Fast and highly selective determination of cyanide with 2,2-dihydroxy-1,3-indanedione

A very simple, accurate, fast, selective and sensitive assay of cyanide based on its reaction with 2,2-dihydroxy-l,3-indanedione at basic pH is proposed. As little as 0.01 μg ml⁻¹ of cyanide can be determined. The molar absorptivity may reach 5.1–8.0×10⁴ l mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹ depending on the reaction conditions. Thus, 1 ml of sample solution is mixed with 500 μl of 5 mg ml⁻¹ solution of 2,2-dihydroxy-1,3-indanedione monohydrate in 2% sodium carbonate. The absorbance of the purple color is measured at 510 nm in 1-cm glass cuvettes, 10–15 min after mixing the reagents. The procedure could also be used to identify free CN⁻ in natural waters and hydrocyanic acid in the environment.     

Catalytic effect of CTAB on the interaction of dipeptide glycyl-tyrosine (Gly-Tyr) with ninhydrin

The effect of cationic micelles of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) on the interaction of dipeptide glycyl-tyrosine (Gly-Tyr) with ninhydrin under varying conditions has been studied spectrophotometrically at 70 °C and pH 5.0. The reaction followed first- and fractional-order kinetics with respect to [Gly-Tyr] and [ninhydrin], respectively. Increase in total concentration of CTAB from 0 to 70 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ resulted in an increase in the pseudo-first-order rate constant (k_ψ) by a factor of ca. 3. Quantitative kinetic analysis of k_ψ − [CTAB] data was performed on the basis of pseudo-phase model of the micelles (proposed by Menger and Portnoy and developed by Bunton) and Piszkiewicz model. A possible mechanism has been proposed and the kinetic data have been used to evaluate the micellar binding constants K_S (268 mol⁻¹ dm³ for Gly-Tyr) and K_N (64 mol⁻¹ dm³ for ninhydrin).     

A simple synthesis of 4-substituted 2,3-benzoxazinones from C-2 arylated 1,3-indanediones

A simple one-pot procedure for the conversion of 2-hydroxy-2-(2′-hydroxy-aryl)-1,3-indanediones to 4-substituted benzoxazinones has been developed. The process constitutes an interesting acid-catalyzed rearrangement followed by condensation with hydroxylamine.     

Regioselective synthesis of novel spiroindane-1,3-diones through 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions

A facile synthesis of novel spiroindane-1,3-diones has been achieved via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of an azomethine ylide, generated in situ from ninhydrin and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline, with the conjugated double bond of chalcone derivatives. The regiochemistry and structures of the cycloadducts were determined with spectroscopic data and by X-ray crystal structure analysis.     

Facile synthesis of substituted pyrrole-fused isocoumarins from ninhydrin

A simple and efficient procedure has been developed for the synthesis of substituted pyrrole-fused isocoumarins from easily available ninhydrin. The cyclic hemiaminal dihydroxy-indenopyrroles, the adducts of ninhydrin with enamines of acetylacetone, give pyrrole-fused isocoumarins upon heating in acidic medium. The process constitutes an interesting acid-catalyzed rearrangement to eight-membered lactams followed by intramolecular cyclization involving the amino and keto groups.     

A one-pot three-component approach to synthesis of novel dihydroxyoxoindeno[1,2-b]pyrrole derivatives

A new class of 2-arylamino-dihydroxyindenopyrroles were prepared by the one-pot multicomponent reaction of ninhydrin, N-methyl-1-(methylthio)-2-nitroethenamine and aromatic amines in EtOH at room temperature. The advantages of this procedure are short reaction times, good to high yields, easy separation of products and good functional group tolerance.     

The Study of UV and VIS Absorption Spectra of the Complexes of Amino Acids with Ninhydrin

Abstract

The analysis of amino acids with post column derivatization using ninhydrin is usually carried out with automatic analyzers at wavelengths of 570 nm (for the quantitation of α-amino acids) and 440 nm (for the imino acids), or at only one wavelength, 520 nm, for the total acid content. The α-amino acids are reported to give an absorption maximum at 570 nm, after complex formation with ninhydrin; and α-imino acids have a γ at 440 nm, 520 nm is a compromise wavelength.

This paper presents a study of the absorption of the complexes of amino acids with ninhydrin between 275 and 700 nm. Two new wavelengths are suggested for use, 290 and 404 nm.

In the near UV (290 nm) all the tested acids show a common absorption maximum and good sensitivities. In the visible region at 404 nm, the sensitivities of the α-amino acids are very similar to those observed at 570 nm. At 520 nm the αamino acids have the lowest sensitivities.

The α-imino acids (proline and oxyproline) show absorption maxima only at 290 nm; after that their sensitivities decrease with increasing wavelength.

The paper offers some practical hints on changing the detector wavelength, and to adapt the HPLC's detector to work at one of these two, newly suggested, bands (290 or 404 nm).     

Selective determination of cyanides by gas diffusion-stopped flow-sequential injection analysis and an on-line standard addition approach

A highly selective sequential injection (SI) method for the automated determination of weak-acid-dissociable cyanides is reported. The analytical procedure is based on the on-line reaction of the analyte with ninhydrin in carbonate medium to form a coloured product (λ_max = 510 nm). Cyanides are removed from sample matrix by acidification through a gas-diffusion step incorporated in the SI manifold. The effect of instrumental and chemical variables was studied. By adopting an on-line standard addition protocol, the sensitivity of the proposed method was enhanced drastically, without affecting the determination range. The assay was validated in terms of linearity (up to 200 μg L⁻¹), limit of detection (c_L = 2.5 μg L⁻¹), limit of quantitation (c_Q = 7.5 μg L⁻¹), precision (s_r < 2.5% at 100 μg L⁻¹) and selectivity. High tolerance against critical species such as sulfides and thiocyanates was achieved. The applicability of the method was demonstrated by analyzing tap and mineral water samples at levels below the limits established by international E.U. and U.S. organizations. The percent recoveries were satisfactory in all cases, ranging between 94.2 and 103.6%.     

Serendipitous one-pot synthesis of brand-new, bowl-shaped molecular architecture from phloroglucinol and ninhydrin

We prepared a brand-new, bowl-shaped molecular architecture in one step from the reaction of ninhydrin and phloroglucinol in acetic acid in excellent yield (95%) in a one-pot reaction and the bipolarofacial nature of this compound was confirmed by its X-ray structure.     

Analytical and preparative enantioseparation of dl-penicillamine and dl-cysteine by high-performance liquid chromatography on α-acid glycoprotein and β-cyclodextrin columns using ninhydrin as a reversible tagging reagent

Two sulfur-containing amino acids, dl-cysteine (Cys) and dl-penicillamine (PenA), were condensed with ninhydrin to form their spirothiazolidine derivatives. These were separated by HPLC using α-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) columns. The resolution conditions were optimized and the results were compared. Since the method provided resolution greater than 2 it was also applied to preparative separation. After separation, each of them was detagged using Zn dust and 10% aqueous trifluoroacetic acid. For analytical purposes dinitrophenyl (DNP) derivatives of dl-Cys and dl-PenA were also prepared and were resolved on both the columns. The detection was carried out using photodiode array detection system at 231 nm. The limits of detection were found to be 0.01% and 0.004% for spirothiazolidine carboxylic acid and DNP derivatives, respectively.