DAMP, an acidotropic pH indicator, can be used as a tool to visualize non-esterified cholesterol in cells

Cholesterol-rich regions are attractive targets for studying metabolic disorders that involve accumulation of cholesterol. Despite efforts to develop probes for labelling cholesterol-rich regions in cells, few of these reagents have a low molecular weight. Previous studies have shown that the acidotropic pH indicator, N-{3-[(2,4-dinitrophenyl)amino]propyl}-N-(3-aminopropyl)methylamine dihydrochloride (DAMP), reacts with cholesterol-rich organelles, such as endocrine secretary granules from endocrine cells. In this study, we demonstrated that DAMP could react with free cholesterol in a dose-dependent manner, and DAMP was able to detect cholesterol-rich subcellular organelles. DAMP was sufficiently potent to detect free cholesterol-enriched organs, but was unable to detect atherosclerotic plaques primarily composed of esterified cholesterol. Taken together, these results demonstrate that DAMP facilitates the study of cholesterol-enriched lipid rafts and disorders which involve cholesterol accumulation.

Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of as-Prepared Sodium Titanates for m-Dinitrobenzene Reduction and Sulfosulfuron Oxidation

This paper demonstrates the preparation and photocatalytic activity of sodium titanate nanorods and nanotubes prepared by hydrothermal method using P25-TiO2 as the precursor. XRD results confirmed the monoclinic structure of sodium titanate nanorods obtained after calcinations of orthorhombic sodium titanate nanotubes at 800 °C for 2 h. The BET surface area of sodium titanate nanotubes (176 m2 g-1) was significantly reduced for sodium titanate nanorods (21 m2 g-1) formation because of the collapsing of the hollow interior of the former during its high temperature sintering. The selective formation of m-diaminobenzene by the photoreduction of the m-dinitrobenzene was found to be comparable by sodium titanate nanorods (89.5 ± 0.5%) and P25-TiO2 (98.2 ± 0.8%), whereas Au-deposition (0.5 and 2 wt%) onto sodium titanate nanorods notably altered the products (m-nitroaniline and m-diaminobenzene) distribution after 8 h of UV-light irradiation and which was confirmed later by GC-MS analysis. This high photoactivity of as-prepared nanorods could be credited to better delocalization and longer relaxation lifetime (68 µs) of photoexcited e-/h+ pairs along the length of crystalline sodium titanate nanorods than P25-TiO2 (45 µs) as measured from Time-resolved spectroscopy. The photooxidation of sulfosulfuron herbicide (1000 ppm) and corresponding CO2 formation was found to be highest with sodium titanate nanotubes due to the presence of more hydroxyl groups over the largest surface area that dominates over its least relaxation lifetime (41 µs).

π(+)-π interactions between (hetero)aromatic amine cations and the graphitic surfaces of pyrogenic carbonaceous materials

Many organic compounds of environmental concern contain amine groups that are positively charged at environmental pH. Here we present evidence that (hetero)aromatic amine cations can act as π acceptors in forming π(+)–π electron donor–acceptor (EDA) interactions with the π electron-rich, polyaromatic surface of pyrogenic carbonaceous materials (PCMs) (i.e., biochar, black carbon, and graphene). The π(+)–π EDA interactions combine a cation−π force with a π–π EDA force resulting from charge polarization of the ring’s quadrupole. Adsorption on a biochar and reference adsorbent graphite was conducted of triazine herbicides, substituted anilines, heterocyclic aromatic amines, and other amines whose charge is insulated from the aromatic ring. When normalized for the hydrophobic effect, the adsorption increased with decreasing pH as the amines became ionized, even on graphite that had no significant fixed or variable charge. The cationic π acceptor (quinolinium ion) was competitively displaced more effectively by the π acceptor 2,4-dinitrobenzene than by the π donor naphthalene. The maximum electrostatic potential of organocations computed with density functional theory was found to be a strong predictor of the π(+)–π EDA interaction. The π(+)–π EDA interaction was disfavored by electropositive alkyl substituents and by charge delocalization into additional rings. Amines whose charge was insulated from the ring fell far out of the correlation (more positive free energy of adsorption). Identifying and characterizing this novel π(+)–π EDA interaction on PCMs will help in predicting the fate of organocations in both natural and engineered systems.

