A generic approach to the impurity profiling of drugs using standardised and independent capillary zone electrophoresis methods coupled to electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry

Three standardised, capillary zone electrophoresis-electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (CZE-ESI-MS) methods were developed for the analysis of six drug candidates and their respective process-related impurities comprising a total of 22 analytes with a range of functional groups and lipophilicities. The selected background electrolyte conditions were found to be: 60/40 v/v 10 mM ammonium formate pH 3.5/organic, 60/40 v/v 10 mM ammonium acetate pH 7.0/organic and 10 mM piperidine, pH 10.5, where the organic solvent is 50/50 v/v methanol/acetonitrile. The coaxial sheath flow consisted of either 0.1% v/v formic acid in 50/50 v/v methanol/water, or 10 mM ammonium acetate in 50/50 v/v methanol/water, depending on the mixture being analysed. Factor analysis and informational theory were used to quantify the orthogonality of the methods and predict their complementarities. The three selected CZE-ESI-MS methods allowed the identification of 21 out of 22 of all the drug candidates and their process-related impurities and provided orthogonality with four established high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) methods. These methodologies therefore form the basis of a generic approach to impurity profiling of pharmaceutical drug candidates and can be applied with little or no analytical method development, thereby offering significant resource and time savings.     

The fluorobasicities of ReF7 and IF7 as measured by the enthalpy change ΔH°(EF7(g) → EF6+(g) + F−(g))

Iridium hexafluoride oxidizes ReF₆ (via an ReF₆⁺ salt) and at room temperatures IrF₆, ReF₆, ReF₇ and (IrF₅)₄ are each present in the equilibrium mixture. From these and related findings: ΔH°(ReF₆ → ReF₆⁺ + e^?) 1092 ± 27 kj mole^?1(261 ± 6 kcal mole^?1), and thermodynamic data are selected to yield ΔH°(ReF_7(g) → ReF₆⁺_(g) + F^?_(g))=893 ± 33 kj mole^?1(213 ± 8 kcal mole^?1). From observations on the stability of IF₆⁺BF₄^? and the lattice enthalpy evaluation for the salt, ΔH°(IF_7(g) → IF₆⁺_(g) + F^?_(g))= 870 ± 24 kj mole^?1(208 ± 6 kcal mole^?1).     

Preparation of water‐soluble,syndiotacticity‐rich,low molecular weight poly(vinyl alcohol) microfibrils in high yields with the low‐temperature polymerization of vinyl pivalate in tetrahydrofuran and saponification

To prepare water‐soluble, syndiotacticity‐rich poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) microfibrils for various industrial applications, we synthesized syndiotacticity‐rich, low molecular weight PVA by the solution polymerization of vinyl pivalate (VPi) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at low temperatures with 2,2′‐azobis(2,4‐dimethylvaleronitrile) (ADMVN) as an initiator and successive saponification of poly(vinyl pivalate) (PVPi). Effects of the initiator and monomer concentrations and the polymerization temperature were investigated in terms of the polymerization behaviors and molecular structures of PVPi and the corresponding syndiotacticity‐rich PVA. The polymerization rate of VPi in THF was proportional to the 0.91 power of the ADMVN concentration, indicating the heterogeneous nature of THF polymerization. The low‐temperature solution polymerization of VPi in THF with ADMVN proved to be successful in obtaining water‐soluble PVA with a number‐average degree of polymerization (P_n) of 300–900, a syndiotactic dyad content of 60–63%, and an ultimate conversion of VPi into PVPi of over 75%. Despite the low molecular weight of PVA with P_n = 800, water‐soluble PVA microfibrillar fibers were prepared because of the high level of syndiotacticity. In contrast, for PVA with P_n = 330, shapeless and globular morphologies were observed, indicating that molecular weight has an important role in the in situ fibrillation of syndiotacticity‐rich PVA. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1103–1111, 2002     

Adducts of 1,1,1‐tris(4‐hydroxyphenyl)ethane with diamines: three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded frameworks formed with 1,6‐diaminohexane and 2,2′‐bipyridyl

The adduct 1,6‐di­amino­hexane–1,1,1‐tris(4‐hydroxy­phenyl)­ethane (1/2) is a salt {hexane‐1,6‐diyldiammonium–4‐[1,1‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]phenolate (1/2)}, C₆H₁₈N₂²⁺·2C₂₀H₁₇O₃^?, in which the cation lies across a centre of inversion in space group P. The anions are linked by two short O—H?O hydrogen bonds [H?O 1.74 and 1.76 Å, O?O 2.5702 (12) and 2.5855 (12) Å, and O—H?O 168 and 169°] into a chain containing two types of R(24) ring. Each cation is linked to four different anion chains by three N—H?O hydrogen bonds [H?O 1.76–2.06 Å, N?O 2.6749 (14)–2.9159 (14) Å and N—H?O 156–172°]. In the adduct 2,2′‐bipyridyl–1,1,1‐tris(4‐hydroxy­phenyl)­ethane (1/2), C₁₀H₈N₂·2C₂₀H₁₈O₃, the neutral di­amine lies across a centre of inversion in space group P2₁/n. The tris­(phenol) mol­ecules are linked by two O—H?O hydrogen bonds [H?O both 1.90 Å, O?O 2.7303 (14) and 2.7415 (15) Å, and O—H?O 173 and 176°] into sheets built from R(38) rings. Pairs of tris­(phenol) sheets are linked via the di­amine by means of a single O—H?N hydrogen bond [H?N 1.97 Å, O?N 2.7833 (16) Å and O—H?N 163°].     

