Magnetic Solid Phase Extraction Coupled with HPLC Towards Removal of Pigments and Impurities from Leaf-derived Paclitaxel Extractions of Taxus baccata and Optimization via Response Surface Methodology

A reusable and cost-effective magnetic graphite oxide (Fe₃O₄NPs@GO) nanocomposite was fabricated and applied for pre-purification of paclitaxel from leaf-derived crude extract of Taxus baccata. Furthermore, the potential roles of three crucial criteria (i.e., adsorbent dosage, sorption temperature and agitation/shaking power) on the two responses [i.e., efficiency of plant pigments removal (EPPR) and efficiency of taxol purity (ETP)] were examined and simultaneously optimized through response surface methodology. The nanocomposite was accurately characterized using TEM, AFM, BET, FT-IR, Raman and VSM. Moreover, for both proposed second-degree polynomial regression models, highly significant correlations were achieved between the experimental and predicted data (p < 0.0001). Meanwhile, the optimum conditions to simultaneously acquire the maximum EPPR (94.0 %) and ETP (11.4 %) were recorded as adsorbent dosage of 37.7 g L⁻¹, sorption temperature of 30.7 °C and agitation power of 153.1 rpm; and the predictive results were confirmed using experimental rechecking survey. Interestingly, upon five consecutive treatments, the nanocomposite still exhibited substantial potency in eliminating large amounts of plant pigments and impurities (up to 90 %), without significant reduction on sorption capacity and magnetism thereof. Our results demonstrated that the current nanocomposite, as SPE sorbent for MSPE, could be a simple, fast and reusable approach for HPLC-based purification studies of paclitaxel, and probably other plant secondary metabolites.

     

Modeling Dislocation-Stacking Fault Interaction Using Molecular Dynamics

In a number of fcc materials such as copper or aluminum, as well as more complex materials such as twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) steels, the interaction between dislocations and other defects such as stacking faults or twins plays an important role in the hardening behavior of such materials. Interactions of dislocation and twin or stacking fault layers have been studied in this work using molecular dynamics. Depending on the material and the loading conditions, possible interaction modes include (i) penetration of the dislocation into the faulted layer, (ii) reduction of the faulted layer after interaction, (iii) growth of the faulted layer after interaction. Such studies up to this point have been performed without temperature control near zero K (0 to 2 K). In this work, we extend the previous studies to higher temperature with the help of two methods, both based on molecular dynamics (MD) modeling. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Crystal structure of a silver(I) complex with the 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic acid (pyromellitic acid)

The reaction between freshly precipitated silver oxide Ag₂O and an aqueous solution of tetrabenzenecarboxylic acid H₄L leads to the anhydrous Ag₂H₂L complex. It crystallizes in the space groupP2₁/c, witha=6.457(1),b=8.180(1),c=9.982(1) Å, β=97.83(1)°,V=522.3(1) ų,Z=2,d=2.976 g cm^?3. This structure is a three dimensional polymeric network polymer without any silver...silver interaction. The silver environment is a bipyramid trigonal polyhedron with three short bond distances in the equatorial plane (Ag?O=2.255(2), 2.295(2), and 2.499(2) Å) and two longer bond distances in axial positions (Ag?O=2.558(2) and 2.617(2) Å). Thus, the silver polyhedron involves five different ligands. It is noteworthy that the (H₂L₂)^2? ligand is located around an inversion centre.     

Entropic order quantity (EnOQ) model for deteriorating items

Jaber et al. [M.Y. Jaber, R.Y. Nuwayhid, M.A. Rosen, Price-driven economic order systems from a thermodynamic point of view, Int. J. Prod. Res. 42 (24) (2004) 5167–5184] suggested that it might be possible to improve production systems performance by applying the first and second laws of thermodynamics to reduce system entropy (or disorder). They then used these laws to modify the economic order quantity (EOQ) model to derive an equivalent entropic order quantity (EnOQ). The results suggested that larger quantities should be ordered than is suggested by the classical EOQ model.     

