A Dilute and Shoot Strategy for Determining Alternaria Toxins in Tomato-Based Samples and in Different Flours Using LC-IDMS Separation

Alternaria toxins are emerging mycotoxins whose regulation and standardization are in progress by the European Commission and the European Committee for Standardization. This paper describes a dilute and shoot approach to determine five Alternaria toxins in selected food samples using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The strategy involves sample extraction with acidified aqueous methanol, followed by a solvent change accomplished via sample evaporation and reconstitution. The quantification is based on isotope dilution, applying all corresponding isotopically labeled internal standards to compensate possible matrix effects of the analysis. The main advantages of the present method over other existing methods includes simple and effective sample preparation, as well as detection with high sensitivity. The five-fold sample dilution can decrease matrix effects, which were evaluated with both external and internal standard methods. The results demonstrated a limit of quantification lower than 1.0 µg/kg for all five analytes for the first time. The newly presented method showed acceptable accuracy (52.7–111%) when analyzing naturally contaminated and spiked standard samples at the described levels. The method was validated for tomato-based and flour samples (wheat, rye, and maize). The absolute recovery ranged from 66.7% to 91.6% (RSD < 10%). The developed method could be an alternative approach for those laboratories that exclude sample cleanup and pre-concentration of state-of-the-art instruments with enhanced sensitivity.     

高精度镉同位素分析样品消解方法对比研究

为考察不同消解方法的优缺点以及对不同基质样品(沉积物和大米)Cd同位素组成的影响,该文采用干法灰化法、酸提取法、微波消解法和高温高压密闭消解法等消解方法对水系沉积物(GSD)进行消解处理,比较了不同消解方法对沉积物Cd同位素组成测定的影响。随后使用微波消解法和高温高压密闭消解法对大米标准物质以及实际大米样品进行了消解。结果表明：高温高压密闭消解法所获得的沉积物Cd同位素测试结果在国内外文献报道的参考值范围内,能够满足同位素测定要求。而使用干法灰化法和酸提取法消解样品时,由于存在元素损失或消解不完全,标准物质Cd元素的回收率偏低(低至72.8%),导致同位素测试结果显著偏离真实值(Δ114/110Cd值最大偏差达0.24‰)。微波消解法处理标准物质Cd元素的回收率在96.6%~98.8%范围内,且同位素测试结果与高温高压密闭消解法结果吻合良好(Δ114/110Cd≤±0.04‰),表明微波消解法可以满足沉积物Cd同位素的测定要求,能够获得准确的Cd同位素组成数据。对大米标准物质和实际大米样品进行消解,所获得的Cd同位素测试结果与上述沉积物样品结果相同(Δ114/110Cd≤±0.04‰),进一步验证了微波消解法的可靠性,证实微波消解法可用于沉积物及植物样品(大米)Cd同位素分析的快速消解。     

Soluble Congeners of Prior Insoluble Shape-Persistent Imine Cages

One of the most applied reaction types to synthesize shape-persistent organic cage compounds is the imine condensation reaction and it is assumed that the formed cages are thermodynamically controlled products due to the reversibility of the imine condensation. However, most of the synthesized imine cages reported are formed as precipitate from the reaction mixture and therefore rather may be kinetically controlled products. There are even examples in literature, where resulting cages are not soluble at all in common organic solvents to characterize or study their formation by NMR spectroscopy in solution. Here, a triptycene triamine containing three solubilizing n-hexyloxy chains has been used to synthesize soluble congeners of prior insoluble cages. This allowed us to study the formation as well as the reversibility of cage formation in solution by investigating exchange of building blocks between the cages and deuterated derivatives thereof.     

