Iridoid glucosides from the aerial parts of Globularia alypum L. (Globulariaceae)

From the hydromethanolic extract of the aerial parts of Globularia alypum grown in Morocco, a new chlorinated iridoid glucoside, globularioside has been isolated beside 5 known iridoid glycosides, globularin, globularicisin, globularidin, globularinin and globularimin. This is the first report of a chlorinated iridoid in G. alypum and in the Globulareaceae. Unlike all other known 7-chlorinated iridoid glucosides where the chlorine atom exhibits an alpha configuration, globularioside incorporate the chlorine atom as a 7beta substituent. The structures of the isolated compounds were established on the basis of ESI-MS, MS-MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectral analysis.     

Dimethyl sulfoxide/deep eutectic solvents mixtures as media in the reaction of 1‐fluoro‐2,4‐dinitrobenzene with piperidine: A solvent effect study

Aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction of 1‐fluoro‐2,4‐dinitrobenzene with piperidine was kinetically investigated in ethylene glycol‐choline chloride and glycerol‐choline chloride as 2 deep eutectic solvents (DESs) mixed with dimethyl sulfoxide, in whole mole fractions, at room temperature. The investigation of the reaction in different concentrations of the piperidine shows that the reaction follows the base‐catalyzed mechanism. The measured rate coefficients of the reaction demonstrated a sharp decreasing in all mixtures with the increasing mole fraction of DESs. Linear free energy relationship investigations confirm that hydrogen bond donor ability in addition to polarity‐polarizability of the media has a major effect on the reaction rate. The decrease in the rate coefficient is attributed to not only hydrogen‐bonding donor interactions of the media with piperidine as both reactant and catalyst but also the preferential solvation of reactants by DES compared with the intermediate of the reaction.     

An efficient method for purification of nonspecific lipid transfer protein‐1 from rice seeds using kiwifruit actinidin proteolysis and ion exchange chromatography

Plant nonspecific lipid transfer proteins are small basic proteins that transport phospholipids between membranes and are subdivided into two subfamilies, nsLTP₁ (9 kDa) and nsLTP₂ (7 kDa). LTPs have potential application in the defense reactions against pathogens and the drug delivery systems. Many efforts have been made for purification of different nsLTPs from various plants; however, most of them used successive purification procedures. We have developed a relatively simple and efficient method for the purification of rice nsLTP₁, based on the proteolytic activity of kiwifruit actinidin on the rice seed extract and one‐step chromatographic procedure on a CM‐Sepharose column. The purity of protein was determined by reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (RP‐HPLC) and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE). The isolated LTP₁ migrated as a homogenous polypeptide with molecular mass of 9 kDa that confirms the efficiency of actinidin on the digestion of major contaminations present in the rice seed extract without any harmful effect on the LTP₁. The advantages of using proteolytic activity of actinidin in purifying rice LTP₁ includes the reduced separation time allowing the purification of LTP₁ in one‐step chromatographic procedure, low costing, high efficiency, and the relative simplicity of the method.     

Synthesis of alkyl bis（dimethylamino）methylenecarbamodithioates from 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine,CS2 and oxiranes

An efficient synthesis of alkyl bis(dimethylamino)methylenecarbamodithioates via a one-pot reaction between 1,1,3,3- tetramethylguanidine,carbon disulfide and substituted oxiranes,in good yields,is described.     

Preparation and characterization of Ni(II)/polyacrylonitrile and carbon nanotube composite modified electrode and application for carbohydrates electrocatalytic oxidation

A nickel(II) into porous polyacrylonitrile–carbon nanotubes composite modified glassy carbon electrode (Ni/PAN-CNT/GCE) was fabricated by simple drop-casting and immersing technique. The unique electrochemical activity of Ni/PAN-CNT composite modified glassy carbon electrode was illustrated in 0.10?M NaOH using cyclic voltammetry. The Ni/PAN-CNT/GCE exhibits the characteristic of improved reversibility and enhanced current responses of the Ni(III)/Ni(II) couple compared with Ni/PAN/GCE and Ni/CNT/GCE. The results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy indicated the successful immobilization for PAN-CNT composite film. Kinetic parameters such as the electron transfer coefficient, α, and rate constant, k _s, of the electrode reaction were determined. Ni/PAN-CNT/GCE also shows good electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of carbohydrates (glucose, sucrose, fructose, and sorbitol). The electrocatalytic response showed a wide linear range (10–1,500, 12–3,200, 7–3,500, and 16–4,200?μM for glucose, sucrose, fructose, and sorbitol, respectively) as well as its experimental limit of detection can be achieved 6, 7, 5, and 11?μM for glucose, sucrose, fructose, and sorbitol, respectively. The modified electrode for carbohydrates determination is of the property of simple preparation, good stability, and high sensitivity.     

