Relaxed but highly compact diansa metallacyclophanes

A series of monoansa [μ-1,1'-PR-3,3'-Co(1,2-C(2)B(9)H(10))(2)](-) and diansa [8,8'-μ-(1',2'-benzene)-μ-1,1'-PR-3,3'-Co(1,2-C(2)B(9)H(9))(2)](-) (R = Ph, (t)Bu) cobaltabisdicarbollidephanes have been synthesized, characterized and studied by NMR, MALDI-TOF-MS, UV-visible spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and DFT calculations. Single crystal X-ray diffraction revealed a highly relaxed structure characterized by the title angle α of 3.8° ([7](-)), this being the smallest angle α for a metallacyclophane. In such compounds, the metal-to-phosphorus distance is less than the sum of their van der Waals radii. The availability of a phosphorus lone pair causes an electron delocalization through the metal, as shown by the abnormal (31)P NMR chemical shift. Remarkably, the combination of a phosphine donor and a phenyl acceptor moieties causes a synergistic effect that is observed through the different techniques used in this study. The importance of having an available lone pair is demonstrated by the oxidation of phosphorus with hydrogen peroxide, sulfur, and elemental black selenium to produce the corresponding P(V) compounds. When the electron lone pair is used to form the bond with the corresponding chalcogen atom, the communication between the donor and acceptor moieties on the diansa metallacyclophane is shut down.     

Essential oil from leaves of Lantana canescens and L. lopez-palacii grown in Colombia

The chemical composition of the volatile compounds from the leaves of Lantana canescens Kunth (Verbenaceae) and L. lopez-palacii Moldenke grown in Colombia were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. One hundred and thirty-nine volatile compounds were identified in L. canescens, of which the major ones were beta-caryophyllene (13.5%), germacrene D (10.3%) and 1-octen-3-ol (8.4%). In the oil obtained from L. lopez-palacii, eighty-three compounds were identified, of which the most prominent were 1-octen-3-ol (24.4%) and beta-caryophyllene (15.2%). The in vitro antibacterial activity of the L. lopez-palacii essential oil was studied against three bacterial strains using the disc diffusion method. No antimicrobial activity was found against Escherichia coli, Enterobacter sakazakii and Listeria monocytogenes.     

Iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles formed by forced hydrolysis: dependence of phase composition on solution concentration

Nanoparticles of single-phase lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH) and goethite (α-FeOOH) have been synthesized by forced hydrolysis of ferric nitrate with no other additives, and the particles have been characterized by XRD, FT-IR and TEM. At low Fe(NO(3))(3) concentrations the hydrolysis product is predominantly γ-FeOOH, while at high concentrations it is α-FeOOH. These particles are nanometers in size and fall within narrow particle size distributions. The dependence of the oxyhydoxide phase on ferric nitrate concentration is attributed to two thermodynamic factors, the enthalpy of formation and the surface enthalpy of hydration at the oxide-water interface (which is a function of surface area). Two potential mechanisms for the phase-specific growth are proposed that explain the solution concentration dependence of the phase formed. Three other common nanoscale particles (α-Fe(2)O(3), Fe(3)O(4) and γ-Fe(2)O(3)) have also been prepared by relatively simple thermal/chemical treatment of the γ-FeOOH nanoparticles.     

Design of dinuclear copper species with carboranylcarboxylate ligands: study of their steric and electronic effects

A series of new mononuclear and carboranylcarboxylate‐bridged dinuclear copper(II) compounds containing the 1‐CH₃‐2‐CO₂H‐1,2‐closo‐C₂B₁₀H₁₀ carborane ligand ( L H) has been synthesized. Reaction of different copper salts with L H at room temperature leads to dinuclear compounds of the general formula [Cu₂(μ‐ L )₄( L_t )₂] ( L_t =thf ( 1 ), L_t =H₂O ( 1′ )). The reaction of 1 and 1′ with different terminal pyridyl (py) ligands leads to the formation of a series of structurally analogous complexes by substitution of the terminal ligand thf or H₂O ( L_t =py ( 2 ), p‐CF₃‐py ( 3 ), p‐CH₃‐py ( 4 ), pz ( 6 ), and 4,4′‐bpy ( 7 )), which maintain the structural Cu₂(μ‐O₂CR)₄ core in the majority of the cases except for o‐(CH₃)₂‐py, where a mononuclear compound ( 5 ) is exclusively obtained. These compounds have been characterized through analytical, spectroscopic (NMR, IR, UV‐visible, ESI‐MS) and magnetic techniques. X‐ray structural analysis revealed a paddle‐wheel structure for the dinuclear compounds, with a square‐pyramidal geometry around each copper ion and the carboranylcarboxylate ions bridging two copper atoms in syn–syn mode. The mononuclear complex obtained with the o‐(CH₃)₂‐py ligand presents a square‐planar structure, in which the carboranylcarboxylate ligand adopts a monodentate coordination mode. The magnetic properties of the dinuclear compounds 1 , 3 , 4 , and 6 show a strong antiferromagnetic coupling in all cases (J=?261 ( 1 ), ?255 ( 3 ), ?241 ( 4 ), ?249 cm^?1 ( 6 )). Computational studies based on hybrid density functional methods have been used to study the magnetic properties of the complexes and also to evaluate their relative stability on the basis of the strength of the bond between each Cu^II and the terminal ligand.     

