Application of gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to the analysis of pesticides in fruits and vegetables

A new analytical method was devised using gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS-MS) for the routine analysis of 31 multi-class pesticide residues and approximately 8000 fresh fruit and vegetable samples (green bean, cucumber, pepper, tomato, eggplant, watermelon, melon, and marrow). Extraction of the pesticides with dichloromethane was carried out. The optimal ionization mode, either electron impact or chemical ionization, was selected for each pesticide in the same run. Carbofrit was used in the liner and combined with the selectivity of the detector this avoided additional clean-up. Thus, not only was money and time saved, the uncertainty of the method was decreased in its application to routine analysis. The average recoveries in cucumber obtained for each pesticide ranged between 71 and 119% at two different fortification levels (n=10 each) that ranged between 7 and 300 ng g(-1) (depending on the pesticide). The relative standard deviation was lower than 19% for all compounds tested. The calculated limits of detection and quantification were typically <1 ng g(-1) which were much lower than the maximum residue levels established by European legislations.     

Photobleaching of compounds of the 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis(m-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin Series (m-THPP,m-THPC,and m-THPBC)

[reaction: see text] 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis(m-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (m-THPP) yielded novel quinonoid porphyrins upon irradiation in aqueous methanol. True photobleaching was observed for 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(m-hydroxyphenyl)chlorin (m-THPC) and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(m-hydroxyphenyl)bacteriochlorin (m-THPBC) under the same conditions; several fragmentation products (imides, methyl p-hydroxybenzoate, dipyrrin derivatives) were recognized.     

Preorganization and reorganization as related factors in enzyme catalysis: the chorismate mutase case

In this paper a deeper insight into the chorismate-to prephenate-rearrangement, catalyzed by Bacillus subtilis chorismate mutase, is provided by means of a combination of statistical quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulation methods and hybrid potential energy surface exploration techniques. The main aim of this work is to present an estimation of the preorganization and reorganization terms of the enzyme catalytic rate enhancement. To analyze the first of these, we have studied different conformational equilibria of chorismate in aqueous solution and in the enzyme active site. Our conclusion is that chorismate mutase preferentially binds the reactive conformer of the substrate--that presenting a structure similar to the transition state of the reaction to be catalyzed--with shorter distances between the carbon atoms to be bonded and more diaxial character. With respect to the reorganization effect, an energy decomposition analysis of the potential energies of the reactive reactant and of the reaction transition state in aqueous solution and in the enzyme shows that the enzyme structure is better adapted to the transition structure. This means not only a more negative electrostatic interaction energy with the transition state but also a low enzyme deformation contribution to the energy barrier. Our calculations reveal that the structure of the enzyme is responsible for stabilizing the transition state structure of the reaction, with concomitant selection of the reactive form of the reactants. This is, the same enzymatic pattern that stabilizes the transition structure also promotes those reactant structures closer to the transition structure (i.e., the reactive reactants). In fact, both reorganization and preorganization effects have to be considered as the two faces of the same coin, having a common origin in the effect of the enzyme structure on the energy surface of the substrate.     

Conformational and photophysical studies on porphyrin-containing donor-bridge-acceptor compounds. Charge separation in micellar nanoreactors

Photophysical studies with semi-rigid, 1, and flexible, 2, donor-bridge-acceptor (D-b-A2+) molecules with D a porphyrin and A2+ a methyl viologen moiety, were performed in neat polar solvents as well as included in surfactant (DTAB) aqueous and in reverse AOT/n-alkane micelles. The micelles acted as nanoreactors for the photoinduced electron transfer reaction upon laser excitation. In spite of the longer lifetime of the charge separated (CS) state in the semi-rigid tetrad 1(ca. 200 ns vs. ca. 100 ns for the flexible dyad 2), the CS formation quantum yield, for example in acetonitrile, was lower for the former (phi(CS) = 0.13) than for the latter (0.58). Comparison of the time-resolved fluorescence data in neat solvent and in the micelles yielded the phi(CS) values in the dilute micellar solutions. Application of laser-induced optoacoustic spectroscopy at various temperatures to 1 dissolved in a polar organic solvent (benzonitrile, BZN) included in aqueous DTAB nanoreactors afforded structural volume changes for the production in hundreds of ps of the CS state upon excitation of a polar molecule. The contraction during CS formation upon excitation of the collapsed conformer in BZN is attributed to the entering of solvent into the open molecular cavity. The opening upon formation of the CS state due to photoinduced electron transfer in the 1 collapsed conformation arises from the repulsion of the two positively charged ends in this state, as previously calculated. Inclusion of 1 in reverse AOT micelles in various n-alkanes also led to a contraction upon excitation, but the data had much more error due to the limited range of variability of the ratio of thermoelastic parameters. The data obtained with the more flexible "supermolecule" 2 showed the predicted large conformation flexibility of these molecules.     

