Chemical profiling and marker characterization of Huangqin decoction prepared with three types of peony root by liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Clarification of the quality and biological effect equivalence of traditional Chinese medicines containing multi‐origin species is essential to improve their current quality standards, and also is the core problem to clarify the origins of single herbs with multi‐species in Chinese formulas that will guarantee their clinical application. Huangqin decoction is the typical one of multi‐origin formulas frequently used in traditional Chinese medicine and Kampo medicine. An ultra high performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry was developed for chemical profiling and marker quantification of Huangqin decoction prepared with two different original types of peony root, white and red peony root. Forty‐seven main peaks in chemical profiling of Huangqin decoction prepared with white and red peony root were identified: nine were from peony root, 20 from baical skullcap root, 17 from licorice root, and one from jujubae fruit. The markers characteristics of the respective types of peony root in Huangqin decoction differ from that in single herbs, especially in terms of monoterpenoids and hydrolysable tannins. Subsequently, 17 representative markers in Huangqin decoction prepared with three types of peony root and their chemical characteristics and content distribution were carried out.     

Rapid screening and quantification of sulfonate derivatives in white peony root by UHPLC–MS–MS

A rapid ultra-high-performance liquid chromatographic–tandem mass spectrometric (UHPLC–MS–MS) method has been developed for rapid screening and quantitative analysis of sulfonate derivatives (SDs) in commercial white peony root. Separation was performed on an Agilent Zorbax Eclipse Plus-C18 column by gradient elution with acetonitrile–0.1% (v/v) formic acid as the mobile phase. In-source fragmentation was used to generate the characteristic fragment ion at m/z 259 and to screen for nine SDs. Detection of these SDs was further performed in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode to improve sensitivity and to quantify the two SDs paeoniflorin sulfonate and benzoylpaeoniflorin sulfonate. The method was validated for specificity, linearity, limits of detection and quantification, precision, accuracy, and matrix effects. Nine commercial white peony root samples were examined by use of this method, which revealed great variety in the paeoniflorin sulfonate and benzoylpaeoniflorin sulfonate content.     

Polyolefin‐Based Janus Separator for Rechargeable Sodium Batteries

Rechargeable sodium batteries are a promising technology for low‐cost energy storage. However, the undesirable drawbacks originating from the use of glass fiber membrane separators have long been overlooked. A versatile grafting–filtering strategy was developed to controllably tune commercial polyolefin separators for sodium batteries. The as‐developed Janus separators contain a single–ion‐conducting polymer‐grafted side and a functional low‐dimensional material coated side. When employed in room‐temperature sodium–sulfur batteries, the poly(1‐[3‐(methacryloyloxy)propylsulfonyl]‐1‐(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide sodium)‐grafted side effectively enhances the electrolyte wettability, and inhibits polysulfide diffusion and sodium dendrite growth. Moreover, a titanium‐deficient nitrogen‐containing MXene‐coated side electrocatalytically improved the polysulfide conversion kinetics. The as‐developed batteries demonstrate high capacity and extended cycling life with lean electrolyte loading.     

Simultaneous determination of homocysteine,methionine and cysteine in maternal plasma after delivery by HPLC‐fluorescence detection with DBD‐F as a label

An HPLC‐fluorescence (FL) method for determination of sulfur‐containing amino acids such as homocysteine (Hcy), methionine (Met) and cysteine (Cys) in human plasma was developed. The sulfur‐containing amino acids were labeled with 4‐(N,N‐dimethylaminosulfonyl)‐7‐fluoro‐2,1,3‐benzoxadiazole (DBD‐F). Calibration curves in the range of 1–100 µm (Hcy and Met) and 5–500 µm (Cys) indicated good linearities (r ≥ 0.998). The limits of detection at a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3 were 0.13 (Hcy), 0.02 (Met) and 0.11 µm (Cys), respectively. Acceptable results for accuracy and precision of intra‐ and inter‐day measurements were obtained. The results of Hcy and Cys obtained by the proposed method indicated good correlations with the conventional method (r > 0.911, n = 20). Furthermore, the method was applied to determination of the sulfur‐containing amino acids in maternal plasma (n = 200) after delivery. The concentrations of Hcy, Met and Cys as a median (inter quartile range, Q₁ and Q₃) were 5.37 (3.32–7.79) μm , 25.20 (20.10–31.06) μm and 147.25 (102.81–189.31) μm , respectively. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coupling needle‐trap devices with comprehensive two‐dimensional gas chromatography with high‐resolution time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry to rapidly reveal the chemical transformation of volatile components from sulfur‐fumigated ginseng

