Reaction of N-(4-pyridylmethyl)-amide N-oxides with acetic anhydride

Reaction of N-(4-pyridylmethyl)-benzamide N-oxides with acetic anhydride yielded dimerization compounds. This dimerization occurs at the atom attached to the pyridine ring.     

A convenient synthesis of a-ring-functionalized podolactones. Revision of the structure of wentilactone B

A new route to podolactones functionalized in the A ring has been achieved. Two key steps were employed in this synthesis, the construction of the bicyclic skeleton via a Mn(III)-mediated radical cyclization and the transformation of this bicyclic intermediate into the tetracyclic podolactone skeleton through a Pd (II)-mediated bislactonization of the corresponding conjugate diene. The reported synthesis of 3beta-hydroxy-13,14,15,16-tetranorlabda-7,9(11)-dien-(19,6beta),(12,17)-diolide (1) let us reassign the structure of wentilactone B, for which structure 1 was wrongly reported. [reaction: see text]     

Synthesis, Phase Diagram, and Conductivity Study in a La0.5+x+yLi0.5−3xTi1−3yMn3yO3System

The stoichiometry, polymorphysm, and electrical behaviour of solid solutions of La_0.5+y+xLi_0.5−3xTi_1−3yMn_3yO₃with perovskite-type structure have been studied. Data are given in the form of a solid solution triangle, phase diagrams, XRD patterns for the three polymorphs, A,β, and C, composition-dependence of their lattice parameters, and ionic and electronic conductivity plots. Microstruture and composition were studied by SEM/EDS and electron probe microanalysis. These compounds are mixed conductors. Ionic conductivity decreases when the amount of lithium diminishes and electronic conductivity increases with manganese content.     

Direct Electrochemical Sensing and Detection of Natural Antioxidants and Antioxidant Capacity in Vitro Systems

This review highlights the role of electrochemical approaches in the sensing of antioxidants and their antioxidant capacity with especial attention to the analytical possibilities of electrochemistry in the direct evaluation of antioxidant capacity exhibited by food and biological samples due to the termed dietary, natural or biological antioxidants (mainly polyphenols, and vitamins C and E). The analytical potency of the electrochemistry is comprehensively stated and the selected results found in the literature are summarized and discussed critically. The main electrochemical approaches used have been cyclic voltammetry (CV) and flow injection analysis with amperometric detection (FIA‐ED). In addition, miniaturization is going to break new frontiers in the evaluation of antioxidant activity.     

Understanding of the mode of action of Fe(III)-EDDHA as iron chlorosis corrector based on its photochemical and redox behavior

The very low reduction potential of the chelate Fe(III)-EDDHA (EDDHA = ethylenediamine N,N'-bis(2-hydroxy)phenylacetic acid) makes it unreactive in photochemically or chemically induced electron transfer processes. The lack of reactivity of this complex toward light invalidates photodegradation as an alternative mechanism for environmental elimination. However, in spite of its low reduction potential, the biological reduction of Fe(III)-EDDHA is very effective. Based on electrochemical measurements, it is proposed that Fe(III)-EDDHA itself is not the substrate of the enzyme ferric chelate reductase. Likely, at the more acidic pH in the vicinity of the roots, the ferric chelate in a closed form (FeL-) could generate a vacant coordination site that leads to an open hexacoordinate species (FeHL) where the reduction of the metal by the enzyme takes place.     

Crystal and magnetic structure of the system Li0.5+0.5xFe2.5-1.5xTixO4 (x=0.16, 0.44, and 0.72)

The influence of thermal treatment on the structure of lithium titanium ferrite spinels of general formula Li(0.5+0.5x)Fe(2.5-1.5x)Ti(x)O4 (x=0.16, 0.44, and 0.72) has been studied by X-ray and neutron diffraction and analysed by the Rietveld method. The results allow us to conclude the presence of an ordered phase (space group P4(3)32) at room temperature for the sample with x=0.16; this phase does not appear for the remaining compositions. The magnetic properties evidence a ferrimagnetic ordering in the structures when a random cation distribution (space group Fd3 m) is obtained. An exhaustive study carried out by neutron diffraction measurements on these samples shows a different behaviour when the titanium content is increased, concluding that the lower substituted phase (x=0.16) exhibits a Neel's collinear ferrimagnetic structure, with the higher substituted structures being noncollinear (x=0.44 and 0.72).     

Photochemical access to tetra- and pentacyclic terpene-like products from R-(+)-sclareolide

Fused tetracyclic oxetanes 4, highly substituted cyclobutenes 6, and the pentacyclic derivatives 7 and 8 were obtained by irradiation of derivatives 3 that were prepared from commercial R-(+)-sclareolide (1) in three steps. Compounds 4 are formed through a Paterno-Büchi reaction, while tricyclic derivatives 6 are the fragmentation products of the first formed oxetanes. In clear contrast, cyclopentenyl and 3-furyl derivatives, 3e and 3f, gave the [2+2] adducts, namely pentacyclic derivatives 7 and 8. All the reported reactions are totally regio- and stereoselective, with the exception of the cyclization of furyl derivative 3f, which gave the mixture of both the crossed (7b) and the right (8) isomers.     

Enantioselective separation of the sunscreen agent 3-(4-methylbenzylidene)-camphor by electrokinetic chromatography: Quantitative analysis in cosmetic formulations

3-(4-Methylbenzylidene)-camphor (MBC) is a chiral sunscreen agent used in cosmetic products. In this work, the enantioseparation of MBC has been performed by EKC and applied to the analysis of the MBC enantiomers in cosmetic creams. Different experimental conditions (type and concentration of the chiral selector, temperature, and sample solvent) have been optimized. Due to the neutral nature of this compound, anionic CD derivatives were investigated as chiral selectors. Carboxymethylated-beta-CD (CM-beta-CD) showed the highest chiral separation power, observing that a 15 mM concentration of this CD at a working temperature of 15 degrees C enabled to obtain the highest enantioresolution. However, under these conditions, tailing of peaks obtained for the enantiomers was observed. The addition of increasing concentrations of the neutral alpha-CD to CM-beta-CD at a 15 mM concentration in a 100 mM borate buffer at pH 9.0 improved the enantiomeric separation and decreased peak tailing. The use of DMF for the total dissolution of the cosmetic creams, and methanol:water (1:1 v/v) for appropriate dilution enabled to observe good shape and size for the peaks of the MBC enantiomers. After optimizing a method for the preconditioning of the capillary, the analytical characteristics of the chiral separation method for the analysis of MBC were investigated. Linearity, LODs and LOQs, precision (instrumental repeatability, method repeatability, intermediate precision), accuracy, and selectivity were evaluated. The method was applied to analyze MBC enantiomers contained in two commercial cosmetic creams containing racemic MBC and to study the skin absorption of this compound with time.     

Carbonyl complexes of manganese(I) with pyridazine: Synthesis and1H n.m.r. study

Summary Three new pyridazine complexes of manganese(I): [MnBr(pyr)₂(CO)₃] (1), [Mn(pyr)(CO)₅][ClO₄] (2) and [Mn(pyr)₃(CO)₃][ClO₄] (3) (pyr=pyridazine) have been prepared and their i.r. and variable-temperature¹H n.m.r. spectra investigated.