Harvesting canthinones: identification of the optimal seasonal point of harvest of Zanthoxylum chiloperone leaves as a source of 5-methoxycanthin-6-one

This article is focused on the seasonal variation in the contents of 5-methoxycanthin-6-one from the leaves of Zanthoxylum chiloperone (Rutaceae). Based on the pharmacological interest presented by 5-methoxycanthin-6-one, its seasonal variation in Z. chiloperone leaves was analysed in order to determine the best time for harvesting, optimising the 5-methoxycanthin-6-one content. The seasonal dynamics of canthinone alkaloids can be the key to improve the isolation from natural sustainable sources, such as leaves. Complementarily, this study describes the phytochemistry of leaf from this Ruraceae species.     

Kinetic and mechanism of the homogeneous,unimolecular elimination of α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes in the gas phase

The gas phase thermal decarbonylation of α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes E‐2‐butenal and E‐3‐phenyl‐2‐methylpropenal was studied in a static system over the temperature range 380.5–490.0 °C and pressure range 55.5–150 Torr. The reactions are homogeneous and unimolecular and obey a first‐order rate law. The rate coefficient is represented by the following Arrhenius equations: The elimination products of 2‐butenal are propene and CO gas, while 3‐phenyl‐2‐methylpropenal produces α‐methylstyrene, cis‐trans‐β‐methylstyrene, indan, and CO gas. Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters suggest these elimination reactions to proceed through a three‐membered cyclic transition state type of mechanisms. However, a two steps mechanisms for the formation of a carbene type of intermediate through a four‐membered cyclic transition structure can not be overlooked. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Intramolecular PIFA-mediated alkyne amidation and carboxylation reaction

The hypervalent iodine reagent PIFA promotes the intramolecular electrophilic cyclization of easily accessible alkynylamides and alkynyl carboxylic acids, leading to the formation of pyrrolidinone and lactone skeletons, respectively, in a very efficient way. A synthetic study and a mechanistic proposal for these transformations are presented.     

Determination of lamotrigine by adsorptive stripping voltammetry using silver nanoparticle-modified carbon screen-printed electrodes

Carbon screen-printed electrodes (CSPE) modified with silver nanoparticles present an interesting alternative in the determination of lamotrigine (LTG) using differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry.Metallic silver nanoparticle deposits have been obtained by electrochemical deposition. Scanning electron microscopy measurements show that the electrochemically synthesized silver nanoparticles are deposited in aggregated form.The detection limit for this analytical procedure was 3.72 × 10⁻⁷ M. In terms of reproducibility, the precision of the above mentioned method in %R.S.D. values was calculated at 2.58%.The method was applied satisfactorily to the determination of LTG in pharmaceutical preparations.     

Synthesis of new chromeno[4,3,2‐de]quinazolin‐2‐ones, ‐quinazolines and ‐pyrrolo[2,1‐b]quinazolines

The total synthesis of chromeno[4,3,2‐de]quinazolin‐2‐ones, ‐quinazolines and ‐pyrrolo[2,1‐b]quinazolines from easily prepared 4‐methoxy‐1‐nitro‐9H‐xanthen‐9‐one is reported. These compounds, in which a 1,3‐diazine ring is fused to the xanthene scaffold, were obtained with good overall yields in very few steps.     

An improved synthesis of 1‐acetyl‐1H‐indol‐3‐yl acetates

An efficient two steps procedure for the synthesis of 1‐acetyl‐1H‐indol‐3‐yl acetates, starting from 2‐chlorobenzoic acids, was developed and in general, moderate to good yields were obtained     

Applicability of a liquid membrane in enrichment and determination of nickel traces from natural waters

In this work, a bulk liquid membrane method has been applied for Ni enrichment and separation from natural waters. The carrier-mediated transport was accomplished by pyridine-2-acetaldehyde benzoylhydrazone dissolved in toluene as a complexing agent. The preconcentration was achieved through pH control of source and receiving solutions via a counterflow of protons. The main variables were optimized by using a modified simplex technique. High transport efficiencies (101.2 ± 1.8–99.7 ± 4.2%) were provided by the carrier for nickel ions in a receiving phase of 0.31 mol L⁻¹ nitric acid after 9–13 h depending on sample salinity. The precision of the method was 2.05% (without a saline matrix) and 4.04% (with 40 g L⁻¹ NaCl) at the 95% confidence level and the detection limit of the blank was 0.015 μg L⁻¹ Ni for detection by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The applicability of the method was tested on certified reference and real water samples with successful results, even for saline samples. The relative errors were −0.60% for certified reference materials and ranged from −0.39 to 2.90% and from 0.3 to 11.05% for real samples, obtained by comparison of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry measurements, respectively.     

Sensitive determination of herbicides in food samples by nonaqueous CE using pressurized liquid extraction

We have developed a method involving extraction with mixtures of solvents under pressure (pressurized liquid extraction (PLE)) for the determination of triazine herbicides in a series of samples from the food industry. The organic extracts obtained were subjected to a clean-up step with SPE, using Oasis MCX sorbents, after which they were analyzed by NACE. Potato was chosen as a representative matrix of horticultural products since it has a high water content. Spiked potato samples were used to optimize extraction conditions. In order to compare the results obtained with NACE, different studies were also conducted using HPLC. The detection limits in NACE were similar to those found with HPLC and were of the order of 10-15 microg/kg, depending on the analyte. Satisfactory results were obtained on applying the method proposed for the potato matrix (PLE with separation by electrophoresis) to other food matrices such as other tubercles, fruits, vegetables and cereals.     

LC-MSMS identification of Arabidopsis thaliana heat-stable seed proteins: enriching for LEA-type proteins by acid treatment

Protein identification in systems containing very highly abundant proteins is not always efficient and usually requires previous enrichment or fractionation steps in order to uncover minor proteins. In plant seeds, identification of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins is often masked by the presence of the large family of storage proteins. LEA-proteins are predicted to play a role in plant stress tolerance. They are highly hydrophilic proteins, generally heat-stable, and correlate with dehydration in seeds or vegetative tissues. In the present work, we analyze the protein composition of heat-stable Arabidopsis thaliana seed extracts after treatment with trichloroacetic acid (TCA). The composition of the proteins that precipitate and those that remain in solution in 3% TCA was analyzed by two different approaches: 1D SDS-PAGE coupled to LC-ESI-MSMS analysis and a gel-free protocol associated with LC-MALDI-MSMS. Our results indicate that treating total heat-soluble extracts with 3% TCA is an effective procedure to remove storage proteins by selective precipitation and this fractionation step provides a soluble fraction highly enriched in Lea-type proteins. The analysis and determination of protein identities in this acid-soluble fraction by MS technology is a suitable system for large-scale identification of Lea-proteins present in seeds.