Fe3O4@SiO2-polymer-imid-Pd magnetic porous nanosphere as magnetically separable catalyst for Mizoroki–Heck and Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions

The activity of palladium nanoparticles supported on poly (N-vinylpyrrolidone) grafted Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ was investigated in the cross-coupling reactions. We have applied this catalyst under low loading of the supported palladium nanoparticles for the coupling of aryl halides with alkenes (Mizoroki–Heck reaction) and organoboronic acids (Suzuki–Miyaura reaction) in the absence of phosphorous ligands. Short reaction times and excellent yields of the products express the effectiveness of this catalyst. The nanocatalyst can be separated from the reaction mixture by applying a permanent magnet externally and can be reused for six times without appreciable change in catalytic activity. Also, the amount of leaching of Pd nanoparticles has been determined by ICP analysis and results showed low leaching of the metal into solution from the supported catalyst.     

A mechanophysical phase transition provides a dramatic example of colour polymorphism: the tribochromism of a substituted tri(methylene)tetrahydrofuran-2-one

Background

Derivatives of fulgides have been shown to have interesting photochromic properties. We have synthesised a number of such derivatives and have found, in some cases, that crystals can be made to change colour on crushing, a phenomenon we have termed “tribochromism”. We have studied a number of derivatives by X-ray crystallography, to see if the colour is linked to molecular structure or crystal packing, or both, and our structural results have been supported by calculation of molecular and lattice energies.

Results

A number of 5-dicyanomethylene-4-diphenylmethylene-3-disubstitutedmethylene-tetrahydrofuran-2-one compounds have been prepared and structurally characterised. The compounds are obtained as yellow or dark red crystals, or, in one case, both. In two cases where yellow crystals were obtained, we found that crushing the crystals gave a deep red powder. Structure determinations, including those of the one compound which gave both coloured forms, depending on crystallisation conditions, showed that the yellow crystals contained molecules in which the structure comprised a folded conformation at the diphenylmethylene site, whilst the red crystals contained molecules in a twisted conformation at this site. Lattice energy and molecular conformation energies were calculated for all molecules, and showed that the conformational energy of the molecule in structure IIIa (yellow) is marginally higher, and the conformation thus less stable, than that of the molecule in structure IIIb (red). However, the van der Waals energy for crystal structure IIIa, is slightly stronger than that of structure IIIb – which may be viewed as a hint of a metastable packing preference for IIIa, overcome by the contribution of a more stabilising Coulomb energy to the overall more favourable lattice energy of structure IIIb.

Conclusions

Our studies have shown that the crystal colour is correlated with one of two molecular conformations which are different in energy, but that the less stable conformation can be stabilised by its host crystal lattice.

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Graphical abstract Graphical representation of the structural and colour change in the tribochromic compound (III).

     

Reactivity of homoallylic substituted adamantylideneadamantanes with bromine. Substituent effects on the stability of the ionic and nonionic intermediates

Sterically congested adamantylideneadamantanes (1b-g) (X = Br, Cl, F, OH, OEt, OCOCH(3)), homoallylically substituted with equatorial groups (X), react with bromine in 1,2-dichloroethane to give a stable bromonium ion intermediate or a substitution product depending on the nature of the substituent and on the bromine concentration. The nature of the substituent markedly affects the formation constant of the 1:1 pi-complexes, as well as of the formation constant and reactivity of bromonium ion intermediates. The different reactivity of the ionic intermediates, which depends on the nature of substituents, is attributed to bromonium or bromocarbenium character of the intermediate, with the support of theoretical investigations. Ab initio calculations on 1:1 adamatylideneadamantane-Br(2) complexes (2a-f) show that the substituent affects the stability of these species through electrostatic and dispersion effects. Solvent effects may also contribute to modulate the relative stability of these species.     

Surface plasmon spectroscopy of gold-poly-N-isopropylacrylamide core-shell particles

Highly uniform, core-shell microgels consisting of single gold nanoparticle cores and cross-linked poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAM) shells were prepared by a novel, versatile protocol. The synthetic pathway allows control over the polymer shell thickness and its swelling behavior. The core-shell structure was investigated by electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, whereas the swelling behavior of the shell was studied by means of dynamic light scattering and UV-vis spectroscopy. Furthermore, the latter method was used to investigate the optical properties of the hybrid particles. By modeling the scattering contribution from the PNIPAM shells, the absorption spectra of the gold nanoparticle cores could be recovered. This allows the particle concentration to be determined, and this in turn permits the calculation of the molar mass of the hybrid particles as well as the refractive index of the shells.