Analysis of carotenoids in the fruits ofAsparagus falcatus: Isolation of 5,6-diepikarpoxanthin

Summary In an investigation of carotenoids present in the fruits ofAsparagus falcatus capsanthin (1), capsorubin (2), 5,6-diepikarpoxanthin (7), capsanthin 5,6-epoxide (18), capsochrome (17), mutatoxanthin (19), antheraxanthin (11), and capsanthone (20) (Figure 1) have been isolated by preparative CLC and characterized by spectroscopic methods. On the basis of spectroscopic data the absolute configuration of 5,6-diepikarpoxanthin (7) was determined as 3S,5S,6S, which is identical with that occurring in samples originating from paprika andLilium. Presented at Balaton Symposium on High Performance Separation Methods, Siófok, Hungary, September 1–3, 1999     

Synthesis of poly(<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-methylolacrylamide)/polymethylacrylamide hybrids via frontal free-radical polymerization

In this study, poly(N-methylolacrylamide)/polymethylacrylamide (PNMA/PMAA) hybrids were produced successfully by frontal free-radical polymerization at ambient pressure. In a typical run, the appropriate amounts of reactants (N-methylolacrylamide, NMA; methylacrylamide, MAA) and initiator (ammonium persulfate) were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide at ambient temperature. Frontal polymerization (FP) was initiated by heating the wall of the tube with a soldering iron, and the resultant hot fronts were allowed to self-propagate throughout the reaction vessel. Once initiated, no further energy was required for polymerization to occur. The dependences of the front velocity and front temperature on the initiator concentration, reactant dilution, and NMA/MAA components were thoroughly investigated. The front temperatures were between 69 and 116 °C, depending on the persulfate concentration. We have also investigated the FP of PNMA/PMAA hybrids with N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone as solvent. Results show that FP can be exploited as a means for the preparation of PNMA/PMAA hybrids with the potential advantage of higher throughput compared to the traditional mode.     

Evaluation of in silico tools to predict the skin sensitization potential of chemicals

Public domain and commercial in silico tools were compared for their performance in predicting the skin sensitization potential of chemicals. The packages were either statistical based (Vega, CASE Ultra) or rule based (OECD Toolbox, Toxtree, Derek Nexus). In practice, several of these in silico tools are used in gap filling and read-across, but here their use was limited to make predictions based on presence/absence of structural features associated to sensitization. The top 400 ranking substances of the ATSDR 2011 Priority List of Hazardous Substances were selected as a starting point. Experimental information was identified for 160 chemically diverse substances (82 positive and 78 negative). The prediction for skin sensitization potential was compared with the experimental data. Rule-based tools perform slightly better, with accuracies ranging from 0.6 (OECD Toolbox) to 0.78 (Derek Nexus), compared with statistical tools that had accuracies ranging from 0.48 (Vega) to 0.73 (CASE Ultra – LLNA weak model). Combining models increased the performance, with positive and negative predictive values up to 80% and 84%, respectively. However, the number of substances that were predicted positive or negative for skin sensitization in both models was low. Adding more substances to the dataset will increase the confidence in the conclusions reached. The insights obtained in this evaluation are incorporated in a web database www.asopus.weebly.com that provides a potential end user context for the scope and performance of different in silico tools with respect to a common dataset of curated skin sensitization data.     

Characterisation of two novel cyclodextrinases using on-line microdialysis sampling with high-performance anion exchange chromatography

