Electrochemical oxidation mechanism of guanine and adenine using a glassy carbon microelectrode.

The electrochemical oxidation mechanism of guanine and adenine was investigated using a glassy carbon microelectrode and cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry. It is pH-dependent and the electron transfer process occurs in consecutive steps with the formation of strongly adsorbed dimers on the electrode surface for both compounds.     

Causal loop diagrams as a de-escalation technique

Escalation of commitment, the tendency of decision makers to keep on investing in losing courses of action, has been shown to be a costly decision bias that affects many areas of decision making. Even though escalation is a widely studied phenomenon, there has been comparatively little research on how to avoid this bias. The present study focuses on de-escalation of commitment and proposes that causal loop diagrams (CLDs) can help to decrease escalating commitment to a failing course of action. By means of an experiment, this study shows that using a CLD decreases escalation tendencies.     

Synthesis and Diels-Alder Reactions of a New Kind of Chiral Dienophiles: Cyclic Vinyl-p-tolylsulfilimines

A new kind of chiral dienophiles, cyclic vinyl-p-tolylsulfilimines (2a and 2b), were obtained from the corresponding (Z)-sulfinylacrylonitriles with HBF(4) and methanol. The asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction of optically pure 2a with cyclopentadiene under mild thermal or catalyzed conditions afforded only the endo-4a adduct with complete endo and pi-facial selectivities. The ability of the sulfilimine moiety to enhance the dienophilic reactivity of the double bond is similar to that of the sulfinyl group.     

Voltammetric and impedance studies of inosine-5'-monophosphate and hypoxanthine

The oxidation mechanism and adsorption of inosine 5'-monophosphate and hypoxanthine were investigated in solutions of different pH using voltammetric and impedance methods at glassy carbon electrodes. For both compounds, the pH dependence from differential pulse voltammetry showed that the same number of electrons and protons are involved in the rate-determining step of the electrochemical reaction. In the case of hypoxanthine, it was also possible to study the effect of different concentrations. At high concentrations of hypoxanthine, two oxidation peaks were observed, the first due to hypoxanthine oxidation with formation of oligomers and the second due to hypoxanthine oligomer oxidation, both compounds adsorbing strongly. Impedance measurements corroborated the voltammetric results and enabled the study of the adsorption of hypoxanthine on glassy carbon.     

Ultrasound extracted flavonoids from four varieties of Portuguese red grape skins determined by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Several flavonoids present in red grape skins from four varieties of Portuguese grapes were determined by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with electrochemical detection (ECD). Extraction of flavonoids from red grape skins was performed by ultrasonication, and hydrochloric acid in methanol was used as extraction solvent. The developed RP-HPLC method used combined isocratic and gradient elution with amperometric detection with a glassy carbon-working electrode. Good peak resolution was obtained following direct injection of a sample of red grape extract in a pH 2.20 mobile phase. Eleven different flavonoids: cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (kuromanin), delphinidin-3-O-glucoside (myrtillin), petunidin-3-O-glucoside, peonidin-3-O-glucoside, malvidin-3-O-glucoside (oenin), (+)-catechin, rutin, fisetin, myricetin, morin and quercetin, can be separated in a single run by direct injection of sample solution. The limit of detection obtained for these compounds by ECD was 20-90 pg/L, 1000 times lower when compared with photodiode array (PDA) limit of detection of 12-55 ng/L. RP-HPLC-ECD was characterized by an excellent sensitivity and selectivity, and appropriate for the simultaneous determination of these electroactive phenolic compounds present in red grape skins.