Pressurised solvent extraction for organotin speciation in vegetable matrices

Because organotin compounds (OTC) are widely used in many fields of activity, they have become an ubiquitous environmental presence. The presence of organotins in the environment impacts upon food safety, making it important to monitor the levels of organotin pesticides in fruits and vegetables. Nevertheless, only a few studies have been published on organotin speciation in plants. The objective of the present study was to evaluate and optimise a specific procedure based on pressurised solvent extraction (PSE) that is suitable for monitoring organotin content in vegetables. In ASE, solvents are used at elevated temperatures and pressures to increase the rate and efficiency of the extraction process. The results from this procedure were compared to those from the technique usually employed, solid/liquid extraction (SLE) performed in an acidic solvent by mechanical shaking. Three extracting solutions were tested—methanol, ethyl acetate and a mixture of methanol and ethyl acetate—and the mixture was found to give the most quantitative results while preserving the speciation. French bean and lettuce leaves as well as potato tubers were used as the plant materials. These vegetables were considered because they are the vegatables consumed in the most quantities in Europe. The study focuses on trisubstituted OTCs, which are the most toxic tin species. The samples were spiked with four trisubstituted organotins: tributyltin (TBT), triphenyltin (TPhT), tricyclohexyltin (TcHexT) and trioctyltin (TOcT). The influence of the pressure and the temperature of the PSE on the quantitativity of the process and on species preservation was evaluated using the experimental design methodology. The optimised PSE allowed detection limits down to 1–2 ng (Sn) g^–1 to be reached. These are higher than those obtained by SLE (0.1–1 ng (Sn) g^–1). Although the repeatability is similar for both PSE and SLE (2–12% for triorganotin compounds), this appears to be highly time-dependent in the case of SLE. Comparison with SLE confirms that PSE is an interesting tool for vegetable analysis considering the satisfactory OTC preservation and repeatability obtained for a relatively short extraction duration (only 15 min against 2–12 h for SLE).     

A method for calculating <Superscript>16</Superscript>o/<Superscript>18</Superscript>o peptide ion ratios for the relative quantification of proteomes

A method is described for the identification and relative quantification of proteomes using accurate mass tags (AMT) generated by nLC-dual ESI-FT-ICR-MS on a 7T instrument in conjunction with stable isotope labeling using 16O/18O ratios. AMTs were used for putative peptide identification, followed by confirmation of peptide identity by tandem mass spectrometry. For a combined set of 58 tryptic peptides from bovine serum albumin (BSA) and human transferrin, a mean mass measurement accuracy of 1.9 ppm +/-0.94 ppm (CIM99%) was obtained. This subset of tryptic peptides was used to measure 16O/18O ratios of 0.36 +/- 0.09 (CIM99%) for BSA (micro = 0.33) and 1.48 +/- 0.47 (CIM99%) for transferrin (micro = 1.0) using a method for calculating 16O/18O ratios from overlapping isotopic multiplets arising from mixtures of 16O, 18O1, and 18O2 labeled C-termini. The model amino acid averagine was used to calculate a representative molecular formula for estimating and subtracting the contributions of naturally occurring isotopes solely as a function of peptide molecular weight. The method was tested against simulated composite 16O/18O spectra where peptide molecular weight, 16O/18O ratio, 18O1/18O2 ratios, and number of sulfur atoms were varied. Relative errors of 20% or less were incurred when the 16O/18O ratios were less than three, even for peptides where the number of sulfur atoms was over- or under-estimated. These data demonstrate that for biomarker discovery, it is advantageous to label the proteome representing the disease state with 18O; and the method is not sensitive to variations in 18O1/18O2 ratio. This approach allows a comprehensive differentiation of expression levels and tentative identification via AMTs, followed by targeted analysis of over- and under-expressed peptides using tandem mass spectrometry, for applications such as the discovery of disease biomarkers.     

In-capillary micro solid-phase extraction and capillary electrophoresis separation of heterocyclic aromatic amines with nanospray mass spectrometric detection

A miniaturised technique to analyse and detect heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAs) using micro solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled on-line (in-capillary) to capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation with nanospray (nESI) mass spectrometry (MS) detection has been developed. HAs are mutagenic and carcinogenic compounds formed at low levels in protein-rich food during cooking. Due to the low concentrations of HAs and the high complexity of the matrix in which they exist, sensitive and selective analytical methods are required for quantification. SPE was performed on a packed bed of C₁₈ particles inside the CE capillary, which minimised the dead volume. The on-line coupling of SPE, CE and nESI-MS reduced the time for extraction and identification to less than half an hour, which will allow for screening of several samples per day. The new technique provides short analysis time, low sample and solvent consumption, and HAs in standard solutions were easily detected at 12–17 fmol injections, and in spiked urine samples at 750–810 fmol injections.     