Differentiation of isomeric dinitrotoluenes and aminodinitrotoluenes using electrospray high resolution mass spectrometry

Explosive detection and identification play an important role in the environmental and forensic sciences. However, accurate identification of isomeric compounds remains a challenging task for current analytical methods. The combination of electrospray multistage mass spectrometry (ESI-MS(n) ) and high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) is a powerful tool for the structure characterization of isomeric compounds. We show herein that resonant ion activation performed in a linear quadrupole ion trap allows the differentiation of dinitrotoluene isomers as well as aminodinitrotoluene isomers. The explosive-related compounds: 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT), 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6-DNT), 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2A-4,6-DNT) and 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (4A-2,6-DNT) were analyzed by ESI-MS in the negative ion mode; they produced mainly deprotonated molecules [M - H](-) . Subsequent low resolution MS(n) experiments provided support for fragment ion assignments and determination of consecutive dissociation pathways. Resonant activation of deprotonated dinitrotoluene isomers gave different fragment ions according to the position of the nitro and amino groups on the toluene backbone. Fragment ion identification was bolstered by accurate mass measurements performed using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR/MS). Notably, unexpected results were found from accurate mass measurements performed at high resolution for 2,6-DNT where a 30-Da loss was observed that corresponds to CH2 O departure instead of the expected isobaric NO(•) loss. Moreover, 2,4-DNT showed a diagnostic fragment ion at m/z 116, allowing the unambiguous distinction between 2,4- and 2,6-DNT isomers. Here, CH2 O loss is hindered by the presence of an amino group in both 2A-4,6-DNT and 4A-2,6-DNT isomers, but nevertheless, these isomers showed significant differences in their fragmentation sequences, thus allowing their differentiation. DFT calculations were also performed to support experimental observations.

Comprehensive investigations of kinetics of alkaline hydrolysis of TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene), DNT (2,4-dinitrotoluene), and DNAN (2,4-dinitroanisole)

Combined experimental and computational techniques were used to analyze multistep chemical reactions in the alkaline hydrolysis of three nitroaromatic compounds: 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT), and 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN). The study reveals common features and differences in the kinetic behavior of these compounds. The analysis of the predicted pathways includes modeling of the reactions, along with simulation of UV-vis spectra, experimental monitoring of reactions using LC/MS techniques, development of the kinetic model by designing and solving the system of differential equations, and obtaining computationally predicted kinetics for decay and accumulation of reactants and products. Obtained results suggest that DNT and DNAN are more resistant to alkaline hydrolysis than TNT. The direct substitution of a nitro group by a hydroxide represents the most favorable pathway for all considered compounds. The formation of Meisenheimer complexes leads to the kinetic first-step intermediates in the hydrolysis of TNT. Janovsky complexes can also be formed during hydrolysis of TNT and DNT but in small quantities. Methyl group abstraction is one of the suggested pathways of DNAN transformation during alkaline hydrolysis.

Rapid quantitative chiral amphetamines liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: method in plasma and oral fluid with a cost-effective chiral derivatizing reagent

Methamphetamine is a widely abused psychostimulant containing a chiral center. Consumption of over-the-counter and prescription medications may yield positive amphetamines results, but chiral separation of l- and d-methamphetamine and its metabolite amphetamine can help determine whether the source was licit or illicit. We present the first LC-MS/MS method with precolumn derivatization for methamphetamine and amphetamine chiral resolution in plasma and oral fluid collected with the Oral-Eze(®) and Quantisal™ devices. To 0.5mL plasma, 0.75mL Oral-Eze, or 1mL Quantisal specimen racemic d11-methamphetamine and amphetamine internal standards were added, followed by protein precipitation. Samples were centrifuged and supernatants loaded onto pre-conditioned Phenomenex(®) Strata™-XC Polymeric Strong Cation solid phase extraction columns. After washing, analytes were eluted with 5% ammonium hydroxide in methanol. The eluate was evaporated to dryness and reconstituted in water. Derivatization was performed with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrophenyl-5-l-alanineamide (Marfey's reagent) and heating at 45°C for 1h. Derivatized enantiomer separations were performed under isocratic conditions (methanol:water, 60:40) with a Phenomenex(®) Kinetex(®) 2.6μm C18 column. Analytes were identified and quantified by two MRM transitions and their ratio on a 3200 QTrap (AB Sciex) mass spectrometer in ESI negative mode. In all three matrices, the method was linear for all enantiomers from 1 to 500μg/L, with imprecision and accuracy of ≤11.3% and 85.3-108%, respectively. Extraction efficiencies ranged from 67.4 to 117% and matrix effects from -17.0 to 468%, with variation always ≤19.1%. Authentic plasma and OF specimens were collected from an IRB-approved study that included controlled Vicks(®) VapoInhaler™ administration. The present method is sensitive, selective, economic and rapid (separations accomplished in <10min), and improves methamphetamine result interpretation.

