A Simple Synthesis of Oximes

Summary. The conversion of alicyclic and aliphatic carbonyl compounds as well as aromatic aldehydes into the corresponding oximes (up to quantitative yields) was achieved by simply grinding these reactants, hydroxylamine hydrochloride and sodium hydroxide without solvent. However, this procedure was unsuccessful in the case of aromatic ketones. In this case it was necessary to add silica gel as a catalyst.     

Chiral close-packing of achiral star-shaped molecules on solid surfaces

From the interplay of scanning tunneling microscopy and theoretical calculations, we study the chiral self-assembly of achiral HtB-HBC molecules upon adsorption on the Cu(110) surface. We find that chirality is expressed at two different levels: a +/-5 degrees rotation of the molecular axis with respect to the close-packed direction of the Cu(110) substrate and a chiral close-packed arrangement expected for star-shaped molecules in 2D. Out of the four possible chiral expressions, only two are found to exist due the effect of van der Waals (vdW) interactions forcing the molecules to simultaneously adjust to the atomic template of the substrate geometry and self-assemble in a close-packed geometry.     

Spin-trapping of oxygen free radicals in chemical and biological systems: new traps, radicals and possibilities

The choice of the spin-trap that is to be applied in any EPR study represents the crossroad between a comprehensive investigation and an "ordinary" quantification of production of radicals. So, the scope of our study was to compare the performance of different spin-traps for qualitative analysis of radical-generating systems, and their ability to recognize previously unnoticed radicals. In addition, we present a brief account of the difficulties involved in the detection of oxygen-centered radicals in chemical and biological systems accompanied by the rationale for using the EPR spin-trapping technique in quantitative studies of such reactive species. Certain technical aspects of EPR experiments related to efficient trapping of free radicals in biochemical systems are also discussed. As an example we present here results obtained using EPR spectroscopy and the spin-trap DEPMPO, which show that the Fenton reaction, as well as various biological systems generate a previously unappreciated hydrogen (*H) atom.     

Gadolinium(III) complexes as MRI contrast agents: ligand design and properties of the complexes

Magnetic resonance imaging is a commonly used diagnostic method in medicinal practice as well as in biological and preclinical research. Contrast agents (CAs), which are often applied are mostly based on Gd(III) complexes. In this paper, the ligand types and structures of their complexes on one side and a set of the physico-chemical parameters governing properties of the CAs on the other side are discussed. The solid-state structures of lanthanide(III) complexes of open-chain and macrocyclic ligands and their structural features are compared. Examples of tuning of ligand structures to alter the relaxometric properties of gadolinium(III) complexes as a number of coordinated water molecules, their residence time (exchange rate) or reorientation time of the complexes are given. Influence of the structural changes of the ligands on thermodynamic stability and kinetic inertness/lability of their lanthanide(III) complexes is discussed.     

Chemometric deconvolution of gas chromatographic unresolved conjugated linoleic acid isomers triplet in milk samples

A generally known problem of GC separation of trans-7;cis-9; cis-9,trans-11; and trans-8,cis-10 CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) isomers was studied by GC–MS on 100 m capillary column coated with cyanopropyl silicone phase at isothermal column temperatures in a range of 140–170 °C. The resolution of these CLA isomers obtained at given conditions was not high enough for direct quantitative analysis, but it was, however, sufficient for the determination of their peak areas by commercial deconvolution software. Resolution factors of overlapped CLA isomers determined by the separation of a model CLA mixture prepared by mixing of a commercial CLA mixture and CLA isomer fraction obtained by the HPLC semi-preparative separation of milk fatty acids methyl esters were used to validate the deconvolution procedure. Developed deconvolution procedure allowed the determination of the content of studied CLA isomers in ewes’ and cows’ milk samples, where dominant isomer cis-9,trans-11 is eluted between two small isomers trans-7,cis-9 and trans-8,cis-10 (in the ratio up to 1:100).     

Simple computer experiments with ordinary ice

Simple computer experiments in which various fractions of hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) in ice are allowed to break are presented in this paper. First, up to six million water molecules were used to build an artificial piece of ordinary hexagonal ice in the form of a cube, a monolayer, a bilayer, a trilayer, and thicker layers. Then, certain percentages of H-bonds were broken, and the obtained structures were examined. It was found that a large percentage of H-bonds must be broken in order to completely fragment the network of ice into clusters. For a cubic piece of ice, which can be considered bulk ordinary ice, this percentage is equal to 61% H-bonds, a figure also predicted as the threshold of the percolation theory for ice. If, as usually assumed, 13-20% of H-bonds are broken during melting (estimates based on the comparison between the heats of melting and sublimation of ice), the H-bond network of ice is not fragmented and the overwhelming majority of water molecules (>99%) belong to a new, distorted but unbroken network. The percentage of broken H-bonds required for full fragmentation of layers increases with the number of layers and reaches the bulk value of ice for 5-8 layers. This value is consistent with the literature observation that films of water thicker than 20-30 A have properties close to those of the bulk structure.     

