Models of pesticides inside cavities of molecular dimensions. A role of the guest inclusion in the dechlorination process

The reduction mechanism of the pesticide vinclozoline (3-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-5-methyl-5-vinyl-1,3-oxazolidine-2,4-dione) was studied in nonaqueous solvents in the confined environment of a cyclodextrin (CD) cavity. The effect of the cavity dimensions on the mechanism of the redox process was evaluated using glucose as a reference and using three cyclodextrin molecules of different cavity sizes, namely, alphaCD, betaCD, and gammaCD. In the absence of CD the main reduction product of vinclozoline in the first reduction step is dichloroaniline. An addition of glucose leads to a quantitative change of mechanism with 10 products in total. Addition of CD, however, leads exclusively to dechlorination of the phenyl ring. The degree of dechlorination depends strongly on the choice of cyclodextrin molecule. The importance of the complex formation equilibria in the change of the mechanism is supported by a series of semiempirical AM1 quantum-mechanical calculations. Very good correlation (correlation coefficient 0.995) was obtained between the complex stabilization energy of the inclusion complex and the degree of pesticide dechlorination. Additionally, we were able to show that the complexes are stabilized by the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the host and guest species. CD molecules do not simply act as proton donors in a nonaqueous environment, but also protect parts of the molecule included within the cavity and steer the degradation process toward fewer products.     

Synthetic erythropoietic proteins: tuning biological performance by site-specific polymer attachment

Chemical synthesis in combination with precision polymer modification allows the systematic exploration of the effect of protein properties, such as charge and hydrodynamic radius, on potency using defined, homogeneous conjugates. A series of polymer-modified synthetic erythropoiesis proteins were constructed that had a polypeptide chain similar to the amino acid sequence of human erythropoietin but differed significantly in the number and type of attached polymers. The analogs differed in charge from +5 to -26 at neutral pH and varied in molecular weight from 30 to 54 kDa. All were active in an in vitro cell proliferation assay. However, in vivo potency was found to be strongly dependent on overall charge and size. The trends observed in this study may serve as starting points for the construction of more potent synthetic EPO analogs in the future.     

Highly efficient redox isomerization of allylic alcohols at ambient temperature catalyzed by novel ruthenium-cyclopentadienyl complexes--new insight into the mechanism

A range of ruthenium cyclopentadienyl (Cp) complexes have been prepared and used for isomerization of allylic alcohols to the corresponding saturated carbonyl compounds. Complexes bearing CO ligands show higher activity than those with PPh3 ligands. The isomerization rate is highly affected by the substituents on the Cp ring. Tetra(phenyl)methyl-substituted catalysts rapidly isomerize allylic alcohols under very mild reaction conditions (ambient temperature) with short reaction times. Substituted allylic alcohols have been isomerized by employing Ru-Cp complexes. A study of the isomerization catalyzed by [Ru(Ph5Cp)(CO)2H] (14) indicates that the isomerization catalyzed by ruthenium hydrides partly follows a different mechanism than that of ruthenium halides activated by KOtBu. Furthermore, the lack of ketone exchange when the isomerization was performed in the presence of an unsaturated ketone (1 equiv), different from that obtained by dehydrogenation of the starting allylic alcohol, supports a mechanism in which the isomerization takes place within the coordination sphere of the ruthenium catalyst.     

Vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cell culture on NaOH-treated poly(epsilon-caprolactone) films: a preliminary study for vascular graft development

Tissue engineering offers the potential of providing vessels that can be used to replace diseased and damaged native blood vessels. The endothelization of a synthetic vascular graft minimizes the failures associated with blood clotting and platelet activation. The aim of this study was to culture vascular-derived endothelial and smooth muscle cells on both untreated and NaOH-treated poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) films, a biocompatible and bio-resorbable polymer, and to evaluate the behavior of both cell types as a preliminary study for vascular graft development. PCL films were prepared by hot pressing; characterized by DSC, IR, SEM, and scanning force microscopy; and treated with NaOH to increase the surface hydrophilicity before cell culture. Endothelial and smooth muscle cells, isolated from pig cava vein, were characterized by immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy studies of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and alpha-smooth muscle actin. Good adhesion, growth, viability and morphology of both the endothelial and smooth muscle cells on PCL films were obtained, but a light stimulation of mitochondrial activity was observed during short culture times. NaOH treatment improved the adhesion and enhanced the proliferation in both cell types. This verified the possible use of this modified polymer as a support in the preparation of a synthetic vascular graft. [Diagram: see text] SEM micrograph of smooth muscle cells cultured on NaOH-treated PCL film. (Original magnification: 1000x).     

