Metabolite profiling on apple volatile content based on solid phase microextraction and gas-chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry

A headspace SPME GC-TOF-MS method was developed for the acquisition of metabolite profiles of apple volatiles. As a first step, an experimental design was applied to find out the most appropriate conditions for the extraction of apple volatile compounds by SPME. The selected SPME method was applied in profiling of four different apple varieties by GC-EI-TOF-MS. Full scan GC-MS data were processed by MarkerLynx software for peak picking, normalisation, alignment and feature extraction. Advanced chemometric/statistical techniques (PCA and PLS-DA) were used to explore data and extract useful information. Characteristic markers of each variety were successively identified using the NIST library thus providing useful information for variety classification. The developed HS-SPME sampling method is fully automated and proved useful in obtaining the fingerprint of the volatile content of the fruit. The described analytical protocol can aid in further studies of the apple metabolome.     

On the role of surface energy in the flattening of a crystal face

The question addressed in this paper is the flattening of the valley separating two growth hillocks emanating from screw dislocations during crystal growth. It is argued that both thermodynamic and kinetic effects contribute to this result, at least on a quasi-atomic scale. If performed under low enough supersaturation the growth leads to the formation of the face morphology corresponding to the minimum of the surface free energy. Accelerated step annihilation in the valley floor is a universal factor, which favors face flatting under any supersaturation. Based on the oral presentation during ICCG14, Grenoble, France, 09–13 August 2004.     

A reducing-difference IR-spectral study of 4-aminopyridine

The IR-spectra of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) in solution and in the solid state have been analyzed, using the reducing-difference procedure. Defining a more precise band assignment of a part of the characteristic frequencies of 4-AP, the data obtained proved in particular a Fermi-resonance splitting of the symmetric NH₂-stretch.     

Mechanistic investigations of oxidation of isatins by sodium N-chlorobenzenesulfonamide in alkaline medium: A kinetic study

Oxidation of isatins (isatin, 5-methylisatin, 5-bromoisatin and 5-nitroisatin) to their anthranilic acids was performed efficiently with sodium N-chlorobenzenesulfonamide or chloramine-B (CAB) in alkaline medium at 35±0.1°C. The reactions follow identical kinetics for all the isatins, being first-order dependence each in [CAB] _o and [Isatin] _o and inverse fractional-order on [NaOH]. Addition of halide ions and benzenesulfonamide, reduction product of CAB, do not significantly affect the rate. Variation of ionic strength of the medium had no effect on the rate, while the dielectric effect is negative. The solvent isotope effect was studied using D₂O. Activation parameters for the overall reaction have been computed. The rates satisfactorily correlate with the Hammett σ relationship and the reaction constant ρ is −0.31 signifies that electron releasing groups accelerate the reaction while the electron withdrawing groups retard the rate. Values of ΔH^≠ and ΔS^≠ are linearly related and an isokinetic relationship is observed with β=376 K, indicating the reaction is controlled by enthalpy. The stoichiometry of the title reaction is found to be 1∶1. Oxidation products of isatins were identified as their corresponding anthranilic acids and the yields were found to be around 90 %. The observed results have been explained by a plausible mechanism and the related rate law deduced. This method offers several advantages including high yield of the products, short reaction times, easier isolation of products, and stable, cost effective and relatively non-toxic reagents, which make the reaction process simple and smooth.     

Effect of the carbon dioxide modifier on the lipid composition of wool wax extracted from raw wool

Wool wax or lanolin is a unique substance secreted by sheep and forms a natural protective coating on wool fibres. It is widely used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations. However, different systems of wool wax recovery from scouring liquour provide a dark impurified greasy product. This product has a lipid composition that differs from the wool wax present on wool fibres. The wool wax extraction method from raw wool with pressurised CO₂ and different modifiers at constant pressure and temperature was studied. Thin-layer chromatography coupled to an automated flame ionisation detection system (TLC/FID) was used to analyse the different lipid classes present in the collected extracts. Moreover, a detailed structural comparison of the cholesteryl esters and hydroxycholesteryl esters was carried out by means of sub-ambient pressure chromatography mass spectrometry in the electron impact and in the ammonia positive chemical ionisation modes. For comparison, qualitative and quantitative analyses of the lanolin extracted in Soxhlet with dichloromethane and commercial cosmetic lanolin were carried out. Differences in the quantity of wool wax extraction and in the lipid composition of different wool wax extracts were detected by changing the modifier polarity.     

