Determination of lewisite constituents in aqueous samples using hollow-fibre liquid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The applicability of hollow-fibre liquid-phase microextraction for extracting 2-chlorovinyldichloroarsine (lewisite 1), bis(2-chlorovinyl)chloroarsine (lewisite 2), tris(2-chlorovinyl)arsine (lewisite 3) and arsenic trichloride from aqueous samples is reported. Parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of these chemicals were optimised. These parameters included the type of derivatising agent, extraction solvent, derivatisation method, pH, ionic strength, stirring speed and extraction time. A linear range between 0.002 and 0.2 μg/mL was established for the lewisites with good square regression coefficients (0.9955–0.9992). Good reproducibility with relative standard deviations (RSDs) from 8 to 10 % was achieved. The limit of detection was 0.002 μg/mL for the lewisites and 0.005 μg/mL for arsenic trichloride (3:1 signal-to-noise ratio). The extraction method was validated with a proficiency test sample issued by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The rapidity and precision of the new method should help deter against the employment of lewisite as a chemical warfare agent: its use could be confirmed easily from analysis of aqueous samples.     

Dications of benzylidenefluorene and diphenylmethylidene fluorene: the relationship between magnetic and energetic measures of antiaromaticity

Oxidation of m- and p-substituted benzylidene fluorenes to antiaromatic dications was attempted by electrochemical and chemical means. Electrochemical oxidation to dications was successful for benzylidene fluorenes with p-methoxy, p-methyl, p-fluoro, and unsubstituted phenyl rings in the 3-position; attempts to oxidize the m-substituted derivatives via electrochemistry were unsuccessful. Chemical oxidation with SbF(5)/SO(2)ClF gave the dication of 9-[(4-methoxyphenyl)methylene]-9H-fluorene cleanly; oxidation of all other substituted benzylidene fluorenes resulted in mixtures of products. The excellent linear relationship between the chemical shifts calculated by the GIAO method and the experimental shifts for the p-methoxy-substituted benzylidene fluorene dication suggests that the calculations satisfactorily reflect the magnetic properties of this dication and potentially those of the other dications studied. The redox potentials from electrochemical oxidation, a measure of the stability of the dications, showed a good linear relationship with another measure of stability, the calculated difference in energy between each dication and its neutral precursor. The dications of benzylidene fluorenes were less stable than the dications of diphenylmethylidene fluorenes; within each type of compound, dications with p-substituted phenyl rings were more stable than dications with m-substituted phenyl rings and dications with phenyl rings substituted with electron-donating groups were more stable than dications with phenyl rings substituted with electron-withdrawing groups. The antiaromaticity of the fluorenyl system was assessed through the nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) that was also calculated by the GIAO method. The plot of the NICS values per square area versus the calculated energy difference for the dications showed a moderate degree of linearity; the plot of NICS values per square area versus the oxidation potentials was less linear. Thus, a suggestive, but not conclusive, relationship between magnetic and energetic measures of antiaromaticity was observed.     

Excess enthalpy and entropy of aqueous tetramethylguanidinium methanesulfonate and trifluoromethanesulfonate solutions

Relative apparent molal heat contents, φ_L, are reported for the tetramethylguanidinium salts of methanesulfonic (MS) and trifluoromethanesulfonic (TFMS) acids. Relative partial molal heat contents, L?₂, are calculated and combined with previously reported activity coefficient data, to yield excess entropies. It is found that the values of L?₂ make the principal contribution to the excess entropies of Me₄GuMS solutions while the excess free energies, as calculated from activity coefficients, make the greatest contribution to the excess entropies of Me₄GuTFMS solutions.     

Enzymatic oxidation of tert-butylcatechol in the presence of sulfhydryl compounds: Application to the amperometric detection of penicillamine

The high sensitivity that can be attained using an enzymatic system and mediated by 4-tert-butylcatechol (4-TBC) has been verified by on-line interfacing of a rotating biosensor and continuous flow/stopped-flow/continuous-flow processing. Horseradish peroxidase, HRP, [EC 1.11.1.7], immobilized on a rotating disk, in presence of hydrogen peroxide catalyzed the oxidation of 4-TBC, whose back electrochemical reduction was detected on glassy carbon electrode surface at −150 mV. Thus, when penicillamine (PA) was added to the solution, these thiol-containing compounds participate in Michael type addition reactions with 4-TBC to form the corresponding thioquinone derivatives, decreasing the peak current obtained proportionally to the increase of its concentration. The highest response for PA was obtained around pH 7. This method could be used to determine PA concentration in the range 0.02-80 μM (r = 0.998). The determination of PA was possible with a limit of detection of 7 nM, in the processing of as many as 50 samples per hour. The HRP-rotating biosensor was successfully applied to the determination of PA in pharmaceutical formulations.     

Effect of the Dispersing Agent on the Electrochemical Response of Glassy Carbon Electrodes Modified with Dispersions of Carbon Nanotubes

The electrochemical response of a glassy carbon electrode modified with carbon nanotubes (CNT) dispersed in two solvents, water and DMF, and two polymers, chitosan and Nafion is reported. The films were homogeneous when the dispersing agent was water or DMF. In the case of polymers, the surfaces present areas with different density of CNTs. A more sensitive electrochemical response was obtained when CNTs are dispersed in the solvents. In the case of CNT dispersed with polymers, the nature of the polymer demonstrated to be a critical parameter not only for dispersing the nanotubes but also for the electrochemical activity of the resulting electrodes.     

A Polyketide Synthase Component for Oxygen Insertion into Polyketide Backbones

Enzymatic core components from trans‐acyltransferase polyketide synthases (trans‐AT PKSs) catalyze exceptionally diverse biosynthetic transformations to generate structurally complex bioactive compounds. Here we focus on a group of oxygenases identified in various trans‐AT PKS pathways, including those for pederin, oocydins, and toblerols. Using the oocydin pathway homologue (OocK) from Serratia plymuthica 4Rx13 and N‐acetylcysteamine (SNAC) thioesters as test surrogates for acyl carrier protein (ACP)‐tethered intermediates, we show that the enzyme inserts oxygen into β‐ketoacyl moieties to yield malonyl ester SNAC products. Based on these data and the identification of a non‐hydrolyzed oocydin congener with retained ester moiety, we propose a unified biosynthetic pathway of oocydins, haterumalides, and biselides. By providing access to internal ester, carboxylate pseudostarter, and terminal hydroxyl functions, oxygen insertion into polyketide backbones greatly expands the biosynthetic scope of PKSs.     

Thermal activation of molecularly-wired gold nanoparticles on a substrate as catalyst

The ability to prepare nanostructured metal catalysts requires the ability to control size and interparticle spatial and surface access properties. In this work, we report novel findings of an atomic force microscopic investigation of a controlled thermal activation strategy of gold catalysts nanostructured via molecular wiring or linking on a substrate surface. Gold nanocrystals of approximately 2 nm diameter capped by decanethiolate and wired by 1,9-nonanedithiolate on mica substrates were studied as a model system. By manipulating the activation temperature (200-250 degrees C), the capping/wiring molecules can be removed to produce controllable particle size and interparticle spatial morphology. The electrocatalytic activity of the activated nanostructures toward methanol oxidation, which is of fundamental importance to fuel cell catalysis, has been demonstrated. The novelty of the findings is the viability of a thermal activation strategy of core-shell nanostructured catalysts based on molecularly predefined interparticle spatial properties on a substrate, which upon further investigation may form the basis for spatially controllable nanostructured catalysts.