Novel large heteropolymetalate complexes formed from Ni(II) and cryptate [As<Subscript>4</Subscript>W<Subscript>40</Subscript>O<Subscript>140</Subscript><Superscript>28-</Superscript>

The heteropolytungstate (NH4)₂₀[Na2(H₂O)₂Ni(H₂O)₅{Ni(H₂O)}₂As₄W₄₀O₁₄₀] · 61H₂O is obtained by the reaction of Na₂₇[NaAs₄W₄₀O₁₄₀] · 60H₂O with NiCl₂ · 6H₂O and NH₄Cl in pH≈4.0. The structure and chemical composition are determined by X-ray diffraction analysis and element analysis. The crystal data and main structure refinement are: a = 1.33135(18) nm, b = 1.9722(3) nm, c = 3.6430(5) nm, α = 78.010(2)°, β = 82.145(2)δ, γ = 74.385(2)°, V = 8.978(2) nm³, triclinic crystal system, space group: P1, Z = 2, R1 = 0.0512, and wR2 = 0.0684(I >2σ). The four S2 sites of the big cyclic ligand [As₄W₄₀O₁₄₀]^28- are occupied by two Na⁺ and two Ni²⁺ respectively, and each site supplies four O_d coordinating to metal ion. The coordination number of Ni²⁺ is six, and that of two Na⁺ is five and six respectively. The third Ni²⁺ locates outside the cyclic [As₄W₄₀O₁₄₀]^28- and connects with one O_d, and its coordination number is six.     

Study of the mechanism of base induced dehydrobromination of trans-β-bromostyrene

Observation that rates of dehydrobromination of trans-β-bromostyrene (1) and the Hofmann degradation of tetrabutyl ammonium cation depend on strength of base in different ways and that treatment of 1 with base results in fast abstraction of the β-proton imply the possibility that the dehydrobromination of 1 could proceed via α-elimination and Ph migration. In order to clarify this question, β-¹³C-labeled 1 was obtained and subjected to PTC dehydrobromination which proceeds without migration of Ph. The obtained results are consistent with an irreversible E1cB mechanism.     

n-Hexane dehydrocyclization over Pt?Ni supported on alumina catalysts

Pt–Ni/-Al₂O₃ catalysts have been prepared and studied in n-hexane dehydrocyclization. The selectivity for benzene and toluene, a chain lengthening product formation was improved by Ni and correlated with its content.

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Pt–Ni/-Al₂O₃ -. Ni . Ni , .

     

Etude dans la série des pyrrolidinones. IV. Formation de quelques dérivés de l'acide L méthylène bis N-(oxo-5 pyrrolidine carboxylique-2)

Starting from the readily available 5-oxo-2-carboxypyrrolidine, methylene-bis-(N-5-oxo-2-carboxypyrrolidine) was prepared and transformed into a diamine, then into two isomeric diols, which cyclised into one ether. The meso configuration has been assigned for this ether. The reduction of both diols and ether was complete and gave rise to methylene-bis-N-pyrrolidine.     

Synthesis and Antiproliferative Activity of Cyano and Amidino Substituted 2-Phenylbenzothiazoles

Series of cyano, dicyano, amidino, and diamidino substituted 2-phenylbenzothiazoles were prepared. Mono- and dicyano substituted benzothiazoles were obtained by condensation of appropriate substituted benzaldehydes with 2-aminothiophenol or 4-amino-3-mercaptobenzonitrile. The appropriate amidines or diamidines were prepared by Pinner reaction. The compounds were tested against breast, prostate, and lung cancer cell lines in a 72 h cytotoxicity assay. Many of the compounds had at 10 μM activity equivalent to 2-(4-aminophenyl)benzothiazole, while four compounds had significantly better activity, particularly in the breast cancer model.     

Elucidation of the vicarious nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen mechanism via studies of competition between substitution of hydrogen, deuterium, and fluorine.

Relations of rates of the vicarious nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen (VNS) and S(N)Ar substitution of fluorine in 2-fluoronitrobenzenes with chloroalkyl aryl sulfone carbanions were determined from competitive experiments carried out at various concentrations of base. The observed dependence of the VNS/S(N)Ar rate ratio on the base concentration confirmed the two-step mechanism of the VNS, which consists of reversible formation of sigma(H) adducts of the alpha-chlorocarbanion to nitroarene, followed by base-induced beta-elimination of HCl. It was also evidenced that both of these processes can be the rate-limiting steps: the beta-elimination at low base concentration and the nucleophilic addition at high base concentration. Consistent with that conclusion is the finding that the kinetic isotope effect in the VNS reaction decreases from 4.2 (a value typical of a primary KIE) to 0.8 (a value typical of a secondary KIE) with increasing base concentration. Also reported is our discovery that the S(N)Ar substitution of the 2-fluoronitrobenzenes studied in this work was subject to base catalysis under some of the experimental conditions employed in our competitive experiments.     

Decomposition of Toluene and Acetone in Packed Dielectric Barrier Discharge Reactors

The influences of TiO₂ catalytic material and glass pellet packing on the decomposition efficiency of toluene and acetone in air by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactors were experimentally investigated in this study. The effects of both packing materials on the formation of byproducts such as CO and CO₂ were also evaluated. Experimental results indicate that the introduction of glass materials into the plasma zone of a wire-tube reactor would improve the decomposition efficiency of toluene and acetone compared to a nonpacked reactor. The apparent decomposition rate constant of a glass packed-bed reactor was 4.5–4.8 times greater than that of a nonpacked reactor. The results also indicate that the decomposition rate constant of toluene was approximately 2.6 times higher than that of acetone no matter which type reactor was utilized. The application of TiO₂ coated pellets in DBD reactors will enforce the hydrocarbon byproducts to further be oxidized to CO₂, notwithstanding, it will not significantly improve the performance of the reactors in the decomposition of toluene and acetone, and in the formation of CO. The results show that the best selectivity of CO₂ for acetone decomposition in a TiO₂ coated pellets packed-bed reactor was approximately 40% higher than that in a glass packed-bed reactor.