Kinetic analysis of thermogravimetric data. X

A study was made of the thermal decompositions of 22 derivatives of[M(en) ₃]X ₃ type complexes. Partial de-amination leading to the formation of[M(en) ₂ X ₂]X type complexes occurs in the case ofM=Cr(III) ifX=Cl, Br, I orNCS, but in the case ofM=Co(III) it is possible only ifX=Cl. In other cases redox reactions hinder the formation of stable intermediates. Kinetic parameters were derived for the dehydration of 19 compounds.

The validity of a linear kinetic compensation law was observed. The dependence of the kinetic compensation parameters on the nature of the thermal process is discussed.

     

Direct kinetic study of the reaction of OH radicals with methyl-ethyl-ketone

The low-pressure discharge flow technique with resonance fluorescence monitoring of OH has been applied to study the kinetics of the overall reaction:

Comparison of performance of Chirobiotic T, T2 and TAG columns in the separation of beta2- and beta3-homoamino acids

The enantiomers of eight unusual beta(2)- and beta(3)-homoamino acids were separated on chiral stationary phases containing the macrocyclic glycopeptide antibiotic teicoplanin (Chirobiotic T or T2) or teicoplanin aglycone (Chirobiotic TAG) as chiral selectors. The effects of the organic modifier, the mobile phase composition, and temperature on the separations were investigated. Linear van't Hoff plots were observed in the studied temperature range, 280-318 K, and the changes in enthalpy, Delta(DeltaH(o)), entropy, Delta(DeltaS(o)), and free energy, Delta(DeltaG(o)) were calculated. The values of the thermodynamic parameters depended on the nature of the selectors, the structures of the analytes, and especially the positions of the substituents on the analytes. A comparison of the separation performances of the macrocyclic glycopeptide stationary phases revealed that the Chirobiotic TAG column exhibited much better selectivity for beta(2)-homoamino acids, while the separation of beta(3)-homoamino acid enantiomers was better on Chirobiotic T or T2. The elution sequence was determined in some cases and was observed to be R < S.     

Acclimation Response of Green Microalgae Chlorella Sorokiniana to 2,3′,4,4′,6-Pentachlorobiphenyl

The effect of the toxicant 2,3′,4,4′,6-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB-119) on the growth, chlorophyll content, and PSII activity of C. sorokiniana cells was investigated. A strong negative effect of the toxicant was observed at PCB concentration of 0.05 μg mL⁻¹, when culture growth ceased, chlorophyll strongly bleached, and cell death occurred. The use of original highly sensitive fluorimeter to measure three types of high-resolution chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics allowed us to detect an initial dramatic decrease in the activity of primary photosynthetic reactions, followed by their almost complete recovery at the end of the incubation period when most cells were dead. The study of the distribution of individual cells in culture in terms of F_v/F_m parameter, which reflects the quantum yield of PSII photochemistry, revealed the existence of 2–3% of cells retaining high F_v/F_m (>0.7) in the presence of the toxicant. The treated cultures were able to resume growth after prolonged incubation in fresh medium. The high sensitivity fluorescence methods used made it possible to identify stress-resistant cells which maintain high photosynthetic activity in the presence of lethal doses of toxic substances; these cells provide recovery of the population after stress.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic enantioseparation of cyclic β-aminohydroxamic acids on zwitterionic chiral stationary phases based on Cinchona alkaloids

Cyclic β-aminohydroxamic acid enantiomer pairs were stereoselectively separated by high-performance liquid chromatography on the recently developed Cinchona alkaloid-based zwitterionic chiral stationary phases Chiralpak ZWIX(+)™, ZWIX(−)™, ZWIX(+A) and ZWIX(−A). The results of variation of the applied chromatographic conditions, such as the bulk solvent composition, the concentrations and ratio of the acid and base additives, the presence of water as mobile phase additive and the counter-ion concentration furnished a better understanding of the retention mechanism. A thermodynamic study in the temperature range 5–50 °C revealed enthalpy-controlled enantiodiscrimination in all cases. The structure–selectivity relationships clearly indicated the importance of the strereochemistry of the functional groups. From an enantiorecognition aspect, the diexo position of the functional groups always proved more favorable than the diendo position. The elution sequence was determined in all cases and was found to reversed when ZWIX(+)™ was changed to ZWIX(−)™ or ZWIX(+A) to ZWIX(−A).     

