Characterization of different food‐isolated Enterococcus strains by MALDI‐TOF mass fingerprinting

Enterococcus is a controversial genus due to its great variability; this genus includes pathogenic strains, spoilage strains, and apparently safe strains including some probiotic strains. Previous studies focused on the characterization of strains of Enterococcus spp. involved in nosocomial infections. However, little research has been conducted on Enterococcus strains in foodstuffs. In the present work, 36 strains of different species of Enterococcus have been characterized by means of MALDI‐TOF MS, resulting in highly specific mass spectral fingerprints. Characteristic peak masses common to certain bacterial species of Enterococcus have been identified. Thus, a peak at m/z 4426 ± 1 was assigned as a genus‐specific biomarker. In addition, phyloproteomic relationships based on the mass spectral data were compared to the results of a phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence. A better grouping at the species level was observed in the phyloproteomic tree, especially for the Enterococcus faecium group. Presumably, the assortment of some strains or ecotypes could be related to their ecological niche specialization. The approach described in this study leads the way toward the rapid and specific identification of different strains and species of Enterococcus in food based on molecular protein markers, aiming at the early detection of pathogenic strains and strains implicated in food poisoning or food spoilage.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the decomposition of N-bromoalcoholamines in aqueous solution

The decomposition reactions of N-bromodiethanolamine, N-bromoethylethanolamine, and N-bromomethylethanolamine in aqueous solution have been studied kinetically under various experimental conditions. The results support a proposed reaction mechanism in which the rate controlling step is assumed to be the formation of an imine which is then hydrolyzed to the final decomposition products.     

Kinetics of phosphate adsorption on goethite: comparing batch adsorption and ATR-IR measurements

The adsorption kinetics of phosphate on goethite has been studied by batch adsorption experiments and by in situ ATR-IR spectroscopy at different pH, initial phosphate concentrations and stirring rates. Batch adsorption results are very similar to those reported by several authors, and show a rather fast initial adsorption taking place in a few minutes followed by a slower process taking place in days or weeks. The adsorption kinetics could be also monitored by integrating the phosphate signals obtained in ATR-IR experiments, and a very good agreement between both techniques was found. At pH 4.5 two surface complexes, the bidentate nonprotonated (FeO)(2)PO(2) and the bidentate protonated (FeO)(2)(OH)PO complexes, are formed at the surface. There are small changes in the relative concentrations of these species as the reaction proceeds, and they seem to evolve in time rather independently. At pH 7.5 and 9 the dominating surface species is (FeO)(2)PO(2), which is accompanied by an extra unidentified species at low concentration. They also seem to evolve independently as the reaction proceeds. The results are consistent with a mechanism that involve a fast adsorption followed by a slow diffusion into pores, and are not consistent with surface precipitation of iron phosphate.     

Diffusion Studies on Polystyrene in 1,4-Dioxane

The diffusion behavior of polystyrene with narrow molecular weight distribution at 20℃ in 1, 4-dioxane was investigated by the photon correlation spectroscopy. The cumulant method was employed for the analysis of the intensity-intensity autocorrelation function measured over a wide range of the scattering vector. The diffusion coefficient D was determined as the function of concentration C in the molecular weight range of 3. 0×104-1. 20×106. In a low concentration range, D was found to be linearly dependent on C, which has been found for some other systems. The dependence of D on molecular weight at infinite dilution can be written as an empirical formula D0 = kDM-γ M, the exponent γ(0. 576 ±0. 01) is in good agreement with the result of the scaling theory.     

Chlorination of N-Methylacetamide: A kinetic study

In the pH range 4.3–13, the reaction between N-methylacetamide (NMA) and sodium hypochlorite in dilute aqueous solution to give N-chloro-N-methylacetamide (CINMA) was found to be far slower than analogous reactions affording N-chloramines or N-chloroamino acids. The rate expression for chlorination was first-order each in [NMA] and [Cl_tot] (the total concentration of chlorinating species). A rate constant calculated for chlorination by each chlorinating species indicated that the order of increasing reactivity was HClO < ClO^? < Cl₂ < CH₃COOCl (formed in the presence of acetic/acetate buffer). At pH > 7 the reaction rate was unaffected by variations in [Cl^?] or pH, but under acidic conditions the rate increased with [Cl^?] and decreasing pH. Regardless of pH, the reaction rate was not affected by changes in ionic strength. The influence of temperature on the reaction rate was also studied which allowed calculation of thermodynamic activation parameters for the N-chlorination reaction. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Kinetics of the chlorination of secondary amines by N-chlorosuccinimide

The chlorinations of dimethylamine, diethylamine, methylethanolamine, ethylethanolamine and diethanolamine by N-chlorosuccinimide have been found to be equilibrium reactions of order one with respect to both N-chlorosuccinimide and amine in the forward direction and of order one with respect to succinimide and the resulting N-chloramine in the other. These results are explained by postulating a mechanism in which the rate controlling step consists in direct exchange of positive chlorine between the N-chlorosuccinimide and the amine.     

