Determination of the Dissociation Constants of Urocanic Acid Isomers in Aqueous Solutions

Summary. (E)- and (Z)-Urocanic acids are endogenous chemicals in the normal mammalian skin. The first and the second thermodynamic dissociation constants (pK _a1 and pK _a2) of urocanic acid isomers were determined using UV spectrophotometry in aqueous solutions. The values with standard deviation (pK _a1 = 3.43 ± 0.12 and pK _a2 = 5.80 ± 0.04) and (pK _a1 = 2.7 ± 0.3 and pK _a2 = 6.65 ± 0.04) were obtained to (E)- and (Z)-urocanic acids, respectively. The second dissociations were studied also by potentiometric titration in aqueous sodium chloride solutions up to the isotonic salt concentration (0.154 mol dm⁻³), and the second thermodynamic dissociation constants as well as activity parameters for both isomers were determined at temperature 25°C and for (E)-urocanic acid also at 37°C. The obtained pK _a2 values were close to those found by UV spectrophotometry. The equations for the calculation of the second stoichiometric dissociation constants of urocanic acid isomers on molality and molarity scale in aqueous sodium chloride solutions were derived. The obtained pK _a1 and pK _a2 values for (Z)-urocanic acid appear to be essentially lower than some previously reported values in literature. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Ultra‐high pressure LC for astaxanthin determination in shrimp by‐products and active food packaging

Nowadays, there is increasing interest in natural antioxidants from food by‐products. Astaxanthin is a potent antioxidant and one of the major carotenoids in crustaceans and salmonids. An ultra‐high pressure liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the determination of astaxanthin in shrimp by‐products, and its migration from new packaging materials to food simulants was also studied. The method uses an UPLC® BEH guard‐column (2.1 × 5 mm, 1.7 µm particle size) and an UPLC® BEH analytical column (2.1 × 50 mm, 1.7 µm particle size). Chromatographic separation was achieved using a programmed gradient mobile phase consisting of (A) acetonitrile–methanol (containing 0.05 m ammonium acetate)–dichloromethane (75:20:5, v/v/v) and (B) ultrapure water. This method was evaluated with respect to validation parameters such as linearity, precision, limit of detection, limit of quantification and recovery. Low‐density polyethylene films were prepared with different amounts of the lipid fraction of fermented shrimp waste by extrusion, and migration was evaluated into food simulants (isooctane and ethanol 95%, v/v). Migration was not detected under the tested conditions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Schinortriterpenoids: A Case Study in Synthetic Design

Since the pioneering days of total synthesis and retrosynthetic analysis, the community has embraced guiding principles for planning synthetic approaches towards complex natural products. These guideposts have enabled the community to synthesize ever more complex compounds by applying prior knowledge gained in new settings. The recently isolated schinortriterpenoid family of natural products has attracted considerable synthetic attention and provided a rich opportunity to evaluate the lessons learned in the construction of complex, polycyclic scaffolds. In this Minireview, a detailed discussion of the synthetic work within this family is provided, including the six reported total syntheses, as well as a comparative analysis of the approaches utilized in their construction.