Investigations on the use of pneumatic cross-flow nebulizers with dual solution loading including the correction of matrix effects in elemental determinations by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

The use of a so-called trihedral and a T-shaped cross-flow pneumatic nebulizer with dual solution loading for inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry has been studied. By these devices analyte clouds from two solutions can be mixed during the aerosol generation step. For both nebulizers the correction of matrix effects using internal standardization and standard addition calibration in an on-line way was investigated and compared to elemental determinations using a conventional cross-flow nebulizer and calibration with synthetic standard solutions without matrix matching. A significant improvement of accuracy, both for calibration with internal standardization and standard addition, was obtained in the case of four synthetic solutions containing each 40 mmol L^− 1 Na, K, Rb and Ba as matrix elements and 300 μg L^− 1 Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Pb as analytes. Calibration by standard addition in the case of dual solution loading has been shown to be very useful in the determination of elements at minor and trace levels in steel and alumina reference materials. The results of analysis for minor concentrations of Cr, Cu and Ni in steel as well as for Ca, Fe, Ga, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Si and Zn in alumina powder certified reference materials subsequent to sample dissolution were found to be in good agreement with the certificates. Limits of detection were found to be only slightly above those for a conventional cross-flow nebulizer and a precision better than 3% was realized with both novel nebulizers.     

β‐Peptidic Secondary Structures Fortified and Enforced by Zn2+ Complexation – On the Way to β‐Peptidic Zinc Fingers?

The correlation between β²‐, β³‐, and β^2,3‐amino acid‐residue configuration and stability of helix and hairpin‐turn secondary structures of peptides consisting of homologated proteinogenic amino acids is analyzed (Figs. 1–3). To test the power of Zn²⁺ ions in fortifying and/or enforcing secondary structures of β‐peptides, a β‐decapeptide, 1 , four β‐octapeptides, 2 – 5 , and a β‐hexadecapeptide, 10 , have been devised and synthesized. The design was such that the peptides would a) fold to a 14‐helix ( 1 and 3 ) or a hairpin turn ( 2 and 4 ), or form neither of these two secondary structures (i.e., 5 ), and b) carry the side chains of cysteine and histidine in positions, which will allow Zn²⁺ ions to use their extraordinary affinity for RS^? and the imidazole N‐atoms for stabilizing or destabilizing the intrinsic secondary structures of the peptides. The β‐hexadecapeptide 10 was designed to a) fold to a turn, to which a 14‐helical structure is attached through a β‐dipeptide spacer, and b) contain two cysteine and two histidine side chains for Zn complexation, in order to possibly mimic a Zn‐finger motif. While CD spectra (Figs. 6–8 and 17) and ESI mass spectra (Figs. 9 and 18) are compatible with the expected effects of Zn²⁺ ions in all cases, it was shown by detailed NMR analyses of three of the peptides, i.e., 2, 3, 5 , in the absence and presence of ZnCl₂, that i) β‐peptide 2 forms a hairpin turn in H₂O, even without Zn complexation to the terminal β³hHis and β³hCys side chains (Fig. 11), ii) β‐peptide 3 , which is present as a 14‐helix in MeOH, is forced to a hairpin‐turn structure by Zn complexation in H₂O (Fig. 12), and iii) β‐peptide 5 is poorly ordered in CD₃OH (Fig. 13) and in H₂O (Fig. 14), with far‐remote β³hCys and β³hHis residues, and has a distorted turn structure in the presence of Zn²⁺ ions in H₂O, with proximate terminal Cys and His side chains (Fig. 15).     

Solid-phase synthesis of lipidated peptides

A new flexible and efficient methodology for the solid-phase synthesis of lipidated peptides has been developed. The approach is based on the use of previously synthesized building blocks and overcomes the limitations of previously reported methods, since long doubly lipidated peptides can be synthesized by using this route. Furthermore, it was thus possible to prepare a large number of N- and H-Ras peptides bearing a wide range of reporter and/or linking groups--efficient tools for the investigation of biological processes. In terms of efficiency and flexibility this solid-phase method is superior to the solution-phase synthesis. It gives pure peptides in multimilligram amounts within a much shorter time and with superior overall yield.     