Study of the ESI-mass spectrometry ionization mechanism of Fischer carbene complexes

By means of deuterium-labeling experiments, we have carried out a systematic ESI-MS study to determine the mechanism of ESI ionization of alkenyl and alkynyl group 6 Fischer carbene complexes. These compounds can be ionized under ESI conditions only in the presence of additives such as hydroquinone (HQ) or tetrathiafulvalene (TTF). Our results demonstrate that in the ESI source an anion-radical is formed after the initial HQ- or TTF-mediated electron transfer to the metallic carbene complex. For alkenyl carbene complexes, this species evolves by extrusion of a hydrogen radical to form an allenylchromium anion that is detected as the [M - H](-) ion in the mass spectrum. The preference for this mechanistic pathway could be rationalized by DFT calculations. In the case of alkynyl carbene complexes, experiments combining deuterated substrate, additive, and solvent demonstrate that the previously proposed allene-anion carbene complex is not formed. Instead, the H transfer from the ethoxy group in the anion radical, followed by extrusion of a hydrogen radical, leads to an allenyl anion that is detected in the ESI-MS as [M - H - CO](-).     

Ab initio excited-state dynamics of the photoactive yellow protein chromophore

The photoisomerization mechanism of the neutral form of the photoactive yellow protein (PYP) chromophore is investigated using ab initio quantum chemistry and first-principles nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (ab initio multiple spawning or AIMS). We identify the nature of the two lowest-lying excited states, characterize the short-time behavior of molecules excited directly to S2, and explain the origin of the experimentally observed wavelength-dependent photoisomerization quantum yield.     

Sensitive spectrophotometric determination of vanadium with hydrogen peroxide and 2-(5-chloro-2-pyridylazo)-5-dimethylaminophenol after extraction with N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine

A selective and precise spectrophotometric determination of vanadium(V) is performed after preceding extraction with N-benzoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine (BPHA). The color is developed in a water-ethanol solution with hydrogen peroxide and 2-(5-chloro-2-pyridylazo)-5-dimethylaminophenol (5-Cl-DMPAP). The molar absorptivity at 588 nm is (6.57 ± 0.05) × 10⁴ L mol^–1 cm^–1 at pH 2.1. The method permits the determination of vanadium (V) at trace levels in the presence of large amounts of other ions. It is applied to the determination of vanadium in aluminium (analytical reagent grade) and in human hair. High accuracy and precision is obtained.     

Molecular ordering and 2D conductivity in ultrathin poly(3-hexylthiophene)/gold nanoparticle composite films

This paper reports the first comparison of the structure and electrical conductivity properties of spin cast (SC) and Langmuir-Schaeffer (LS) films of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). In addition, the effect of incorporating highly monodisperse Au nanoparticles (NPs), with a core diameter of approximately 5 nm, into SC and LS P3HT films is described. A detailed picture of molecular organization in the films has been obtained using ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray reflectivity. Film morphology was correlated with pseudo-two-dimensional conductivity measured using scanning electrochemical microscopy, with P3HT in the semiconducting regime. It was found that SC films, which were slightly thicker than those formed with the LS technique, exhibited greater organization. This resulted in an order of magnitude higher lateral conductivity for the SC films. Inclusion of Au NPs (50 wt %) into both SC and LS films resulted in the formation of uniform and relatively flat (rms roughness approximately 1 nm) composite films. Surprisingly, the addition of NPs did not disrupt the characteristic crystal structure found for the native P3HT films. The effect of Au NPs on film lateral conductivity was found to be determined by the distribution of Au NPs within the polymer, which varied significantly between SC and LS films. Whereas Au NPs aggregated into hexagonally packed clusters in SC films, NPs in LS films were predominantly uniformly distributed between the lamella bilayer. It was found that, while the inclusion of Au NPs caused the lateral conductivity to decrease in SC films, in LS films, the lateral conductivity increased by a factor of 2.     

Chiral separation of bupivacaine enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis partial-filling technique with human serum albumin as chiral selector

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a powerful technique for enantiomer separations due to its intrinsic high separation efficiencies, speed of analysis, low reagent consumption and small sample requirements. However, some chiral selectors present strong background UV absorption providing high detection limits. The present paper deals with the application of the partial-filling technique to the separation of bupivacaine enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis using human serum albumin (HSA) as chiral selector. In this procedure the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was used as a dinamic capillary coating in order to reduce the electro-osmotic flow and detect both bupivacaine enantiomers out of the chiral selector plug. Several experimental conditions such as CTAB concentration, pH, HSA concentration and plug length, background electrolyte concentration, temperature and voltage were studied. Under the selected conditions it is possible to detect the separated enantiomers out of the HSA plug in less than 4 min using 50 mM Tris pH 8 as background electrolyte with 50 microM CTAB, at 30 degrees C and using a separation voltage of 25 kV. The proposed methodology was then validated for analytical purposes and applied to the analysis of pharmaceutical preparations commercially available. The results obtained with the proposed methodology were in good agreement with those declared by the manufacturers. The simplicity, sample throughput, accuracy, reproducibility and low cost of the proposed method make it suitable for the control of the enantiomeric composition of bupivacaine in pharmaceuticals.     

Electronic detection of the enzymatic degradation of starch

[reaction: see text] The enzymatic degradation of starch can be monitored electronically using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as semiconducting probes in field-effect transistors (FETs). Incubation of these devices in aqueous buffer solutions of amyloglucosidase (AMG) results in the removal of the starch from both the silicon surfaces and the side walls of the SWNTs in the FETs, as evidenced by direct imaging and electronic measurements.