Preparative high-performance liquid chromatography of peptides on a new reversed-phase packing material, Kromasil C18

Preparative reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography has found wide use in the production of peptides for pharmaceutical formulations. Purity of the substance and overall economy of the chromatographic system are the most important criterias. In this sense optimized, silica particles and production process with capability to separately control parameters important to chromatography, are essential to high-performance chromatography. Kromasil C18 packing material was tested and evaluated in respect of its selectivity, flow and pressure properties, resolution, load capacity, recovery, adsorption effects, mechanical strength and chemical degradation.     

Analytical characterization of a facile porous polymer monolithic trypsin microreactor enabling peptide mass mapping using mass spectrometry

A simple and rapid single-step method is presented to fabricate an enzyme reactor using trypsin immobilized on a macroporous polymer monolith. A reactor produced in a capillary format is ready to use within 1 h of preparation. The monomers making up the monolith, including N-acryloxysuccinimide for covalent immobilization of the enzyme, are mixed with trypsin and introduced into the column by capillary force for polymerization/immobilization. The enzyme activity from column-to-column is reproducible below 5% relative standard deviation (RSD), while the reactor is durable for at least 20 weeks when stored at room temperature. The apparent kinetic constants V(max) and K(m) are of value similar to those obtained by free trypsin in solution. Enzymatic digestion of proteins was shown to be feasible on a time-scale of seconds and submicromolar concentrations enabling peptide mass mapping by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.     

Photometric titrations with indicators

Various types of photometric titration curves are discussed. If a metal M is titrated conipleximetrically using a metal indicator and the absorbance is plotted vs. the titrant consumed, the inflection point appears at a pM value defined by the equation 3 pM_infl = pM_trans + 2 pM_eqThis expression is valid when M combines in a 1 : 1 ratio with the complexing agent and the indicator and when the indicator concentration is small compared to the total metal concentration.The difference between the pM values at the inflection and equivalence points can be calculated from the equation ΔpM = pM_infl — pM_eq = $\text{1}\text{3}$(pM_trans — pM_eq) = $\text{1}\text{6}$log(C_MK²_MI/K_MY)If the inflection point is taken as the equivalence point, the error arising can be calculated from ΔpM, or more simply, read from a diagram.If transmittance, instead of absorbancc, is plotted as a function of the titrant volume, the inflection point depends on the added amount of indicator. However, at high transmittance values, i.e., at low indicator concentrations, the inflection point of a transmittance curve occurs practically at the same volume of added titrant as the inflection point of an absorbance curve. Rules are given for applying an indicator correction for the amount of metal bound to the indicator at the end-point.The derived equations and discussions can also be applied to acid-base titrations.     

Fluorescence of tryptophan-containing peptides on paper or silica gel after treatment with formaldehyde, formaldehyde-ozone or formaldehyde-hydrochloric acid.

Sensitive and specific procedures for the chromatographic detection of tryptophan and tryptophan-containing peptides are described. Formaldehyde gas induces strong and characteristic fluorescence from tryptophan and peptides with NH2-terminal tryptophan residues on silica gel. On filter-paper, the detection of small amounts of these compounds requires the additional use of an oxidant, such as ozone. Treatment with formaldehyde-hydrochloric acid was used as a method for inducing fluorescence from tryptophan-containing peptides regardless of the position of the tryptophan residue in the peptide molecule. This reaction is useful for the chromatographic demonstration of small amounts of such peptides on both paper and silica gel. The spectral properties of the fluorophores of such tryptophan-containing peptides are distinctive and serve to distinguish them from all other known biogenic compounds that are capable of giving fluorescence with formaldehyde.     

