Electrochemically promoted C-N bond formation from amines and CO2 in ionic liquid BMIm-BF4: Synthesis of carbamates

A new electrochemical procedure for the synthesis of organic carbamates from amines and carbon dioxide has been developed using selective cathodic reduction of carbon dioxide in CO2-saturated room-temperature ionic liquid BMIm-BF4 solutions containing amines 1a-j, followed by addition of EtI as an alkylating agent. The synthesis was carried out under mild (PCO2 = 1.0 atm, t = 55 degrees C) and safe conditions, and the use of volatile and toxic solvents and catalysts (according to the growing demand for ecofriendly synthetic methodologies), as well as of any supporting electrolyte (for a very easy workup of the reaction mixture), was avoided. Carbamates 2a-j were isolated in good to high yields.     

Molecules Present in Plant Essential Oils for Prevention and Treatment of Colorectal Cancer (CRC)

Essential oils (EOs) are a complex mixture of hydrophobic and volatile compounds synthesized from aromatic plants, commonly present in the human diet. In recent years, many in vitro studies have suggested possible anticancer properties of single EO compounds, on colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. However, the majority of these studies did not compare the effects of these compounds on normal and cancer colon cells. By using NCM-460, a normal human mucosal epithelial cell line, Caco-2, a human colon epithelial adenocarcinoma cell line, and SW-620, colon cancer cells derived from lymph node metastatic site, we identified cinnamaldehyde, derived from cinnamon EO and eugenol, derived from bud clove EO, as compounds with a specific anticancer action selectively targeting the transformed colonic cells. Both cinnamaldehyde (75 µM) and eugenol (800 µM), after 72 h of treatment, were capable to induce apoptosis, necrosis and a cell cycle slowdown in Caco-2 and in SW-620, but not in NCM-460 cells. If associated with a targeted delivery to the colon, these two compounds could prove effective in the prevention or treatment of CRC.     

Osmotic and aging effects in caviar oocytes throughout water and lipid changes assessed by 1H NMR T1 and T2 relaxation and MRI

By combining NMR relaxation spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging techniques, unsalted (us) and salted (s) caviar (Acipenser transmontanus) oocytes were characterized over a storage period of up to 90 days. The aging and the salting effects on the two major cell constituents, water and lipids, were separately assessed. T1 and T2 decays were interpreted by assuming a two-site exchange model. At Day 0, two water compartments that were not in fast exchange were identified by the T1 relaxation measurements on the us oocytes. In the s samples, T1 decay was monoexponential. During the time of storage, an increment of the free water amount was found for the us oocytes, ascribed to an increased metabolism. T1 and T2 of the s oocytes shortened as a consequence of the osmotic stress produced by salting. Selective images showed the presence of water endowed with different regional mobility that severely changed during the storage. Lipid T1 relaxation decays collected on us and s samples were found to be biexponential, and the T1 values lengthened during storage. In us and s oocytes, the increased lipid mobility with the storage was ascribed to lipolysis. Selective images of us samples showed lipids that were confined to the cytoplasm for up to 60 days of storage.     

Umpolung reactions in an ionic liquid catalyzed by electrogenerated N-heterocyclic carbenes. Synthesis of saturated esters from activated α,β-unsaturated aldehydes

The umpolung reaction of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes to saturated esters has been carried out in an ionic liquid by organocatalysis of electrogenerated NHC. The roles of solvent, precatalyst and proton donor of the ionic liquid have been verified and good to high yields of esters have been obtained using a "green" and mild methodology.     

Ion transport in a class of imidazole-based liquid/solid protic ionics

A class of protic ionic-compounds were prepared by Br?nsted acid-base reaction of imidazole or benzimidazole with one of the following acids: trifluoromethanesulfonic, nonafluorobutanesulfonic, para-toluenesulfonic and trifluoroacetic. Except those based on trifluoroacetic acid, all prepared compounds are thermally stable up to at least 270 °C. They are solid up to temperatures between 134 and 220 °C, depending on their constituent acid and base. A simple physico-mathematical model of ion motion in the lattice was developed and implemented to correctly interpret frequency-dependent electrical response of these materials, particularly in the solid state, and investigate their ion-conducting behavior as a function of temperature. These ionic compounds display sensible ionic conductivity up to ca. 5 × 10(-4) and 5 × 10(-2) S cm(-1) in the solid and molten state, respectively, under fully anhydrous conditions. The presence of absorbed water, after brief exposure to an ambient atmosphere, enhances conduction properties remarkably. Conductivity values up to 10(-3) and 10(-1) S cm(-1) were registered, respectively, in the solid and molten state, after short exposure to (humid) ambient air. It is argued how absorbed water molecules may remove protons from (ImH)(+) or (BImH)(+) groups, thereby enabling a chain mechanism of proton-hopping through non-protonated Im or BIm sites. It is discussed how these results and methods may inspire designing protic ionic-materials at the solid-state, with enhanced proton conduction even under fully-anhydrous conditions.     

Trace Metals Analysis of Legal and Counterfeit Cigarette Tobacco Samples Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

ABSTRACT

A closed-vessel microwave-digestion method was developed for the determination of trace amounts of Be, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Sb, Ba, Tl, and Pb by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and Hg by cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometry in cigarette tobacco samples. In order to gauge the effectiveness of the digestion procedure, recovery studies were conducted using solutions prepared from National Institute of Standards and Technology Standard Reference Material 1573a Trace Elements in Tomato Leaves and Polish Certified Reference Material Virginia Tobacco Leaves. Limits of detection were below 1 µg g^?1 for all elements studied. Samples from two genuine-brand and three counterfeit packs were analyzed. The mean amounts of Be, As, Mo, Cd, Sb, Tl, Pb, and Hg were higher in counterfeit cigarettes, while the amounts of V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, and Ba were comparable among legal and counterfeit cigarettes; the amount of Ni was higher in the legal cigarettes. Evaluation of Be, As, Mo, Cd, Sb, Tl, Pb, and Hg with their potential hazards for smokers is briefly discussed.