Mobility and bioavailability reduction of soil TNT via sorption enhancement using monopotassium phosphate

In this study, the effect of monopotassium phosphate (MKP) on the reduction in mobility and bioavailability of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) was tested. In the test soil, collected from an active firing range, of which cation binding sites were mostly exchanged with H(+) or Al(3+), potassium ions in MKP exchanged the existing cations and hence significantly increased TNT sorption. In addition, a competitive sorption experiment with hexafluorobenzene and 2,4-dinitrotoluene suggests that TNT was specifically sorbed through cation-polar interaction in the test soil. The unit-equivalent Freundlich sorption coefficient of TNT in MKP-amended soil (1370.96 mg-TNT/kg-soil) was about 13 times higher than that in untreated soil (106.23 mg-TNT/kg-soil). Finally, modified synthetic precipitation leaching procedure and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin extraction result revealed that MKP application could reduce both the leachability and bioavailability of soil TNT. The leachable and extractable fraction of TNT in untreated soil were 87.63% and 94.47% of the initial TNT, respectively, whereas these fractions decreased to 49.15% and 54.85% of the initial TNT in the presence of MKP, respectively. MKP application can be a benign technology which can reduce both mobility and bioavailability of TNT in soil.

Conformational stability, molecular orbital studies (chemical hardness and potential), vibrational investigation and theoretical NBO analysis of 4-tert-butyl-3-methoxy-2,6-dinitrotoluene

The FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra of 4-tert-butyl-3-methoxy-2,6-dinitrotoluene (musk ambrette) have been recorded in the regions 4000-400 cm(-1) and 3500-100 cm(-1), respectively. The total energy calculations of musk ambrette were tried for the possible conformers. The molecular structure, geometry optimization, vibrational frequencies were obtained by the density functional theory (DFT) using B3LYP and LSDA method with 6-311G(d,p) basis set for the most stable conformer "C1". The complete assignments were performed on the basis of the potential energy distribution (PED) of the vibrational modes, calculated and the scaled values were compared with experimental FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra. The observed and the calculated frequencies are found to be in good agreement. The stability of the molecule arising from hyper conjugate interactions and the charge delocalization has been analyzed using bond orbital (NBO) analysis. The HOMO and LUMO energy gap reveals that the energy gap reflects the chemical activity of the molecule. The dipole moment (μ), polarizability (α), anisotropy polarizability (Δα) and first hyperpolarizability (βtot) of the molecule have been reported. The thermodynamic functions (heat capacity, entropy and enthalpy) were obtained for the range of temperature 100-1000 K. Information about the size, shape, charge density distribution and site of chemical reactivity of the molecule has been obtained by mapping electron density isosurface with molecular electrostatic potential (MEP).

Molecular structure, vibrational investigation of 2-chloro-α-α-α-trifluoro-3,5-dinitrotoluene using DFT (LSDA, B3LYP, B3PW91 and MPW1PW91) and UV-Vis absorption spectra in organic solvents: a IEF-PCM/TD-DFT study

Theoretical Spectrograms (IR and Raman) have been constructed and compared with the experimental FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra. The effect of solvent polarity on the optimized structure is studied by the density functional theory calculation (LSDA, B3LYP, B3PW91 and MPW1PW91 with 6-311++G(d,p)) in gas phase and selected solvents benzene (non-polar solvent), tetrahydrofuran THF (polar aprotic solvent), DMSO, Methanol (polar solvent) and water (protic solvent). In addition variation of dipole moment and charges on atoms in the solvents are studied. With the help of TD-DFT study, the electrostatic effects of different solvents and the energy difference between the excited electronic states noticeably depends on the size of the solute cavity used in the PCM calculations. On the basis of the thermodynamic properties of the title compound at different temperatures have been calculated in gas phase, reverling the correlations between standard heat capacities (C), standard entropies (S), standard enthalpy (H) and vibrational and rotational temperatures. The solvation influence on the geometrical parameters, atomic charges and HOMO-LUMO energies was estimated with the use of PCM method. The presence of solvent did not alter these parameters, but affected the orbital energies. The aggregation phenomena were studied with dimer and trimer structure of the title compound.

