Aerobic C−N Bond Formation through Enzymatic Nitroso-Ene-Type Reactions**

The biocatalytic oxidation of acylated hydroxylamines enables the direct and selective introduction of nitrogen functionalities by activation of allylic C−H bonds. Utilizing either laccases or an oxidase/peroxidase couple for the formal dehydrogenation of N-hydroxycarbamates and hydroxamic acids with air as the terminal oxidant, acylnitroso species are generated under particularly mild aqueous conditions. The reactive intermediates undergo C−N bond formation through an ene-type mechanism and provide high yields both in intramolecular and intermolecular enzymatic aminations. Investigations on different pathways of the two biocatalytic systems and labelling studies provide more insight into this unprecedented promiscuity of classical oxidoreductases as catalysts for nitroso-based transformations.     

Analysis of a series of chlorogenic acid isomers using differential ion mobility and tandem mass spectrometry

Chlorogenic acids are among the most abundant phenolics found in the human diet. Of these, the mono-caffeoylquinic acids are the predominant phenolics found in fruits, such as apples and pears, and products derived from them. In this research, a comprehensive study of the electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) dissociation behavior of the three most common mono-caffeoylquinic acids, namely 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA), 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3-CQA) and 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid (4-CQA), were determined using both positive and negative ionization. All proposed structures of the observed product ions were confirmed with second-generation MS³ experiments. Similarities and differences between the dissociation pathways in the positive and negative ion modes are discussed, confirming the proposed structures and the established MS/MS fingerprints. MS/MS dissociation was primarily driven via the cleavage of the ester bond linking the quinic acid moiety to the caffeic acid moiety within tested molecules. Despite being structural isomers with the same m/z values and dissociation behaviors, the MS/MS data in the negative ion mode was able to differentiate the three isomers based on ion intensity for the major product ions, observed at m/z 191, 179 and 173. This differentiation was consistent among various MS instruments. In addition, ESI coupled with high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (ESI-FAIMS-MS) was employed for the separation of these compounds for the first time. By combining MS/MS data and differential ion mobility, a method for the separation and identification of mono-caffeoylquinic in apple/pear juice samples was developed with a run time of less than 1 min. It is envisaged that this methodology could be used to identify pure juices based on their chlorogenic acid profile (i.e., metabolomics), and could also be used to detect juice-to-juice adulteration (e.g., apple juice addition to pear juice).     

Molecular imprinted membrane based on molecular imprinted nanoparticles polymer for separation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

The phase inversion technique was used for synthesis anthracene molecularly imprinted membrane (An–MIM) by hybridizing anthracene molecularly imprinted nanoparticles polymer (An–MINP) with cellulose acetate (CA). An–MIM gives high binding capacities toward anthracene, naphthalene, pyrene, benzo(a)pyrene, phenanthrene, and acenaphthylene. Meanwhile, cellulose acetate membrane (CAM) and none imprinted membrane give very low binding capacities toward Anthracene, Naphthalene, Pyrene, Benzo(a)pyrene, Phenanthrene and Acenaphthylene. The separation properties of An–MIM, none imprinted membrane (NIM), and CAM were investigated in terms of selectivity, rejection percentages, and concentrating factor. The optimum operation time of An–MIM was found to be 3 hr. The overall results indicated that the presence of chemical binding sites in the An–MIM plays predominating role in the separation properties. Therefore, An–MIM proved to be highly efficient for the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at various percentages. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of domoic acid toxins in shellfish by biosense ASP ELISA--a direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay: collaborative study

