Determination of indican and tryptophan in normal and uraemic patients by high-performance liquid chromatography with a new electrochemical detector

A simple analytical procedure has been developed for the determination of indican and tryptophan in biological fluids by reversed-phase liquid chromatography using a new electrochemical detector consisting of a tubular anode obtained by moulding graphitized carbon black and polyethylene. The hydrodynamic voltammetry of these compounds has been carried out and it has been found that, by operating in isocratic conditions with phosphate buffer (pH 4.0)-methanol (93:7), the reported compounds can be determined directly. The procedure can be applied for the determination of the free compounds on ultrafiltered serum as well as of their total content on serum deproteinized with methanol. Levels of both compounds in normal and uraemic patients have been measured and the relative ratios between free and total content yield a useful marker for patients with renal disease. The limits of quantitation of indican and tryptophan in serum were 5 and 10 ng/ml, respectively. The within-day assay coefficient of variation for total indican and tryptophan ranged from 3.0 to 3.6% and from 3.8 to 4.1%, respectively. The day-to-day assay coefficient of variation for total indican and tryptophan ranged from 3.4 to 3.7% and from 4.6 to 5.0%, respectively.     

Reactivity of 2-halo-2H-azirines. 1. Reactions with nucleophiles.

Nucleophilic substitution reactions of 2-halo-2H-azirines 1a, 1b, 1d, and 1e with potassium phthalimide and aniline allowed the preparation of new substituted 2H-azirines 2-5. The reactions of 2-bromo-2H-azirine 1a with methylamine led to the synthesis of alpha-diimines 7 and 8. 2-Halo-2H-azirines were also established as building blocks for the synthesis of a range of heterocyclic compounds, namely, quinoxalines 10a-10d, 3-oxazoline 14, and 2H-[1,4]oxazines 18 and 20. X-ray crystal structures of alpha-diimine 7, 3-oxazoline 14, and 2H-[1,4]oxazine 18 are reported.     

Electroactive ligands: the first metal complexes of tetrathiafulvenyl-acetylacetonate

The reaction of tris(alkylthio)tetrathiafulvalene thiolates with 3-chloro-2,4-pentanedione affords tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) moieties substituted by the acetylacetone function (TTFSacacH), precursors of novel redox-active ligands: the acetylacetonate ions (TTFSacac). These TTFSacacHs have been characterized by X-ray diffraction analyses, and similar trends have been observed, such as a TTF core almost planar and the acetylacetone substituent located in a plane almost perpendicular to the plane formed by the TTF core. Their chelating ability has been demonstrated by the formation of the corresponding M(TTFSacac)2(pyridine)2 complexes in the presence of M(II)(OAc)2.H2O (M = Ni2+, Zn2+). These complexes with TTFSacac moieties, Ni(TTFSacac)2(pyridine)2, 6b, and Zn(TTFSacac)2(pyridine)2, 7b, have been characterized by X-ray diffraction analyses, showing in all structures the metal(II) center chelated by two TTFacac units in the equatorial plane and the octahedral coordination geometry around the metal completed by two axial pyridine ligands. Cyclic voltammetry and UV-visible-near infrared spectroscopic measurements have evidenced a sizable interaction between the two electroactive ligands and the stabilization of a mixed-valence state in the one-electron oxidized complexes.     

Synthesis of stable analogues of thiamine di- and triphosphate as tools for probing a new phosphorylation pathway

Thiamine (vitamin B1) is an essential nutritional factor metabolized inside the body in its mono-, di-, and triphosphate forms. Although the action of thiamine and thiamine diphosphate have been intensely investigated, many questions remain unanswered and the role of thiamine triphosphate is still especially unknown. To probe recent hypotheses on the implication of thiamine triphosphate in a new phosphorylation pathway involving synaptic proteins, we synthesized a series of thiamine di- and triphosphate analogues that are resistant to both enzymatic and chemical hydrolyses. The key step in the preparation of the title compounds is the coupling of thiamine propyl disulfide with adequately protected methylenebis-phosphonic acid, the corresponding triphosphate analogue, and difluoromethylenebisphosphonic acid.     

Chromatographie par complexe de transfert de charge. Application à l'analyse d'hydroliquéfiats du charbon par HPLC

Résumé L'analyse de coupes lourdes (huile de distillation sous vide et huile issue du séparateur à chaud) provenant de l'hydroliquéfaction catalytique du charbon a été réalisée par mise en ouvre de différentes techniques chromatographiques. L'identification des principales structures résulte de l'application de la chromatographie par couplage de transfert de charge en mode HPLC et des spectroscopies UV et de masse.

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Donotor-acceptor complex chromatography —Application to analysis of coal liquefaction products by HPLC

Summary A Vacuum gas oil and the corresponding residue of a coal liquefaction product were investigated by means of HPLC and MS. Nearly a complete identification was performed by chromatographic, UV-spectroscopic methods and MS.

