Development of a new assay for the screening of hypochlorous acid scavengers based on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

A new assay for the screening of hypochlorite/hypochlorous acid (XOCl) scavengers, based on the reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic analysis of human serum albumin (HSA, 0.2% in 100 mM sodium phosphate, pH 7), before and after oxidation by XOCl (1.6 mM), was developed. XOCl induced a significant decrease of the area under the chromatographic peak of HSA at 280 nm due to the oxidation of the aromatic amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine, as suggested by the literature and by the chromatographic analyses and the electrochemical study performed here. The assay was validated by testing known XOCl scavengers such as ascorbic acid, cysteine, glutathione, S-methylglutathione and alpha-lipoic acid and other antioxidants such as carnosine and chlorogenic acid, which inhibited the oxidation of HSA. Quantitative activities were calculated using an original formula based on the changes of the area of the albumin peak. Electrochemical data collected here in a homogeneous medium showed that the anodic potentials of the antioxidants tested are less positive (ascorbic acid, chlorogenic acid and cysteine) or similar (alpha-lipoic acid) compared with those of the aromatic residues (tryptophan and tyrosine) of HSA oxidized by XOCl. However, as expected, carnosine, glutathione and S-methylglutathione were inactive at a glassy-carbon, gold or platinum electrode.     

Ring‐opening polymerization of ϵ‐caprolactam and ϵ‐caprolactone via microwave irradiation

A novel process for synthesizing nylon‐6 and poly(?‐caprolactone) by microwave irradiation of the respective monomers, ?‐caprolactam and ?‐caprolactone, is described. The ring opening of ?‐caprolactam to produce nylon‐6 was performed in a microwave oven by the forward power being controlled to about 90–135 W in the presence of an ω‐aminocaproic acid catalyst (10 mol %) and for periods of 1–3 h at temperatures varying from 250 to 280 °C. The ring opening of ?‐caprolactone to produce poly(?‐caprolactone) was performed in a microwave oven by the forward power being controlled to about 70–100 W for a period of 2 h in the presence of stannous octoate with and without 1,4‐butanediol over a temperature range of 150–200 °C. The yields, conditions of the reactions, and properties of the products generated relative to the thermal processes are discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2264–2275, 2002     

Kinetics and mechanism of the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of [carbonatoethylenediamine(L)2cobalt(III)]+ ions

The kinetics of acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of the [Co(en)(L)₂(O₂CO)]⁺ ion (L = imidazole, 1-methylimidazole, 2-methylimidazole) follows the rate law –d[complex]/dt = {k ₁ K[H⁺]/(1 + K[H⁺])}[complex] (15–30 or 25–40 °C, [H⁺] = 0.1–1.0 M and I = 1.0 M (NaClO₄)). The reaction course consists of a rapid pre-equilibrium protonation, followed by a rate determining chelate ring opening process and subsequent fast release of the one-end bound carbonato ligand. Kinetic parameters, k ₁ and K, at 25 °C are 5.5 × 10^–2 s^–1, 0.44 M^–1 (ImH), 5.1 × 10^–2 s^–1, 0.54 M^–1 (1-Meim) and 3.8 × 10^–3 s^–1, 0.74 M^–1 (2-MeimH) respectively, and activation parameters for k ₁ are H₁ = 43.7 ± 8.9 kJ mol^–1, S₁ = –123 ± 30 J mol^–1 deg^–1 (ImH), H₁ = 43.1 ± 0.3 kJ mol^–1, S₁ = –125 ± 1 J mol^–1 deg^–1 (1-Meim) and H₁ = 64.2 ± 4.3 kJ mol^–1, S₁ = –77 ± 14 J mol^–1 deg^–1 (2-MeimH). The results are compared with those for similar cobalt(III) complexes.     