A collaborative study was conducted on the Biosense amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the determination of domoic acid (DA) toxins in shellfish in order to obtain interlaboratory validation data for the method. In addition, a method comparison study was performed to evaluate the ASP ELISA as an alternative to the current liquid chromatography (LC) reference method for DA determination. The study material comprised 16 shellfish samples, including blue mussels, Pacific oysters, and king scallops, spiked with contaminated mussel homogenates to contain 0.1-20 mg DA/kg shellfish flesh. The shellfish samples were extracted with 50% aqueous methanol, and the supernatants were directly analyzed. Sixteen participating laboratories in 10 countries reported data from the ASP ELISA, and 4 of these laboratories also reported data from instrumental LC analysis. The participating laboratories achieved interlaboratory precision estimates for the 8 Youden paired shellfish samples in the range of 10-20% for RSD(r) (mean 14.8 +/- 4%), and 13-29% for RSDR (mean 22.7 +/- 6%). The precision estimates for the ELISA data did not show a strong dependence on the DA concentration in the study samples, and the overall precision achieved was within the acceptable range of the Horwitz guideline with HorRat values ranging from 1.1 to 2.4 (mean HorRat 1.7 +/- 0.5). The analysis of shellfish samples spiked with certified reference material (CRM)-ASP-MUS-b gave recoveries in the range of 88-122%, with an average recovery of 104 +/- 10%. The estimate on method accuracy was supported by a correlation slope of 1.015 (R2 = 0.992) for the determined versus the expected DA values. Furthermore, the correlation of the ASP ELISA results with those for the instrumental LC analyses of the same sample extracts gave a correlation slope of 1.29 (R2 = 0.984). This indicates some overestimation of DA levels in shellfish by the ELISA, but it is also a result of apparent low recoveries for the LC methods. This interlaboratory study demonstrates that the ASP ELISA is suitable for the routine determination and monitoring of DA toxins in shellfish, and that it offers a rapid and cost-effective methodology with high sample throughput.     

Spectrophotometric determination of four macrolide antibiotics in pharmaceutical formulations and biological fluids via binary complex formation with eosin [corrected

A simple, rapid, and sensitive validated spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of certain macrolide antibiotics namely, erythromycin (I), azithromycin dihydrate (II), clarithromycin (III), and roxithromycin (IV) in bulk powders, pharmaceutical formulations, and spiked biological fluids. The proposed method is based on the formation of a binary complex between each of the studied drugs and eosin Y in aqueous buffered medium. Under the optimum conditions, the binary complexes showed absorption maxima at 542-544 nm. The absorbance of the binary complexes obeyed Beer's law over the concentration range of 1-10 micro/g/mL for II, 2-20 microg/mL for I and IV, and 3-30 microg/mL for III. The mean percentage recoveries were 100.04 +/- 0.83, 99.98 +/- 0.80, 100.17 +/- 0.91, and 99.55 +/- 0.91, with minimum detectable molarities of 2 x 10(-7) for I and II, 4 x 10(-7) for III, and 3 x 10(-7) for IV. The different experimental parameters affecting the development and stability of the colors were studied and optimized. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of the cited drugs in some pharmaceutical formulations. The results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained using the reference methods. The proposed method was further applied to spiked human urine and plasma. A proposal of the reaction pathway is suggested.     

A Novel Thermostable and Alkaline Protease Produced from Bacillus stearothermophilus Isolated from Olive Oil Mill Sols Suitable to Industrial Biotechnology

This study was conducted to identify a new alkaline and thermophilic protease (Ba.St.Pr) produced from Bacillus stearothermophilus isolated from olive oil mill sols and to evaluate its culture conditions, including temperature, pH, carbon and nitrogen sources, and incubation time. The optimum culture conditions for cell growth (10 g/L) and protease production (5050 U/mL) were as follows: temperature 55 °C, pH 10, inoculation density 8 × 10⁸ CFU/mL, and incubation time 24 h. The use of 3% yeast extract as the nitrogen sources and galactose (7.5 g/L) as the carbon sources enhanced both cell growth and protease production. Using reversed-phase analytical HPLC on C-8 column, the new protease was purified with a molecular mass of approximately 28 kDa. The N-terminal sequence of Ba.St.Pr exhibited a high level of identity of approximately 95% with those of Bacillus strains. Characterization under extreme conditions revealed a novel thermostable and alkaline protease with a half-life time of 187 min when incubated with combined Ca²⁺/mannitol. Ba.St.Pr demonstrated a higher stability in the presence of surfactant, solvent, and Ca²⁺ ions. Consequently, all the evaluated activity parameters highlighted the promising properties of this bacterium for industrial and biotechnological applications.     

