Direct chiral resolution of tartaric acid by ion-pair capillary electrophoresis using an aqueous background electrolyte with (1R,2R)-(-)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane as a chiral counterion

Chiral resolution of native DL-tartaric acid was achieved by ion-pair capillary electrophoresis (CE) using an aqueous-ethanol background electrolyte with (1R,2R)-(-)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane (R-DACH) as a chiral counterion. Factors affecting chiral resolution and migration time of tartaric acid were studied. By increasing the viscosity of the background electrolyte and the ion-pair formation, using organic solvents with a lower relative dielectric constant, resulted in a longer migration time. The optimum conditions for both high resolution and short migration time of tartaric acid were found to be a mixture of 65% v/v ethanol and 35% v/v aqueous solution containing 30 mM R-DACH and 75 mM phosphoric acid (pH 5.1) with an applied voltage of -30 kV at 25 degrees C, using direct detection at 200 nm. By using this system, the resolution (Rs) of racemic tartaric acid was approximately 1. The electrophoretic patterns of tartaric and malic acids suggest that two carboxyl groups and two hydroxyl groups of tartaric acid are associated with the enantioseparation of tartaric acid by the proposed CE method.     

Ratiometric direct detection of nitric oxide based on a novel signal-switching mechanism

A novel fluorescent probe, which could be the first example of a ratiometric molecular probe for direct monitoring of NO production, has been developed using a 'spin-exchange' mechanism.     

Cyclization mechanism for the synthesis of macrocyclic antibiotic lankacidin in Streptomyces rochei

The lankacidin biosynthetic gene cluster in Streptomyces rochei strain 7434AN4 was found to span 31 kb of the giant linear plasmid pSLA2-L and contain a polyketide synthase (PKS)/nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) hybrid gene (lkcA), type I PKS genes, and pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) biosynthetic genes (lkcK-lkcO). Feeding of PQQ to a pqq mutant restored the lankacidin production, suggesting its crucial role in an oxidation process. However, formation of the 17-membered macrocyclic ring was not catalyzed by PQQ-dependent dehydrogenase (Orf23), but was by flavin-dependent amine oxidase (LkcE). Compound LC-KA05 isolated from an lkcE disruptant was an acyclic intermediate lacking the C2-C18 linkage. These results suggested a cyclization mechanism for the synthesis of the lankacidin macrocyclic skeleton.     

Anharmonicity and fragility in lithium borate glasses

Since the physical properties of lithium borate glasses xLi₂O-(1-x)B₂O₃ (0<x< 0.28) vary over a wide range with the composition, this binary system is particularly suitable for studying the relationship between vibrational anharmonicity and fragility. The density, the linear expansion coefficient, the longitudinal and transverse ultrasonic velocities and their respective temperature coefficients of the velocities are measured, from which the vibrational anharmonicity in lithium borate glasses is evaluated with the help of the Grüneisen parameter at the Debye cut-off frequency and the Anderson-Grüneisen parameter: these two parameters plotted vs. composition have the same characteristics with minima at x≈0.08. The fragility is evaluated from the temperature width of the glass transition; the fragility also shows a minimum at x≈0.08. The presence of minima at x≈0.08 is ascribable to the fact that the crosslinking density between six-membered rings in the glass reaches a maximum at this composition. We show that the anharmonic parameters strongly correlate with the fragility metrics. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Reactivity and catalytic activity of cationic lonomers for the nucleophilic substitution reactions

Polystyrene-based crosslinked cationic ionomers containing ammonium or phosphonium chlorides (AxRCI and PxBuCI) were reacted with decyl methanesulfonate. The kinetic data were correlated with the swelling behavior of the ionomers and the solution viscosity of the corresponding linear ionomers. The reactivity of the ionomers was independent of the particle size of the ionomer beads, indicating no diffusion control of the reaction. The solvent and the ion content of the ionomers greatly affect the reactivity. In nonpolar solvents with a low acceptor number, A_N, such as toluene, the aggregation of ionic groups with an increasing ion content reduces the reactivity. A solvent with a high value of A_N, such as chloroform, led a very low reactivity independent of the ion content. Aprotic polar solvent, such as acetonitrila, promoted the dissociation of the ionic groups and furnished a relatively high reactivity independent of the ion content. Several catalytic substitution reactions were carried out under liquid-solid-solid triphase conditions. The kinetic results were accounted for in terms of slow nucleophile transport and fast chemical reaction within the ionomer particles. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis of (±)-ascochlorin,an antiviral antibiotic