Expression, purification and substrate specificities of 3-nitrotoluene dioxygenase from Diaphorobacter sp. strain DS2

3-Nitotoluene dioxygenase (3-NTDO) is the first enzyme in the degradation pathway of 3-nitrotoluene (3-NT) by Diaphorobacter sp. strain DS2. The complete gene sequences of 3-NTDO were PCR amplified from genomic DNA of Diaphorobacter sp., cloned, sequenced and expressed. The 3-NTDO gene revealed a multi component structure having a reductase, a ferredoxin and two oxygenase subunits. Clones expressing the different subunits were constructed in pET21a expression vector system and overexpressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) host. Each subunit was individually purified separately to homogeneity. The active recombinant enzyme was reconstituted in vitro by mixing all three purified subunits. The reconstituted recombinant enzyme could catalyse biotransformations on a variety of organic aromatics.

Microfluidic based immunosensor for detection and purification of carbonylated proteins

A microchip has been developed on the basis of immno-precipitation approach for fast and sensitive enrichment of low abundant carbonylated proteins. This microfluidic method could enrich molecular biomarkers, which could be further analyzed in the proteomic study of age-related diseases and therapeutic development. In this study, an immunoaffinity-based PDMS micro-device was designed, fabricated, and chemically modified to specifically trap DNP-labeled PTM proteins of low abundance from a complex protein mixture. Carbonylated protein is selected as a representative PTM protein to illustrate the wide application of this immuno-based microchip for other PTMs which could be readily labeled by different antibody groups. Surface characterization methods such as atomic force microscopy and fluorescence microscopy were used to evaluate the construction of glutaraldehyde- and antibody- terminated PDMS substrates in the device fabrication. Quantitative study was also applied to study the target protein capture and elution efficiency of the device. In a testing mixture consisting of smaller amount of test model-In Vitro oxidized cytochrome c and large blocking protein BSA, a high sensitivity and specificity for only carbonylated protein biomarkers was demonstrated using this on-chip immnuoaffinity based extraction/enrichment. For this highly dense 193-post arrays μ-chip, a low abundance of 159 ng of standard in vitro test model- cytochrome c was enriched at flow speed of 5 μL/min within 110 min. We demonstrated that this nascent micro-immunoprecipitation (μ-IP) method is capable for enrichment of biomarkers in protein post-translation modification related diseases and promise great advance in early disease detection.

Structural and spectral characterization of novel non-centrosymmetric 2,4-dintrobenzene derivative

A novel organic compound 9-(2,4-dinitrophenyloxy)-3,3,8-trimethyl-1,5-dihydro-[1,3]dioxepino[5,6-c]pyridine (DNPAP) has been synthesized and a nonlinear optical (NLO) crystal has been grown by slow evaporation method. Compound was subjected to different characterization analyses in order to find out its suitability for optoelectronic applications. Single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction analyses show that DNPAP crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pca21. The range of optical absorption was ascertained by recording UV–Vis spectrum. The second harmonic generation (SHG) test has shown that DNPAP possesses 6.4-times higher NLO efficiency compared to KDP.

Synergistic role of different soil components in slow sorption kinetics of polar organic contaminants

We observed that the sorption kinetics of nitrobenzene and 2,4-dinitrotoluene (two model polar compounds) was significantly slower than that of 1,4-dichlorobenzene and phenanthrene (two model apolar compounds). The difference was attributable to the strong non-hydrophobic interactions between the polar molecules and soil. Interestingly, sorption kinetics of the polar sorbates to the soil organic matter-free soil, humic/fulvic acid-free soil, and extracted humic acids was very fast, indicating that different soil components played a synergetic role in the observed slow kinetics. We propose that slow sorption kinetics of highly polar sorbates stems mainly from the strong specific interactions (H-bonding, electron donor-acceptor interactions, etc.) with humic/fulvic acids; such specific interactions occur when sorbate molecules diffuse through humic/fulvic acids coiled, in relatively compressed confirmations, within the complex, tortuous, and porous soil matrices formed by mineral grains/particles and soil organic matter.