THE EXCITATION OF 8-METHOXYPSORALEN WITH VISIBLE LIGHT: REVERSED PHASE HPLC QUANTITATION OF MONOADDUCTS and CROSS-LINKS

Abstract— The formation of 8-methoxypsoralen-DNA monoadducts and cross-links is presumed to be responsible for the efficacy of photochemotherapies that employ 8-methoxypsoralen activated with long-wavelength ultraviolet radiation (UVA,320–400 nm). In this report it is shown that 8-methoxypsoralen can also be activated with visible light (419 nm). Bovine aorta smooth muscle cells were treated with 8-methoxypsoralen (1000 ng/mL) and 419 nm light (up to 12 J/cm²). Cellular DNA was isolated, hydrolyzed using nucleolytic enzymes and then analyzed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The primary effect of using visible light instead of long-wavelength ultraviolet radiation is a more than 10-fold reduction in the extent of cross-link formation. Because the extent of monoadduct and cross-link formation has not been routinely measured in experiments in which cellular assays have been performed, it is difficult to correlate cell response to the presence of a particular type of 8-methoxypsoralen photoadduct (monoadduct or cross-link). Thus, the use of visible light allows the study of cells containing nearly 100% monoadducts. In addition, the reduction in cross-link formation when visible light is used to activate the compound may also reduce the mutagenicity of 8-methoxypsoralen and hence enhance its therapeutic efficacy.     

Furancarbonsäuren aus Rinderharn

Furancarboxylic Acids in Cattle Urine The urine of cattle contains large amounts of furancarboxylic acids. The same acids were isolated from rats after feeding with methyl esters of the so-called F-acids. Since the F-acids were not detected in cattle-food, they must be produced somewhere in the body of cattle.     

Gerüstumlagerung eines α,β -ungesättigten γ,δ-Epoxiketons bei der Birch-Reduktion: Strukturaufklärung mittels 13C-INADEQUATE-NMR-Spektroskopie

Skeleton Rearrangement of an α-β-Unsaturated γ,δ-Epoxyketone during Birch Reduction: Structure Elucidation by Means of ¹³C-INADEQUATE-NMR Spectroscopy When the γ-epoxide 2 of β-ionone is treated under standard Birch-reduction conditions, unexpectedly a 70% combined yield of regioisomeric octalones 4 and 5 is isolated. These products unquestionably result form cleavage of the central epoxide C?C bond. The structure of compounds 4 and 5 could be determined by means of ¹³C-INADEQUATE-NMR spectroscopy.     

Binding H2, N2, H-, and BH3 to transition-metal sulfur sites: synthesis and properties of [RuL(PR3)(N2Me2S2)] Complexes (L=eta2-H2, H-, BH3; R=Cy, iPr)

