Oxidation reactions of some natural volatile aromatic compounds: anethole and eugenol

trans-Anethole [1-methoxy-4-(trans-prop-1-en-1-yl)benzene] was isolated from anise seed oil (Pimpinella anisum). Its photochemical oxidation with hydrogen peroxide gave the corresponding epoxy derivative together with 4-methoxybenzaldehyde. The thermal oxidation of trans-anethole with 3-chloroperoxybenzoic acid at room temperature resulted in the formation of dimeric epoxide, 2,5-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-3,6-dimethyl-1,4-dioxane, as the only product. Photochemical oxygenation of trans-anethole in the presence of tetraphenylporphyrin, Rose Bengal, or chlorophyll as sensitizer led to a mixture of 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-yl hydroperoxide and 4-methoxybenzaldehyde. Eugenol was isolated from clove oil [Eugenia caryophyllus (Spreng.)]. It was converted into 2-methoxy-4-(prop-2-en-1-yl)phenyl hydroperoxide by oxidation with hydrogen peroxide under irradiation. Thermal oxidation of eugenol with 3-chloroperoxypenzoic acid at room temperature produced 2-methoxy-4-(oxiran-2-ylmethyl)phenol, while sensitized photochemical oxygenation (in the presence of Rose Bengal or chlorophyll) gave 4-hydroperoxy-2-methoxy-4-(prop-2-en-1-yl)cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-one. Published in Russian in Zhurnal Organicheskoi Khimii, 2008, Vol. 44, No. 6, pp. 834–841. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Photo catalytic degradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonic acid

Linear alkylbenzene sulfonic acid (LAS) is a common substance used in the production of detergents in the world. This is an organic material with its structure made of benzene ring and double bonds. This structure creates many problems for the environment and humans. Up to now, various methods have been used to eliminate this pollution. A recently proposed method to remove this organic pollution is advanced oxidation processes. Photocatalytic degradation is also an efficient method to destroy organic structures. In this research, TiO₂ nanoparticles are used as a photocatalyst that is activated by UV irradiation. TiO₂ nanoparticles and pollution suspension are incorporated into the new design of the reactor with coaxial cylinders in which the inner cylinder rotates at a constant speed. The results show that in low concentrations of LAS, using TiO₂ nanoparticles, the time to reach pollution elimination is reduced significantly. In higher concentrations of LAS, UV irradiation is more effective than activated TiO₂ nanoparticles.     

Analytical and experimental analyses of nonlinear vibrations in a rotary inverted pendulum

Nonlinear Dynamics - We consider a 2-layer quasi-geostrophic ocean model where the upper layer is forced by a steady Kolmogorov wind stress in a periodic channel domain, which allows to...     

Strong correlations in the He ground state momentum wave function observed in the fully differential momentum distributions for the p + He transfer ionization process

The four-particle process of proton-helium transfer ionization has been studied using cold target recoil ion momentum spectroscopy to measure the momenta of all three particles in the final state. Most of the electrons are emitted in the H0 scattering plane and in the backward direction. The final state momentum distributions show discrete structures very different from those expected for uncorrelated capture and ionization. The measured momentum pattern is interpreted to be due to a new transfer ionization reaction channel which results from strong correlations in the initial He ground state momentum wave function.     

A Comprehensive Investigation of Interactions between Antipsychotic Drug Quetiapine and Human Serum Albumin Using Multi-Spectroscopic,Biochemical, and Molecular Modeling Approaches

Quetiapine (QTP) is a short-acting atypical antipsychotic drug that treats schizophrenia or manic episodes of bipolar disorder. Human serum albumin (HSA) is an essential transport protein that transports hormones and various other ligands to their intended site of action. The interactions of QTP with HSA and their binding mechanism in the HSA-QTP system was studied using spectroscopic and molecular docking techniques. The UV-Vis absorption study shows hyperchromicity in the spectra of HSA on the addition of QTP, suggesting the complex formation and interactions between QTP and HSA. The results of intrinsic fluorescence indicate that QTP quenched the fluorescence of HSA and confirmed the complex formation between HSA and QTP, and this quenching mechanism was a static one. Thermodynamic analysis of the HSA-QTP system confirms the involvement of hydrophobic forces, and this complex formation is spontaneous. The competitive displacement and molecular docking experiments demonstrated that QTP is preferentially bound to HSA subdomain IB. Furthermore, the CD experiment results showed conformational changes in the HSA-QTP system. Besides this, the addition of QTP does not affect the esterase-like activity of HSA. This study will help further understand the credible mechanism of transport and delivery of QTP via HSA and design new QTP-based derivatives with greater efficacy.     

HPLC Determination of Imidazoles with Variant Anti-Infective Activity in Their Dosage Forms and Human Plasma

A suitable HPLC method has been selected and validated for rapid simultaneous separation and determination of four imidazole anti-infective drugs, secnidazole, omeprazole, albendazole, and fenbendazole, in their final dosage forms, in addition to human plasma within 5 min. The method suitability was derived from the superiority of using the environmentally benign solvent, methanol over acetonitrile as a mobile phase component in respect of safety issues and migration times. Separation of the four anti-infective drugs was performed on a Thermo Scientific^® BDS Hypersil C₈ column (5 µm, 2.50 × 4.60 mm) using a mobile phase consist of MeOH: 0.025 M KH₂PO₄ (70:30, v/v) adjusted to pH 3.20 with ortho-phosphoric acid at room temperature. The flow rate was 1.00 mL/min and maximum absorption was measured with UV detector set at 300 nm. Limits of detection were reported to be 0.41, 0.13, 0.18, and 0.15 µg/mL for secnidazole, omeprazole, albendazole, and fenbendazole, respectively, showing a high degree of the method sensitivity. The method of analysis was validated according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA)guidelines for the determination of the drugs, either in their dosage forms with highly precise recoveries, or clinically in human plasma, especially regarding pharmacokinetic and bioequivalence studies.     

Oxidation studies on some natural monoterpenes: Citral, pulegone, and camphene

Citral extracted from Cymbopogon citratus (Gramineae) was subjected to photochemical epoxidation with hydrogen peroxide to obtain a mixture of epoxy derivatives at the C²=C³ and C⁶=C⁷ double bonds. The thermal oxidation of citral with m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid at room temperature gave only the corresponding 6,7-epoxy derivative as a mixture of E and Z isomers with respect to the C²=C³ double bond. Photosensitized oxygenation of citral in the presence of tetraphenylporphyrin, Rose Bengal, or chlorophyll lead to a mixture of two isomeric hydroperoxides, (2E)-6-hydroperoxy-3,7-dimethylocta-2,7-dienal and (2E,5E)-7-hydroperoxy-3,7-dimethylocta-2,5-dienal. Epoxidation of pulegone isolated from Penny royal oil (Mentha pulegium, Lamiaceae) with hydrogen peroxide under irradiation with a sodium lamp lead to a mixture of cis- and trans-isomeric 2,2,6-trimethyl-1-oxaspiro[2.5]octan-4-ones, whereas under conditions of photosensitized oxygenation two hydroperoxide derivatives, 2-(1-hydroperoxy-1-methylethyl)-5-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-one and 2-hydroperoxy-5-methyl-2-(1-methylethenyl)cyclohexan-1-one, were also formed. Camphene reacted with hydrogen peroxide under irradiation to give a mixture of the corresponding endo- and exo-epoxy derivatives and camphor, while its thermal oxidation with m-chloroperoxybenzoic produced only the two former. Published in Russian in Zhurnal Organicheskoi Khimii, 2008, Vol. 44, No. 6, pp. 825–833. The text was submitted by the authors in English.