1H-NMR and LC-MS Based Metabolomics Analysis of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Cultivars Irrigated with Fly Ash Treated Acid Mine Drainage

¹H NMR and LC-MS, commonly used metabolomics analytical platforms, were used to annotate the metabolites found in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) irrigated with four different treatments based on FA to AMD ratios, namely: control (0% AMD; tap water), 1:1 (50% AMD), 3:1 (75% AMD is 75% FA: AMD), and 100% AMD (untreated). The effects of stress on plants were illustrated by the primary metabolite shifts in the region from δ_H 0.0 to δ_H 4.0 and secondary metabolites peaks were prominent in the region ranging from δ_H 4.5 to δ_H 8.0. The 1:3 irrigation treatment enabled, in two potato cultivars, the production of significantly high concentrations of secondary metabolites due to the 75% FA: AMD content in the irrigation mixture, which induced stress. The findings suggested that 1:1 irrigation treatment induced production of lower amounts of secondary metabolites in all crops compared to crops irrigated with untreated acid mine drainage treatment and with other FA-treated AMD solutions.     

Assessment of Lewis-Acidic Surface Sites Using Tetrahydrofuran as a Suitable and Smart Probe Molecule

Measuring the Lewis-acidic surface sites in catalysis is problematic when the material‘s surface area is very low (S_BET ≤1 m² ⋅ g⁻¹). For the first time, a quantitative assessment of total acidic surface sites of very small surface area catalysts (MoO₃ as pure and mixed with 5–30 % CdO (wt/wt), as well as CdO for comparison) was performed using a smart new probe molecule, tetrahydrofuran (THF). The results were nearly identical compared to using another commonly used probe molecule, pyridine. This audition is based on the limited values of the surface area of these samples that likely require a relatively moderate basic molecule as THF with pK_b=16.08, rather than strong basic molecules such as NH₃ (pK_b=4.75) or pyridine (pK_b=8.77). We propose mechanisms for the interaction of vapour phase molecules of THF with the Lewis-cationic Mo and Cd atoms of these catalysts. Besides, dehydration of isopropyl alcohol was used as a probe reaction to investigate the catalytic activity of these catalysts to further support our findings in the case of THF in a temperature range of 175–300 °C. A good agreement between the obtained data of sample MoO₃-10 % CdO, which is characterised by the highest surface area value, the population of Lewis-acidic sites and % selectivity of propylene at all the applied reaction temperatures was found.     

A redox-mediator pathway for enhanced multi-colour electrochemiluminescence in aqueous solution

The classic and most widely used co-reactant electrochemiluminescence (ECL) reaction of tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(ii) ([Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺) and tri-n-propylamine is enhanced by an order of magnitude by fac-[Ir(sppy)₃]³⁻ (where sppy = 5′-sulfo-2-phenylpyridinato-C²,N), through a novel ‘redox mediator’ pathway. Moreover, the concomitant green emission of [Ir(sppy)₃]³⁻* enables internal standardisation of the co-reactant ECL of [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺. This can be applied using a digital camera as the photodetector by exploiting the ratio of R and B values of the RGB colour data, providing superior sensitivity and precision for the development of low-cost, portable ECL-based analytical devices.

A water-soluble Ir(iii) complex is shown to enhance the ‘remote’ mechanism of the most widely used co-reactant ECL reaction of tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(ii) with tripropylamine.     

Interactions between a dsDNA Oligonucleotide and Imidazolium Chloride Ionic Liquids: Effect of Alkyl Chain Length,Part I

Ionic liquids (ILs) have become nearly ubiquitous solvents and their interactions with biomolecules has been a focus of study. Here, we used the fluorescence emission of DAPI, a groove binding fluorophore, coupled with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to report on interactions between imidazolium chloride ([Im_n,1]⁺) ionic liquids and a synthetic DNA oligonucleotide composed entirely of T/A bases (7(TA)) to elucidate the effects ILs on a model DNA duplex. Spectral shifts on the order of 500–1000 cm⁻¹, spectral broadening (~1000 cm⁻¹), and excitation and emission intensity ratio changes combine to give evidence of an increased DAPI environment heterogeneity on added IL. Fluorescence lifetimes for DAPI/IL solutions yielded two time constants 0.15 ns (~80% to 60% contribution) and 2.36–2.71 ns for IL up to 250 mM. With DNA, three time constants were required that varied with added IL (0.33–0.15 ns (1–58% contribution), ~1.7–1.0 ns (~5% contribution), and 3.8–3.6 ns (94–39% contribution)). MD radial distribution functions revealed that π-π stacking interactions between the imidazolium ring were dominant at lower IL concentration and that electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions become more prominent as IL concentration increased. Alkyl chain alignment with DNA and IL-IL interactions also varied with IL. Collectively, our data showed that, at low IL concentration, IL was primarily bound to the DNA minor groove and with increased IL concentration the phosphate regions and major groove binding sites were also important contributors to the complete set of IL-DNA duplex interactions.     

Polyfluorocycloalkenes. Part XVIII. Aryl adducts of decafluorocyclohexene

Decafluorocyclohexene reacted slowly with aniline to give 1-phenylamino- 3-phenyliminoheptafluorocyclohex-2-ene, which was hydrolysed by hydrochloric acid to 3-phenylaminoheptafluorocyclohex-2-enone. Decafluorocyclohexene reacted stepwise with phenyl lithium, giving 1-phenylnonafluorocyclohexene and thence 1,2-diphenyloctafluorocyclohexene: the former product was attacked slowly by pentafluorophenyl lithium at ?40°C affording 1-pentafluorophenyl- 1-phenyloctafluorocyclohexene. Phenyl lithium reacted sluggishly with bis(pentafluorophenyl)octafluorocyclohexene to give 1-pentafluorophenyl-2-(2′,3′,5′,6′-tetrafluoro-1′-biphenylyl)octafluorocyclohexene and 1,2-bis(2′,3′,5′,6′-tetrafluoro-1′-biphenylyl)octafluorocyclohexene. 1,2-Diphenyloctafluorocyclohexene and 1,2-bis(pentafluorophenyl) octafluorocyclohexene were fluorinated by cobalt(III) fluoride to give the olefin, 1,2-bis(undecafluorocyclohexyl)octafluorocyclohexene.     

On the mechanism of the decarboxylative rearrangement of thiohydroxamic esters

The thermal and photochemical decomposition of a typical thiohydroxamic ester (mixed anhydride) doubly labelled with deuterium has shown the photochemical reaction to be a radical chain process, whereas about 20% of the thermal reaction involves a cage mechanism. An improved route to 1-hydroxy-5-phenylthiazolin- -2-thione is reported.     

Convulsant alkaloids from Dioscorea dumetorum

Investigation of the West African medicinal yam $\text{Dioscorea dumetorum}$ Pax has resulted in the isolation and stereostructural elucidation of the previously reported dihydrodioscorine as well as the new alkaloid dumetorine.     

CIS 1,2-functionalization of cyclohexane using selenium intermediates

The trans 1,2-phenylseleno acetate, acetamide, alcohol and nitrile of cyclohexane may be oxidized at selenium by halogens and the phenylseleno moiety displaced by halide to give high yields of 1,2 halide-containing products with cis geometry.