁻¹ for PFOA, PFNA, and PFDA.) were obtained. The limit of detection (LOD) for PFOS of this method was 0.015 ng L⁻¹ (a signal-to-noise ratio of 3), which was lower than the LOD (0.036 ng L⁻¹) obtained by high-pressure liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. Moreover, the strategy was used to detect the selected PFCs in water samples collected from Xiaoqinghe river and Gaobeidian wastewater. The achieved concentrations of PFCs were closed to those obtained by LC-MS/MS method. It is indicated that the proposed MALDI-TOF-MS method with TMGN as the matrix is much reliable and can be used as an alternative method to detect trace PFCs in environmental water samples.     

1,8-bis(tetramethylguanidino)naphthalene (TMGN): a new, superbasic and kinetically active "proton sponge"

1,8-Bis(tetramethylguanidino)naphthalene (TMGN, 1) is a new, readily accessible, and stable "proton sponge" with an experimental pK(BH(+)) value of 25.1 in MeCN, which is nearly seven orders of magnitude higher in basicity than the classical proton sponge 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)-naphthalene (DMAN). Because of the sterically less crowded character of the proton-accepting sp(2)-nitrogen atoms, TMGN also has a higher kinetic basicity than DMAN, which is shown by time-resolved proton self-exchange reactions. TMGN is more resistant to hydrolysis and is a weaker nucleophile towards the alkylating agent EtI in comparison to the commercially available guanidine 7-methyl-1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (MTBD). Crystal structures of the free base, of the mono- and bisprotonated base were determined. The dynamic behavior of all three species in solution was investigated by variable-temperature (1)H NMR experiments. DeltaG (++) values obtained by spectra simulation reveal a concerted mechanism of rotation about the C-N bonds of the protonated forms of TMGN.     

混合无机酸消解-固相萃取-高效液相色谱-串联质谱法分析贝类壳体中的3种全氟磺酸化合物

建立了采用混合无机酸消解-固相萃取(SPE)-高效液相色谱-电喷雾电离串联质谱(HPLC-ESI-MS/MS)分析贝类壳体中的3种全氟磺酸化合物的方法。将贝壳粉经硝酸/盐酸混合酸消解,用氢氧化钠调节消解液的pH值至6后采用Oasis WAX固相萃取柱富集净化,然后采用内标法通过HPLC-ESI-MS/MS在分时段选择反应监测模式下分析上述全氟磺酸化合物。结果表明,该方法对于贝壳中全氟丁烷磺酸、全氟己烷磺酸和全氟辛烷磺酸的检出限(LOD)分别为0.28, 0.42和0.43 ng/g,加标回收率为94.88%～96.24%。采用此方法对渤海湾两种双壳贝类壳体进行的采样分析也表明,贝壳中3种目标污染物的含量范围为＜LOD～0.70 ng/g,比其在贝类软组织中的含量低约1个数量级。实验结果表明混合酸消解-SPE提取是检测贝类壳体中此类污染物的有效前处理方法。     

1,8-Bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene/9-aminoacridine: A new binary matrix for lipid fingerprinting of intact bacteria by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry

The effectiveness of a novel binary matrix composed of 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (DMAN; proton sponge) and 9-aminoacridine (9AA) for the direct lipid analysis of whole bacterial cells by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) is demonstrated. Deprotonated analyte signals nearly free of matrix-related ions were observed in negative ion mode. The effect of the most important factors (laser energy, pulse voltage, DMAN/9AA ratio, analyte/matrix ratio) was investigated using a Box–Behnken response surface design followed by multi-response optimization in order to simultaneously maximize signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and resolution. The chemical surface composition of single or mixed matrices was explored by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Moreover, XPS imaging was used to map the spatial distribution of a model phospholipid in single or binary matrices.     

1,8-Bis(hexamethyltriaminophosphazenyl)naphthalene, HMPN: a superbasic bisphosphazene "proton sponge"

It is shown that a combination of Schwesinger's phosphazene base concept and the idea of the disubstituted 1,8-naphthalene spacer, first introduced by Alder in paradigmatic 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (DMAN), yields a new superbase, HMPN, which represents the up to date most basic representative of this class of "proton sponges", as evidenced by the theoretically estimated proton affinity PA = 274 kcal/mol and the measured pK(BH+) (MeCN) 29.9 +/- 0.2. HMPN is by nearly 12 orders of magnitude more basic than Alder's classical 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (DMAN). The title compound, HMPN, is prepared and fully characterized. The spatial structure of HMPN and its conjugate acid is determined by X-ray technique and theoretical DFT calculations. It is found that monoprotonated HMPN has an unsymmetrical intramolecular hydrogen bridge (IHB). This cooperative proton chelating effect renders the bisphosphazene more basic than Schwesinger's set of "monodentate" P1 phosphazene bases. The density functional calculations are in good accordance with the experimental results, providing some complementary information. They conclusively show that the high basicity of HMPN is a consequence of the high energy content of the base in its initial neutral state and the intramolecular hydrogen bonding in the resulting conjugate acid with contributions to proton affinity of 14.1 and 9.5 kcal/mol, respectively.     

