Absolute rate constants for the quenching of reactive excited states by melanin and related 5,6-dihydroxyindole metabolites: implications for their antioxidant activity

The triplet-excited state of benzophenone and the singlet-excited state of 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene (Fluorazophore-P) have been employed as kinetic probes to obtain information on the antioxidant activity of the skin and eye pigment melanin and its biogenetic precursors 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI) and 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA). The excited states were generated by the laser-flash photolysis technique and their reaction kinetics was examined by time-resolved transient absorption or fluorescence spectroscopy, respectively. The reaction between triplet benzophenone and DHI produced with unit efficiency the corresponding 6O-centered semiquinone radical, which was characterized by its characteristic transient absorption. The quenching rate constants for DHI (3.1-8.4 x 10(9) M-1 s-1) and DHICA (3.3-5.5 x 10(9) M-1 s-1) were near the diffusion-controlled limit, indicating excellent antioxidant properties. Kinetic solvent effects were observed. The reactivity of synthetic melanin, assessed through the quenching rate constant of Fluorazophore-P and normalized to the number of monomer units, was more than one order of magnitude lower (2.7 x 10(8) M-1 s-1) than that of its precursors. The trend of the quenching rate constants, i.e. DHI > DHICA approximately alpha-tocopherol > melanin, along with the preferential solubility of DHICA in aqueous environments, serves to account for several experimental results from biochemical studies on the inhibition of lipid peroxidation by these natural antioxidants.     

Modified determination of dihydrostreptomycin in kidney, muscle and milk by HPLC.

A method is presented for the determination of dihydrostreptomycin in milk, muscle and kidney by reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography and post-column derivatisation with beta-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonate prior to fluorescence detection. The new sample work-up procedures include acid precipitation of proteins and, in the case of muscle and kidney, removal of fats by solvent extraction followed by solid phase extraction on a cation exchanger. The fluorescence response was linear from 25 to 2000 micrograms l-1 of injected analyte. The detection limits were 10 micrograms kg-1 for milk and 15 micrograms kg-1 for muscle and kidney and the analyte recoveries were on average 93% for milk, 70% for kidney and 75% for muscle.     

Determination of zearalenone and ochratoxin A in soil

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites, formed by the action of fungi on agricultural crops in the field or during storage. These metabolites are highly toxic to animals and humans and high levels have been measured in agricultural crops. In order to evaluate human risks due to ingestion of mycotoxin-contaminated food different methods have been developed for analysis of mycotoxins in cereals and maize. In this project the focus was on mycotoxins in agricultural soil and the fate of these toxins in the soil-water-plant system. Two different mycotoxins were selected in the study: zearalenone (ZON) produced by species of Fusariumor Aspergillusand ochratoxin A (OTA) produced by species of Penicillium. We developed a method for analysis of these toxins in soil. Soil samples were extracted with methanol-water (9:1) and purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE, C8-columns). The final extract was analysed using high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. A Phenyl Hexyl column was used to separate the toxins. The detection limits obtained were 0.1 and 1.0 microg kg(-1) dry weight (dw) for OTA and ZON, respectively. The developed method has been used for analysis of different soils in connection with growth chamber experiments. The soil types used in the growth chamber experiments were a sandy soil, a sandy clay soil, and a soil with high content of organic matter. The recovery was determined as 85.8 and 93.4% and the repeatability to 5.1 and 12.8% for OTA and ZON, respectively. The reproducibility obtained was 8.5 and 15.0% for soil samples, representing concentration levels from 0.2-30 microg kg(-1) dw (OTA) and from 1.0-100 microg kg(-1) dw (ZON).     