The Application of High-Modulus Fibers to Ballistic Protection

A new family of experimental organic fibers (X-500) produced by the Monsanto Research Corporation has been evaluated ballistically. The development of this family of fibers made available for the first time a series of organic fibers with moduli and heac resistance more nearly comparable to inorganic fibers such as glass. Tensile analysis of three material types tested in yarn form at conventional loading rates showed physical properties ranging from typically brittle (10.1 g, den tenacity, 2.4% extension, and 550 g, den modulus) to moderately ductile (5.4 g, den tenacity, 15.4% extension, and 135 g/den modulus).

The three samples were evaluated ballistically in fabric, felt, and laminate form. The most ductile sample (Type III) showed considerable promise with a ballistic resistance significantly greater than normal for a material of such modest tensile strength. Tensile recovery tests on this Type-III material showed a large amount of permanent set compared to most commercially available yarns. It appears that this capacity for plastic flow, combined with the inherent high modulus, act in combination to provide good energy absorption.

Scanning electron micrographs of ballistic missile impact areas showed for the more brittle yarns, longitudinal splitting with little evidence of plastic deformation, or fusion of fibers around the hole produced by the missile. The more ductile yarns exhibited a combination of some longitudinal splitting with plastic deformation and fusion around the hole. This latter combination of energy absorbing mechanisms proved to more effective.     

Affinity Chromatography of Mushroom Tyrosinase

Abstract

The purification by column chromatography of a phenol-oxidizing enzyme, mushroom tyrosinase, was investigated using solid phase adsorbents designed to have specific affinity for the enzyme. Sepharose 4B, aminophenyl-bearing porous glass, and p-aminobenzylcellulose were chemically modified to introduce phenolic, catecholic, or benzoic groups on the polymer surface. The resulting preparations were tested for their effectiveness in separating tyrosinase from an impure protein mixture. The phenolic and benzoic polymers displayed no specific affinity for tyrosinase. Aminophenyl glass, with or without an attached phenolic group, adsorbed appreciable quantities of protein nonspecif-ically, thus complicating studies of its tyrosinase affinity properties. Dopamine, a dihydroxyphenyl derivative, was bound to Sepharose and was found to be effective in retaining tyrosinase at pH 5.5; elution of the enzyme by washing at pH 8.8 resulted in its purification by a factor of 10 to 14. Enzymatic oxidation of the adsorbent limited the number of purification cycles which could be carried out on a single column.     

Application of flammability limit criteria on non-ASTM standard equipment

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Accurate data of flammability limits for flammable gases and vapors are needed to prevent fires and explosions. The flammability limit, which is the...     

Predicting the Outcome of Photocyclisation Reactions: A Joint Experimental and Computational Investigation

Photochemical oxidative cyclodehydrogenation reactions are a versatile class of aromatic ring‐forming reactions. They are tolerant to functional group substitution and heteroatom inclusion, so can be used to form a diverse range of extended polyaromatic systems by fusing existing ring substituents. However, despite their undoubted synthetic utility, there are no existing models—computational or heuristic—that predict the outcome of photocyclisation reactions across all possible classes of reactants. This can be traced back to the fact that “negative” results are rarely published in the synthetic literature and the lack of a general conceptual framework for understanding how photoexcitation affects reactivity. In this work, we address both of these issues. We present experimental data for a series of aromatically substituted pyrroles and indoles, and show that quantifying induced atomic forces upon photoexcitation provides a powerful predictive model for determining whether a given reactant will photoplanarise and hence proceed to photocyclised product under appropriate reaction conditions. The propensity of a molecule to photoplanarise is related to localised changes in charge distribution around the putative forming ring upon photoexcitation. This is promoted by asymmetry in molecular structures and/or charge distributions, inclusion of heteroatoms and ethylene bridging and well‐separated or isolated photocyclisation sites.     

Lignin Biodegradation by a Cytochrome P450 Enzyme: A Computational Study into Syringol Activation by GcoA

A recently characterized cytochrome P450 isozyme GcoA activates lignin components through a selective O-demethylation or alternatively an acetal formation reaction. These are important reactions in biotechnology and, because lignin is readily available; it being the main component in plant cell walls. In this work we present a density functional theory study on a large active site model of GcoA to investigate syringol activation by an iron(IV)-oxo heme cation radical oxidant (Compound I) leading to hemiacetal and acetal products. Several substrate-binding positions were tested and full energy landscapes calculated. The study shows that substrate positioning determines the product distributions. Thus, with the phenol group pointing away from the heme, an O-demethylation is predicted, whereas an initial hydrogen-atom abstraction of the weak phenolic O-H group would trigger a pathway leading to ring-closure to form acetal products. Predictions on how to engineer P450 GcoA to get more selective product distributions are given.