Turbulent flow and ternary column-switching on-line clean-up system for high-throughput quantification of risperidone and its main metabolite in plasma by LC-MS/MS: Application to a bioequivalence study

A high-throughput LC-MS/MS method was developed for the simultaneous determination of Risperidone and 9-OH-risperidone in human plasma. A semi-automated sample preparation procedure was applied, including protein precipitation after addition of ACN, via a robotic system, and subsequent sub-zero temperature extraction of the latter. Injections of the ACN extractants were performed on a turbulent flow ternary column-switching system, consisted of dual extraction columns in parallel for on-line purification of samples and an analytical column. Toggling with the assistance of two valves provided a run cycle time of 3 min and the whole procedure minimized carry-over effect. On-line clean-up procedure along with sub-zero temperature extraction increased sample purification and extended column life. The analytical range of the method was 0.1-200 ng mL⁻¹ for both analytes with excellent linearity and very good accuracy and precision. The proposed method was employed in a bioequivalence study after per os administration of a 2 mg tablet of risperidone and allowed the completion of the study (>1400 samples) in only 4 days time.     

Reentrant Structural and Optical Properties and Large Positive Thermal Expansion in Perovskite Formamidinium Lead Iodide

The structure of the hybrid perovskite HC(NH₂)₂PbI₃ (formamidinium lead iodide) reflects competing interactions associated with molecular motion, hydrogen bonding tendencies, thermally activated soft octahedral rotations, and the propensity for the Pb²⁺ lone pair to express its stereochemistry. High‐resolution synchrotron X‐ray powder diffraction reveals a continuous transition from the cubic α‐phase (Pm m, #221) to a tetragonal β‐phase (P4/mbm, #127) at around 285 K, followed by a first‐order transition to a tetragonal γ‐phase (retaining P4/mbm, #127) at 140 K. An unusual reentrant pseudosymmetry in the β‐to‐γ phase transition is seen that is also reflected in the photoluminescence. Around room temperature, the coefficient of volumetric thermal expansion is among the largest for any extended crystalline solid.     

Interaction of β-Cyclodextrin with Unsaturated and Saturated Straight Chain Fatty Acid Anions Studied by Phenolphthalein Displacement

The interaction of -cyclodextrin (-CD) with palmitoleate, linolenate, caprinate and caprylate was studied by the displacement of phenolphthalein (PHP) from the -CD cavity. Absorbance values of -CD–PHP solutions at 550 nm in 0.020 mol L-1 Na2CO3 buffer, pH 10.5, at 21.0 ± 0.5 °C, increased as the fatty acid anion was added. The concentration range of fatty acid anion used was 0.390–32.1 × 10-4 mol L-1 in the study of palmitoleate and linolenate, 1.92–80.0 × 10-4 mol L-1 in the study of caprinate and 0.770–32.0 × 10-3mol L-1 in the study of caprylate. Concentrations of -CD and PHP were 1.00 × 10-3 mol L-1 and 1.00–3.00 × 10-4 mol L-1 respectively. Data were fitted by nonlinear regression to a two step complexation model. Complex formation constants thus determined for the 1 : 1 and 1 : 2, fatty acid anion : -CD complex were: (1.2 ± 0.2) × 104 and (2.9 ± 0.2) × 102 mol-1 L for palmitoleate, (9.3 ± 0.9) × 103 and (1.1 ± 0.1) × 102 mol-1 L for linolenate, (4.1 ± 0.2) × 103 and 81 ± 8 mol-1 L for caprinate, and (5.2 ± 0.7) × 102 and 27 ± 5 mol-1 L for caprylate respectively. The PHP–-CD complex was also evaluated as a spectrophotometric sensor for the determination of olive oil acidity.     

Enantioselective organocatalytic direct Michael addition of nitroalkanes to nitroalkenes promoted by a unique bifunctional DMAP-thiourea

A new catalyst is designed, synthesized, and evaluated for the asymmetric Michael addition of nitroalkanes to nitroalkenes. The obdurate nature of this reaction has made this a formidable challenge to subdue by asymmetric catalysis. The catalyst design includes a thiourea function to activate the nitroalkene by a double H-bond and a 4-dimethylaminopyridine unit to deprotonate the nitroalkane and to bind the resulting nitronate anion also by a double H-bond. The chiral scaffold for the catalyst is 2,2'-diamino-1,1'-binaphthalene (BINAM), and a bis-conjugate is prepared by the attachment of the thiourea unit and the dimethylaminopyridine moiety (DMAP) via the two amino groups. The resulting catalyst will effect the reaction of nitroalkanes to a variety of nitrostyrenes and gives excellent asymmetric inductions (91-95% ee) over a range of 10 substrates. Remarkably, the asymmetric induction increases with decreasing catalyst loading with the optimal compromise between rate and induction at a loading of 2 mol %.     

