AN UNUSUAL EXCITED STATE SPECIES OF ortho- HYDROXY-CINNAMIC ACID*

The fluorescence of ortho-hydroxycinnamic acid was studied in aqueous solution over the pH 0-14 range and in methanol. At pH values above 9.7, intense anion fluorescence is observed. In the pH 4-9 range emissions are from both the monoanion (albeit weakly) and from the dianion due to photodissociation. In the pH 0-4 range a blue and a green fluorescence was found, which is attributed to emissions from the unchanged molecule and from an unusual excited state tautomer respectively. The latter is assumed to be the phenolate anion of cinnamic acid and represents a tautomer with no equivalent in the electronic ground state. It is assumed to be formed by adiabatic photodissociation during the lifetime of the first excited singlet state.     

Two New Insecticidal Amides and a New Alcoholic Amide from Piper nigrum Linn.

Three new amides, pipgulzarine ( 1 ), pipzorine ( 2 ), and piptahsine ( 3 ), have been isolated from the dried seeds of Piper nigrum Linn. along with nine known constituents: (2E,4E,8Z)‐N‐(isobutyl)eicosatrienamide, pellitorine, pipercide, piperine, stigmastanol, stigmasterol, decurrenal, stigmasterol 3‐O‐β‐D ‐glucopyranoside, and 5,10(15)‐cadinen‐4‐ol. The structures of the new constituents have been established as (2E,11E)‐12‐(benzo[1,3]dioxol‐5‐yl)‐N‐(2‐methylpropyl)dodeca‐2,11‐dienamide ( 1 ), (2E,12Z)‐N‐(4‐methylpentyl)octadeca‐2,12‐dienamide ( 2 ), and (2E,4S)‐4‐hydroxy‐N‐(2‐methylpropyl)hex‐2‐enamide ( 3 ). The structures of 1 – 3 were derived by spectral studies and chemical reactions, and by comparison of spectral data in the case of known constituents. Compounds 1 and 2 , and most of the already known compounds, exhibited toxicity against fourth instar larvae of Aedes aegypti Liston. The isolated (Z) double bond in 2 was assigned on the basis of its EI‐MS fragmentation pattern and its reaction with OsO₄. The (S) configuration at C(4) of 3 was determined by Horeau's method. This is the first report of the isolation of a 4‐methylpentylamide from P. nigrum, while shorter branched amides have been reported from this genus [1].     

Electrochemical, HPLC and electrospray ionization mass spectroscopic analyses of peroxycitric acid coexisting with citric acid and hydrogen peroxide in aqueous solution

We successfully determined the molecular structure of peroxycitric acid (PCA) coexisting in the aqueous equilibrium mixture with citric acid (CA; 1,2,3-tricarboxylic-2-hydroxy propane) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) by a combined use of reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC), potentiometric, hydrodynamic chronocoulometric (HCC) and electrospray ionization mass spectroscopic (ESI-MS) methods. Firstly, the RP-HPLC was employed to separate CA, PCA and H₂O₂ coexisting in the equilibrium mixture and the concentration of CA consumed (ΔC_CA) in the formation of PCA that was evidenced to be fairly stable during the RP-HPLC measurement was quantitatively measured based on the standard calibration curve of CA. Secondly, the total oxidant concentration (C_Ox) corresponding to peroxycarboxylic (–COOOH) group in PCA in the equilibrium mixture was determined using potentiometric measurement. The ratio of C_Ox/ΔC_CA was found to be 1.07, which indicates that only one –COOH group in CA molecule is oxidized to the corresponding –COOOH group in PCA molecule. Thirdly, using the HCC technique the diffusion coefficient of PCA, which could be electroreduced at a more positive potential by 1.0 V than the coexisting H₂O₂, was independently measured as 0.3 × 10⁻⁵ cm² s⁻¹ and at the same time, by considering ΔC_CA as the concentration of PCA, the number of electrons (n) required for the reduction of PCA was determined to be 2. The result obtained from RP-HPLC and HCC, i.e., n = 2 which is equivalent to one –COOOH group in PCA, is in agreement with that obtained from the combination of RP-HPLC and potentiometric measurements. Finally, the structure of PCA was proposed to contain one –COOOH group with a molecular mass of 208 confirmed by negative ion ESI-MS method. A probable molecular structure of PCA was discussed.     

A simple, rapid and mild one pot synthesis of benzene ring acylated and demethylated analogues of harmine under solvent-free conditions

A simple, rapid, solvent-free, room temperature one pot synthesis of benzene ring acylated and demethylated analogues of harmine using acyl halides/acid anhydrides and AlCl(3) has been developed. Eight different acyl halides/acid anhydrides were used in the synthesis. The resulting mixture of products was separated by column chromatography to afford 10- and 12-monoacyl analogues, along with 10,12-diacyl-11-hydroxy products. In five cases the corresponding 10-acyl-11-hydroxy analogues were also obtained. Yields from the eight syntheses (29 products in total) were in the 6-34% range and all compounds were fully characterized.     

