A quantitative approach to the recycling of alpha-tocopherol by coantioxidants

A systematic investigation is reported on the regeneration of alpha-tocopherol (alpha-TOH) in homogeneous solution by coantioxidants in order to better understand the mechanism and the factors responsible for the effectiveness of this process. The current availability of thermochemical data concerning the reactants involved in the regeneration reactions, as well as a large number of the kinetic constants for the various reactions involved, allowed us to rationalize the experimental observations collected so far. Three limiting cases have been considered. The first case is that of a coantioxidant irreversibly regenerating alpha-TOH, where the effectiveness of the recycling process depends on the magnitude of the rate constant k(r). The second case is that of a coantioxidant reversibly recycling alpha-TOH, where regeneration can only be observed if the bond dissociation enthalpy value of the coantioxidant is lower or at least close to that of the O-H bond of alpha-tocopherol. The third case is that of a catechol derivative (chosen as a model compound for polyphenolic antioxidants), where recycling of alpha-TOH is feasible even though the BDE value is significantly higher than that of vitamin E. In this case, the driving force for the recycling process is the removal of the semiquinone radical from the catechol derivative by the alpha-tocopheroxyl radical, which makes the regeneration of alpha-TOH practically irreversible.     

On an alternative functional equation related to the Cauchy equation

We consider the following problem: Let (G, +) be an abelian group,B a complex Banach space,a, bB,b0,M a positive integer; find all functionsf:G B such that for every (x, y) G ×G the Cauchy differencef(x+y)–f(x)–f(y) belongs to the set {a, a+b, a+2b, ...,a+Mb}. We prove that all solutions of the above problem can be obtained by means of the injective homomorphisms fromG/H intoR/Z, whereH is a suitable proper subgroup ofG.     

Mild metal-free syn-stereoselective ring opening of activated epoxides and aziridines with aryl borates

A conceptually new, simple and practical method for the syn-nucleophilic displacement of aryl and vinyl epoxides and aryl aziridines with (substituted) phenols, using aryl borates as activating nucleophiles under neutral conditions, is reported.     

Fast solid-phase extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry procedure for oil fingerprinting. Application to the Prestige oil spill

A rapid and simple fractionation procedure using solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges was developed for an accurate determination of aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in petroleum residues and further application in chemical fingerprinting of oil spills by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Among the adsorbents evaluated, SiO2/C3-CN exhibited the best selectivity, providing, by elution with n-hexane (4 ml) and n-hexane-CH2Cl2 (1:1) (5 ml), two well-resolved aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon fractions, with recoveries of 97 +/- 7.2 and 99.7 +/- 13.9%, respectively. The SPE fractionation procedure was compared with the conventional silica-alumina adsorption chromatography showing similar results but practical advantages in terms of reproducibility, analysis time, solvent reduction and cost. Moreover, is particularly suitable for routine analysis with a high sample throughput. The developed methodology was tested in the characterization of fuel-oil samples collected along the Spanish north-west coast, after the Prestige oil spill accident.     

Crystal,molecular and electronic structure of 1,1-diaryl-2-halogenoethylenes

On the basis of semiempirical calculations, the conformation of the isolated molecule of 2-bromo-1,1-diphenylprop-1-ene corresponding to the minimum of total energy was determined. Assuming some information on the localization of the molecules in the crystal, also the conformation in a theoretical crystal was studied. The results have been compared with the crystal structure of 2-bromo-1,1-diphenylprop-1-ene, as obtained by X-ray diffraction. From the comparison a slight displacement of the C2 atom was suggested.

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Zusammenfassung Die dem Minimum der Gesamtenergie entsprechende Konformation des isolierten Moleküls von 2-Brom-1,1-diphenylprop-1-en wurde durch halb-empirische Methoden bestimmt. Gewisse Ergebnisse über die Anordnung der Moleküle im Kristall machten es möglich, die Konformation in einem theoretischen Kristall zu untersuchen. Nach Vergleich der Resultate mit der durch Röntgen-Analyse bestimmten Kristallstruktur des 2-Brom-1,1-diphenylprop-1-en wurde eine kleine Verschiebung des C2-Atoms vorgeschlagen.

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Résumé Par le moyen de calculs semiempiriques on a déterminé la conformation de la molécule isolée de 2-bromo-1, 1-diphénilprop-1-ène, correspondant au minimum d'énergie totale. On a aussi étudié la conformation dans le cristal théorique en se basant sur des informations concernant la localisation des molécules dans le cristal. On a comparé ces résultats avec ceux que nous avons obtenus par la détermination de la structure cristalline du 2-bromo-1, 1-diphénilprop-1-ène avec la diffraction des rayons X: cette comparaison nous a porté à déplacer un petit peu l'atome C 2.

