Palladium-catalyzed phenyl-selenylation with n-Bu3SnSePh in one-pot two-step reactions

We have studied the Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of a stannane derived from selenium n-Bu₃SnSePh (1) with aryl and perfluoroalkyl iodides. Herein a very efficient one-pot two-step selenylation reaction to form a C-Se bond is reported. Ph₂Se₂ reacts with Na metal in liquid ammonia yielding PhSe⁻ ions. To this solution n-Bu₃SnCl was added to afford 1, which was introduced in the palladium-catalyzed coupling reaction without isolation. These reactions afford functionalized diarylselenides and phenylperfluroalkyl selenides from good to high yields (38-98%).     

Shape of the capillary meniscus around an electrically charged particle at a fluid interface: comparison of theory and experiment

Here, we consider in detail the problem of the shape of the capillary meniscus around a charged colloidal particle, which is attached to a fluid interface: oil/water or air/water. The meniscus profile is influenced by the electric field created by charges at the particle/nonpolar fluid boundary. We digitized the coordinates of points from the meniscus around silanized glass spheres (200-300 mum in radius) attached to the tetradecane/water interface. The theoretical meniscus shape is computed in three different ways that give numerically coincident results. It is proven that for sufficiently small particles the meniscus profile can be expressed as a superposition of pure electric and gravitational deformations. Special attention is paid to the comparison of theory and experiment. A procedure for data processing is developed that allows one to obtain accurate values of the contact angle and surface charge density from the fit of the experimental meniscus profile. For all investigated particles, excellent agreement between theory and experiment is achieved. The results indicate that the electric field gives rise to an interfacial deformation of medium range and considerable amplitude.     

Evidence of site-specific fragmentation on thioacetic acid, CH3C(O)SH, irradiated with synchrotron radiation around the S 2p and O 1s regions

Site-specific fragmentations following S 2p and O 1s photoexcitation of thioacetic acid, CH3C(O)SH, have been studied by means of synchrotron radiation. Total ion yield (TIY) spectra were measured and multicoincidence techniques, which include photoelectron-photoion coincidence (PEPICO) and photoelectron-photoion-photoion coincidence (PEPIPICO) time-of-flight mass spectrometry, were applied. The equivalent-core approximation was employed in order to estimate ionization transition values, and the observed peaks were tentatively assigned. A site-specific fragmentation is moderately observed by comparing the mass spectra collected at resonant energies around the inner and shallow inner shell S 2p and O 1s ionization edges. Beside H+ ion, the most abundant ions observed at the S 2p edge excitation were CH3CO+, SH+, S+, and CH3+. At the O 1s region the large CH3CO+ fragment was depressed, and small CHx+ (x = 0, 1, 2, 3), S+, and SH+ fragments were dominant. The dissociation dynamic for the main ion-pair production has been discussed. Two- and three-body dissociation channels have been observed in the PEPIPICO spectra, and the dissociation mechanisms were proposed.     

Study of the complexation of fisetin with cyclodextrins

In this work, the interaction between fisetin (3,3',4',7-tetrahydroxyflavone) (Fis) and cyclodextrins (CDs) (alpha and beta) was studied through UV-vis absorption, steady-state fluorescence, induced circular dichroism, and (1)H NMR experiments with dependence on temperature and pH. Some experimental data were compared with quantum-mechanics studies based on the SAM1 (AMPAC) semiempirical model, as well as with the B3LYP and MPW1PW91 functional models from density functional theory using the 6-311G and 3-21G basis sets. The spectroscopic measurements show that Fis does not form stable complexes with alpha-CD. On the other hand, at pH 4.0 and 6.5, the complex Fis-beta-CD is formed in a Fis:beta-CD 1:1 stoichiometry and an equilibrium constant (K) of 900 +/- 100 M(-1). In basic medium (pH 11.5), K decreases to 240 +/- 90 M(-1) because Fis deprotonation leads to its better solubilization in water. Molecular modeling points out that Fis is not totally inserted into the inner cavity of beta-CD. The formation of the inclusion complex renders an environment that enhances intramolecular excited state proton transfer. The inclusion complex is formed preferentially via entry of the Fis phenyl group into beta-CD.     

Determination of nitrogen in hydrolyzed protein formulations by continuous vapour phase FTIR

An on-line system with vapour generation (VG) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometric detection has been developed for the determination of free ammonium and organic nitrogen in agrochemical formulations containing hydrolyzed proteins. Commercial samples were digested, in batch mode, with sulphuric acid and the obtained solution was alkalinized on-line to transform the NH₄⁺ to NH₃ that was continuously monitored by FTIR. Free ammonium was determined in the same system after simple dilution of undigested samples with water. Different gas phase separators were assayed in order to introduce gaseous NH₃ into a home made IR gas cell of 10 cm pathlength, where the corresponding FTIR spectra were acquired by accumulating 10 scans per spectrum. The 967.0 cm⁻¹ band was used for the quantification of ammonia. The figures of merit of the proposed method involve a linear range up to 100 mg L⁻¹, a limit of detection (3σ) of 1.4 mg L⁻¹ of N, a limit of quantification (10σ) of 4.8 mg L⁻¹ of N, a precision (R.S.D.) of 3.0% for 10 replicate determinations of a 10.0 mg L⁻¹ of N and a sample measurement frequency of 60 h⁻¹. The method was successfully applied to the determination of free ammonium and total N in commercial amino acid formulations and results compare well with those obtained by the Kjeldhal method.     