     

The effect of packing density of cellulose plugs on streaming potential phenomena

An experimental investigation on streaming potentials of porous plugs of cellulose in both the linear and the non-linear range is described. The variation of the electrokinetic coefficients as a function of fibre concentration in the porous pad has been studied, using solutions of different concentration of Congo Red dye as a permeant. The trend observed for changes of both linear electrokinetic coefficientL ₂₁ and non-linear coefficientL ₂₁₁ as packing density,c _F, increases, is somewhat analogous, the similarity suggesting some proportionality between both coefficients. The electroviscous effect accounts for the decrease ofL ₂₁₁ with the increase ofc _F. The coefficientL ₂₂₁ was found to be always negative and, in absolute value, to decrease with increasingc _F. Second-order coefficients have been interpreted in terms of modifications of “generalized conductivities” produced by the changes of thermodynamic forces.     

Antiferromagnetic three-dimensional order induced by carboxylate bridges in a two-dimensional network of [Cu3(dcp)2(H2O)4] trimers

A new Cu(II) complex, [Cu(3)(dcp)(2)(H(2)O)(4)](n), with the ligand 3,5-pyrazoledicarboxylic acid monohydrate (H(3)dcp) has been prepared by hydrothermal synthesis, and it crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/c with a = 11.633(2) A, b = 9.6005(14) A, c = 6.9230(17) A, beta = 106.01(2) degrees, and Z = 2. In the solid state structure of [Cu(3)(dcp)(2)(H(2)O)(4)](n), trinuclear [Cu(3)(dcp)(2)(H(2)O)(4)] repeating units in which two dcp(3-) ligands chelate the three Cu(II) ions with the central Cu(II) ion, Cu(1) (on an inversion center), link to form infinite 2D sheets via syn-anti equatorial-equatorial carboxylate bridges between Cu(2) atoms in adjacent trimers. These layers are further linked by syn-anti axial-equatorial carboxylate bridging between Cu(1) atoms in adjacent sheets resulting in the formation of a crystallographic 3D network. A detailed analysis of the magnetic properties of [Cu(3)(dcp)(2)(H(2)O)(4)](n) reveals that the dcp(3-) ligand acts to link Cu(II) centers in three different ways with coupling constants orders of magnitude apart in value. In the high temperature region above 50 K, the dominant interaction is strongly antiferromagnetic (J/k(B) = -32 K) within the trimer units mediated by the pyrazolate bridges. Below 20 K, the trimer motif can be modeled as an S = 1/2 unit. These units are coupled to their neighbors by a ferromagnetic interaction mediated by the syn-anti equatorial-equatorial carboxylate bridge. This interaction has been estimated at J(2D)/k(B) = +2.8 K on the basis of a 2D square lattice Heisenberg model. Finally, below 3.2 K a weak antiferromagnetic coupling (J(3D)/k(B) = -0.1 K) which is mediated by the syn-anti axial-equatorial carboxylate bridges between the 2D layers becomes relevant to describe the magnetic (T, H) phase diagram of this material.     

Theoretical mechanistic studies on oxidation reactions of some saturated and unsaturated organic molecules

This account describes the results collected by our group during the last years on some themes of environmental/mechanistic interest. Theoretical quantum-mechanical investigations have been carried out to help clarifying the mechanism of some oxidation reactions, which involve mainly unsaturated but also saturated organics as substrates, and, as reactive oxidants, triplet or singlet dioxygen, hydroxyl, ozone, and nitrogen oxides. Depending on the problem, the calculations are either multi-configurational (as CAS-MCSCF, CAS-PT2, MC-QDPT2), or based on the Density Functional Theory for the heavier systems. Research work has thus been developed along the following lines: hydrocarbon oxidations under atmospheric or combustion conditions; definition of a model for soot particles and their interaction with species as HO, O₂, O₃, NO, NO₂, NO₃, etc.; investigation on the reaction mechanism of ¹Δ_g dioxygen with organic unsaturated systems (cycloaddition and ene reactions).     

Compounds with symmetrical tricobalt chains wrapped by dipyridylamide ligands and cyanide or isothiocyanate ions as terminal ligands

Three new linear compounds of the type Co(3)(dpa)(4)X(2), where dpa is the anion of di(2-pyridyl)amine and X is NCS(-) (5), CN(-) (6), and N(CN)(2)(-) (7), have been prepared, and their structures and magnetic behavior have been studied. In all of them, including three different solvates of 5, the Co(3) chains are symmetrical with Co-Co distances of ca. 2.31-2.32 A. The appearance of four lines in the (1)H NMR spectra of the three compounds is also consistent with a symmetrical structure in solution. For all compounds, the magnetic behavior is quite similar with mu(eff) of ca. 1.9-2.0 micro(B) at temperatures between 1.8 and 200 K. As the temperature increases, the effective moments increase gradually, but since saturation is not reached, even at 400 K, the high-spin state cannot be assigned.