A theoretical study of explosive sensitizers

Quantum chemical calculations at the HF/6-31G^* and B3LYP/6-31G^* levels have been performed on five explosive sensitizers, ethyl nitrate (EN), n-propyl nitrate (NPN), isopropyl nitrate (IPN), 2-ethylhexyl nitrate (EHN) and tetraethylene glycol dinitrate (TEGDN). Theoretical study has made a detailed molecular-level investigation of the title compounds. Based on the Mulliken populations and bond lengths, the fission of the O₂–N₃ can be acceptable reasonably. Charge distribution analysis indicates that the five nitrates produce NO₂ gas during the dissociation of the O₂–N₃ weak bond. We also order the relative thermal stability of five nitrates on the basis of frontier orbital energy (E _HOMO, E _LUMO) and energy gap (ΔE = E _HOMO − E _LUMO).     

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     

A study of sample mineralization methods for arsenic analysis of blood and urine by hydride generation and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Mineralization procedures for blood and urine suitable for the determination of arsenic by Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (HGAAS) are studied on model samples, and the results are utilized in biological monitoring investigations. The objective of this work is to obtain good total As recoveries for both matrices regardless of added As species (As(III), As(V), DMA, MMA, AsB, or AsC). Prior to the HGAAS analyses, preparation procedures were controlled under optimised conditions by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). Two preparation procedures for urine give As recoveries close to 100% by HGAAS: a) dry ashing at 420°C with Mg(NO₃)₂ on a hot plate, and b) microwave oven decomposition with (NH₄)₂S₂O₈. For blood samples, As recoveries by HGAAS range between 95 and 108% for all species when using dry ashing after a pretreatment of samples with HNO₃ and H₂O₂ in a microwave oven. Wet digestion with (NH₄)₂S₂O₈ in a microwave oven gives recoveries very near 100% for As _inorg. and MMA. For other As species in spiked blood samples, recoveries of less than 20% As are found. Precision and detection limits obtained by both techniques are evaluated as well. For arsenic concentrations of 20 μg dm⁻³ or more in blood and urine, a chemical modifier is recommended for GFAAS analysis; it may or may not be proceeded by a mineralization step. For low As levels encountered in the unexposed population, the HGAAS technique provides reliable results only if a very complete mineralization procedure is used.     

Determination of the curcuminoid pigments in turmeric (Curcuma domestica Val) by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A rapid, simple and reproducible reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the quantitative determination of curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin in ethanolic extracts of turmeric. The pigments were separated on a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer column (Hamilton PRP-1), using an acetonitrile-water (5545, v/v) mobile phase. The pigments were monitored with a diode-array detector at 425 nm. The limit of detection was 10.2 ng curcumin, 11.1 ng demethoxycurcumin and 6.2 ng bis-demethoxycurcumin. Comparison of HPLC and spectrophotometric results for the determination of the total curcuminoid content for a number of turmeric samples, reveal that the spectrophotometric method invariably yielded higher results, indicating an overestimation of curcuminoids.     

Pyrazoles as molecular probes to study the properties of co-crystals by solid state NMR spectroscopy

Equimolar mixtures of 3,5-dimethylpyrazole (1) with four NH-imidazoles (2–5) have been studied by¹³C and ¹⁵N CPMAS NMR and by DSC. In three cases, the solid mixture behaves as the sum of the individual components [imidazole (2), 2-methylimidazole (3) and 2,4(5)-dimethylimidazole (5)]. In one case [4,5-dimethylimidazole (4)], the mixture corresponds to a new species in which the dynamic behavior of1 no longer exists.     

