An electrochemical aptasensor for cytochrome C,based on pillar[5]arene modified with Neutral Red

An electrochemical aptasensor is developed for the highly sensitive determination of cytochrome C, using a change in the redox current of Neutral Red covalently bound to terminal carboxyl groups of decasubstituted pillar[5]arene as a signal. The inclusion of the analyte into the complex with an aptamer reduces peaks of redox current of the dye through the dissociation of electron transfer chain in the surface layer. The aptasensor enables the determination of 1 nM to 1.0 mM of cytochrome C in the presence of 1000-fold excesses of albumin, polyethylene glycol, and lysozyme as models of interfering components in biological fluids.     

Mechanism of reaction of selenium elimination in diacetophenonyl selenide under the action of reduced glutathione

Products of reaction between the organoselenium xenobiotic, diacetophenonyl selenide (1,5-diphenyl-3-selenapenta-1,5-dione), and reduced glutathione at different molar ratios and pH values were studied by HPLC and TLC. Reaction intermediates, S-(acetophenylselenyl)glutathione and glutathione selenodisulfide, and reaction products, acetophenone and hydroselenide anion, were detected. The reaction scheme proposed earlier was confirmed.     

A New Approach to Increasing the Resolution of a Mass Spectrometer with Wedge-Shaped Reflectors

The paper describes the investigation of the ion-optical properties of a laser TOF mass spectrometer including two successively positioned wedge-shaped ion mirrors. Some specific properties of the configuration of ion trajectories near their reflection in the second ion reflector are found. The dependence of aberrations on ion energy acquired toothed shape for the resolution of the analyzer higher than 3000–5000. The approximation of the dependence gave a 15^th degree polynomial. The calculation of polynomial coefficients showed a great contribution to the duration of ion packets for aberrations of higher order. The discovered features allowed us to suggest a way of the local correction of nearby trajectories in the total ion flux. By correcting the local motion of individual groups of ions, we could reduce temporary aberration to 1–1.6 ns, depending on ion energy. For the time of ion flight ~35 μs, such duration limits the resolution of the analyzer by a value not less than 10000. The real length of ion drift path was about 30 cm. The total overall sizes of the ionoptical system were ~24 × 19 × 5 cm.     

Use of PLS Discriminant Analysis for Revealing the Absence of a Compound in an Electron Ionization Mass Spectral Database

A mathematical model is proposed for revealing the absence of a compound to be identified in an electron impact mass spectral library. The mathematical model (developed based on PLS Discriminant Analysis) can be represented as a “black box” which provides an answer whether a compound to be sought is absent or present in a database. The match factors of top ten candidates among the possible ones were used as input data. More than 5000 objects (mass spectra) were used at the steps of training, validation, and testing. The developed classification model provides correct prediction (of whether a compound is absent from the library) in 28.4% cases, while only 1.2% of compounds present in the database were incorrectly classified as the absent ones.     

New approaches to the calculation and interpretation of asymmetry factors of chromatographic peaks

The suitability of the determination of the asymmetry factor of chromatographic peaks by the ratio of areas of two components separated by a perpendicular dropped from the maximum of the peak to the base-line, A _s * = S _b /S _a , where symbol a corresponds to the leading edge of the peak and b is for its tailing slope, is discussed. It is demonstrated that this method enables the estimation of the asymmetry of even partially separated chromatographic signals, including those eluted “in the tail” of intense peaks of solvents. The concepts of the asymmetry index I(A _s *) and its increment ΔI(A _s *) = (A _s *)–I(A _s *) are introduced, which ensures the characterization of the asymmetry of peaks of polar analytes with respect to the asymmetry of nonpolar reference components, that is, the separation of the effects of the polarity of analytes and their quantities injected into the chromatographic column on this parameter. For the first time we revealed a correlation of the asymmetry factors of compounds of different chemical nature with such a characteristic of their polarity as the difference in chromatographic separation temperature and the normal boiling point of analytes.     

Exploration of antioxidant activity of newly synthesized azo flavones and its correlation with electrochemical parameters along with the study of their redox behaviour

A series of 7-hydroxy-2-aryl-3-(2-aryldiazenyl)-4H-chromen-4-one derivatives was synthesized in quantitative yields. Herein, we demonstrate the antioxidant potential of the synthesized substituted azo flavones using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl assay method along with the evaluation of their redox behaviour by cyclic voltammetry. The synthesized compounds manifested good antioxidant potential as compared to standard antioxidant ascorbic acid, which especially pertains to the compounds having methoxy and hydroxyl groups. A good correlation between minimum inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) and deduced electrochemical parameter, i.e., half peak oxidation potential (E _p/2) values, was established.     

