Chiral Compounds Synthesized by Biocatalytic Reductions [New Synthetic Methods (51)]

It has been known for many decades that chiral compounds can be obtained by stereospecific biocatalytic reduction. Further significant methodological developments in this field have, however, only been made during the past ten years; they include the application of previously unused microorganisms and electron donors, the discovery of additional substrates for the known reductases, the development of methods for regenerating reduced pyridine nucleotides, and the discovery of new reductases which were sought for specific preparative purposes. Many chiral compounds can now be synthesized by microbial hydrogenation using H₂ and hydrogenase-containing microorganisms as well as by electromicrobial or electroenzymatic reduction. In the two latter methods, anaerobic or aerobic organisms are supplied with electrons from electrochemically reduced, artificial mediators, e.g., methyl viologen. Reductases that do not require pyridine nucleotides and can accept electrons directly from reduced viologens are especially useful. Two examples of this type of enzyme are described which are of preparative interest. Many cells contain methyl viologen-dependent NAD(P) reductases, a large number of which have still not been characterized. A productivity number is proposed which allows different methods of bioconversion with microorganisms to be compared. The productivity numbers of compounds synthesized by the methods described in this review are often 10- to 100-fold higher than those of substances obtained by conventional techniques.     

Analytical Detectors Based on Microplasma Spectrometry

Miniaturizing all dimensions of apparatus, such as electronics and computers, is the current trend followed by scientists in various fields. The idea of Lab-on-a-Chip has significantly expanded and found its broad applications in analytical chemistry. Microplasmas can act as a sample excitation source and are the miniaturized versions of full-sized plasmas. These can be created in various forms, such as direct current, microwave induced, capacitively coupled and inductively coupled plasmas. Scaling down the size would reduce the amount of gases, liquids and consumables required, as well as the sample analysis time, which in turn would decrease the operating costs. Therefore, several research groups are involved in the development of microplasmas for utilisation in analytical instruments.     

7-Substituted prostaglandin analogues. A new synthetic approach

Starting from methyl 7-oxo-7-(1-cyclopentene)-heptanoate, a simple synthesis of the methyl esters of 7-oxo- and 7-hydroxy-9,11-dideoxy-PGF ₁ as a model for 7-substituted prostaglandin analogues is described.

---

7-Substituierte Prostaglandin-Analoge — ein neuer Syntheseweg

Zusammenfassung Ausgehend von Methyl-7-oxo-7-(1-cyclopenten)-heptanoat wird eine einfache Synthese der Methylester von 7-Oxo- und 7-Hydroxy-9,11-dideoxy-PGF ₁ als Modellverbindungen für 7-substituierte Prostaglandinanaloge beschrieben.

     

Comparison of quantitative methods for analysis of polyphasic pharmaceuticals

Adequate very sensitive quantification methods are needed for the development and are also now required for the monitoring of undesirable solid form(s) as routine tests. The pre-requisite for quantitation are selectivity, sensitivity and most important the purity of standards and their proper storage, what is a challenge for metastable forms. Several analytical techniques are available such as X-ray diffraction, spectroscopy, thermal analysis and microcalorimetry. The different steps of the validation of the analytical methods and problems to be solved are discussed. Examples illustrate the different techniques and compare their possible advantages and limits. The relative standard deviation of measurements should allow for checking the homogenization procedure of mixtures for calibration. The validation should be carried out following ICH guidelines for validation of analytical methods. Comparison of different techniques in adequate concentration range add confidence in the analytical results.     

Temperature influence on hydrogen sorption in palladium limited-volume electrodes (Pd-LVE)

The effect of temperature on hydrogen and deuterium electrosorption into a palladium LVE (limited-volume electrode) has been investigated. A decrease in hydrogen capacity (H/Pd ratio) with increasing temperature has been observed. Temperature strongly influences the plots of measured H(D)/Pd values vs. potential scan rate. In addition, hydrogen absorption was found to be dependent on the composition of the surrounding electrolyte solution. These results have confirmed the hypothesis that two different mechanisms of hydrogen desorption from the palladium electrode take place, namely electrochemical oxidation and non-electrochemical recombination. Further, the ratio between the rate constants for these two processes has been found to change with temperature. Electronic Publication