Alpha-phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone-type derivatives bound to beta-cyclodextrins: syntheses, thermokinetics of self-inclusion and application to superoxide spin-trapping

alpha-Phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN) derivatives bound to beta-cyclodextrin derivatives have been synthesized. Inclusion of the PBN group into the beta-cyclodextrin moiety is host- and temperature-dependent. In the case of the nitrone linked to permethylated cyclodextrin (Me3CD-PBN), the thermokinetic parameters are in favour of a slow chemical exchange between a tight and a loose complex. In contrast, 2,6-di-O-Me-beta-cyclodextrin-grafted PBN (Me2CD-PBN) exists either in a fast exchange or as a strongly self-associated complex. The covalent cyclodextrin-PBN compounds have been used to trap carbon and oxygen-centred free radicals. The self-associated forms of the beta-CD-spin-traps are compatible with effective spin-trapping, affording spin-adducts with enhanced EPR signal intensities relative to noncovalent CD-nitrone systems or the nitrone alone. This kind of cyclodextrin-bound nitrone is the first type of covalent supramolecular spin-trap and should open new possibilities for the study of biological free radicals in vivo.     

Biological and chemical detections in adsorbent layer for monitoring microbial production of primycin

Primycin is a macrolide antibiotic complex produced in microbiological fermentation processes. The microbial production of primycin requires an in-process analytical method suitable for monitoring the level of the active agents. In this paper, a method fulfilling the described requirement is presented. This method consists of a simple, efficacious extraction step, an instrumental sample application followed by a high-performance thin-layer chromatographic separation in relatively short time and a quantitative chromatogram evaluation. A dipping technique, in a solution containing sulfuric acid followed by heating at 120 degrees C, is used for chromogen formation, resulting in an absorption maximum at 290 nm. A progress diagram of the fermentation obtained by this technique is compared with one obtained by a microbiological agar diffusion method. The bioautographic evaluation of the active spots in the chromatogram are also presented. By our TLC method, the group of the active primycin components in the fermentation broth and by-products formed during the fermentation can be well separated. The relative intensities of the different TLC spots provide some information on the formation of the active components.     

Theoretical and experimental studies of the spin trapping of inorganic radicals by 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO). 2. Carbonate radical anion

Previous studies have shown that the enzyme-mediated generation of carbonate radical anion (CO(3)(.-)) may play an important role in the initiation of oxidative damage in cells. This study explored the thermodynamics of CO(3)(.-) addition to 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) using density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-31+G(**)//B3LYP/6-31G* and B3LYP/6-311+G* levels with the polarizable continuum model to simulate the effect of the bulk dielectric effect of water on the calculated energetics. Theoretical data reveal that the addition of CO(3)(.-) to DMPO yields an O-centered radical adduct (DMPO-OCO2) as governed by the spin (density) population on the CO(3)(.-). Electron paramagnetic resonance spin trapping with the commonly used spin trap, DMPO, has been employed in the detection of CO(3)(.-). UV photolysis of H(2)O(2) and DMPO in the presence of sodium carbonate (Na(2)CO(3)) or sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO(3)) gave two species (i.e., DMPO-OCO(2) and DMPO-OH) in which the former has hyperfine splitting constant values of a(N) = 14.32 G, a(beta)-Eta = 10.68 G, and a(gamma-H) = 1.37 G and with a shorter half-life compared to DMPO-OH. The origin of the DMPO-OH formed was experimentally confirmed using isotopically enriched H(2)(17)O(2) that indicates direct addition of HO(.) to DMPO. Theoretical studies on other possible pathways for the formation of DMPO-OH from DMPO-OCO(2) in aqueous solution and in the absence of free HO(.) such as in the case of enzymatically generated CO(3)(.-), show that the preferred pathway is via nucleophilc substitution of the carbonate moiety by H(2)O or HO(-). Nitrite formation has been observed as the end product of CO(3)(.-) trapping by DMPO and is partly dependent on the basicity of solution. The thermodynamic behavior of CO(3)(.-) in the aqueous phase is predicted to be similar to that of the hydroperoxyl (HO(2)(.)) radical.