Synthesis, Stereostructure and H-bonding Patterns of a Tris-THF Compound

Abstract  

The synthesis and crystallographic analysis of a new tris-THF compound, obtained by chemical degradation of a penta-THF precursor, is reported. The molecular structure of the tris-THF compound allows to definitively assess the stereoconfiguration of the parent penta-THF compound, that was known only partially. The tris-THF compound crystallizes in the monoclinic C2/c space group with unit cell parameters a = 21.621(8), b = 7.481(4), c = 30.801(9) ?, β = 94.08(3)°, Z = 8. The final refinement converged to R ₁ = 0.0804 for 1,706 independent observed reflections having I > 2σ(I). The tris-THF compound adopts in the solid state a flexuous and wavy conformation due to the cis–trans–trans configuration of the three THF rings and to intramolecular H bonding. Molecules in the crystals form H-bonded chains that are wrapped around the crystallographic binary screw axes. The chains are also bonded to each other by H-bonding through _boxclose_boxclose_boxclose_boxclose^4 (8) R_{4}^{4} (8) and R₂² (14) R_{2}^{2} (14) ring motifs.     

A rapid fluorescence polarization immunoassay for the determination of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in wheat

A rapid fluorescence polarization (FP) immunoassay has been developed for the simultaneous determination of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in naturally contaminated wheat samples. Syntheses of four fluorescein-labelled T-2 or HT-2 toxin tracers were carried out and their binding response with seven monoclonal antibodies was evaluated. The most sensitive antibody-tracer combination was obtained by using an HT-2-specific antibody and a fluorescein-HT-2 tracer. The developed competitive FP immunoassay in solution showed high cross-reactivity for T-2 toxin (CR% = 100%) while a very low CR% for neosolaniol (0.12%) and no cross-reactivity with other mycotoxins frequently occurring in wheat. A rapid extraction procedure using 90% methanol was applied to wheat samples prior to FP immunoassay. The average recovery from spiked wheat samples (50 to 200 μg kg⁻¹) was 96% with relative standard deviation generally lower than 8%. A limit of detection of 8 μg kg⁻¹ for the combined toxins was determined. Comparative analyses of 45 naturally contaminated and spiked wheat samples by both the FP immunoassay and high-performance liquid chromatography/immunoaffinity clean-up showed a good correlation (r = 0.964). These results, combined with the rapidity (10 min) and simplicity of the assay, show that this method is suitable for high throughput screening as well as for quantitative determination of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in wheat.     

Comparative study of [RuClCp(HdmoPTA-κP)(PPh3)][CF3SO3] and the heterobimetallic complexes [RuClCp(PPh3)-μ-dmoPTA-1κP:2κ2N,N'-M(acac-κ2O,O')2] (M=Co, Ni, Zn; dmoPTA=3,7-dimethyl-1,3,7-triaza-5-phosphabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane)

The synthesis of novel heterobimetallic derivatives of general formula [RuClCp(PPh(3))-μ-dmoPTA-1κP:2κ(2)N,N'-M(acac-κ(2)O,O')(2)] (M = Ni (3), Zn (4); dmoPTA = 3,7-dimethyl-1,3,7-triaza-5-phosphabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane) is described. The preparations of the ruthenium-cobalt analogue (M = Co (2)) and the starting compound [RuClCp(HdmoPTA-κP)(PPh(3))](CF(3)SO(3)) have been revised and their yield improved. Similar to 2, the solid state structures of 3 and 4 show that the dmoPTA-P and the dmoPTA-N(CH(3)) atoms are involved in the coordination to the {RuCpCl(PPh(3))} and {M(acac)(2)} moieties, respectively. The size of the diffusing units is almost the same for the three binuclear complexes, indicating that they exhibit similar solution structures. The diamagnetic ruthenium-zinc derivative was fully characterized in solution at 193 K by NMR as two diastereomeric pairs of enantiomers (R-Ru, Δ-Zn; R-Ru, Λ-Zn; S-Ru, Δ-Zn; S-Ru, Λ-Zn). Finally, the electrochemical properties of the complexes have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry.     

Tuning size scale and crystallinity of PCL electrospun fibres via solvent permittivity to address hMSC response

The effect of solvent permittivity on the fibre morphology of PCL electrospun membranes for tissue engineering applications is studied. Morphological results indicate that polar solvents with higher permittivity are able to promote the formation of sub-micrometric fibres, while apolar solvents yield microfibres with an average fibre diameter of 2.86 ± 0.31 μm. Polymer/solvent interactions and electrospinning process parameters influence the mechanism of fibre and bead formation. It is shown that the dielectric properties of solvents influence the fibre size scale and crystallinity and directly contribute to the biological response of stem cells. Solvent permittivity is a key factor in controlling the morphological and physical properties of electrospun fibre meshes.     

Review: applications of mass spectrometry techniques in the investigation of milk proteome

The introduction of "soft" desorption/ionization methods such as electrospray ionization and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization has determined a breakthrough in the application of mass spectrometry to the structural analysis of proteins. The contemporary advancement of bioinformatics, together with the possibility to combine these mass spectrometric methods with electrophoretic or chromatographic separation techniques has opened up the new field of proteome analysis and, more generally, has established these approaches as indispensable tools for protein and peptide analysis in complex mixtures, such as milk and milk- derived foods. Here, a necessarily not exhaustive series of current applications of mass spectrometry-based techniques for the characterization of milk proteins will be summarized. These include the characterization of milk protein polymorphism, determination of the structural modifications induced on milk proteins by industrial processes, investigation of milk adulterations and characterization of milk allergens.     

Theoretical study of the conformational and optical properties of a fluorescent dye. A step toward modeling sensors grafted on polymer structures

The conformational and photophysical properties in toluene solution of a naphthoic acid derivative, namely 4-naphthoyloxy-1-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, which can simulate a pendant active group grafted on apolar polymer structures, were studied by means of calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) and its time-dependent extension (TD-DFT) coupled to a polarizable continuum model (PCM) of the surrounding medium. The conformational landscape was exhaustively explored and the conformers responsible for the absorption and emission spectra were identified through well established computational procedures based on a tuned combination of functional (PBE0) and basis set (N07D) which reproduced satisfactorily the experimental absorption and emission wavelengths.     

Multicolor, large-area fluorescence sensing through oligothiophene-self-assembled monolayers

We present a new strategy to realize self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on quartz and silicon with a multicolour fluorescence pattern starting from a single, proton sensitive oligothiophene dye exposed at a defined pH. Fine tuning of the SAMs emission color over the entire visible range, including white, is demonstrated. Finally, integration of SAMs in patterned thin layer cells (TLCs) is exploited to demonstrate cation sensing potential in real devices.