Multidimensional liquid chromatography for sample characterisation

While LC finds enormously widespread use in almost all areas of chemical science, the technique is limited as a means of identification because compounds do not elute with unique retention times. This limitation spurred the growth of hyphenated instrumental methods of analysis, such as LC-MS/MS, which because of the MS/ MS detection became a method of identification. However, techniques like LC-MS/ MS are specialised and require high initial purchase and running costs, inhibiting the more widespread growth of the technique. In an attempt to increase the separation power of LC, multi-dimensional LC was developed. This expanded the separation space and subsequently has allowed the development of methods with fingerprinting ability due to the lower probability of component overlap. The work in this study illustrates the application of 2-D LC as a means of chemical fingerprinting. We employed a sample base of various low molecular weight oligostyrenes and their diastereomers that represent a population of compounds whose selectivities in a one-dimensional separation are almost unity and hence essentially impossible to separate. Yet in a 2-D domain almost all individual components occupy unique 2-D retention times.     

Preparation and evaluation of spore-specific affinity-augmented bio-imprinted beads

A novel, affinity-augmented, bacterial spore-imprinted, bead material was synthesized, based on a procedure developed for vegetative bacteria. The imprinted beads were intended as a front-end spore capture/concentration stage of an integrated biological detection system. Our approach involved embedding bead surfaces with Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (Bt) spores (as a surrogate for Bacillus anthracis) during synthesis. Subsequent steps involved lithographic deactivation using a perfluoroether; spore removal to create imprint sites; and coating imprints with the lectin, concanavalin A, to provide general affinity. The synthesis of the intended material with the desired imprints was verified by scanning electron and confocal laser-scanning microscopy. The material was evaluated using spore-binding assays with either Bt or Bacillus subtilis (Bs) spores. The binding assays indicated strong spore-binding capability and a robust imprinting effect that accounted for 25% additional binding over non-imprinted controls. The binding assay results also indicated that further refinement of the surface deactivation procedure would enhance the performance of the imprinted substrate.     

Synthesis of functionalized organotrifluoroborates via halomethyltrifluoroborates

[reaction: see text] Potassium bromo- and iodomethyltrifluoroborates have been prepared via in situ reaction of n-BuLi with dibromo- and diiodomethane, respectively, in the presence of trialkyl borates, followed by treatment with KHF(2). Moreover, a new synthetic method for the preparation of potassium organotrifluoroborates through nucleophilic substitution of the halide in these potassium halomethyltrifluoroborates is described.     

Three-dimensional shear in granular flow

The evolution of granular shear flow is investigated as a function of height in a split-bottom Couette cell. Using particle tracking, magnetic-resonance imaging, and large-scale simulations, we find a transition in the nature of the shear as a characteristic height H* is exceeded. Below H* there is a central stationary core; above H* we observe the onset of additional axial shear associated with torsional failure. Radial and axial shear profiles are qualitatively different: the radial extent is wide and increases with height, while the axial width remains narrow and fixed.     

An infinite dimensional Schur-Horn Theorem and majorization theory

The main result of this paper is the extension of the Schur-Horn Theorem to infinite sequences: For two nonincreasing nonsummable sequences ξ and η that converge to 0, there exists a positive compact operator A with eigenvalue list η and diagonal sequence ξ if and only if for every n if and only if ξ=Qη for some orthostochastic matrix Q. When ξ and η are summable, requiring additionally equality of their infinite series obtains the same conclusion, extending a theorem by Arveson and Kadison. Our proof depends on the construction and analysis of an infinite product of T-transform matrices.     

Two general centre producing systems for the Poincar\'{e} problem

We consider the polynomial system $\td{x}{t}=-y-ax^{s+3}y^{n-s-3}-bx^{s+1}y^{n-s-1},$\, $\td{y}{t}=x+cx^{s+2}y^{n-s-2} + dx^sy^{n-s}$ where $n \ge 3$ is an odd integer and $s=0, \dots, n-3$ is an even integer. We calculate the first three nonzero Lyapunov coefficients for the system and obtain a Gr\"obner basis for the ideal generated by them. Potential centre conditions for the system are obtained by setting the basis elements equal to zero and solving the resulting system. This gives five basic solutions and within this set we find two well known classes of centres and three new centre producing systems. One of the three is a variant of one of the other new systems, so we obtain two general independent systems which produce multiple centre conditions for each $n \ge 5.$     

Metallacrown ethers with a symmetric bis(phosphite) ligand derived from 1,2-bis-(2-hydroxyethoxy)benzene: Synthesis, characterization and hydroformylation of styrene

