Evaluation of multidimensional (ion-exchange/reversed-phase) protein separations using linear and step gradients in the first dimension

The performance characteristics of multidimensional liquid chromatographic protein separations were evaluated using on-line electrospray mass detection, and a novel workflow for automated LC/MS data processing. Two-dimensional ion exchange/reversed-phase LC separations of Escherichia coli cytosol were conducted using either a continuous linear or discontinuous step gradient in the first dimension. Chromatographic profiles of the top 100 most abundant components were characterized to assess overall separation reproducibility within each mode, and to characterize differences in component distribution between the two modes of operation. Analysis of the resulting data indicates that multidimensional separations of complex protein mixtures can be done reproducibly. Furthermore, under the conditions employed within this study, a linear first dimension gradient was more effective at fractionating the protein mixture, distributing fewer major components to multiple second dimension cycles than an equivalent step gradient. The application of on line mass spectrometry, and automated processing of the resulting data, proved valuable for producing component level analysis of multidimensional protein separations.     

Classification of gasoline data obtained by gas chromatography using a piecewise alignment algorithm combined with feature selection and principal component analysis

A fast and objective chemometric classification method is developed and applied to the analysis of gas chromatography (GC) data from five commercial gasoline samples. The gasoline samples serve as model mixtures, whereas the focus is on the development and demonstration of the classification method. The method is based on objective retention time alignment (referred to as piecewise alignment) coupled with analysis of variance (ANOVA) feature selection prior to classification by principal component analysis (PCA) using optimal parameters. The degree-of-class-separation is used as a metric to objectively optimize the alignment and feature selection parameters using a suitable training set thereby reducing user subjectivity, as well as to indicate the success of the PCA clustering and classification. The degree-of-class-separation is calculated using Euclidean distances between the PCA scores of a subset of the replicate runs from two of the five fuel types, i.e., the training set. The unaligned training set that was directly submitted to PCA had a low degree-of-class-separation (0.4), and the PCA scores plot for the raw training set combined with the raw test set failed to correctly cluster the five sample types. After submitting the training set to piecewise alignment, the degree-of-class-separation increased (1.2), but when the same alignment parameters were applied to the training set combined with the test set, the scores plot clustering still did not yield five distinct groups. Applying feature selection to the unaligned training set increased the degree-of-class-separation (4.8), but chemical variations were still obscured by retention time variation and when the same feature selection conditions were used for the training set combined with the test set, only one of the five fuels was clustered correctly. However, piecewise alignment coupled with feature selection yielded a reasonably optimal degree-of-class-separation for the training set (9.2), and when the same alignment and ANOVA parameters were applied to the training set combined with the test set, the PCA scores plot correctly classified the gasoline fingerprints into five distinct clusters.     

A general and convenient synthesis of N-aryl piperazines

A general and convenient synthesis of N-aryl piperazines from bis(2-chloroethyl)amine hydrochloride and a broad range of anilines in diethylene glycol monomethyl ether is described.     

Cucurbit[6]uril pseudorotaxanes: distinctive gas-phase dissociation and reactivity

Cucurbit[6]uril forms a doubly charged complex with 1,4-butanediammonium cation that is observed using electrospray ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry. Such 1:1 complexes are not observed for the smaller cucurbit[5]uril, which forms a 2:1 ammonium:cucurbituril complex instead. The 1:1 complex with cucurbit[6]uril is difficult to fragment via collisional activation; when it does fragment, both breakup of the cucurbituril cage and loss of the amine are observed. Further, the complex reacts with tert-butylamine via slow adduction. In contrast, nonrotaxane analogues (such as doubly charged 2:1 complexes of either protonated 1,4-butanediamine or protonated ethylenediamine with cucurbit[6]uril) fragment via easy loss of the intact amine upon collisional activation and react with tert-butylamine via rapid displacement of the original amine. On the basis of stoichiometry, fragmentation behavior, and reactivity, we conclude that the doubly charged complex of cucurbit[6]uril with 1,4-butanediammonium is a gas-phase pseudorotaxane.     

Ring expansion-annulation strategy for the synthesis of substituted azulenes and oligoazulenes. 2. Synthesis of azulenyl halides, sulfonates, and azulenylmetal compounds and their application in transition-metal-mediated coupling reactions

A "ring expansion-annulation strategy" for the synthesis of substituted azulenes is described based on the reaction of beta'-bromo-alpha-diazo ketones with rhodium carboxylates. The key transformation involves an intramolecular Buchner reaction followed by beta-elimination of bromide, tautomerization, and in situ trapping of the resulting 1-hydroxyazulene as a carboxylate or triflate ester. Further synthetic elaboration of the azulenyl halide and sulfonate annulation products can be achieved by employing Heck, Negishi, Stille, and Suzuki coupling reactions. Reaction of the azulenyl triflate 84 with pinacolborane provides access to the azulenylboronate 91, which participates in Suzuki coupling reactions with alkenyl and aryl iodides. The application of these coupling reactions to the synthesis of biazulenes, terazulene 101, and related oligoazulenes is described, as well as the preparation of the azulenyl amino acid derivative 110.     