Sulfur‐fumigation could alter the quality of white ginseng by damaging the bioactive compounds and generating sulfur‐containing materials. In the present study, coupling needle‐trap devices with comprehensive two‐dimensional gas chromatography and high‐resolution time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry was applied to rapidly reveal chemical transformation of volatile components from sulfur‐fumigated ginseng. Thirty‐two volatile compounds were not in white ginseng samples after sulfur‐fumigation. Furthermore, 20 sulfur‐containing compounds were identified for the first time in volatile oil of sulfur‐fumigated white ginseng. The established approach could be applied to discriminate sulfur‐fumigated white ginseng among commercial samples and to control the quality of white ginseng.     

Preparative purification of peoniflorin and albiflorin from peony rhizome using macroporous resin and medium-pressure liquid chromatography

Peoniflorin (PF) and albiflorin (AF) are two principal components of Paeonia species, which exhibit various biological activities such as improvement of blood circulation and immunoregulating function. To further utilization of waste parts of peony plants, an efficient method for preparative purification of these two ingredients from white peony rhizome was developed based on macroporous resin (MAR) and medium-pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC). The separation characteristics of nine typical MARs were investigated by static adsorption/desorption experiments, and LX38 was revealed as optimal one. Further static experiments with LX38 resin indicated that the adsorbents fitted well to the pseudo-second-order kinetics model and both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Based on the optimal process parameters, a large-scale preparation was successfully applied. After one run treatment with LX38, the contents of PF and AF were increased 15-fold to 24.5 and 16.8% in the refined extract, respectively. Both purified compounds were obtained from refined extract by reversed-phase MPLC at second-stage separation. The process developed is better because of its low cost, high efficiency, and procedural simplicity making it a potential approach for large-scale production of PF and AF for their further applications in functional foods and pharmaceuticals.     

Studies of the Synthesis of Diethyl Cyclopropylphosphonate and Its Thio and Seleno Analogs

Two methods for the synthesis of unsubstituted diethyl cyclopropylphosphonate are described. One method is a reaction between cyclopropylmagnesium bromide and diethyl chlorophosphite to give diethyl cyclopropylphosphonite, followed by oxidation with sodium periodate to the corresponding phosphonate. Alternatively, diethyl cyclopropylphosphonite was reacted with elemental sulfur or selenium to give the thio and seleno analogs, respectively. The second method involves exclusive 1,3‐elimination of HBr from diethyl 3‐bromopropylphosphonate. This method can be directed to either the 1,2‐ or the 1,3‐elimination reaction, leading to propenylphosphonate or cyclopropylphosphonate, depending on the solvent used.     

Simultaneous Determination of Atenolol,Rosuvastatin, Spironolactone,Glibenclamide and Naproxen Sodium in Pharmaceutical Formulations and Human Plasma by RP‐HPLC

A rapid and sensitive high‐performance liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination and quantification of atenolol, rosuvastatin, spirnolactone, glibenclamide and naproxen sodium in bulk drugs, pharmaceutical formulations and in human plasma in the presence of internal standard (flurbiprofen). Chromatograms were developed with methanol and water (80:20, v/v) solvent system on a Purospher start, C₁₈ (5 μm, 250 × 4.6 mm) column and pH was adjusted to 3.40 with ortho‐phosphoric acid. Mobile phase was pumped with a flow rate of 0.90 mL/minute with 235 nm UV detection. Standard curves were linear over the concentration range 0.25‐30 μg/mL^?1. The coefficients of variation (C.V.%), were < 3% and LOD and LOQ were <0.0154 & 0.06 for inter‐ and intra‐day, respectively. The method was applied to drug interaction studies of atenolol with rosuvastatin, spironolactone, glibenclamide and naproxen to illustrate the scope and application of the methods to manage four different therapeutic classes of drugs, as they are co‐administered.     

