Determination of the insecticide fenoxycarb in apple leaf samples by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for the determination of fenoxycarb in apple leaf samples. Single step extraction procedures with phosphate-citrate buffered solution containing different amounts of methanol were tested showing that a solvent percentage of 20% (v/v) was the best condition, with recoveries between 85 and 100% in the working range of 25-500 μg kg⁻¹ and a negligible matrix effect. The low detection limit reached, 1 μg kg⁻¹ against 50 μg kg⁻¹ for the recommended liquid chromatographic method, makes the ELISA more suitable for determinations of the fenoxycarb residues in apple leaf samples. The reliability of the ELISA was evaluated by assaying the insecticide in spiked and contaminated samples by three different approaches: direct determination, standard addition method with a calibration graph, and the dilution test. The corresponding coefficients of variation were, respectively, 11, 22 and 27%. The direct determination on the (1+1) diluted apple leaf extract was used to measure the insecticide residues in samples collected in the north-eastern Italian regions of Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige.     

Defect and dopant properties of MgTa2O6

Atomistic computer simulation techniques have been used, for the first time, to reproduce the crystal structure of MgTa₂O₆ and to investigate the defect chemistry and dopant properties of this material. The calculated defect energetics suggest that the concentration of intrinsic atomic defects in this phase is insignificant and that the system is probably stable to both oxidation and reduction. Dopant solution energy versus ion size trends are found for both isovalent and aliovalent dopant incorporation at Mg and Ta sites. Divalent dopants (e.g. Ca, Cu) preferentially occupy the Mg site whereas dopants with higher charge (e.g. Sc, Zr, Nb) are more favorable on the Ta site. High migration activation energies (>2 eV) predict limited ionic conductivity in this material.     

Detection of a stable nitroxide during chemical depolymerization of heparin

The use of low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) has become common, since compared to unfractionated heparin (UFH), they have a much longer plasma half-life and lower incidence of side effects. LMWHs are derived from the depolymerization of UFH, obtained either chemically, physically or enzymatically. We employed electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy to study the depolymerization of UFH by copper in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. A stable nitroxide radical was detected. This could be generated by the hydroxyl radical attack either to the N-SO⁻₃ group or to free amino groups present in the UFH preparation.     

Direct determination of selenium in urine samples by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry using a Zr plus Rh-treated graphite tube and co-injection of Rh as chemical modifier

Different chemical modifiers for use with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS) were investigated in relation to determining the selenium in human urine samples. The samples were diluted in a solution containing 1% v/v HNO₃ and 0.02% m/v cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC). Studying the modifiers showed that the use of either Ru or Ir as the permanent modifier gave low sensitivity to Se and the peak shape was very noisy, while Zr or Rh gave no peak at all. The same occurred when Zr was used in solution. For mixtures of permanent modifiers, Ir plus Rh or Zr plus Rh gave very low sensitivity, Zr plus Rh with co-injection of Ir in solution was also not efficient, Zr plus Rh in solution gave good sensitivity, but the best results were obtained with a mixture of Zr and Rh as the permanent modifier and co-injection of Rh in solution. Using this last modifier, the following dilutions with the HNO₃ and CTAC were studied: 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and 1:4. The best dilution was 1:1, which promoted good sensitivity and a more defined peak shape and made it possible to correct for the background using a deuterium arc lamp. Under these conditions, a characteristic mass of 26±0.2 pg was obtained for Se in aqueous solution. Six certified urine samples were analyzed using matrix matching calibration and the measured concentrations were in agreement with the certified values, according to a t-test at the 95% confidence level. Recovery tests were carried out and the recoveries were in the range 100–103%, with relative standard deviation better than 9%. The limit of detection (LOD, 3 sd, n=10) was 3.0 μg L⁻¹ in the sample. The treated graphite tube could be used for at least 600 atomization cycles without significant alteration of the analytical signal.     

Complete 1H and 13C NMR assignments of aurasperone A and fonsecinone A, two bis-naphthopyrones produced by Aspergillus aculeatus

Complete assignments of 1H and 13C NMR chemical shifts of the polyketides aurasperone A and fonsecinone A were made by means of nuclear Overhauser enhancement and heteronuclear NMR correlation experiments. These compounds were isolated for the first time from Aspergillus aculeatus, an endophytic fungus obtained from leaves of Melia azedarach(Meliaceae).     

