GC-MS analysis of aroma of Medemia argun (mama-n-khanen or mama-n-xanin), an ancient Egyptian fruit palm

The fruits of the edible and medicinal Egyptian palm, Medemia argun, were collected from Aswan in Egypt and the essential oil (EO) from fruits and headspace (HS) of the seeds and fleshy mesocarps were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Results obtained by GC-MS analysis indicated a high variability in the oil and in the headspace from seeds and mesocarps. Sesquiterpene derivatives were the main group of volatiles in the EO from fruits and in the HS from seeds (45.0 and 64.0%, respectively), while oxygenated hydrocarbon derivatives were the main constituents in the HS obtained from fleshy mesocarps (96.5%). The different chemical composition of the headspace obtained from the seeds and mesocarps of M. argun can be correlated with the different roles that the different constituents play in the prevention of dehydration of the fruits in the desert region from where the plant was collected.     

Concentration Dependence of Anti- and Pro-Oxidant Activity of Polyphenols as Evaluated with a Light-Emitting Fe2+-Egta-H2O2 System

Hydroxyl radical (^•OH) scavenging and the regeneration of Fe²⁺ may inhibit or enhance peroxidative damage induced by a Fenton system, respectively. Plant polyphenols reveal the afore-mentioned activities, and their cumulative net effect may determine anti- or pro-oxidant actions. We investigated the influence of 17 phenolics on ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) from a modified Fenton system (92.6 µmol/L Fe²⁺, 185.2 µmol/L EGTA (ethylene glycol-bis(β-aminoethyl-ether)-N,N,N′,N,-tetraacetic acid) and 2.6 mmol/L H₂O₂ pH = 7.4). A total of 8 compounds inhibited (antioxidant effect), and 5 enhanced (pro-oxidant effect) UPE at all studied concentrations (5 to 50 µmol/L). A total of 4 compounds altered their activity from pro- to antioxidant (or vice versa) along with increasing concentrations. A total of 3 the most active of those (ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid and cyanidin 3-O-glucoside; mean UPE enhancement by 63%, 5% and 445% at 5 µmol/L; mean UPE inhibition by 28%, 94% and 24% at 50 µmol/L, respectively) contained catechol or methoxyphenol structures that are associated with effective ^•OH scavenging and Fe²⁺ regeneration. Most likely, these structures can determine the bidirectional, concentration-dependent activity of some phenolics under stable in vitro conditions. This is because the concentrations of the studied compounds are close to those occurring in human fluids, and this phenomenon should be considered in the case of dietary supplementation with isolated phenolics.     

On Physically Unacceptable Numerical Solutions Yielding Strong Chaotic Signals

Physically unacceptable chaotic numerical solutions of nonlinear circuits and systems are discussed in this paper. First, as an introduction, a simple example of a wrong choice of a numerical solver to deal with a second-order linear ordinary differential equation is presented. Then, the main result follows with the analysis of an ill-designed numerical approach to solve and analyze a particular nonlinear memristive circuit. The obtained trajectory of the numerical solution is unphysical (not acceptable), as it violates the presence of an invariant plane in the continuous systems. Such a poor outcome is then turned around, as we look at the unphysical numerical solution as a source of strong chaotic sequences. The 0–1 test for chaos and bifurcation diagrams are applied to prove that the unacceptable (from the continuous system point of view) numerical solutions are, in fact, useful chaotic sequences with possible applications in cryptography and the secure transmission of data.     

From Colloidal Dispersions of Zeolite Monolayers to Effective Solid Catalysts in Transformations of Bulky Organic Molecules: Role of Freeze-Drying and Dialysis

We investigated the properties and catalytic activity of zeolites with MWW topology obtained by unprecedented liquid exfoliation of the MCM-56 zeolite into solutions of monolayers and isolation/reassembly of the dispersed layers by various methods, with optional purification by dialysis or ammonium exchange. The layers were recovered by flocculation with alcohol or ammonium nitrate and freeze-drying. Flocculation alone, even with ammonium nitrate, did not ensure removal of residual sodium cations resulting in catalysts with low activity. Dialysis of the solutions with dispersed monolayers proved to be efficient in removing sodium cations and preserving microporosity. The monolayers were also isolated as solids by freeze-drying. The highest BET area and pore volume obtained with the freeze-dried sample confirmed lyophilization efficiency in preserving layer structure. The applied test reaction, Friedel–Crafts alkylation of mesitylene, showed high benzyl alcohol conversion due to increased concentration of accessible acid centers caused by the presence of secondary mesoporosity. The applied treatments did not change the acid strength of the external acid sites, which are the most important ones for converting bulky organic molecules. Zeolite acidity was not degraded in the course of exfoliation into monolayers, showing the potential of such colloid dispersions for the formation of active catalysts.     