An Unexpected Fluctuating Reactivity for Odd and Even Carbon Numbers in the TiO2‐Based Photocatalytic Decarboxylation of C2‐C6 Dicarboxylic Acids

The degradation behaviours of five straight‐chain dicarboxylic acids (from ethanedioic acid to hexanedioic acid) were compared in aqueous TiO₂‐based photocatalysis. When all other conditions were identical, the degradation rates were found to fluctuate regularly with the parity of the number of carbon atoms. Dicarboxylic acids with an even number of carbon atoms (e‐DAs) always degraded more slowly than those acids with an odd number of carbon atoms (o‐DAs). This unusual fluctuation in the reactivity for the degradation of dicarboxylic acids by TiO₂‐based photocatalysis is very closely related to the different pre‐coordination modes of the acids with the photocatalyst. Attenuated total reflection FTIR (ATR‐FTIR) of e‐DAs labelled with ¹³C showed that both carboxyl groups of the acid coordinate to TiO₂ through bidentate chelating forms. In contrast, only one carboxyl group of the o‐DAs coordinated to TiO₂ in a bidentate chelating manner, whereas the other formed a monodentate binding linkage. The bidentate chelating form with bilateral symmetric coordination did not favour degradation. Isotope‐labelling experiments were performed with ¹⁸O₂ to observe the different ways in which incorporated oxygen entered the initial decarboxylated products of e‐ and o‐DAs. For the degradation of butanedioic acid, (45.9±0.5) % of the oxygen in the formed propanedioic acid came from H₂O, whereas for pentanedioic acid, (97.4±0.2) % of the oxygen in the formed butanedioic acid came from H₂O. Our results demonstrate that in TiO₂‐based photocatalysis, the reactivity of active species, such as ^. OH/h_vb⁺, is far from non‐selective and that the attacks of these active species on organic substrates are significantly affected by the coordination patterns of the substrates on the TiO₂ surface.     

Mechanistic Insights into RNA Transphosphorylation from Kinetic Isotope Effects and Linear Free Energy Relationships of Model Reactions

Phosphoryl transfer reactions are ubiquitous in biology and the understanding of the mechanisms whereby these reactions are catalyzed by protein and RNA enzymes is central to reveal design principles for new therapeutics. Two of the most powerful experimental probes of chemical mechanism involve the analysis of linear free energy relations (LFERs) and the measurement of kinetic isotope effects (KIEs). These experimental data report directly on differences in bonding between the ground state and the rate‐controlling transition state, which is the most critical point along the reaction free energy pathway. However, interpretation of LFER and KIE data in terms of transition‐state structure and bonding optimally requires the use of theoretical models. In this work, we apply density‐functional calculations to determine KIEs for a series of phosphoryl transfer reactions of direct relevance to the 2′‐O‐transphosphorylation that leads to cleavage of the phosphodiester backbone of RNA. We first examine a well‐studied series of phosphate and phosphorothioate mono‐, di‐ and triesters that are useful as mechanistic probes and for which KIEs have been measured. Close agreement is demonstrated between the calculated and measured KIEs, establishing the reliability of our quantum model calculations. Next, we examine a series of RNA transesterification model reactions with a wide range of leaving groups in order to provide a direct connection between observed Brønsted coefficients and KIEs with the structure and bonding in the transition state. These relations can be used for prediction or to aid in the interpretation of experimental data for similar non‐enzymatic and enzymatic reactions. Finally, we apply these relations to RNA phosphoryl transfer catalyzed by ribonuclease A, and demonstrate the reaction coordinate–KIE correlation is reasonably preserved. A prediction of the secondary deuterium KIE in this reaction is also provided. These results demonstrate the utility of building up knowledge of mechanism through the systematic study of model systems to provide insight into more complex biological systems such as phosphoryl transfer enzymes and ribozymes.     

Iridium(I)‐Catalyzed Regioselective CH Activation and Hydrogen‐Isotope Exchange of Non‐aromatic Unsaturated Functionality

Isotopic labelling is a key technology of increasing importance for the investigation of new C?H activation and functionalization techniques, as well as in the construction of labelled molecules for use within both organic synthesis and drug discovery. Herein, we report for the first time selective iridium‐catalyzed C?H activation and hydrogen‐isotope exchange at the β‐position of unsaturated organic compounds. The use of our highly active [Ir(cod)(IMes)(PPh₃)][PF₆] (cod=1,5‐cyclooctadiene) catalyst, under mild reaction conditions, allows the regioselective β‐activation and labelling of a range of α,β‐unsaturated compounds with differing steric and electronic properties. This new process delivers high levels of isotope incorporation over short reaction times by using low levels of catalyst loading.     

