Complete assignment of the 1H and 13C NMR spectra of antimicrobial 4‐arylamino‐ 3‐nitrocoumarin derivatives

Herein, we describe the synthesis and complete assignment of the ¹H and ¹³C NMR chemical shifts of a series of antimicrobial 4‐arylamino‐3‐nitrocoumarin derivatives based on a combination of ¹H and ¹³C NMR, ¹H‐¹H‐COSY, NOESY, HSQC and HMBC experiments. Conformational effects upon the chemical shifts of the coumarin moiety arising from the anisotropy of the aryl side group are briefly discussed. This study provides the first complete and fully assigned NMR data for this important group of antimicrobial compounds and bridges the gap existing in the literature with regard to NMR structural data for 4‐arylamino‐3‐nitrocoumarins. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A simplified [11C]phosgene synthesis

A new flow-through system for the production of [¹¹C]phosgene, a versatile labelling agent in radiochemistry for PET, is described. Cyclotron-produced [¹¹C]CH₄ is mixed with Cl₂ and converted into [¹¹C]CCl₄ by passing the mixture through an empty quartz tube at 510 °C. The outflow is directed through a Sb-filled guard that takes out Cl₂ and then, without intentional O₂ addition, through a second empty quartz tube at 750 °C, giving rise to [¹¹C]phosgene in 30–35% radiochemical yield.     

Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate Production by Fast-Growing Rhizobia Cultivated in Sludge and in Industrial Wastewater

In our study, the potential of producing polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) by cultivating fast-growing rhizobia (Sinorhizobium meliloti, Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae, R. leguminosarum bv. phaseoli and R. leguminosarum bv. trifolii) in sludge and in industrial wastewater was evaluated. Results confirmed the possibility of using sludge as media for rhizobial growth. During growth, substantial quantity of PHB was accumulated and yields varied depending on the media and rhizobial species. Growing in sludge, PHB production did not exceed 3.7% w/w for all strains at the end of experiment (after 72 h). During the growth of S. meliloti, PHB yield varied and the maximum value reached 7.27% w/w after 60 h, with 1% Total Suspend Solid (TSS) sludge. Alkaline sludge pre-treatment affects rhizobial growth but did not improve the PHB accumulation. While growing S. meliloti in industrial wastewater, the PHB yields varied and the highest value was obtained with slaughterhouse wastewater (10.7% w/w) after 35 h of growth. Therefore, this work shows the potential of exploiting PHB production by rhizobia growing in wastewater or sludge which could be applied to bioplastic industry, and confirms the potential of these recyclable wastes for high production of rhizobial cells useable for legumes inoculants production. This study provides an environmentally sound way of sludge and wastewater management and use in diverse biotechnological applications.     

Extraction of Co-Products from Biomass: Example of Thermal Degradation of Silymarin Compounds in Subcritical Water

In an effort to increase revenues from a given feedstock, valuable co-products could be extracted prior to biochemical or thermochemical conversion with subcritical water. Although subcritical water shows significant promise in replacing organic solvents as an extraction solvent, compound degradation has been observed at elevated extraction temperatures. First order thermal degradation kinetics from a model system, silymarin extracted from Silybum marianum, in water at pH 5.1 and 100, 120, 140, and 160 °C were investigated. Water pressure was maintained slightly above its vapor pressure. Silymarin is a mixture of taxifolin, silichristin, silidianin, silibinin, and isosilibinin. The degradation rate constants ranged from 0.0104 min⁻¹ at 100 °C for silichristin to a maximum of 0.0840 min⁻¹ at 160 °C for silybin B. Half-lives, calculated from the rate constants, ranged from a low of 6.2 min at 160 °C to a high of 58.3 min at 100 °C, both for silichristin. The respective activation energies for the compounds ranged from 37.2 kJ/gmole for silidianin to 45.2 kJ/gmole for silichristin. In extracting the silymarin with pure ethanol at 140 °C, no degradation was observed. However, when extracting with ethanol/water mixtures at and 140 °C, degradation increased exponentially as the concentration of water increased. An erratum to this article can be found at     

A new strategy for the synthesis of optically active benzylic fluorides and corresponding five-membered heteroaromatic analogues

Benzylic fluorides, as well as five-membered heterocycles, have been obtained in high ee’s through cycloaddition reactions starting from easily accessible optically active propargylic fluorides.     

Visualization of Protein‐Specific Glycosylation inside Living Cells

Protein glycosylation is a ubiquitous post‐translational modification that is involved in the regulation of many aspects of protein function. In order to uncover the biological roles of this modification, imaging the glycosylation state of specific proteins within living cells would be of fundamental importance. To date, however, this has not been achieved. Herein, we demonstrate protein‐specific detection of the glycosylation of the intracellular proteins OGT, Foxo1, p53, and Akt1 in living cells. Our generally applicable approach relies on Diels–Alder chemistry to fluorescently label intracellular carbohydrates through metabolic engineering. The target proteins are tagged with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the EGFP and the glycan‐anchored fluorophore is detected with high contrast even in presence of a large excess of acceptor fluorophores by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM).     

A new chiral diiron catalyst for enantioselective epoxidation

The dinuclear chiral complex Fe(2)O(bisPB)(4)(X)(2)(ClO(4))(4) (X = H(2)O or CH(3)CN) catalyzes with high efficiency (up to 850 TON) and moderate enantioselectivity (63%) the epoxidation of electron deficient alkenes at 0 degrees C by a peracid.     

Comparison of quantitative methods for analysis of polyphasic pharmaceuticals

Adequate very sensitive quantification methods are needed for the development and are also now required for the monitoring of undesirable solid form(s) as routine tests. The pre-requisite for quantitation are selectivity, sensitivity and most important the purity of standards and their proper storage, what is a challenge for metastable forms. Several analytical techniques are available such as X-ray diffraction, spectroscopy, thermal analysis and microcalorimetry. The different steps of the validation of the analytical methods and problems to be solved are discussed. Examples illustrate the different techniques and compare their possible advantages and limits. The relative standard deviation of measurements should allow for checking the homogenization procedure of mixtures for calibration. The validation should be carried out following ICH guidelines for validation of analytical methods. Comparison of different techniques in adequate concentration range add confidence in the analytical results.     

Analysis of methoxypyrazines in wine using headspace solid phase microextraction with isotope dilution and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography

This study reports an optimized headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) method for the determination of methoxypyrazines in wine. Analysis was performed by using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with novel detection capabilities, including nitrogen phosphorus detection (GC x GC-NPD) and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC x GC-TOFMS). In the latter, stable isotope dilution was performed for the quantitation of 2-methoxy-3-(2-methylpropyl) pyrazine (IBMP), using labelled 2-(2H3)methoxy-3-(2-methylpropyl)pyrazine (d3-IBMP) as the internal standard, and resolution of the two analogues was facilitated using the deconvolution capabilities of the TOFMS. This research represents the first report of HS-SPME with isotope dilution and GC x GC-TOFMS (GC x GC-IDTOFMS). Analysis by GC x GC-NPD enabled detection limits of 0.5 ng/L for the quantitation of IBMP, which was superior to that obtained using GC x GC-IDTOFMS (1.95 ng/L). Nevertheless, both methods were adequately sensitive for real wine analysis, yielding highly comparable IBMP concentrations of 26.1 and 27.8 ng/L, respectively, from a Sauvignon blanc wine. The complexity of the real wine headspace was simplified as a result of selective detection using GC x GC-NPD and, in the case of GC x GC-IDTOFMS, the use of extracted ion chromatograms (EICs).