In this work, a real-time sampling/analytical method for on-line measurements of two newly discovered cyclomaltodextrinases (CDases) has been developed and evaluated. This novel methodology not only allows the final products to be investigated, but it also reveals enzyme-specific differences in the degradation pathways during the hydrolysis of different substrates, which is a great advantage in the important tasks of investigating the mechanisms of and classifying new hydrolases, and is an advantage that conventional techniques cannot offer. Two different enzymes, one CDase from Laceyella sacchari (LsCda13) and one from Anoxybacillus flavithermus (AfCda13), were investigated during the hydrolysis of α-, β- and γ-cyclodextrin, and the hydrolysis products were sampled via a microdialysis probe and injected on-line every 30 min into a high-performance anion exchange chromatography system equipped with a pulsed amperometric detector (HPAEC–PAD), where they were identified. The enzymes yielded the same end-products, maltose and glucose, in an approximate molar ratio of 2:1, but they exhibited distinctly different patterns of intermediate product formation before reaching the end-point. LsCda13 had a more random distribution of the intermediate products, whereas AfCda13 showed the distinct intermediate production of maltotriose, which in some cases accumulated.     

Determination of Diterpenoids and Flavonoids in Isodon rubescens by LC-ESI-MS-MS

The diterpenoids and flavonoids in Isodon rubescens were analyzed simultaneously by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS-MS) for the first time. The fragmentation pathway of rubescensin A (oridonin) and rubescensin B (ponicidin) in an electrospray ion trap mass spectrometer was also investigated. A total of 10 compounds, including five diterpenoids and five flavonoids, were identified or preliminarily characterized based on their mass spectra. Six of them were reported from Isodon species for the first time.     

Determination of type A and type B trichothecenes in paprika and chili pepper using LC-triple quadrupole-MS and GC-ECD

There is a need to develop sensitive and accurate analytical methods for determining deoxynivalenol (DON), HT-2 toxin and T-2 toxin in paprika to properly assess the relevant risk of human exposure. An optimized analytical method for determination of HT-2 toxin and T-2 toxin using capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detection and another method for determination of DON by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in paprika was developed. The method for determination of HT-2 toxin and T-2 toxin that gave the best recoveries involved extraction of the sample with acetonitrile-water (84:16, v/v), clean-up by solid-phase extraction on a cartridge made of different sorbent materials followed by a further clean-up in immunoaffinity column that was specific for the two toxins. The solvent was changed and the eluate was derivatized with pentafluoropropionic anhydride and injected into the GC system. The limits of detection (LOD) for T-2 and HT-2 toxins were 7 and 3 μg/kg, respectively, and the recovery rates for paprika spiked with 1000 μg toxin/kg were 71.1% and 80.1% for HT-2 and T-2 toxins, respectively. For DON determination, the optimized method consisted of extraction with acetonitrile-water (84:16, v/v) solution followed by a solid-phase extraction clean-up process in a cartridge made of different sorbent compounds. After solvent evaporation in N₂ stream, the residue was dissolved and DON was separated and determined by LC-MS/MS. The LOD for this method was 14 μg DON/kg paprika sample and the DON recovery rate was 86.8%.     

Determination of the volatile constituents of ChineseCoriandrum sativum L. by gas chromatography—Mass spectrometry with solid-phase microextraction

Summary Fifteen main volatile compounds in ChineseCoriandrum sativum L. were separated and identified by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry (GC-MS) combined with solid-phase microextraction (SPME). Fresh ChineseCoriandrum sativum L. was ground and its volatile compounds were extracted by SPME with a 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane fiber. The fibers were desorbed in a GC injection liner at 250°C for 3 min. More than 15 peaks were separated by headspace SPME-GC-MS analysis. The main compounds in headspace ofCoriandrum sativum L. identified by mass spectrometry included decanal, 2-decenal, 1-decanol,trans-2-decen-1-ol,trans-2-decen-1-al,trans-2-tridecenal etc, which were verified by reference compounds. Their relative contents were calculated on basis of peak areas. SPME extraction conditions and capillary chromatography column used to separate the volatile compounds were investigated.     