Reaction of C60 with KMnF4 : Isolation and characterization of a new isomer of C60F8 and re-evaluation of the structures of C60F7(CF3) and the known isomer of C60F8

The volatile fluorofullerene products of high-temperature reactions of C₆₀ with the ternary manganese(III, IV) fluorides KMnF₄, KMnF₅, A₂MnF₆ (A⁺ = Li⁺, K⁺, Cs⁺), and K₃MnF₆ were monitored as a function of reaction temperature, reaction time, and stoichiometric ratio by in situ Knudsen-cell mass spectrometry. When combined with fluorofullerene product ratios from larger-scale (bulk) screening reactions with the same reagents, an optimized set of conditions was found that yielded the greatest amount of C₆₀F₈ (KMnF₄/C₆₀ mol ratio 28-30, 470 °C, 4-5 h). Two isomers of C₆₀F₈ were purified by HPLC, one of which has not been previously reported. Quantum chemical calculations at the DFT level combined with 1D and 2D ¹⁹F NMR, FTIR, and FT-Raman spectroscopy indicate that the C₆₀F₈ isomer previously reported to be 1,2,3,8,9,12,15,16-C₆₀F₈ is actually 1,2,3,6,9,12,15,18-C₆₀F₈, making it the first high-temperature fluorofullerene with non-contiguous fluorine atoms. The new isomer, which was found to be 1,2,7,8,9,12,13,14-C₆₀F₈, is predicted to be 5.5 kJ mol⁻¹ more stable than 1,2,3,6,9,12,15,18-C₆₀F₈ at the DFT level. In addition, new DFT calculations and spectroscopic data indicate that the compound previously isolated from the high-temperature reaction of C₆₀ and K₂PtF₆ and reported to be 16-CF₃-1,2,3,8,9,12,15-C₆₀F₇ is actually 18-CF₃-1,2,3,6,8,12,15-C₆₀F₇.     

Determination of aflatoxins B1, G1, B2 and G2 in medicinal herbs by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

An easy method for the determination of aflatoxins B1, G1, B2 and G2 in Rhammus purshiana by LC coupled to mass spectrometry has been developed. Aflatoxins were extracted with a mixture of methanol and water and then it was purified by solid-phase clean-up using a polymeric sorbent, not described previously, for the determination of these toxins. The eluted extract was injected into the chromatographic system using a reversed-phase C18 short column with an isocratic mobile phase composed of methanol-water (30:70). A single-quadruple mass spectrometry using an electrospray ionization source operating in the positive ion mode was used to detect aflatoxins due to derivatization presenting several disadvantages. Recoveries of the full analytical procedure were 110% for aflatoxin B1, 89% for aflatoxin B2, 81% for aflatoxin G1 and 77% for aflatoxin G2. Detection limit (S/N = 3) was 10 ng and quantification limit (S/N = 10) was 25 ng, calculated as amount in medicinal herb.     

Development of a solid-phase extraction—enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method for the determination of estrone in water

Estrone has been identified as a potential endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC). To facilitate its analysis, a highly selective and sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method with a simple solid-phase extraction (SPE) for analysis of estrone in aquatic environments has been developed. The specific polyclonal antibody was produced against a conjugate of estrone-3-hemisuccinate and keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). The obtained ELISA showed specific recognition of estrone, without cross-reactions for three other major estrogenic compounds (17β-estradiol, estriol, and 17α-ethynylestradiol) commonly found in water. The ELISA had a limit of detection of 0.14 μg/l estrone in water. Combining a SPE method to extract and pre-concentrate estrone from water samples and ELISA to specifically quantify estrone content, the SPE-ELISA can detect estrone down to 1.25 ng/l level in water. Good recovery with spiked river water was obtained with this SPE-ELISA method. The developed SPE-ELISA system was applied to analyze the real influent and effluent samples of sewage treatment plant in Penrith (Australia) and the results correlated well with those obtained using GC and HPLC methods. The developed SPE-ELISA method is capable of being applied for the specific detection and routine monitoring of estrone in environmental water samples.     

Cumulants on the Wiener space

We combine infinite-dimensional integration by parts procedures with a recursive relation on moments (reminiscent of a formula by Barbour (1986)), and deduce explicit expressions for cumulants of functionals of a general Gaussian field. These findings yield a compact formula for cumulants on a fixed Wiener chaos, virtually replacing the usual “graph/diagram computations” adopted in most of the probabilistic literature.