Lipid fingerprinting of gram-positive lactobacilli by intact--matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry using a proton sponge based matrix

A method of direct lipid analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS) in intact membranes, without prior extraction/separation steps, is described. Here, we demonstrate the efficacy of a strong base, 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (DMAN; proton sponge), as a novel matrix for MALDI-time-of-flight (TOF) MS analysis of whole cell bacteria. Initially, individual acidic low-molecular-weight analytes such as standard free fatty acids and phospholipids were analyzed using DMAN as matrix. Clear negative-mode MALDI-TOF MS spectra of all analytes show only deprotonated analyte signals at a low picomole limit of detection with the complete absence of matrix-related signals. These results indicate that DMAN represents a suitable matrix for MALDI-TOF MS analysis of mixtures of complex lipids as the intact membranes of microorganisms. DMAN was successfully applied to the analysis of Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis and L. plantarum microorganisms. Different components were sensitively detected in a single spot, including 16:0, 18:2, 18:3, and 21:0 free acids, glycolipids, phosphatidylglycerols (PGs) and cardiolipins. This method might be of general application, offering the advantage of quickly gaining information about lipid components of other gram-positive bacterial membranes.     

Improved detection of phosphopeptides by negative ion matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry using a proton sponge co-matrix

Analysis of phosphopeptides is an important task in proteomic studies. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) is a technique very commonly used for such a purpose. Analysis of phosphopeptides by MALDI-MS is, however, still a challenging task due to the low ionization efficiency of phosphopeptides. In this study, we reported that by using a proton sponge 1,8-bis(dimethyl-amino)naphthalene (DMAN) as a co-matrix, detection of phosphopeptides by negative ion MALDI-MS could be greatly improved. Combination of DMAN with another matrix 6-aza-2-thiothymine (ATT) and additive diammonium hydrogen citrate (DHC) allowed much lower limit of detection, significantly reduced signal suppression effects and improved position-to-position reproducibility for detection of phosphopeptides by negative ion MALDI-MS. Potential applications of the matrix system in qualification of phosphopeptides and analysis of proteolytic digests of phosphorylated proteins were also demonstrated in this study.     

Vibrational spectra of the adduct of 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene with dichloromaleic acid (DMAN x DCM)

The infra-red (IR), Raman (R) and inelastic incoherent neutron scattering (IINS) spectra, particularly in low frequency region, of the title ionic adduct were studied. It is shown that all low frequency vibrations (below 200 cm(-1)) of (CH3)2N groups of protonated 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (DMAN)--clearly observed in IINS spectra--are sensitive to the environment, i.e. to the type of counterion forming short contacts with C-H bonds of methyl groups. The internal frequencies were also calculated by ab initio method. The results are consistent with numerous observations of the counteranion effect on the geometry of the protonated DMAN. The conclusions are compared with structural and NMR studies reported recently for the 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene with dichloromaleic acid (DMAN x DCM) adduct. The single crystal R polarized spectra taken over the frequency range 20-3200 cm(-1) were analyzed in detail. We have shown that a substantial difference in the IR spectrum of the dichloromaleic acid (DCM) anion in the DMAN adduct and in the potassium salt results from different geometries of OHO hydrogen bonds. In the case of potassium salt the chains of longer intermolecular hydrogen bonds are formed described by means of a double minimum potential.     

Carbon-13 NMR relaxation study of 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene in isotropic solution

Carbon-13 nuclear spin relaxation in 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (DMAN) was investigated in a dimethylformamide- d 7 solution. In addition, the chemical shielding tensors were measured in the crystalline powder. Detailed analysis of (13)C longitudinal relaxation in this molecule yielded its rotational diffusion tensor. Comparison to the protonated form of DMAN, DMANH(+), leads to conclusions concerning interaction of the latter with its counterion.     

