Determination of azadirachtin in agricultural matrixes and commercial formulations by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for azadirachtin (aza), a biopesticide from the neem tree (Azadirachta indica A. Juss). The immunogen was synthesized by epoxidation using the furan ring in the aza molecule. Rabbits were immunized with either bovine serum albumin (BSA)-azadirachtin or ovalbumin (OA)-azadirachtin conjugate. Evaluation of the antisera by antibody capture assay showed that the antibody titer of antisera raised against OA-aza was 1:30,000. An indirect competitive ELISA was developed with BSA-azadirachtin as coating antigen and aza-specific antibodies raised against OA-aza immunogen. The immunoassay showed an inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 75 ppb, with a range of detection from 0.5 to 1,000 ppb for azadirachtin [based on regression analysis, y= 85.87 (-18.89x); r2 = -0.97]. Cross-reactivity of the antibodies with 2 aza- derivatives (22,23-dihydro-23beta-methoxy azadirachtin and 3-tigloylazadirachtol) was 33 and 29%, respectively. The indirect competitive ELISA was validated and evaluated by quantitating aza in spiked agricultural commodities and from neem formulations. Azadirachtin was spiked into 5 different agricultural commodities: tomato, brinjal, coffee, tea, and cotton seed at 500 and 1,000 ppb and recovered at 62-100%. In samples drawn from 6 lots, the aza content in neem-seed kernels ranged from 0.1 to 0.15%; in commercial neem formulations the content ranged from 200 to 2,000 ppm. The method developed may be applied to environmental monitoring of aza and quality assurance studies of aza-based commercial formulations.     

Investigation of ground state in sodium doped neodymium manganites

With a view to understand the ground state of charge ordered sodium doped neodymium manganites, electrical and magnetic studies were carried out using different measurement protocols and is found to be ferromagnetic. The anomalous low temperature behavior was explained by hindered first-order transition with glass like arrest of kinetics.     

A novel similarity measure between intuitionistic fuzzy sets based on the mid points of transformed triangular fuzzy numbers with applications to pattern recognition and medical diagnosis

Similarity measure is an essential tool to compare and determine the degree of similarity between intuitionistic fuzzy sets(IFSs). In this paper, a new similarity measure between intuitionistic fuzzy sets based on the mid points of transformed triangular fuzzy numbers is proposed. The proposed similarity measure provides reasonable results not only for the sets available in the literature but also gives very reasonable results, especially for fuzzy sets as well as for most intuitionistic fuzzy sets. To provide supportive evidence, the proposed similarity measure is tested on certain sets available in literature and is also applied to pattern recognition and medical diagnosis problems. It is observed that the proposed similarity measure provides a very intuitive quantification.     

Thermodynamics of BaNd2Fe2O7(s) and BaNdFeO4(s) in the system BaNdFeO

Two compounds, BaNd₂Fe₂O₇(s) and BaNdFeO₄(s) in the quaternary system BaNdFeO were prepared by citrate-nitrate gel combustion route and characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. Heat capacities of these two oxides were measured in two different temperature ranges: (i) 130-325 K and (ii) 310-845 K, using a heat flux type differential scanning calorimeter. Two different types of solid-state electrochemical cells with CaF₂(s) as the solid electrolyte were employed to measure the e.m.f. as a function of temperature. The standard molar Gibbs energies of formation of these quaternary oxides were calculated as a function of temperature from the e.m.f. data. The standard molar enthalpies of formation from elements at 298.15 K, ΔfHm° (298.15 K) and the standard entropies, Sm° (298.15 K) of these oxides were calculated by the second law method. The values of ΔfHm° (298.15 K) and Sm° (298.15 K) obtained for BaNd₂Fe₂O₇(s) are: −2756.9 kJ mol⁻¹ and 234.0 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹ whereas those for BaNdFeO₄(s) are: −2061.5 kJ mol⁻¹ and 91.6 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹, respectively.     

On the proof and disproof of natural product stereostructures: characterization and analysis of a twenty-eight member stereoisomer library of murisolins and their Mosher ester derivatives

Characterizing a stereoisomer library of 28 of the 64 possible isomers of the acetogenin murisolin, including 24 of the 32 possible diastereomers, provides a complete picture of the spectra of this class of molecules. Remarkably, each of the 32 diastereomers exhibits one of only six sets of substantially identical (1)H NMR spectra under standard conditions. These spectra follow directly from a local symmetry analysis of the dihydroxy-THF fragment of the molecule and provide no information about the configuration about the hydroxybutenolide. Eighteen tris-Mosher ester derivatives of library members have been made, and their spectra were analyzed to give a complete picture of the usefulness of chiral derivatives. The tris-Mosher esters of the 64 isomers of murisolin will exhibit 40 sets of spectra: 16 isomers have unique spectra whereas 24 isomers share an identical spectrum with one other isomer. This identity occurs even though the pairs of compounds were already diastereomers (not enantiomers) before the derivatization. The complete set of spectra allows any murisolin or closely related compound to be narrowed to one or two structures by simple matching and without recourse to assignment and subtraction of resonances. The structure of murisolin was proved to be the 4R,15R,16R,19R,20R,34S isomer, whereas the assignment of 16,19-cis-murisolin as RRRSSS was changed to the RSSRRS diastereomer and murisolin A is suggested to be RSRRRS.     

Total synthesis of a 28-member stereoisomer library of murisolins

Total syntheses of two 16-member libraries of murisolin isomers are reported. In the first library, fluorous PMB (p-methoxybenzyl) groups encode configurations, and four mixtures of four dihydroxy-tetrahydrofurans are prepared by Shi epoxidation followed (optionally) by Mitsunobu reaction. The mixtures are coupled by Kocienski-Julia reaction with a single hydroxybutenolide followed by hydrogenation. Demixing and detagging provide the 16 pure stereoisomers. In the second synthesis, a single mixture of four fluorous-tagged dihydroxy-tetrahydrofurans is coupled with a four-compound mixture of hydroxybutenolides that bear derivatives of DMB (dimethoxybenzyl) groups with oligoethylene glycol (OEG) units that encode the configurations at C4 and C34. The 16-compound mixture is subjected to hydrogenation, double demixing, and detagging to provide the 16 isomerically pure murisolins. Twelve of these isomers are new, while four match samples from the first library.     

Unusual reaction of chloramine-T with araldoximes

Reaction of araldoximes with 4 equiv of chloramine-T in refluxing methanol produces N-(p-tolyl)-N-(p-tosyl)benzamides via addition of 2 equiv of chloramine-T to the intermediate nitrile oxide followed by extrusion of sulfur dioxide.     

Asymmetric synthesis of the highly methylated tryptophan portion of the hemiasterlin tripeptides

[reaction: see text] The asymmetric synthesis of the methylated tryptophan portion of hemiasterlin peptides is described. The key reactions are a SnCl4-mediated ring opening of epoxynitriles or epoxysulfones by N-methylindole followed by an asymmetric Strecker reaction. A second approach involving opening of glycidic esters by indoles is also described.