The electrochemistry and determination of Ligustrazine hydrochloride

Ligustrazine is one of the active ingredients contained in Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (Umbelliferae), which is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular problems. In this work, the electrochemistry of Ligustrazine hydrochloride (LZC) and its determination are investigated. The detection limit is estimated to be 8.0×10^–8 M, with three linear ranges from 1.0×10^–6 to 1.0×10^–4 M, 1.0×10^–4 to 5.0×10^–4 M, and 6.5×10^–4 to 1.6×10^–3 M. The method has been proved to be highly sensitive, selective, and stable, and has been successfully applied to determining LZC in LZC injections.     

Design of Ratiometric Fluorescent Probes Based on Arene–Metal‐Ion Interactions and Their Application to CdII and Hydrogen Sulfide Imaging in Living Cells

Non‐coordinative interactions between a metal ion and the aromatic ring of a fluorophore can act as a versatile sensing mechanism for the detection of metal ions with a large emission change of fluorophores. We report the design of fluorescent probes based on arene–metal‐ion interactions and their biological applications. This study found that various probes having different fluorophores and metal binding units displayed significant emission redshift upon complexation with metal ions, such as Ag^I, Cd^II, Hg^II, and Pb^II. X‐ray crystallography of the complexes confirmed that the metal ions were held in close proximity to the fluorophore to form an arene–metal‐ion interaction. Electronic structure calculations based on TDDFT offered a theoretical basis for the sensing mechanism, thus showing that metal ions electrostatically modulate the energy levels of the molecular orbitals of the fluorophore. A fluorescent probe was successfully applied to the ratiometric detection of the uptake of Cd^II ions and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) in living cells. These results highlight the utility of interactions between arene groups and metal ions in biological analyses.     

Generation of Aryl(2‐lithiophenyl)methanone O‐Methyl Oximes and Their Use for the Synthesis of N‐(3‐Alkyl‐1‐aryl‐ or 1,3‐diaryl‐1H‐isoindol‐1‐yl)‐O‐methylhydroxylamines via the Reaction with Nitriles

An efficient two‐step procedure for the preparation of a new type of 1H‐isoindoles, i.e., N‐(3‐alkyl‐1‐aryl‐ or 1,3‐diaryl‐1H‐isoindol‐1‐yl)‐O‐methylhydroxylamines 5 , from readily available aryl(2‐bromophenyl)methanones 1 has been developed. Aryl(2‐bromophenyl)methanone O‐methyloximes 2 , derived from the corresponding ketones, were treated with BuLi in Et₂O at 0° to generate novel lithium compounds, aryl(2‐lithiophenyl)methanone O‐methyloximes 3 , which were allowed to react with nitriles to give the desired products 5 in moderate‐to‐fair yields.     

Characterization of NIES CRM No. 23 Tea Leaves II for the determination of multielements

A candidate environmental certified reference material (CRM) for the determination of multielements in tea leaves and materials of similar matrix, NIES CRM No. 23 Tea Leaves II, has been developed and characterized by the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), Japan. The origin of the material was tea leaves, which were ground, sieved through a 106-μm mesh, homogenized, and then subdivided into amber glass bottles. The results of homogeneity and stability tests indicated that the material was sufficiently homogeneous and stable for use as a reference material. The property values of the material were statistically determined based on chemical analyses by a network of laboratories using a wide range of methods. Sixteen laboratories participated in the characterization, and nine certified values and five reference values were obtained. These property values of the candidate CRM, which are expressed as mass fractions, were close to the median and/or mean values of the mass fractions of elements in various tea products. The candidate CRM is appropriate for use in analytical quality control and in the evaluation of methods used in the analysis of tea and materials of similar matrix.     

Labelless impedance immunosensor based on polypyrrole-pyrolecarboxylic acid copolymer for hCG detection

In this work, a sensitive label-free impedimetric hCG-immunosensor was constructed by using a commercial screen-printing carbon ink electrode (namely disposable electrochemical printed chip) as the basis. The carbon ink electrode of DEP chip is modified first by deposition of polypyrrole-pyrole-2-carboxylic acid copolymer and thence hCG antibody immobilization via the COOH groups of pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid, which can serve as a linker for covalent biomolecular immobilization. The experimental results exposed that the designed immunosensor is more sensitive than other previously reported immunosensors, in the case of detection limit and linear range for antigen detection. With optimal fabrication parameters, the detection limit for α-hCG was 2.3 pg/mL in 10 mM phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution containing 1% bovine serum albumine (BSA). Moreover, the use of inexpensive DEP chip as a basis for these immunosensors will allow for simple instrumentation, disposable and portable at low cost. This work also demonstrates a new approach to develop a sensitive and label-free impedimetric immunosensor based on screen-printed electrode for applications in clinical diagnosis.     

