Determination of four nitroimidazole residues in poultry meat by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A multi-residue liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) assay method is described for the determination of four nitroimidazoles in poultry muscle. The extraction procedure is based on liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate followed by an evaporation step. A deuterated internal standard is used. The LC separation was made on a C18 bonded silica column with an aqueous formic acid (0.2%) solution-methanol-acetonitrile (81:13:6) mobile phase. Following electrospray ionization, the protonated molecular ion [M+H]+ is obtained for each compound. Monitoring several ions for each nitroimidazole provides the specificity required for confirmatory assay. Validation of the method was performed to estimate linearity, intra-day and inter-day repeatability, accuracy and detection limit. The present method is capable of identifying nitroimidazole residues in muscle at levels below 5 microg/kg.     

Synthesis of 2-amino-3-hydroxy- and of 2,3-diamino-3H-1,4-benzodiazepines

A new synthesis of 7-chloro-2,3-diamino-5-phenyl-3H-1,4-benzodiazepines is described, which allows for the preparation of compounds bearing the same or different substituents at the 2 and 3 positions, starting from 2-amino-7-chloro-3-hydroxy-5-phenyl-3H-1,4-benzodiazepines.     

In vitro determination of the release kinetics of peptides and free amino acids during the digestion of food proteins

The kinetics of peptide release during in vitro digestion of 4 protein sources (casein, cod protein, soy protein, and gluten) were investigated. Samples were sequentially hydrolyzed with pepsin (30 min) and pancreatin (2, 4, or 6 h) in a dialysis cell with continuous removal of digestion products. Nondialyzed digests were fractionated by ion-exchange chromatography and ultrafiltration. Animal proteins were digested at a greater rate than plant proteins. Target amino acids of specific enzymes appeared more rapidly in the dialyzed fractions when compared to other amino acids. Throughout the hydrolysis, nondialyzed digests contained a higher proportion of peptide mixtures with basic-neutral properties. Except for gluten, peptide fractions with molecular weights that exceeded 10 kDa (basic-neutral, BN > 10) were rapidly hydrolyzed during the first 2 h of pancreatin digestion. The kinetics of release and the composition of peptide fractions were different when the protein sources were compared. The analysis of amino acids revealed that threonine and proline proportions were relatively high in BN > 10 and in peptide fractions with molecular weight between 10-1 kDa (BN 10-1), while tyrosine, phenylalanine, lysine, and arginine predominated in the low molecular weight (<1 kDa) fractions. More resistant peptides were generally rich in proline and glutamic acid. The role of in vitro digestion assays in dietary protein quality evaluation is discussed.     

Thermal Analysis of Acrylonitrile Polymerization and Cyclization in the Presence of N,N-Dimethylformamide

This paper examines the polymerization of acrylonitrile to poly(acrylonitrile)(PAN), and its cyclization, in bulk form and using N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent in which both monomer and polymer are soluble. Thermal analysis of the resultant products after polymerization has been performed by DSC and pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). Scanning electron microscopy has been used to study the morphology of the resultant products and after thermal treatments. The DSC thermal curve of PAN-DMF sample is quite different from the PAN bulk sample, showing a single sharp exothermic peak associated with nitrile group polymerization (cyclization) of PAN at lower temperature (240°C) than that of bulk PAN sample (314°C). Cyclization of PAN was confirmed by IR spectroscopy. It was found that the amide molecules are difficult to eliminate completely in the product obtained after the polymerization reaction, even after prolonged heating at 110°C, and remain occluded. The formation of a complex by dipolar bonding is also possible and it is discussed. It is concluded that the amount of heat evolved as well as the temperature interval over which it is released are influenced by the chemical processing of PAN when using DMF as solvent of both monomer and polymer. Pyrolysis of these PAN samples revealed the release of occluded molecules of DMF, and several compounds containing nitrogen produced from the thermal degradation processes. All these results are interesting to know the chemical processing of carbon fibres and activated carbon fibres from PAN modified precursors.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A molecular orbital study of lithium ion association with bases. I. The carbonyl bases R2CO

Ab initio SCF calculations have been performed to determine the relative lithium ion affinities of the carbonyl bases R₂CO and the structures of the complexes R₂COLi⁺. The predicted order of lithium ion affinity for the bases R₂CO with respect to R is NH₂ > CH₃ > OH> H> F. Except for (OH)₂COLi⁺ which has C_a, symmetry, the complexes R₂COLi⁺ have C_2v symmetry, with the lithium ion located on the symmetry axis near the oxygen. The major structural changes in the intramolecular coordinates of the bases which occur upon lithium ion complexation include an increase in the carbonyl C---O bond length, a decrease in the length of the bond from the carbonyl carbon to the substituent atom X, and an increase in the X---C---X angle at the carbonyl carbon. The energetic, structural, and electronic properties of the complexes indicate that the interaction between the lithium ion and a carbonyl base is predominantly an ion-dipole attraction rather than a covalent interaction.     

