TECRA Unique test for rapid detection of Salmonella in food: collaborative study

The TECRA Unique Salmonella test uses the principle of immunoenrichment to allow rapid detection of Salmonellae in food. A collaborative study was conducted to compare the TECRA Salmonella Unique test with the reference culture method given in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Bacteriological Analytical Manual. Three food types (milk powder, pepper, and soy flour) were analyzed in Australia and 2 food types (milk chocolate and dried egg) were analyzed in the United States. Forty-one collaborators participated in the study. For each of the 5 foods at each of the 3 levels, a comparison showed no significant differences (p > or = 0.05) in the proportion of positive test samples for Unique and that for the reference method using the Chi-square test for independence with continuity correction.     

Synthesis and stereochemical assignment of 7-arylidene and 7-heteroarylidene morphinan-6-ones

A number of (E)-7-arylidenenaltrexones were synthesized by azeotropic distillation of water from a benzene solution of naltrexone and an aromatic aldehyde (benzaldehyde, 4-chloro- and 4-fluorobenzaldehyde, 3-and 4-pyridinecarboxaldehyde and 1-methyl-2-imidazolecarboxaldehyde) using piperidine as a catalyst. In addition, (E)-7-benzylidenenaloxone was prepared by the previously published Claisen-Schmidt condensation using sodium hydroxide in methanol. The stereochemistry of these arylidene derivatives 3–9 was determined to be (E) by means of nuclear Overhauser enhancement experiments. The ¹³C nmr spectra of (E)- 3–9 are recorded in deuteriochloroform and those of the hydrochlorides in deuteriodimethyl sulfoxide.     

A two-directional synthesis of (+/-)-perhydrohistrionicotoxin

An entirely two-directional synthesis of (+/-)-perhydrohistrionicotoxin is presented, utilizing a tandem oxime formation/Michael addition/[3 + 2] cycloaddition as the key step. This approach also constitutes formal syntheses of (+/-)-histrionicotoxin and (+/-)-histrionicotoxin 235A.     

Practical application of new catalytic methods: a concise synthesis of a potent PDE IV inhibitor

An efficient synthesis of a potent PDE IV inhibitor 1 is described. The synthesis is highlighted by two practical and efficient catalytic reactions: a highly selective catalytic palladium mediated carbonylation of the pyridine side chain and an efficient palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of a chloropyridine-N-oxide.     

Effective Methods for the Synthesis of N‐Methyl β‐Amino Acids from All Twenty Common α‐Amino Acids Using 1,3‐Oxazolidin‐5‐ones and 1,3‐Oxazinan‐6‐ones

N‐Methyl β‐amino acids are generally required for application in the synthesis of potentially bioactive modified peptides and other oligomers. Previous work highlighted the reductive cleavage of 1,3‐oxazolidin‐5‐ones to synthesise N‐methyl α‐amino acids. Starting from α‐amino acids, two approaches were used to prepare the corresponding N‐methyl β‐amino acids. First, α‐amino acids were converted to N‐methyl α‐amino acids by the so‐called ‘1,3‐oxazolidin‐5‐one strategy’, and these were then homologated by the Arndt–Eistert procedure to afford N‐protected N‐methyl β‐amino acids derived from the 20 common α‐amino acids. These compounds were prepared in yields of 23–57% (relative to N‐methyl α‐amino acid). In a second approach, twelve N‐protected α‐amino acids could be directly homologated by the Arndt–Eistert procedure, and the resulting β‐amino acids were converted to the 1,3‐oxazinan‐6‐ones in 30–45% yield. Finally, reductive cleavage afforded the desired N‐methyl β‐amino acids in 41–63% yield. One sterically congested β‐amino acid, 3‐methyl‐3‐aminobutanoic acid, did give a high yield (95%) of the 1,3‐oxazinan‐6‐one ( 65 ), and subsequent reductive cleavage gave the corresponding AIBN‐derived N‐methyl β‐amino acid 61 in 71% yield (Scheme 2). Thus, our protocols allow the ready preparation of all N‐methyl β‐amino acids derived from the 20 proteinogenic α‐amino acids.     

