Quantitative determination of usnic acid in Usnea lichen and its products by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector

Usnic acid, a lichen substance, has a wide range of pharmaceutical applications, including antibiotic, antimycotic, antifeedant, antitubercular, antitumor, and analgesic activities. Some products containing usnic acid are marketed as weight control supplements; however, hepatotoxicity and acute liver failures were reported as severe side effects. The usnic acid content present in the plant materials and market products was analyzed by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector at 233 nm. A Waters XTerra RP18 (150 x 4.6 mm; 5 microm particle size) column was the stationary phase; mobile phase was aqueous 0.1% acetic acid and acetonitrile gradient at flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The temperature was held constant at 30 degrees C. The retention time of usnic acid was approximately 13.3 min. Acetone extraction of the samples took place with sonication. The precision of the method was confirmed by a standard deviation below 3.0% (n=3) and usnic acid recovery was 99.0%. Limit of detection was 0.4 microg/mL and the response was linear from 1.4 to 570.0 microg/mL with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.9991. The content of usnic acid in 4 raw materials and 22 finished products was analyzed.     

Effect of various irradiation doses on some nutrients of Pakistani date

Summary Date samples were irradiated with different doses using a gamma-irradiator. Levels of moisture, protein, fibre and fats were determined on monthly basis for 5 months. Generally, the moisture contents of control date samples packed in white polythene decreased from 14.1±1.1 to 9.7±0.8% over a 5-month period while the irradiated samples were in the range of 10.4-11.2%, however, no proper pattern of change was observed. After 5-month storage, the protein level of irradiated samples was reduced to 1.00-1.30%, while the percent fibre levels were found to be in the range of 2.40-2.48. Similarly, the fat level decreases from 1.06±0.12 to 0.68±0.06 for control date sample while after 5-month the decrease in fat content was 0.45±0.04%, 0.44±0.04%, 0.44±0.05%, 0.42±0.05% and 0.40±0.04% for samples irradiated with 20, 50, 100, 200 and 300 krads, respectively.     

Fused pyrazolopyrimidines. I. Pyrazolo[4,3-e]-v-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine. A new heterocyclic system

5-Azido-4-cyano-1-phenylpyrazole reacts with benzylcyanide in the presence of sodium methoxide to give the title ring system.     

Enantioselective catalytic epoxidation of nonfunctionalized prochiral olefins by dissymmetric chiral Schiff base complexes of Mn(III) and Ru(III) metal ions II

A series of new dissymmetric chiral Schiff base complexes has been obtained by a systematic condensation of (1S,2S)(+)-diaminocyclohexane and 3-acetyl-4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2-pyrone with salicylaldehyde, 5-chloro-, 5-methoxy-and 5-nitrosalicylaldehyde and by subsequent metallation with manganese and ruthenium. The characterization of the complexes 1–8 was accomplished by physico chemical studies viz. microanalysis, IR-, UV/VIS-, and CD spectral studies, optical rotation, molar conductance measurements and cyclic voltammetry. Enantioselective epoxidation of non functionalised olefins, viz. cis-stilbene, trans-3-nonene and trans-4-octene with iodosyl benzene as oxidant was demonstrated in the presence of catalytic amounts of chiral Mn(III) and Ru(III) dissymmetric Schiff base complexes. Good optical yields of epoxides were obtained for the catalyst 4 with the substrates trans-3-nonene and cis-stilbene.     

Thin-Layer Chromatographic Separation of Cadaverine and Ornithine,and Spectrophotometric Quantification

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC -     

O-silylated enolate phenylthialkylation: A synthesis of α,β-unsaturated 5- and 6-membered lactones.

ZnBr₂-catalysed phenylthioalkylation of ketene bis(trimethylsilyl)acetals, obtained from carboxylic acids, with appropriate α-chlorosulphides can be used to prepare γ- and δ- lactones.     

Enantiomeric Separation of Adrenergic Amines in Citrus Species, Related Genera and Dietary Supplements by Capillary Electrophoresis

Citrus aurantium L. (Rutaceae) fruit extracts have recently been used for weight loss. Among the adrenergic amines the most important active constituent is the sympathomimetic compound synephrine and commercially available extracts are standardized for their content of this active principle. A capillary electrophoresis method was developed for the quantitative and qualitative determination of d-synephrine, l-synephrine, d-octopamine, l-octopamine, tyramine, n-methyl tyramine and hordenine. The electrophoretic separation was performed using a 75 cm × 50 µm ID (66.5 cm effective length) fused silica capillary. The samples were injected by pressure for 5s at 50 mbar and the running voltage was 30 kV at the injector end of the capillary. The method developed was successively applied to the determination of the adrenergic amines in dietary supplements, in various Citrus species including Citrus aurantium, jams and juices. Synephrine was the main component and present in the levels from 0.02–0.17% in various Citrus species and 0.42–69.28 mg in dietary supplements claiming to contain Citrus aurantium. Parameters affecting the resolution between (+) and (−)-enantiomers, such as pH, cyclodextrin concentration, temperature, organic modifier, buffer concentration and capillary dimensions were reported.     

Helical poly(3-methyl-4-vinylpyridine)/amino acid complexes: preparation, characterization, and biocompatibility

Helical poly(3-methyl-4-vinylpyridine) (P3M4VP)/amino acid complexes have been prepared via acid-base reaction of the achiral polymer with D and L amino acids: alanine, leucine, valine, serine and phenylalanine. The circular dichroism (CD) spectra of P3M4VP/D- and L-alanine complexes in CH(3)OH/H(2)O show opposing (near mirror image) Cotton effect signals at 278.4, 274.8 and 270.8 nm, indicating the formation of enantiomeric secondary structures. The formation of the enantiomeric structures is supported by observed [alpha](D)(25) values of -3.0 and +3.0 for the P3M4VP/D-alanine and P3M4VP/L-alanine complexes, respectively. The preparation of helical P3M4VP/amino acid complexes has been carried out in CH(3)OH and H(2)O at pH 1.8 and 2.7. The intensities of the Cotton effect signals were good. For example, for the P3M4VP/L-alanine complexes in CH(3)OH/H(2)O and H(2)O (pH 1.8), the second Cotton effect signal around 275-277 nm show [theta;] values of 49 980 and 79 210 deg . cm(2) . dmol(-1), respectively. The formation of the helical secondary structure is rapid. The acid-base reaction between P3M4VP and L-alanine in CH(3)OH/H(2)O, in 10 min, show a CD spectrum with Cotton effect signals at 274 and 272 nm with [theta] values of 27,000 deg . cm(2) . dmol(-1) and -36,000 deg . cm(2) . dmol(-1), respectively. P3M4VP permits ready conformational reorientation on complexation with amino acids, but once the helical P3M4VP/amino acid complexes are formed, it is stable at room temperature. P3M4VP is not compatible with HeLa ovarian cancer cells, but the helical P3M4VP/amino acid complexes are compatible with HeLa cells. The complexes minimally interfere with the adhesion and growth of HeLa cells on complex surfaces. Helical poly(3-methyl-4-vinylpyridine)/D- and L-alanine complexes support the attachment and growth of HeLa cells. The micrographs shows HeLa cells after three days: left panel: on P3M4VP/L-alanine complex; right panel: on P3M4VP/D-alanine complex.     

9,9-diphenyl-1,9,10,10a-tetrahydro-2H-phenaleno[1,9-bc]pyrans

Reaction between some naphtho[2,1-b]pyrans and 1,1-diphenylethene affords 9,9-diphenyl-1,9,10,10a-tetrahydro-2H-phenaleno[1,9-bc]pyrans.