Tannin-Based Adhesives

The word “tannin” has loosely been used to define two different classes of chemical compounds of mainly phenolic nature: hydrolyz-able tannins and condensed tannins. The former, including chestnut, myrobolans (Terminalia and Phyllantus tree species), and dividivi (Caesalpina coraria) extracts, are mixtures of simple phenols, such as pyrogallol and ellagic acid, and of esters of a sugar, mainly glucose, with gallic and digallic acids.     

Heuristic extraction of rules in pruned artificial neural networks models used for quantifying highly overlapping chromatographic peaks

The suitability of an approach for extracting heuristic rules from trained artificial neural networks (ANNs) pruned by a regularization method and with architectures designed by evolutionary computation for quantifying highly overlapping chromatographic peaks is demonstrated. The ANN input data are estimated by the Levenberg-Marquardt method in the form of a four-parameter Weibull curve associated with the profile of the chromatographic band. To test this approach, two N-methylcarbamate pesticides, carbofuran and propoxur, were quantified using a classic peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence reaction as a detection system for chromatographic analysis. Straightforward network topologies (one and two outputs models) allow the analytes to be quantified in concentration ratios ranging from 1:7 to 5:1 with an average standard error of prediction for the generalization test of 2.7 and 2.3% for carbofuran and propoxur, respectively. The reduced dimensions of the selected ANN architectures, especially those obtained after using heuristic rules, allowed simple quantification equations to be developed that transform the input variables into output variables. These equations can be easily interpreted from a chemical point of view to attain quantitative analytical information regarding the effect of both analytes on the characteristics of chromatographic bands, namely profile, dispersion, peak height, and residence time.     

Determination of tannic acid and its phenolic metabolites in biological fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A method for the identification and determination of tannic acid and its phenolic metabolites in biological fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography was developed. Tannic acid and four phenolic compounds, namely gallic acid, pyrogallol, 4-O-methylgallic acid and ellagic acid, were successfully extracted from the biological fluids by using ethyl acetate at acidic conditions. Gallic acid, pyrogallol and 4-O-methylgallic acid were found in the sheep urine, gallic acid, 4-O-methylgallic acid and ellagic acid in plasma, and gallic acid and ellagic acid in abomasal fluid after abomasal dosing of tannic acid. Tannic acid was found in the plasma apart from the abomasal fluid into which it was administered. The concentrations of tannic acid, gallic acid, pyrogallol, 4-O-methylgallic acid and ellagic acid in plasma, abomasal fluid and urine were measured. This method could be applied to measurement of other hydrolysable tannins and their phenolic metabolites in biological materials.     

Deoxygenation of polyhydroxybenzenes: an alternative strategy for the benzene-free synthesis of aromatic chemicals

New synthetic connections have been established between glucose and aromatic chemicals such as pyrogallol, hydroquinone, and resorcinol. The centerpiece of this approach is the removal of one oxygen atom from 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroxybenzene, hydroxyhydroquinone, and phloroglucinol methyl ether to form pyrogallol, hydroquinone, and resorcinol, respectively. Deoxygenations are accomplished by Rh-catalyzed hydrogenation of the starting polyhydroxybenzenes followed by acid-catalyzed dehydration of putative dihydro intermediates. Pyrogallol synthesis consists of converting glucose into myo-inositol, oxidation to myo-2-inosose, dehydration to 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroxybenzene, and deoxygenation to form pyrogallol. Synthesis of pyrogallol via myo-2-inosose requires 4 enzyme-catalyzed and 2 chemical steps. For comparison, synthesis of pyrogallol from glucose via gallic acid intermediacy and the shikimate pathway requires at least 20 enzyme-catalyzed steps. A new benzene-free synthesis of hydroquinone employs conversion of glucose into 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosose, dehydration of this inosose to hydroxyhydroquinone, and subsequent deoxygenation to form hydroquinone. Synthesis of hydroquinone via 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosose requires 2 enzyme-catalyzed and 2 chemical steps. By contrast, synthesis of hydroquinone using the shikimate pathway and intermediacy of quinic acid requires 18 enzyme-catalyzed steps and 1 chemical step. Methylation of triacetic acid lactone, cyclization, and regioselective deoxygenation of phloroglucinol methyl ether affords resorcinol. Given the ability to synthesize triacetic acid lactone from glucose, this constitutes the first benzene-free route for the synthesis of resorcinol.     

