Characterization of Coal Tar Pitch Oils by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometry has been used to characterize coal tar pitch oils, which had been obtained from a low-temperature carbonization of high volatile bituminous coal. NMR provides data on hydrogen distribution in coal oils and structural correlations established on elution chromatographic, on distillation fractions, and on the residues remaining after distillation. This research is the first report on the hydrogen distribution of coal tar pitch oils by NMR.     

The definition of the toxicologically relevant applicability domain for the SNAr reaction for substituted pyridines and pyrimidines

This study outlines how results from a glutathione reactivity assay (so-called in chemico data) can be used to define the applicability domain for the nucleophilic aromatic substitution (S_NAr) reaction for nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds. S_NAr is one of the six mechanistic domains that have been shown to be important in toxicological endpoints in which the ability to bind covalently to a protein is a key molecular initiating event. This study has analysed experimental data (2 h RC₅₀ values), allowing a clear and interpretable structure–activity relationship to be developed for pyridines and pyrimidines which reside within the S_NAr domain. The in-ring nitrogen(s) act as activating groups in the S_NAr reaction. The position(s) of the in-ring nitrogen(s) as well as other activating groups, especially in relationship to the leaving group, affect reactive potency. The experimentally defined applicability domain has resulted in a series of structural alerts. These results build on early work on the benzene derivatives residing in the S_NAr domain. The definition of the applicability domain for the S_NAr reaction and the resulting structural alerts are likely to be beneficial in the development of computational tools for category formation and read-across in hazard identification, and the development of adverse outcome pathways.     

Quantitative Relationships of Structure-Activity and Volume Fraction For Selected Nonpolar and Polar Narcotic Chemicals

Abstract

The relative toxicity of selected industrial organic chemicals was secured from the literature for the static 48-h Tetrahymena pyriformis 50% population growth impairment and the flow-through 96-h Pimephales promelas 50% mortality endpoints. Chemicals were selected to represent the nonpolar narcosis (aliphatic alcohols and aliphatic ketones) and polar narcosis (anilines and phenols) mechanisms of toxic action. molar volume (MV) and 1-octanol/water partition coefficient (log K _ow) data were generated for each chemical. High-quality, log K _ow dependent quantitative structure-activity relationships were observed for each chemical class and mechanism of action for both endpoints. The volume fraction (V _t) for each chemical in the target phase was determined from the toxicant concentration in the water (toxicity data), the MV, and the target/water partition coefficient (K _tw) with K _tw considered equal to K _ow ^(1-a). Analyses of target sites, by way of “a” revealed that “a” was constant for a mechanism of action regardless of chemical class, but distinct for a given test system. Mean V _t was constant for each mechanism of action regardless of chemical class or test system. These results suggest, at least for reversible physical mechanisms, that volume fraction analyses are significant in determining the mechanism of toxic action of a chemical.