Winter evolution of DMS and DMSP in Venice lagoon water and sediment

The evolution of dimethylsulphide (DMS) and dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) concentrations in the water and sediment of the Venice lagoon were studied together with the concentration of chlorophyll a, temperature and the composition and density of phytoplankton to understand the role of the sediment as a source of DMS during the winter period. The temporal trend of water DMS concentration in this period showed a maximum concentration in February (75.7 nmol S l-1) related to low DMSP and chlorophyll a concentrations but to high phytoplanktonic abundance. The DMS and DMSP concentrations were greater in the sediment than in the water. The temporal trend of DMS concentration in sediment showed a maximum in February (1155 nmol S l-1) related to the maximum of DMS concentration in surface water. These observations suggested that in the winter period DMS could be produced by the conversion of the DMSP present in the bulk water but principally by that present in the sediment (microbiological degradation of DMSP or other sulphur-containing compounds) that subsequently diffuse in water.     

Polarity of P-N bond

Conclusions The polarity of the P-N bond in the amides of phosphorus acids depends on the valence state of the phosphorus atom and the nature of the substituents attached to both atoms.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 178–181, January, 1977.     

Dipole moments and structure of <Emphasis Type="Italic">ortho</Emphasis>-diphenyl(diethyl)phosphinoyl-substituted benzyl alcohols,phenols, and their derivatives

The method of dipole moments and DFT B3LYP/6-31G* quantum-chemical calculations were used to study the structures of ortho-substituted aryl-and arylmethyldiphenyl(diethyl)phosphine oxides. It was established that methyl ethers of phosphorus-containing benzyl alcohols and phenols exist as equilibrium mixtures of several conformers with prevalence of forms with the weakest steric interactions. Preferred conformers of o-[(diethylphosphinoyl)methyl]benzyl alcohol and i-[(diphenylphosphinoyl)methyl]phenol contain an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the hydroxyl hydrogen atom and phosphinoyl oxygen atom.     

Reaction electronic flux: a new concept to get insights into reaction mechanisms. Study of model symmetric nucleophilic substitutions

The present work is focused on studying chlorine and fluorine identity SN2 substitutions on a methyl center, within the framework of the newly introduced reaction electronic flux J(xi), that allows one to identify charge transfer and polarization mechanisms that take place along the reaction coordinate. The main results concern the discovery of different charge transfer mechanism, despite both reactions have the same energetic pattern with simultaneous bond breaking and formation. It turns out that the chlorine substitution is mainly driven by polarization effects and characterized by through bond interactions while intermolecular charge transfer dominates the fluorine exchange reaction, that is characterized by through space interactions.     

High-performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis: methodological challenges for the determination of biologically relevant low-aliphatic aldehydes in human saliva

Tobacco smoke is involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and also has a local toxic effect in the oral cavity. Low-aliphatic aldehydes, such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein, are among the main components of mainstream cigarette smoke and their local noxious and carcinogenic effects in the oral cavity and upper gastrointestinal tract are well-known. Although various studies have been performed so far to determine their content in cigarette smoke, none has included the direct measurement of these compounds in the saliva of smoking and nonsmoking subjects. Thus, in an attempt to verify whether typical chromatographic (high-performance liquid chromatography, HPLC) and/or electrophoretic (capillary electrophoresis, CE) techniques could be reliable methods for determining the levels of these analytes in human saliva, we submitted specimens obtained from a selected population of heavy, moderate, and nonsmoking subjects to HPLC and CE analyses. Both methods showed good reproducibility in terms of migration times and peak height and/or areas and had comparable linearity. Quantitative analyses performed on the specimens investigated evidenced a 3.5-fold increase of low-aliphatic aldehydes in saliva of nonsmoking subjects after they have smoked a single cigarette and a further 2-fold increase of these compounds in saliva of smokers with a daily consumption of 10 or more cigarettes.     

Diastereoselective 14beta-hydroxylation of baccatin III derivatives

14beta-Hydroxybaccatin III, a compound with limited availability by natural sources, is the starting material for the synthesis of the second-generation anticancer taxoid ortataxel. The 7-tert-butoxycarbonyl (1a) and 7-triethylsilyl (1b) derivatives of 14beta-hydroxybaccatin III 1,14-carbonate were synthesized from 10-deacetylbaccatin III (3). The crucial steps were (a) the C(14)beta hydroxylation of the corresponding 13-oxobaccatin III derivatives by oxaziridine-mediated electrophilic oxidation and (b) the reduction of the C(13) carbonyl group with sodium or alkylammonium borohydrides. This protocol provides a practical way for the semisynthesis of ortataxel from 10-deacetylbaccatin III, a compound readily available from various yews.