Comparison of direct mass spectrometry methods for the on‐line analysis of volatile compounds in foods

For the on‐line monitoring of flavour compound release, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and proton transfer reaction (PTR) combined to mass spectrometry (MS) are the most often used ionization technologies. APCI‐MS was questioned for the quantification of volatiles in complex mixtures, but direct comparisons of APCI and PTR techniques applied on the same samples remain scarce. The aim of this work was to compare the potentialities of both techniques for the study of in vitro and in vivo flavour release. Aroma release from flavoured aqueous solutions (in vitro measurements in Teflon bags and glass vials) or flavoured candies (in vivo measurements on six panellists) was studied using APCI‐ and PTR‐MS. Very similar results were obtained with both techniques. Their sensitivities, expressed as limit of detection of 2,5‐dimethylpyrazine, were found equivalent at 12 ng/l air. Analyses of Teflon bag headspace revealed a poor repeatability and important ionization competitions with both APCI‐ and PTR‐MS, particularly between an ester and a secondary alcohol. These phenomena were attributed to dependency on moisture content, gas/liquid volume ratio, proton affinities and product ion distribution, together with inherent drawbacks of Teflon bags (adsorption, condensation of water and polar molecules). Concerning the analyses of vial headspace and in vivo analyses, similar results were obtained with both techniques, revealing no competition phenomena. This study highlighted the equivalent performances of APCI‐MS and PTR‐MS for in vitro and in vivo flavour release investigations and provided useful data on the problematic use of sample bags for headspace analyses. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of symmetrical 1, 3-diynes via tandem reaction of (Z)-arylvinyl bromides in the presence of DBU and CuI

Microwave-assisted tandem reaction of(Z)-arylvinyl bromides involving an elimination and homocoupling in the presence of DBU and Cul in DMF affords a variety of symmetrical 1,3-diynes in good to excellent yields.This tandem process,eliminating the need of volatile and savory terminal alkynes,provides an alternative to the conventional homocoupling methods for the synthesis of symmetrical 1,3-diynes.     

密闭高压消解–ICP–AES测定进口铜精矿中铅、镉、汞、砷

采用密闭高压消解法对样品进行消解,用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法(ICP–AES)测定进口铜精矿中的铅、镉、砷、汞有害元素。铅、镉、砷、汞的工作曲线分别在0~10,0~1,0~4,0~0.6μg/mL范围内线性良好,线性相关系数大于0.999。各元素加标回收率均为91.0%~104.7%,相对标准偏差均小于3%(n=7)。将密闭高压消解法与电热板加热法和微波消解法进行了比对分析,结果显示,密闭高压消解–ICP–AES法适合用于铜精矿样品的消解与测定。     

Electropolymerization of single‐walled carbon nanotubes composited with polypyrrole as a solid‐phase microextraction fiber for the detection of acrylamide in food samples using GC with electron‐capture detection

We developed a solid‐phase microextraction coupled to GC with electron‐capture detection method for the detection of acrylamide in food samples. Single‐walled carbon nanotubes and polypyrrole were electropolymerized onto a stainless‐steel wire as a coating, which possessed a homogeneous, porous, and wrinkled surface, chemical and mechanical stability, long lifespan (over 300 extractions), and good extraction efficiency for acrylamide. The linearity range between the signal intensity and the acrylamide concentration was found to be in the range 0.001–1 μg/mL, and the coefficient of determination was 0.9985. The LOD, defined as three times the baseline noise, was 0.26 ng/mL. The reproducibility for each single fiber (n = 6) and the fiber‐to‐fiber (n = 5) repeatability prepared in the same batch were less than 4.1 and 11.2%, respectively.     

