A sequential multielement separation scheme for determination of As,Mn, Mo,Cu and Zn in human milk by neutron activation analysis

A simple separation scheme for the analysis of As, Mn, Mo, Cu and Zn using neutron activation is described. It has been checked using three standard reference materials, A-11 milk powder (IAEA) and bovine liver and orchard leaves (USNBS) and found to give acceptable results. This scheme was applied for determination of these trace elements in mature human milk samples. The concentrations of As, Mn, Mo, Cu in samples obtained from two socio-economic groups—low and middle incomes—were not significantly different. However, Zn levels in samples obtained from the poor income group were significantly lower than in those obtained from the other group. Work carried out under Research Contract No. 2598/RB of International Atomic Energy, Vienna. Health Physics Division. Analytical Chemistry Division.     

Synthesis of 3,9-dihydro-3,9-dioxo-2H-indeno[2,1-c] pyridine-4-carbonitriles

The annelation of α-pyridones to five membered ring systems is demonstrated by the synthesis of a series of 2-azafluorenones. These tricyclic heterocycles could be optionally substituted with methyl or phenyl groups by varying the orthoester reagent in the cyclization reaction. The conversion of the resultant cyanopyridones to pyridonecarboxamides and their N-methyl homologs is also described.     

Organoboranes—34 : General synthesis of chiral boronic and borinic esters via asymmetric hydroboration-displacement. carbenoidation of chiral borinic esters to acyclic ketones of high enantiomeric purities

Asymmetric hydroboration of appropriate alkenes with diisopinocampheylborane (Ipc₂BH) or monoisopinocampheylborane (IpcBH₂) produces intermediates that readily eliminate α-pinene on treat- ment with acetaldehyde, providing a direct, convenient route to chiral boronic esters of high enantiomeric purities. Mixed chiral trialkylboranes, readily prepared by stepwise hydroboration of appropriate alkenes with IpcBH₂, eliminate α-pinene on treatment with acetaldehyde under very mild conditions. The procedure makes readily available chiral borinic esters of high enantiomeric purities. The synthetic utility of chiral borinic esters is demonstrated by converting them into acyclic ketones including an alarm pheromone of the ant Monica mutica.     

Analysis of derivatized and underivatized theanine enantiomers by high-performance liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure ionization-mass spectrometry

Theanine, a naturally occurring non-proteinic amino acid found in tea leaves, has demonstrated wide-ranging physiological activity, from lowering blood pressure to enhancing the anti-tumor activity of chemotherapeutic drugs. The chiral nature of theanine suggests that enantiospecificity plays a significant role in its various pharmacological functions. Using the Chirobiotic T (teicoplanin) chiral stationary phase, native and derivatized theanine enantiomers were separated and detected via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry (API-MS). With the use of flow rates compatible with each ionization source, native theanine standards achieved excellent sensitivity and detection limits (10 ng/mL) for both atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and electrospray ionization (ESI). Optimum sensitivity and detection limits for derivatized theanine standards were achieved using ESI-MS. The enantiomeric composition of six commercially available L-theanine samples was evaluated using the high-flow APCI-MS method and confirmed with photodiode array detection. Five of the six products contained significant amounts of D-theanine. Only one product, SunTheanine, appeared to contain only the L-theanine enantiomer.     

Synthesis and metal ion complexing properties of novel chromogenic cryptands

Four novel chromogenic benzocryptands and one side-armed chromogenic cryptand have been synthesized and their complexing abilities for alkali metal cations are described.     

Extraction and micro-determination of manganese(II) with oxine and aliquat 336

A sensitive and selective method has been developed for the micro-determination of Mn(II) by the selective extraction of the yellow Mn(II)-8-hydroxyquinolinate complex with a liquid ion-exchanger, Aliquat 336, from basic medium. The molar absorptivity of the complex is 2.2 x 10(4)1.mole(-1).cm(-1) at 420 nm and the colour system obeys Beer's law in the range 0.1-3.5 ppm Mn(II) in the final solution. The composition and stability of the complex are discussed. Potential interferents have been examined and the method is applied to analysis of standard steel and bronze samples.     

Genetic screens and selections for small molecules based on a synthetic riboswitch that activates protein translation

Genetic selection provides the most powerful method to assay large libraries of biomolecules for function. However, harnessing the power of genetic selection for the detection of specific, nonendogenous small-molecule targets in vivo remains a significant challenge. The ability to genetically select for small molecules would provide a reaction-independent mechanism to clone biosynthesis genes from large DNA libraries and greatly facilitate the exploration of large libraries of mutant enzymes for improved synthetic capabilities including altered substrate specificities and enhanced regio- or stereoselectivities. While remarkable progress has been made in developing genetic methods to detect small molecules in vivo, many of these methods rely on engineering small-molecule-protein interactions which remains a difficult problem, and the potential for some of these systems to assay large libraries is limited by the low transformation efficiency and long doubling time of yeast relative to bacteria. Herein, we demonstrate that synthetic riboswitches that activate protein translation in response to a specific small molecule can be used to perform sensitive genetic screens and selections for the presence of small molecules in Escherichia coli. We further demonstrate that the exquisite molecular discrimination properties of aptamers selected in vitro translate directly into an in vivo genetic selection system. Finally, we demonstrate that a cell harboring a synthetic riboswitch with a particular ligand specificity can be selectively amplified from a million-fold larger pool of cells containing mutant riboswitches that respond to a closely related ligand, suggesting that it is possible to use genetic selection in E. coli to discover synthetic riboswitches with new ligand specificities from libraries of mutant riboswitches.     

Surface modification of nanoporous alumina surfaces with poly(ethylene glycol)

Nanoporous alumina surfaces have a variety of applications in biosensors, biofiltration, and targeted drug delivery. However, the fabrication route to create these nanopores in alumina results in surface defects in the crystal lattice. This results in inherent charge on the porous surface causing biofouling, that is, nonspecific adsorption of biomolecules. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is known to form biocompatible nonfouling films on silicon surfaces. However, its application to alumina surfaces is very limited and has not been well investigated. In this study, we have covalently attached PEG to nanoporous alumina surfaces to improve their nonfouling properties. A PEG-silane coupling technique was used to modify the surface. Different concentrations of PEG for different immobilization times were used to form PEG films of various grafting densities. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to verify the presence of PEG moieties on the alumina surface. High-resolution C1s spectra show that with an increase in concentration and immobilization time, the grafting density of PEG also increases. Further, a standard overlayer model was used to calculate the thickness of PEG films formed using the XPS intensities of the Al2p peaks. The films formed by this technique are less than 2.5 nm thick, suggesting that such films will not clog the pores which are in the range of 70-80 nm.     

Studies on226Ra and210Pb activities and the concentration factors of226Ra in the surface organic layers of the estuarine sediments of Mindola and Purna rivers in India

The sediment samples have been collected from estuarine regions of Mindola and Purna of Gujarat State. These samples are found to contain less than 3% of organic matter which scavange and carry most of the activity of²²⁶Ra, etc., to the sediment floor. The activities of²²⁶Ra are found to vary from 0.1 to 0.5 pCi/g, while²¹⁰Pb activities lie in the range of 3 to 8 pCi/g. These activities find their way into the organisms present in sea water and then into fish which is finally consumed by humans. This paper gives in detail the sampling techniques, experimental procedures and the distribution of the isotopes of²²⁶Ra and²¹⁰Pb in the estuarine regions and the concentration factors of²²⁶Ra in the region.