Cycloaddition reactions of 2-vinylthiophen

Cycloaddition reactions between 2-vinylthiophen and the dienophiles maleic anhydride, dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate,' methyl propiolate, and methyl acrylate, are reported. Products include simple benzo[b]thiophen carboxylates (6, 13, 17) and reduced derivatives (3, 4, 18). The acetylenic dienophiles also gave a dihydrobenzthienyl-acrylate (16) or -fumarate (11), and the dithienylcyclohexene esters (7) and (14).     

Thiocarbonyl rhodium complexes with tricyclohexylphosphine and other nitrogen and phosphorus donor ligands

Summary The preparation of the covalent Rh(OCIO₃)(CS)(PCy₃)₂ and Rh(OClO₃)(CS)(PPh₃)(PCy₃) perchlorato complexes is described, These complexes react with mono- or bidentate nitrogen donor ligands to give new cationic complexes of the [Rh(CS)(PCY₃)₂L]ClO4 and [Rh(CS)(PPh,)(PCy₃)L]ClO₄ types,     

Highly conjugated p-quinonoid pi-extended tetrathiafulvalene derivatives: a class of highly distorted electron donors

A new class of pi-extended TTF-type electron donors (11 a-c) has been synthesized by Wittig-Horner olefination of bianthrone (9) with 1,3-dithiole phosphonate esters (10 a-c). In cyclic voltammetry experiments, donors 11 a-c reveal a single, electrochemically irreversible oxidation-yielding the corresponding dicationic products-at relatively low oxidation potentials (approximately 0.7-0.8 V). Theoretical calculations, performed at the DFT level (B3 P86/6-31 G*), predict a highly-folded C(2h) structure for 11 a. In the ground state, the molecule adopts a double saddle-like conformation to compensate the steric hindrance. The calculations suggest that the intramolecular charge transfer associated with the HOMO-->LUMO transition is responsible for an absorption band observed above 400 nm. While the radical cation 11 a*+ retains the folded C(2h) structure predicted for the neutral molecule as the most stable conformation, the dication 11 a(2+) has a fully aromatic D(2) structure, formed by an orthogonal 9,9'-bianthryl central unit to which two singly-charged dithiole rings are attached. The drastic conformational changes that compounds 11 undergo upon oxidation account for their electrochemical properties. By means of pulse radiolysis measurements, radical-induced one-electron oxidation of 11 a-c was shown to lead to the radical cation species (11 a-c*+), which were found to disproportionate with generation of the respective dication species (11 a-c(2+)) and the neutral molecules (11 a-c).     

Chronocoulometric study of the electrochemistry of Prussian blue

During the electrochemical oxidation of Prussian blue (PB) to Prussian yellow (PY), an electrocatalytic oxygen production proceeds at the electrode when aqueous electrolyte solutions are used. The formed oxygen is scavenged by the PY, probably by absorption, and it is consumed during the electrochemical reduction of PY to PB by a heterogeneous chemical reaction of PB with oxygen to PY and hydrogen peroxide. Because of this catalytic regeneration of PY, it is impossible to determine the amount of low-spin iron by chronocoulometry using a potential program in which PB is first oxidized to PY and then the charge is measured to reduce PY to PB. The latter charge is biased by the electrocatalytic PY regeneration.     

Synthesis of novel 2,5-dihydro-1,5,2-diazaphosphinines from primary enamine phosphonates and from alkyl phosphonates

A simple method for the preparation of phosphorus-containing pyrimidine analogues such as 2,5-dihydro-2-ethoxy-1,5,2-diazaphosphinine 2-oxides 9, 12-15 and adducts 3, 10 is described. Dihydrophosphinines 9, 12-15 are prepared from primary enamine phosphonates and nitriles or from phosphonates and nitriles in the presence of base, while highly stable hydrogen-bonded amine-dihydro-diazaphosphinine adducts 3, 10 are obtained by the addition of amine to dihydrophosphinines 9 or by reaction of alkylphosphonates with nitriles in the presence of LDA.