Study of the feasibility of focused microwave-assisted soxhlet extraction of N-methylcarbamates from soil

A fast microwave-assisted dansylation procedure has been developed for the derivatization of N-nitrosamines prior to high-performance liquid chromatography determination. N-Nitrosomorpholine, N-nitrosodimethylamine, N-nitrosodiethylamine, N-nitrosopyrrolidine and N-nitrosopiperidine are first denitrosated by hydrobromic acid-acetic acid to produce secondary amines, which are then quantitatively dansylated in 5 min using radiation power of 378 W and a maximum pressure of 1.4 bar inside the reactor. The reaction mixture is separated on a C18 column with acetonitrile-water (55:45, v/v) as mobile phase with fluorimetric detection at 531 nm (excitation at 339 nm). The detection limits range from 8 to 75 pg for N-nitrosomorpholine and N-nitrosodiethylamine, respectively. The method was applied to study the recoveries of N-nitrosamines in beer and their determination in cigarette smoke.     

Monolayers as models for supported catalysts: zirconium phosphonate films containing manganese(III) porphyrins

Organized monolayer films of a manganese tetraphenylporphyrin have been prepared and used as supported oxidation catalysts. Manganese 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(tetrafluorophenyl-4'-octadecyloxyphosphonic acid) porphyrin (1) has been immobilized as a monolayer film by a combination of Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) and self-assembled monolayer techniques that use zirconium phosphonate linkages to bind the molecule to the surface. Analysis by FTIR, XPS, UV-vis and polarized optical spectroscopy show that the films consist of noninteracting molecules effectively anchored and oriented nearly parallel to the surface. The monolayer films are stable to the solvent and temperature conditions needed to explore organic oxidations. The activity of films of 1 toward the epoxidation of cyclooctene using iodosylbenzene as the oxidant was compared to that of Manganese 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl) porphyrin (2) and 1 under equivalent homogeneous conditions. The immobilized porphyrin 1 shows an enhanced activity relative to either homogeneous reaction. The main difference between 1 and 2 is the four alkyl phosphonate arms in 1 designed to incorporate the porphyrin within the films. The increased activity of immobilized 1 is a combination of the porphyrin structure, which prohibits the formation of mu-oxo dimers even in solution, and a change in conformation when anchored to the surface. The study demonstrates that careful monolayer studies can provide useful models for the design and study of supported molecular catalyst systems.     

Reaction of allylsilanes and allylstannanes with alkynes catalyzed by electrophilic late transition metal chlorides

The intramolecular reaction of allylsilanes and allylstannanes with alkynes proceeds catalytically in the presence of Pt(II), Pd(II), Ru(II), and Au(III) chlorides. Although more limited, AgOTf also catalyzes the cyclization. Usually, PtCl2 as the catalyst in methanol or acetone gives the best results. The reaction proceeds by exo attack of the allyl nucleophile on the alkyne to form five- or six-membered ring carbocycles. The reaction generally proceeds with anti stereoselectivity. However, a terminally substituted trimethylsilyl derivative reacts by a syn-type addition. The intermediate alkenylpalladium complex has been trapped with allyl chloride to form an allylated derivative with an additional carbon-carbon bond.     

Capillary zone electrophoretic separation and determination of imidazolic antifungal drugs

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was adapted to the simultaneous determination of a mixture of three imidazolic antifungal drugs. Separation was achieved by using a fused-silica capillary column with an acetic acid-Tris buffer at pH 5.18 and UV detection at 196 nm. Several electrophoretic parameters were investigated: pH and buffer concentration, applied voltage, temperature and injection conditions. The optimized CZE method was applied to the individual determination of ketoconazole, clotrimazole and econazole in pharmaceutical forms, after a previous single extraction step in methanol, with recoveries of 98.00, 99.96 and 99.58% respectively. The antifungal drugs can be determined at a concentration level lower than 1.0 x 10(-7) M.     

The oxidation of organic substances with compounds of trivalent manganese: XXII. The oxidation of glyceraldehyde with manganese(III) sulfate

The oxidation of glyceraldehyde with manganese(III) sulfate was studied. The reaction stoichiometry was found and a procedure for an indirect determination of 5–17 mg of the test substance has been proposed. The recommended procedure is based on the oxidation of glyceraldehyde with the reagent, the excess of which is back-titrated with standard solution of ferrous sulfate.     

Benzo[d]-1,2-oxaphospholes as precursors of stabilized C-centered radicals

[reaction: see text] Several benzo[d]-1,2-oxaphosphole 2-oxides were examined as potential precursors of stabilized C-centered radicals. The transient absorption spectra obtained after laser flash photolysis in the presence of di-tert-butyl peroxide showed the features of benzylic radicals with formation and decay kinetics not significantly influenced by the presence of oxygen. In the case of compounds with two possible diastereomeric forms, the C-H bond of the trans-isomers [corrected] is more reactive toward hydrogen abstraction.