Developing qualitative extraction profiles of coffee aromas utilizing polymeric ionic liquid sorbent coatings in headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Two solid-phase microextraction (SPME) sorbent coatings based on polymeric ionic liquids (PILs) have been utilized for the analysis of complex coffee aroma samples. The PIL-based SPME coatings examined, namely, poly(1-(4-vinylbenzyl)-3-hexadecylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide) [poly(VBHDIm⁺ NTf₂⁻)], with ∼14-μm thickness, and poly(1-vinyl-3-hexylimidazolium chloride) [poly(ViHIm⁺ Cl⁻)], with ∼8-μm thickness, were employed for the headspace determination of up to 49 analytes from four different coffee beans: two French roast coffees of different brands, Sumatra coffee, and decaffeinated Sumatra coffee. The analysis was conducted using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. For comparative purposes, the commercial polyacrylate (PA, 85-μm film thickness) SPME coating was utilized under the same extraction conditions. The three SPME coatings tested behaved quite differently as a function of the families of compounds extracted. Thus, the poly(VBHDIm⁺ NTf₂⁻) coating was extremely selective for aldehydes while also exhibiting good extraction efficiencies for acids. The poly-(ViHIm⁺ Cl⁻) coating exhibited superior performance for aromatic alcohols, and the PA coating worked better for heterocyclic aromatics. Both PIL-based SPME sorbent coatings demonstrated exceptional selectivity and extraction efficiency when dealing with complex coffee aromas in spite of their small film thicknesses.     

Electrochemical Immunosensor for the Determination of Total Ghrelin Hormone in Saliva

An electrochemical immunosensor for ghrelin (GHRL) determination in saliva is reported. Anti‐GHRL was immobilized onto Protein G‐magnetic beads and a competitive immunoassay involving biotinylated GHRL and alkaline phosphatase‐streptavidin was implemented. Once conjugate was magnetically captured on a screen‐printed carbon electrode, GHRL quantization was accomplished by DPV of 1‐naphtol formed upon addition of 1‐naphtyl phosphate. A linear range between 10^?3 and 10³ ng/mL GHRL, and a LOD of 7 pg/mL, much smaller than those from commercial ELISA kits, were found. The usefulness of the immunosensor was demonstrated by analyzing human saliva spiked with GHRL at 0.01, 0.1, 1 and 10 ng/mL.     

Theoretical nitrogen NMR chemical shifts in octahedral boron nitride cages

We have calculated the geometrical structure, relative stability, and nitrogen chemical shifts of five boron nitride hollow octahedral cages using density functional theory. Our results show three typical ranges for nitrogen chemical shifts corresponding to each of the nonequivalent magnetic sites of the N atoms. The principal component of the electric field gradient tensor at each 14N site in boron nitride cages is predicted to be much smaller than the corresponding value in borazine, which should reflect in sharper spectral lines and much better resolution.     

The structure of pyrazoles in the solid state: a combined CPMAS, NMR, and crystallographic study

The structures of six N-unsubstituted pyrazoles, three already known and three newly synthesized, have been studied by a combination of X-ray crystallography, multinuclear NMR (solution and solid state), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In those cases where crystal structure and CPMAS NMR were available, the agreement was almost perfect, allowing a prediction of the tautomer (with certitude) and the tetrameric structure (with high probability) in the case of 5-isopropyl-3-phenyl-1H-pyrazole without knowing the X-ray structure. In the case of the 5-(2-benzylphenyl)-3-trifluoromethyl-1H-pyrazole above represented, the DFT calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G level justify the great stability of this tautomer by the presence of an intramolecular N-H...pi interaction, present in solution.     

Effects of citrate on the composition and enzymic coagulation of colloidal bovine casein aggregates

Colloidal casein aggregates (CCA) prepared from soluble whole bovine caseinates in the presence of Ca²⁺ and phosphate (Pi) ions by addition of different citrate (Cit) concentrations showed different mineral and proteic composition. Citrate concentration conditions the Ca and Pi concentrations incorporated into CCA, probably due to the complexing effect of this anion on calcium. A significant change in the incorporated Ca/Pi ratio at 8 mM citrate could very likely be associated to changes in CCA net charge. The incorporation of individual caseins to the colloidal particles obtained, as well as their average size and size distribution, depended also on the Cit concentration used [Cit]_P. α_S- and β-caseins assembled in the CCA structure sharply decreased at a [Cit]_P higher than 15 mM, i.e., at a low Ca²⁺ concentration in the aggregates, showing that the presence of this cation is necessary for the incorporation of these caseins. An inverse relationship between the aggregation step rate in CCA enzymic coagulation and their average size was observed. The aggregation rate vs the average size curve obtained at [Cit]_P 8 mM clearly differed from the curves obtained at 10 and 12 mM, respectively, a fact probably related to a change in the CCA net charge. This behavior showed the effect of citrate concentration on CCA functional properties.     