Radiolytic degradation mechanism of gallic acid and its end-products

Gallic acid is one of the most representative biorecalcitrant phenolic compounds present in cork processing wastewater. In this communication, chemical oxidation of gallic acid was studied by gamma irradiation as an advanced oxidation process. This technology turns out to be an advantageous tool for the degradation of gallic acid. The results obtained by UV-Vis and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) techniques are in agreement concerning the suitability of this technique to degrade gallic acid. ESI-MS and ESI-MS(2) monitoring of the non-irradiated and irradiated gallic acid solutions leads to the identification of the main intermediate products. Based on the overall results obtained a consistent mechanism of radiolytic degradation of gallic acid is proposed. The application of radiation as a tool to increase the biodegradability of wastewaters is an important issue from the perspective of Green Chemistry.     

Flow-injection biamperometry of pyrogallol compounds

A biamperometric method for the direct determination of pyrogallol compounds has been designed for flow-injection analysis. The method is based on the electrocatalytic oxidation of pyrogallol compounds at one pretreated platinum electrode and the reduction of platinum oxide at the other pretreated platinum electrode to form a biamperometric detection system with the applied potential difference of 10 mV. Three important compounds, pyrogallol, gallic acid and tannic acid, have been detected by the method. The linear relationships between currents and the concentrations of pyrogallol, gallic acid and tannic acid are obtained over the range 1.0×10⁻⁶-1.0×10⁻⁴, 1.0×10⁻⁶-1.0×10⁻⁴ and 1.0×10⁻⁶-2.0×10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹ with the detection limit of 6.0×10⁻⁷, 6.0×10⁻⁷ and 8.0×10⁻⁷ mol l⁻¹ (S/N=2), respectively. The R.S.D. observed for 30 successive determinations of 5.0×10⁻⁵ mol l⁻¹ pyrogallol, gallic acid and tannic acid are 1.9, 2.5 and 2.0%, respectively. Most ions and organic compounds tested are found not to cause significant interference in the determinations. The method is simple, selective and efficient (180 h⁻¹), performing well as a routine assay, and has been validated by the determination of pyrogallol compounds in tea and Chinese gall.     

Fast determination of lead in lake sediment samples using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry with slurry samples introduction

An analytical method for the determination of glutamic acid by the sequential perturbation caused by different amounts of glutamic acid on the oscillating chemical system involving the Cu(II)-catalyzed oscillating reaction between hydrogen peroxide and sodium thiocyanate in an alkaline medium is proposed. The method relies on the linear relationship between the changes in the oscillation amplitude of the chemical system and the concentration of glutamic acid. The reaction is implemented in a continuous-flow stirred-tank reactor, and changes in the oscillation amplitude on each perturbation are proportional to the glutamic acid concentration. The use of the analyte pulse perturbation (APP) technique permits sequential determinations on the same oscillating system owing to the expeditiousness with which the steady state is regained after each perturbation. The dynamic range lies between 2.5x10(-6) and 3.2x10(-4) M of glutamic acid, with the regression coefficient is 0.9987. The precision is excellent (less than 0.68% as relative standard deviation (R.S.D.)). Some aspects of the potential mechanism of action of glutamic acid on the oscillating system are discussed.     

光度法研究3,4,5—三羟基苯甲酸及其类似物与铀（Ⅵ）的配位反应

三羟基苯及其衍生物是一类重要配体,如3,4,5-三羟基苯甲酸(GA)与铀、钍及稀土生成沉淀,并可用于铀、钍、稀土的连续测定。我们在研究用GA离铀、钍、稀土时,GA与铀生成1种棕色配合物,早期曾用于铀的比色测定,它可能是一种单核与多核配合物的混合物,但对这类化合物与铀的配位反应迄今来作过详细研究。本文用光度法研究了GA、连苯三酚(PGA)、3,4,5-三羟基苯甲酸丙酯(PGE)与3,4,5-三甲氧基苯甲酸(TMBA)与铀(Ⅵ)的配位反应,研究了配合物的组成及其反应机理,测定了部分配合物的稳定常数。     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Anticancer Activities of Pyrogallol‐Based Arylspiroborates

Arylspiroborate salts derived from pyrogallol, gallic acid, and propyl gallate have been prepared and characterized fully, including an X‐ray diffraction study for the tetrabutylammonium gallic acid complex 4 . The tetrabutylammonium salts were examined for their potential anticancer activities against renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell lines, using NBu₄[Bcat₂] (cat = catecholato) as a control.     

