Photo-degradation behaviour of roseoflavin in some aqueous solutions

An absorption and emission spectroscopic characterization of roseoflavin (8-dimethylamino-8-demethyl-riboflavin, RoF) in aqueous solutions was carried out. The studies were concentrated on roseoflavin in pH 8 phosphate buffer. Absorption cross-section spectra, fluorescence excitation spectra, fluorescence quantum distributions, fluorescence quantum yields and fluorescence lifetimes were determined. The fluorescence of RoF is quenched by photo-induced intra-molecular charge-transfer at room temperature. The photo-degradation of RoF in un-buffered water, in Tris–HCl buffer, and in phosphate buffer was studied. Phosphate buffer and to a smaller extent Tris buffer catalyse the RoF photo-degradation. Photo-excitation of the primary photoproduct, 8-methylamino-riboflavin (8-MNH-RF), enhanced the RoF degradation by triplet 8-MNH-RF – singlet RoF excitation transfer with subsequent triplet-state RoF degradation.     

Synthesis, characterization, and fluorescent properties of two Pb(II) complexes: {[Pb(hca)2·DMF]·DMF}∞ and [Pb(hca)2(phen)·DMF]2

Two novel Pb(II) complexes, {[Pb(hca)₂·DMF]·DMF}_∞ and [Pb(hca)₂(phen)·DMF]₂ (hca=trans-4-hydroxycinnamic group), were obtained by solid-phase reactions of PbAc₂ and Hhca and PbAc₂, Hhca, and phen, respectively, and characterized by spectroscopy. X-ray crystallography analysis reveals that complex 1, {[Pb(hca)₂·DMF]·DMF}_∞, adopts a 2-dimensional structure through the weak interactions of Pb and O atoms and that complex 2, [Pb(hca)₂(phen)·DMF]₂, shows a discrete dimeric structure, in which hydrogen bonds link the dimers into a 2D network. Both complexes 1 and 2 show visible fluorescence and the intensity is stronger than that of the ligand. More interestingly, the intensity of emission was increased at least fivefolds when the pH of the solution was adjusted to alkalinity. This can be attributed to that the deprotonization of phenolic group enhancing the conjugation of the ligand hca. These results indicate that this method may be an effective way to increase the emission intensity of similar complexes.     

Crude peroxidase from onion solid waste as a tool for organic synthesis. Part II: oxidative dimerization-cyclization of methyl p-coumarate, methyl caffeate and methyl ferulate

The ability of a crude onion peroxidase preparation to act as a biocatalyst for the oxidative dimerization-cyclization of methyl p-coumarate, methyl caffeate and methyl ferulate is presented. The products of the reaction have been fully characterized and were found to possess potent antioxidant activity in a ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay.     

Solubility of selected dibasic carboxylic acids in water,in ionic liquid of [Bmim][BF4], and in aqueous [Bmim][BF4] solutions

The solubilities of three dibasic carboxylic acids (adipic acid, glutaric acid, and succinic acid) in water, in the ionic liquid of 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolim tetrafluoroborate ([Bmim][BF₄]), and in the aqueous [Bmim][BF₄] solutions have been measured by a solid-disapperance method. The binodal curve of water + [Bmim][BF₄] was also determined experimentally from solid–liquid–liquid coexistence temperature up to near the upper critical solution temperature. Experimental results showed that each acid-containing binary behaved as a simple eutectic system. The solid–liquid equilibrium (SLE) data were correlated with the NRTL model for each binary system. The NRTL model with these determined binary parameters predicted the solid-disappearance temperatures of the aqueous ternary mixtures containing [Bmim][BF₄] and the dibasic acids to within an average absolute deviation of 2.0%.     

On the influence of some strong electrolytes on the partitioning of acetic acid to aqueous/organic two-phase systems in the presence of tri-n-octylamine: Part II: Toluene as organic solvent

Water-insoluble amines (dissolved in an organic solvent/organic solvent mixture) are often used for the extractive recovery of carboxylic acids from aqueous phases. The basic design of the extraction process requires a thermodynamic framework that should be able to describe the liquid–liquid phase equilibrium not only in the phase forming systems (water + carboxylic acid + organic solvent + reactive extractant), but also when the aqueous feed phase contains additionally small amounts of strong electrolytes. Even small amounts of strong electrolytes might considerably reduce the recovery rate. In part I of this series such a model was presented and discussed for methyl isobutyl ketone as organic solvent and tri-n-octylamine (TnOA) as the chemical extractant. The present part II is to demonstrate that the procedures/methods described for methyl isobutyl ketone as organic solvent can be applied also for other organic solvents. By way of example, here toluene is that organic solvent. New experimental results are reported for the influence of sodium chloride, sodium nitrate, sodium sulfate, sodium acetate and hydrochloric acid on the partitioning of acetic acid to coexisting aqueous/organic liquid phases of the system (water + toluene + tri-n-octylamine) at 25 °C. An extension/adaptation of the previously published thermodynamic framework is successfully applied to describe/predict the new experimental liquid–liquid phase equilibrium data.     

