Optimization of the extraction and fractionation of corn bran oil using analytical supercritical fluid instrumentation

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is combined with supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) in an analytical mode to develop a system for fractionating and enriching high value ferulate-phytosterol esters (FPE) contained in corn bran oil. Corn bran is initially extracted with neat supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) at various pressures (13.8, 34.5, and 69 MPa) and temperatures (40, 60, and 80 degrees C) to see if the FPE can be enriched in the extracts. These initial studies show the greatest percentage of FPE could be extracted under two sets of conditions: 69 MPa at 80 degrees C and 34.5 MPa at 40 degrees C. Both sets of parameters yield an extract containing approximately 1.25% FPE. A stock supply of corn bran oil is then produced by scaled-up SFE at 34.5 MPa and 40 degrees C for subsequent chromatographic fractionation. The SFE-obtained corn bran oil is then applied to the head of a minichromatographic column containing an amino-propyl sorbent. SFC is than commenced using neat SC-CO2 at 69 MPa and 80 degrees C to remove the majority of the triglyceride-based oil. Pressure and temperature are then lowered to 34.5 MPa and 40 degrees C, respectively, and ethanol is added as a modifier. The modifier is added in an increasing stepwise gradient program, and fractions are collected at equal volume intervals. The resultant fractions are analyzed by analytical high-performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light-scattering detection and show that FPE could be enriched to a 14.5% (w) level.     

High accuracy analysis by isotope dilution mass spectrometry using an iterative exact matching technique

The selection of an appropriate isotope dilution mass spectrometry technique for the practical application of this potentially primary method of analysis is highly important. The NARL approach for the application of the exact matching double isotope dilution mass spectrometry technique developed by Henrion is presented. NARL's approach utilises exact matching to minimise the effect of measurement biases within the method but also includes the thorough examination of all other biasing factors. The approach has been successfully tested in international CCQM intercomparisons with other national metrology institutes.     

The structure of metallomicelles

The morphology of micelles formed by two novel metallosurfactants has been studied by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and small-angle-X-ray scattering (SAXS). The two surfactants both contain a dodecyl chain as the hydrophobic moiety, but differ in the structure of the head group. The surfactants are Cu(II) complexes of monopendant alcohol derivatives of a) the face-capping macrocycle 1,4,7-triazacyclanonane (tacn), and b) an analogue based upon the tetraazamacrocycle 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane. Here, neutron scattering has been used to study the overall size and shape of the surfactant micelles, in conjunction with X-ray scattering to locate the metal ions. For the 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-based surfactant, oblate micelles are observed, which are smaller to the prolate micelles formed by the 1,4,7-triazacyclononane analogue. The X-ray scattering analysis shows that the metal ions are distributed throughout the polar head-group region, rather than at a well-defined radius; this is in good agreement with the SANS-derived dimensions of the micelle. Indeed, the same model for micelle morphology can be used to fit both the SANS and SAXS data.     

Measurement of adenosine, inosine and hypoxanthine in human term placenta by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

An analytical method was developed for measuring adenosine, inosine and hypoxanthine in freshly delivered human term placentas. Representative freeze-clamped samples were taken from the sub-maternal surface of each placenta. Acid-soluble extracts of the samples were analyzed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography on columns packed with 10-micron porous octadecylsilica, using gradient elution with a linear increase in methanol concentration in ammonium phosphate buffer. Resolution of hypoxanthine from xanthine and adenosine from adenine, and quantitation of hypoxanthine and adenosine were achieved using 0.05 M ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, pH 6.5, as the low-strength eluent. Resolution of inosine from a prominent peak of beta-NAD was optimized using 0.02 M ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, pH 5.6, as low-strength eluent. Recovery of standards was greater than 90%. Mean contents (+/- S.D.) of the analytes in placentas from seven normal deliveries were, adenosine 30.6 +/- 11.5 nmol/g, inosine 68.0 +/- 25.8 nmol/g and hypoxanthine 217 +/- 127.5 nmol/g.     