The proton affinity of the superbase 1,8-bis(tetramethylguanidino)naphthalene (TMGN) and some related compounds: a theoretical study

The spatial and electronic structure of the very strong neutral organic bases bis(tetramethylguanidino)naphthalene (TMGN), 4,5-bis(tetramethylguanidino)fluorene (TMGF) and some related compounds are explored by ab initio computational methods. Their affinity towards the proton is scrutinized both in the gas phase and in solution in acetonitrile. The protonation at the most basic center (the imine nitrogen) yields asymmetric and relatively strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds (IHB). It is found that the angular strain effect and steric repulsion practically vanish in TMGN which implies that its high absolute proton affinity (APA) has its origin in the inherent basicity of the guanidine fragment and a relatively strong IHB in [TMGN]H(+). The nonbonded repulsions in TMGF are higher than in TMGN, which in conjunction with a slightly stronger IHB in the corresponding conjugate acid makes it more basic: APA(TMGF)>APA(TMGN). An interesting new phenomenon is observed in both TMGN and TMGF: the proton triggers the resonance stabilization not only in the directly bonded guanidine moiety, but also in the other guanidine fragment which is more distant from the proton, albeit in a less pronounced manner. The latter feature is termed a partial protonation. This supports the hydrogen bonding and contributes to the IHB stabilization. Convincing evidence is presented that the solvent effect in acetonitrile is determined by two antagonistic factors: 1) the intrinsic (gas phase) proton affinity and 2) the size effect which is given by the ratio between the positive charge in molecular cation (conjugate acid) and the magnitude of the molecular surface. The resulting pK(a) values are given by an interplay of these factors.     

长江三角洲地区污水厂污泥中全氟有机酸污染特征

对长江三角洲地区污泥的分析结果表明：脱水剩余污泥中总全氟有机酸（PFAs）的浓度范围为122-1098ng／g,其中三氟乙酸（TFA）和五氟丙酸（PFPrA,除S13未检出外）一般是污染水平最高的两种PFAs,分别为107-562ng／g和4．41-395ng／g,占总PFAs的12％-93％和0．7％-61％,这充分说明在以后的监测中需要将超短链PFAs纳入检测范围．尽管全氟辛酸（PFOA）和全氟辛磺酸（PFOS）的浓度一般低于超短链的TFA和PFPrA,甚至在某些情况下还会低于部分中长链PFCAs,但在绝大多数情况下它们依然是两种主要的PPAs类污染物,浓度分别为2．78-66．9ng／g和1．27-80．4ng／g,占总PFAs的0．7％-8．8％和1％-20％．一般而言,全氟羧酸（PFCAs）的检出率较高,可达92．3％-100％,但是对全氟烷基磺酸（PFSAs）而言,除PFOS的检出率为100％外,全氟丁磺酸（eFBS）和全氟己磺酸（PFHxS）的检出率较低,仅分别为15．4％和7．8％．此外,不同的污水处理工艺可能会严重影响污水处理过程中PFAs污染水平和归趋,造成这种现象的原因可能是不同工艺条件下污泥的吸附性能不同,也可能是不同处理工艺对其前体物的降解转换率不同．     

Screening of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in various aquatic organisms

The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of five perfluorinated chemicals (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid) in aquatic organisms dwelling in either freshwater or marine ecosystems. Organisms selected were insect larvae, oysters, zebra mussels, sardines, and crabs, which are widespread in the environment and may represent potential bioindicators of exposure to PFCs. The study comprises the optimization of a solid–liquid extraction method and determination by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Using spiked zebra mussels at 10 and 100 ng/g level, the method developed provided recoveries of 96% and 122%, and 82% to 116%, respectively, and a limit of detection between 0.07 and 0.22 ng/g ww. The method was highly sensitivity and robust to determine PFC compounds in a wide array of biological matrices, and no matrix interferents nor blank contamination was observed. Among organisms studied, none of the bivalves accumulated PFCs, and contrarily, insect larvae, followed by fish and crabs contained levels ranging from 0.23 to 144 ng/g ww of PFOS, from 0.14 to 4.3 ng/g ww of PFOA, and traces of PFNA and PFHxS. Assessment of the potential use of aquatic organisms for biomonitoring studies is further discussed.     

