Intramolecular electron transfer between tyrosine and tryptophan photosensitized by a chiral pi,pi* aromatic ketone

The photochemical reaction of Trp and Tyr and related peptides with Suprofen (SUP) as sensitizer in H2O/CH3CN (28:1 v/v) solutions has been studied by time-resolved spectroscopy. The results show that SUP induces oxidation of both Trp and Tyr, as well as intramolecular-ET reactions in the related peptides. The influence of photosensitizer configuration on the involved processes has been studied by using the enantiomerically pure compounds. A significant chiral recognition is observed in which the concentration of the radicals formed after triplet quenching depends on the configuration of the chiral center; the quenching process is higher when using the (R)-SUP enantiomer.     

Rhodium(I) complexes with bidentate nitrogen heterocycles and their reactions with tin(II) chloride and carbon monoxide

Summary Cleavage of [{Rh(diolefin)Cl}₂] by bidentate heterocyclic chelating ligands (LL) has been studied, and diolefin neutral, ionic or ion-pair type compounds are formed depending on the ligands and/or the Rh: (LL) ratio employed. When the reactions are performed in media saturated with CO and with Rh: (LL)=21, only carbonylated ion-pair complexes are formed. The diolefin compounds react with tin(II) chloride yielding species containing trichlorostannato-groups. Subsequent reaction with CO leads to displacement of the diolefin and formation of the corresponding dicarbonyl species.     

Treatment of Sanitary Landfill Leachates in a Lab-Scale Gradual Concentric Chamber (GCC) Reactor

Sanitary landfill leachates are a major environmental problem in South American countries where sanitary landfills are still constructed and appropriate designs for the treatment of these leachates remain problematic. The performance of a lab-scale Gradual Concentric Chamber (GCC) reactor for leachates treatment is presented in this study. Two types of sanitary landfill residuals were evaluated, one directly collected from the garbage trucks (JGL), with high organic strength (84 g COD/l) and the second one, a 6-month-generated leachate (YL) collected from the lagoon of the sanitary landfill in Quito, Ecuador, with an organic strength of 66 g COD/l. Different operational parameters, such as organic loading rate (OLR), temperature, recycling and aeration, were tested. The GCC reactor was found to be a robust technology to treat these high-strength streams with organic matter removal efficiencies higher than 65%. The best performance of the reactors (COD removal efficiencies of 75–80%) was obtained at a Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) of around 20 h and at 35 °C, with an applied OLR up to 70 and 100 g COD/l per day. Overall, the GCC reactor concept appears worth to be further developed for the treatment of leachates in low-income countries.     

Determination of toxaphene enantiomers by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with electron-capture detection

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with micro electron-capture detection (GC x GC-microECD) has been evaluated for the enantioseparation of five chiral toxaphenes typically found in real-life samples (Parlar 26, 32, 40, 44 and 50). From the two enantioselective beta-cyclodextrin-based columns evaluated as first dimension column, BGB-176SE and BGB-172, the latter provided the best results and was further combined with three non-enantioselective columns in the second dimension: HT-8, BPX-50 and Supelcowax-10. The combination BGB-172 x BPX-50 was finally selected because it provided a complete separation among all enantiomers. A satisfactory repeatability and reproducibility of the retention times in both the first and the second dimension were observed for all target compounds (RSDs below 0.8%, n = 4). Linear responses in the tested range of 10-200 pg/microl and limits of detection in the range of 2-6 pg/microl were obtained. The repeatability and reproducibility at a concentration of 100 pg/microl, evaluated as the RSDs calculated for the enantiomeric fraction (EF), was better than 11% (n = 4) in all instances. The feasibility of the method developed for real-life analyses was illustrated by the determination of the enantiomeric ratios and concentration levels of the test compounds in four commercial fish oil samples. These results were compared to those obtained by heart-cut multidimensional gas chromatography using the same enantioselective column.     

Synthesis of 1,2‐Disubstituted Carbocyclic Nucleoside Analogues of Cytidine

The synthesis of new 1,2‐disubstituted, five‐ or six‐ring‐carbocyclic nucleoside analogues of cytidine, compounds 1 and 2a – d , are described. These compounds were obtained by aminolysis, starting from the corresponding uracil derivative, via nucleophilic displacement of a triazolyl (Scheme 1) or a (2,4,6‐triisopropylphenyl)sulfonyl (TPS) group (Scheme 2) at 4‐position of the pyrimidine ring.     

Calculation of the force between surfaces coated with grafted molecules by molecular simulation

We discuss the calculation of the force between surfaces coated with anchored molecules. This force is related to the pressure and can therefore be calculated by the usual means: either by summing over all surface-particle forces or from the virial. However, we argue that the grafting of the molecule must be included by means of a restraining potential-otherwise, nonphysical results can be obtained, such as the appearance of a net force even when the particles are spaced very far away. Bond-stretching potentials are also required if the virial is employed.     

Synthesis of New Thiourea-Metal Complexes with Promising Anticancer Properties

In this work, two thiourea ligands bearing a phosphine group in one arm and in the other a phenyl group (T2) or 3,5-di-CF₃ substituted phenyl ring (T1) have been prepared and their coordination to Au and Ag has been studied. A different behavior is observed for gold complexes, a linear geometry with coordination only to the phosphorus atom or an equilibrium between the linear and three-coordinated species is present, whereas for silver complexes the coordination of the ligand as P^S chelate is found. The thiourea ligands and their complexes were explored against different cancer cell lines (HeLa, A549, and Jurkat). The thiourea ligands do not exhibit relevant cytotoxicity in the tested cell lines and the coordination of a metal triggers excellent cytotoxic values in all cases. In general, data showed that gold complexes are more cytotoxic than the silver compounds with T1, in particular the complexes [AuT1(PPh₃)]OTf, the bis(thiourea) [Au(T1)₂]OTf and the gold-thiolate species [Au(SR)T1]. In contrast, with T2 better results are obtained with silver species [AgT1(PPh₃)]OTf and the [Ag(T1)₂]OTf. The role played by the ancillary ligand bound to the metal is important since it strongly affects the cytotoxic activity, being the bis(thiourea) complex the most active species. This study demonstrates that metal complexes derived from thiourea can be biologically active and these compounds are promising leads for further development as potential anticancer agents.     

Easy sample treatment for the determination of enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin residues in raw bovine milk by capillary electrophoresis

An easy, selective, and sensitive method has been developed for the determination of enrofloxacin (ENR) and its main active metabolite, ciprofloxacin (CIP), in raw bovine milk using CE with UV detection at 268 nm. Milk samples were prepared by a clean‐up/extraction procedure based on protein precipitation with hydrochloride acid followed by being defatted by centrifugation and SPE using a hydrophilic‐lipophilic balance cartridge. Optimum separation was obtained using a 50 mM phosphoric acid at pH 8.4 and the total electrophoretic run time was 6 min. Sample preparation by this method yielded clean extracts with quantitative and consistent mean recoveries from 89 to 97% for CIP and from 93 to 98% for ENR. LODs obtained were lower to the maximum residue limits for these fluoroquinolones. The precision of the ensuing method is acceptable; thus, the RSD for peak area and migration time was less than 8.5 and 0.5% for CIP and 9.9 and 0.9% for ENR, respectively. The results showed that the proposed method was efficient showing good recoveries, sensitivity, and precision for the studied compounds and could be satisfactorily applied in routine analysis for the monitoring of ENR and CIP residues in milk, due to its ruggedness and feasibility demonstrated.