Preparation and characterization of inclusion complexes containing fixolide, a synthetic musk fragrance and cyclodextrins

AHTN (7-Acetyl-1,1,3,4,4,6-hexamethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene), commercially known as fixolide or tonalide, is a synthetic fragrance widely used in replace of natural musk odor which is more expensive. It is a popular fragrance material added in the manufacturing of personal care and household products, such as perfumes, soaps, shampoos, detergents, and fabric softeners. AHTN is semivolatile and is degraded under light exposure and high temperature. This work focuses on the complexation of AHTN with cyclodextrins in the effort to stabilize the fragrance material. AHTN was complexed with β-cyclodextrin, methyl (MβCD), and hydroxypropyl (HPβCD) derivatives in the mole ratio 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 guest:host, and the complexes formed by physical mixing, co-precipitation, kneading, and freeze-drying were analyzed by DSC and FTIR. Percent AHTN included in the complex was also determined by hexane extraction and GC analysis. It was found that no inclusion complex was formed in the physical mixture. When co-precipitation method was performed, only βCD could form inclusion complex with AHTN, while the other two derivatives could not. Using 1:2 AHTN:βCD, no free AHTN was left in the complex as evidenced by DSC and FTIR spectrum. In kneading and freeze-drying methods, complexes could be formed with all CDs tested. However, co-precipitation method with 1:2 AHTN:βCD and kneading method with 1:2 AHTN:MβCD provided the highest complex yield with highest amount of AHTN included in the complex. AHTN in the complex form was more stable against high temperature and UV exposure than its free form.     

Characterization of Antioxidant Activity of Momordica Charantia Fruit by Infrared-Based Fingerprinting

Momordica charantia is widely consumed edible fruit. The food and pharmaceutical industries use it as a natural antioxidant. However, the quality control of M. charantia-based medicinal products is questionable due to the complexity of metabolites in this fruit. Hence, this study has developed a statistical model in predicting the antioxidant value through the 2, 2-diphenyl-1 picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power based on infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance. This technique was reliably used for quality control. Six ethanol extracts (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% in water) of this plant’s fruit were prepared. The radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power activities were measured and the chemical profiling of the extracts was fingerprinted by infrared spectroscopy between 4,000 and 600?cm^?1 at a resolution of 4?cm^?1. Statistical analysis was developed by correlating the bioactivity and infrared spectra of each extract using orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis. The C–N, C?O, C–O, C–H, and OH infrared signals were positively correlated with biological activity. The antioxidant activity of the fruit of M. charantia may be due to the presence of several antioxidants that work synergistically.     

Rotational spectra of mono-substituted asymmetric C6H6-H2O dimers

This paper reports the assignment of the rotational spectra of the m = 0 and 1 states of ¹³CC₅H₆-H₂O and C₆H₅D-H₂O dimers. The m = 1 progression was not identified or assigned for both ¹³CC₅H₆-H₂O and C₆H₅D-H₂O in the earlier work, though for the symmetric isotopomers (C₆H₆-H₂O/D₂O/H₂¹⁸O), they were identified [H.S. Gutowsky, T. Emilsson, E. Arunan, J. Chem. Phys. 99 (1993) 4883]. The m = 1 transitions for ¹³CC₅H₆-H₂O and C₆H₅D-H₂O were split into two, unlike that of the parent C₆H₆-H₂O isotopomer. The splitting varied, somewhat randomly, with quantum numbers J and K. The m = 0 lines of ¹³CC₅H₆-H₂O had significant overlap with the m = 1 lines of the parent isotopomer, clouding proper assignment, and leading to an rms deviation of about 200 kHz in the earlier work. The general semi-rigid molecular Hamiltonian coupled to an internal rotor, described recently by Duan et al. [Y.B. Duan, H.M. Zhang, K. Takagi, J. Chem. Phys. 104 (1996) 3914], is used in this work to assign both m = 0 and 1 states of ¹³CC₅H₆-H₂O and C₆H₅D-H₂O dimers. Consequently, the m = 0 fits for ¹³CC₅H₆-H₂O/D₂O have an rms deviation of only 4/7 kHz, comparable to experimental uncertainties. The fits for m = 1 transitions for ¹³CC₅H₆-H₂O and C₆H₅D-H₂O dimers have an rms deviation of about 200 kHz. However, it is of the same order of magnitude as that of the m = 1 state of the parent C₆H₆-H₂O dimer. The A rotational constants determined from the m = 0 fits for both ¹³CC₅H₆-H₂O and ¹³CC₅H₆-D₂O isotopomers are identical and very close to the C rotational constant for ¹³CC₅H₆. This provides a direct experimental determination for the C rotational constant of ¹³CC₅H₆, which has a negligible dipole moment.     

