Iridoids : on the synthesis and structure of specionin

Recently, structure $\text{8b}$ has been assigned to the iridoid specionin. In the present letter the total synthesis of $\text{8b}$ is described. Comparison of spectral data reveals that the final product is not identical with natural specionin. Therefore the original structural assignment of specionin must be revised.     

Specific and sensitive determination of medroxyprogesterone acetate in human serum by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The mass fragmentographic determination of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) in serum, using as internal standard medroxyprogesterone propionate (MPP) synthesized from MPA, is described. After addition of MPP, the sera are extracted on Sep-Pak C18 cartridges and MPA and MPP are detected as their respective 3-enol trifluoroacyl esters. Serum samples from 84 patients with breast cancer, daily receiving MPA orally, were determined showing a large variation in MPA concentrations (4-349 ng/ml). Our proposed gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) method, which can be considered as a reference, was compared with a radioimmunoassay (RIA) method showing a correlation coefficient of 0.73 (n = 69; p much less than 0.001). The assay was also used to determine sequential serum levels of patients receiving a single oral dose of MPA. With only minor adjustments, the GC-MS method allows the determination of serum concentrations of related steroids such as megestrol acetate and cyproterone acetate.     

Dynamics of confined reactive water in smectite clay-zeolite composites

The dynamics of water confined to mesoporous regions in minerals such as swelling clays and zeolites is fundamental to a wide range of resource management issues impacting many processes on a global scale, including radioactive waste containment, desalination, and enhanced oil recovery. Large-scale atomic models of freely diffusing multilayer smectite particles at low hydration confined in a silicalite cage are used to investigate water dynamics in the composite environment with the ReaxFF reactive force field over a temperature range of 300-647 K. The reactive capability of the force field enabled a range of relevant surface chemistry to emerge, including acid/base equilibria in the interlayer calcium hydrates and silanol formation on the edges of the clay and inner surface of the zeolite housing. After annealing, the resulting clay models exhibit both mono- and bilayer hydration structures. Clay surface hydration redistributed markedly and yielded to silicalite water loading. We find that the absolute rates and temperature dependence of water dynamics compare well to neutron scattering data and pulse field gradient measures from relevant samples of Ca-montmorillonite and silicalite, respectively. Within an atomistic, reactive context, our results distinguish water dynamics in the interlayer Ca(OH)(2)·nH(2)O environment from water flowing over the clay surface, and from water diffusing within silicalite. We find that the diffusion of water when complexed to Ca hydrates is considerably slower than freely diffusing water over the clay surface, and the reduced mobility is well described by a difference in the Arrhenius pre-exponential factor rather than a change in activation energy.     

Highly luminescent CdTe/CdSe colloidal heteronanocrystals with temperature-dependent emission color

In this work we present the preparation of highly luminescent anisotropic CdTe/CdSe colloidal heteronanocrystals. The reaction conditions used (low temperature, slow precursor addition, and surfactant composition) resulted in a tunable shape from prolate to branched CdTe/CdSe nanocrystals. Upon CdSe shell growth the heteronanocrystals show a gradual evolution from type-I to type-II optical behavior. These heteronanocrystals show a remarkably high photoluminescence quantum yield (up to 82%) and negligible thermally induced quenching up to temperatures as high as 373 K.     

Hydrogen chemisorption on supported platinum, gold, and platinum-gold-alloy catalysts

Alloyed catalysts receive considerable attention, because of their unique catalytic properties; they often show higher selectivity, activity, and stability compared to the pure metal particles. To provide insights in the origins of these features, we report the structure and the interaction of hydrogen with each of the metals in an intimately mixed platinum-gold catalyst and compare these characteristics to those in the single metal particles. X-Ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and electron microscopy analysis showed that the structure of the mixed particle differed from the single metal particles. The interaction of platinum with hydrogen is stronger than the H-Au interaction and the adsorption sites were different. EXAFS analysis showed that the structure of the platinum clusters changes with increasing hydrogen coverage, observed as a relaxation of the contracted Pt-Pt distance and an increase in the Pt-Pt coordination number. No such changes were observed for gold clusters. Well-mixed PtAu-alloy clusters, with a bulk Au-to-Pt ratio of two, supported on SiO(2), adsorb hydrogen on both platinum and gold atoms, which indicates that gold cannot be regarded as an inert metal. The heat of adsorption on the platinum ensembles does not decrease upon alloying; the weakening of the overall hydrogen adsorption strength when alloying platinum with gold is an ensemble-size effect.     

Direct Bioelectrocatalysis by NADP‐Reducing Hydrogenase from Pyrococcus furiosus

The direct bioelectrocatalysis by an NAD(P)‐reducing hydrogenase is reported for the first time. In contrast to previous attempts to involve similar enzymes in bioelectrocatalysis [1–4], which were in fact unsuccessful, in our report an effective electrocatalysis by Pyrococcus furiosus hydrogenase is convincingly shown by (i) achievement of the hydrogen equilibrium potential and (ii) a high current of hydrogen oxidation (0.3 mA cm^?2 at 100 mV overpotential and at 75 °C). The latter is just a few times lower compared to enzyme electrodes based on NAD(P)‐independent hydrogenases.     

On-line determination of carboxylic acids, aldehydes and ketones by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation mass spectrometry after derivatization with 2-nitrophenylhydrazine

2-Nitrophenylhydrazine (2-NPH) is widely used for the derivatization of carboxylic acids, aldehydes and ketones, in industrial and biological samples. These compounds react with 2-NPH to form derivatives, which are separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and detected with diode array detection (DAD). The UV spectra give information about the functionality of the compounds: carboxylic acid or ketone/aldehyde. Most of the eluting compounds in "known" samples are well characterised by the retention time (comparison with those of standards) of the 2-NPH derivative and their UV spectrum. The identification of different unknown 2-NPH derivatives of carboxylic acids, ketones and/or aldehydes, in industrial or biological samples, based on retention time and/or UV spectrum is not sufficient. These unknown 2-NPH compounds can be identified with on-line atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation mass spectrometry (APCI-MS) based on the molecular mass or/and the fragmentation of the derivative. A novel and specific on-line HPLC-DAD-APCI(-)-MS method is described for the determination of carboxylic acids, ketones and aldehydes, after on-line pre-column derivatization with 2-NHP. The fragmentation of different 2-NPH derivatives were investigated and the possibilities of APCI(-)-MS detection were demonstrated by the on-line identification of an unknown derivative, which turned out to be a side product between 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride and 2-NPH in the presence of high concentrations of a cyclic amide in the sample solution.     

Synthesis and properties of allenic natural products and pharmaceuticals

Nowadays, about 150 natural products comprising an allenic or cumulenic structure are known. The chemistry of these compounds has turned out to be a very attractive and prolific area of interest: advances in the isolation and characterization of new allenic natural products have led to the establishment of efficient synthetic procedures which in many cases also open up an access to enantiomerically pure target molecules. Inspired by the intriguing biological activities of many allenic natural products, allene moieties are now systematically introduced in pharmacologically active classes of compounds (steroids, prostaglandins, amino acids, nucleosides). The functionalized allenes thus obtained often exhibit impressive activities as mechanism-based enzyme inhibitors, cytotoxic, or antiviral agents. A prerequisite for further developments in this field is the efficient stereoselective synthesis of allene derivatives.