A rapid and convenient method for preparative separation of three indissolvable polyphenols from Euphorbia pekinensis by the flexible application of solvent extraction combined with counter‐current chromatography

A rapid and convenient method was established to preparatively isolate the three ellagic acid types of compounds, which were the main polyphenols in Euphorbia pekinensis, by flexibly applying solvent extraction combined with counter‐current chromatography (CCC). The total extract (extracted using 95% ethanol) of E. pekinensis was pretreated by two simple steps before CCC isolation, following the procedure: the total extract was extracted by classical solvent extraction using petroleum ether and ethyl acetate, respectively, and then the ethyl acetate extract was suspended using 95% ethanol, after being allowed to stand overnight, the sediment was obtained. Partial sediment (100 mg) was then directly separated by CCC with a two‐phase solvent system composed of chloroform‐95% ethanol‐water‐85% formic acid (50:50:50:5, v/v/v/v). About 22 mg of 3,3′‐dimethoxy ellagic acid (1), 12 mg of 3,3′‐di‐O‐methyl‐4‐O‐(β‐d ‐xylopyranosyl)ellagic acid (2), and 35 mg of ellagic acid (3) with purities of 96.0, 95.2, and 95.4% were obtained respectively in one step within 4 h. After being purified by washing with methanol, the purities of the three compounds obtained were all above 98%. The purities were determined by HPLC and their chemical structures were further identified by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The recoveries were calculated as 84.6, 85.7, and 89.5%, respectively. The result demonstrated that the present isolation method was rapid, economical and efficient for the preparative separation of polyphenols from E. pekinensis.     

Prenylated Benzene Metabolites from Melicope pteleifolia

Chemical investigation on the stem and root of Melicope pteleifolia afforded three new prenylated benzene metabolites as racemic mixtures, named pteleifolins A–C ( 1 – 3 , resp.). Their gross structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, especially 2D‐NMR experiments. An enantiomer resolution of (±)‐ 1 using chiral HPLC was performed, and the absolute configuration of the enantiomers were determined to be (+)‐(S)‐ 1 and (?)‐(R)‐ 1 by means of circular‐dichroism analysis.     

Three-Component,Four-Molecule,Ru-Catalyzed Cascade Reactions of Indoles and Alkyl Bromides with Sodium Nitrite

Abstract

An operationally simple domino approach for the ruthenium-catalyzed synthesis of (E)-2,3′-bi(3H-indol)-3-one O-alkyl oximes by the region- and stereoselective three-component, four-molecule reactions of indoles with sodium nitrite and alkyl bromides under mild reaction condition in dimethylformamide is described. Remarkably, multiple bonds including C?C, C=N, and C?O bonds were conveniently formed in one pot. The reaction is tolerant to air and is atom economical, in accordance with the concept of modern green chemistry.     

Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral Propargylic Alcohols Catalyzed by Bifunctional Zinc-Based Complexes

This work demonstrates an efficient way to prepare chiral propargylic alcohols by asymmetric addition of terminal Zn-acetylide to aldehydes catalyzed by bifunctional zinc-based complexes. The corresponding products with moderate to good yields and enantioselectivities were obtained in the absence of moisture-sensitive Ti(O ⁱ Pr)₄.     

Biomass Composition, Lipid Characterization, and Metabolic Profile Analysis of the Fed-Batch Fermentation Process of Two Different Docosahexanoic Acid Producing Schizochytrium sp. Strains

Growth and fermentation characteristics, biomass composition, lipid characterization and metabolic profiling analysis of two different Schizochytrium sp. strains, the original strain and the industrial adaptive strain, were investigated in the fed-batch fermentation process. The final cell biomass, total lipids content, docosahexanoic acid (DHA) content and DHA productivity of the adaptive strain were much higher than those of the original strain. The metabolic distinctions which extensively existed between these two strains were revealed by the score plot of principal component analysis. In addition, potential biomarkers responsible for discriminating different strains were identified as myo-inositol, histidine, alanine, asparagine, cysteine, and oxalic acid. These findings provided new insights into the industrial strain screening and further improvement of DHA production by Schizochytrium sp.