Design of water-based ferrofluids as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging

We report the synthesis, characterization and relaxometric study of ferrofluids based on iron oxide, with potential for use as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents (CAs). The effect of different cost-effective, water-based surface modification approaches which can be easily scaled-up for the large scale synthesis of the ferrofluids has been investigated. Surface modification was achieved by silanization, and/or coating with non-toxic commercial dispersants (a lauric polysorbate and a block copolymer with pigment affinic groups, namely Tween 20 and Disperbyk 190) which were added after or during iron oxide nanoparticle synthesis. It was observed that all the materials synthesized functioned as negative contrast agents at physiological temperature and at frequencies covered by clinical imagers. The relaxometric properties of the magnetic nanoparticles were significantly improved after surface coating with stabilizers compared to the original iron oxide nanoparticles, with particular reference to the silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles. The results indicate that the optimization of the preparation of colloidal magnetic ferrofluids by surface modification is effective in the design of novel contrast agents for MRI by enabling better or more effective interaction between the coated iron oxide nanoparticles and protons present in their aqueous environment.     

Metabolite profiling and antioxidant activity of Prunus padus L. flowers and leaves

Six phenolics were obtained from the leaves of Prunus padus by activity-guided isolation: isorhamnetin 3-O-β-xylopyranosyl-(1?→?2)-β-galactopyranoside (1), astragalin (2), hyperoside (3), quercetin 3-O-β-xylopyranosyl-(1?→?2)-β-galactopyranoside (4), quercetin 3-O-β-xylopyranosyl-(1?→?2)-β-glucopyranoside (5) and chlorogenic acid (6). The antioxidant potential of 70% methanolic extracts from the flowers and leaves collected over the growing season was evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and 2,2′-azobis-(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced linoleic acid (LA) peroxidation tests in relation to the contents of the isolates 1-6, total phenolics, total proanthocyanidins and total quercetin. The IC?? values were expressed in gram dry weight per gram of DPPH or LA, respectively, and were in the range of 1.42-2.42 for the DPPH test and 1.78-4.92 for the LA peroxidation, with superior activity found for the flowers and the autumn leaves. Significant linear correlation of these values to the sum of proanthocyanidins and compounds 1-6 (R2?>?0.87) showed that the listed phenolics are synergists of the tested activity.     

Dinuclear Ru(II) complexes of bis-(dipyrid-2'-yl)triazine (bis-dpt) ligands as efficient electron reservoirs

A planar bis-dipyrid-2'-yltriazine (bis-dpt) bridging ligand forms dinuclear Ru(II) complexes able to store up to eight electrons upon electrochemical reduction.     

Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes of 2-(2'-pyridyl)-4,6-diphenylphosphinine: synthesis, structure, and reactivity

The coordination chemistry of the bidentate P,N hybrid ligand 2-(2'-pyridyl)-4,6-diphenylphosphinine (1) towards Pd(II) and Pt(II) has been investigated. The molecular structures of the complexes [PdCl(2)(1)] and [PtCl(2)(1)] were determined by X-ray diffraction, representing the first crystallographically characterized λ(3)-phosphinine-Pd(II) and -Pt(II) complexes. Both complexes reacted with methanol at the P=C double bond at an elevated temperature, leading to the corresponding products [MCl(2)(1H·OCH(3))]. The molecular structure of [PdCl(2)(1H·OCH(3))] was determined crystallographically and revealed that the reaction with methanol proceeds selectively by syn addition and exclusively to one of the P=C double bonds. Strikingly, the reaction of [PdCl(2)(1H·OCH(3))] with the chelating diphosphine DPEphos at room temperature in CH(2)Cl(2) led quantitatively to [PdCl(2)(DPEphos)] and phosphinine 1 by elimination of CH(3)OH and rearomatization of the phosphorus heterocycle.     