To better understand the effects of ligand configuration on hydroformylation reactions carried out in the presence of LiBPh₄·3dme (dme = 1,2-dimethoxyethane), a conformationally restrained bis(phosphite) ligand derived from 1,2-bis-(2-hydroxyethoxy)benzene, {[(2,2′-O₂C₁₂H₈)P(C₂H₄O₂)]₂C₆H₄}, 1, has been prepared and its Rh(I) metallacrown ether complex has been evaluated as a catalyst for the hydroformylation of styrene. Both the activity and regioselectivity of the catalyst are sensitive to the amount of the LiBPh₄·3dme added with the activity decreasing by 16% and the regioselectivity for the iso increasing by 9% at a 8:1 LiBPh₄:Rh ratio.Model complexes for the octahedral, cis-Mo(CO)₄(1), 2, and square planar, cis-PtCl₂(1), 3, and cis-PdCl₂(1), 4, complexes in the catalytic cycle has been have been studied using multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. Although the X-ray crystal structure of 2 suggests that the metallacrown ether ring could adopt a configuration capable of binding alkali metal cations, this does not appear to occur in a dichloromethane-d₂ solution of 2 because no shift in the ³¹P NMR resonance 2 is observed upon the addition of an excess of LiBPh₄·3dme. The ³¹P{¹H} NMR spectra of chloroform-d solutions of 2 (in the presence of a catalytic amount of HgCl₂) and of 4 and the X-ray crystal structures of the complexes indicate that the bis(phosphite) ligands are cis coordinated in these complexes in both the solution and in the solid state. This is particularly surprising for 4 because related PdCl₂{Ph₂P(CH₂CH₂O)_nCH₂CH₂PPh₂} (n = 3-5) complexes exhibit both cis-trans and monomer-oligomer equilibria in solution.     

Photosensitizer–Antibiotic Conjugates: A Novel Class of Antibacterial Molecules

Bacterial resistance to a variety of antibiotics has led to intensive research into the effect of photosensitizers as a cytotoxic agent against bacterial cells. In this study, we synthesized the following conjugates with or without a linker: rose bengal-penicillanic acid (RBPA), rose bengal-linker-penicillanic acid (RBLPA) and rose bengal-linker-kanamycin (RBLKAN). The antibacterial activity of these conjugates was examined on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Exposure of the cultures to 100 J cm⁻² showed that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of RBPA, RBLPA and RBLKAN on S. aureus was 0.195, 0.156 and 0.004 μm, respectively. The MIC of RBPA, RBLPA and RBLKAN on E. coli was 1.56, 2.5 and 0.156 μm, respectively. In dark control experiments, the MIC of these conjugates was not detected until a concentration that was 16-fold that of the MIC found in the light experiments. RBPA and RBLPA as well as RBLKAN are bactericidal for both bacterial cells. Total eradication of S. aureus and E. coli was observed with RBLKAN (0.078 and 20 μm 16 J cm⁻², respectively). Under these conditions, scanning electron microscopic analysis showed significant damage to these bacteria. However, the photosensitizer and antibiotics individually were not effective.     

Screening of drugs in equine plasma using automated on-line solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS–MS) method was developed for the simultaneous screening of 19 drugs of different classes in equine plasma using automated on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Plasma samples were first protein precipitated using acetonitrile. After centrifugation, the supernatant was directly injected into the on-line SPE system and analysed by a triple quadrupole LC–MS–MS in positive electrospray ionisation (+ESI) mode with selected reaction monitoring (SRM) scan function. On-line extraction and chromatographic separation of the targeted drugs were performed using respectively a polymeric extraction column (2 cm L × 2.1 mm ID, 25 μm particle size) and a reversed-phase C18 LC column (3 cm L × 2.1 mm ID, 3 μm particle size) with gradient elution to provide fast analysis time. The overall instrument turnaround time was 9.5 min, inclusive of post-run and equilibration time. Plasma samples fortified with 19 targeted drugs including narcotic analgesics, local anaesthetics, antipsychotics, bronchodilators, mucolytics, corticosteroids, sedative and tranquillisers at sub-parts per billion (ppb) to low parts per trillion (ppt) levels could be consistently detected. No significant matrix interference was observed at the expected retention times of the targeted ion transitions. Over 70% of the drugs studied gave detection limits at or below 100 pg/mL, with some detection limits reaching down to 19 pg/mL. The method had been validated for extraction recovery, precision and sensitivity, and a blockage study had also been carried out. This method is used regularly in the authors’ laboratory to screen for the presence of targeted drugs in pre-race plasma samples from racehorses.     

Cyano bonded silica monolith—Development of an in situ modification method for analytical scale columns

This study investigates the synthesis and chromatographic behaviour of an analytical size cyanopropyl “cyano” bonded silica monolith. Surface modification was undertaken by treating a neat silica monolith with chloro(3-cyanopropyl)dimethyl silane in dry heptane over a two day period. The resulting monolith showed stability over the duration of the testing program that involved flushing the column with more than 2000 column volumes of mobile phase. Efficiency measurements before and after sylation verified that the integrity of the silica monolith itself was not affected by the modification process, the highest number of theoretical plates (N/m) using anisole was 81,650. A brief selectivity test was then undertaken to assess methylene selectivity and phenyl selectivity. Elemental analysis was used to determine the homogeneity of the carbon load throughout the monolithic bed, and was compared to two commercial C18 and one ‘self’ modified C18 silica monoliths. The development of the in situ modification is also discussed.