A high-throughput platform for low-volume high-temperature/pressure sealed vessel solvent extractions

A high-throughput platform for performing parallel solvent extractions in sealed HPLC/GC vials inside a microwave reactor is described. The system consist of a strongly microwave-absorbing silicon carbide plate with 20 cylindrical wells of appropriate dimensions to be fitted with standard HPLC/GC autosampler vials serving as extraction vessels. Due to the possibility of heating up to four heating platforms simultaneously (80 vials), efficient parallel analytical-scale solvent extractions can be performed using volumes of 0.5-1.5 mL at a maximum temperature/pressure limit of 200°C/20 bar. Since the extraction and subsequent analysis by either gas chromatography or liquid chromatography coupled with mass detection (GC-MS or LC-MS) is performed directly from the autosampler vial, errors caused by sample transfer can be minimized. The platform was evaluated for the extraction and quantification of caffeine from commercial coffee powders assessing different solvent types, extraction temperatures and times. For example, 141±11 μg caffeine (5 mg coffee powder) were extracted during a single extraction cycle using methanol as extraction solvent, whereas only 90±11 were obtained performing the extraction in methylene chloride, applying the same reaction conditions (90°C, 10 min). In multiple extraction experiments a total of ~150 μg caffeine was extracted from 5 mg commercial coffee powder. In addition to the quantitative caffeine determination, a comparative qualitative analysis of the liquid phase coffee extracts and the headspace volatiles was performed, placing special emphasis on headspace analysis using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) techniques. The miniaturized parallel extraction technique introduced herein allows solvent extractions to be performed at significantly expanded temperature/pressure limits and shortened extraction times, using standard HPLC autosampler vials as reaction vessels. Remarkable differences regarding peak pattern and main peaks were observed when low-temperature extraction (60°C) and high-temperature extraction (160°C) are compared prior to headspace-SPME-GC-MS performed in the same HPLC/GC vials.     

Decomposition of formamide assisted by microwaves, a tool for synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles

Generation of ammonia via thermal decomposition of formamide was studied under microwave conditions to provide an efficient tool for the synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles. Quinazolin-4-ones, which are known as building blocks for molecules with pharmaceutical interest, were chosen as examples. Our work confirms that reactants may have different behaviours under microwaves, depending on power input, reached temperature and pressure in the vials. Full control and fine tuning of these parameters are achievable using modern microwave technology.     

Application of a new focused microwave technology with species-specific isotope dilution analysis for the quantitative extraction of organometallic contaminants in solid environmental matrices

A new self-tuning single-mode-focused microwave technology has been evaluated in this work to perform the quantitative routine extraction of organometallic species from solid matrices of environmental interest. Species-specific isotope dilution analysis has been employed to better investigate the real influence of the microwave-assisted extractions on the final results. The advantages of such methodology in comparison with other established microwave units for the routine speciation analysis of organomercury and organotin compounds are discussed (such as the capability of using disposable glass vials, a self-tuning mode to provide an accurate control of the temperature and pressure inside of the vials, and the possibility of performing automated sequence of extractions with low sample size). The results obtained in this work demonstrated that such technology provides a fast and reliable quantitative extraction of the organometallic species in a wide range of extraction conditions even when the multi-elemental (Sn and Hg) species-specific determination is carried out.     

Use of a silicon carbide multi-well plate in conjunction with microwave heating for rapid ligand synthesis, formation of palladium complexes, and catalyst screening in a Suzuki coupling

The preparation of a library of bis-imidazolium salts and corresponding palladium complexes is reported. These complexes are screened as catalysts in the Suzuki reaction between 4-bromoanisole and phenylboronic acid. Each step is performed in parallel using a 24-position silicon carbide plate and microwave heating. The plate allows for use of standard glass vials as reaction vessels. The ease and speed of operation show the potential for microwave heating in conjunction with the silicon carbide plate as a tool for catalyst screening.     

Sintered Silicon Carbide: A New Ceramic Vessel Material for Microwave Chemistry in Single‐Mode Reactors

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a strongly microwave absorbing chemically inert ceramic material that can be utilized at extremely high temperatures due to its high melting point and very low thermal expansion coefficient. Microwave irradiation induces a flow of electrons in the semiconducting ceramic that heats the material very efficiently through resistance heating mechanisms. The use of SiC carbide reaction vessels in combination with a single‐mode microwave reactor provides an almost complete shielding of the contents inside from the electromagnetic field. Therefore, such experiments do not involve electromagnetic field effects on the chemistry, since the semiconducting ceramic vial effectively prevents microwave irradiation from penetrating the reaction mixture. The involvement of electromagnetic field effects (specific/nonthermal microwave effects) on 21 selected chemical transformations was evaluated by comparing the results obtained in microwave‐transparent Pyrex vials with experiments performed in SiC vials at the same reaction temperature. For most of the 21 reactions, the outcome in terms of conversion/purity/product yields using the two different vial types was virtually identical, indicating that the electromagnetic field had no direct influence on the reaction pathway. Due to the high chemical resistance of SiC, reactions involving corrosive reagents can be performed without degradation of the vessel material. Examples include high‐temperature fluorine–chlorine exchange reactions using triethylamine trihydrofluoride, and the hydrolysis of nitriles with aqueous potassium hydroxide. The unique combination of high microwave absorptivity, thermal conductivity, and effusivity on the one hand, and excellent temperature, pressure and corrosion resistance on the other hand, makes this material ideal for the fabrication of reaction vessels for use in microwave reactors.     

