Identification of anthocyanins in wines by liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance

Liquid chromatography (LC) was used for the fractionation of particular anthocyanins in glycoside form from methanol extracts of red grape skins and solid phase extracts of red wine. By the combination of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and LC-mass spectroscopy the identification of 13 anthocyanins in a particular LC fraction and hence the in particular peaks in chromatograms were obtained. Peaks areas in the chromatograms obtained under the semi-quantitaive conditions of the solid phase extracts of red wines Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from the Coastal wine-growing region in Slovenia, produced in 1999, were used as input data in chemometric analysis. The chemometric methods used were hierarchical clustering analysis and regularised discriminant analysis. The results of both methods give 100% correct classification of wines regarding the vine variety.     

A novel copper(II) complex with 1,10‐phenanthroline and ciprofloxacin

The X‐ray structure analysis of the title compound, chloro[1‐cyclopropyl‐6‐fluoro‐1,4‐dihydro‐4‐oxo‐7‐(piperazin‐4‐ium‐1‐yl)‐3‐quinolinecarboxylate‐κ²O³,O⁴](1,10‐phenanthroline‐κ²N,N′)copper chloride dihydrate, [CuCl(C₁₇H₁₈FN₃O₃)(C₁₂H₈N₂)]Cl·2H₂O or [CuCl(cfH)(phen)]Cl·2H₂O, where cfH is 1‐cyclopropyl‐6‐fluoro‐1,4‐dihydro‐4‐oxo‐7‐(piperazin‐4‐ium‐1‐yl)‐3‐quinolinecarboxylate and phen is 1,10‐phenanthroline, shows that the geometry around the Cu ion is a slightly distorted square pyramid. Two O atoms of the carbonyl and carboxyl groups of ciprofloxacin and two N atoms of 1,10‐phenanthroline are coordinated to the metal centre in the equatorial plane, and a Cl⁻ ion is coordinated at the apical position. Extensive intermolecular hydrogen bonding produces a supramolecular structure that consists of alternating six‐ and 12‐membered rings.     

Insight into the short-range structure of amorphous iron inositol hexaphosphate as provided by (31)P NMR and Fe X-ray absorption spectroscopy

Short-range structure and formation of amorphous aggregates of iron inositol hexaphosphate (iron phytate) were studied by broadline solid-state 31P NMR and Fe X-ray absorption spectroscopy. It was shown that bonds P-O-Fe with strong covalent character exist in solid substances. Iron in these substances is octahedrally coordinated by six oxygen atoms and further monodentatly bonded to three or four phosphorus atoms. In this way, iron generates -P-O-Fe-O-P- intermolecular connections. An insight into the formation of the network was obtained by studying structural changes in iron phytates with increasing concentrations of iron. It was shown that the solid network builds when at least four out of six phosphate groups per one phytic molecule bond to iron atoms and thus participate in the intermolecular connections. This leads to iron phytate with approximately two iron atoms per one molecule of phytate. When the concentration of iron in aggregates increases, the number of P-O-Fe bonds, and thus the number of phosphate groups that are bonded to iron, increases. Solid iron phytate with approximately four iron atoms per one molecule of phytate is almost saturated with iron. Its short-range structural properties can be explained well by a structure that is approaching an idealized model, in which each phosphate group is bonded to two iron atoms and each iron atom is bonded to three phosphorus atoms and is shared between two phytic molecules.     

Study of the Lead Environment in Liquid and As-Dried Precursors of PZ, PT and PZT Thin Films

The environment of lead and zirconium atoms in liquid and as-dried precursors for PbZrO3 (PZ), PbTiO3 (PT) and Pb1.1Zr0.53Ti0.47O3 (PZT) thin film deposition were analyzed by EXAFS. The sols were prepared by 2-methoxyethanol route with lead acetate and lead oxide as lead sources. Pb—O—M (M = Zr and/or Ti, depending on the sol composition) linkages were determined in all sols. The choice of lead source weakly influences the lead environment, and strongly influences that of zirconium in both PZ and PZT sols. By drying lead oxide based sols the Pb–M correlation is moderately reduced in PZ, PT and is strongly reduced in PZT.     

Spectral properties of Eu(III) compound with antibacterial agent ciprofloxacin (cfqH). Crystal structure of [Eu(cfqH)(cfq)(H2O)4]Cl2 · 4.55H2O

A novel europium complex of fluoroquinolone ciprofloxacin (cfqH) with formula [Eu(cfqH)(cfq)(H₂O)₄]Cl₂ · 4.55H₂O (1) was synthesized and its crystal structure determined by X-ray crystallography. The coordination number of europium is eight and in this structure two bidentate, O,O-bonded quinolone molecules and four aqua ligands are coordinated to the metal. One molecule of quinolone is anionic whereas the other is zwitterionic. Additionally, two chloride ions are also present in the structure to compensate the charge of the europium(III) whilst disordered solvent water molecules too are present. The spectral properties (IR, Raman, luminescence) of compound 1 were studied. Analysis of the Stark structure of the luminescence spectra was carried out and the scheme of the electronically excited states and photophysical processes of compound 1 was arranged. The spectral properties show that europium–ciprofloxacin complexes could be suitable for various applications based on their solution-state stability as measured by ¹H and ¹⁹F NMR.     