(±)-Ascochlorin, 5-chloro-2, 4-dihydroxy-6-methyl-3-[(2$\text{E}$, 4$\text{E}$)-5-(1,2,6-trimethyl-3-oxocyclohexyl)3-methyl-3,4-pentadienyl] benzaldehyde, was synthesized in 14 steps from (±)-3,4-dimethyl-2-cyclohexenone.     

New photoswitching unit for magnetic interaction: diarylethene with 2,5-bis(arylethynyl)-3-thienyl group

Photoswitching of the intramolecular magnetic interaction was demonstrated using diarylethenes with 2,5-bis(arylethynyl)-4-methyl-3-thienyl side group. Two nitroxide radicals were placed at each end of the 2,5-bis(arylethynyl)-4-methyl-3-thienyl group. Three kinds of aryl groups, 2,5-thienylene, p-phenylene, and m-phenylene groups, were used in the arylethynyl moiety. The diarylethene photoswitching units have an extended pi-conjugated chain on one side of the diarylethene. The photochromic reactivity was dependent on the arylethynyl group. Diarylethenes with m-phenylene group showed an efficient photochromic reactivity. Along with the photochromic reaction the diarylethenes showed photoswitching of an ESR spectrum originating from the change in the magnetic interaction between two unpaired electrons. The open-ring isomer showed stronger exchange interaction than the photogenerated closed-ring isomer. The magnetic interaction between two radicals via the pi-conjugated chain was altered by photocyclization due to the change of the hybrid orbital at the 2-position of the thiophene ring from sp(2) to sp(3).     

Decontamination of pesticide packing using ionizing radiation

The Brazilian agriculture activities have consumed about 288,000 tons of pesticides per year conditioned in about 107,000,000 packing with weight of approximately 23,000 tons. The discharge of empty plastic packing of pesticides can be an environmental concern causing problems to human health, animals, and plants if done without inspection and monitoring. The objective of this work is to study the ionizing radiation effect in the main pesticides used in Brazil for plastic packing decontamination. Among the commercial pesticides, chlorpyrifos has significant importance because of its wide distribution and extensive use and persistence. The radiation-induced degradation of chlorpyrifos in liquid samples and in polyethylene pack was studied by gamma radiolysis. Packing of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) three layer coextruded, named COEX, contaminated with chlorpyrifos, were irradiated using both a multipurpose Co-60 gamma irradiator and a gamma source with 5000 Ci total activity Gamma cell type. The chemical analysis of the chlorpyrifos was made using a gas chromatography associated to the Mass Spectrometry—GCMS from Shimadzu Model QP 5000. Gamma radiation was efficient for removing chlorpyrifos from the plastic packing, in all studied cases.     

A new Zn(II) coordination polymer with 4-pyridylthioacetate: assemblies of homo-chiral helices with sulfide sites

A coordination polymer [Zn(pyta)(OH)] (pyta = 4-pyridylthioacetate), was synthesized and structurally characterized; it is constructed by an alternating assembly of two types of homo-chiral helices, [Zn-OH] and [Zn-pyta], in which the sulfide moieties are fastened in the latter columns.     

The extractive spectrophotometric determination of palladium(ii) as the mixed-ligand complex with picolinealdehyde-2-hydroxy-5-phenylanil and chloride ion

The extraction of palladium(II) with chloroform in the presence of PHPA and chloride ions is described. The extracted species has an absorption maximum at 627 nm, and Beer's law is obeyed over the range 10–200 μg of palladium. The molar absorptivity is 4.90·10³ l mol^?1 cm^?1 at 627 nm. The 1:1:1 Pd(PHPA)-Cl complex is extracted from aqueous solution. The effect of foreign ions on the determination of palladium(II) is examined.