Quantitative analysis of nine coumarins in rat urine and bile after oral administration of Radix Glehniae extract by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Coumarins are the primary bioactive ingredients in Radix Glehniae, named Beishashen in China, which possesses many pharmacological activities, including anticancer, anti‐inflammation and antivirus activities. In the present study, we employed a sensitive and selective high‐performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS) method for the quantification of nine coumarins in rat urine and bile: scopoletin ( 1 ), xanthotoxol ( 2 ), xanthotoxin ( 3 ), psoralen ( 4 ), isoimpinellin ( 5 ), bergapten ( 6 ), oxypeucedanin ( 7 ), imperatorin ( 8 ) and isoimperatorin ( 9 ). Pimpinellin ( 10 ) was used as the internal standard (IS). The urine and bile samples were pretreated by liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate (EtOAc). The chromatographic separation was carried out on a C₁₈ column with gradient elution. The detection of analytes was performed on a tandem mass system equipped with a turbo ion spray interface in positive mode using multiple‐reaction monitoring (MRM). The specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, recovery, matrix effect and several stabilities were validated for coumarins in rat urine and bile samples. The results showed that this method is robust, specific and sensitive and it can successfully fulfill the requirements of the excretion study of the nine coumarins in Radix Glehniae. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The importance of ion size and electrode curvature on electrical double layers in ionic liquids

Room-temperature ionic liquids (ILs) are an emerging class of electrolytes for supercapacitors. We investigate the effects of ion size and electrode curvature on the electrical double layers (EDLs) in two ILs 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [BMIM][Cl] and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [BMIM][PF(6)], using a combination of molecular dynamics (MD) and quantum density functional theory (DFT) simulations. The sizes of the counter-ion and co-ion affect the ion distribution and orientational structure of EDLs. The EDL capacitances near both planar and cylindrical electrodes were found to follow the order: [BMIM][Cl] (near the positive electrode) > [BMIM][PF(6)] (near the positive electrode) ≈ [BMIM][Cl] (near the negative electrode) ≈ [BMIM][PF(6)] (near the negative electrode). The EDL capacitance was also found to increase as the electrode curvature increases. These capacitance data can be fit to the Helmholtz model and the recently proposed exohedral electrical double-cylinder capacitor (xEDCC) model when the EDL thickness is properly parameterized, even though key features of the EDLs in ILs are not accounted for in these models. To remedy the shortcomings of existing models, we propose a "Multiple Ion Layers with Overscreening" (MILO) model for the EDLs in ILs that takes into account two critical features of such EDLs, i.e., alternating layering of counter-ions and co-ions and charge overscreening. The capacitance computed from the MILO model agrees well with the MD prediction. Although some input parameters of the MILO model must be obtained from MD simulations, the MILO model may provide a new framework for understanding many important aspects of EDLs in ILs (e.g., the variation of EDL capacitance with the electrode potential) that are difficult to interpret using classical EDL models and experiments.     

Preparation and characterization of magnetic chitosan microsphere sorbent for separation and determination of environmental estrogens through SPE coupled with HPLC

In this paper, a new separation sorbent of magnetic chitosan microsphere was prepared by means of suspension process using magnetic-Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles as magnetic material and glutaraldehyde as the cross-linker. The morphology and properties of magnetic chitosan microspheres were characterized by FT-IR, SEM and adsorption test, and the results showed that they had good recognition, high selective ability and fast adsorption-desorption dynamics for estriol (E3), 17β-estradiol (E2) and diethylstilbestrol (DES). Applying this material as SPE sorbent, a method for separation, enrichment and analysis of estrogens in samples coupled with HPLC was developed. Under the optimized condition, the detection limit (S/N=3) for three estrogens was 3.2-20.1 ng/L, and the RSD for five replicate extractions of 50 μg/L E3, E2 and DES was 4.6-8.3%. The blank river water spiked with E3, E2 and DES at 0.05 and 0.2 mg/L levels were extracted and determined by the developed method with good recoveries ranging from 85.5 to 103.7%.     

