The low concentration aggregation of sodium oleate–sodium linoleate aqueous mixtures

Sodium oleate (NaOL, C₁₈H₃₃O₂Na)–sodium linoleate (NaLin, C₁₈H₃₁O₂Na) mixtures were studied in the micellar and in the air/water interface states at 298.15 K. Three aggregation steps were found: a premicellar aggregation, the critical micelle concentration (CMC), and a structural change of micelles. Micelles, both at the CMC and at the structural change concentration, are richer in oleate than the overall mixture composition. Micelles are strongly non-ideal and the interaction is repulsive. The non-ideal behavior and the dependence of the micelle ionization degree with micelle composition are explained on the basis of the interaction of the π electrons of the surfactants’ chains with water at the hydrocarbon/water micellar interface. The air/solution adsorbed monolayer is also non-ideal, but the interaction is attractive and there is a preferential composition with a mole fraction of sodium oleate of about 0.7. The surface pseudophase behaves as if oleate were the solvent and linoleate a strongly soluble solute. This behavior and the dependence of the average area per adsorbed molecule were explained on the basis of the interaction of the double bonds with water. At the air/solution interface, the linoleate molecule area was similar to that of a heterogemini surfactant having a spacer with seven carbon atoms.     

The Sequential Building of Chiral Macrocyclic Bis‐β‐Lactams by Double Staudinger–Cu‐Catalyzed Azide–Alkyne Cycloadditions

A novel approach for the synthesis of macrocyclic bis‐β‐lactams based on the Cu‐catalyzed alkyne–azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) is reported. The procedure is general and allows access to a full range of diastereomerically or enantiomerically pure macrocyclic cavities in good yields. The incorporation of chiral oxazolidinone fragments at C3 in the β‐lactam rings allows the total enantiocontrol of the process.     

Antitumor activity of new hydridotris(pyrazolyl)borate ruthenium(II) complexes containing the phosphanes PTA and 1-CH3-PTA

The synthesis and full characterization of new half-sandwich ruthenium(II) complexes containing κ(3)(N,N,N)-hydridotris(pyrazolyl)borate (κ(3)(N,N,N)-Tp) and the water-soluble phosphanes 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphatricyclo[3.3.1.1(3,7)]decane (PTA) and 1-methyl-3,5-diaza-1-azonia-7-phosphatricyclo[3.3.1.1(3,7)]decane (1-CH(3)-PTA) has been explored. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis for complex [RuCl{κ(3)(N,N,N)-Tp}(PMe(2)Ph)(1-CH(3)-PTA)][CF(3)SO(3)]·2NCMe is also reported. DNA binding properties of the ruthenium complexes have been evaluated by mobility shift assay and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The in vitro antitumor activity of these compounds was assessed by examining their ability to inhibit cell proliferation in a number of human cancer cell lines (NCI-H460, SF-268, MCF-7) and non-tumor human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Some of these new compounds show promising cytotoxic activity with IC(50) values in the low micromolar range, and display differential effects on cancer and normal cell growth.     

Simultaneous extraction of tocotrienols and tocopherols from cereals using pressurized liquid extraction prior to LC determination

Tocopherols and tocotrienols have been simultaneously determined in food samples using a rapid and simple analytical method including pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and LC with electrochemical detection. Separation was carried out on a Phenomenex Synergi 4 μm Hydro‐RP 80A column, using a solution of 2.5 mM acetic acid/sodium acetate in methanol/water (99:1, v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. Column temperature was maintained at 30°C. Detection was performed by coulometric detection at 500 mV except for (β+γ)‐tocotrienol, in wheat and rye samples, which was at +350 mV. A palm oil containing a relatively large amount of γ‐tocotrienol and lower concentrations of α‐ and δ‐tocotrienols and α‐ and γ‐tocopherols was used to provide reference retention times for the tocotrienols. Analyte quantification was performed using the external standard method. The calibration equations of tocopherols were used to quantify both tocopherols and their corresponding tocotrienols. The extraction recoveries obtained using the optimized PLE conditions were in the 80–114% range, with RSDs lower than 15%. The method was successfully applied to the determination of tocotrienols and tocopherols in cereal (wheat, rye, barley, maize and oat) and palm oil samples.     