稀土乙酰丙氨酸咪唑配合物的合成及光谱性质

稀土元素由于特殊的外层电子构型,在与不同类型配体配位时,呈现出丰富多彩的配位行为和结构,其配合物,特别是有机配合物,由于具有发光性强、选择性好的特点,在发光、激光材料创制、结构探针、荧光免疫分析及生物传感器等领域的研究和应用引起广泛关注.氨基酸、肽是各种生物大分子的基本组成单元,咪唑存在于组氨酸、羧肽酶、血红蛋白等生物分子中参与配位或"变构效应"成为活性部位结构,唑环有丰富的能级,其作为含N富电子体系可与稀土离子形成既有生物活性,又有优良光学性能的配合物.     

Kinetische und thermodynamische Untersuchungen im System AgCl-LiCl-NaCl

In the ternary system silver chloride-lithium chloride-sodium chloride the kinetics of the galvanic deposition of silver on graphite electrodes was investigated as well as its dissolution without current in the molten salt saturated with chlorine gas.In addition the emf-values were measured in the temperature range between 923 K and 1,173 K by means of, the formation cell graphite/Ag(s)/AgCl(l)–LiCl(l)–NaCl(l)/Cl₂ graphite From these data the partial molar free excessGibbs energies were calculated. Using the equation for a multicomponent system as suggested byRedlich-Kister ¹ G _AgCl ^E values were obtained by a non-linear fitting process, where the fit was performed for all investigated temperatures and over the entire concentration range in the ternary system. With the parameters obtained the partial and integral excess valuesG _i ^E ,G ^E ,H _i ^E ,H ^E ,S _i ^E andS ^E were calculated.

     

Determining the adulteration of spices with Sudan I-II-II-IV dyes by UV-visible spectroscopy and multivariate classification techniques

We propose a very simple and fast method for detecting Sudan dyes (I, II, III and IV) in commercial spices, based on characterizing samples through their UV-visible spectra and using multivariate classification techniques to establish classification rules. We applied three classification techniques: K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN), Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogy (SIMCA) and Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). A total of 27 commercial spice samples (turmeric, curry, hot paprika and mild paprika) were analysed by chromatography (HPLC-DAD) to check that they were free of Sudan dyes. These samples were then spiked with Sudan dyes (I, II, III and IV) up to a concentration of 5 mg L⁻¹. Our final data set consisted of 135 samples distributed in five classes: samples without Sudan dyes, samples spiked with Sudan I, samples spiked with Sudan II, samples spiked with Sudan III and samples spiked with Sudan IV.Classification results were good and satisfactory using the classification techniques mentioned above: 99.3%, 96.3% and 90.4% of correct classification with PLS-DA, KNN and SIMCA, respectively. It should be pointed out that with SIMCA, there are no real classification errors as no samples were assigned to the wrong class: they were just not assigned to any of the pre-defined classes.     

A Smart Access to the Dinitramide Anion – The Use of Dinitraminic Acid for the Preparation of Nitrogen-Rich Energetic Copper(II) Complexes

Dinitraminic acid (HN(NO₂)₂, HDN) was prepared by ion exchange chromatography and acid-base reaction with basic copper(II) carbonate allowed the in situ preparation of copper(II) dinitramide, which was reacted with twelve nitrogen-rich ligands, for example, 4-amino-1,2,4-triazole, 1-methyl-5H-tetrazole, di(5H-tetrazolyl)-methane/-ethane/-propane/-butane. Nine of the complexes were investigated by low-temperature X-ray diffraction. In addition, all compounds were investigated by infrared spectroscopy (IR), differential thermal analysis (DTA), elemental analysis (EA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for selected compounds. Furthermore, investigations of the materials were carried out regarding their sensitivity toward impact (IS), friction (FS), ball drop impact (BDIS) and electrostatic discharge (ESD). In addition, hot plate and hot needle tests were performed. Complex [Cu(AMT)₄(H₂O)](DN)₂, based on 1-amino-5-methyltetrazole (AMT), is most outstanding for its detonative behavior and thus also capable of initiating PETN in classical initiation experiments. Laser ignition experiments at a wavelength of 915 nm were performed for all substances and solid-state UV-Vis spectra were recorded to apprehend the ignition mechanism.     