Kinetics of the Decarboxylation of Gallic Acid in Pyrogallol,Resorcinol and Catechol

Kinetic data are reported for the decarboxylation of gallic acid in pyrogallol, resorcinol and catechol. This is the first study of its kind in these solvents. The reaction is first order and non-stoichiometric.     

Quantitative Analysis of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) Using a Potentiometric Electronic Tongue in a SIA Flow System

An advanced potentiometric electronic tongue and Sequential Injection Analysis (SIA) measurement system was applied for the quantitative analysis of mixtures containing three active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs): acetaminophen, ascorbic acid and acetylsalicylic acid, in the presence of various amounts of caffeine as interferent. The flow‐through sensor array was composed of miniaturized classical ion‐selective electrodes based on plasticized PVC membranes containing only ion exchangers. Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis of the steady‐state sensor array responses, measured in API mixtures prepared by the SIA system permitted a correct quantitative analysis of acetylsalicylic acid and ascorbic acid. Further optimization using multiway PLS fed by dynamic responses without additional feature extraction did not improve significantly the resolution of acetaminophen. Lastly, the chemometric treatment, involving the extraction of dynamic components of the transient response employing the Wavelet transform, the removal of less‐significant coefficients by means of Causal Index pruning and training of an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with the selected coefficients, allowed the simultaneous determination of all the three studied APIs, while counterbalancing any interference due to caffeine.     

New Observations on the Belousov-Zhabotinskii Reaction. The Oscillating Reaction of Organic Gallic Acid and Potassium Bromate Catalyzed by 1,10-o-Phenanthroline-Iron(II) Complex

The oscillating reaction involving organic gallic acid (GA), potassium bromate, and a metal ion complex has been reinvestigated. In contrast to other previous reports, this oscillating reaction is catalyzed by the [Fe(phen)_n]²⁺ ion (phen = 1,10-o-phenanthroline, n=1, 2, 3) rather than by the cerium ion. The characteristics of the oscillations depend on the temperature and on the concentrations of the potassium bromate, gallic acid, [Fe(phen)_n]²⁺, and sulfuric acid. A cyclic voltammetric study indicates that the redox potential and the reversibility of the [Fe(phen)_n]^2+/3+ couple play a major role in catalyzing this oscillating system.     

A New Chemiluminescence Method for the Determination of Pyrogallol

Pyrogallol(Py) is a chemiluminescence(CL) reagent with a low emission efficiency. The pyrogallol structural group is also found in molecules of many important natural and synthetic confounds, such as gallic acid humic acid and pyrogallol red. Studies of the metablism of phenolic compounds requires the development of specific and sensitive methods for the determination of pyrogallol. HPLC^[1], spectrophotometry^[2] and CL^[3-7] have been used to determined polyphenols, but these methods are complicated or low sensitivity.In this paper, a new Chemiluminense(CL) analytical method for determination of Py was established.This method is more sensitive than those methods reported in the literature^[3-7].     

Electronic Absorption Spectra of Substituted Phenols

The spectral properties of o-aminophenol, catechol, o-nitrophenol, pyrogallol, salicylic acid and gallic acid were investigated in different solvents. The behaviour of hydrogen bonding demonstrated in these systems was discussed.     

