Thermoanalytical study of selected transition bivalent metal complexes with 5-carbaldehyde-4-methylimidazole

To compare thermal stability of Co(II), Zn(II), and Cd(II) complexes with 4-CHO-5-MeIm, the two compounds of formula [MnL₂(NO₃)₂] and [NiL₃](NO₃)₂ have been prepared and structurally characterized. Elemental analysis and spectroscopic studies have confirmed a bidentate fashion of coordination of the ligand to Mn(II) and Ni(II) ions. IR and Raman spectra indicate that there are different coordination modes of the NO₃ ^? in compounds: non-coordinated and coordinated. The decomposition process of the studied complexes in nitrogen and argon (Ni(II) complex) atmosphere proceeds in three main stages, except Zn(II) complex, in temperature range 353?C1163?K. The final products of decomposition are CoO, MnO, Cd, ZnN₄, NiN₃. In addition, we have to admit that the different coordination mode of the NO₃ ^? ions in complexes: non-coordinated (in the (1), (4), and (5)) and coordinated (in the (2) and (3)) correlate with its thermal behavior. Thus, temperature ranges of its decompositions are observed: below 533?K and above 533?K, respectively. In Co(II), Mn(II), and Cd(II) complexes the fragments of N-donor atom-containing ligands decompose in the last stages, contrary to Zn(II) and Ni(II) compounds, in which metal ion surrounded by N atoms remains until the end. The course of pyrolysis and molecular structure of the complexes lead to the same conclusion about the strength of metal?Cligand bonds. On the basis of obtained results, it is concluded that the thermal stability of the studied compounds follows the order: (1)?<?(5)?<?(2)?<?(3)?<?(4).     

Kinetics and mechanism of the first aquation stage for the [Cr(pic)3]0 and [Cr(pic)2(OH)]2 0 complexes in HClO4 solutions

Aquation of [Cr(pic)₃]⁰ and [Cr(pic)₂(OH)]₂ ⁰ in aqueous HClO₄ solutions leads to formation of the common product – [Cr(pic)₂(H₂O)₂]⁺. The first, reversible stage, the ring opening via Cr—N bond breaking in [Cr(pic)₃]⁰ is followed by the second, rate-determining step – one-end bonded pic ligand liberation. In the case of the [Cr(pic)₂(OH)]₂ ⁰ complex, the first faster stage produces the singly bridged dimer, which undergoes cleavage into the parent monomers in the second, much slower step. The subsequent aquation of [Cr(pic)₂(H₂O)₂]⁺ is extremely slow and leads to [Cr(pic)(H₂O)₄]²⁺ formation, which practically does not undergo further ligand substitution under the conditions applied. Kinetics of the first aquation stage for [Cr(pic)₃]⁰ and of the second step for [Cr(pic)₂(OH)]₂ ⁰ were studied spectrophotometrically in the 0.1–1.0 M HClO₄ range at I = 1.0 M. The observed pseudo-first order rate constant for [Cr(pic)₃]⁰ decreases with [H⁺] increase according to the rate law: k _obs = k ₁ + k _–1 Q ₁/[H⁺], where k ₁ and k _–1 are the rate constants of the forward and the reverse processes in the unprotonated substrate and Q ₁ is the protonation constant of the pyridine nitrogen atom. In the case of the [Cr(pic)₂(OH)]₂ ⁰ complex, the rate for the singly bridged dimer cleavage does not depend on [H⁺]. The activation parameters for the chelate-ring opening in [Cr(pic)₃]⁰ and for the singly bridged dimer cleavage have been determined and discussed. Some kinetic data of the slow, second aquation stage for the [Cr(pic)₃]⁰ complex and of the fast, first aquation stage for the doubly bridged dimer have been studied; for both reactions the rate increases linearly with the increase in [H⁺].     

Determination of ascorbic acid and its degradation products by high‐performance liquid chromatography‐triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

This study describes application of liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC‐MS) for evaluation of vitamin C stability, the objective being prediction of the degradation products. Detection was performed with an UV detector (UV‐Vis) in sequence with a triple‐quad mass spectrometer in the multiple reaction mode. The negative ion mode of ESI and MS‐MRM transitions of m/z 175→115 (quantifier) and 175→89 (qualifier) for ascorbic acid was used. All the validation parameters were within the range of acceptance proposed by the Food and Drug Administration. The method was fully validated in terms of linearity, LOD, LOQ, accuracy, and interday precision. Validation experiments revealed good linearity with R² = 0.999 within the established concentration range, and excellent repeatability (9.3%). The LOD of the method was 0.1524 ng/mL whereas the LOQ was 0.4679 ng/mL. LC‐MS methodology proves to be an improved, simple, and fast approach to determining the content of vitamin C and its degradation products with high sensitivity, selectivity, and resolving power within 6 minutes of analysis.     