Na2S–Carbon Nanotube Fabric Electrodes for Room‐Temperature Sodium–Sulfur Batteries

A unique sodium sulfide (Na₂S) cathode is developed, which will allow the use of sodium‐free anodes for room‐temperature sodium–sulfur (Na–S) batteries. To overcome the “inert” nature of the Na₂S, a special cathode structure is developed by spreading the multi‐walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)‐wrapped Na₂S particles onto MWCNT fabrics. Spectroscopic and electrochemical analyses reveal a series of polysulfide intermediates involved in the charge/discharge of the cell. The Na–S battery prepared in full discharge state with the Na₂S/MWCNT cathode provides a remarkable capacity of 500 A h kg^?1 (based on sulfur mass) after 50 cycles.     

A Facile Synthesis of High‐Surface‐Area Sulfur–Carbon Composites for Li/S Batteries

Small‐grained elemental sulfur is precipitated from sodium thiosulfate (Na₂S₂O₃) in a carbon‐containing oxalic acid (HOOC?COOH) solution through a novel spray precipitation method. Surface area analysis, elemental mapping, and transmission electron micrographs revealed that the spray‐precipitated sulfur particles feature 11 times higher surface area compared to conventional precipitated sulfur, with homogeneous distribution in the carbon. Moreover, the scanning electron micrographs show that these high‐surface‐area sulfur particles are firmly adhered to and covered by carbon. This precipitated S–C composite exhibits high discharge capacity with about 75 % capacity retention. The initial discharge capacity was further improved to 1444 mA h g^?1 by inserting a free‐standing single‐walled carbon nanotube layer in between the cathode and the separator. Moreover, with the help of the fixed capacity charging technique, 91.6 % capacity retention was achieved.     

Organic Thiocarboxylate Electrodes for a Room‐Temperature Sodium‐Ion Battery Delivering an Ultrahigh Capacity

Organic room‐temperature sodium‐ion battery electrodes with carboxylate and carbonyl groups have been widely studied. Herein, for the first time, we report a family of sodium‐ion battery electrodes obtained by replacing stepwise the oxygen atoms with sulfur atoms in the carboxylate groups of sodium terephthalate which improves electron delocalization, electrical conductivity and sodium uptake capacity. The versatile strategy based on molecular engineering greatly enhances the specific capacity of organic electrodes with the same carbon scaffold. By introducing two sulfur atoms to a single carboxylate scaffold, the molecular solid reaches a reversible capacity of 466 mAh g⁻¹ at a current density of 50 mA g⁻¹. When four sulfur atoms are introduced, the capacity increases to 567 mAh g⁻¹ at a current density of 50 mA g⁻¹, which is the highest capacity value reported for organic sodium‐ion battery anodes until now.     

Novel synthesis of N,N′‐dialkyl cyclic ureas using sulfur‐assisted carbonylation and oxidation

The first example of cyclic urea synthesis from secondary amines by the use of sulfur‐assisted carbonylation and oxidation was established. By combined sulfur‐assisted carbonylation of secondary α,ω‐diamines under an ambient pressure of carbon monoxide at 20°C with oxidation by molecular oxygen (0.1 MPa, 20°C), a facile synthetic method for N,N′‐dialkyl cyclic ureas including 1,3‐dimethyl‐2‐imidazolidinone was developed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 20:64–68, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20508     