Trace analysis of acids and bases by conductometric titration with multiparametric non-linear regression

A chemometric method for analysis of conductometric titration data was introduced to extend its applicability to lower concentrations and more complex acid-base systems. Auxiliary pH measurements were made during the titration to assist the calculation of the distribution of protonable species on base of known or guessed equilibrium constants. Conductivity values of each ionized or ionizable species possibly present in the sample were introduced in a general equation where the only unknown parameters were the total concentrations of (conjugated) bases and of strong electrolytes not involved in acid-base equilibria. All these concentrations were adjusted by a multiparametric nonlinear regression (NLR) method, based on the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. This first conductometric titration method with NLR analysis (CT-NLR) was successfully applied to simulated conductometric titration data and to synthetic samples with multiple components at concentrations as low as those found in rainwater (∼10 μmol L⁻¹). It was possible to resolve and quantify mixtures containing a strong acid, formic acid, acetic acid, ammonium ion, bicarbonate and inert electrolyte with accuracy of 5% or better.     

Formation of a "less stable" polyanion directed and protected by electrophilic internal surface functionalities of a capsule in growth: [{Mo6O19}2- subset {Mo(VI)72Fe(III)30O252(ac)20(H2O)92}]4-

The spherical capsule skeleton of the host-guest system [{Mo6O19}2- subset {Mo(VI)72Fe(III)30O252(CH3COO)20(H2O)92}]4- 1a--built up by 12 {(Mo(VI))Mo(VI)5} type pentagonal units linked by 30 Fe(III) centers which span the unique icosahedral Archimedean solid, the icosidodecahedron--can now be constructed deliberately and with a simpler composition than before from an acidified aqueous molybdate solution containing the mentioned (virtual) pentagonal units; the encapsulated hexamolybdate--normally not formed in water--is built up in an unprecedented way concomitant with capsule growth, while being directed by the corresponding internal electrophilic surface functionalities.     

Combinatorial synthesis and directed evolution applied to the production of alpha-helix forming antimicrobial peptides analogues

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are effector molecules of innate immune systems found in different groups of organisms, including microorganisms, plants, insects, amphibians and humans. These peptides exhibit several structural motifs but the most abundant AMPs assume an amphipathic alpha-helical structure. The alpha-helix forming antimicrobial peptides are excellent candidates for protein engineering leading to an optimization of their biological activity and target specificity. Nowadays several approaches are available and this review deals with the use of combinatorial synthesis and directed evolution in order to provide a high-throughput source of antimicrobial peptides analogues with enhanced lytic activity and specificity.     

Microwave assisted synthesis of molybdenum and tungsten tetracarbonyl complexes with a pyrazolylpyridine ligand. Crystal structure of cis-[Mo(CO)4{ethyl[3-(2-pyridyl)-1-pyrazolyl]acetate}

We report the one-step syntheses in good yields of the complexes cis-[M(CO)4(pzpy)] {M = Mo, W; pzpy = ethyl[3-(2-pyridyl)-1-pyrazolyl]acetate} directly from the corresponding M(CO)6 starting materials by using microwave-assisted heating and reaction times of either 30 s (M = Mo) or 15 min (M = W). The structure of the molybdenum tetracarbonyl complex was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The compound is monomeric and the molybdenum atom has a highly distorted octahedral geometry. The close packing of the individual cis-[Mo(CO)4(pzpy)] species is essentially driven by the need to fill the space effectively, closely mediated by weak C-H-O and pi-pi interactions.     

Seafood freshness determination through vapour phase Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

A new vapour-phase manifold has been developed to determine trimethylamine (TMA) in fish and cephalopod samples by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Samples were treated off-line for 1 h with trichloroacetic acid (TCA), filtered and washed. The obtained extracts were aspirated and alkalinized with NaOH 2.0 M, in an on-line system. TMA was separated from the solution in a gas phase separator and then transported by means of a nitrogen carrier into a home made 10 cm pathlength IR gas cell, where the corresponding FT-IR spectra were acquired by accumulating 30 scans per spectrum with 2 cm⁻¹ nominal resolution. The method was applied to the determination of TMA in natural samples providing concentration values statistically comparables with those obtained by a head space gas chromatography (HS-GC) reference procedure. The sample throughput by FT-IR is increased by a factor of 6 as compared with HS-GC.