Synthesis of new tren-based tris-macrocycles. Anion cluster assembling inside the cavity generated by a bowl-shaped receptor

The synthesis of three new tris-macrocycles, containing three [12]aneN(4) (L1), [12]aneN(3)O (L2), or [14]aneN(4) (L3) moieties appended to a tren unit, is reported. The crystal structure of the [(Na(ClO(4))(6)) subset L1(2)H(13)]Na(6)Cl(2)(ClO(4))(12) compound shows the anionic cluster [Na(ClO(4))(6)](5)(-) assembled inside the cavity defined by two bowl-shaped polyammonium receptors, held by multiple charge-charge and hydrogen bond interactions.     

Composition and in vitro Antifungal Activity of Essential Oils of Erigeron canadensis and Myrtus communis from France

Essential oils of Erigeron canadensis L. and Myrtus communis L. were tested in vitro as growth inhibitors against phytopathogenic fungi Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn, Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc. and Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (Sacc. & Magn.) Briosi & Cav. Both showed weak fungicidal acitivity, except the essential oil of M. communis that exerted a 60% growth inhibition against R. Solani at a dose of 1600 ppm. Microscopic observation revealed that the essential oil of M. Communis caused morphological alterations of hyphae of all fungi at 1600 ppm, while, at the same dose, only the hyphal morphology of C. Lindemuthianum was affected by the essential oil of Er. Canadensis.     

Heats of adsorption using temperature programmed adsorption equilibrium: application to the adsorption of CO on Cu/A12O3 and H2 on Pt/Al2O3

A new simple analytical procedure is described that allows the determination of the heats of adsorption (denoted E(theta)) of adsorbed species at several coverages (theta's) using a single experiment. This procedure is an extension of an original method previously developed (denoted AEIR: adsorption equilibrium infrared spectroscopy). A mass spectrometer is used to determine the amounts of gas (in the present study, CO and H2) either desorbed from or adsorbed on a metal supported catalyst (4.7% Cu/Al2O3 and 2.9% Pt/Al2O3) during the perturbation of the adsorption equilibrium due to a controlled change of the adsorption temperature (Ta) at a quasi-constant adsorption pressure (Pa). These amounts allow us to follow the evolution of the adsorption equilibrium coverage (theta(e)) with Ta at the quasi-constant partial pressure (Pa). Then, the curve theta(e) = f(Ta) provides Etheta = f(theta) with the support of an adsorption model. This procedure presents several advantages as compared to the TPD methods, in particular, considering the theoretical supports linked to the exploitation of the experimental data. As compared to AEIR, the TPAE procedure allows one to study the heats of adsorption of adsorbed species that are not detectable by IR. However, it is not adapted if surface reactions occur in parallel to adsorption/desorption processes.     

Zn(II) coordination to polyamine macrocycles containing dipyridine units. New insights into the activity of dinuclear Zn(II) complexes in phosphate ester hydrolysis

Zn(II) binding by the dipyridine-containing macrocycles L1-L3 has been analyzed by means of potentiometric measurements in aqueous solutions. These ligands contain one (L1, L2) or two (L3) 2,2'-dipyridine units as an integral part of a polyamine macrocyclic framework having different dimensions and numbers of nitrogen donors. Depending on the number of donors, L1-L3 can form stable mono- and/or dinuclear Zn(II) complexes in a wide pH range. Facile deprotonation of Zn(II)-coordinated water molecules gives mono- and dihydroxo-complexes from neutral to alkaline pH values. The ability of these complexes as nucleophilic agents in hydrolytic processes has been tested by using bis(p-nitrophenyl) phosphate (BNPP) as a substrate. In the dinuclear complexes the two metals play a cooperative role in BNPP cleavage. In the case of the L2 dinuclear complex [Zn(2)L2(OH)(2)](2+), the two metals act cooperatively through a hydrolytic process involving a bridging interaction of the substrate with the two Zn(II) ions and a simultaneous nucleophilic attack of a Zn-OH function at phosphorus; in the case of the dizinc complex with the largest macrocycle L3, only the monohydroxo complex [Zn(2)L3(OH)](3+) promotes BNPP hydrolysis. BNPP interacts with a single metal, while the hydroxide anion may operate a nucleophilic attack. Both complexes display high rate enhancements in BNPP cleavage with respect to previously reported dizinc complexes, due to hydrophobic and pi-stacking interactions between the nitrophenyl groups of BNPP and the dipyridine units of the complexes.     

Plasma antioxidant capacity determination: comparative evaluation of chemiluminescent and spectrophotometric assays

All aerobic organisms have developed different mechanisms for neutralising the free radicals, mostly produced by the monoelectronic reduction of O(2), and preventing the severe damages these can provoke. The efficiency of these mechanisms can be assessed, in different matrices, by a simple and direct chemiluminescent assay (CL) based on luminol oxidation catalysed by horseradish peroxidase. Light emission is mediated by the production of free radicals and it is inhibited after a sample addition in a way that is directly proportional to the sample total content of molecules displaying antioxidant activity. The performances of this chemiluminescent assay were compared with those of two spectrophotometric methods already applied in clinical practice. First spectrophotometric method measures, like CL assay, the total antioxidant capacity, whereas the second one determines free thiol groups content. The chemiluminescent assay has a linearity interval between 0.60 and 9.46 mumol l(-1) of Trolox (y=34.91x+3.10; r=0.999; n=5) with an imprecision, expressed as CV, of 3.8% and an inaccuracy, expressed as percentage recovery, of 109%. The first spectrophotometric method, based on the same reference standard, the Trolox molecule, has a linearity interval between 0.2 and 2.5 mmol l(-1) of Trolox (y=-0.01x+4.54; r=0.95; n=5); the thiol groups assay has a linearity interval between 0.1 and 1 mmol l(-1) of l-cysteine (y=1.68x-47.09; r=0.998; n=5). Different clinical samples of plasma from healthy individuals, obese subjects and patients with liver diseases were tested. Interesting correlations were obtained among the three methods, but no significant correlations emerged between antioxidant capacity and clinical parameters. Significant differences were there only between men and women among obese subjects and between drinkers and non-drinkers among liver disease patients.     