纳米金修饰玻碳电极在抗坏血酸共存下选择性测定去甲肾上腺素

利用电沉积的方法制得纳米金修饰玻碳电极 ,该修饰电极对去甲肾上腺素 (NE)氧化反应有催化作用。去甲肾上腺素在纳米金修饰玻碳电极上有很强的吸附作用。研究了磷酸缓冲溶液的pH值和浓度对NE的电化学行为的影响。从去甲肾上腺素和抗坏血酸在纳米金修饰电极的循环伏安图上可观察到两个明显分开的氧化峰 ,峰电位差达到 1 3 1mV ,因此 ,可利用该修饰电极在抗坏血酸存在下选择性测定去甲肾上腺素 ,线性范围为 1× 1 0 - 4 ～5× 1 0 - 6 mol L。     

原位漫反射红外光谱研究氮氧化物在Ag-ZSM-5催化剂上的吸附态及选择性催化还原反应机理

利用原位分析方法对催化剂表面吸附态进行动态表征，对了解催化反应机理具有重要的意义。漫反射红外光谱是一种理想的原位方法，应用该方法在298－773K范围原位考察了以丙烯为还原剂，NO在Ag-ZSM-5催化剂上的吸附态及选择性催化还原过程。认为NO的选择性催化还原符合直接作用机理，还原的关键是形成有机－氮氧化物（R－NO2或R－ONO）中间体。O2的作用是使C3H6充分活化，并是有效产生有机－氮氧化物不可缺少的条件。     

Studies on synthesis and infrared and fluorescence spectra of new europium and terbium complexes with an amide-based open-chain crown ether

An amide-based open-chain crown ether ligand and its complexes with europium and terbium were synthesized. The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectra and conductivity. The europium and terbium ions were found to coordinate to the C=O oxygen atoms and pyridine nitrogen atoms. The fluorescence properties of these complexes in DMF and CH3OH/CHCl3 were studied. Under the excitation of UV light, these complexes exhibit characteristic fluorescence of europium and terbium ions. The solvent factors influencing the fluorescent intensity are discussed.     

Synthesis, spectroscopic and thermal studies of the copper(II) aspartame chloride complex

Aspartame adduct of copper(II) chloride Cu(Asp)₂Cl₂·2H₂O (Asp=aspartame) is synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FT IR, UV/vis, ESR spectroscopies, TG, DTG, DTA measurements and molecular mechanics calculations. Aqueous solution of the green solid absorbs strongly at 774 and 367 nm. According to the FT IR spectra, the aspartame moiety coordinates to the copper(II) ion via its carboxylate ends, whereas the ammonium terminal groups give rise to hydrogen bonding network with the water, the chloride ions or neighboring carboxylate groups. The results suggest tetragonally distorted octahedral environment of the copper ions.     

Determination of inosine 5′-monophosphate and guanosine 5′-monophosphate in pig feed by capillary zone electrophoresis

A capillary zone clectrophoresis method was developed for the determination of IMP and GIMP, commonly used as flavor enhancers in poultry feed, in a real sample of complex composition. A baseline separation of inosine 5′-monophosphate and guanosine 5′-monophosphate was achieved within 10 min and the other components in the sample did not interfere with the separation. Quantitative results obtained from pig feed samples are presented. The separation conditions and experimental reproducibility are also discussed.     

Rhodium(I)‐Catalyzed [4 + 2] Cycloaddition Reactions of 2‐Alkylenecyclo‐butanols with Alkynes and (E)‐2‐Nitroethenylbenzene through C(sp2)—C(sp3) Bond Cleavage

An intermolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition was realized through C—C bond cleavage in the presence of Rh(I) catalyst. The selective ring opening of 2‐alkylenecyclobutanols enables the generation of active alkenylrhodium species, which underwent smooth cross addition over alkynes and (E)‐2‐nitroethenylbenzene, leading to highly substituted all‐carbon six‐membered rings in a single step and in a complete atom economy.     

稀土对MoSi2力学性能和抗氧化性能的影响

采用自蔓延和真空烧结方法制备了掺杂0．9％La2O3的MoSi2基复合材料，利用热重分析法，SEM和X射线考察了La2O3颗粒对MoSi2力学性能、抗氧化特性以及循环氧化后力学性能的影响。结果表明，与纯MoSi2相比，RE／MoSi2材料的弯曲强度和断裂韧性分别提高了46％和78％；稀土对MoSi2材料的强韧化机制主要是细晶强化、弥散强化和细晶韧化。RE／MoSi2的氧化增重是纯MoSi2的2．5倍，稀土使MoSiz材料的抗氧化性能降低。由于纯MoSi2材料氧化后的晶粒长大，其抗弯强度比氧化前降低了17％。稀土对MoSi2氧化时的晶粒长大倾向有抑制作用，使得RE／MoSi2材料的抗弯强度基本不变。