Comparitive study of the sample decomposition procedures in the determination of trace and rare earth elements in anorthosites and related rocks by ICP-MS

ICP-MS has been used for the determination of over 30 geochemically significant trace elements (Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Cs, Ba, Hf, Ta, Pb, Th, U and REEs) in anorthosites and related rock reference samples. Open acid digestion, pressure decomposition using HF, HNO₃ and HClO₄, and a fusion method using lithium metaborate and subsequent dissolution in dil. HNO₃ were adopted for the decomposition of these rock samples before analysis. The dissolution problems and interference effects are discussed. Rh and Bi were used as internal standards. The first set of data on several rare earths and other trace elements in the Russian anorthosite reference sample, MO-6 are presented along with data on other samples. The data are compared with the available data. The results obtained with different dissolution methods were found to be in good agreement for the majority of the trace elements. The accuracy and precision achieved (better than 6% RSD in most cases) suggested that the data obtained by ICP-MS for such samples are best suited for geochemical interpretations.     

On the analysis of mercuric nitrate in flue gas by GC-MS

Recent research has demonstrated that in a simulated flue gas stream containing NO(2) and SO(2) elemental mercury is initially captured on a carbon or manganese oxide sorbent. After approximately an hour, however, mercury breaks through relatively rapidly, and the volatile form of mercury emitted is an oxidized species. The volatile mercury species emitted from a granular MnO(2) sorbent was trapped in an impinger containing cold acetonitrile. Subsequent evaporation of 95% of the acetonitrile in a Kuderna-Danish apparatus and gas chromatography (GC) of the concentrate resulted in a single mercury-containing GC peak at 5.5 min; the retention time and mass spectrum of this compound matched exactly those of a standard mercury(II) nitrate hydrate, Hg(NO(3))(2).H(2)O dissolved in acetonitrile. The volatile mercury component analyzed from injection of this standard solution was shown to be a form of methylmercury that is produced in the GC column by reaction of the highly reactive mercury nitrate with the methylsiloxane GC phase. Because the on-column derivatization reaction seems to be unique to mercury nitrate, the GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectroscopic) analysis provides strong evidence for identification of the trapped oxidized mercury species as mercury nitrate although, because the nitrate becomes detached from the mercury atom in the on-column reaction, the identity is not proven.     

Synthesis of Active Metabolites of Carvedilol,an Antihypertensive Drug

A simple synthetic route for active metabolites of carvedilol is reported. The metabolites 4′-hydroxycarvedilol and 5′-hydroxycarvedilol have exhibited high activity for β-blockade. We have disclosed syntheses of 4′-hydroxycarvedilol and 5′-hydroxycarvedilol from commercially available vanillin and isovanillin, respectively.     

Production of ethanol from cellulosic biomass by Clostridium thermocellum SS19 in submerged fermentation

Carotenogenesis of the lactose-negative yeast Rhodotorula rubra GED5 was studied by cocultivation with Kluyveromyces lactis MP11 in whey ultrafiltrate (WU) (35, 50, and 70 g of lactose/L). Maximum yields of cell mass (24.3 g/L) and carotenoids (10.2 mg/L of culture fluid or 0.421 μ g/g of dry cells) were obtained by growing the microbial association in WU (50 g of lactose/L) in a fermentor with an airflow rate of 0.8 L/(L·min), agitation of 220 rpm, and temperature of 30°C. The identified carotenoid pigments—β-carotene, torulene, and torularhodin—reached maximum concentrations (133, 26.9, and 222.3 μg/g of dry cells, respectively) on d 5 for torulene and d 6 for β-carotene and torularhodin.     

Enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-panepophenanthrin, a novel inhibitor of the ubiquitin-activating enzyme

An enantioselective total synthesis of the novel natural product (+)-panepophenanthrin has been accomplished in which a biomimetic Diels-Alder dimerisation is a key step. The monomeric precursor 2 was assembled from the readily available Diels-Alder adduct of cyclopentadiene and p-benzoquinone through a short, simple sequence employing chemo- and stereoselective operations.     

Improvement of Regio-Specific Production of Myricetin-3-O-α-l-Rhamnoside in Engineered Escherichia coli

Myricetin is an important flavonol whose medically important properties include activities as an antioxidant, anticarcinogen, and antimutagen. The solubility, stability, and other biological properties of the compounds can be enhanced by conjugating aglycon with sugar moieties. The type of sugar moiety also plays a significant role in the biological and physical properties of the natural product glycosides. Reconstructed Escherichia coli containing thymidine diphosphate-α-l-rhamnose sugar gene cassette and Arabidopsis-derived glycosyltransferase were used for rhamnosylation of myricetin. Myricetin (100 μM) was exogenously supplemented to induced cultures of engineered E. coli. The formation of target product—myricetin-3-O-α-l-rhamnoside—was confirmed by chromatographic and NMR analyses. The yield of product was improved by using various mutants and methylated cyclodextrin as a molecular carrier for myricetin in combination with E. coli M3G3. The maximal yield of product is 55.6 μM (3.31-fold higher than the control E. coli MG3) and shows 55.6 % bioconversion of substrate under optimized conditions.     