Kinetic study of adsorption of some biocompounds at the oil/water interface

The adsorption kinetics of some local anesthetics, like dibucaine and tetracaine, and of stearic acid from bulk solutions at the oil/water interface was studied by using the pendent drop and ring methods. The anesthetics were dissolved in aqueous solutions (pH 2), and the fatty acid was dissolved in benzene, each biocompound at several different concentrations in bulk solutions. Kinetic equations for Langmuir mechanism of adsorption at oil/water interface were tested. The kinetic analysis shows that Langmuir kinetic approach describes the dynamic interfacial pressures within the limits of the experimental errors over a wide range of time and for different surfactant concentrations in bulk solutions. It is also concluded that this approach allows the calculation of the ratio of the adsorption and desorption rate constants of these biocompounds at the oil/water interface. Obtained results are in substantial agreement with earlier reported data for the surfactant adsorption as, well as with their molecular structure.     

The chemical composition of fruits of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pistacia atlantica</Emphasis> desf. subsp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">atlantica</Emphasis> from Algeria

The chemical composition of the fruits of the north algerian ecotype Pistacia atlantica subsp. atlantica was determined and compared to other fruits of different species in the genus growing in south Algeria and other Mediterranean regions. These fruits were analyzed for their dry matter, protein, crude oil, ash, fatty acids, and phytosterol content. The main fatty acids identified by gas chromatography were oleic (54.15%), linoleic (28.84%), and palmitic (12.21%) acids. The fruits of the north ecotype were found to be rich in protein, oil, fiber, and unsaturated fatty acids, suggesting that they may be valuable for food uses. The sterols isolated were campesterol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, and Δ⁵-avenasterol with β-sitosterol as the major constituent (85%±0.85). The biochemical data indicated an elevated MUFA rate (∼56%) in pistacia oil which may be important against certain pathologies for its nutritional and preventive virtues. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 103–105, March–April, 2007.     

A study on performance characteristics of granular-media trickling filters

Mass transfer within microbial films is described using Monod type biological kinetics in terms of the properties of packing material and the feed solution. For this purpose computer techniques have been first developed for the numerical evaluation of the normalized biofilm mathematical model. A second-order partial differential equation describing the mechanism of dispersion phenomena inside the liquid layer is then solved to determine the mass transfer coefficient. The application of the theory to experimental data reported in literature has also been demonstrated using the values of mass transfer coefficients and the computer programs developed.     

Capacity of Bacillus thuringiensis S-layer protein displaying polyhistidine peptides on the cell surface

S-layer protein of Bacillus thuringiensis strain CTC was used as the carrier protein to display polyhistidine (poly[6His]) peptides on the cell surface. Poly(6His) _n was fused with S-layer protein at two different sites, inserting just downstream of the S-layer protein homologous domain (slh) and replacing the non-slh region of S-layer protein, respectively. The two series chimeric proteins were both expressed by crystal negative B. thuringiensis strain 4Q7 and strain 171, respectively, as shown by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The recombinant B. thuringiensis cells gained Ni²⁺- and Cd²⁺-binding ability and had a capacity to display up to nine copies of poly(6His). The Cd²⁺ adsorption quantity of the recombinant strain with the strongest adsorption ability was twice that of the host strain.     

Water quality study of the Struma river basin,Bulgaria (1989–1998)

The present paper deals with an estimation of the water quality of the Struma river. Long-term trends, seasonal patterns and data set structures are studied by the use of statistical analysis. Nineteen sampling sites along the main river stream and different tributaries were included in the study. The sites are part of the monitoring net of the region of interest. Seventeen chemical indicators of the surface water have been measured in the period 1989–1998 in monthly intervals. It is shown that the water quality is relatively stable throughout the monitoring period, which is indicated by a lack of statistically significant trends for many of the sites and by chemical variables. Several seasonal patterns are observed at the sampling sites and four latent factors are identified as responsible for the data set structure.     