Analytical protocol for investigation of zinc speciation in plant tissue

A specific procedure is proposed for investigating the chemical speciation of zinc (Zn) in plant tissues, viz., the extraction of Zn compounds from Plantago lanceolata L. followed by the chromatographic separation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) identification of these compounds. In order to separate the Zn compounds, both size-exclusion (SEC) and ionexchange liquid chromatography (IC) were used in direct sequential and reverse sequential modes. In the direct sequential mode, the entire extract undergoes SEC separation and then the individual fractions are injected onto the ion-exchange column. The molecular size distribution is evaluated by SEC coupled on-line to the UV detector. In the reverse sequential mode, the entire extract undergoes the ion-exchange chromatographic separation and then the individual fractions are injected onto the size-exclusion column. The identification of Zn incorporated into the compounds is further performed using ICP-MS. This procedure is particularly useful in speciation studies when identification of the individual components of the element is problematic due to the lack of suitable standard substances, as is the case for Zn compounds. The proposed procedure facilitates assignment of the signals to the individual components of the fractions for both types of chromatography, thus rendering the chemical speciation of Zn possible when the lack of suitable standard substances impedes the identification of individual components.     

Lanthanide Complexes with Multidentate Oxime Ligands as Single‐Molecule Magnets and Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Fixation Systems

The synthesis, structure, and magnetic properties of five lanthanide complexes with multidentate oxime ligands are described. Complexes 1 and 2 ( 1 : [La₂(pop)₂(acac)₄(CH₃OH)], 2 : [Dy₂(pop)(acac)₅]) are synthesized from the 2‐hydroxyimino‐N‐[1‐(2‐pyridyl)ethylidene]propanohydrazone (Hpop) ligand, while 3 , 4 , and 5 ( 3 : [Dy₂(naphthsaoH)₂(acac)₄H(OH)]?0.85 CH₃CN?1.58 H₂O; 4 : [Tb₂(naphthsaoH)₂(acac)₄H(OH)]?0.52 CH₃CN?1.71 H₂O; 5 : [La₆(CO₃)₂(naphthsao)₅ (naphthsaoH)_0.5(acac)₈(CO₃)_0.5(CH₃OH)_2.76H_5.5(H₂O)_1.24]?2.39 CH₃CN?0.12 H₂O) contain 1‐(1‐hydroxynaphthalen‐2‐yl)‐ethanone oxime (naphthsaoH₂). In 1 – 4 , dinuclear [Ln₂] complexes crystallize, whereas hexanuclear La^III complex 5 is formed after fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Dy^III‐based complexes 2 and 3 display single‐molecule‐magnet properties with energy barriers of 27 and 98 K, respectively. The presence of a broad and unsymmetrical relaxation mode observed in the ac susceptibility data for 3 suggest two different dynamics of the magnetization which might be a consequence of independent relaxation processes of the two different Dy³⁺ ions.     

Simultaneous analysis of riboflavin and aromatic amino acids in beer using fluorescence and multivariate calibration methods

The study demonstrates an application of the front-face fluorescence spectroscopy combined with multivariate regression methods to the analysis of fluorescent beer components. Partial least-squares regressions (PLS1, PLS2, and N-way PLS) were utilized to develop calibration models between synchronous fluorescence spectra and excitation-emission matrices of beers, on one hand, and analytical concentrations of riboflavin and aromatic amino acids, on the other hand. The best results were obtained in the analysis of excitation-emission matrices using the N-way PLS2 method. The respective correlation coefficients, and the values of the root mean-square error of cross-validation (RMSECV), expressed as percentages of the respective mean analytic concentrations, were: 0.963 and 14% for riboflavin, 0.974 and 4% for tryptophan, 0.980 and 4% for tyrosine, and 0.982 and 19% for phenylalanine.     