Effects of Quantum Nuclear Delocalisation on NMR Parameters from Path Integral Molecular Dynamics

The influence of nuclear delocalisation on NMR chemical shifts in molecular organic solids is explored using path integral molecular dynamics (PIMD) and density functional theory calculations of shielding tensors. Nuclear quantum effects are shown to explain previously observed systematic deviations in correlations between calculated and experimental chemical shifts, with particularly large PIMD‐induced changes (up to 23 ppm) observed for carbon atoms in methyl groups. The PIMD approach also enables isotope substitution effects on chemical shifts and J couplings to be predicted in excellent agreement with experiment for both isolated molecules and molecular crystals. An approach based on convoluting calculated shielding or coupling surfaces with probability distributions of selected bond distances and valence angles obtained from PIMD simulations is used to calculate isotope effects.     

Rb2[U(NH2)6], a Rubidium Hexaamidouranate(IV) obtained from the Reaction of UI3 with RbNH2 in Anhydrous Ammonia

The pyrophoric compound Rb₂[U(NH₂)₆] was obtained as a grey to black powder from the reaction of more than three equivalents of RbNH₂ with UI₃ in anhydrous liquid ammonia. During the process, U^III is oxidized to U^IV and ammonia is reduced under evolution of H₂. Rb₂[U(NH₂)₆] crystallizes in the cubic crystal system, space group Fm3 m, with the lattice parameter a = 9.7870(12) Å, V = 937.4(2) ų, Z = 4 at T = 293 K. It is isotypic to K₂PtCl₆. The compound contains the unprecedented hexaamidouranate(IV) anion [U(NH₂)₆]^2–.     

Preparation and Crystal Structure of a New Uranyl Sulfate Templated by a Bis-isothiouronium Cation

Crystals of a new uranyl sulfate (C₂N₄H₈S₂)[UO₂(SO₄)₂] · 0.3H₂O ( 1 ) templated by a relatively rare bis-isothiouronium cation, were formed upon evaporation of aqueous solutions containing uranyl acetate, thiourea, and excess sulfuric acid. The new compound is orthorhombic, P2₁2₁2₁, a = 6.928(2) Å, b = 13.398(3) Å, c = 15.225(3) Å, Z = 2. Its crystal structure is comprised of [UO₂(SO₄)₂] moieties linked by hydrogen bonds formed between the template cations and terminal oxygen atoms of the sulfate tetrahedra. The C₂N₄H₈S₂²⁺ template is most likely formed in situ during a redox reaction between uranyl cation and thiourea in a strongly acidic medium, with UO₂²⁺ partially reduced to U⁴⁺.     

同位素稀释高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定水体、底泥、鱼及虾中氯硝柳胺残留量

建立了水体、底泥、鱼体自然比例带皮肌肉和虾肌肉中氯硝柳胺(NIC)残留量测定的同位素稀释高效液相色谱-串联质谱(HPLC-MS/MS)法。水样经碱化后以乙酸乙酯提取,其他样品采用0.1%氨水乙腈提取,C_(18)粉进行样品净化。以乙腈-水为流动相,流速为0.3 mL/min,采用Thermo Hypersil Gold C_(18)(150 mm×2.1 mm,5μm)色谱柱进行分离,氯硝柳胺稳定同位素标记物(氯硝柳胺-~(13)C_6)为内标,选择反应监测(SRM)模式扫描,内标法定量。结果表明氯硝柳胺在0.2～200μg/L范围内呈良好线性关系,相关系数(r~2)不小于0.999 5。空白水样在2.5、25、250 ng/L加标水平下的平均回收率为90.5%～109%,相对标准偏差(RSD)为3.2%～11%,检出限(LOD)为1.0 ng/L,定量下限(LOQ)为2.5 ng/L;空白底泥、黄颡鱼自然比例带皮肌肉和克氏原螯虾肌肉在0.5、5.0、50μg/kg加标水平下的平均回收率分别为89.4%～113%、92.8%～110%和94.1%～107%,RSD分别为4.6%～12%、2.8%～11%和3.2%～9.3%,LOD均为0.2μg/kg,LOQ均为0.5μg/kg。该方法的灵敏度、准确度和选择性高,适用于实际水产养殖环境水体、底泥、鱼和虾中氯硝柳胺的残留分析。