A theoretical study of the relative stability of the isomeric forms of N2O3

The electronic structure, geometrical parameters and relative stability of the isomeric forms of N₂O₃ are analysed by means of ab initio calculations. Total energies of the different isomers are given. The energy difference between the most stable conformers of the symmetric N₂O₃ is 4.31 Kcal mol^–1 as provided by 6–31G basis set. The height of the rotational barrier determined by the ab initio technique is 7.12 kcal mol^–1.Member of the Carrera del Investigador CICPBA, R. Argentina.Member of the Carrera del Investigador CONICET, R. Argentina.Predoctoral fellow of CONICET, R. Argentina.     

A group theoretical study of f n systems in an environment of approximately icosahedral symmetry

Group theoretical methods are developed to determine in a generalised format for an f ⁿ ion in a crystal field environment of icosahedral symmetry, the effect on the energy level scheme when a crystal field distortion is considered parallel to any direction. As an illustration, the effect on the g-tensor components are examined as a function of the magnitude and the direction of the crystal field distortion. All appropriate reduced matrix elements in group theoretical terminology are evaluated for the f ⁿ -ion ground states. Specific results are given for the f ³-ion case and compared with electron paramagnetic resonance, optical, and magnetic susceptibility data.     

A study of early colour change due to simulated accelerated sunlight exposure in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)

A detailed study of early colour change in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) due to accelerated simulated sunlight exposure was undertaken focusing on the first 24 h of change. Colour changes were monitored with a Datacolor check spectrophotometer and compared with a set of controls. Measurements on both samples and controls were performed hourly for the first 24 h and there after daily until 168 h’ exposure with extra measurements at 200, 350 and 500 h. A subset of samples was extracted prior to exposure to check the effects of any colour change due to the presence of extractives. Data was analysed using the reflectance spectra (400–700 nm) as well as the CIE-L^*a^*b^* system and ΔE. The majority of colour changes were found to occur within the first 24 h. This was unaffected by the removal of extractives from the wood and was independent of temperature. Mechanical properties and weight changes were also monitored to allow a comparison of sensitivity between the differing methods.     

A specific micromethod for the determination of phytic acid in biological material

A method for the quantitative determination of phytic acid in biological material is described. The method permits a determination of phytic acid in quantities below 0.1 mg even if the material contains closely related compounds includingmyo-inositol pentakisphosphate.

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Eine spezifische Mikromethode für die Bestimmung von Phytinsäure in biologischem Material

Zusammenfassung Es wird eine Methode zur quantitativen Bestimmung von Phytinsäure in biologischem Material beschrieben. Die Methode erlaubt die Bestimmung von Phytinsäure in Mengen von weniger als 0.1 mg, selbst wenn das Untersuchungsmaterial nahe verwandte Substanzen wie z. B.myo-Inositpentakisphosphat enthält.

     

A unique geometry of the active site of angiotensin-converting enzyme consistent with structure-activity studies

Summary Previous structure-activity studies of captopril and related active angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors have led to the conclusion that the basic structural requirements for inhibition of ACE involve (a) a terminal carboxyl group; (b) an amido carbonyl group; and (c) different types of effective zinc (Zn) ligand functional groups. Such structural requirements common to a set of compounds acting at the same receptor have been used to define a pharmacophoric pattern of atoms or groups of atoms mutually oriented in space that is necessary for ACE inhibition from a stereochemical point of view. A unique pharmacophore model (within the resolution of approximately 0.15 Å) was observed using a method for systematic search of the conformational hyperspace available to the 28 structurally different molecules under study. The method does not assume a common molecular framework, and, therefore, allows comparison of different compounds that is independent of their absolute orientation.Consequently, by placing the carboxyl binding group, the binding site for amido carbonyl, and the Zn atom site in positions determined by ideal binding geometry with the inhibitors' functional groups, it was possible to clearly specify a geometry for the active site of ACE.