Synthetic,Mechanistic, and Theoretical Studies on the Generation of Iridium Hydride Alkylidene and Iridium Hydride Alkene Isomers

Experimental and theoretical studies on equilibria between iridium hydride alkylidene structures, [(Tp^Me2)Ir(H){?C(CH₂R)ArO }] (Tp^Me2=hydrotris(3,5‐dimethylpyrazolyl)borate; R=H, Me; Ar=substituted C₆H₄ group), and their corresponding hydride olefin isomers, [(Tp^Me2)Ir(H){R(H)C? C(H)OAr}], have been carried out. Compounds of these types are obtained either by reaction of the unsaturated fragment [(Tp^Me2)Ir(C₆H₅)₂] with o‐C₆H₄(OH)CH₂R, or with the substituted anisoles 2,6‐Me₂C₆H₃OMe, 2,4,6‐Me₃C₆H₂OMe, and 4‐Br‐2,6‐Me₂C₆H₂OMe. The reactions with the substituted anisoles require not only multiple C? H bond activation but also cleavage of the Me? OAr bond and the reversible formation of a C? C bond (as revealed by ¹³C labeling studies). Equilibria between the two tautomeric structures of these complexes were achieved by prolonged heating at temperatures between 100 and 140 °C, with interconversion of isomeric complexes requiring inversion of the metal configuration, as well as the expected migratory insertion and hydrogen‐elimination reactions. This proposal is supported by a detailed computational exploration of the mechanism at the quantum mechanics (QM) level in the real system. For all compounds investigated, the equilibria favor the alkylidene structure over the olefinic isomer by a factor of between approximately 1 and 25. Calculations demonstrate that the main reason for this preference is the strong Ir–carbene interactions in the carbene isomers, rather than steric destabilization of the olefinic tautomers.     

Functional Janus dendrimers containing carbazole with liquid crystalline,optical and electrochemical properties

ABSTRACT

Novel liquid crystalline Janus dendrimers that combine a mesogenic block and an electroactive block have been synthesised. The mesogenic block is based on two third-generation Percec-type dendrons bearing six or eight terminal dodecyloxy alkyl chains, whereas the electroactive blocks are formed by one or two carbazole units. The liquid crystal behaviour was investigated by polarised-light optical microscopy, differential scanning microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The Janus dendrimers with one electroactive unit exhibited cubic or columnar liquid crystal phases, whereas the Janus dendrimers with two electroactive units did not show liquid crystalline behaviour. The UV-vis absorption and emission properties of the Janus dendrimers were investigated. The spectra suggested the existence of π-π stacking and the formation of aggregates in the solid state. Electrodeposition of the carbazole-containing dendrimers afforded semi-globular particles in which the number of electropolymerizable units and the flexible or rigid character of the linker have a decisive influence in the particle size.     

Analytical applications of second-order calibration methods

Second-order calibration methods are gaining widespread acceptance among the analytical community mainly because: (1) a wide range of analytical instrumentation is available that enables high dimensionality data to be obtained; (2) the chemometric techniques for treating these data are highly developed; and (3) they have the so-called “second-order advantage”, i.e. they can predict the concentration of the analyte of interest even in the presence of unknown interferents. This also enables several analytes to be determined simultaneously.In this paper we describe the most common instrumental and chemometric techniques used in second-order calibration and discuss their applications since 2000. First, we introduce briefly the techniques and then we comment the applications. Given the practical nature of this paper, we have classified the techniques according to five fields of application: pharmaceuticals, biological matrices, foods, environmental matrices and synthetic matrices.     

A Novel Coordination Polymer Based on Decavanadate Units Linked by Copper(II) Ethylenediamine Complexes

Summary: A novel coordination polymer[{Cu(en)₂}(V₁₀O₂₈)]_n · 2n[Cu(en)₂(H₂O)] · 2n(H₃BO₃) · 2n(H₂O) was obtained by hydrothermal reaction. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, in the C2/c space group, with a = 26.490 (3) Å; b = 11.6558 (11) Å; c = 19.8426 (19) Å; β = 124.011 (1)°; V = 5078.6(8) ų. The solid structure is formed by polymeric chains, [Cu(en)₂(H₂O)]²⁺ cations, and boric acid and water solvate molecules, stabilized through a multiple hydrogen bond network.