Lipophilic phthalocyanines for their potential interest in photodynamic therapy: synthesis and photo-physical properties

Several phthalocyanines with different peripheral substituents were prepared and characterized by MALDI-TOF, ¹H NMR, UV–vis, fluorescence, and singlet oxygen quantum yields and retention time in HPLC normal phase. Zinc was used as a central metal ion to increase the photodynamic therapy efficiency. Phthalonitrile or 4-nitro phthalonitriles were used as starting materials. The influence of lipophilicity on the photophysical and photochemical properties was evaluated.     

Capillary liquid chromatography-microcoil 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry for on-line structure elucidation of isoflavones in Radix astragali

Miniaturization and hyphenation of chromatographic separation techniques to nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is being increasingly demanded in the field of biomedical, drug metabolite and natural product analysis. Herein, capillary liquid chromatography was coupled on-line to microcoil 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (capLC-NMR) equipped with a 1.5 microL solenoidal probe for structure elucidation of isoflavones in Radix astragali. The extract was screened by HPLC-UV-MS as the preliminary step and four major peaks were identified tentatively by ion trap mass spectrometry molecular weights and characteristic fragments. Then, stopped-flow capLC-UV-NMR was performed using 33 microg extract injected on-column. The four peaks were parked manually in the micro probe one by one and corresponding 1H NMR spectra were recorded with good resolutions under the applied capLC-NMR conditions (120 and 220 ng injected on-column for peaks 2 and 4, respectively). All aromatic regions of 1H NMR spectra correlated well to the characteristic signals of isoflavone aglycone protons. And the signal corresponding to the anomeric proton of the glucopyranoside of isoflavone glycoside was also obtained for peak 1. Therefore, these four peaks are determined as calycosin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1), ononin (2), calycosin (3) and formononetin (4) unambiguously. The capLC-NMR results indicate that this hyphenated technique could be used for the determination of a great variety of natural products from small sample amounts, e.g., only 5 g R. astragali in this study.     

Cycloaddition chemistry of 2-vinyl-substituted indoles and related heteroaromatic systems

[reaction: see text] The intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction (IMDAF) of several N-phenylsulfonylindolyl-substituted furanyl carbamates containing a tethered pi-bond on the indole ring were examined as an approach to the iboga alkaloid catharanthine. Only in the case where the tethered pi-bond contained two carbomethoxy groups did the [4 + 2]-cycloaddition occur. Push-pull dipoles generated from the Rh(II)-catalyzed reaction of diazo imides, on the other hand, undergo successful intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition across both alkenyl and heteroaromatic pi-bonds to provide novel pentacyclic compounds in good yield and in a stereocontrolled fashion. The facility of the cycloaddition was found to be critically dependent on conformational factors in the transition state. Ligand substitution in the rhodium(II) catalyst markedly altered the product ratio between [3 + 2]-cycloaddition and intramolecular C-H insertion. The variation in reactivity reflects the difference in electrophilicity between the various rhodium carbenoid intermediates. Intramolecular C-H insertion is enhanced with the more electrophilic carbene generated using Rh(II) perfluorobutyrate.     

Synthesis of 5-(7-Hydroxyheptyl)-1,2-dithiolan-3-one 1-Oxide,a Core Functionality of Antibiotic Leinamycin

5-(7-Hydroxyheptyl)-1,2-dithiolan-3-one 1-oxide was designed and synthesized in our laboratories that contain the heterocycle of 1,2-dithiolan-3-one 1-oxide, a reactive core of antibiotic leinamycin. In addition, the activated ester of 5-(7-hydroxyheptyl)-1,2-dithiolan-3-one 1-oxide was prepared, which presumably is useful for coupling this DNA-cleaving functionality to certain DNA-binding agents.     

Robotic heavy metal anodic stripping voltammetry: ease and efficacy for trace lead and cadmium electroanalysis

A novel strategy for the automation of trace lead (Pb²⁺) and cadmium (Cd²⁺) anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) is described. This was achieved using an electrode assembly comprising a small standard reference electrode, a Pt wire counter electrode, and an in situ bismuth-plated pencil lead working electrode for ASV in a robotic device adapted for measurements in a 24-well microtiter plate format. The movement of the electrode assembly through individual wells was by computer-controlled micropositioning, and each microtiter plate run included a sequence of electrode pretreatment, water rinsing, and simultaneous Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ASV measurements. Analyte concentrations down to 2 μg/L (Pb²⁺) and 20 μg/L (Cd²⁺) could be measured in drinking and tap water, a wastewater reference material and a soil sample, with an accuracy and standard deviation typical of stripping analysis. This robotic electrochemical strategy offers automated trace metal analysis with simple instrumentation and is suggested as an option for routine use in analytical laboratories such as those providing environmental heavy metal testing services.     

Membrane characterization and solute diffusion in porous composite nanocellulose membranes for hemodialysis

The membrane and solute diffusion properties of Cladophora cellulose and polypyrrole (PPy) functionalized Cladophora cellulose were analyzed to investigate the feasibility of using electroactive membranes in hemodialysis. The membranes were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, ζ-potentiometry, He-pycnometry, N₂ gas adsorption, and Hg porosimetry. The diffusion properties across the studied membranes for three model uremic toxins, i.e. creatinine, vitamin B12 and bovine serum albumin, were also analyzed. The characterization work revealed that the studied membranes present an open structure of weakly negatively charged nanofibers with an average pore size of 21 and 53 nm for pristine cellulose and PPy-Cladophora cellulose, respectively. The results showed that the diffusion of uremic toxins across the PPy-Cladophora cellulose membrane was faster than through pure cellulose membrane, which was related to the higher porosity and larger average pore size of the former. Since it was found that the average pore size of the membranes was larger than the hydrodynamic radius of the studied model solutes, it was concluded that these types of membranes are favorable to expand the Mw spectrum of uremic toxins to also include conditions associated with accumulation of large pathologic proteins during hemodialysis. The large average pore size of the composite membrane could also be exploited to ensure high-fluxes of solutes through the membrane while simultaneously extracting ions by an externally applied electric current.     

A Convenient and Effective Synthesis of Tris-Bridged Tricationic Azolophanes

Two new macrobicyclic imidazolium and benzimidazolium phanes were synthesized by direct quaternization of the corresponding tripodal azacycles with tribromide under high dilution condition in excellent yields. The cyclophanes were identified by ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, FAB-MS, IR, elemental analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis.     

Determination of Trace Elements in Tea and Coffee by Neutron Activation Analysis

Thermal neutron activation analysis, a high-resolution Ge(Li) gamma-ray spectrometer, and an IBM 360/67 digital computer were used to determine the concentration of Na, K, Sc, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Br, Rb, Sb, Cs, and Hg in ground coffee and tea. This nondestructive multielement technique requires neither pre- nor postirradiation chemistry and eliminates problems of reagent contamination. The method is simple, precise and sensitive to 15 elements. Interferences from fast neutron (n, p) and (n, α) reactions are small and, if necessary, corrections may be applied easily. This technique can be applied to percolated tea and coffee.