Health Benefits and Chemical Composition of Matcha Green Tea: A Review

Japanese matcha is a type of powdered green tea, grown in a traditional way. Shading of the plants during the growth period enhances the processes of synthesis and accumulation of biologically active compounds, including theanine, caffeine, chlorophyll and various types of catechins. Green tea contains four main catechins, i.e., (−)-epicatechin (EC), (−)-epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC) and (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), of which the latter is the most active and abundant and matcha is their best condensed source. Due to its unique chemical composition and prized flavour, which sets it apart from other tea beverages, it is considered the highest quality tea. Its health-promoting properties are attributed to the high content of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances. Studies confirming the high antioxidant potential of tea beverages claim that it originates from the considerable content of catechins, a type of phenolic compound with beneficial effects on human health. Due to its potential for preventing many diseases and supporting cognitive function, regular consumption of matcha may have a positive effect on both physical and mental health. The aim of this review was to compile the health benefits of matcha tea. It is the first such review to be undertaken, and presents its main bioactive compounds in a systematic manner.     

Tuning of magnetic properties of polynuclear lanthanide(III)-octacyanotungstate(V) systems: determination of ligand-field parameters and exchange interaction

The self-assembly reaction between trivalent lanthanide ions, 2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine (terpy) ligand, and octacyanotungstate(V) leads to the formation of two series of isomorphous cyano-bridged compounds: (i) one-dimensional (1-D) chains [Ln(terpy)(DMF)(4)][W(CN)(8)].6H(2)O.C(2)H(5)OH (Ln = Ce-Dy) and (ii) dinuclear molecules [Ln(terpy)(DMF)(2)(H(2)O)(2)][W(CN)(8)].3H(2)O (Ln = Ho, Er, Yb) and the ionic [Tm(III)(terpy)(DMF)(2)(H(2)O)(3)][WV(CN)(8)].4H(2)O.DMF (DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide) system. The crystal structures of 1-D chains consist of alternating {[W(CN)(8)]} and {[Ln(terpy)]} building blocks. The neighboring chains are weakly linked through the pi-pi stacking interactions of the aromatic rings, leading to two-dimensional supramolecular layers. The dinuclear species are weakly linked through the hydrogen bonds between H2O molecules and terminal cyano ligands resulting in a columnlike arrangement of dimers. Taking into account the ligand-field splitting and the exchange interaction, we have estimated the magnetic couplings between the Ln(III) and WV centers in a series of polycrystalline 1-D chains and in dimeric systems. The corresponding exchange constants have been shown to change the sign along the series of chains. The coupling is antiferromagnetic for 1 (J = -0.24 cm(-1)) and 2 (J = -0.07 cm(-1)), whereas 3 (J = +0.47 cm(-1)), 7 (J = +0.28 cm(-1)), and 8 (J = +0.23 cm(-1)) have ferromagnetic character. In the case of dimeric systems, the coupling constants seem to be independent of the lanthanide center. The splitting structures of the ground-state multiplets of the Ln(III) centers have been shown to explain the temperature dependences of the magnetic susceptibilities.     

Silica xerogel-hydrogen peroxide composites: their morphology, stability, and antimicrobial activity

Hydrogen peroxide was incorporated into silica xerogel matrix over the concentration range from 3.8 to 68.0 wt% via the sol–gel route. The obtained composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The release rates of H₂O₂ from the composites into the aqueous phase were examined. In most cases, a 90% release was attained after ca. 10 min, and it was only slightly dependent on H₂O₂ concentration and particle size. The antimicrobial activity of the composite containing 3.59% H₂O₂ was evaluated against Escherichia coli and Micrococcus luteus. A comparative assay was carried out for aqueous solution of H₂O₂ of the same concentration. The results demonstrated a potent microbicidal efficacy of the composite. Furthermore, diffusion range of the hydrogen peroxide from the solid composite into an agar medium matched that of the H₂O₂ in aqueous solution. The stability tests with the xerogels containing 3.8, 26.4, and 68.0% of H₂O₂ showed that after 63 days respective losses of the H₂O₂ at 3 °C were 8.8, 9.7, and 6.2%. Both the DSC results and the stability tests have shown that the molecular water present in the pores stabilizes the composite, probably through improving the binding of the H₂O₂ molecules onto the silica surface.     

Common methods for the chiral determination of amphetamine and related compounds I. Gas, liquid and thin-layer chromatography

This article reviews the most common, useful methods for the chiral determination of amphetamine (AM) and AM-derived designer drugs in different of matrix, including blood, hair, urine, medicaments or standard solutions, taking into consideration articles published in the past 15 years. We consider chromatographic methods (e.g., gas, liquid, high-performance liquid, and thin layer). We describe several types of chiral derivatization reagent, mobile-phase additive and chiral stationary phase commonly used in the chromatographic methods. Tables summarize basic information about conditions (e.g., type of column and mobile phase), detection mode and reference data for each procedure.     

Determination of polyphenols in Mentha longifolia and M. piperita field-grown and in vitro plant samples using UPLC-TQ-MS

Nine polyphenols in the aerial parts of Mentha longifolia have been separated by chromatographic techniques. Their structures have been confirmed by HPLC/electrospray ionization-MS/MS. The compounds identified included rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid L, dedihydro-salvianolic acid, luteolin-glucuronide, luteolin-diglucuronide, luteolin-glucopyranosyl-rhamnopyranoside, and eriodictyol-glucopyranosyl-rhamnopyranoside. The extracts of M. longifolia and M. piperita field plants, in vitro plants, callus tissues, and cell suspension cultures were profiled, and their polyphenol composition was compared in different tissues and quantified using ultra-performance column liquid chromatography (UPLC)/triple-quadrupole-MS in the selected-ion recording detection mode. Determination of desired compounds was based on calibration curves obtained for standards, which were previously isolated from M. longifolia aerial parts. The UPLC profiles revealed considerable differences in the synthesis of secondary metabolites among samples coming from field plants, in vitro plants, callus tissues, and cell suspension cultures. Plant tissues coming from field cultivation (for both M. piperita and M. longifolia) contained several phenolic compounds (flavonoids and phenolic acids), whereas plants from in vitro conditions, callus tissues, and suspension cultures contained only a few of them. Rosmarinic acid dominated in all of these samples. These results show that under in vitro conditions, the metabolism of phenolics undergoes a fundamental change.     