HPLC with polysaccharide chiral stationary phase in polar‐organic phase mode: Application to the asymmetric epoxidation of allylic alcohols

A simple and rapid HPLC method using a polysaccharide‐based chiral stationary phase (Chiralpak AD‐H) in polar‐organic phase mode has been developed for direct resolution of glycidyl nitrobenzoate (GNB) and 2‐methyl glycidyl nitrobenzoate (MGNB) enantiomers. ACN and methanol were used as mobile phase and the effects of the addition of ethanol and 2‐propanol as organic modifier in the mobile phase, flow rate and the column temperature were tested. The optimized conditions were: methanol/ethanol (80:20) at a flow rate of 0.9 mL/min and 40°C. Analysis time was ?13 min and the chiral resolution was ?2. The method was validated and resulted to be selective, precise and accurate. The method was found to be linear in 2–300 μg/mL range (R² >0.999) with an LOD nearly 0.5 μg/mL for four enantiomers. GNB and MGNB enantiomers were obtained by asymmetric epoxidation of allyl alcohol and 2‐methyl allyl alcohol, respectively, using chiral titanium–tartrate complexes as catalyst and dichloromethane as solvent after in situ derivatization of the intermediate glycidols derivatives. The quite simple and rapid validated method was applied successfully for direct determination of the enantiomeric excess (?90%) and yield obtained in real samples of asymmetric epoxidation of allylic alcohols without further purification, workup or solvent removal. The method provides a useful and value‐added tool for controlling the enantiomeric purity of the synthesized epoxides.     

Synthesis of a pH dependent covalent imprinted polymer able to recognize organotin species

The covalent imprinting approach has for the first time been successfully applied for the synthesis of an imprinted polymer able to recognize organotin species. The synthesis has been accomplished by co-polymerization of the complex Bu(2)SnO-m-vinylbenzoin as the imprinting template plus co-monomer sodium methacrylate, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker. The imprinting effect has been evidenced within the narrow pH range 2.5< pH< 3.5. At lower pH values, the imprinting effect is prevented by the exclusive existence of non-specific interactions, whereas pH>3.5 provokes a strong rebind of the template in both imprinted and non-imprinted polymers. This pH dependency can be explained as a selective chemical modification which reduces bind diversity following a model based on enolization by protonation of the specific cavities. Characterization of the adsorption isotherms showed good agreement with the Langmuir-Freundlich (LF) model, presenting quite homogeneous binding sites for a bulk material and high capacity in the imprinting pH range. In addition, the affinity spectrum (AS) method has been represented showing the typical profiles of LF isotherm for both sub-saturation and saturation levels, being in general agreement with the encountered values for fitting coefficients. The covalent molecular imprinted polymer has been successfully evaluated in a SPE process for further OTC determination in the certified mussel tissue (CRM 477).     

Synthesis, structure and catalase-like activity of dimanganese(III) complexes of 1,5-bis(X-salicylidenamino)pentan-3-ol (X = 3- and 5-methyl). Influence of phenyl-ring substituents on catalytic activity

The diMn(III) complexes [Mn2(5-Me-salpentO)(mu-MeO)(mu-AcO)(H2O)Br] (1) and [Mn2(3-Me-salpentO)(mu-MeO)(mu-AcO)(MeOH)2]Br (2), where salpentOH = 1,5-bis(salicylidenamino)pentan-3-ol, were synthesised and structurally characterized. The two complexes include a bis(micro-alkoxo)(micro-acetato) triply-bridged diMn(III) core with an Mn...Mn separation of 2.93-2.94 A, the structure of which is retained upon dissolution. Complexes 1 and 2 show catalytic activity toward disproportionation of H2O2, with first-order dependence on the catalyst, and saturation kinetics on [H2O2], in methanol and DMF. In DMF, the two complexes are able to disproportionate at least 1500 eq. of H2O2 without significant decomposition, while in methanol, they rapidly lose activity with formation of a non-coupled Mn(II) species. Electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry, EPR and UV/vis spectroscopy used to monitor the reaction suggest that the major active form of the catalyst occurs in the Mn2(III) oxidation state during cycling. The correlation between log(k(cat)) and the redox potentials of 1, 2 and analogous complexes of other X-salpentOH derivatives indicates that, in this series, the oxidation of the catalyst is probably the rate-limiting step in the catalytic cycle. It is also noted that formation of the catalyst-peroxide adduct is more sensitive to steric effects in DMF than in methanol. Overall, kinetics and spectroscopic studies of H2O2 dismutation by these complexes converge at a catalytic cycle that involves the Mn2(III) and Mn2(IV) oxidation states.     