Use of experimental design for the purge-and-trap-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry determination of methyl tert.-butyl ether,tert.-butyl alcohol and BTEX in groundwater at trace level

An efficient method for the simultaneous determination of methyl tert.-butyl ether, tert.-butyl alcohol, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene isomers in groundwater by purge-and-trap-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was developed and validated. Experimental design was used to investigate the effects of temperature of extraction, time of extraction and percentage of salt added to the water samples. Regression models and desirability functions were applied to find the experimental conditions providing the highest global extraction yield. Validation was carried out in terms of limits of detection (LOD), limits of quantitation (LOQ), linearity and precision. LOD values ranging from 2.6 to 23 ng l(-1) were achieved, whereas linearity was statistically verified over two orders of magnitude for each compound. Precision was evaluated testing two concentration levels. Good results were obtained both in terms of intra-day repeatability and intermediate precision: RSD% lower than 4.5% at the highest concentration and lower than 13% at the lowest one were calculated for intra-day repeatability. A groundwater sample suspected of contamination by leaking underground petroleum storage tanks was analysed and some of the analytes were detected and quantitated.     

Gold-catalyzed reactions of 2-alkynyl-phenylamines with alpha,beta-enones

[reaction: see text] The gold-catalyzed reaction of 2-alkynyl-phenylamines with alpha,beta-enones represents a new general one-pot entry into C-3-alkyl-indoles by sequential reactions. Gold-catalyzed sequential cyclization/alkylation, N-alkylation/cyclization, or N-alkylation/cyclization/alkylation reactions leading to different indoles can be directed by changing the 2-alkynyl-phenylamine 1/alpha,beta-enone 3 ratio and the reaction temperature. Unusual gold-catalyzed rearrangement reaction of indoles are observed at 140 degrees C. New gold-catalyzed formation of propargyl-alkyl ether under mild conditions and the hydration reaction of N-acetyl-2-ethynyl-phenylamine are reported.     

CO(2) Fixation by Novel Copper(II) and Zinc(II) Macrocyclic Complexes. A Solution and Solid State Study

Solutions containing Zn(II) and Cu(II) complexes with [15]aneN(3)O(2) rapidly adsorb atmospheric CO(2) to give {[ZnL](3)(&mgr;(3)-CO(3))}.(ClO(4))(4) (2) and {[CuL](3)(&mgr;(3)-CO(3))}.(ClO(4))(4) (4) complexes. The crystal structures of both complexes have been solved (for 2, space group R3c, a, b = 22.300(5) ?, c = 17.980(8) ?, V = 7743(4) ?(3), Z = 6, R = 0.0666, R(w)(2) = 0.1719; for 4, space group R3c, a, b = 22.292(7) ?, c = 10.096(8) ?, V = 7788(5) ?(3), Z = 6, R = 0.0598, R(w)(2) = 0.1611), and the spectromagnetic behavior of 4 has been studied. In both compounds a carbonate anion triply bridges three metal cations. Each metal is coordinated by one oxygen of the carbonate, three nitrogens, and an oxygen of the macrocycle; the latter donor weakly interacts with the metals. Although the two compounds are isomorphous, they are not isostructural, because the coordination geometries of Zn(II) in 2 and Cu(II) in 4 are different. The mixed complex {[CuZn(2)L(3)](&mgr;(3)-CO(3))}.(ClO(4))(4) has been synthesized. X-ray analysis (space group R3c, a, b = 22.323(7) ?, c = 17.989(9) ?, V = 7763(5) ?(3), Z = 6, R = 0.0477, R(w)(2) = 0.1371) and EPR measurements are in accord with a &mgr;(3)-carbonate bridging one Cu(II) and two Zn(II) ions in {[CuZn(2)L(3)](&mgr;(3)-CO(3))}(4+). Both the Zn(II) and Cu(II) cations exhibit the same coordination sphere, almost equal to that found in the trinuclear Zn(II) complex 2. The systems Zn(II)/L and Cu(II)/Lhave been studied by means of potentiometric measurements in 0.15 mol dm(-)(1) NaCl and in 0.1 mol dm(-)(3) NaClO(4) aqueous solutions; the species present in solution and their stability constants have been determined. In both systems [ML](2+) species and hydroxo complexes [M(II)LOH](+) (M = Zn, Cu) are present in solution. In the case of Cu(II), a [CuL(OH)(2)] complex is also found. The process of CO(2) fixation is due to the presence of such hydroxo-species, which can act as nucleophiles toward CO(2). In order to test the nucleophilic ability of the Zn(II) complexes, the kinetics of the promoted hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl acetate has been studied. The [ZnLOH](+) complex promotes such a reaction, where the Zn(II)-bound OH(-) acts as a nucleophile to the carbonyl carbon. The equilibrium constants for the addition of HCO(3)(-) and CO(3)(2)(-) to the [ZnL](2+) complex have been potentiometrically determined. Only [ML(HCO(3))](+) and [ML(CO(3))] species are found in aqueous solution. A mechanism for the formation of {[ML](3)(&mgr;(3)-CO(3))}.(ClO(4))(4) is suggested.