Three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationships of steroid aromatase inhibitors

Summary Inhibition of aromatase, a cytochrome P450 that converts androgens to estrogens, is relevant in the therapeutic control of breast cancer. We investigate this inhibition using a three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D QSAR) method known as Comparative Molecular Field Analysis, CoMFA [Cramer III, R.D. et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 110 (1988) 5959]. We analyzed the data for 50 steroid inhibitors [Numazawa, M. et al., J. Med. Chem., 37 (1994) 2198, and references cited therein] assayed against androstenedione on human placental microsomes. An initial CoMFA resulted in a three-component model for log(1/K_i), with an explained variance r² of 0.885, and a cross-validated q² of 0.673. Chemometric studies were performed using GOLPE [Baroni, M. et al., Quant. Struct.-Act. Relatsh., 12 (1993) 9]. The CoMFA/GOLPE model is discussed in terms of robustness, predictivity, explanatory power and simplicity. After randomized exclusion of 25 or 10 compounds (repeated 25 times), the q² for one component was 0.62 and 0.61, respectively, while r² was 0.674. We demonstrate that the predictive r² based on the mean activity (Y_m) of the training set is misleading, while the test set Y_m-based predictive r² index gives a more accurate estimate of external predictivity. Using CoMFA, the observed differences in aromatase inhibition among C6-substituted steroids are rationalized at the atomic level. The CoMFA fields are consistent with known, potent inhibitors of aromatase, not included in the model. When positioned in the same alignment, these compounds have distinct features that overlap with the steric and electrostatic fields obtained in the CoMFA model. The presence of two hydrophobic binding pockets near the aromatase active site is discussed: a steric bulk tolerant one, common for C4, C6-alpha and C7-alpha substitutents, and a smaller one at the C6-beta region.     

Intramolecular [4 + 2] cycloadditions of 1,3-enynes or arylalkynes with alkenes with highly reactive cationic phosphine Au(I) complexes

New Au(I) complexes with bulky, biphenyl phosphines are the most reactive catalysts for the cyclizations of enynes. 1,6-Enynes with an aryl ring at the alkyne give 2,3,9,9a-tetrahydro-1H-cyclopenta[b]naphthalenes by a 5-exo-dig cyclization followed by a Nazarov-type ring expansion. 1,8-Dien-3-ynes also cyclize by a 5-exo-dig pathway to form hydrindanes.     

Reactions of 2-pyridylphenylacetonitrile and 1,2-dicyano-1,2-diphenyl-1,2-di(2-pyridyl)ethane with cobalt(II), nickel(II), copper(II) and zinc(II) chlorides and copper(II) bromide

Summary 2-Pyridylphenylacetonitrile (ppa) is oxidized by copper(II) halides in 1,2-dichloroethane to 1,2-dicyano-1,2-diphenyl-1,2-di(2-pyridyl)ethane (dcppe), yielding 41 complexes of dcppe with copper(II) dihalide, [CuX₂(dcppe)₄] (green). Nickel(II) and zinc(II) chlorides react with ppa giving complexes of a general formula [MCl₂(ppa)₂].Dcppe reacts with copper(II), zinc(II) chlorides and copper(II) bromide yielding complexes of formulae [CuCl₂(dcppe)₄] (yellow), [ZnCl₂(dcppe)₂] and [CuBr₂(dcppe)]. No reaction is observed with cobalt(II) and nickel(II) chlorides.     

Convenient diastereospecific synthesis of a rociverine precursor and its resolution by lipase-catalyzed transesterification

(±)-1-Cyclohexyl-c-2-hydroxymethyl-r-1-cyclohexanol 3, a precursor of the antimuscarinic drug Rociverine 1, was obtained diastereospecifically in very high yield, from the Grignard reaction between C₆H₁₁MgCl and an appropriately protected 2-(hydroxymethyl)cyclohexanone. The preparation of enantiomerically enriched cis diol (+)-(1R,2S)-3 and the corresponding 2-acetoxymethyl derivative (+)-(1S,2R)-12 was achieved by lipase PPL-catalyzed transesterification of racemic diol (±)-3.     

Effect of the Media on the Quantum Yield of Singlet Oxygen (O2(1Δg)) Production by 9H‐Fluoren‐9‐one: Solvents and Solvent Mixtures

We have investigated the effect of a series of 18 solvents and mixtures of solvents on the production of singlet molecular oxygen (O₂(¹Δ_g), denoted as ¹O₂) by 9H‐fluoren‐9‐one (FLU). The normalized empirical parameter E derived from E_T(30) has been chosen as a measure of solvent polarity using Reichardt's betaine dyes. Quantum yields of ¹O₂ production (Φ_Δ) decrease with increasing solvent polarity and protic character as a consequence of the decrease of the quantum yield of intersystem crossing (Φ_ISC). Values of Φ_Δ of unity have been found in alkanes. In nonprotic solvents of increasing polarity, Φ_ISC and, therefore, Φ_Δ decrease due to solvent‐induced changes in the energy levels of singlet and triplet excited states of FLU. This compound is a poor ¹O₂ sensitizer in protic solvents, because hydrogen bonding considerably increases the rate of internal conversion from the singlet excited state, thus diminishing Φ_Δ to values much lower than those in nonprotic solvents of similar polarity. In mixtures of cyclohexane and alcohols, preferential solvation of FLU by the protic solvent leads to a fast decrease of Φ_Δ upon addition of increasing amounts of the latter.