Evaluation of the lipophilicity of selected sunscreens—A chemometric analysis of thin‐layer chromatographic retention data

The lipophilicities of 22 selected sunscreens, preservatives, and vitamins used in topical skin products were measured by thin‐layer chromatography. Lipophilicity was calculated in silico from the sunscreen molecular structures and compared to the experimental octanol/water partition coefficients found in the literature. The retention of the compounds was investigated on an RP‐18 stationary phase with mobile phases consisting of water and one of six organic modifiers (dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, acetonitrile, methanol, and dimethylformamide) at different concentrations. The theoretical lipophilicities were calculated by several computational algorithms and the results of these calculations were compared using cluster analysis. The results showed that two out of the six investigated organic modifiers (dioxane and acetone) may be used to estimate the octanol/water partition coefficients of highly lipophilic compounds having lipophilicities that cannot be measured directly by the shake‐flask method.     

Non-Operator Reflexive Subspace Lattices

In [2] various types of closedness of subspace lattices were studied. In particular, the authors defined operator reflexivity which can be regarded as a one-point closedness of the lattice. They asked if all subspace lattices are operator reflexive. In this work we give an example that the answer is negative. The second author was supported by grant no. 201/06/0128 of GA CR.     

Fourier‐transform Raman analysis of milk powder: a potential method for rapid quality screening

In this work, FT‐Raman spectroscopy was explored as a fast and reliable screening method for the assessment of milk powder quality and the identification of samples adulterated with whey (1–40% w/w). Raman measurements can easily differentiate milk powders without the need of sample preparation, whereas the traditional methods of quality control, including high‐performance liquid chromatography, are laborious and slow. The FT‐Raman spectra of whole, low‐fat, and skimmed milk powder samples were obtained and distinguished from commercial milk powder samples. In addition, the exploratory analysis employing data from Raman spectroscopy and principal component analysis (PCA)allowed the separation of milk powder samples according to type,identifying differences between samples in the same group. Multivariate analysis was also developed to classify the adulterated milk powder samples using PCA and partial least squares discriminate analysis (PLS‐DA). The resulting PLS‐DA model correctly classified 100% of the adulterated samples. These results clearly demonstrate the utility of FT‐Raman spectroscopy combined with chemometrics as a rapid method for screening milk powder. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aqueous solvation of amphiphilic solutes: concentration and temperature dependent study of the ultrafast polarisability relaxation dynamics

An understanding of the influence of hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions on the dynamics of solvating water molecules is important in a diverse range of phenomena. The polarisability anisotropy relaxation dynamics of aqueous solutions of the amphiphiles TBA (t-butyl alcohol) and TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide) have been measured as a function of concentration and temperature. TMAO is shown to have a greater effect on the picosecond relaxation dynamics of water than TBA. This result is consistent with hydrophilic interactions being mainly responsible for the slowing down the polarisability relaxation in aqueous solutions. The room temperature Raman spectral densities of the two solutions are remarkably similar to that of bulk water, an effect which is tentatively ascribed to the formation of nanoscale structure in the solutions, allowing the formation of bulk-like water pools. The temperature dependent spectral density of TMAO remains similar to that of bulk water at all temperatures, while that for TBA shows a marked decrease in the amplitude of the response usually ascribed to a water-water stretch with increasing temperature. This is discussed in terms of the temperature dependent structure of TBA aggregates in solution.     

Towards β-selectivity in functional estrogen receptor antagonists

Based on the benzo[b]naphtho[1,2-d]furan and benzo[b]naphtho[1,2-d]thiophene frameworks, a series of ligands with different basic side chains (BSCs) has been synthesized and pharmacologically evaluated. Also, their binding modes have been modelled using docking techniques. It was found that the introduction of a BSC in these systems brings about a decrease of affinity for both estrogen receptors α and β in an in vitro competitive binding assay. However, two full antagonists of the estrogen receptor β ( and ) have been discovered, with potency in the low micromolar concentration in a cell-based luciferase reporter assay, and completely devoid of activity against the α receptor at the same concentration range. Differences in the ERα/ERβ binding modes have also been rationalized with the help of molecular modelling techniques. This interesting functional profile could be used to elucidate the physiological role of each ER subtype.     

Cationic cryptand complexes of tin(II)

A series of cationic cryptand complexes of tin(II), [Cryptand[2.2.2]SnX][SnX(3)] (10, X = Cl; 11, X = Br; 12, X = I) and [Cryptand[2.2.2]Sn][OTf](2) (13), were synthesized by the addition of cryptand[2.2.2] to a solution of either tin(II) chloride, iodide, or trifluoromethanesulfonate. The complexes could also be synthesized by the addition of the appropriate trimethylsilyl halide (or pseudohalide) reagent to a solution of tin(II) chloride and cryptand[2.2.2]. The complexes were characterized using a variety of techniques including NMR, Raman, and temperature-dependent M?ssbauer spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction.     

Regioselective one pot synthesis of 2‐alkyl/aryl‐4h‐benzo[1,4] thiazine‐3‐one via microwave irradiation

A series of 2‐alkyl/aryl‐4H‐benzo[1,4]thiazine‐3‐ones have been synthesized by microwave irradiation of ethyl‐2‐bromo‐2‐alkyl/aryl acetate and 2‐amino thiophenol in the presence of 1,8‐diazabicyclo‐[5.4.0] undec‐7‐ene and N‐methylpiperidine. All compounds were characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and elemental analyses, and by X‐ray crystallography in the case of 2‐methyl‐4H‐benzo[1,4]thiazin‐3‐one.     

Magnetoactive Humic-Based Nanocomposites

Summary: We have elaborated several approaches for the preparation of magneto-active nano-hybrid composites, including i) ex situ method, which consists of the precipitation of magnetic particles from Fe(II) and Fe(III) salts followed by their incorporation into the humic acids matrix and ii) a chemical precipitation method in situ where the magnetic particles are grown within the humic acids matrix. It was proven that adsorption of humic acids on the magnetic particle surface leads to an enhanced electrostatic and steric stabilization of particles, due to the absorbed layer of highly charged macromolecular compounds. The sorbents under study were found to reveal a high sorption capacity towards uranyl ions. Using the adsorption isotherm, in the linear form of the Langmuir equation, the adsorption parameters were estimated. The results obtained show that the adsorption of uranyl ions by the magneto-active nanocomposite is enhanced in comparison with the free HA.