Microwave-assisted high-throughput acid hydrolysis in silicon carbide microtiter platforms--a rapid and low volume sample preparation technique for total amino acid analysis in proteins and peptides

An efficient microwave-assisted high-throughput protein hydrolysis protocol was developed utilizing strongly microwave absorbing silicon carbide-based microtiter platforms. The plates are equipped with 20 bore holes having the proper dimensions for holding standard screw-capped HPLC/GC vials. Due to the possibility of heating up to four heating platforms simultaneously (80 vials), parallel microwave-assisted acid hydrolyses can be performed under carefully controlled conditions significantly reducing the overall time required for protein hydrolysis and the subsequent evaporation step required for larger volumes of acid. An extensive optimization of the hydrolysis conditions has demonstrated that 5min irradiation at 160°C with 6N HCl leads to comparable results in terms of total and individual amino acid recovery as the traditional method requiring 24h heating at 110°C. Complete hydrolysis of several proteins and synthetic peptides was performed using 25μg of sample material and 100μL of 6N HCl in a dedicated low-volume HPLC/GC vial. Since the hydrolysis and subsequent analysis can be performed from the same vial, errors caused by sample transfer can be minimized. Control experiments have demonstrated that the observed rate enhancements are the result of a purely thermal/kinetic effect as a consequence of the considerable higher reaction temperatures.     

微波条件下双酚A向食品模拟物的迁移研究

采用气相色谱-质谱联用法研究了微波条件对食品接触材料中双酚A在水、乙酸（3%,体积分数）、乙醇（10%,体积分数）、橄榄油4种食品模拟物中迁移行为的影响。在微波加热下,食品快速升温并能将热量传递给外部包装,从而加速包装材料中双酚A向食品的迁移。研究了不同微波温度、时间和功率下双酚A在4种食品模拟物中的迁移规律,结果表明：微波对双酚A迁移有显著影响,迁移量随着微波温度、时间和功率的增加而增加。在相同加热温度和时间条件下,微波加热方式中双酚A在4种食品模拟物种的迁移量均高于水浴加热。     

A new DMAP-catalyzed and microwave-assisted approach for introducing heteroarylamino substituents at position-4 of the quinazoline ring

We report herein a new methodology for synthesizing quinazoline derivatives bearing a heteroarylamino moiety at position-4 of the quinazoline ring. As an alternative to the Buchwald–Hartwig cross-coupling reaction, which appears, until now, as the only efficient way to react 4-chloroquinazolines with numerous amino nitrogen-containing heterocycles displaying poor nucleophilicity, we developed a DMAP-catalyzed reaction involving microwave irradiation. Optimization of the reaction conditions led to the use of 30 mol % of DMAP in toluene, using a monomode microwave reactor and sealed vials. Moreover, the S_NAr reaction intermediate salt was isolated and fully characterized. Finally, the procedure was extended to two different 2-substituted-quinazoline series and also to various anilines, demonstrating that this approach was a general efficient way to access to such 4-substituted quinazoline scaffolds of high pharmaceutical interest.     

Rapid parallel synthesis of polymer-bound enones utilizing microwave-assisted solid-phase chemistry

A microwave-assisted parallel solid-phase synthesis of a collection of 21 polymer-bound enones has been developed. The two-step protocol involves initial high-speed acetoacetylation of polystyrene Wang resin with a selection of seven common beta-ketoesters. When microwave flash heating at 170 degreesC was employed, complete conversions were achieved within 1-10 min, a significant improvement over the conventional thermal method, which takes several hours for completion. Significant rate enhancements were also observed for the subsequent microwave-heated Knoevenagel condensations with a second set of 13 different aldehydes. Reaction times were reduced to 30-60 min at 125 degreesC in the microwave protocol compared to 1-2 days using conventional thermal conditions. Kinetic comparison studies indicate that the observed rate enhancements can be attributed to the rapid direct heating of the solvent (1,2-dichlorobenzene) by microwaves rather than to any specific microwave effect. All reactions have been carried out in commercially available parallel reactors with on-line temperature measurement, designed specifically for use in multimode microwave cavities.     