Photochemical activation of ruthenium(II)-pyridylamine complexes having a pyridine-N-oxide pendant toward oxygenation of organic substrates

Ruthenium(II)-acetonitrile complexes having η(3)-tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (TPA) with an uncoordinated pyridine ring and diimine such as 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) and 2,2'-bipyrimidine (bpm), [Ru(II)(η(3)-TPA)(diimine)(CH(3)CN)](2+), reacted with m-chloroperbenzoic acid to afford corresponding Ru(II)-acetonitrile complexes having an uncoordinated pyridine-N-oxide arm, [Ru(II)(η(3)-TPA-O)(diimine)(CH(3)CN)](2+), with retention of the coordination environment. Photoirradiation of the acetonitrile complexes having diimine and the η(3)-TPA with the uncoordinated pyridine-N-oxide arm afforded a mixture of [Ru(II)(TPA)(diimine)](2+), intermediate-spin (S = 1) Ru(IV)-oxo complex with uncoordinated pyridine arm, and intermediate-spin Ru(IV)-oxo complex with uncoordinated pyridine-N-oxide arm. A Ru(II) complex bearing an oxygen-bound pyridine-N-oxide as a ligand and bpm as a diimine ligand was also obtained, and its crystal structure was determined by X-ray crystallography. Femtosecond laser flash photolysis of the isolated O-coordinated Ru(II)-pyridine-N-oxide complex has been investigated to reveal the photodynamics. The Ru(IV)-oxo complex with an uncoordinated pyridine moiety was alternatively prepared by reaction of the corresponding acetonitrile complex with 2,6-dichloropyridine-N-oxide (Cl(2)py-O) to identify the Ru(IV)-oxo species. The formation of Ru(IV)-oxo complexes was concluded to proceed via intermolecular oxygen atom transfer from the uncoordinated pyridine-N-oxide to a Ru(II) center on the basis of the results of the reaction with Cl(2)py-O and the concentration dependence of the consumption of the starting Ru(II) complexes having the uncoordinated pyridine-N-oxide moiety. Oxygenation reactions of organic substrates by [Ru(II)(η(3)-TPA-O)(diimine)(CH(3)CN)](2+) were examined under irradiation (at 420 ± 5 nm) and showed selective allylic oxygenation of cyclohexene to give cyclohexen-1-ol and cyclohexen-1-one and cumene oxygenation to afford cumyl alcohol and acetophenone.     

An Alternative Method for the Stereospecific Synthesis of Conjugated Alkenynes Via the Copper (I) Iodide Assisted Cross-Coupling Reaction of 1-Akyens with Haloalkenes

Conjugated alkenynes were prepared stereospecifically in moderate to good yields by heating haloalkenes with 1-alkynes in the presence of copper(I) iodide in hexamethylphosphoric triamide (HMPA).     

Photo-switchable ion and enzyme sensors. Photoinduced potentiometric response of glassy carbon electrode coated with polymer or polymer/enzyme dual membrane

Photo-switchable ion and enzyme sensors were fabricated by the use of glassy carbon electrode coated with nonactindoped or enzyme modified poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membranes. The ion sensor with nonactin-doped PVC membrane, which contained spirobenzopyran as the photosensitive dye, exhibited a potentiometric photoresponse to NH4+ ion in the solution. The dynamic range of the NH4+ ion sensor was 10(-7)--10(-3) M. Urea, adenosine, and asparagine sensors were prepared by coating the surface of the NH4+-ion sensor with urease, adenosine deaminase, and asparaginase membranes, respectively. These enzyme sensors could be used for determining the substrates at the micro mole level. The performance characteristics of these sensors were compared with those previously prepared membrane electrode sensors.     

Synthesis, crystal structure and thermoelectric properties of a new carbide Zr2[Al3.56Si0.44]C5

A new quaternary layered carbide, Zr₂[Al_3.56Si_0.44]C₅, has been synthesized and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and thermopower and electrical conductivity measurements. The crystal structure was successfully determined using direct methods, and further refined by the Rietveld method. The crystal is trigonal (space group R3m, Z=3) with lattice dimensions of a=0.331059(5), c=4.09450(5) nm and V=0.38864(1) nm³. The final reliability indices calculated from the Rietveld refinement were R_wp=6.24%, R_p=4.21% and R_B=0.82%. The crystal structure is composed of electroconductive NaCl-type ZrC slabs separated by Al₄C₃-type [Al_3.56Si_0.44]C₃ layers. This material had thermoelectric properties superior to those of the ternary layered carbides Zr₂Al₃C₄ and Zr₃Al₃C₅, with the power factor reaching 7.6×10⁻⁵W m⁻¹ K⁻².     

Synthesis of 9-arylamino- and (Z)-9-arylimino-9H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indoles by reactions of 2-(pyrrol-1-yl)benzaldehydes with aryl amines

Heating mixtures of 2-(pyrrol-1-yl)benzaldehydes and aryl amines under argon afforded 9-arylamino-9H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indoles, via cyclization of the resulting 2-(pyrrol-1-yl)benzaldimine intermediates. Heating in the presence of oxygen afforded (Z)-9-arylimino-9H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indoles, which were successfully hydrolyzed with hydrochloric acid to give pyrrolo[1,2-a]indol-9-ones.