A kinetic investigation of removal of chromium from aqueous solutions with a strong cation exchange resin

A kinetic investigation was performed with an ion exchange resin for chromium. A strong cation exchange resin (Amberlite IR 120) was used for removal of chromium. The effects of concentration, resin amount, and stirring speed on kinetics were investigated. The metal concentration range studied was between 5 to 160 mg/dm³ (the amount of solution was 4 dm³), the resin amount range was between 5 to 20 mg, and the stirring speed range was between 1000 to 3500 rpm. Equilibrium experiments were performed for calculation of separation factor. Kinetic studies were done using a Kressman-Kitchener stirrer reactor system and the results were compared with existing kinetic models. Two models, Nernst-Plank film diffusion control model (fdc) and solid phase diffusion control model (pdc), respectively were identified, and the dependence of the rate on parameters such as solution concentration, resin amount, stirring speed, etc. was examined for each of them. The interpretation of these data shows that the system is probably controlled by both film and particle diffusion. Correspondence: Sevgi Kocaoba, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Art and Science, Yildiz Technical University, Davutpasa Cad. No: 127, 34210 Davutpasa-Istanbul, Turkey.     

Use of Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography Combined with Diode-Array and Mass Spectrometric Detection for Analysis of Compounds in Flos Lonicera

Comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatographic separation by means of a combination of ion-exchange chromatography (IEC) and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) has been realized and applied to the analysis of components of a traditional Chinese medicine Flos Lonicera. In the first dimension the components of a Flos Lonicera extract is separated on strong anion-exchange (SAX) column according to the charge-exchange properties of the components. In the second dimension the components are further fractionated by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (on ODS) on the basis of their hydrophobicity. The RPLC effluent is desalted and split and the components are identified on-line by use of both diode-array detection and mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI–MS). In this way, the extract of Flos Lonicera can be rapidly separated, desalted, and analyzed, with determination of molecular weight. More than 58 components of an extract of Flos Lonicera were well resolved and six were tentatively identified from their UV and mass spectra.     

Identification of Ginsenosides in Panax quinquefolium by LC-MS

An HPLC-APCI-MS method for the identification of ginsenosides in Panax quinquefolium has been developed. HPLC-APCI-MS could effectively identify ocotillol, protopanaxadiol, protopanaxatriol and oleanane-type ginsenosides in a single MS experiment since [M-H]⁻ ions and characteristic thermal degradation ions of ginsenosides could be simultaneously observed under negative and positive ionization conditions. Nine ocotillol-type ginsenosides including 24(R)-pseudoginsenoside F₁₁ were firstly identified and a total of 30 ginsenosides were identified in Panax quinquefolium. The ginsenoside profile differences between Chinese and American P. quinquefolium were investigated by HPLC-APCI-MS.     

Cycloviolaxanthin (= (3S,5R,6R,3′S,5′R,6′R)-3,6:3′,6′-Diepoxy-5,6,5′,6′-tetrahydro-β,β-carotin-5,5′-diol), ein neues Carotinoid aus Paprika (Capsicum annuum)

Cycloviolaxanthin (= (3S,5R,6R,3′S,5′R,6′R)-3.6:3′,6′-Diepoxy-5,6,5′,6′-tetrahydro-β,β-carotene-5,5′-diol), a Novel Carotenoid from Red Paprika (Capsicum annuum) From red paprika (Capsicum annuum var. longum nigrum) cycloviolaxanthin was isolated as a minor carotenoid and, based on spectral data, assigned the symmetrical structure 8 .     