Combining classification and regression approaches for the quantification of highly overlapping capillary electrophoresis peaks by using evolutionary sigmoidal and product unit neural networks

This is a study of the potential of neural networks built by using different transfer functions (sigmoidal, product and sigmoidal–product units) designed by an evolutionary algorithm to quantify highly overlapping electrophoretic peaks. To test this approach, two aminoglycoside antibiotics, amikacin and paramomycin, were quantified from samples containing either only one component or mixtures of them though capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with laser‐induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. The three models assayed used as input data the four‐parameter Weibull curve associated with the profile of the electrophoretic peak and in some cases the class label for each sample estimated by cluster analysis. The combination of classification and regression approaches allowed the establishment of straightforward network topologies enabling the analytes to be quantified with great accuracy and precision. The best models for mixture samples were provided by product unit neural networks (PUNNs), 4:4:1 (14 weights) for both analytes, after discrimination by cluster analysis, allowing the analytes to be quantified with great accuracy: 8.2% for amikacin and 5.6% for paromomycin within the standard error of prediction for the generalization test, SEP_G. For comparison, partial least square regression was also used for the resolution of these mixtures; it provided a minor accuracy: SEP_G 11.8 and 15.7% for amikacin and paramomycin, respectively. The reduced dimensions of the neural networks models selected enabled the derivation of simple quantification equations to transform the input variables into the output variable. These equations can be more easily interpreted from a chemical point of view than those provided by other ANN models. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of a system suitability test for quality assurance and performance optimisation of a gas chromatographic system for pesticide residue analysis

In pesticide residue analysis, screening for over 150 compounds has to be performed on a daily basis. As part of the quality control measures it is crucial to verify that the chromatographic system fits the purpose, or if any deterioration occurred during its previous use. The operation conditions of the chromatographic system can be best monitored with properly selected system suitability test (SST) mixtures, which provide information with one injection on the characteristic performance parameters of the whole system from the injector to the detectors. We developed SST mixtures that are also suitable for use with electron-capture, nitrogen-phosphorus and pulse flame photometric detectors. These SST mixtures were applied over 3 years to monitor the system performance parameters, such as the number of effective theoretical plates, resolution, asymmetry, detection limit and selectivity. The applicability and advantages of these tests are illustrated and discussed.     

Simultaneous Calorimetric and Potentiometric Investigations on Some Uncatalyzed Bromate Oscillators (UBOs)

Simultaneous calorimetric and potentiometric/thermometric measurements were performed on three uncatalyzed bromate oscillators (UBOs) showing distinct temporal structures. The following UBOs were chosen: a) the gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxy benzoic acid)—bromate; b) the 1-hydroxy-4-[(1-hydroxy-2-methylamino)ethyl] benzene (HME)—bromate; and c) the 1,4-cyclohexanedione (CHD)—bromate system. Their oscillating reactions were monitored by an isoperibolic batch calorimeter of the Calvet-type at 20°C and with a quasi-adiabatic Dewar setup at room temperature, and in addition by platinum/calomel potentiometry and thermometry. Shape of the calorimetric curves, number and duration of the oscillations and their frequencies varied considerably between these three UBOs. The underlying chemical reaction schemes are discussed in connection with the energetic background.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Edge-plane-rich nitrogen-doped carbon nanoneedles and efficient metal-free electrocatalysts

CNN news: N-doped carbon nanoneedles (CNNs) are synthesized by self-assembling core-shell nanostructures and nanoreactors around cellulose nanoneedles, and subsequent graphitization. The resulting graphitic nanoneedles (see picture) have well-organized graphitic multi-layers and large proportions of N-doped edge planes. The materials serve as efficient metal-free electrocatalysts for hydrazine oxidation.     

The electronic structures and properties of open-ended and capped carbon nanoneedles

The existence of a family of very thin carbon needlelike nanostructures is predicted: the geometry and stability of several carbon nanoneedles (CNNs) formed by C4 and C6 units have been studied by quantum chemistry computational modeling methods. The structures of carbon nanoneedles are tighter than even the smallest single wall nanotubes (SWNTs) based on (4, 0) naphthacene. The electronic properties, energetic stability of geometrical structures with various terminal units are investigated. The relatively large band gaps, the strong bonding, and additional orbital interactions within the C4 rings and between the C4 layers make the H4(C4)(n)H4 type molecules nonmetallic. We have found indications that if the CNN (3, 0) structures are very long (in the limit of infinite-length), then they are likely to have semiconducting properties and could possibly be used as actual semiconductors. The studied families of CNNs can be considered as carbon nanostructures with unique structural and chemical properties and with possible potential for unusual electronic properties, with likely practical applications as nanomaterials and nanostructure devices.