Mechanism and kinetics of protein transport in chromatographic media studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Part I. The interplay of sorbent structure and fluid phase conditions

An experimental study on the interplay of sorbent structure and fluid phase conditions (pH) has been carried out examining adsorption and transport of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and a monoclonal antibody (IgG 2a) on SP Sepharose Fast Flow and SP Sepharose XL. SP Sepharose Fast Flow is characterised by a relatively open pore network, while SP Sepharose XL is a composite structure with ligand-carrying dextran chains filling the pore space. Both adsorbents have similar ionic capacity. Protein transport and adsorption profiles were evaluated using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Under all investigated conditions, BSA uptake could be adequately explained by a pore diffusion mechanism. The adsorption profiles obtained for IgG 2a, however, indicated that changes in fluid phase conditions as well as a change in the solid phase structure could result in a more complex uptake mechanism as compared to pore diffusion alone. This mechanism results in a fast transport of proteins into the adsorbent, followed by an overshoot of protein in the center of the sorbent and a setback towards a homogeneous adsorption profile.     

Superconductivity in copper, silver, and gold compounds

High-temperature superconductivity exists in layered, square-planar cuprates, but is almost absent in most other Cu(II) compounds and in most Ag(II) and Au(II) compounds. Valence state II is quite unusual in silver and gold and often disproportionates to valence states I and III ("negative-U compounds"). The two-electron difference in oxidation state is suggestive of electron pairing, a prerequisite for superconductivity. In the present paper the connection between disproportionation and geometrical structure on one hand and superconductivity on the other is discussed by using the accepted theory for mixed valence complexes. It is concluded that absence of superconductivity in gold and silver compounds can be connected to the instability of oxidation state II and the large difference in equilibrium geometry between oxidation states I and III.     

Capillary isoelectric focusing of proteins utilizing poly(vinylpyrrolidone)- and plexiglas-coated columns

Fused-silica capillaries chemically derivatized with silane/poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) or dynamically modified with plexiglas [poly(methyl methacrylate)] were prepared and evaluated with regard to column stability and separation performance for capillary isoelectric focusing of standard proteins. The PVP coating showed the better stability and was good for at least 100 runs while the plexiglas coating started to deteriorate after about 30 runs. The time spent for the plexiglas coating is about 40 minutes while the PVP coating requires two days. The migration time reproducibility was better with the PVP capillary (RSD 0.7-1.6%, n = 5) compared to the plexiglas-coated column (RSD 1.2-2.9%, n = 5) while peak area and height varied over a similar interval (RSD 2-28.1% area; 0.9-22.7% height, n = 5). The two most consistent proteins in this evaluation, viz. myoglobin A and carbonic anhydrase II, showed linear dynamic ranges between 5-150 and 5-50 microg/mL, and limits of detections at 2 and 1 microg/mL, respectively, employing UV detection at 280 nm.     

Synthesis and characterization of molybdenum oxo complexes of two tripodal ligands: reactivity studies of a functional model for molybdenum oxotransferases

Reaction of the tetradentate ligand N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (L-OH) with MoO2Cl2 in methanol in the presence of NaOMe and PF6- results in the formation of [MoO2(L-O)]PF6. Similarly, the reaction of N-(2-mercaptobenzyl)-N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (L-SH) with MoO2(acac)2 leads to the formation of [MoO2(L-S)]+. The dioxo-molybdenum complex [MoO2(L-O)]+ reacts with phosphines in methanol to afford phosphine oxides and an air-sensitive molybdenum complex, tentatively identified as [Mo(IV)O(L-O)(OCH3)]. The latter complex is capable of reducing biological oxygen donors such as DMSO or nitrate, thereby mimicking the activity of DMSO reductase and nitrate reductase. Reaction of [MoO2(L-O)]PF6 with PPh3 in other solvents than methanol leads to the formation of the Mo(V) dimer [(L-O)OMo(micro-O)MoO(L-O)](PF6)2. The crystal structures of [MoO2(L-O)]PF6 and the micro-oxo bridged dimer are presented.     

Perturbations in thenp 1,3 P Rydberg sequences of neutralYb probed by Zeeman-effect and lifetime measurements

Thenp P Rydberg sequence of neutral Ytterbium is strongly perturbed. These perturbations were monitored by measuring theg _J factors and lifetimes of 19 states, including both singlets and triplets as well as states from the perturbing configurations. A pulsed laser setup was used. Theg _J factors were obtained from a Zeeman quantum-beat experiment and the lifetimes by direct observation of the decay of the fluorescence light.