Surfactant to dye binding degree based approach for the selective determination of l-glutamate in foodstuffs

A selective method for the determination of l-glutamate in foodstuffs has been developed. It was based on the competition established between the analyte and the dye Coomassie brilliant blue G (CBBG) to interact with the surfactant didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDABr). The measurement parameter was the amount of DDABr required to reach a given dye-to-surfactant binding degree. It was obtained by photometric titration on the basis of the changes observed in the spectral characteristics of the dye when CBBG–DDABr aggregates were formed. The calibration graph obtained was linear in the l-glutamate concentration interval 0.2–5 mM (detection limit 0.05 mM). The high selectivity of the proposed method (other amino acids and food additives did not interfere at the concentrations present in foodstuffs) permitted the direct analysis of food samples after dissolution of the analyte in hot water. The accuracy of the surfactant to the dye binding degree method was demonstrated by determining l-glutamate in different kinds of foodstuffs (liquid and dried soups, seasonings, pasta sauces and dried mushroom creams) and comparing the results obtained with those provided by the commercial Boehringer Mannheim essay.     

Complexation of transition metals by 3-azidopropionitrile. An electrospray ionization mass spectrometry study

Most complexes of azides and transition metals involve the N(3)(-) azide anion as a ligand other than an organic azide. Complexes of organic azides with metals are involved in biological applications and in the deposition of nitrenes on metal surfaces, producing nitride layers for semi-conductors preparation; this makes the study of these interactions an important issue. This work describes a study of the complexation of nickel and cobalt by 3-azidopropionitrile by means of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Complexes were obtained from solutions of NiCl(2) and CoCl(2) in methanol/water. In the case of nickel, other NiX(2) salts were investigated (where X = Br or NO(3)) and other solvents were also studied (notably ethanol/water). All complexes detected were single positively charged, with various stoichiometries, some resulted from the fragmentation of the ligand, the loss of N(2), and HCN being quite common. The most abundant cations observed were [Ni(II)AzAzX](+), where X = Cl, Br, NO(3). Some of the complexes showed solvation with methanol/ethanol/water. Metal reduction was observed in complexes where a radical was lost, resulting from the homolytic cleavage of a metal-nitrogen bond. Collision induced dissociation (CID) experiments followed by tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS) analysis were not absolutely conclusive about the coordination site. However, terminal ions observed from the fragmentation routes were explained by a proposed gas-phase mechanism. Density functional theory calculations were carried out and provided structures for some complexes, pointing to the possibility of 3-azidopropionitrile acting as a mono- or a bidentate ligand.     

Determination of synthetic ferric chelates used as fertilizers by liquid chromatography-electrospray/mass spectrometry in agricultural matrices

A high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry (time of flight) method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of synthetic Fe(III)-chelates used as fertilizers. Analytes included the seven major Fe(III)-chelates used in agriculture, Fe(III)-EDTA, Fe(III)-DTPA, Fe(III)-HEDTA, Fe(III)-CDTA, Fe(III)-o,oEDDHA, Fe(III)-o,pEDDHA, and Fe(III)-EDDHMA, and the method was validated using isotope labeled (57)Fe(III)-chelates as internal standards. Calibration curves had R values in the range 0.9962-0.9997. Limits of detection and quantification were in the ranges 3-164 and 14-945 pmol, respectively. Analyte concentrations could be determined between the limits of quantification and 25 muM (racemic and meso Fe(III)-o,oEDDHA and Fe(III)-EDDHMA) or 50 muM (Fe(III)-EDTA, Fe(III)-HEDTA, Fe(III)-DTPA, Fe(III)-CDTA and Fe(III)-o,pEDDHA). The average intraday repeatability values were approximately 0.5 and 5% for retention time and peak area, respectively, whereas the interday repeatability values were approximately 0.7 and 8% for retention time and peak area, respectively. The method was validated using four different agricultural matrices, including nutrient solution, irrigation water, soil solution, and plant xylem exudates, spiked with Fe(III)-chelate standards and their stable isotope-labeled corresponding chelates. Analyte recoveries found were in the ranges 92-101% (nutrient solution), 89-102% (irrigation water), 82-100% (soil solution), and 70-111% (plant xylem exudates). Recoveries depended on the analyte, with Fe(III)-EDTA and Fe(III)-DTPA showing the lowest recoveries (average values of 87 and 88%, respectively, for all agricultural matrices used), whereas for other analytes recoveries were between 91 and 101%. The method was also used to determine the real concentrations of Fe(III)-chelates in commercial fertilizers. Furthermore, the method is also capable of resolving two more synthetic Fe(III)-chelates, Fe(III)-EDDHSA and Fe(III)-EDDCHA, whose exact quantification is not currently possible because of lack of commercial standards.     