Computational studies of molecular charge transfer complexes of heterocyclic 4-methylepyridine-2-azomethine-p-benzene derivatives with picric acid and m-dinitrobenzene

Charge transfer complexes of substituted aryl Schiff bases as donors with picric acid and m-dinitrobenzene as acceptors were investigated by using computational analysis calculated by Configuration Interaction Singles Hartree-Fock (CIS-HF) at standard 6-31G∗ basis set and Time-Dependent Density-Functional Theory (TD-DFT) levels of theory at standard 6-31G∗∗ basis set, infrared spectra, visible and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra are investigated. The optimized geometries and vibrational frequencies were evaluated. The energy and oscillator strength were calculated by Configuration Interaction Singles Hartree-Fock method (CIS-HF) and the Time-Dependent Density-Functional Theory (TD-DFT) results. Electronic properties, such as HOMO and LUMO energies and band gaps of CTCs set, were studied by the Time-Dependent density functional theory with Becke-Lee-Young-Parr (B3LYP) composite exchange correlation functional and by Configuration Interaction Singles Hartree-Fock method (CIS-HF). The ionization potential Ip and electron affinity EA were calculated by PM3, HF and DFT methods. The columbic force was calculated theoretically by using (CIS-HF and TD-DFT) methods. This study confirms that the theoretical calculation of vibrational frequencies for (aryl Schiff bases--(m-dinitrobenzene and picric acid)) complexes are quite useful for the vibrational assignment and for predicting new vibrational frequencies.

Analysis of Arabidopsis glutathione-transferases in yeast

The genome of Arabidopsis thaliana encodes 54 functional glutathione transferases (GSTs), classified in seven clades. Although plant GSTs have been implicated in the detoxification of xenobiotics, such as herbicides, extensive redundancy within this large gene family impedes a functional analysis in planta. In this study, a GST-deficient yeast strain was established as a system for analyzing plant GSTs that allows screening for GST substrates and identifying substrate preferences within the plant GST family. To this end, five yeast genes encoding GSTs and GST-related proteins were simultaneously disrupted. The resulting yeast quintuple mutant showed a strongly reduced conjugation of the GST substrates 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and 4-chloro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-Cl). Consistently, the quintuple mutant was hypersensitive to CDNB, and this phenotype was complemented by the inducible expression of Arabidopsis GSTs. The conjugating activity of the plant GSTs was assessed by in vitro enzymatic assays and via analysis of exposed yeast cells. The formation of glutathione adducts with dinitrobenzene was unequivocally verified by stable isotope labeling and subsequent accurate ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry (ICR-FTMS). Analysis of Arabidopsis GSTs encompassing six clades and 42 members demonstrated functional expression in yeast by using CDNB and NBD-Cl as model substrates. Subsequently, the established yeast system was explored for its potential to screen the Arabidopsis GST family for conjugation of the fungicide anilazine. Thirty Arabidopsis GSTs were identified that conferred increased levels of glutathionylated anilazine. Efficient anilazine conjugation was observed in the presence of the phi, tau, and theta clade GSTs including AtGSTF2, AtGSTF4, AtGSTF6, AtGSTF8, AtGSTF10, and AtGSTT2, none of which had previously been known to contribute to fungicide detoxification. ICR-FTMS analysis of yeast extracts allowed the simultaneous detection and semiquantification of anilazine conjugates as well as catabolites.

Biochar-mediated reductive transformation of nitro herbicides and explosives

Biochar, a subset of black carbon produced via pyrolysis of biomass, has received much attention in recent years due to its potential to address many important issues, from energy and climate to agriculture and environmental quality. Biochar is known to influence the fate and transport of organic contaminants, although its role has been generally assumed to be as an adsorbent. In this study, the authors investigated the ability of biochar to catalyze the reductive reactions of nitro herbicides and explosives. Two biochars, derived from poultry litter and wastewater biosolids, were found to promote the reductive removal of the dinitro herbicides pendimethalin and trifluralin and the explosives 2,4-dinitrotoluene and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) by dithiothreitol. Parallel experiments using another black carbon material, graphite powder or granular activated carbon, in place of a biochar resulted in comparable rate enhancement to show reduction products, such as 2,4-diaminotoluene and formaldehyde. A cyclization product of trifluralin and reduction products of dinitrotoluene and RDX were detected only when biochar and dithiothreitol were both present, supporting the ability of biochar to promote redox reactions. Three possible catalysts, including graphene moieties, surface functional groups, and redox-active metals, in biochar may be responsible for the biochar-mediated reactions. The environmental significance, implications, and applications of this previously unrecognized role of biochar are discussed.