Extraction and Spectrophotometric Determination of Diclofenac in Pharmaceuticals

A new simple, rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of diclofenac sodium (Dicl) in pharmaceutical preparations. This method is based on the reaction of diclofenac sodium with an analytical reagent 1,3,3‐trimethyl‐5‐thiocyanato‐2‐[3‐(1′,3′,3′‐trimethyl‐3′‐H‐indol‐2′‐ylidene)‐propenyl]‐indolium cloride (TIC) at pH 8.0‐11.0 and the extraction of ion associate colored complex. Optimal conditions for the complex formation between Dicl and TIC were studied. This ion associate complex (1:1) was detected and extracted with toluene and an absorption maximum at 566.2 nm against a blank reagent. The calibration graph was linear from 0.9‐11.0 μg/mL of diclofenac and the detection limit was 0.86 μg/mL.     

Analysis of Total Non-Volatile Non-Sulfide Reduced Sulfur in Potable and Untreated Surface and Groundwaters

Abstract

An analytical method was developed to measure the total concentration of non-volatile non-sulfide reduced sulfur in treated and untreated surface and groundwater. The method was based on the alkaline reduction by Raney nickel (prepared in situ from Raney alloy) of organic and inorganic sulfur compounds (in oxidation states below +6) to sulfide. Sulfide was swept out of the reflux apparatus under nitrogen into a trap of zinc acetate and determined colorimetrically as ethylene blue. The recoveries obtained from solutions of elemental sulfur, sulfide, sulfite, thiosulfate, tetrathionate, cysteine, cystine, methionine, glutathione, allylthiourea, sulfanilamide and thiocyanate ranged from 84–102% with typical recoveries of approximately 90%. Sulfate was not detectable by the procedure. Chlorine present in potable water samples interfered in the procedure and was removed with sodium borohydride. The relative standard deviation of the method varied from 0.25 to 5.6% and averaged 3%. The detection limit based on a 500 mL sample was 3 mg m^?3.     

Sorptive Enrichment of Sulfur Compounds from Gaseous Samples on Polydimethylsiloxane

A method has been developed for preconcentrating the volatile sulfur compounds from gaseous samples using a trap filled with a sorption material, polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS), without the need for extensive cryotrapping with liquid cryogens. The system is based on enrichment of the solutes on a packed bed of 50% (w/w) PDMS on solid support without cryotrapping and is then analysed by using thermal desorption followed by capillary column (GS‐GASPRO) gas chromatography with simultaneous sulfur‐selective detection. The practicality of the system was demonstrated by the analysis of natural gas. Using the system described here, the sulfur gaseous compounds known to cause nuisance odors in the natural gas could be quantitatively trapped. The application of 50% PDMS on silcoport? for the analysis of sulfur compounds from gaseous samples has been proved to be useful.     

Stereoretentive Palladium‐Catalyzed Arylation,Alkenylation, and Alkynylation of 1‐Thiosugars and Thiols Using Aminobiphenyl Palladacycle Precatalyst at Room Temperature

A general and efficient protocol for the palladium‐catalyzed functionalization of mono‐ and polyglycosyl thiols by using the palladacycle precatalyst G3‐XantPhos was developed. The C?S bond‐forming reaction was achieved rapidly at room temperature with various functionalized (hetero)aryl‐, alkenyl‐, and alkynyl halides. The functional group tolerance on the electrophilic partner is typically high and anomer selectivities of thioglycosides are high in all cases studied. New sulfur nucleophiles such as thiophenols, alkythiols, and thioaminoacids (cysteine) were also successfully coupled to lead to the most general and practical method yet reported for the functionalization of thiols.     

