Epoxy functionalized polymethacrylates based on various multifunctional d‐glucopyranoside acetals

The synthesis of acetal‐derived d ‐glucopyranosides with a various number of hydroxyl groups (the first step, acetalization) and their modified forms with bromoester groups (the second step, esterification) are presented here. The latter, due to the type of functional groups, can be used to initiate the controlled atom transfer radical polymerization. The copolymerizations of equimolar feed of methacrylate monomers, namely, methyl methacrylate and glycidyl methacrylate, were initiated by prepared new glycoinitiators, based on methyl α‐d ‐glucopyranoside (Meαd Glu) or 2‐(hydroxymethyl)phenyl‐β‐d ‐glucopyranoside (salicin), in the presence of the catalyst system CuCl/dNbpy in anisole at 30 °C. The conditions were sufficient for successful synthesis of well‐defined copolymers with sugar cores sheltered by two‐, three‐, four‐, or six‐polymethacrylate segments with various polymerization degrees (DP_arm = 15 – 70) and low dispersity indices (Ð = 1.15–1.30). Because of the presence of oxirane groups, the star‐copolymers can be functionalized in further steps by biologically active compounds or modified to amphipilics. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2483–2494     

Determination of Blasticidin S in Spiked Rice Using SW Voltammetry with a Renewable Silver Amalgam Film Electrode

Blasticidin S (BS) was determined in spiked rice samples by square wave voltammetry (SWV) and square wave stripping voltammetry (SWSV) using a cyclic renewable silver amalgam film electrode (Hg(Ag)FE). It was found that the compound can act as an electrocatalyst. In Britton? Robinson buffer at pH 7.0 a signal connected with the hydrogen evolution reaction was detected at ?1.2 V versus Ag/AgCl. Validation of the method was carried out. The detection and quantification limits were found to be 2.13×10^?8 mol L^?1; 7.10×10^?8 mol L^?1 for SWV and 2.65×10^?9 mol L^?1; 8.85×10^?9 mol L^?1 for SWSV, respectively.     

Polydentate chiral heteroorganic ligands/catalysts—impact of particular functional groups on their activity in selected reactions of asymmetric synthesis

The influence of each functional group in enantiomerically pure ligands 1, bearing a hydroxy moiety, a stereogenic sulfinyl group and an enantiomeric amine moiety, on ligand catalytic efficiency in enantioselective nitroaldol (Henry) reactions was investigated by subsequent transformation and/or protection of these groups. It was found that, although the absolute configuration of the amine moiety exerted a decisive influence on the stereochemical outcome of the reaction, the presence of the sulfinyl group was crucial. The hydroxy group could be replaced by a second enantiomeric amine moiety, but in order to achieve high catalytic activity of the ligand, it was necessary to retain the sulfinyl moiety in its molecule. This clearly indicated that the simultaneous presence of three coordinating centres was essential for the efficiency of the catalysts and allowed us to conclude that the original ligands 1 demonstrated a tridentate character.     

Isotope effects in the enzymatic oxidation of tryptamine to 3-indolyl-acetaldehyde

The reaction mechanisms of the enzymatic deamination of tryptamine catalysed by the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO, EC 1.4.3.4) were investigated using the kinetic isotope effect and solvent isotope effect methods. The numerical values of these deuterium effects in the (1S) and (1R) positions of tryptamine were determined using the non-competitive spectrophotometry. The deuterium-labelled isotopologue [(1S)-²H]tryptamine was obtained in two steps by enzymatic coupling of indole with S-methyl-l-cysteine in a deuterated medium followed by enzymatic decarboxylation of the resulting [2-²H]-l-tryptophan. [(1R)-²H]tryptamine was obtained by enzymatic decarboxylation of l-tryptophan in the fully deuterated medium.     

Development and validation of a UHPLC method for the determination of flavonoids in red wine

A simple and fast ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) method was developed for the identification and quantification of the following flavonoids in red wine: (+/-)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, rutin, quercitrin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, (+/-)-naringenin, hesperetin, and chrysin. Chromatographic separation of the flavonoids was performed on a Chromolith Fast Gradient C18e column. A gradient elution was used with mobile phases consisting of 0.1% formic acid in water and acetonitrile. UV detection was performed at 280 nm. A complete separation of flavonoids was possible within 6 min. The calibration curves showed good linearity (R2 > or = 0.9990) in the selected range of each analyte; the LOD ranged between 0.06 and 0.19 microg/mL. An optimized sample preparation method utilized SPE. The Oasis HLB column with the highest recoveries was selected for the preconcentration step. This method was successfully applied to the determination of these flavonoids in the red wine samples with excellent results.     

Comparative height measurements of dip-pen nanolithography-produced lipid membrane stacks with atomic force, fluorescence, and surface-enhanced ellipsometric contrast microscopy

Dip-pen nanolithography (DPN) with phospholipids has been shown to be a powerful tool for the generation of biologically active surface patterns, but screening of the obtained lithographic structures is still a bottleneck in the quality control of the prepared samples. Here we performed a comparative study with atomic force microscopy (AFM), fluorescence microscopy (FM), and surface-enhanced ellipsometric contrast (SEEC) microscopy of phospholipid membrane stacks consisting of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) with high admixing of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[6-[(2,4-dinitrophenyl)amino]hexanoyl] (DNP Cap PE) produced by DPN. We present a structural model of membrane stacking based on the combined information gained from the three microscopic techniques. Domains of phase-separated DNP Cap PE can be detected at high DNP Cap PE admixing that are not present at medium or low admixings. While the optical methods allow for a high-throughput screening of lithographic structures (compared to AFM), it was found that, when relying on FM alone, artifacts due to phase-separation phenomena can be introduced in the case of thin membrane stacks.     

Light-generated paramagnetic intermediates in BLUF domains

Blue-light sensitive photoreceptory BLUF domains are flavoproteins, which regulate various, mostly stress-related processes in bacteria and eukaryotes. The photoreactivity of the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor in three BLUF domains from Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and Escherichia coli have been studied at low temperature using time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance. Photoinduced flavin triplet states and radical-pair species have been detected on a microsecond time scale. Differences in the electronic structures of the FAD cofactors as reflected by altered zero-field splitting parameters of the triplet states could be correlated with changes in the amino-acid composition of the various BLUF domains' cofactor binding pockets. For the generation of the light-induced, spin-correlated radical-pair species in the BLUF domain from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, a tyrosine residue near the flavin's isoalloxazine moiety plays a critical role.     

UHPLC method for the simultaneous determination of β-blockers, isoflavones, and flavonoids in human urine

A simple method using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and ultra high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) for the simultaneous determination of β-blockers, isoflavones, and flavonoids in human urine is developed. A statistical central composite design and response surface analysis is used to optimize the separation of the analytes. These multivariate procedures are efficient in determining the optimal separation condition using resolutions and retention time as responses. A gradient elution using a mobile phase consisting of 0.05% trifluoroacetic acid in water and acetonitrile is applied on a Hypersil GOLD column within a short analysis time of 4.5 min. UV detection was used to monitor the analytes. The suggested method was linear in a concentration range from 0.04-20.00 μg/mL, depending on the compound. The limits of detection ranged from 8.9 to 66.2 ng/mL. The precision was lower than 2.74%, and the accuracy was between 0.01-3.65%. The Oasis HLB column, with the highest recoveries, is selected for the pre-concentration step. This present paper reports, for the first time, a method for the simultaneous determination of β-blockers, isoflavones, and flavonoids in human urine samples. Furthermore, the developed method can also be applied to the routine determination of examined compounds concentrations in human urine.