Perovskite ceramics and recent experimental progress in reactor design for chemical looping combustion application

Chemical looping combustion (CLC) is a novel method of carbon capture and sequestration. It facilitates CO₂ capture by lower energy penalties compared with other methods in this category. The major challenges encountered in CLC are oxygen carrier, reactor and fuel-type selection. A proper combination of these factors is required for an efficient CLC. There have been several studies with regard to oxygen carriers applicable to these processes: novel oxygen carriers, single perovskites and potential oxygen carriers, double perovskites, have been investigated for their oxygen capture and release properties in a number of studies. Different kinds of reactors have also been proposed for use in CLC processes. This paper presents information on the materials capable of oxygen storage and release and the different kinds of reactors investigated for CLC in different studies. It has been shown that, although there are several oxygen carriers and reactors with the desired function and efficiency for CLC, there remains the need for further improvement and optimisation in both areas. © 2014 Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences     

Microwave spectroscopic and theoretical studies on the phenylacetylene···H2O complex: C-H···O and O-H···π hydrogen bonds as equal partners

Rotational spectra of five isotopologues of the title complex, C(6)H(5)CCH···H(2)O, C(6)H(5)CCH···HOD, C(6)H(5)CCH···D(2)O, C(6)H(5)CCH···H(2)(18)O and C(6)H(5)CCD···H(2)O, were measured and analyzed. The parent isotopologue is an asymmetric top with κ = -0.73. The complex is effectively planar (ab inertial plane) and both 'a' and 'b' dipole transitions have been observed but no c dipole transition could be seen. All the transitions of the parent complex are split into two resulting from an internal motion interchanging the two H atoms in H(2)O. This is confirmed by the absence of such doubling for the C(6)H(5)CCH···HOD complex and a significant reduction in the splitting for the D(2)O analog. The rotational spectra, unambiguously, reveal a structure in which H(2)O has both O-H···π (π cloud of acetylene moiety) and C-H···O (ortho C-H group of phenylacetylene) interactions. This is in agreement with the structure deduced by IR-UV double resonance studies (Singh et al., J. Phys. Chem. A, 2008, 112, 3360) and also with the global minimum predicted by advanced electronic structure theory calculations (Sedlack et al., J. Phys. Chem. A, 2009, 113, 6620). Atoms in Molecule (AIM) theoretical analysis of the complex reveals the presence of both O-H···π and C-H···O hydrogen bonds. More interestingly, based on the electron densities at the bond critical points, this analysis suggests that both these interactions are equally strong. Moreover, the presence of both these interactions leads to significant deviation from linearity of both hydrogen bonds.     

Application of the Metabolomics Approach in Food Authentication

The authentication of food products is essential for food quality and safety. Authenticity assessments are important to ensure that the ingredients or contents of food products are legitimate and safe to consume. The metabolomics approach is an essential technique that can be utilized for authentication purposes. This study aimed to summarize food authentication through the metabolomics approach, to study the existing analytical methods, instruments, and statistical methods applied in food authentication, and to review some selected food commodities authenticated using metabolomics-based methods. Various databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, etc., were used to obtain previous research works relevant to the objectives. The review highlights the role of the metabolomics approach in food authenticity. The approach is technically implemented to ensure consumer protection through the strict inspection and enforcement of food labeling. Studies have shown that the study of metabolomics can ultimately detect adulterant(s) or ingredients that are added deliberately, thus compromising the authenticity or quality of food products. Overall, this review will provide information on the usefulness of metabolomics and the techniques associated with it in successful food authentication processes, which is currently a gap in research that can be further explored and improved.     

Computational investigations on covalent dimerization/oligomerization of polyacenes: Is it relevant to soot formation?

We have postulated a novel pathway that could assist in the nucleation of soot particles through covalent dimerization and oligomerizations of a variety of PAHs. DFT calculations were performed with the objective of obtaining the relative thermal stabilities and formation probabilities of oligomeric species that exploit the facile dimerization that is known to occur in linear oligoacenes. We propose that the presence of small stretches of linear oligoacence (tetracene or longer) in extended PAH, either embedded or tethered, would be adequate for enabling the formation of such dimeric and oligomeric adducts; these could then serve as nuclei for the growth of soot particles. Our studies also reveal the importance of π‐stacking interactions between extended aromatic frameworks in governing the relative stabilities of the oligomeric species that are formed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Substituent and solvent effects on electronic absorption spectra of some N-(substitutedphenyl)benzene sulphonamides

The effects of substituents and solvents have been studied through the absorption spectra of nearly 23 ortho- and para-N-(substitutedphenyl)benzene sulphonamides in the range of 200-400 nm. The effects of substituents on the absorption spectra of compounds under present investigation are interpreted by correlation of absorption frequencies with simple and extended Hammett equations. Effect of solvent polarity and hydrogen bonding on the absorption spectra are interpreted by means of Kamlet equation and the results are discussed.     

Switch-peptides: controlling self-assembly of amyloid beta-derived peptides in vitro by consecutive triggering of acyl migrations

The sequential triggering (Soff --> Son) of O, N-acyl migrations (AcM) by chemical and enzymatic methods (Ti) in peptides containing structure-disrupting switch-elements, S (switch-peptides), offers a novel tool for studying in statu nascendi the onset and inhibition of polypeptide folding and self-assembly as a key process in degenerative diseases.