Rapid and accurate determination of trace volatile sulfur compounds in human halitosis by an adaptable active sampling system coupling with gas chromatography

Halitosis with the main components of trace volatile sulfur compounds widely affects the quality of life. In this study, an adaptable active sampling system with two sample‐collection modes of direct injection and solid‐phase microextraction was developed for the rapid and precise determination of trace volatile sulfur compounds in human halitosis coupled with gas chromatography–flame photometric detection. The active sampling system was well designed and produced for efficiently sampling and precisely determining trace volatile targets in halitosis under the optimized sampling and detection conditions. The analytical method established was successfully applied for the determination of trace targets in halitosis. The limits of detection of H₂S, CH₃SH, and CH₃SCH₃ by direct injection were 0.0140–23.0 μg/L with good recoveries ranging from 82.2 to 118% and satisfactory relative standard deviations of 0.4–9.5% (n = 3), respectively. The limit of detections of CH₃SH and CH₃SCH₃ by solid‐phase microextraction were 2.03 and 0.186 × 10^?3 μg/L with good recoveries ranging from 98.3 to 108% and relative standard deviations of 5.9–9.0% (n = 3). Trace volatile targets in positive real samples could be actually found and quantified by combination of direct injection and solid‐phase microextraction. This method was reliable and efficient for the determination of trace volatile sulfur compounds in halitosis.     

Sodium Dithionite‐Mediated Decarboxylative Sulfonylation: Facile Access to Tertiary Sulfones

A straightforward multicomponent decarboxylative cross coupling of redox‐active esters (N‐hydroxyphthalimide ester), sodium dithionite, and electrophiles was established to construct sterically bulky sulfones. The inorganic salt sodium dithionite not only served as the sulfur dioxide source, but also acted as an efficient radical initiator for the decarboxylation. Notably, diverse naturally abundant carboxylic acids and artificially prepared carboxyl‐containing drugs with multiple heteroatoms and sensitive functional groups successfully underwent this decarboxylative sulfonylation to provide sterically bulky tertiary sulfones. Mechanistic studies further demonstrated that decarboxylation was the rate‐determining step and occurred via a single‐electron transfer (SET) process with the assistance of sodium dithionite.     

Pd‐catalyzed Desulfitative reaction of Aryltrifluoroborates with sodium Arenesulfinates in water

An efficient procedure for the synthesis of biaryls was catalyzed by Pd(CH₃CN)₄(BF₄)₂ is reported. This Pd‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reaction of aryltrifluoroborates with sodium arenesulfinates was developed under mild and environmentally benign conditions, in water without any ligand or additive. The reaction gave a range of structurally diverse unsymmetrical bi‐aryl molecules with excellent yields, in which the byproduct was sulfur dioxide. It is worth noting that this protocol is also applicable to many heterocyclic aromatics such as thiophene, furan, pyridine, quinoline, isoquinoline and indole.     

Determination of ochratoxin A in wine by means of immunoaffinity column clean-up and high-performance liquid chromatography

A new and accurate method to quantify ochratoxin A (OA) in table wine has been developed. The method uses commercial immunoaffinity columns for clean-up and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection for quantification of the toxin. Wine was diluted with a solution containing 1% polyethylene glycol (PEG 8000) and 5% sodium hydrogencarbonate, filtered and applied to an OchraTest immunoaffinity column. The column was washed with a solution containing sodium chloride (2.5%) and sodium hydrogencarbonate (0.5%) followed by water. OA was eluted with methanol and quantified by reversed-phase HPLC with fluorometric detection (excitation wavelength 333 nm, emission wavelength 460 nm) using acetonitrile-water-acetic acid (99:99:2) as mobile phase. Average recoveries of OA from white, rosé and red wine samples spiked at levels from 0.04 to 10 ng/ml ranged from 88% to 103%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) between 0.2 and 9.7%. Detection limit was 0.01 ng/ml based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1. The method was applied successfully to 56 samples of red (38), rosé (8), white (9) and dessert (1) wine. The levels of OA ranged from <0.01 to 7.6 ng/ml with red wines more contaminated than rosé and white wines. A good correlation (r=0.987) was found by comparative analysis of 20 naturally contaminated samples using this method and the method of Zimmerli and Dick with better recoveries of OA and better performances for the new method. Several advantages of this method with respect to the actually available methods have been pointed out, with particular reference to red wine which appears to be the most difficult to analyze.