Bisolute sorption and thermodynamic behavior of organic pollutants to biomass-derived biochars at two pyrolytic temperatures

The bisolute sorption and thermodynamic behavior of organic pollutants on low temperature biochars (LTB) at 300 °C and high temperature biochars (HTB) at 700 °C were determined to elucidate sorptive properties of biochar changed with pyrolytic temperatures. The structural characteristics and isotherms shape of the biochar were more dependent on the pyrolytic temperature than on the biomass feedstocks, which included orange peel, pine needle, and sugar cane bagasse. For LTB, the thermally altered organic matter colocalized with the carbonized matter, and the visible fine pores of the fixed carbons were plugged by the remaining volatile carbon. For HTB, most of the volatile matter was gone and the fixed matter was composed of fully carbonized adsorptive sites. Monolayer adsorption of 1-naphthol to HTB was dominant but was suppressed by phenol. In comparison, LTB displayed exceptional sorption behavior where partition and adsorption were concurrently promoted by a cosolute and elevated temperature. In addition to monolayer surface coverage, pore-filling mechanisms may contribute to the increase of adsorption fraction. Moreover, the entropy gain was a dominant force driving the partition and adsorption processes in LTB. Thus, the colocalizing partition phase and adsorptive sites in LTB are proposed to be in interencased states rather than in physical separation.

Reduction of dinitrotoluene sulfonates in TNT red water using nanoscale zerovalent iron particles

PURPOSE

This research was designed to investigate the feasibility of converting the dinitrotoluene sulfonates (DNTS) in TNT red water into the corresponding aromatic amino compounds using nanoscale zerovalent iron (NZVI).

METHODS

NZVI particles were simultaneously synthesized and stabilized by sodium borohydride reduction in a nondeoxygenated system. The morphology, elemental content, specific surface area, and crystal properties of the NZVI were characterized before and after the reaction by environmental scanning electron microscope; energy dispersive X-ray; Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller; and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The reduction process was conducted at pH = 6.3 at ambient temperature. The efficiency of the NZVI-mediated DNTS reduction process was monitored by HPLC, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses.

RESULTS

The properties of the NZVI particles prepared were found to be similar to those obtained through oxygen-free preparation and inert stabilization processes. Both 2,4-DNT-3-sulfonate (2,220 mg L(-1)) and 2,4-DNT-5-sulfonate (3,270 mg L(-1)) in TNT red water underwent a pseudo-first-order transformation when mixed with NZVI at room temperature and near-neutral pH. Their observed rate constants were 0.11 and 0.30 min(-1), respectively. Within 1 h of processing, more than 99% of DNTS was converted by NZVI-mediated reduction into the corresponding diaminotoluene sulfonates.

CONCLUSIONS

NZVI can be simultaneously prepared and stabilized in a nondeoxygenated system. NZVI reduction is a highly efficient method for the conversion of DNTS into the corresponding diaminotoluene sulfonates under near-neutral pH conditions. Therefore, NZVI reduction may be useful in the treatment of TNT red water and subsequent recovery of diaminotoluene from explosive wastewater.

Removal of dinitrotoluenes in wastewater by sono-activated persulfate

Oxidative degradation of dinitrotoluenes (DNTs) in wastewater was performed using persulfate anions combined with ultrasonic irradiation, wherein a synergistic effect is observed. The batch-wise experiments were carried out to elucidate the influence of various operating parameters on sono-activated persulfate oxidation, including ultrasonic power intensity, persulfate anion concentration, reaction temperature and acidity of wastewater. It is noteworthy that the nitrotoluene contaminants could be almost completely eliminated by virtue of sono-activated persulfate oxidation, wherein sulfate radicals serve as principal oxidants, of which amounts are significantly enhanced via addition of sodium sulfate. Based on the results given by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS), it is postulated that the methyl group of DNTs preliminarily underwent oxidation pathway into dinitrobenzoic acid, followed by decarboxylation to form 1,3-dinitrobenzene (DNB). In sum, the sono-activated persulfate oxidation is a promising method for treatment of nitrotoluenes in wastewater.