The reactions of [Ru(N₂)(PR₃)(‘N₂Me₂S₂’)] [‘N₂Me₂S₂’=1,2‐ethanediamine‐N,N′‐dimethyl‐N,N′‐bis(2‐benzenethiolate)(2?)] [ 1 a (R=iPr), 1 b (R=Cy)] and [μ‐N₂{Ru(N₂)(PiPr₃)(‘N₂Me₂S₂’)}₂] ( 1 c ) with H₂, NaBH₄, and NBu₄BH₄, intended to reduce the N₂ ligands, led to substitution of N₂ and formation of the new complexes [Ru(H₂)(PR₃)(‘N₂Me₂S₂’)] [ 2 a (R=iPr), 2 b (R=Cy)], [Ru(BH₃)(PR₃)(‘N₂Me₂S₂’)] [ 3 a (R=iPr), 3 b (R=Cy)], and [Ru(H)(PR₃)(‘N₂Me₂S₂’)]^? [ 4 a (R=iPr), 4 b (R=Cy)]. The BH₃ and hydride complexes 3 a , 3 b , 4 a , and 4 b were obtained subsequently by rational synthesis from 1 a or 1 b and BH₃?THF or LiBEt₃H. The primary step in all reactions probably is the dissociation of N₂ from the N₂ complexes to give coordinatively unsaturated [Ru(PR₃)(‘N₂Me₂S₂’)] fragments that add H₂, BH₄^?, BH₃, or H^?. All complexes were completely characterized by elemental analysis and common spectroscopic methods. The molecular structures of [Ru(H₂)(PR₃)(‘N₂Me₂S₂’)] [ 2 a (R=iPr), 2 b (R=Cy)], [Ru(BH₃)(PiPr₃)(‘N₂Me₂S₂’)] ( 3 a ), [Li(THF)₂][Ru(H)(PiPr₃)(‘N₂Me₂S₂’)] ([Li(THF)₂]‐ 4 a ), and NBu₄[Ru(H)(PCy₃)(‘N₂Me₂S₂’)] (NBu₄‐ 4 b ) were determined by X‐ray crystal structure analysis. Measurements of the NMR relaxation time T₁ corroborated the η² bonding mode of the H₂ ligands in 2 a (T₁=35 ms) and 2 b (T₁=21 ms). The H,D coupling constants of the analogous HD complexes HD‐ 2 a (¹J(H,D)=26.0 Hz) and HD‐ 2 b (¹J(H,D)=25.9 Hz) enabled calculation of the H? D distances, which agreed with the values found by X‐ray crystal structure analysis ( 2 a : 92 pm (X‐ray) versus 98 pm (calculated), 2 b : 99 versus 98 pm). The BH₃ entities in 3 a and 3 b bind to one thiolate donor of the [Ru(PR₃)(‘N₂Me₂S₂’)] fragment and through a B‐H‐Ru bond to the Ru center. The hydride complex anions 4 a and 4 b are extremely Brønsted basic and are instantanously protonated to give the η²‐H₂ complexes 2 a and 2 b .     

Simultaneous determination of ondansetron and tropisetron in human plasma using HPLC with UV detection

A rapid and sensitive HPLC method for the simultaneous quantitation of ondansetron and tropisetron, two serotonin (5-HT) receptor antagonists frequently used in treatment and prevention of nausea and emesis, is described. The procedure involves liquid-liquid extraction of human plasma with dichloromethane coupled with reversed-phase HPLC and UV detection. The lower limits of quantification (LOQ) were 0.62 ng/mL for ondansetron and 1.25 ng/mL or tropisetron. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation ranged from 1.5 to 7.5% and 5.3 to 13.7%, respectively. The sensitivity and precision were sufficient for determination of plasma concentrations after therapeutic administration of both drugs and the method can be used for the estimation of pharmacokinetic parameters.     

Absolute configuration of C2-symmetric spiroselenurane: 3,3,3',3'-tetramethyl-1,1'-spirobi[3 H,2,1]benzoxaselenole

The enantiomers of 3,3,3',3'-tetramethyl-1,1'-spirobi[3 H,2,1]benzoxaselenole have been separated on a chiral preparative chromatographic column. The experimental vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra have been obtained for both enantiomers in CH(2)Cl(2). The theoretical VCD spectra have been obtained by means of density functional theoretical calculations with the B3 LYP density functional. From a comparison of experimental and theoretical VCD spectra, the absolute configuration of an enantiomer with positive specific rotation in CH(2)Cl(2) at 589 nm is determined to be R. This conclusion has been verified by comparing results of experimental optical rotatory dispersion (ORD) and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) to predictions of the same properties using the B3 LYP functional for the title compound.     

The rate of the reactions of C2O radicals with H and H2

The rate constants for the reactions C₂O + H → products (1) and C₂O + H₂ → products (2) have been determined at room temperature by means of laser-induced fluorescence detection of C₂O radicals, generated either by the KrF excimer laser photolysis Of C₃O₂, or by the reaction of C₃O₂ with O atoms. Values of k₁ = (3.7 ± 1.0) × 10^?11 cm³ s^?1 and k₂ = (7 ± 3) × 10^?13 cm³ s^?1 were obtained.