Uncommon coordination behaviour of P(S) and P(Se) units when bonded to carboranyl clusters: experimental and computational studies on the oxidation of carboranyl phosphine ligands

Oxidation of closo-carboranyl diphosphines 1,2-(PR(2))(2)-1,2-closo-C(2)B(10)H(10) (R=Ph, iPr) and closo-carboranyl monophosphines 1-PR(2)-2-R'-1,2-closo-C(2)B(10)H(10) (R=Ph, iPr, Cy; R'=Me, Ph) with hydrogen peroxide, sulfur and elemental black selenium evidences the unique capacity of the closo-carborane cluster to produce uncommon or unprecedented P/P(E) (E=S, Se) and P=O/P=S chelating ligands. When H(2)O(2) reacts with 1,2-(PR(2))(2)-1,2-closo-C(2)B(10)H(10) (R=Ph, iPr), they are oxidized to 1,2-(OPR(2))(2)-1,2-closo-C(2)B(10)H(10) (R=Ph, iPr). However, when S and Se are used, different reactivity is found for 1,2-(PPh(2))(2)-1,2-closo-C(2)B(10)H(10) and 1,2-(PiPr(2))(2)-1,2-closo-C(2)B(10)H(10). The reaction with sulfur produces mono- and dioxidation products for R=Ph, whereas Se produces the mono-oxidation product only. For R=iPr, only monooxidation takes place with S, and the second C(c)-PiPr(2) bond breaks to yield 1-SPiPr(2)-1,2-closo-C(2)B(10)H(11). When Se is used, only 1-SePiPr(2)-1,2-closo-C(2)B(10)H(11) is formed. The potential of the mono-chalcogenide carboranyl diphosphines 1-EPPh(2)-2-PPh(2)-1,2-closo-C(2)B(10)H(10) (E=S, 9; Se, 15) to behave as unsymmetric chelating bidentate ligands was studied for different metal complexes, different solvents and in the solid state. Dechalcogenation takes place in each case. Computational studies provided information on the P=E (E=S, Se) bonds. Steric effects block the bonding ability of the P=E group due to interactions between the chalcogen and the neighbouring hydrogen atoms (three from the phenyl rings and one from the carborane cluster). The electronic effects originate from the strongly electron-withdrawing character of the closo carborane cluster, which polarizes the P=E (E=S, Se) bond towards the phosphorus atom. As a consequence, the E atom is the electron-poor site and the P atom the electron-rich site in the P=E bond.     

Approach to the study of C-glycosyl flavones acylated with aliphatic and aromatic acids from Spergularia rubra by high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection/electrospray ionization multi-stage mass spectrometry

The use of mass spectrometry (MS) coupled to liquid chromatography (LC) as working tool for the study of the C-glycosyl flavones acylated with aliphatic and aromatic acids has allowed the tentative characterization of these compounds in Spergularia rubra and the establishment of the position of the acylation on the sugar moiety of the C-glycosylation by use of MS data. The combination of retention time (Rt), ultraviolet (UV) and MS(n) data of the compounds revealed their C-glycosyl flavone nature, being luteolin, apigenin and chrysoeriol derivatives. Ten non-acylated flavones were identified, from which six are described for the first time (one 7-O-glycosyl-6,8-diC-glycosyl flavone, four 6,8-diC-glycosyl flavones and one 2"-O-glycosyl-6-C-glycosyl flavone). Twenty-six acylated derivatives were also found for the first time. These compounds are grouped in three classes, namely, C-glycosyl flavones acylated with aliphatic acids, with aromatic acids or with a mixed acylation. The first group is characterized by the presence of one 6,8-diC-(acetyl)glycosyl flavone, four 6,8-diC-(malonyl)glycosyl flavones and two 7-O-glycosyl-6,8-diC-(malonyl)glycosyl flavones, while in the second one twelve 6,8-diC-(acyl)glycosyl flavones and two 7-O-glycosyl-6,8-diC-(acyl)glycosyl flavones are described. The last class contained five 6,8-diC-(malonyl,acyl)glycosyl flavones. No previous work has described the presence of C-glycosyl flavones acylated with aliphatic acids in this genus.     