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This work was supported by a grant from the Italian Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche.     

Role of secondary structure in the asymmetric acylation reaction catalyzed by peptides based on chiral C alpha-tetrasubstituted alpha-amino acids

In a recent series of papers, Miller and co-workers were able to show that His(pi-Me)-based, terminally protected peptides are potent catalysts of the asymmetric acyl transfer reaction, useful for the kinetic resolution of alcohols. In a structure-supporting solvent, one of the most active compounds, an Aib-containing tetrapeptide, is folded in a doubly intramolecularly H-bonded beta-hairpin motif incorporating a type-II' beta-turn conformation. In this work, we have expanded the study of the Miller tetrapeptide by examining a set of analogues and shorter sequences (dipeptide amides), characterized by chiral C(alpha)-tetrasubstituted alpha-amino acids of diverging bulkiness and optical configuration. Peptide synthesis in solution, conformational analysis by FT-IR absorption and (1)H NMR techniques, and screening of catalytic activity as well have been performed. Our results confirm the close relationship between the beta-hairpin 3D-structure and the catalytic activity of the peptides. A tetrapeptide analogue slightly more selective than the Miller compound has been found. However, the terminally protected, industrially more appealing, dipeptide amides are poorly effective.     

Determination of heavy metals in real samples by anodic stripping voltammetry with mercury microelectrodes : Part 1. Application to Wine

Differential-pulse anodic stripping voltammetry with a mercury microelectrode is used for the determination of zinc, cadmium, lead and copper in wine at its natural pH without pretreatment. The effects of the matrix on the stripping peaks are studied in detail by varying the concentration of the metals. Intermetallic (CuZn) interferences and the effects of oxygen are described. The results obtained for the labile metal contents varied from 2 μg l^?1 for cadmium to 148 μg l^?1 for zinc; standard addition plots were linear over about two orders of magnitude above these levels, demonstrating the negligible effect of organic matter. Acidification of the sample with hydrochloric acid to pH 1 allowed the total metal contents to be determined. The reliability of the method was tested by comparison with the results obtained with atomic absorption spectrometry; the differences were within 10–20%.     

Solid State NMR and TG/MS Study on the Transformation of Methyl Groups During Pyrolysis of Preceramic Precursors to SiOC Glasses

The sol-gel method was used to prepare two different starting gels containing SiCH₃-groups for the preparation of SiOC ceramics. To understand the role of Si—H bonds in the incorporation of carbon into the SiOC network, gels prepared from a 1:2 mixture of triethoxysilane and methyldiethoxysilane (T^HD^H2) and solely methyltriethoxysilane (T^Me) were investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectroscopy (TG-MS) in inert atmosphere was performed to attain an insight into the decomposition reactions involved during gel-glass transformation. Samples calcined at different temperatures up to 1000°C were characterized by ²⁹Si and ¹³C magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS-NMR) spectroscopy. The presence of SiH groups in the starting gel allows an efficient conversion of Si—CH₃ groups into CSi₄ sites at lower temperatures. As a result, despite a much lower amount of carbon in the starting T^HD^H2 gel (C/Si = 0.33) compared to the T^Me gel (C/Si = 1), the amount of carbon inserted into the SiOC network of both glasses is equivalent, but the T^Me sample contains the 10 fold amount of free carbon.     

Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in particulate matter collected with low volume samplers

The determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contained in samples of particulate matter (PM), collected with low volume pumps, were carried out with an high sensitivity method that comes from several revisions of a previous method. The present work describes how, by using programmable temperature vaporization (PTV) and a mass selective detector with inert ionic source for the GC-MS analysis and the modifications of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), the sensitivity of the method can be increased.The PAHs chosen for testing the method are: benzo[a]anthracene (BaA), benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkF), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (Ip) and dibenzo[a,h]anthracene (DbA). They, in fact, belong to that group of substances that are the most harmful for human health for their carcinogenicity.PAHs recoveries for spiked standard solutions at different concentrations were between 95 and 100% with relative standard deviation ranging from 1 to 3%. The revised method was validated using a 1649a urban dust standard reference material (SRM). The results obtained were in good agreement with certified values. The high sensitivity of the method allows to carry out analyses using only a half of the sampled filter (usually 47 mm diameter membranes). In this way, the other half can be used for the characterization of the other components of PM (heavy metals, organic carbon, ions, etc). The last step has been constituted by application of the optimized method on real samples collected in two cities located in Southern Italy (Bari and Taranto).