Determination of ergosterol on mouldy building materials using isotope dilution and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Ergosterol content of building materials was quantified using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS-MS) in an ion trap with external ionisation. Hydrolysing the samples by classic extraction at 85 degrees C for 90 min in vials was faster, more precise and safer than microwave assisted extraction. [4-2H2]ergosterol was synthesised and used as internal standard, giving method standard deviation of 5-10% from 10 to 30 ng to 10-15 microg ergosterol in the sample. The use of GC-MS-MS meant that no solid-phase extraction clean-up was needed, so one person could easily prepare 40-80 samples per day.     

Minimization of volatile nitrogen oxides interference in the determination of arsenic by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry

In this study emphasis was given to minimize the interference of volatile nitrogen oxides from digestion procedures with nitric acid on the determination of arsenic by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG AAS). Sulfamic acid (SA) is proposed to minimize this interference by employing three procedures for the digestion of hair in closed systems: conventional and microwave (MW) heating in polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) vessels and by MW heating in glass vials. Hair samples were digested with H₂SO₄+HNO₃ or HNO₃+H₂O₂ mixtures. Concentrated hydrochloric acid was added for the digestion for the procedure in glass vials. The accuracy of the procedures with PTFE vessels was verified by the spike recoveries of organic (p-aminobenzenearsonic acid and dimethyl arsinic acid, from 92 to 101%) and inorganic (sodium arsenate, from 98 to 102%) arsenic compounds. For the procedure in glass vials the recovery was from 86 to 97% for organic As and from 97 to 102% for inorganic As. The results obtained for a certified hair reference material using the three digestion procedures were well within the 95% confidence interval of the certificate when SA was added to the solutions. However, when SA was not added, recoveries were low and non-reproducible signals and high background levels were observed. Urea, benzoic acid and hydroxylamine hydrochloride were also studied (maximum As recovery of 90% using hydroxylamine hydrochloride) but the best results were obtained with use of SA.     

Microwave-assisted high-throughput derivatization techniques utilizing silicon carbide microtiter platforms

Parallel microwave-assisted gas chromatography (GC) derivatization protocols utilizing a silicon carbide (SiC)-based microtiter plate platform fitted with screw-capped GC vials were developed. For three selected standard derivatization protocols such as acetylation (exemplified for morphine), pentafluoropropionylation (for 6-monoacetylmorphine) and trimethylsilylation (for Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol) complete derivatization was achieved within 5 min at 100 °C in a dedicated multimode microwave instrument using online temperature monitoring. Microwave irradiation leads to rapid and homogeneous heating of the strongly microwave-absorbing SiC plate, with minimal deviations in the temperature recorded at different positions of the plate. The current platform allows the simultaneous derivatization of 80 reaction mixtures under strictly controlled temperature conditions. Similar results can also be obtained using a standard hotplate as heating source, although heating to the target temperature of 100 °C is slightly slower. The results demonstrate that parallel microwave derivatization procedures can significantly reduce the overall analysis time and increase sample throughput for GC–MS-based analytical methods.     

Analysis of standard reference materials after microwave-oven digestion in open vessels using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry and Zeeman-effect background correction

Summary Heating-covered teflon digestion vials located inside a reheatable container in the presence of different acid mixtures with microwave oven dissolve the metals from biological and environmental certified reference materials. Pb, Cd, Cu, Mn and Fe from the dissolved samples are determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry and Zeeman-effect background correction. The method allows the treatment of about 100 samples per operation.     

An improved synthesis of alpha-carbolines under microwave irradiation

[reaction: see text]. Alpha-carbolines are interesting core structures for designing DNA-interacting small molecules. However, these compounds are not commercially available and their synthetic methods are low yielding or time consuming. The shortest synthetic route, the modified Graebe-Ullmann reaction, has been optimized by using microwave heating in four different types of apparatus to give shorter reaction times and enhanced yields. Optimized conditions enabled the preparation of a small library of alpha-carbolines.     

Multiple small volume microwave-assisted digestions using conventional equipment for multielemental analysis of human breast biopsies by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

A multiple microwave-assisted digestion procedure using small PTFE closed vials (6 mL capacity) inserted into conventional microwave digestion vessels has been developed as a fast, efficient and clean methodology for multielemental analysis of human breast biopsies by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. This small volume strategy allows drastically diminishing the volume of acid needed for digestion, and in turn, a decrease in sample dilution and an increase in sample throughput is achieved. A 2_IV^4-1 fractional factorial design was used for screening optimization of four variables that can influence the digestion efficiency: (A) nitric acid volume, (B) pre-digestion step, (C) microwave power, and (D) digestion time. A validation study included linearity, precision, detection and quantification limits. Validation against different biological certified reference materials (CRMs) was also performed.The digestion method is suitable for the determination of Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, P, S and Zn in small size biological samples such as breast biopsies (<30 mg dry mass). Forty-seven biopsies from 39 women were analyzed: 20 samples from healthy women corresponding to mammoplasties and 27 samples from patients suffering from cancer pathology (19 corresponded to tumour and 8 to adjacent normal tissue). A significant accumulation of Al, Ca, Cu, K, Mg, Mn, P and Zn was found in tumour as compared to healthy tissues. When this comparison is made for tumour and adjacent tissues, a significant accumulation of Al, Mg, P and Zn in tumour tissues was observed. Finally, only Ca significantly accumulates in the adjacent tissues as compared to healthy tissues.     