Stability of N-chloro-3-aminopropanol in aqueous solution. Kinetics of decomposition and disproportion of N-chloro-3-aminopropanol

N-chloro-3-aminopropanol was obtained in aqueous solution by mixing the amine with the hypochlorite. The first order decomposition kinetics of the N-chloramine in strongly alkaline media are explained by a mechanism in which the rate controlling step is the formation of an imine which is subsequently hydrolyzed. Spectrophotometry of the reaction in acid media showed that under these conditions dichloramines are formed: the second order experimental kinetics of this process are explained by a mechanism in which the rate-controlling step is a reaction between the protonated and free forms of the N-chloramine.     

N‐Chlorination rate of five‐membered heterocyclic nitrogen compounds

The kinetics of N‐chlorination reaction of pyrrolidine, pyrrolidone, succinimide, 5,5,‐dimethyloxazolidine‐2,4‐dione, 5,5‐dimethylhydantoin and 1‐hydroximethyl‐5,5‐dimethylhydantoin with HOCl in aqueous solution were studied at 25 °C, constant ionic strength and under isolation conditions in a wide pH range. The set of compounds studied in this paper is characterized by having different functional groups and the same cyclic structure, consisting of a five‐member ring with a nitrogen atom in the ring, which is susceptible to be chlorinated. This series of compounds covers nine pK_a units, and the kinetic studies allow us to know, like, the presence of an amino, amide or imide group modify the reactivity of nitrogenous compound. Experimental data were fitted to the first‐order kinetic equation. All reactions were found to be of first order in both HOCl and nitrogenous compound concentration. Kinetics studies demonstrate that some of these compounds are hydrolyzed in alkaline medium. In each case, reaction mechanism in agreement with the experimental results is proposed. The results were compared with other compounds with similar cyclic structure (2‐oxazolidinone and proline). Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Novel Cyclometallated Complexes Derived From a Halogenated Thiosemicarbazone. Crystal and Molecular Structures of 2‐FC6H4C(Me)=NN(H)C(=S)NHPh and [(Pd{2‐FC6H3C(Me)=NN=C(S)NHPh})2(μ‐PPh2(CH2)2PPh2)]

Treatment of the thiosemicarbazone 2‐FC₆H₄C(Me)=NN(H)C(=S)NHPh, a , with palladium(II) acetate in acetic acid, or with lithium tetrachloropalladate(II) in methanol, gave the tetranuclear cyclometallated complex [Pd{2‐FC₆H₃C(Me)=NN=C(S)NHPh}]₄ (1a) . Reaction of 1a with the diphosphines Ph₂P(CH₂)₂PPh₂ (dppe), Ph₂PCH=CHPPh₂ (trans‐dpe) Ph₂P(CH₂)₃Ph₂ (dppp) or Ph₂P(CH₂)₄Ph₂ (dppb) in a 1:2 molar ratio gave the dinuclear cyclometallated complexes [(Pd{2‐FC₆H₃C(Me)=NN=C(S)NHPh})₂(μ‐Ph₂P(CH₂)_nPPh₂)], (n = 2, 2a ; 3, 4a ; 4, 5a ) and [(Pd{2‐FC₆H₃C(Me)=NN=C(S)NHPh})₂(μ‐Ph₂PCH=CHPPh₂)], ( 3a ). The X‐ray crystal structure of ligand a and of complex 2a are described. The structure of complex 2a shows the palladium atom is bonded to four different donor atoms: C, N, S and P.     

Synthesis and characterization of a new gemini surfactant derived from 3alpha,12alpha-dihydroxy-5beta-cholan-24-amine (steroid residue) and ethylenediamintetraacetic acid (spacer)

A new gemini steroid surfactant derived from 3alpha,12alpha-dihydroxy-5beta-cholan-24-amine (steroid residue) and ethylenediamintetraacetic acid (spacer) was synthesized and characterized in aqueous solution by surface tension, fluorescence intensity of pyrene, and light scattering (static and dynamic) measurements. These techniques evidence the existence of a threshold concentration (cac), below which a three layers film is formed at the air-water interface. Above the cac, two types of aggregates--micelles and vesicle-like aggregates--coexist in a metastable state. Filtration of a solution with a starting concentration of 2.6 mM (buffer 150 mM, pH 10) allows isolation of the micelles, which have an average aggregation number of 12, their density being 0.28 g cm(-3). Under conditions where only the vesicle-like aggregates are detected by dynamic light scattering, a value of 5.5 x 10(4) was obtained for their aggregation number at 30 microM, their density being 6.8 x 10(-4) g cm(-3). At high concentrations, the intensity ratio of the vibronic peaks of pyrene, I1/I3, (=0.68) is very close to published values for deoxycholate micelles, indicating that the probe is located in a region with a very low polarity and far from water. A hypothesis to explain the observed aggregation behavior (small aggregates are favored with increasing gemini concentration) is outlined.