Spectroscopic studies of intermolecular hydrogen bonding and proton transfer complexes of chromotropic acid with some amines in methanol

The proton transfer reactions between chromotropic acid (CTA) and some amines including benzylamine (BA), triethylamine (TEA), pyrrolidine (PY) and 1,8-bis(dimethylamino) naphthalene (DMAN) have been investigated spectrophotometrically in methanol. A long wavelength band at 365 nm has been recorded due to the proton transfer (PT) complex formation. The proton transfer equilibrium constants K_PT were estimated utilizing the minimum–maximum absorbances method. It has been found that K_PT were not depend on the amine pKa values, but strongly depend on the formed structures of the PT complexes. Job^’s method of continuous variations and photometric titrations were applied to identify the compositions of the formed PT complexes where 1:1 complexes (proton donor: proton acceptor) were produced. Due to the rapidity and simplicity of the proton transfer reactions and the stability of the formed complexes, a rapid and accurate spectrophotometric method for the determination of CTA was proposed for the first time.     

Improved selectivity for the analysis of maternal serum and cord serum for polyfluoroalkyl chemicals

Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid, two of the most widely studied polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs), can cross the placenta. Therefore, data on the exposure to PFCs of the very young are needed to evaluate the potential health effects associated with such exposure. Human serum, especially serum collected from pregnant women and cord serum, may contain endogenous components that can interfere in the separation by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of PFOS and another PFC of interest, perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), from other serum biomolecules. The presence of such interferences may prevent the adequate quantification of PFOS and PFHxS in cord serum or serum collected from pregnant women, and potentially hinder the assessment of gestational exposure to these important PFCs using biomonitoring. We have modified our on-line solid phase extraction-HPLC-isotope dilution-tandem mass spectrometry analytical method for measuring PFCs in serum and developed an approach that allows for the elimination of these potential interferences without compromising analytical sensitivity and throughput. The combination of acetonitrile as the HPLC mobile phase organic solvent and a Betasil C8 HPLC column provided the best separation of PFOS and PFHxS from interferent peaks. In addition to eliminating these interferences, the acetonitrile method has a shorter runtime and is more sensitive for most PFCs (limits of detection were 0.1 ng/mL except for PFOS (0.2 ng/mL)) than our previous method that used methanol for the HPLC separation. The present method should improve the precise and selective analysis of maternal and cord serum for PFCs.     

Structure and IR spectroscopic behaviour of 1,8-bis-(dimethylamino)naphthalene 2,4-dinitroimidazolate

The crystal structure of 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (DMAN) 2,4-dinitroimidazolate, C₁₇H₂₀N₆O₄, has been determined by X-ray diffraction. The crystals are monoclinic, P2 ₁/c, a = 13.426(4), b = 10.465(3), c = 15.915(4) », β = 126.12(4)°, Z = 4. The structure was solved by direct methods, and refined to an R value of 0.033 for 2291 non-zero independent amplitudes. The [NN⋯N]⁺ bridges of 2.606(3) » with ∠NHN = 160(3)° are characterized by an asymmetric proton density distribution. The IR protonic absorption is located in two regions at about 650 and 1950 cm⁻¹ showing relatively small intensity. The isotopic ratio ν(NHN/ν(NDN) for the low frequency region is almost unity. It seems that hydrogen bonds in protonated DMAN are characterized by a flat asymmetric single minimum potential for the proton motion.     

NHN]+ hydrogen bonding in protonated 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)-2,7-dimethoxynaphthalene. X-ray diffraction, infrared, and theoretical ab initio and DFT studies

Structural (X-ray diffraction), infrared spectroscopic, and theoretical MP2 and DFT studies on the HBr and DBr adducts of 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)2,7-dimethoxynaphthalene ((CH3O)2.DMAN) were performed. This particular proton sponge has been chosen for its strong basicity and display of the buttressing effect influencing the hydrogen bond dynamics and properties. The studies revealed a symmetric, planar DMAN.H+ cation with a short (NHN)+ hydrogen bond of 2.567(3) A. The X-ray diffraction results suggest that the proton is in the central position in the bridge, while the calculations show two potential energy minima with the zero point energy level close to the top of the barrier. The infrared spectra display an (NHN)+ band at 488 cm(-1) and an (NDN)+ band at 235 cm(-1), respectively. It gives the isotopic ratio of 2.08, the highest value reported to date. Such a result suggests a peculiar shape of the potential for the proton motion, characterized by an extremely high positive anharmonicity. The calculations reproduce this particular potential, yielding an ISR value displaying a very good agreement with the experimental one. The anharmonic frequencies, however, show the discrepancy between the observed and calculated transitions.     