EXAFS Study of Amorphous Precursors for Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 Ceramics

In as-hydrolyzed amorphous precursors of Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT) ceramics with various Zr/Ti ratios prepared from lead acetate and transition metal n-butoxides in parent alcohol medium the local environment of constituent metal atoms has been determined by EXAFS. The local zirconium atom environment in high-Zr precursors consists of distorted octahedra of oxygen atoms with all the bonds made up of Zr–O–Zr links. For low-Zr precursors a smaller distortion of the oxygen octahedra is observed, and two Ti atoms are found in the second shell. The titanium local environment is almost independent of the Zr/Ti ratio, with five oxygen atoms in the first and two titanium atoms in the second shell of neighbors. Lead atoms contain two oxygen atoms in the first coordination shell. Pb–O–M (M = Zr, Ti) links are identified in all precursors: the former at Zr/Ti 75/25 and the latter at lower Zr/Ti ratios. Although a pronounced tendency for the homocondensation of zirconium species is found down to a Zr/Ti 50/50 ratio, heterometallic links (Pb–O–M) are determined in PZT precursors.     

The Interactions of Titanocene Dihalides with α-, β- and γ-cyclodextrin Host Molecules

The inclusion of titanocene dihalides (X = F, Cl) into -, - and -cyclodextrin hosts was studied by NMR spectroscopy, thermal analysis and mass spectrometry. It was found that -cyclodextrin does not form inclusion complexes with titanocene halides whereas - and -cyclodextrin do form such complexes. According to the changes in NMR spectra we propose that there is a shallow penetration of a guest molecule of titanocene dihalide into the cavity in the case of -cyclodextrin, but deeper penetration in the case of -cyclodextrin. The stability of the latter inclusion complexes was studied by NMR shift titration.     

Compressed octahedral coordination in chain compounds containing divalent copper: structure and magnetic properties of CuFAsF6 and CsCuAlF6

Crystal structures and magnetic investigations of CuFAsF6 and CsCuAlF6 are reported. Together with KCuAlF6, these appear to be the only examples of Jahn-Teller pure Cu(II) compounds containing only one type of ligand that exhibits a compressed octahedral coordination geometry. The Rietveld method has been used for refining the CsCuAlF6 structure based on neutron powder diffraction data at 4 K. The compound crystallizes in space group Pnma (no. 62) with a=7.055(1), b=7.112(1), c=10.153(1) A and Z=4 at 4 K. The structure is built from infinite [CuF5]n(3n-) chains of [CuF6]4- octahedra running along the [1 0 0] direction and (AlF6)3- octahedra connected by corners in the trans position, thus giving rise to chains oriented along the [0 1 0] direction. Single crystals of CuFAsF6 were prepared under solvothermal conditions in AsF5 above its critical temperature. The structure was determined from single-crystal data. CuFAsF6 crystallises in the orthorhombic space group Imma (No. 74) with a=10.732(5), b=6.941(3), c=6.814(3) A and Z=4 at 200 K. The structure can also be described in terms of one-dimensional infinite [CuF5]n(3n-) chains of tilted [CuF6](4-) octahedra linked by trans-vertices running along the b axis. The [CuF5]n(3n-) chains are connected through [AsF6]- units sharing joint vertices. The compressed octahedral coordination of CuII atoms in CuFAsF6 and CsCuAlF6 compounds at room temperature is confirmed by Cu K-edge EXAFS (extended x-ray absorption fine structure) analysis. For both compounds strong antiferromagnetic interactions within the [CuF5]n(3n-) chains were observed (theta(p)=-290+/-10 K and theta(p)=-390+/-10 K for CuFAsF6 and CsCuAlF6, respectively). The peculiar magnetic behaviour of chain compounds containing divalent copper at low temperature could be related to uncompensated magnetic moments in the one-dimensional network.     

A New Pathway of DNA G‐Quadruplex Formation

A new folding intermediate of Oxytricha nova telomeric Oxy‐1.5 G‐quadruplex was characterized in aqueous solution using NMR spectroscopy, native gel electrophoresis, thermal differential spectra (TDS), CD spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). NMR experiments have revealed that this intermediate (i‐Oxy‐1.5) exists in two symmetric bimolecular forms in which all guanine bases are involved in GG N1‐carbonyl symmetric base pairs. Kinetic analysis of K⁺‐induced structural transitions shows that folding of Oxy‐1.5 G‐quadruplex from i‐Oxy‐1.5 is much faster and proceeds through less intermediates than folding from single strands. Therefore, a new folding pathway of Oxy‐1.5 G‐quadruplex is proposed. This study provides evidence that G‐rich DNA sequences can self‐assemble into specific pre‐organized DNA structures that are predisposed to fold into G‐quadruplex when interacting with cations such as potassium ions.