The reactions of 3-Butyl-1,2-diphenylphosphindole with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate

Unlike 1,2,5-triphenylphosphole, 3-butyl-1,2-diphenylphosphindole reacts smoothly with two molecules of dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate to give the phosphindole oxide, a yellow adduct and a colourless adduct. The case of the reaction is taken to indicate less lone pair interaction with the π-system in phosphindoles than in phospholes. The yellow adduct is shown to be a phosphindolium cyclopentadienylide, i.e. an adduct of the phosphindole and two molecules of the ester less one oxygen atom. The colourless adduct is shown to be a 1:2:1 adduct of the phosphindole, the ester and water and has a benzodihydrophosphonin structure. Mechanisms for the formation of both adducts are proposed. Adducts of this general type were previously unknown in organophosphorus chemistry.     

Restricted diffusion in silica particles measured by pulsed field gradient NMR

The restricted diffusion coefficient of water through porous silica is measured by pulsed field gradient (PFG) NMR as a function of loading in order to develop a model for self-diffusion at full pore filling in sol-gel-made porous silica particles. This model describes the pore or intraparticle diffusion coefficient as a function of particle porosity, tortuosity, and the steric hindrance applied on the molecules by the pore space. The particle morphology is characterized by nitrogen adsorption and an appropriate tortuosity model is chosen in comparison with literature data. To characterize the material, NMR relaxation and diffusion studies at different degrees of pore filling were carried out in relation to the silica/water adsorption isotherm.     

Off-Diagonal hypervirial relations

A generalization of a theorem on off-diagonal hypervirial relations is obtained and is used to demonstrate when to expect exact solutions of eigenvalue problems using the hypervirial method. Links are established between the hypervirial method and other approximation methods. The harmonic oscillator and hydrogen atom problems are given as examples.     

Observation of Na(+)-bound oligomers of quercetin in the gas phase

While developing a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of the flavonoid quercitin, it was observed that quercetin (3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavone) exhibited clustering in both the positive and negative ion mode. Two series of positive ion clusters were observed; the first series corresponds to singly charged [2M + Na](+) at m/z 627.2 to [13M + Na](+) at m/z 3947.5, while the second series corresponds to doubly charged [7M + 2Na](2+) at m/z 1080.4 to [25M + 2Na](2+) at m/z 3798.5. In the negative ion mode, the behavior of quercetin parallels that of apigenin (4',5,7-trihydroxyflavone) in that [M + NO(3)](-), [2M + NO(3)](-), and [3M + NO(3)](-) were observed at m/z 364.1, 666.0, and 968.9, respectively; in addition, quercitin clusters with chloride ions ([2M + Cl](-) at m/z 638.9 and [3M + Cl](-) at m/z 940. 9) were observed. The results of tandem mass spectrometric examination of several cluster ions are reported.     

Synthesis of the branched-chain sugar aceric acid: a unique component of the pectic polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan-II

Described herein is the synthesis of 3-C-carboxy-5-deoxy-L-xylose (aceric acid), a rare branched-chain sugar found in the complex pectic polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan-II. The key synthetic step in the construction of aceric acid was the stereoselective addition of 2-trimethylsilyl thiazole to 5-deoxy-1,2-O-isopropylidene-alpha-L-erythro-pentofuran-3-ulose (2), which was prepared from L-xylose. The thiazole group was efficiently converted into the required carboxyl group via conventional transformations. Aceric acid was also synthesized by dihydroxylation of a 3-C-methylene derivative of 2 followed by oxidation of the resulting hydroxylmethyl group. The C-2 epimer of aceric acid was also synthesized using thiazole addition chemistry, starting from L-arabinose.