Honey Phenolic Compound Profiling and Authenticity Assessment Using HRMS Targeted and Untargeted Metabolomics

Honey consumption is attributed to potentially advantageous effects on human health due to its antioxidant capacity as well as anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity, which are mainly related to phenolic compound content. Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites of plants, and their content in honey is primarily affected by the botanical and geographical origin. In this study, a high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) method was applied to determine the phenolic profile of various honey matrices and investigate authenticity markers. A fruitful sample set was collected, including honey from 10 different botanical sources (n = 51) originating from Greece and Poland. Generic liquid–liquid extraction using ethyl acetate as the extractant was used to apply targeted and non-targeted workflows simultaneously. The method was fully validated according to the Eurachem guidelines, and it demonstrated high accuracy, precision, and sensitivity resulting in the detection of 11 target analytes in the samples. Suspect screening identified 16 bioactive compounds in at least one sample, with abscisic acid isomers being the most abundant in arbutus honey. Importantly, 10 markers related to honey geographical origin were revealed through non-targeted screening and the application of advanced chemometric tools. In conclusion, authenticity markers and discrimination patterns were emerged using targeted and non-targeted workflows, indicating the impact of this study on food authenticity and metabolomic fields.     

Ground state spin-switching via targeted structural distortion: twisted single-molecule magnets from derivatised salicylaldoximes

The use of derivatised salicylaldoximes in Mn chemistry has led to the isolation of a plethora of beautiful new SMMs ranging in nuclearity from three to eight and with spin ground states as large as S = 12-including a Mn6 complex with the largest energy barrier to magnetisation reversal yet reported. The deliberate chemically-induced structural distortion of the [Mn6] molecule allows the isolation of analogous family members displaying remarkably different magnetic properties and this in turn allows for a rare semi-quantitative magneto-structural correlation which enables prediction of the magnetic properties of new family members.     

Mononuclear versus dinuclear complex formation in nickel(II) sulfate/phenyl(2-pyridyl)ketone oxime chemistry depending on the ligand to metal reaction ratio: synthetic, spectral and structural studies

The reactions of phenyl(2-pyridyl)ketone oxime (py)C(ph)NOH, with nickel(II) sulfate hexahydrate under reflux, in the absence of an external base, have been investigated. The reaction of NiSO(4).6H(2)O with two equivalents of (py)C(ph)NOH in H(2)O/MeOH leads to the dinuclear complex [Ni(2)(SO(4))(2){(py)C(ph)NOH}(4)] (1), while an excess of the organic ligand affords the 1:3 cationic complex [Ni{(py)C(ph)NOH}(3)](SO(4)) (2). Compound 1 is transformed into 2 by a reaction with an excess of ligand in refluxing H(2)O/MeOH. Reactions of 1 and 2 with a limited amount of LiOH give the known cluster [Ni(6)(SO(4))(4)(OH){(py)C(ph)NO}(3){(py)C(ph)NOH}(3)(H(2)O)(3)]. The structures of 1 and 2 have been determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. In both complexes the organic ligand chelates through its 2-pyridyl and oxime nitrogen atoms. The metal centers of 1 are bridged by two eta(1):eta(1):mu sulfato ligands; each metal ion has the cis-cis-trans deposition of the coordinated sulfato oxygen, pyridyl nitrogen and oxime nitrogen atoms, respectively. The cation of 2 is the fac isomer considering the positions of the coordinated pyridyl and oxime nitrogen atoms. The crystal structures of both complexes are stabilized by hydrogen bonds. Compounds 1 and 2 join a small family of structurally characterized metal complexes containing the neutral or anionic forms of phenyl(2-pyridyl)ketone oxime as ligands. The IR spectra of the two complexes are discussed in terms of the nature of bonding and their structures. From the vibrational spectroscopy viewpoint, the SO(4)(2-) groups in 1 and 2 appear to have lower symmetries compared with those deduced from X-ray crystallography; this is attributed to the participation of sulfates in hydrogen bonding interactions.     

Dolastanes from the brown alga Dilophus spiralis: absolute stereochemistry and evaluation of cytotoxicity

Five new dolastanes (1-5) were isolated from the brown alga Dilophus spiralis. The structural elucidation of the isolated compounds and the assignment of relative stereochemistry were based on analyses of their spectroscopic data. The structure proposed for 1 was confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, whereas its absolute stereochemistry was determined using the modified Mosher's method. The cytotoxicity of 1-4 was evaluated against seven cell lines.     

Cytotoxic bromoditerpenes from the red alga Sphaerococcus coronopifolius

Three new brominated diterpenes (1, 2, 8), along with six previously reported metabolites (3-7, 9), were isolated from the organic extract of Sphaerococcus coronopifolius, collected in Palaiokastritsa bay at the west coasts of Corfu Island. The structures of the new natural products, as well as their relative stereochemistry, were established by means of spectral data analyses, including 2D experiments. The absolute stereochemistry of 2 and 4 as well as the structure revision of the previously reported metabolite 3 were established by X-ray crystallographic analyses. The cytotoxicity of the isolated metabolites was evaluated against the NSCLC-N6-L16 and A549 human lung cancer cell lines.