Improved protein identification efficiency by mass spectrometry using N-terminal chemical derivatization of peptides from Angiostrongylus costaricensis, a nematode with unknown genome

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI), Peptide Mass Fingerprinting (PMF) and MALDI-MS/MS ion search (using MASCOT) have become the preferred methods for high-throughput identification of proteins. Unfortunately, PMF can be ambiguous, mainly when the genome of the organism under investigation is unknown and the quality of spectra generated is poor and does not allow confident identification. The post-source decay (PSD) fragmentation of singly charged tryptic peptide ions generated by MALDI-TOF/TOF typically results in low fragmentation efficiency and/or complex spectra, including backbone fragmentation ions (series b and y), internal fragmentation etc. Interpreting these data either manually and/or using de novo sequencing software can frequently be a challenge. To overcome this limitation when studying the proteome of adult Angiostrongylus costaricensis, a nematode with unknown genome, we have used chemical N-terminal derivatization of the tryptic peptides with 4-sulfophenyl isothiocyanate (SPITC) prior to MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. This methodology has recently been reported to enhance the quality of MALDI-TOF/TOF-PSD data, allowing the obtainment of complete sequence of most of the peptides and thus facilitating de novo peptide sequencing. Our approach, consisting of SPITC derivatization along with manual spectra interpretation and Blast analysis, was able to positively identify 76% of analyzed samples, whereas MASCOT analysis of derivatized samples, MASCOT analysis of nonderivatized samples and PMF of nonderivatized samples yielded only 35, 41 and 12% positive identifications, respectively. Moreover, de novo sequencing of SPITC modified peptides resulted in protein sequences not available in NCBInr database paving the way to the discovery of new protein molecules.     

Characterization of a putative Xylella fastidiosa diffusible signal factor by HRGC-EI-MS

Xylella fastidiosa (X.f.) is a plant pathogen with high levels of genomic similarity to Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (X.c.c.). It has been shown that X. fastidiosa synthesizes a putative diffusible signal factor (X.f.-DSF) that activates regulation of pathogenicity factor (rpf) genes in a X.c.c. reporter system, which might be involved in the regulation of pathogenesis associated genes as in X.c.c., as well as in quorum-sensing. The nature of the X.f.-DSF is not known, whereas the X.c.c.-DSF has been identified as cis-11-methyl-2-dodecenoic acid. In this work, the chemical nature of a putative X.f.-DSF molecule, able to restore endoglucanase activity in a X.c.c. rpfF mutant, was investigated as if it was a fatty acid derivative. Bioassays with X.c.c. reporter bacterium and X.f. culture extracts, based on endoglucanase restoration activity, were also carried out in order to confirm the DSFs molecules similarities. For this reason, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method was developed with standard fatty acids methyl esters mixtures. The retention time, as well as the fragmentation patterns, of each standard was used to identify the DSF molecule synthesized by X.f. in the culture medium. Typical ester fragmentation patterns (the derivatized analyte) were observed, such as: McLafferty rearrangement and migration of the Hdelta followed by 1,4-hydrogen shift and cleavage of the bond Cbeta-Cgamma, confirming the nature of this molecule. This confirmation was corroborated by the common peaks in both spectra. Besides, the observed retention time reinforces our conclusion since it corresponds to a methyl ester with 15 carbons. Since the X.f.-DSF molecule was tentatively identified as 12-methyl-tetradecanoic acid (by mass spectra library comparison), this standard compound was also analyzed, strongly suggesting that this is the identification of such a molecule. To our knowledge, this is the first time a DSF produced by X.f. has been characterized.     

Chiroptical spectroscopic determination of molecular structures of chiral sulfinamides: t-butanesulfinamide

The absolute configuration of t-butanesulfinamide has been determined as (-)-(S) using three different chiroptical spectroscopic methods, namely, vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and optical rotatory dispersion (ORD). Furthermore, the predominant conformation of this molecule is determined to have S=O and NH2 groups staggered with respect to the three methyl groups and to have amine hydrogens in gauche orientation with respect to S=O. The quality of predictions obtained for vibrational properties, namely, vibrational absorption and VCD, is found to be satisfactory with the B3LYP functional and 6-31G* basis set. However, this basis set is found to be inadequate for obtaining reliable predictions of electronic properties, namely, electronic absorption and ECD, but a larger aug-cc-pVDZ basis set is found to provide satisfactory prediction of electronic properties. t-Butanesulfinamide serves as an example which invalidates the recommendation of using the 6-31G* basis set for molecules that exhibit the same sign for the long-wavelength ECD band and ORD. This molecule also emphasizes the importance of simultaneous investigation of ECD and ORD, and the use of multiple chiroptical spectroscopic methods, for reliable determination of molecular stereochemistry.     

