Studying variations in the PCDD/PCDF profile across various food products using multivariate statistical analysis

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) are widely recognized by the scientific community as persistent organic pollutants due to their toxicity and adverse effects on wildlife and human health. The actual regulation dedicated to the monitoring of dioxins in food is based on the measurement of 17 congener concentrations. The final result is reported as a toxic equivalent value that takes into account the relative toxicity of each congener. This procedure can minimize the qualitative information available from the abundances of each PCDD/PCDF congener: the characteristic contamination profile of the sample. Multivariate statistical techniques, such as principal component analysis (PCA) or linear discriminant analysis (LDA), represent an interesting way to investigate this qualitative information. Nevertheless, they have only been applied to the analysis of contamination data from food products and biological matrices infrequently. The objective of the present study was to analyze a large data set from dioxin analyses performed on various food products of animal origin. The results demonstrate the existence of differences in congener-specific patterns between the analyzed samples. Variability was first demonstrated in terms of the food type (fish, meat, milk, fatty products). Then a variability was observed that was related to the specific animal species for meat and milk samples (bovine, ovine, porcine, caprine and poultry). Some practical applications of these results are discussed. The origin(s) of the observed differences, as well as their significance, now remain to be investigated, both in terms of environmental factors and transfer through living organisms. A better knowledge of the relation between a contamination profile and its specific source and/or food product should be of great interest to scientists working in the fields of contaminant analysis, toxicology and metabolism, as well as to regulatory bodies and risk assessors in charge of final decisions regarding the eventual hazards associated with theses substances.     

Sharp transition for single polarons in the one-dimensional Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model

We study a single polaron in the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model using four different techniques (three numerical and one analytical). Polarons show a smooth crossover from weak to strong coupling, as a function of the electron-phonon coupling strength λ, in all models where this coupling depends only on phonon momentum q. In the SSH model the coupling also depends on the electron momentum k; we find it has a sharp transition, at a critical coupling strength λ(c), between states with zero and nonzero momentum of the ground state. All other properties of the polaron are also singular at λ=λ(c). This result is representative of all polarons with coupling depending on k and q, and will have important experimental consequences (e.g., in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and conductivity experiments).     

Thermodynamic vs. kinetic control in the Diels-Alder cycloaddition of cyclopentadiene to 2,3-dicyano-p-benzoquinone

Diels-Alder cycloaddition of cyclopentadiene (1a) to 2,3-dicyano-p-benzoquinone (2a), when performed in methanol solvent at ambient temperature, proceeds with kinetic control to afford 1,4,4a,8a-tetrahydro-5,8-dioxo-1,4-methanonaphthalene-4a,8a-dicarbonitrile (7, 77% yield). However, when this cycloaddition is performed by refluxing an equimolar solution of1a and2a in benzene for 3 h, the product of thermodynamic control, i.e., 1,4,4a,8a-tetrahydro-5,8-dioxo-1,4-methanonaphthalene-6,7-dicarbonitrile (3a) is obtained in 64% yield. The structure of3a was confirmed by an analysis of the reduced intramolecular photocyclization product,9.     

Nucleophilic additions of primary and secondary amines to pentacyclo[5.4.0.02,6.03,10.05,9]undecane-8,11-dione

The crystal structures of three compounds formedvia nucleophilic attack of a heterocyclic secondary amine on PCU-8,11-dione, with the concomitant intramolecular attack of one keto oxygen on the carbon of the other ketone, are presented. In all three compounds, the bridging oxygen contains substantial p-character, and the bonds to the attacking nitrogen are significantly shorter than would be expected.     

The structure of 11,12-bis[spiro(cyclopropyl)]-1,4,4a,5,8,8a,9a,10a-octahydro-1,4∶5,8-dimethano-9,10-anthraquinone

In the solid state the 21 Diels-Alder adduct between spiro[4.2]hepta-1,3-diene and p-benzoquinone has a planar cyclohexadione ring with a center of symmetry. Both planar and boat conformations have been observed in similar systems, and the relative stability of the two conformers is of interest. The adduct in the gas phase should contain a mirror plane perpendicular to the cyclohexadione ring; however, a data set collected on a crystal in a capillary resulted in a structure where some bond lengths related by this mirror plane differed by more than 4 in the solid state. Molecular mechanics, MOPAC, and the Cambridge Structural Data Base were used to investigate the factors influencing the conformation of the cyclohexadione ring and the asymmetry across the noncrystallographic mirror plane. The energy differences between the planar and nonplanar ring system is small, and the conformation is determined by crystal packing. No reason for the bond length asymmetry could be found, and a recollection of data on a crystal exposed to the environment led to a structure with statistically equivalent bond lengths.     

Structure of 1,2,3,4,9,9-hexachloro-6,7-tetrahydro-l,4-methano-naphthalene: a facially differentiated, annulated 1,3-cyclohexadiene

The X-ray crystal structure of the title compound is reported. Crystal data: T = 100 K, monoclinic, P2₁/n, a = 8.2990(17), b = 13.2300(26), c = 12.0350(24) Å, = 93.676(30)°, V = 1318.7 (5) ų, and R = 0.0368. The methylene carbon atoms in the cyclohexadiene ring are disordered over two positions above and below the ring plane. The chlorine substituted endocyclic double bond deviates from planarity with an angle of 8.10(13)° toward the endo-face. The facially differentiated 1,3-cyclohexadiene moiety is only slightly pyramidalized, deviating 1.75(20)° also toward the endo-face of the tricyclic system.     

Strained tridecane cage systems

Hexacyclo[6.5.0.0^2,7.0^4,12.0^5,10.0^9.13]tridecane (HCTD) contains two four-membered, two five-membered and two six-membered rings fused into a cage structure which contains about 77.0 kcal/mol of strain energy. Attempts to prepare the thioketal from the diketone of HCTD led to a skeletal rearrangement to produce a cage with one four-membered, four five-membered, and two six-membered rings fused into a cage (RHCTD). The corresponding RHCTD hydrocarbon has a strain energy 13.7 kcal/mol less than that of the starting tridecane (HCTD) which provides the driving force for the rearrangement. The X-ray structures of two HCTD derivatives and one RHCTD derivative are reported. The bond lengths in the three reported structures are normal for cages of this type. The structure of tetracyclo[6.3.0.0^3,7.0^4,11]undecane-5,10-dione mono(ketene 1,3-propanedithioacetal) is discussed also.     

Structure of a C2-symmetric bis(benzyloxy)trishomocubanone

The structure of a bis(benzyloxy)trishomocubanone with molecular C₂ symmetry reveals that substitution of benzyloxy groups has little effect on the trishomocubane cage.