Headspace Solid-phase Microextraction–Gas Chromatographic–Mass Spectrometric Analysis of the Essential Oils of Two Traditional Chinese Medicines, Angelica pubescens and Angelica sinensis

Angelica pubescens and Angelica sinensis belong to the Umbelliferae family and both are used as traditional Chinese medicines. In the present study, headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for the analysis of the volatile constituents present in their roots. Eighty-seven compounds in Angelica pubescens and thirty-six compounds in Angelica sinensis were identified by GC-MS. Their relative contents were calculated by the peak area ratio. HS-SPME was compared to steam distillation (SD) by analyzing the volatile constituents of Angelica sinensis root. A good agreement between results obtained with both techniques was found. As a conclusion, HS-SPME is a powerful tool for determining the volatile constituents present in the TCMs.     

Structure-activity study of antiepilepticN-aryl-isoxazolecarboxamides/N-isoxazolylbenzamide analogs using Wiener's topological index

The relationship between Wiener's topological index and the antiepileptic activity of a series ofN-aryl-isoxazole carboxamides/N-isoxazolylbenzamide analogs has been investigated. Values of Wiener's topological index for 69 compounds constituting the training set were computed and an active range was identified. Each analog was subsequently assigned an activity which was then compared with the reported antiepileptic activity against the maximal electroshock seizure (MES) test. Due to significant correlation between antiepileptic activity and Wiener's topological index, it was possible to predict antiepileptic activity with an accuracy of 91 % in the active range.     

Effect of akyl-γ-cyclodextrins on the stability of retinol

Inclusion complexation between retinol (RET) and two synthetic alkyl carbonates of γ-cyclodextrin (alkyl-γ-CD) derivatives, ethyl-γ-cyclodextrin (E-CD) and octyl-γ-cyclodextrin (O-CD), was investigated by means of different techniques. The complexes were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Phase solubility studies, according to the method of Higuchi and Connors [1] were used to evaluate the complexation in aqueous solution at room temperature. In the present study inclusion complexes of retinol with E-CD and with O-CD were prepared to prevent its rapid degradation. In order to investigate the behavior of retinol under UV light, test of irradiation was performed separately on samples prepared dispersing retinol (0.1% w/w) or an equivalent amount of retinol/alkyl-γ-CD respectively in hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) gel and in an O/W emulsion. The stability over time of retinol was also investigated storing the samples at 40 °C. Moreover retinol permeation through porcine skin has been evaluated employing Franz cells [2]. Retinol solubility was increased in presence of cyclodextrins while DSC analysis suggest that this inclusion agents are able to interact with retinol. Data for skin accumulation in porcine ear skin showed that alkyl-CDs increase of approximatively 1,5-fold retinol skin accumulation. Studies on the stability showed that both the inclusion complexes considered are able to increase retinol stability to light exposure and also to heat.     

ESR study of the thermal decomposition of di-tert-butoxy-tert-butyl alumotrioxide formed in the reaction of tri-tert-butoxyaluminum with tert-butyl hydroperoxide

Tri-tert-butoxyaluminum reacts with tert-butyl hydroperoxide to produce di-tert-butoxy-tert-butyl alumotrioxide, which decomposes heterolytically to form singlet dioxygen and homolytically with the O—O bond cleavage. The Bu^tOO^·, (Bu^tO)₂AlOO^·, Bu^tO^·, and (Bu^tO)₂AlO^· radicals were identified by ESR using spin traps. These findings confirm the formation of aluminum-containing trioxide. The above radicals initiate alkylarene oxidation by the tri-tert-butoxyaluminum—tert-butyl hydroperoxide system. The carbon-centered and alkylperoxy radicals originated from the oxidized substrates were identified.     

Novel Thermostable Flavin‐binding Fluorescent Proteins from Thermophilic Organisms

Flavin‐binding fluorescent proteins (FbFPs) are small, oxygen‐independent in vivo reporters, derived from Light Oxygen Voltage (LOV) domains of photoreceptors. Here, we investigated the thermostability of existing, as well as novel FbFPs, whose genes were identified in genome sequences of various thermophilic bacteria as well as metagenomic libraries from hot springs in the Yellowstone National Park. Detailed in vitro analyses revealed that two of those fluorescent reporter proteins were highly thermostable, exhibiting melting temperatures above 75°C.