Preparation of novel and unique nonspherical particles with almond-shell-like shape via dual-seeded dispersion polymerization in the presence of saturated hydrocarbon droplets

In this study, the preparation of micron-sized polymer particles having a novel and unique nonspherical shape which we called almond-shell-like by dual-seeded dispersion polymerization (DSDP) of 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate (EHMA) with polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) seed particles in the presence of decane droplets and evaporation of decane after the polymerization was discussed. The experimental results showed that mushroom-like morphology which is a precursor of the almond-shell-like shape was obtained from DSDP of EHMA. It was found that with changing the PS/PMMA seed particles' weight ratio, the size of the dents on the surface of the particles can be controlled. Furthermore, it was observed that various nonspherical particles can be produced using different methacrylic seed particles and initiators.     

Synthesis of a new family of acyclic nucleoside phosphonates, analogues of TPases transition states

A 6-step procedure was developed for the synthesis of a new family of acyclic nucleoside phosphonates (ANPs), "PHEEPA" [(2-pyrimidinyl-2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethyl)phosphonic acids] in overall yields ranging from 4.5% to 32%. These compounds, which possess on one side a hydroxy function and on the other side a phosphonate group, can be considered either as potential antiviral agents or as transition state analogues of nucleoside phosphorylases such as thymidine phosphorylase.     

Antimicrobial agents as photostabilizers for rigid poly(vinyl chloride)

Some amide derivatives of ethylene glycol‐bis(2‐aminoethylether)‐N,N,N^′,N^′‐tetraacetic acid (EGTA) have been prepared via their coupling with different aniline derivatives: amino, methyl, chloro, and hydroxy aniline. The EGTA amide derivatives were characterized, and their antimicrobial activities were evaluated. These antimicrobial agents have been investigated as photostabilizers for rigid poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), suspension PVC, with a K value of 70. Their stabilizing efficiencies were evaluated by determining the percentage of weight loss, the intrinsic viscosities, as well as the amount of formed gel of the photodegraded PVC. The extent of discoloration and the change in the mechanical properties of the photodegraded polymer were also evaluated. The applied materials reduced the loss in weight that resulted from HCl evolution during photodegradation. Both viscosity and gel content measurements showed also a decrease in their values during the degradation process. The decrease in the percentage of gel formation upon applying the investigated photostabilizers reflects the lowering in extent of cross‐linking of the polymer, which implies preserving the mechanical properties of PVC. The extent of discoloration was also improved in the presence of the investigated compounds. The results have proved a greater stabilizing efficiencies of the antimicrobial EGTA amide derivatives than that of the phenyl salicylate ultraviolet (UV) absorber, which is commonly used as an industrial stabilizer. A radical mechanism was proposed to account for the stabilizing action of the investigated products. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation of the equality constraint effect on the reduction of the rotational ambiguity in three-component system using a novel grid search method

The obtained results by soft modeling multivariate curve resolution methods often are not unique and are questionable because of rotational ambiguity. It means a range of feasible solutions equally fit experimental data and fulfill the constraints. Regarding to chemometric literature, a survey of useful constraints for the reduction of the rotational ambiguity is a big challenge for chemometrician. It is worth to study the effects of applying constraints on the reduction of rotational ambiguity, since it can help us to choose the useful constraints in order to impose in multivariate curve resolution methods for analyzing data sets. In this work, we have investigated the effect of equality constraint on decreasing of the rotational ambiguity. For calculation of all feasible solutions corresponding with known spectrum, a novel systematic grid search method based on Species-based Particle Swarm Optimization is proposed in a three-component system.