Microsphere resin chromatography combined with microbial biotransformation for the separation and purification of salvianolic acid B in aqueous extract of roots of Salvia multiorrihza Bunge

Salvianolic acid B was separated and purified from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (danshen) by microbial transformation together with chromatography of microsphere resin. The aqueous extract of danshen was transformed by Fusarium graminearum in a bioreactor containing phosphate buffer (PBS), in which rosmarinic acid was transformed into danshensu and caffeic acid and the yield of salvianolic acid B was higher than 85%. After biotransformation, salvianolic acid B was purified by microsphere resin. A parallel test for making a comparison of microsphere resin chromatography between elution by methanol water solution and water was done. The purity of salvianolic acid B was up to 95% at the yield of 62% when impurities and salvianolic acid B were eluted by 45% and 55% methanol solution respectively. The purity of salvianolic acid B was up to 99% at the yield of 90% when distilled water was used to elute the impurities and salvianolic acid B. The total yield of salvianolic acid B was up to 75% at the purity over 99% while biotransformation combined with microsphere resin chromatography by water elution. Microbial biotransformation together with water elution of microsphere resin supplied an efficient method to eliminate the micromolecular impurities and a possible method to purify water-soluble compounds in traditional Chinese medicine.     

Dynamic deswelling studies of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone/itaconic acid) hydrogels swollen in water and terbinafine hydrochloride solutions

Deswelling kinetics of water and terbinafine hydrochloride adsorbed poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone/itaconic acid) P(VP/IA) hydrogels were investigated. Hydrogels were prepared by irradiating the ternary mixture of VP/IA and cross-linking agent ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) in water by γ-rays at ambient temperature. Hydrogels swelled in pure water and terbinafine hydrochloride (TER-HCl) solutions at room temperature and deswelling or water loss were investigated between 4 and 45 °C temperature range and on human skin. The influence of IA content, % swelling, temperature and TER-HCl content on the water loss from gel matrix were investigated. Induction time for 80% water loss from hydrogel systems are found to increase from 9.6 to 21.2 h by increasing IA content in the gel system at 25 °C and decreased by 11 h with addition of TER-HCl in the gel system. Kinetic analyses had shown that the basic properties affecting the water loss behavior of these hydrogels are the IA and TER-HCl content and temperature of the medium.     

A solid-phase extraction and size-exclusion liquid chromatographic method for polyethylene glycol 25 p-aminobenzoic acid determination in urine: validation for urinary excretion studies of users of sunscreens

No previous publications about percutaneous absorption of polyethylene glycol 25 p-aminobenzoic acid (PEG-25 PABA) have been found in the literature and the expected levels to be found in human urine after sunscreens use are unknown. The method proposed here is suitable to determine PEG-25 PABA in the urine of sunscreens users in order to carry out studies on body accumulation/excretion. It is based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) with size-exclusion liquid chromatography determination. Solid-phase extraction allows the analyte to be retained and subsequently eluted for a clean-up, using a silica-based cartridge. The size-exclusion liquid chromatography of the eluted allows the rest of matrix interferences to be avoided. Fluorescence intensity was measured at λ_em = 350 nm (λ_exc = 300 nm). The sensitivity of the proposed method is in the order of 450 ± 5 mL ng⁻¹ and the detection limit (3 S_y/x/b) in the measured solutions is in the order of 13 ng mL⁻¹, that is 2.6 ng mL⁻¹ in urine samples. The method enables PEG-25 PABA to be determined in both, spiked and unspiked human urine samples. Results obtained for spiked human urine samples (11-100 ng mL⁻¹) demonstrated the accuracy of the method. The mean relative standard deviation of the results was in the order of 3-10%. Three volunteers applied a sunscreen lotion containing a 8% PEG-25 PABA sunscreen cream and their urinary excretion was controlled from the moment of application until the excreted amounts were no longer detectable.     