Biology-oriented synthesis of stereochemically diverse natural-product-derived compound collections by iterative allylations on a solid support

A strategy aiming at the introduction of stereocenters into polymer-bound natural-product-derived and -inspired compound collections is presented. Treatment of immobilized aldehydes with Brown's pinene-derived allylboranes results in the stereoselective formation of homoallylic alcohols with up to 89 % ee (ee=enantiomeric excess). Subsequent iterative ozonolysis-allylation sequences with up to three allylations on a solid support give access to 1,3-polyols with different relative configurations. Esterification with acryloyl chloride and final ring-closing metathesis yields alpha,beta-unsaturated delta-lactones with multiply oxygenated side chains, a substructure found in a group of natural products with a broad range of biological activity. The flexibility of the approach is exemplified by the parallel synthesis of all eight diastereomers of cryptocarya diacetate on a solid support. The individual isomers are obtained in overall yields of 40-60 % over 10 steps and with 63-85 % diastereoselectivity for the major isomer.     

Continuous tuning of cadmium sulfide and zinc sulfide nanoparticle size in a water-in-supercritical carbon dioxide microemulsion

The size and size dispersion of cadmium sulfide and zinc sulfide semiconductor nanoparticles can be continuously tuned over a wide range of values by adjusting the density of the fluid phase in water-in-supercritical CO2 microemulsions. The average size of the ZnS nanoparticles decreases linearly from approximately 9.1 to 1.9 nm with increasing fluid density from 0.86 to 0.99 g cm(-3) at a water-to-surfactant ratio (W value) of 10. At a W value of 6, the particle size can be tuned from 7.0 to 1.5 nm in the same density range. In the case of CdS nanocrystals, the size varied from 7.1 to 2.0 nm when the W value was 10 and from 4.0 to 1.3 nm when the W value employed was 6, in the same density range. Monodispersive CdS and ZnS nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical reaction of cadmium or zinc nitrate with sodium sulfide, using two water-in-supercritical CO2 microemulsions as nanoreactors followed by protection with a fluorinated-thiol stabilizer. The stabilizer is introduced at 6 and 16 minutes after the mixing of the two microemulsions where the intensity of the characteristic absorption peak due to the quantum confinement properties of the CdS and ZnS nanoparticles (280 and 360 nm) reaches a maximum, respectively. The supercritical CO2 microemulsion method represents a simple approach to use a density-tunable solvent for synthesizing size-controlled semiconductor nanoparticles over a broad range of values.     

Structure and properties of dinuclear manganese(III) complexes with pentaanionic pentadentate ligands including alkoxo, amido, and phenoxo donors

Doubly bridged mu-alkoxo-mu-X (X = pyrazolato or acetato) dinuclear MnIII complexes of 2-hydroxy-N-{2-hydroxy-3-[(2-hydroxybenzoyl)amino]propyl}benzamide) (H5L1) and 2-hydroxy-N-{2-hydroxy-4-[(2-hydroxybenzoyl)amino]butyl}benzamide (H5L2), [Mn2(L)(pz)(MeOH)4].xMeOH (1, L = L1, x = 0.5; 2, L = L2, x = 0; Hpz = pyrazole) and [Mn2(L1)(OAc)(MeOH)4] (3), have been prepared, and their structure and magnetic properties have been studied. The X-ray diffraction analysis of 1 (C24.5H34Mn2N4O9.5, triclinic, P, a = 12.2050(7) A, b = 12.7360(8) A, c = 19.2780(10) A, alpha = 99.735(5) degrees , beta = 96.003(4) degrees , gamma = 101.221(5) degrees , V = 2867.6(3) A3, Z = 4), 2 (C25H34Mn2N4O9, triclinic, P, a = 9.4560(5) A, b = 11.0112(5) A, c = 13.8831(6) A, alpha = 90.821(4) degrees , beta = 92.597(4) degrees , gamma = 93.403(4) degrees , V = 1441.29(12) A3, Z = 2), and 3 (C23H32Mn2N2O11, triclinic, P, a = 10.511(5) A, b = 11.713(5) A, c = 13.135(5) A, alpha = 64.401(5) degrees , beta = 74.000(5) degrees , gamma = 66.774(5) degrees , V = 1329.3(10) A3, Z = 2) revealed that all complexes consist of dinuclear units which are further extended into 1D (1 and 3) and 2D (2) supramolecular networks via hydrogen-bonding interactions. Magnetic susceptibility data evidence antiferromagnetic interactions for all three complexes: J = -3.6 cm-1, D approximately 0 cm-1, g = 1.93 (1); J = -2.7 cm-1, D = 0.8 cm-1, g = 1.93 (2); J = -4.9 cm-1, D = 3.8 cm-1, g = 1.95 (3).