High-performance liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometric identification of the phototransformation products of tebuconazole on titanium dioxide

Tebuconazole is a widely used fungicide. The formation of by-products on irradiated titanium dioxide as a photocatalyst was evaluated. Several species derived from tebuconazole degradation were identified and characterized by HPLC/MS(n). A pattern of reactions accounting for the observed intermediates is proposed. Different parallel pathways are operating (and through these pathways the transformation of the molecule proceeds), leading to a wide range of intermediate compounds. All these molecules are more hydrophylic than tebuconazole. The main steps involved are (1) the hydroxylation of the molecule with the formation of three species having [M + H](+) 324; the hydroxylation occurs on the C-1 carbon and on the aromatic ring in the two ortho-positions; (2) the cleavage of a C--C bond with the release of the tert-butyl moiety and the formation of a species having m/z 250; analogously to step 1, also on this species a further hydroxylation reaction occurs; (3) through the loss of the triazole moiety with the formation of a structure with m/z 257.     

Environmental accounting for the lagoon of Venice and the case of fishing

This paper presents the application of the eMergy evaluation, introduced by H.T. Odum as an efficient methodology of environmental accounting. The results of this analysis are a part of a wider sustainability assessment for the Province of Venice realized in 2003. Within a territorial sustainability analysis, it is necessary to implement an environmental accounting method, which is able: to precisely consider the boundaries of the investigated system (spatial scale); to arbitrarily separate the life of the investigated system into periods (temporal scale); to account for both economic and natural support to a given territorial system in order to implement a sustainable management of resources; to assess all the items supporting the system on the basis of a physical unit that is objective (while the traditional economic evaluation method is based on individual preferences, hence it is subjective). The Province of Venice is a very complex system due, on one hand, to the heavy and consolidated presence of industrial activity since the beginning of the 20th century and, on the other hand, to the principal natural ecosystem which characterizes it: the lagoon, the largest wetland in the Mediterranean Sea. The role of the lagoon, as a provider of resources and services is represented by the analysis of two aspects: the lagoon as an ecosystem on the basis of the evaluation of all flows that cyclically support its biotic activity and the lagoon as a productive system on the basis of the contribution of both natural and "economic" inputs that support human activity. In particular, the case of clam fishing will be presented to put on evidence the importance of natural inputs that are systematically neglected by the traditional accounting methodologies.     

The complex of a bivalent derivative of galanthamine with torpedo acetylcholinesterase displays drastic deformation of the active-site gorge: implications for structure-based drug design

Bifunctional derivatives of the alkaloid galanthamine, designed to interact with both the active site of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and its peripheral cation binding site, have been assayed with Torpedo californica AChE (TcAChE), and the three-dimensional structures of their complexes with the enzyme have been solved by X-ray crystallography. Differences were noted between the IC(50) values obtained for TcAChE and those for Electrophorus electricus AChE. These differences are ascribed to sequence differences in one or two residues lining the active-site gorge of the enzyme. The binding of one of the inhibitors disrupts the native conformation of one wall of the gorge, formed by the loop Trp279-Phe290. It is proposed that flexibility of this loop may permit the binding of inhibitors such as galanthamine, which are too bulky to penetrate the narrow neck of the gorge formed by Tyr121 and Phe330 as seen in the crystal structure.     

Thermally induced sign change of Soret coefficient for dilute and semidilute solutions of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) in ethanol

We studied the thermal diffusion behavior of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNiPAM) in ethanol in a temperature range from T = 14.0 degrees C to T = 40.0 degrees C by means of thermal diffusion forced Rayleigh scattering. The obtained Soret coefficient S(T) of PNiPAM was positive for lower temperatures (T < 34 degrees C), while S(T) showed a negative value for higher temperatures (T > 34 degrees C). This means PNiPAM molecules move to the cold side for temperatures T < 34 degrees C, whereas they move to the warm side for T > 34 degrees C. This is the first nonaqueous polymeric system for which a sign change with temperature has been observed. We performed static and dynamic light scattering experiments in the same temperature range. The second virial coefficient determined from dilute solutions by static light scattering (SLS) was positive in the comparable temperature range. The results of SLS for the semidilute solution showed a strong repulsion among PNiPAM chains which was enhanced by increasing temperature. These results imply that the observed thermally induced sign change of S(T) does not depend on the intermolecular interactions among PNiPAM chains.     

The molecular level modification of surfaces: from self-assembled monolayers to complex molecular assemblies

The modification of surfaces with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) containing multiple different molecules, or containing molecules with multiple different functional components, or both, has become increasingly popular over the last two decades. This explosion of interest is primarily related to the ability to control the modification of interfaces with something approaching molecular level control and to the ability to characterise the molecular constructs by which the surface is modified. Over this time the level of sophistication of molecular constructs, and the level of knowledge related to how to fabricate molecular constructs on surfaces have advanced enormously. This critical review aims to guide researchers interested in modifying surfaces with a high degree of control to the use of organic layers. Highlighted are some of the issues to consider when working with SAMs, as well as some of the lessons learnt (169 references).     

Branched tetrahydrofuran α,α-disubstituted-δ-sugar amino acid scaffolds from branched sugar lactones: a new family of foldamers?

Efficient S_N2 ring closure of open chain trihydroxytriflates—in which the leaving group is on a primary carbon adjacent to a quaternary centre—provides access to tetrahydrofurans with branched carbon chains from branched carbohydrate lactones; the first examples of a new class of branched chain tetrahydrofuran α,α-disubstituted-δ-sugar amino acid scaffolds are described.     

Hexamethylphosphoramide Compounds: II. The Structure of a Complex Containing Two Different Coordination Polyhedra for Two Independent Neodymium(III) Ions

Abstract

The crystal structure of the complex of formula {|Nd(NCS)₃ (HMPA)₃‖ |Nd(NCS)₃ (HMPA)₄|} was determined by three-dimensional X-ray diffraction methods and refined anisotropically to a R=0.040. The compound crystallizes in the trigonal system, space group R3 (No 146), with a=19.947(3), b=19.947(3), c=20.106(3) Å, α=β=90, γ=120°, V=6928(4) ų, M=1891.4, Z=3, D_c=1.360 g cm^?3, λ(MoKα)=0.71073 Å, μ=1.4 cm^?1, F (000)=2922.01. There are two independent Nd³⁺ ions located in the three fold axis. One of them, located at the origin (000) is coordinated to nitrogen atoms of three symmetry related NCS^? anions which are below the (x y) plane (negative z) and also to the oxygen atoms of three symmetry related HMPA groups above that plane. The coordination polyhedron is a slightly distorted octahedron. The other Nd³⁺ ion is located at (00,0.5025(1)). It is coordinated to the nitrogen atoms of three symmetry related NCS^? anions above the (xy 1/2) plane and to oxygen atoms of three symmetry related HMPA groups below that plane. Another HMPA group has the O and P atoms located on the three-fold axis, above the (xy 1/2) plane. The coordination number is in this case 7 and the polyhedron is a capped trigonal antiprism. The mean distances are: Nd-N=2.44 Å, Nd-0=2.35 Å and Nd-N=2.52 Å, Nd-0=2.36 Å for the octahedron and antiprism configurations, respectively. (CNPq, FAPESP, FINEP)