Isotopic effects in NH…N hydrogen bonds

The value of the isotopic ratio (ISR) v_s(NH)/v_s(ND) has been determined for a number of crystalline compounds containing homoconjugated [NHN]⁺ cations, including various salts of 1,8-bis(N,N-dimethylamino)naphthalene (DMAN). The results obtained, together with the literature data, enabled us to plot a correlation between the ISR and v_s(NH) which appears to be similar to that found by Novak for OHO systems. For DMAN · HPF₆ the highest ISR value known so far (2.05) is reported. An empirical analytical form of the correlation is proposed.     

Simultaneous determination of perfluoroalkyl phosphonates, carboxylates, and sulfonates in drinking water

A trace analytical method based on high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight high resolution mass spectrometry was developed for simultaneous determination of perfluoroalkyl phosphonates (PFPAs, carbon chain lengths C6,8,10), perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs, C5-12), and perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSAs, C4,6,8,10) in drinking water (tap water). Analytes were enriched on a mixed mode co-polymeric sorbent (C8+quaternary amine) using solid phase extraction. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Zorbax Extend C18 reversed phase column using a mobile phase gradient consisting of water, methanol, and acetonitrile containing 2mM ammonium acetate and 5 mM 1-methyl piperidine. The mass spectrometer was operated in electrospray negative ion mode. Use of 1-methyl piperidine in the mobile phase resulted in a significant increase in instrument sensitivity for PFPAs through improved chromatographic resolution, background suppression, and increased ionization efficiency. Method detection limits for extraction of 500 mL tap water were in the ranges of 0.095-0.17 ng/L, 0.027-0.17 ng/L, and 0.014-0.052 ng/L for PFPAs, PFCAs, and PFSAs, respectively. Whole method recoveries at a spiking level of 0.5 ng/L to 500 mL HPLC grade water were 40-56%, 56-97%, and 55-77% for PFPAs, PFCAs, and PFSAs, respectively. A matrix effect (signal enhancement) was observed in the detection of PFPAs in tap water extracts, leading to calculated recoveries of 249-297% at a 0.5 ng/L spiking level. This effect resulted in an additional improvement of method sensitivity for PFPAs. To compensate for the matrix effect, PFPAs in tap water were quantified using matrix-matched and extracted calibration standards. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of drinking water collected from six European countries. PFPAs were not detected except for perfluorooctyl phosphonate (PFOPA) at close to the detection limit of 0.095 ng/L in two water samples from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Highest levels were found for perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS, 18.8 ng/L) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA, 8.6 ng/L) in samples from Amsterdam as well as for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS, 8.8 ng/L) in tap water from Stockholm, Sweden.     

[NHN] and [OHO] hydrogen bonding in the adduct of 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (DMAN) with 1,8-dihydroxy-2,4-dinitronaphthalene (DHDNN)

X-Ray diffraction, IR and ¹H NMR studies were performed on the 1:1 adduct of 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (DMAN) with 1,8-dihydroxy-2,4-dinitronaphthalene (DHDNN). The adduct crystallizes in the triclinic system, space group , a = 9.911(2) Å, b = 11.212(2) Å, c = 11.194(2) Å, = 68.95(2)°, β = 79.72(2)°, γ = 73.78(2)°, Z = 2. Both [NHN]⁺ and [OHO]⁻ hydrogen bonds formed in the ion pairs are asymmetrical with lengths equal to 2.574(2) Å and 2.466(4) Å respectively. The [NHN]⁺ bridge shows a typical behaviour in the IR spectrum, i.e. a low-frequency absorption between 300 and 700 cm⁻¹. The coupling of [OHO]⁻ hydrogen bonds with the naphthalene π-electron system is so strong that no absorption related to the proton stretching vibrations can be detected in the high- and low-frequency regions. The ¹H NMR chemical shifts for the [NHN]⁺ and [OHO]⁻ bridge protons of 18.63 and 15.81 ppm respectively confirm the strong hydrogen bonds.     

α-Amino acid-assisted autoxidation of naphthalene proton sponge affording 1,4-naphthoquinone nitrogen derivatives

1,8-Bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (naphthalene proton sponge) equipped at position 4 with N-terminal α-amino acid residues undergoes unprecedented easy autoxidation in basic medium forming 5-dimethylamino-1,4-naphthoquinone along with minor amounts of its derivatives. The new reaction is of interest against the background of wide distribution of 1,4-naphthoquinones in nature, their high biological significance and extremely limited information on nitrogen compounds of this series.