Development of an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography analytical methodology for the profiling of olive (Olea europaea L.) pulp proteins

Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) constitutes an interesting proposal to speed protein separations but it is almost not explored. In this work UHPLC is proposed, for the first time, to separate olive pulp proteins. An important difficulty in the analysis of proteins is related to their extraction. The difficulty in the extraction of proteins from the olive pulp is derived from its high content in lipids and phenolic compounds. Eight different methods for the extraction of pulp proteins were designed and evaluated. The optimized extraction procedure consisted of a cleaning step to remove interfering compounds, followed by the extraction of proteins with a Tris–HCl buffer containing sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and dithiothreitol (DTT), precipitation of proteins with acetone, and solubilization in the Tris–HCl buffer. This methodology yielded the most successful isolation of pulp proteins and enabled the optimization of a UHPLC methodology for their separation. The method was applied to the profiling of olive pulp proteins from different olive cultivars observing in all cases a protein that had never been described before.     

Effect of gamma irradiation on gas-ionic liquid and water-ionic liquid interfacial stability

The effect of γ-radiation on gas-ionic liquid (IL) and water-IL interfacial stability was investigated. Three phosphonium-based ILs, which vary considerably in their viscosity, conductivity and miscibility with water, were examined. The gas phase above the IL samples (headspace gas) was analyzed using gas chromatography with a mass spectrometer detector while the changes in the IL and aqueous phases were followed by conductivity measurements and Raman spectroscopy. For the gas-IL systems, the headspace samples showed trace amounts of the radiolytic decomposition products of the ILs that were small and volatile enough to become airborne. The type of cover gas, air or Ar, had no effect on the gas speciation. Negligible changes in the conductivity and the Raman spectra of the IL phase due to irradiation indicate that γ-irradiation induces negligible chemical changes in the IL phase when it is in contact with a gas phase. For the water-IL systems, the initially immiscible layers slowly developed an interfacial emulsion layer, even in the absence of radiation. This layer started at the water-IL interface and then grew downwards, eventually converting the entire IL phase to an emulsion. Gamma-irradiation accelerated the conversion of the IL phase to an emulsion. The development of the emulsion layer was accompanied by changes in the conductivity and the Raman spectra of both the IL and water phases. Based on these results, a mechanism involving the formation of micelles at, or near, the water-IL interface has been proposed to explain the development of an emulsion layer. We also suggest that radiolytic decomposition of ILs produces surfactants that can accumulate at the interface and, even at low concentrations, accelerate the emulsification process.     

Polyethylenimine-modified metal oxides for fabrication of packed capillary columns for capillary electrochromatography and capillary liquid chromatography

The need for novel packing materials in both capillary electrochromatography (CEC) and capillary liquid chromatography (CLC) is apparent and the development towards more selective, application-oriented chromatographic phases is under progress world-wide. In this study we have synthesized new polyethyleneimine (PEI) functionalized Mn(2)O(3), SiO(2), SnO(2), and ZrO(2) particles for the fabrication of packed capillary columns for CEC and CLC. The nanocasting approach was successful for the preparation of functionalized metal oxide materials with a controlled porosity and morphology. PEI functionalization was done using ethyleneimine monomers to create particles which are positively charged in aqueous solution below pH 9. This functionalization allowed the possibility to have both hydrophobic (due to its alkyl chain) and ionic interactions (due to positively charged amino groups) with selected compounds. For comparison aminopropyl-functionalized silica was also synthesized and tested. Both slurry pressure and electrokinetic packing procedures used gave similar results, but fast sedimentation of the material caused some problems during the packing. The high stability and wide pH range of PEI-functionalized SiO(2) material, with potential for hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, proved to be useful for the CEC and CLC separation of some model acidic and neutral compounds.     

Detection of cytotoxic activity of lectin on human colon adenocarcinoma (Sw480) and epithelial cervical carcinoma (C33-A)

Lectins comprise a heterogeneous class of proteins that recognize the carbohydrate moieties of glycoconjugates with high specificity. Numerous studies have shown that lectins are capable of recognizing specific carbohydrate moieties displayed by malignant cells or tissues. The present work was performed to investigate the effects of tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius) lectins on proliferation, colony formation, and alteration of DNA synthesis of human malignant cells. Tepary bean lectin showed dose dependent effects on the inhibition of viability as well as on colony formation in two human malignant cells lines (C33-A, Sw480); By contrast, tepary bean lectin only showed significant effects on DNA synthesis on Sw480 cells. Our results provide evidence of the anti- proliferative and cytotoxic effects of the tepary bean lectins on C33-A and Sw480 cells lines.