Integral geometry analysis of fluorescence micrographs for quantitative relative comparison of protein adsorption onto polymer surfaces

Most methods developed to study protein binding to distinct surfaces can only determine the average amount of adsorbed protein or merely provide (qualitative) information on its spatial distribution. Both these features can be characterized rigorously by integral geometry analysis of fluorescence micrographs. This approach is introduced here to compare the relative protein adsorption onto various polymer surfaces: polystyrene (PS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly( n-butyl methacrylate) (PnBMA), poly( tert-butyl methacrylate) (PtBMA), and PS(PETA) and cross-linked poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO*(PETA)), admixed with pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA). The polymeric surfaces were incubated for 15 min in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4) containing 125 mug/mL fluorescently labeled lectins, either lentil lectin (LcH) or concanavalin A (ConA). Fluorescence images were recorded at identical conditions (physiological buffer, same exposure time, magnification, gain). For each image, taken a few times for each polymer, the distribution and average value of the normalized intensity were determined. The results show that the binding of LcH to PS(PETA), PtBMA, PS, PnBMA, PMMA, and PEO*(PETA) can be expressed by the ratio of the following values (mean +/- 95% confidence interval): 0.356 +/- 0.022, 0.298 +/- 0.030, 0.241 +/- 0.014, 0.083 +/- 0.008, 0.039 +/- 0.008, and 0.010 +/- 0.006, respectively. In turn, the relative adsorption of ConA is described by the values 0.252 +/- 0.016, 0.217 +/- 0.014, 0.222 +/- 0.016, 0.046 +/- 0.006, 0.116 +/- 0.008, and 0.006 +/- 0.002, respectively. Low dispersions of fluorescence intensity around average values indicate homogeneous distribution of adsorbed proteins. The introduced approach enables a fast and easy way not only to quantify the relative amount of bound proteins but also to characterize quantitatively the organization of their surface distribution, as demonstrated for patchlike protein adsorption onto the polymer blend surface.     

Effect of the ribose versus 2'-deoxyribose residue on the metal ion-binding properties of purine nucleotides

The interaction between metal ions and nucleotides is well characterized, as is their importance for metabolic processes, e.g. in the synthesis of nucleic acids. Hence, it is surprising to find that no detailed comparison is available of the metal ion-binding properties between nucleoside 5'-phosphates and 2'-deoxynucleoside 5'-phosphates. Therefore, we have measured here by potentiometric pH titrations the stabilities of several metal ion complexes formed with 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-monophosphate (dAMP2-), 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-diphosphate (dADP3-) and 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-triphosphate (dATP4-). These results are compared with previous data measured under the same conditions and available in the literature for the adenosine 5'-phosphates, AMP(2-), ADP(3-) and ATP(4-), as well as guanosine 5'-monophosphate (GMP(2-)) and 2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate (dGMP(2-)). Hence, in total four nucleotide pairs, GMP(2-)/dGMP(2-), AMP(2-)/dAMP(2-), ADP(3-)/dADP(3-) and ATP(4-)/dATP(4-) (= NP/dNP), could be compared for the four metal ions Mg2+, Ni2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ (= M2+). The comparisons show that complex stability and extent of macrochelate formation between the phosphate-coordinated metal ion and N7 of the purine residue is very similar (or even identical) for the AMP(2-)/dAMP(2-) and ADP(3-)/dADP(3-) pairs. In the case of the complexes formed with ATP(4-)/dATP(4-) the 2'-deoxy complexes are somewhat more stable and show also a slightly enhanced tendency for macrochelate formation. This is different for guanine nucleotides: the stabilities of the M(dGMP) complexes are clearly higher, as are the formation degrees of their macrochelates, than is the case with the M(GMP) complexes. This enhanced complex stability and greater tendency to form macrochelates can be attributed to the enhanced basicity (DeltapKaca. 0.2) of N7 in the 2'-deoxy compound. These results allow general conclusions regarding nucleic acids to be made.     

The pro-oxidant effects of interactions of ascorbate with photoexcited melanin fade away with aging of the retina

Photoexcited melanin from retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) has been shown to induce photo-oxidation of ascorbate with concomitant generation of hydrogen peroxide. The aim of this study was to test whether the age-related changes in melanin content and distribution in the RPE affect the susceptibility of RPE cells to ascorbate-mediated photo-oxidation. Our results demonstrate that there is an age-dependent shift in the pathways with which ascorbate interacts in human RPE. In young RPE, melanin-ascorbate interactions may lead to pro-oxidant effects, but in the aged there is no net increase in photo-oxidation in the presence of ascorbate in comparison with samples without ascorbate. However, as ascorbate undergoes light-induced depletion and photogenerates ascorbyl free radical in the old RPE cells with initial yields similar to that observed for young RPE, an influence of ascorbate on oxidation pathways is revealed in the old RPE as well. Interestingly, the pro-oxidant effects of photoexcited melanolipofuscin-ascorbate interactions are greater than for photoexcited melanosomes when normalized to the same melanin content. The pro-oxidant effects of photoexcited melanin-ascorbate interactions are strongly dependent on the irradiation wavelength, this being the greatest for the shortest wavelength studied (340 nm) and steeply decreasing with increasing wavelength but still detectable even at 600 nm.