Determination of explosive vapor concentrations with remote sampling in the control of objects

A procedure is proposed for the determination of the vapor concentration of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in air at a level of 10^–16 g/cm³ in the control of objects for the presence of TNT. The procedure includes preconcentration of TNT vapors and gas chromatographic determination with a limit of TNT detection at a level of 0.08 ± 0.02 pg in a sample. The procedure was applied to the control objects in cells of typical automatic luggage locker with sampling through sampling air ducts. A measure of sample losses as the breakthrough of vapors through sampling air ducts and gas dynamic conditions for the reduction of vapor losses as the ratio of diffusion coefficient to the air duct flow rate were proposed. The time constant of the saturation of the sampling system with TNT vapors and the time constant of its cleaning were determined. It was shown that TNT vapors can be detected virtually satisfactorily near TNT-containing objects with sampling through long channels.     

Primary photophysical and photochemical processes for Pt(SCN)<Subscript>6</Subscript><Superscript>2–</Superscript> complex

Photosolvation of a Pt^IV hexathiocyanate complex Pt(SCN)₆ ^2– in water and ethanol was studied by steady-state photolysis, nanosecond laser flash photolysis, and ultrafast kinetic spectroscopy. Complexes Pt(SCN)₅(H₂O)^– and Pt(SCN)₅(C₂H₅OH)^– were found to be the only reaction products. The quantum yields of photosolvation are independent of the excitation wavelength, being equal to 0.25 and 0.5 for the solutions of the complex in water and ethanol, respectively. Photosolvation proceeds by the mechanism of heterolytic metal—ligand bond dissociation without involvement of redox processes. The characteristic time of formation of the end products for both solvents is about 10 ps. Three successive intermediates detected on the picosecond time scale were interpreted as Pt^IV complexes. The nature of the intermediates and possible mechanisms of photosolvation are discussed.     

Solution state and complexing ability of 1,4-bis(amidomethylsulfinyl)butane toward iron(III), copper(II), cobalt(II), nickel(II), and manganese(II)

The solution state and thermodynamic stability of complexes of the new antituberculosis agent 1,4-bis(amidomethylsulfinyl)butane (L) with iron(III), copper(II), cobalt(II), nickel(II), and manganese(II) in an aqueous solution in the presence and in the absence of the nonionic surfactant Brij 35 were studied by spectrophotometry, pH potentiometry, NMR relaxation technique (T = 25 °C; variable ionic strength), and mathematical simulation. The geometry optimization of all structures was carried out by the molecular mechanics method MM2 in order to obtain data on coordination modes. In addition, the structure of 1,4-bis(amidomethylsulfinyl)butane was refined by the DFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) quantum chemical method using the IEFPCM model to take into account solvent effects. In an aqueous solution (in the concentration range of 1.3?10^–5—1?10^–3 mol L–1) and in the presence of Brij 35, 1,4-bis(amidomethylsulfinyl)butane exists as a neutral monomer. The Beer—Lambert—Bouguer law is obeyed in a wide concentration range for compound L in an aqueous solution, as well as in the presence of the surfactant, which can be used for the quantification of compound L. Iron(III), cobalt(II), and nickel(II) were shown to form 1: 1 mononuclear complexes with L; and copper(II) forms, 1: 1 and 2: 2 complexes. The presence of Brij 35 in the Cu²⁺—L system at a micellar concentration promotes the formation of a dinuclear complex.     

Alkylation of phenol with olefins in the presence of catalysts based on mesoporous aromatic frameworks

Mesoporous polyaromatic frameworks (PAFs) based on tetraphenylmethane were obtained and modified with sulfonic acid groups. The compounds were characterized by solid-state ¹³C NMR and IR spectroscopy, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption, and transmission electron microscopy. The acidities of the PAF-1-SO₃H and PAF-2-SO₃H samples determined by titration were 3.99 mmol g^–1 and 0.91 mmol g^–1, respectively. The catalytic activity of PAF-SO₃H for alkylation of phenol with linear terminal olefins was investigated. The reaction products were isomeric monoalkylphenols (C-alkylates), and alkyl phenyl ethers (O-alkylates).