The gas phase structure of ethynylferrocene using microwave spectroscopy

Gas phase structural parameters for ethynylferrocene have been determined using microwave spectroscopy. Rotational transitions due to a- and b-type dipole moments were measured. Twenty four rotational constants have been determined by fitting the measured transitions of various isotopomers using a rigid rotor Hamiltonian with centrifugal distortion constants. Least-squares fits to determine structural parameters and Kraitchman analyses have been used to determine the gas phase structural parameters and the atomic coordinates from the rotational constants. The distance between the Fe atom and the C atoms of the cyclopentadienyl rings is r(Fe-C1) = 2.049(5) A, and the distance between the carbon atoms of the cyclopentadienyl ring is r(C-C) = 1.432(2) A. The ethynyl group is bent away from the Fe atom and out of the plane of the carbon atoms in the adjacent cyclopentadienyl ring by 2.75(6) degrees. Structural parameters were also obtained from DFT calculations and Kraitchman analyses, and the results are compared. Analysis of fit results for 13C isotopic substitution data indicates that the carbon atoms of the two cyclopentadienyl rings are in an eclipsed conformation in the ground vibrational state. Trends in microwave experimental values for the distance from the Fe atom to the center of the cyclopentadienyl ring for a series of substituted ferrocenes have been analyzed. This analysis provides an estimate of the gas phase distance from the Fe atom to the centers of the cyclopentadienyl rings for ferrocene of 1.65(1) A.     

Polymorphs from supramolecular gels: four crystal forms of the same silver(I) supergelator crystallized directly from its gels

A new silver(I) complex with 1-phenyl-3-(quinolin-5-yl)urea has been prepared, acting as a supramolecular supergelator in the presence of polar solvents. In open vials temperature dependent, reversible gel-to-xerogel transition is observed, while in sealed vials direct crystallization of four polymorphs of the same gelling compound is achieved, depending on the gelling solvent.     

5-aroyl-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-one library generation via automated sequential and parallel microwave-assisted synthesis techniques

An efficient two-step synthetic pathway toward the preparation of diversely substituted 5-aroyl-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-ones is realized. The protocol involves an initial trimethylsilyl chloride-mediated Biginelli multicomponent reaction involving S-ethyl acetothioacetate, aromatic aldehydes, and ureas as building blocks to generate a set of 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-5-carboxylic acid thiol esters. These thiol esters serve as starting materials for a subsequent Pd-catalyzed Cu-mediated Liebeskind-Srogl cross-coupling reaction with boronic acids to provide the desired 5-aroyl-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-one derivatives. Both steps were performed using microwave heating in sealed vessels, either in an automated sequential or parallel format using dedicated microwave reactor instrumentation. A diverse library of 30 5-aroyl-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-ones was prepared with commercially available aldehyde, urea, and boronic acid building blocks as starting materials.     

No stirring necessary: parallel carbonylation of aryl halides with CO and various alcohols under pressure

The parallel carbonylation of aryl halides with 6-25 bar of CO in 1-mL vials in a standard autoclave was investigated. 4-Bromoacetophenone and 2-chloropyridine were used as model substrates with 102 different O-nucleophiles (primary and secondary alcohols, phenols). No inertization during the loading was necessary. Fifty esters (43 new, yield up to 60%) were isolated and characterized. Ether, ester, ketone, and sometimes even olefin functions were usually tolerated. The new method is suitable for screening and small scale products synthesis.     

Acetyl Methyl Torsion in N‐Ethylacetamide: A Challenge for Microwave Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemistry

The gas‐phase structures and parameters describing acetyl methyl torsion of N‐ethylacetamide are determined with high accuracy, using a combination of molecular beam Fourier‐transform microwave spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. Conformational studies at the MP2 level of theory yield four minima on the energy surface. The most energetically favorable conformer, which possesses C₁ symmetry, is assigned. Due to the torsional barrier of 73.4782(1) cm^?1 of the acetyl methyl group, fine splitting up to 4.9 GHz is found in the spectrum. The conformational structure is not only confirmed by the rotational constants, but also by the orientation of the internal rotor. The ¹⁴N quadrupole hyperfine splittings are analyzed and the deduced coupling constants are compared with the calculated values.