Development and validation of a glass-silicon microdroplet-based system to measure sulfite concentrations in beverages

Sulfite is often added to beverages as an antioxidant and antimicrobial agent. In fermented beverages, sulfite is also naturally produced by yeast cells. However, sulfite causes adverse health effects in asthmatic patients and accurate measurement of the sulfite concentration is therefore very important. Current sulfite analysis methods are time- and reagent-consuming and often require costly equipment. Here, we present a system allowing sensitive, ultralow-volume sulfite measurements based on a reusable glass-silicon microdroplet platform on which microdroplet generation, addition of enzymes through chemical-induced emulsion destabilization and pillar-induced droplet merging, emulsion restabilization, droplet incubation, and fluorescence measurements are integrated. In a first step, we developed and verified a fluorescence-based enzymatic assay for sulfite by measuring its analytical performance (LOD, LOQ, the dynamic working range, and the influence of salts, colorant, and sugars) and comparing fluorescent microplate readouts of fermentation samples with standard colorimetric measurements using the 5,5′-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) assay of the standard Gallery Plus Beermaster analysis platform. Next, samples were analyzed on the microdroplet platform, which also showed good correlation with the standard colorimetric analysis. Although the presented platform does not allow stable reinjection of droplets due to the presence of a tight array of micropillars at the fluidics entrances to prevent channel clogging by dust, removing the pillars, and integrating miniaturized pumps and optics in a future design would allow to use this platform for high-throughput, automated, and portable screening of microbes, plant, or mammalian cells.

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Direct conversion of N-methoxy-N-methylamides (Weinreb amides) to ketones via a nonclassical Wittig reaction

[reaction: see text] N-Methoxy-N-methylamides (Weinreb amides) are converted efficiently into ketones by reaction with alkylidenetriphenylphosphoranes and in situ hydrolysis of the product.     

The magnetic susceptibilities of cobaltocene and chromocene

The magnetic susceptibilities of cobaltocene and chromocene have been measured between 83 and 293 K; for cobaltocene the results suggest an appreciable orthorhombic splitting of the ²∏(σ²πδ⁴ ground state, whilst for chromocene the data provide further support for the ³Δ(σδ³) ground state previously deduced.     

The use of bis(diphenylphosphino)amines with N-aryl functionalities in selective ethylene tri- and tetramerisation

A systematic study was conducted on the Cr catalysed tri- and tetramerisation of ethylene using bis(diphenylphosphino)amine ligands with N-aryl functionality. This study revealed that the oligomerisation reaction product selectivity is primarily dependent on the structure and size of the N-aryl groups.

Addition of sufficient steric bulk to the N-phenyl group via ortho-alkyl substitution increased the combined 1-hexene and 1-octene selectivity (overall alpha selectivity) to above 82% at an overall 1-octene selectivity of 56%. The introduction of a single carbon spacer between the N-atom and the aryl-moiety, as well as the addition of branching on this carbon, resulted in further selectivity improvements, achieving an overall 1-octene selectivity of 64% and an overall alpha selectivity of 84%. This was obtained at catalyst productivities in excess of 1,000,000 g/g Cr/h.     

NMR and UV studies of 3'-S-phosphorothiolate modified DNA in a DNA : RNA hybrid dodecamer duplex; implications for antisense drug design

High-resolution NMR spectroscopy has been used to establish the conformational consequences of the introduction of a single 3[prime or minute]-S-phosphorothiolate link in the DNA strand of a DNA : RNA hybrid. These systems are of interest as potential antisense therapeutic agents. Previous studies on similarly modified dinucleotides have shown that the conformation of the sugar to which the sulfur is attached shifts to the north (C(3[prime or minute])-endo/C(2[prime or minute])-exo). Comparisons made between NOESY cross-peak intensities, and coupling constants from PE-COSY spectra, for both non-modified and modified duplexes confirm that this conformational shift is also present in the double helical oligonucleotide system. In addition it is noted that in both the dinucleotides and the modified duplex, the conformation of the sugar ring 3[prime or minute] to the site of modification is also shifted to the north. That this pattern is observed in the small monomeric system as well as the larger double helix is suggestive of some pre-ordering of the sequences. The conclusion is supported by consideration of the (1)H chemical shifts of the heterocyclic bases near the site of the modification. The enhanced stability that these conformational changes should bring was confirmed by UV thermal melting studies. Subsequently a series of singly and doubly 3[prime or minute]-S-phosphorothiolate-modified duplexes were investigated by UV. The results are indicative of an additive effect of the modification with thermodynamic benefit being derived from alternate spacing of two modified linkers.