Isolation and structure determination of two new constituents from the fruits of Morinda citrifolia Linn

Studies on the chemical constituents of the fruits of Morinda citrifolia Linn. have led to the isolation of two new compounds, morinaphthalene (=1,3,6,7-tetrahydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene, (1); and morindafurone (=5-hydroxy-1,10b-dihydro-6H-anthra [1,9-bc] furan-6-one, (2); as well as two known constituents, 1,8-dihydroxy-6-methoxy-3-methyl-9-anthrone (3) and 2,4-dimethoxy-9-anthrone (4). Their structures were elucidated by spectral analysis including 2D NMR techniques.     

Microencapsulation Preservation of the Stability and Efficacy of Citrus Grandis Oil-Based Repellent Formulation against Aedes aegypti during Storage

Essential oils have been widely used as an active ingredient in mosquito repellent products. However, essential oils are highly unstable and prone to degradation when exposed to the environment during storage. Microencapsulation techniques help to maintain the stability of molecules in essential oils that are sensitive to environmental stress, and therefore improve shelf life. In this study, the physical stability and efficacy of a repellent formulation consisting of encapsulated Citrus grandis essential oil (CGEO) were evaluated under different storage conditions over a 12-month period by comparing the formulation with a non-encapsulated formulation. The formulations were both stored under two different storage conditions, i.e., 25 ± 2 °C/60% ± 5% relative humidity (RH) and 40 ± 2 °C/75% RH ± 5%, for 12 months. Droplet size, zeta potential, and pH value were measured after 1, 6, and 12 months of storage to determine their stability. For the study of efficacy, each formulation was tested against Aedes aegypti under laboratory conditions. We found that the microencapsulated formulation’s physical characteristics showed insignificant changes as compared with the non-encapsulated formulation during storage. The microencapsulated formulation demonstrated better repellent effects, sustaining high protection (>80%) for 4 more hours of exposure after 12 months of storage as compared with the non-encapsulated formulation that demonstrated high protection for only an hour post application. Microencapsulation helped to preserve the stability of the formulation, which resulted in high protection being maintained for over 12 months of storage.     

Phenothiazine-based chalcones as potential dual-target inhibitors toward cholinesterases (AChE,BuChE) and monoamine oxidases (MAO-A,MAO-B)

Chalcones targeting neurodegenerative diseases have been known as attractive structures in drug design and discovery. In this study, phenothiazine-based chalcones as ChEs and MAOs inhibitors were designed and synthesized via base-catalyzed Claisen-Schmidt condensation, and chemical structures of the compounds were elucidated by NMRs and HRMS. Compounds 3 and 9 showed promising inhibition potency against AChE enzyme with IC₅₀ values of 0.221 μM and 0.053 μM while compound 9 displayed remarkable inhibition potency toward MAO-B enzyme with IC₅₀ value of 0.048 μM. Compound 9 , as a dual-target inhibitor, selectively inhibited AChE and MAO-B enzymes. This promising behavior is an advantage for the compound since MAO-B and AChE inhibition have a role in Alzheimer's disease. Fused tricyclic ring systems such as phenothiazine incorporated with chalcone moiety being multitargeting ligands may help scientists for the rational design of novel lead compounds targeting neurodegenerative illnesses.     

New cinnamic acid esters from Ocimum basilicum

Studies on the chemical constituents of the aerial parts of Ocimum basilicum have led to the isolation of a new ferulate, 4'-carbomethoxy-2'-hydroxy phenyl ferulate (1) and a new cinnamate, (E)-3'-hydroxy-4'-(1'-hydroxyethyl)-phenyl-4-methoxycinnamate (2). Their structures have been elucidated through spectral studies including 2D-NMR experiments (HMQC, HMBC, COSY-45 degrees , NOESY and 2D-J resolved).     

A new ethylene glycol triterpenoid from the leaves of Psidium guajava

One new pentacyclic triterpenoid psidiumoic acid (5) along with four known compounds beta-sitosterol (1), obtusol (2), oleanolic acid (3), and ursolic acid (4) have been isolated from the leaves of Psidium guajava. The new constituent 5 has been characterized as 2 alpha-glycolyl-3beta-hydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid through 2D NMR techniques. This is the first report of isolation of compound 2 from the genus Psidium.     

The Effect of Rotation on the Onset of Double Diffusive Convection in a Sparsely Packed Anisotropic Porous Layer

The effect of rotation on the onset of double diffusive convection in a sparsely packed anisotropic porous layer, which is heated and salted from below, is investigated analytically using the linear and nonlinear theories. The Brinkman model that includes the Coriolis term is employed for the momentum equation. The critical Rayleigh number, wavenumber for stationary and oscillatory modes and a dispersion relation are obtained analytically using linear theory. The effect of anisotropy parameters, Taylor number, Darcy number, solute Rayleigh number, Lewis number, Darcy–Prandtl number, and normalized porosity on the stationary, oscillatory and finite amplitude convection is shown graphically. It is found that contrary to its usual influence on the onset of convection in the absence of rotation, the mechanical anisotropy parameter show contrasting effect on the onset criterion at moderate and high rotation rates. The nonlinear theory based on the truncated representation of Fourier series method is used to find the heat and mass transfers. The effect of various parameters on heat and mass transfer is shown graphically. Some of the convection systems previously reported in the literature is shown to be special cases of the system presented in this study.