Inhibitive properties of a phosphonate-based formulation for corrosion control of carbon steel

The aim of the present work was to study the corrosion inhibition of carbon steel using a ternary formulation. This new ternary inhibitor formulation, viz., 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid (PBTC), with zinc ions and silicate ions was used to protect carbon steel from corrosion in a low-chloride environment. The gravimetric studies showed that 96 % inhibition efficiency was achieved with the ternary system consisting of 50 ppm PBTC, 50 ppm Zn²⁺ ions, and 10 ppm silicate ions. Out of 0.310 mmol of Zn²⁺ ions, 0.218 mmol was diffused from the bulk of the solution to the metal surface, as revealed from the studies of the solutions by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Electrochemical methods (potentiostatic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) and surface characterization techniques [Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM)] were used to ascertain the nature of the protective film and for explaining the mechanistic aspects of corrosion inhibition.     

Catalytic and biological activities of Ru(III) mixed ligand complexes containing N,O donor of 2-hydroxy-1-naphthylideneimines

A series of stable low spin Ru(III) complexes of the type [RuX2(EPh3)2(L)] (where E = P or As; X = Cl or Br; L = mono basic bidentate Schiff bases) have been synthesized and were characterized by analytical, spectral and electrochemical data. A distorted octahedral geometry has been proposed for all the complexes. These complexes catalyze oxidation of primary alcohols and secondary alcohol with high yields in the presence of N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMO). The ruthenium(III) Schiff base complexes show growth inhibitory activity against the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (209p) and E. coli ESS (2231).     

Highly sensitive LC-MS/MS-ESI method for simultaneous quantitation of albendazole and ricobendazole in rat plasma and its application to a rat pharmacokinetic study

A highly sensitive and specific LC-MS/MS-ESI method was developed for simultaneous quantification of albenadazole (ABZ) and ricobendazole (RBZ) in rat plasma (50 μL) using phenacetin as an internal standard (IS). Simple protein precipitation was used to extract ABZ and RBZ from rat plasma. The chromatographic resolution of ABZ, RBZ and IS was achieved with a mobile phase consisting of 5 m m ammonium acetate (pH 6) and acetonitrile (20:80, v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min on a Chromolith RP-18e column. The total chromatographic run time was 3.5 min and the elution of ABZ, RBZ and IS occurred at 1.66, 1.50 and 1.59 min, respectively. A linear response function was established for the ranges of concentrations 2.01-2007 and 6.02-6020 ng/mL for ABZ and RBZ, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precision values for ABZ and RBZ met the acceptance as per FDA guidelines. ABZ and RBZ were stable in battery of stability studies, viz. bench-top, auto-sampler and freeze-thaw cycles. The developed assay was applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rats.     

Titrimetric assay of ofloxacin in pharmaceuticals using cerium(IV) sulphate as an oxidimetric reagent

Two titrimetric methods which are simple, rapid, cost-effective and eco-riendly are described for the determination of ofloxacin (OFX) in bulk drug and in tablet formulations based on the oxidation of OFX by Ce(IV) sulphate. In direct titrimetry (method A), the acidified solution of OFX is titrated directly with Ce(IV) sulphate using ferroin as indicator, and indirect titrimetry (method B) involves the addition of known excess of Ce(IV) sulphate to an acidified solution of OFX followed by the determination of unreacted oxidant by back titration with ferrous ammonium sulphate (FAS) using the same ferroin indicator. In both the methods, the amount of Ce(IV) sulphate reacted corresponds to OFX concentration. Method A and method B permit the determination of OFX over the concentration range of 1.5?C15 mg in both the methods and the quantitation is based on a 1: 5 reaction stoichiometry (OFX: Ce (IV) sulphate). The methods were statistically evaluated by calculating percent relative error (% RE) for accuracy and percent relative standard deviation (% RSD) for precision, and were applied successfully to the determination of OFX in tablets with mean recoveries in the range of 96.50?C98.42%. No interference was observed from common additives found in pharmaceutical preparations. The accuracy and reliability of the methods were further ascertained by performing recovery tests s standard-addition technique.