A binuclear tantalum(III) complex with a bridging carboxylato ligand

Ta₂Cl₆(SMe₂)₃ reacts with one equivalent of C₄H₉CO₂Li to give a complex with a bridging carboxylate ligand, Ta₂Cl₅(O₂CC₄H₉)(SMe₂)(THF)₂. The product was isolated in two crystalline forms, 1 and 2, from a THF/hexane and benzene/hexane solvent mixture, respectively. The following are the unit cell parameters, for 1: monoclinic (P2₁/n), a = 10.537(5) Å, b = 22.015(4) Å, c = 11.663(4) Å, β = 107.80(3)°, V = 2576(3) ų, and Z = 4; for 2: monoclinic (P2₁/c), a = 15.584(4) Å, b = 15.647(4) Å, c = 11.275(3) Å, β = 106.04(5)°, V = 2642(3) ų and Z = 4. The complex is a dimer with a distorted octahedra-sharing-an-edge geometry. The TaTa distances in 1 and 2 were 2.766(1) Å and 2.779(1) Å, respectively, which is somewhat longer than in previously reported Nb(III) and Ta(III) dinuclear compounds. Diamagnetism of the complex is shown by NMR. Fenske—Hall calculations, which correctly predict an electronic transition at about 16,000 cm^?1, indicate a double TaTa bond. The observed elongation of the metalmetal bond is attributed mainly to steric crowding. The complex is the first proven low-valent Ta species with a coordinated carboxylate ion.     

Distance distributions recovered from steady-state fluorescence measurements on thirteen donor-acceptor pairs with different Förster distances

The end-to-end distance distribution of a flexible molecule was recovered from steady-state fluorescence energy transfer measurements using the method suggested by Cantor and Pechukas (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 68, 2099–2101, 1971). In this method, the Förster distance (R ₀) is varied by attaching different donor-acceptor (D-A) pairs to the flexible linker of interest. Distance distributions are then recovered from energy transfer efficiency measurements on the set of D-A pairs with differentR ₀ values. Thirteen D-A pair compounds were synthesized withR ₀ values ranging from 6 to 32 Å. Each compound contained a tryptamine donor linked by an alkyl chain (10 carbons) to 1 of 13 acceptors. Using these compounds, we have experimentally confirmed the Cantor and Pechukas method for recovering distance distributions. The measured transfer efficiencies, as a function ofR ₀, were fit to the transfer efficiencies predicted for both Gaussian and skewed Gaussian distance distributions. The data support the existence of a skewed Gaussian distribution, and we believe that this is the first experimental observation of an asymmetric distribution for a flexible molecule using fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements. Finally, the experimentally recovered distance distribution was found to be in good agreement with the distribution predicted from the rotational isomeric state model of Flory (Statistical Mechanics of Chain Molecules, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1969, Chaps. 1, 3, and 5) but not with the predicted distribution for a freely rotating or freely jointed chain.     

Application of the iodine-azide reaction to the catalytic determination of divalent sulphur compounds in alcoholic medium: Determination of ethylenethiourea in some biological materials

A new catalytic method for the determination of divalent sulphur compounds, which are soluble or insoluble in water, based on the iodine–azide reaction in various alcoholic solutions is described. As model divalent sulphur catalysts the sodium sulphide and thiourea were chosen. Determination of ethylenethiourea in alcoholic extracts from apples and bananas was an example of practical application of the proposed method. To that purpose five previous elaborated techniques were adopted: titration, volumetric, gas chromatographic, enthalpimetric and potentiometric. The effect of other organic solvents, salts, acids and pH on the determination of divalent sulphur catalysts was also evaluated.     

A Convenient Synthesis of 2-Phenylglycerol

1,3-Dihydroxyacetone dimer is treated with trimethylsilyl chloride and triethylamine in dichloromethane to provide monomeric ketone having both of its alcohols protected as their di-TMS ethers. The latter is added to phenylmagnesium bromide in ether at -78°C. Work-up by treatment with aqueous ammonium chloride followed by 2 N HCl provides 2-phenylglycerol in 70% yield     

A Convenient Synthesis of the Orthogonally-Protected Benzodiazepine-2,5-Dione Scaffold

We have identified the benzodiazepine-2,5-dione 4 as a convenient, orthogonally-protected template, suitable for parallel solid-phase chemistry. Scaffold 4 offers superior stability, compared to other, analogous benzodiazepine-2,5-diones, such as A. We describe a gram-scale synthesis of 4 in six steps and in 25% yield.