Computational study of the structure and behavior of aqueous mixed system sodium unsaturated carboxylate-dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide

The mixed surfactant system sodium 10-undecenoate (SUD)-dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) was studied by computational simulation to determine the composition and structure of the mixed microstructures. Results were contrasted with experimental data obtained from literature and our own laboratory. The modelization predicts spherical or cylindrical micelles with a preferential composition of SUD-DTAB of about 1:2, while the system predicts a lamellar structure with a proportion of 1:1 when SUD is replaced by the saturated soap sodium undecanoate. The model also predicts the deep inclusion of bromide ions in the micelle Stern layer. All predictions were in agreement with previous experimental results.     

Chelating agents related to ethylenediamine bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid (EDDHA): synthesis,characterization, and equilibrium studies of the free ligands and their Mg2+, Ca2+, Cu2+, and Fe3+ chelates

Iron chelates such as ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid (EDDHA) and their analogues are the most efficient soil fertilizers to treat iron chlorosis in plants growing in calcareous soils. EDDHA, EDDH4MA (ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(2-hydroxy-4-methylphenyl)acetic acid), and EDDCHA (ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(2-hydroxy-5-carboxyphenyl)acetic acid) are allowed by the European directive, but also EDDHSA (ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(2-hydroxy-5-sulfonylphenyl)acetic acid) and EDDH5MA (ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)acetic acid) are present in several commercial iron chelates. In this study, these chelating agents as well as p,p-EDDHA (ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid) and EDDMtxA (ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(2-metoxyphenyl)acetic acid) have been obtained following a new synthetic pathway. Their chemical behavior has been studied to predict the effect of the substituents in the benzene ring on their efficacy as iron fertilizers for soils above pH 7. The purity of the chelating agents has been determined using a novel methodology through spectrophotometric titration at 480 nm with Fe(3+) as titrant to evaluate the inorganic impurities. The protonation constants were determined by both spectrophotometric and potentiometric methods, and Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) stability constants were determined from potentiometric titrations. To establish the Fe(3+) and Cu(2+) stability constants, a new spectrophotometric method has been developed, and the results were compared with those reported in the literature for EDDHA and EDDHMA and their meso- and rac-isomers. pM values have been also determined to provide a comparable basis to establish the relative chelating ability of these ligands. The purity obtained for the ligands is higher than 87% in all cases and is comparable with that obtained by (1)H NMR. No significant differences have been found among ligands when their protonation and stability constants were compared. As expected, no Fe(3+) complexation was observed for p,p-EDDHA and EDDMtxA. The presence of sulfonium groups in EDDHSA produces an increase in acidity that affects their protonation and stability constants, although the pFe values suggest that EDDHSA could be also effective to correct iron chlorosis in plants.     

Supramolecular helical stacking of metallomesogens derived from enantiopure and racemic polycatenar oxazolines

The present report undertakes a challenge of general interest in supramolecular chemistry: the achievement of helical organizations with controlled structure. To achieve this target we considered the possibility of inducing supramolecular chirality using molecules that were designed to organize into columnar mesophases. The use of oxazoline-derived ligands and metal coordination served as tools to prepare molecules with a phasmidic-like structure, which show columnar organization in the liquid crystalline state. To ensure the formation of chiral mesophases, these complexes bear stereogenic centers in the rigid coordination environment of the metal. X-ray and circular dichroism experiments have revealed that chirality transfer does indeed take place from the chiral molecule to the columnar liquid crystal organization. This chiral columnar organization appears as a helix consisting of stacks of molecules that rotate with respect to one another along the column while maintaining their mean planes parallel to each other. In fact, it has been concluded that packing of these polycatenar molecules must be more efficient upon rotation of a molecule with respect to the adjacent one along the column. Furthermore, the same type of helical supraorganization has been found to be present in the mesophase of the racemic mixture and the mixture of diastereomers prepared from the racemic ligand. In this case, segregation of the optical isomers is proposed to occur to give rise to both types of helix (right-handed and left-handed).