Swelling and hydrolytic degradation of poly(d,l-lactic acid) in aqueous solutions

Low molecular weight poly(lactic acid) was synthesized by direct polycondensation of lactic acid. The oligomers were characterized by viscometry, light scattering, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The swelling behaviour of tablets made of the above polymer immersed in buffer solutions at 37 °C was studied. In the same experiments, the hydrolytic stability of d,l-PLA was assessed by measuring the weight loss after drying the tablets. In order to inhibit any degradation due to bacteria, formaldehyde was added in the solution as biostatic factor. The effect of an incorporated drug on the swelling behaviour of d,l-PLA tablets was also considered. It was found that the incorporation of drug in d,l-PLA tablets increases their swelling index, probably due to the creation of additional porosity in the specimens or other interaction between drug and polymeric matrix.     

Determination of the second-order H NMR parameters for the aromatic protons in 4-fluoroaniline and application to the analysis of the H NMR spectra for the aromatic protons in N-(4′-fluorophenyl)succinamic acid and in N-(4′-fluorophenyl)-3,3-difluorosuccinamic acid

Four studies of the ¹H NMR spectrum for the aromatic protons of 4-fluoroaniline between 1958 and 1974 give three very different solutions to the second-order, AA′BB′X, spectrum. A re-evaluation of the second-order spectrum was done at 300 MHz. Simultaneous simulations of the ¹H NMR spectrum and ¹⁹F NMR spectrum for 4-fluoroaniline were done using WINDNMR-Pro, and a new set of parameters for the six coupling constants was obtained from the optimized simulations. This new set of parameters was used as a basis to evaluate the AA′BB′X spectrum for the aromatic protons in N⁴-(4′-fluorophenyl)succinamic acid and in N⁴-(4′-fluorophenyl)-3,3-difluorosuccinamic acid by simultaneous simulations of the ¹H NMR spectrum and ¹⁹F NMR spectrum for each using WINDNMR-Pro. Formation of the amide bond results in small, but significant, changes in the values for the set of parameters in both molecules. These results confirm that second-order analyses as an AA′BB′X system are required for derivatives of 4-fluoroaniline, rather than first-order analyses that have been used in previous reports.     

Thermodynamic and spectroscopic study of the interaction of Cu(II), Ni(II), Zn(II) and Ca(II) ions with 2-amino-N-(2-oxo-2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl amino)ethyl)acetamide,a pseudo-mimic of human serum albumin

The protonation equilibria of 2-amino-N-(2-oxo-2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl amino)ethyl)acetamide ([H₂(556)–N]) and the complexation of this ligand with Cu(II) Ca(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II) have been studied by glass electrode potentiometry and UV–visible spectrophotometry. From pH ∼2.00–11.00, five models for Cu(II) with the following complexes; MLH, ML, MLH₋₁, MLH₋₂ and MLH₋₃ were generated and observed to describe the experimental data equally well as far as the statistical criteria were concerned. The MLH₋₂ complex predominates at physiological pH in all five models, while the MLH₋₁ complex species exists only at low concentration in two models. The coordination in the MLH₋₂ complex suggested the involvement of one amino, two deprotonated peptides and one pyridyl nitrogen atoms. Molecular mechanics (MM) calculations confirmed the MLH₋₂ complex as the most stable species. Speciation calculations, using a blood plasma model, predicted that the Cu(II)–[H₂(556)–N] complex is able to mobilize Cu(II). Octanol/water partition of CuLH₋₂ showed that 30% of the complex went into the octanol phase, hence promoting percutaneous absorption of copper. The complex is a poor mimic of native copper–zinc superoxide dismutase.     

Speciation and detection of arsenic in aqueous samples: A review of recent progress in non-atomic spectrometric methods

Inorganic arsenic (As) displays extreme toxicity and is a class A human carcinogen. It is of interest to both analytical chemists and environmental scientists. Facile and sensitive determination of As and knowledge of the speciation of forms of As in aqueous samples are vitally important. Nearly every nation has relevant official regulations on permissible limits of drinking water As content. The size of the literature on As is therefore formidable. The heart of this review consists of two tables: one is a compilation of principal official documents and major review articles, including the toxicology and chemistry of As. This includes comprehensive official compendia on As speciation, sample treatment, recommended procedures for the determination of As in specific sample matrices with specific analytical instrument(s), procedures for multi-element (including As) speciation and analysis, and prior comprehensive reviews on arsenic analysis. The second table focuses on the recent literature (2005–2013, the coverage for 2013 is incomplete) on As measurement in aqueous matrices. Recent As speciation and analysis methods based on spectrometric and electrochemical methods, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, neutron activation analysis and biosensors are summarized. We have deliberately excluded atomic optical spectrometric techniques (atomic absorption, atomic fluorescence, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry) not because they are not important (in fact the majority of arsenic determinations are possibly carried out by one of these techniques) but because these methods are sufficiently mature and little meaningful innovation has been made beyond what is in the officially prescribed compendia (which are included) and recent reviews are available.