Design,Synthesis, and Antimicrobial Activity of Certain New Indole-1,2,4 Triazole Conjugates

The increasing prevalence of microbial infections and the emergence of resistance to the currently available antimicrobial drugs urged the development of potent new chemical entities with eminent pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic profiles. Thus, a series of new indole-triazole conjugates 6a-u was designed and synthesized to be assessed as new antimicrobial candidates using the diameter of the inhibition zone and minimum inhibitory concentration assays against certain microbial strains. Their in vitro antibacterial evaluation revealed good to moderate activity against most of the tested Gram-negative strains with diameter of the inhibition zone (DIZ) values in the range of 11–15 mm and minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) values around 250 µg/mL. Meanwhile, their in vitro antifungal evaluation demonstrated a potent activity against Candida tropicalis with MIC value as low as 2 µg/mL for most of the tested compounds. Moreover, compound 6f is the most potent congener with an MIC value of 2 µg/mL against Candida albicans.     

Enhanced sedimentation and coalescence of petroleum crude oil emulsions by the new generation of environmentally friendly yellow chemicals

This study compares by means of new and advanced destabilization protocols the efficiency of new chemistry environmentally friendly (yellow) demulsifiers with already commercially available red demulsifiers in destabilizing two types of water-in-oil (w/o) emulsions: petroleum crude oil emulsions and model dense packed layers (DPLs). Oil–water separation profiles were measured by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which allows monitoring the water content as well as the mean droplet size in the emulsion as function of the sample height and the time. Separation profiles measured by NMR depicted an increase of the free water release kinetics as the concentration of demulsifier as well as the sedimentation rate increased. The water resolution was not substantially improved by increasing the concentration further while the water quality was worse, most likely due to adsolubilization. There was no observation of DPL formation in these crude oil emulsions. Four different demulsifiers were tested on a model DPL and compared with normal crude oil emulsions. One chemical showed higher efficiency in destabilizing DPL than destabilizing crude oil emulsion. The interfacial rheological properties for one of the systems showed a slight increase in the elastic modulus (E′), as the concentration of demulsifier increased. The increment of the elastic modulus is not totally understood. The most central parameters were represented by principal component analysis (PCA). PCA did not contribute in a better characterization of the chemicals. The new-generation yellow demulsifiers did not reproduce the efficiency of commercially available, less environmentally friendly, (red) demulsifiers.     

A facile ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanoparticles catalyzed synthesis of 2-amino-5-arylpyrimido[4,5-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]quinolinediones

In this investigation, an efficient and ecofriendly multicomponent reaction is described for the green synthesis of 2-amino-5-arylpyrimido[4,5-b]quinolinedione derivatives using ZrO₂ (NPs). In this protocol, the reaction of 2,6-diaminopyrimidin-4(1H)-one, arylaldehyde and 1,3-cyclohexanedione or 5,5-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione in the presence of ZrO₂ (NPs) in ethylene glycol at 120 °C produced the desired products in excellent yields (90–98 %) and short reaction times (8–60 min.). Use of recyclable catalyst, green solvent, easy workup and excellent yields are the notable features of this method.     

CuI catalyst heterogenized on melamine-pyridines immobilized SBA-15: Heterogeneous and recyclable nanocatalyst for Ullmann-type CN coupling reactions

The present study reports the procedure conducted in SBA-15/CCPy/CuI preparation as a new Mesoporous nanocatalyst, whereas melamine bearing pyridine groups on SBA-15 are used to secure CuI catalyst as capping agent. The resultant catalyst was specified by conducting TEM, FESEM, WDX, ICP, and EDS. The SBA-15/CCPy/CuI catalytic behavior was studied to N-arylation of indole, imidazole, pyrazole, benzyl amine, and aniline by coupling reactions of Ullmann-type CN. Also, the heterogeneous catalyst may simply be recovered via filtration and used again for seven cycles with no considerable loss in activity. The findings revealed the privileges of the present method, including the high product yield, experimental simplicity, low catalyst loading, broad substrate scope, and short reaction times.