Pulsed low-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance — an analytical tool in food science

Routine food analysis requires methods that are non-destructive, rapid and easy to use. Pulsed low-resolution NMR satisfies all these conditions and is increasingly being applied to determine the water, oil and protein content of a number of foodstuffs.     

Synthesis of alpha-hydrazino ketones via regio- and stereoselective electrophilic amination of manganese enolates and enamines

A straightforward procedure for the regio- and stereoselective synthesis of alpha-hydrazino ketones is described. Manganese enolates and manganese enamines derived from ketones and from the corresponding N-sulfinylimines react with azodicarboxylate esters (DTBAD and DEAD) in a regioselective fashion to afford in good to excellent yields the kinetic alpha-hydrazino ketones as sole or highly prevalent products. When enantiopure N-sulfinyl manganese enamines were used the stereoselectivity of these reactions ranged from 40% to 68% ee.     

New reactions in water: metal-free conversion of alcohols and ketones into alpha-iodoketones

Using water as the reaction medium, ketones can be transformed into alpha-iodoketones upon treatment with sodium iodide, hydrogen peroxide and an acid; interestingly, alpha-iodoketones can be also obtained from secondary alcohols through a metal-free tandem oxidation-iodination approach.     

A 1:1.5 complex of 5,7-dioxo-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane and 2,6-dihydoxyanthraquinone

A complex of 5,7-dioxo-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane (dioxocyclam) and 2,6-dihydoxyanthraquinone (anthraflavic acid) has been obtained. The complex (crystals grown from water-ethanol solution) has a stoichiometry dioxocyclam-anthraflavic acid 1:1:5. C₃₁H₃₂N₄O₈, chemical formula weight 588.61, triclinic, P – 1, a = 10.542(3) Å, b = 11.936(2) Å, c = 12.206(2) Å, = 104.00(1)°, = 92.68(2)°, = 103.64(2)°, V = 1439.4 (5) ų, Z = 2, D_x = 1.358 g cm^–3. Only one of the two amine N-atoms of the macrocycle is protonated due to very weak acidic properties of 2,6-dihydoxyanthraquinone. Due to the rather poor quality of the crystals and structure refinement, reliable determination of H-bonds is complicated. Nevertheless, several types of H-bonding responsible for the formation of a developed supramolecular network can be suggested: between the protonated amino groups and macrocycle's C=O moieties; between non-protonated amino groups and macrocycle's C=O moieties; between protonated and non-protonated amino groups; between the amide NH and C=O groups of anthraflavic acid; and between protonated and deprotonated hydroxy groups of the acid. Two types of anthraflavic components can be distinguished in the lattice: those having a parallel orientation with respect to the macrocyclic fragments and forming hydrogen bonds with the latter, and those lying in an approximately perpendicular plane and not involved in H-bonding with the macrocycles.     

On the effect of a point mutation on the reactivity of CuZn superoxide dismutase: a theoretical study

In this paper, we investigate the effects of a point mutation on the enzymatic activity of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, which we recently studied in detail by means of a theoretical-computational procedure. Comparison of the reactivity of the initial catalytic steps in this mutant (G93A mutation far from the active site) with our previous data, reveals the beautiful mechanical-dynamical architecture of the enzyme, altered by such an apparently irrelevant mutation. Finally, our results suggest a possible atomic-molecular-based explanation for the mutant-pathology correlation, in line with the most recent experimental data.     

Reactions of 6-hydrazino-, 6-hydroxylaminopurines and related derivatives

7H-Tetrazolo[5,1-i]purine was prepared by nitrosation of 6-hydrazinopurine and by reaction of 6-chloropurine with sodium azide; it was converted to adenine upon catalytic hydrogenation. 6-Hydroxylaminopurine was oxidized to 6-nitrosopurine with manganese dioxide, while alkaline treatment of the former gave 6,6′-azoxypurine. Nitrosation of 6-hydroxylaminopurine afforded 6-(N-nitroso)hydroxylaminopurine. Reaction of 6-chloropurine with 6-hydrazinopurine led to 6,6′-bisadenine; the corresponding ribosyl derivatives gave 6,6′-bisadenosine. Upon air oxidation, 6,6′-bisadenine was converted into 6,6′-azopurine. The related 6-thiosemicarbazino- and 6-(N-methyl)ureidopurine derivatives are also described. 6-N-(Nitroso)hydroxylaminopurine showed an inhibitory activity against several mouse tumors and leukemias.     

Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of the essential oil of Espeletia nana

The essential oil of the leaves of Espeletia nana Cuatrec., obtained by hydrodistillation, was analyzed by GC-MS, which allowed the identification of 24 components, which made up 99.9% of the oil. The most abundant compounds were a-pinene (38.1%), beta-pinene (17.2%), myrcene (15.0%), spathulenol (4.2%), bicyclogermacrene (4.0%), a-zingiberene (4.0%), and gamma-himachalene (3.7%). Antibacterial activity was tested against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria using the agar disk diffusion method. Activity was observed only against Gram-positive bacteria. MIC values were determined for Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 (200 microg/mL) and Enterococcusfaecalis ATCC 29212 (600 microg/mL).     

A sorbent tube for oral malodour monitoring

Volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) and particularly hydrogen sulphide are considered as the predominant gases causing oral malodour. In this paper, a simple alarm sensor has been developed for VSCs determination in mouth air. The device consists of a glass tube packed with a solid sensing phase. The VSCs react with the sensing phase to produce a change in the colour of the sensor visible with a naked eye.Different “reagents” were investigated to develop the sensing phase (neocuproine + Cu(II), bathocuproine + Cu(II), resazurin, 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol and lead acetate), finding the neocuproine + Cu(II) as the best for our purposes. Also, different substrates such as Amberlite XAD-4 and XAD-7 and different trademarks of silica gel were tested as solid supports, being selected the silica gel.A device consisting of a glass tube packed with the sensing phase was optimized and tested with halitosis patients as a rapid illness test and the results compared with those obtained with a commercially available instrument, the Halimeter™, used for the determination of VSCs in mouth air. The results exhibited acceptable agreement between the proposed “qualitative” alarm sensor and a commercially available technique selected as reference, showing the possibility of using this “visual sensor” to control the halitosis and its evolution with an eventual treatment, by the own patient.