Metal triangles as building blocks in metal cluster chemistry

Many trinuclear metal clusters have structures based on isolated metal triangles with either single bonds (e.g.,M ₃(CO)₁₂ whereM = Fe, Ru, Os) or double bonds (e.g., Re₃ Cl ₁₂ ^3– ) along each edge of the triangle. Individual metal triangles can be joined in the following ways to form more complicated triangulated networks: (1) Bridging an edge of a triangle with a new vertex to give rafts in which adjacent triangles share edges; (2) Bridging a vertex of a triangle with a new edge to give bowties in which adjacent triangles share vertices; (3) Capping a triangular face with a new vertex to give a chain of tetrahedra in which adjacent tetrahedra share faces. Such triangulated metal networks are particularly common in osmium carbonyl chemistry and in mixed osmium/platinum carbonyl derivatives. Platinum triangles of the type Pt₃L₆ are analogous to cyclopropenyl rings and can form sandwiches with one or two mercury atoms in the center such as the mercuric derivative Hg[Pt.₃(µ₂-2,6-Me₂C₆H₃NC)₃] (2,6-Me₂C₆H₃NC)₃]₂ and the mercurous derivative Hg₂[Pt₃(µ₂-CO)₃L₃]₂. Platinum triangles can also be stacked in the absence of filling to give [Pt₃(µ₂-CO)₃(CO)₃] _n ^2– (n=2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10). Metal triangles also form the faces of metal deltahera of which the octahedron, bicapped square antiprism, and icosahedron are found in globally delocalized transition metal clusters.This article is dedicated to Prof. L. F. Dahl in recognition of his many seminal contributions to metal cluster chemistry.     

Addition of p-azido-L-phenylalanine to the genetic code of Escherichia coli

We report the selection of a new orthogonal aminoacyl tRNA synthetase/tRNA pair for the in vivo incorporation of a photocrosslinker, p-azido-l-phenylalanine, into proteins in response to the amber codon, TAG. The amino acid is incorporated in good yield with high fidelity and can be used to crosslink interacting proteins.     

Radium-224 in natural waters measured by γ-ray spectrometry

A method based on Ge(Li) γ-ray spectrométry is applied to the determination of ²²⁴Ra (t_{$\text{1}\text{2}$}= 3.64 days) in natural waters. The ²²⁴Ra is first removed from several hundred liters of water by preconcentration onto manganese dioxide-impregnated acrylic fibers. The fibers are leached, radium is coprecipitated with barium sulfate, and the γ-ray activity is counted so that activity ratios among ²²⁴Ra, ²²⁵Ra and ²²⁶Ra can be calculated. Concentrations are determined by using the ²²⁶Ra concentration determined on a small separate sample. Results from samples collected from ground water, estuarine, and continental shelf environments are presented.     

Three-dimensional aromaticity in deltahedral boranes and carboranes

Methods derived from topology and graph theory indicate that the deltahedral boranes B _n H _n ^2– and the corresponding carboranes C₂B_n–2H _n (6 n 12) may be regarded as three-dimensional delocalized aromatic systems in which surface bonding and core bonding correspond to -bonding and -bonding, respectively, in planar polygonal two-dimensional hydrocarbons CinnH _n ^(n–6)+ (n=5/7). The two extreme types of topologies which may be used to model core bonding in deltahedral boranes and carboranes are the deltahedral (D _n ) topology based on the skeleton of the underlying deltahedron and the complete (K _n ) topology based on the corresponding complete graph. Analyses of the Hoffmann-Lipscomb LCAO extended Hückel computations, the Armstrong—Perkins—Stewart self-consistent molecular orbital computations, and SCF MOab initio GAUSSIAN-82 computations on B₆H₆ ^2– indicate that the approximation of the atomic orbitals by the sum of the molecular orbitals, as is typical in modernab initio computations, leads to significantly weaker apparent core bonding approximated more closely by deltahedral (D _n ) topology than by complete (K _n ) topology.This work was presented at the Workshop The Modern Problems of Heteroorganic Chemistry sponsored by the A. N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences (May 8–13, 1993).Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1353–1360, August, 1993.     

Experimental tests of chirality algebra

Most chiral molecules can be dissected into a collection of ligands attached to an underlying skeleton. Application of permutation group theory and group representation theory to such a model can lead to chirality functions which can be used to approximate pseudoscalar measurements such as optical rotation or circular dichroism. Such chirality functions have been tested experimentally for the following skeletons: (1) The polarized triangle of phosphines and phosphine oxides; (2) the tetrahedron of methane derivatives; (3) the disphenoid of allene and 2, 2-spirobiindane derivatives; (4) the polarized rectangle of [2, 2]-metacyclophanes; (5) the polarized pentagon of heterodisubstituted ferrocenes. The success of this method is fair to good for the polarized triangle, tetrahedron, and disphenoid skeletons but deteriorates rapidly for the polarized rectangle and polarized pentagon skeletons, in accord with the greater group-theoretical complexity of the latter skeletons.