Addition of N-heterocyclic carbenes to a ruthenium(VI) nitrido polyoxometalate: a new route to cyclic guanidines

The scope of N-atom transfer from the electrophilic ruthenium(VI) nitrido containing polyoxometalate [PW(11)O(39)Ru(VI)N](4-) has been extended to the N-heterocyclic carbene {CH(2)(Mes)N}(2)C and the coupling product {CH(2)(Mes)N}(2)CNH(2)(+) characterized by (1)H NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Because guanidines display many fields of applications ranging from biology to supramolecular chemistry, this could afford an original route to the synthesis of cyclic guanidines. This also enlarges the potential of nitrido complexes in the synthesis of heterocycles, mainly illustrated in the literature through the formation of aziridines through N-atom transfer to alkenes. In the course of the reaction, the ruthenium(III)-containing polyoxometallic intermediate [PW(11)O(39)Ru(III){NC{N(Mes)CH(2)}(2)}](5-) has been thoroughly characterized by continuous-wave and pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance, which nicely confirms the presence of the organic moiety on the polyoxometallic framework, Ru K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure, and electrochemistry.     

In‐line preconcentration capillary zone electrophoresis for the analysis of haloacetic acids in water

Two in‐line enrichment procedures (large volume sample stacking (LVSS) and field amplified sample injection (FASI)) have been evaluated for the CZE analysis of haloacetic acids (HAAs) in drinking water. For LVSS, separation on normal polarity using 20 mM acetic acid–ammonium acetate (pH 5.5) containing 20% ACN as BGE was required. For FASI, the optimum conditions were 25 s hydrodynamic injection (3.5 kPa) of a water plug followed by 25 s electrokinetic injection (?10 kV) of the sample, and 200 mM formic acid–ammonium formate buffer at pH 3.0 as BGE. For both FASI and LVSS methods, linear calibration curves (r²>0.992), limit of detection on standards prepared in Milli‐Q water (49.1–200 μg/L for LVSS and 4.2–48 μg/L for FASI), and both run‐to‐run and day‐to‐day precisions (RSD values up to 15.8% for concentration) were established. Due to the higher sensitive enhancement (up to 310‐fold) achieved with FASI‐CZE, this method was selected for the analysis of HAAs in drinking water. However, for an optimal FASI application sample salinity was removed by SPE using Oasis WAX cartridges. With SPE‐FASI‐CZE, method detection limits in the range 0.05–0.8 μg/L were obtained, with recoveries, in general, higher than 90% (around 65% for monochloroacetic and monobromoacetic acids). The applicability of the SPE‐FASI‐CZE method was evaluated by analyzing drinking tap water from Barcelona where seven HAAs were found at concentration levels between 3 and 13 μg/L.     

Synthesis of porphyrin‐end‐functionalized polycyclohexane with well‐controlled and defined polymer chain structure

Tetraphenylporphyrin‐end‐functionalized polycyclohexane (H₂TPP‐PCHE) and its metal complexes (MTPP‐PCHE) were synthesized as the first successful example of porphyrin‐end‐functionalized transparent and stable polymers with a well‐controlled and defined polymer chain structure. Chloromethyl‐end‐functionalized poly(1,3‐cyclohexadiene) (CM‐PCHD) was synthesized as prerequisite prepolymer by the postpolymerization reaction of poly(1,3‐cyclohexadienyl)lithium and chloro(chloromethyl)dimethylsilane. CM‐end‐functionalized PCHE (CM‐PCHE) was prepared by the complete hydrogenation of CM‐PCHD with p‐toluenesulfonyl hydrazide. H₂TPP was incorporated onto the polymer chain end by the addition of 5‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐10,15,20‐triphenylporphyrin to CM‐PCHE. The complexation of H₂TPP‐PCHE and Zn(OAc)₂ (or PtCl₂) yielded a zinc (or platinum) complex of H₂TPP‐PCHE. H₂TPP‐PCHE and MTPP‐PCHE were readily soluble in common organic solvents, and PCHE did not inhibit the optical properties of the H₂TPP, ZnTPP, and PtTPP end groups. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Comparison of the Retention of Aliphatic Hydrocarbons with Polar Groups in RP-HPLC Systems with Different Modifiers of the Binary Eluent

The retention of aliphatic hydrocarbons with polar groups has been compared in respect to the separation selectivity changes in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with C18 stationary phase type and binary water eluent composed of methanol, acetonitrile, or tetrahydrofuran as modifiers. The changes in separation selectivity when one modifier is replaced by another in the eluent is explained, taking into consideration molecular interactions of the solutes with components of the stationary phase region, i.e., extracted modifier, and ordering of the stationary phase by the modifier.