Sorption properties of activated carbons obtained from corn cobs by chemical and physical activation

The paper presents results of a study on obtaining activated carbon from common corn cobs and on its use as adsorbent for removal of pollution from liquid and gas phases. The crushed precursor was subjected to pyrolysis at 500 and 800?°C in argon atmosphere and next to physical or chemical activation by CO₂ and KOH respectively. The effect of pyrolysis conditions and activation method on the physicochemical properties of the materials obtained was tested. The sorption properties of the carbonaceous adsorbents obtained were characterized by determination of nitrogen dioxide and hydrogen sulphide sorption from gas stream in dry and wet conditions as well as by iodine and methylene blue removal from aqueous solution. The final products were microporous activated carbons of well-developed surface area varying from 337 to 1213 m²/g and showing diverse acid-base character of the surface. The results obtained in our study have proved that a suitable choice of the activation procedure for corn cobs permits production of cheap adsorbents with high sorption capacity toward toxic gases of acidic character as well as different pollutants from liquid phase.     

Spectrophotometric study of colour reaction of vanadium(IV) with Chrome Azurol S in the presence of cationic and non-ionic surfactants

The optimum conditions for the formation of complexes of vanadium(IV) with Chrome Azurol S (CAS) in the presence of cationic (benzyldodecyldimethylammonium bromide (ST)) and non-ionic (Triton X-100, Tween 20 and Brij 35) surfactants have been determined. The complexes are formed in weakly acid solution (optimum pH: 4.6, 4.0 and 3.9) and show the absorption maxima at 603, 600 and 598 nm, respectively. The highest sensitivity was obtained for the method based on quaternary system V(IV)-CAS-ST-Triton X-100 due to the higher CAS: V(IV) molar ratio in this complex than in binary and ternary complexes: V(IV)-CAS) and V(IV)-CAS-ST. The molar absorptivity of this system is 8.08 × 10⁴ L/mol cm. The LOD and LOQ values are: 0.006 and 0.02 μg/mL, respectively. Beer’s law is obeyed in the range: 0.02–0.60 μg/mL of V. The precision (RSD = 0.51%) and accuracy (1.9%) are satisfactory. This method has been applied to the determination of vanadium in plant materials.     

Structural, thermal, and spectral investigations of the lanthanide(III) biphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylates

The lanthanide biphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylates (bpdc) series of the general formulae Ln₂(bpdc)₃·nH₂O, where Ln = lanthanides from La(III) to Lu(III); bpdc = C₁₂H₅(COO) ₂ ^2? ; n = 4, 5 or 6 have been obtained by the conventional precipitation method. All prepared complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, simultaneous thermal analyses thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry (TG–DSC) and TG–FT-IR, FT-IR, and FT-Raman spectroscopy as well as X-ray diffraction patterns measurements. In the whole series of analyzed complexes the bpdc^2? ligand is completely deprotonated. In view of that, four carboxylate oxygen atoms are engaged in the coordination of Ln(III) ions. The synthesized compounds are polycrystalline and insoluble in water. They crystallize in the low symmetry crystal systems, like monoclinic and triclinic. Heating in the air atmosphere resulted in the multi-steps decomposition process, namely endothermic dehydration and strong exothermic decomposition processes. The dehydration process leads to the formation of stable anhydrous Ln₂bpdc₃ compounds which subsequently decompose to the corresponding lanthanide oxides.     

Stereoselective Synthesis of Iminosugar-C-Glycosides through Addition of Organometallic Reagents to N-tert-Butanesulfinyl Glycosylamines: A Comprehensive Study

A comprehensive study of the preparation and reactivity of N-tert-butanesulfinyl glycosylamines with simple Grignard and organo lithium reagents in batch vs. continuous flow chemistry is reported. As they readily react as latent imine equivalents with a variety of carbon nucleophiles, these carbohydrate derivatives constitute very useful precursors for the diastereoselective synthesis of bioactive compounds such as iminosugar-C-glycosides. A hybrid protocol, involving the addition of benzylmagnesium chloride to a (S_R)-arabinofuranosylamine substrate in flow, at room temperature, combined with a cyclization protocol in batch is also described for the first time. Of note, this semi-continuous flow process shortens the synthesis of imino-C-glycoside scaffolds to a single workday.     

Influence of Leu5 configuration on the equilibrium constants of complexes of [Leu]-enkephalin with β-cyclodextrin studied by fluorescence spectroscopy, microcalorimetry and 1H NMR spectroscopy

Natural enkephalins and their analogues are very important as potential therapeutic agents (analgetics). In this paper we describe the influence of Leu chirality of cyclic [Leu]enkephalins on the binding constant with β-cyclodextrin and spatial and mutual orientation of guest and host molecules. The formation of complexes is enthalpy driven for both cyclic [Leu]enkephalins. Moreover, d-configuration of Leu residue causes an increase of the binding constant of cyclic enkephalin compared to l-analogue. An analysis of 2D NMR spectra reveals that, apart from inclusion complex formed by penetration of cyclodextrin cavity from wider and narrow rims by Trp or Leu residue, a side and/or bottom association complexes are formed.