烯丙基类不对称醚异构化反应机理的理论研究

采用MP2和密度泛函M06-2X方法,在6-31++G(d,p)基组水平上对烯丙基类不对称醚异构化反应机理进行了计算研究. 揭示了其可能的反应途径,预测了互变异构吉布斯自由能,活化能等性质. 计算结果表明,在没有金催化剂的条件下,尽管有醇溶剂时异构化活化能垒有所降低,异构化反应依然不容易进行. 相反,存在金催化剂并且有醇溶剂情况下,烯丙基类不对称醚异构化反应活化自由能大大降低,仅为7.5 kcal/mol. 通过比较有无醇溶剂和金催化剂对异构化的影响,揭示了金烯烃络合和醇分子参与反应以质子转移的异构化反应机理,很好解释了实验中观察的现象. 计算结果还表明：醇分子不仅参与反应提供质子转移,它还能与醚竞争金催化剂络合,因此在高浓度醇条件下会抑制异构化反应进行.     

HeI photoelectron spectroscopic study of the electronic structure of SSF2 and FSSF compounds

HeI photoelectron (PE) spectra are re-recorded for SSF₂ and FSSF. The assignment of bands has been made with the aid of band shapes, band intensities and ab initio calculations. In the PE spectrum of SSF₂, two sharp peaks at 10.48 and 11.22 eV are considered to result from through-space interaction of lone-pair orbitals in the two S atoms and two sharp peaks at 12.50 and 12.90 eV from through-space interaction of lone-pair orbitals in the two F atoms. The larger splitting of the S atoms can be attributed to the larger 3p orbital of S. The lack of sharp peaks in the PE spectrum of FSSF shows that there is no orbital which embodies the character of a lone-pair. So the PE spectra of SSF₂ and FSSF are examples embodying through-space interaction of lone-pair orbitals.     

Porous polymer films and honeycomb structures based on amphiphilic dendronized block copolymers

Fabrication of honeycomb patterned films from our synthesized amphiphilic dendronized block copolymer by "on-solid surface spreading" method and "on-water spreading" method was reported for the first time in this paper. The comparison of the two methods indicated honeycomb-patterned films with smaller size, and larger surface density of micropores can be fabricated by spreading on water but with lower regular arrangement. Furthermore, several influencing factors on the formation of the honeycomb structure and the different morphologies, such as the concentration of the copolymer solution and the relative humidity in the atmosphere and the substrates, were investigated. The results showed that comparably high relative humidity from 80% to 95% was needed, and the mica plate as a spreading substrate was suitable to form orderly porous films for such a copolymer. The best ordered pattern could be formed from the copolymer with concentration of 1.00 mg/mL at the relative humidity of 85% using a mica plate. Besides, strong periodicity, regularity, and a large, defect-free area were notable, which made this structure extremely interesting for applications for templated molecular objects formed via intramolecular metal or metal oxide synthesis.     

A computational study of the addition reaction of cyclopropenylidene with methyleneimine

The reaction mechanism between cyclopropenylidene and methyleneimine has been systematically investigated at the MP2/6–31+G* level of theory, including geometry optimization, vibrational analysis, and energy property for the involved stationary points on the potential energy surface. The energies of the different species are calculated by the single point energy calculations of CCSD(T)/6-31+G*//MP2/6-31+G* level. It was found that an important initial intermediate (INTA) characterized by spiro-compound structure has been located along the three pathways (1), (2R), and (2L) firstly. After that, another common intermediate (INTB) has been formed via TSB. At last, three different products possessing three- and four-membered ring characters have been obtained through corresponding reaction pathways. In the first reaction pathway (1), a three-membered ring alkyne compound has been obtained. As for the other two reaction pathways (2R) and (2L), the four-membered ring conjugated diene compound has been produced. As a result, the energy barrier of the rate-determining step of the pathway (1) is lower than that of the pathway (2R) and (2L), and the ultima product of pathway (2R) and (2L) is more stable than that of the pathway (1).     

A versatile approach to PI(3,4)P2, PI(4,5)P2, and PI(3,4,5)P3 from L-(-)-quebrachitol

[reaction: see text] A versatile synthesis of PI(3,4)P2, PI(4,5)P2, and PI(3,4,5)P3 is disclosed, starting from L-(-)-quebrachitol, a byproduct of latex production. The crystalline nature of most intermediates and the utilization of inexpensive protecting groups facilitate this synthetic route and its scale-up.