Molecular structure, heteronuclear resonance assisted hydrogen bond analysis, chemical reactivity and first hyperpolarizability of a novel ethyl-4-{[(2,4-dinitrophenyl)-hydrazono]-ethyl}-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrole-2-carboxylate: a combined DFT and AIM approach

A new ethyl-4-{[(2,4-dinitrophenyl)-hydrazono]-ethyl}-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrole-2-carboxylate (EDPHEDPC) has been synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, (1)H NMR, UV-vis, DART-Mass spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Quantum chemical calculations have been performed by DFT level of theory using B3LYP functional and 6-31G(d,p) as basis set. The (1)H NMR chemical shifts are calculated using gauge including atomic orbitals (GIAO) approach in DMSO as solvent. The time dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) is used to find the various electronic transitions and their nature within molecule. A combined theoretical and experimental wavenumber analysis confirms the existence of dimer. Topological parameters such as electron density (ρ(BCP)), Laplacian of electron density (nabla(2)ρ(BCP)), kinetic electron energy density (G(BCP)), potential electron density (V(BCP)) and the total electron energy density (H(BCP)) at bond critical points (BCP) have been analyzed by Bader's 'Atoms in molecules' AIM theory in detail. The intermolecular hydrogen bond energy of dimer is calculated as -12.51 kcal/mol using AIM calculations. AIM ellipticity analysis is carried out to confirm the presence of resonance assisted intra and intermolecular hydrogen bonds in dimer. The calculated thermodynamic parameters show that reaction is exothermic and non-spontaneous at room temperature. The local reactivity descriptors such as Fukui functions (f(k)(+), f(k)(-)), local softnesses (s(k)(-), s(k)(+)) and electrophilicity indices (ω(k)(+), ω(k)(-)) analyses are performed to determine the reactive sites within molecule. Nonlinear optical (NLO) behavior of title compound is investigated by the computed value of first hyperpolarizability (β(0)).

Comment on: "Comparative vibrational analysis of 1,2-dinitrobenzene and 1-fluoro-3-nitrobenzene" by S Ramalingam, S. Periandy et al. [Spectrochim. Acta A 84 (2011) 86-98]

The title paper reports, inter alia, the ab initio calculated structure and vibrational spectra of 1,2-dinitrobenzene. The calculated structure of the dinitrobenzene is wrong. We have recalculated the ab initio structure and assigned the spectra in agreement with previously published work.

Preparation of SRN1-Type Coupling Adducts from Aliphatic gem-Dinitro Compounds in Ionic Liquids

S_RN1-type coupling adducts are readily prepared by the reaction between α-sulfonylesters or α-cyanosulfones and gem-dinitro compounds in ionic liquids. The reactions progress smoothly and recovered ionic liquids can be used for several iterations, as long as they are washed with water to remove alkali metallic salts. The reaction rate is slower than the corresponding S_RN1 reaction in DMSO, but no acceleration on irradiation or no inhibition in the presence of m-DNB are observed.

Natural flavonoids interact with dinitrobenzene system in aprotic media: an electrochemical probing

Three structurally related natural flavonoids (FlOH), quercetin (Q), rutin (R) and morin (M), were investigated by cyclic voltammetry to probe their interactions with hazardous 1,4-dinitrobenzene (1,4-DNB) using a glassy carbon electrode. Scavenging of 1,4-DNB by FlOH was inferred from a positive shift in reduction potential, decrease in anodic peak current, and irreversible electrochemical behavior of 1,4-DNB on increasing the flavonoid concentration. The homogeneous bi-molecular rate constant (k2) was determined using the Nicholson-Shain equation and found to be higher for the dianion. Morin posed a comparatively higher k2 value for its interaction with the 1,4-DNB electrochemical system owing to its more acidic nature and least intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The cyclic voltammetric (CV) results were further supported by HyperchemPM3 quantum mechanical semi-empirical calculations, which point towards E(r)C(i) interactions between flavonoids and 1,4-DNB. The present investigation is biologically significant in terms of natural flavonoidal scavenging activity toward toxins such as dinitroaromatics.

Accessing lipophilic ligands in dendrimer-based amphiphilic supramolecular assemblies for protein-induced disassembly

Supramolecular nanoassemblies that respond to the presence of proteins are of great interest, as aberrations in protein concentrations represent the primary imbalances found in a diseased state. We present here a molecular design, syntheses, and study of facially amphiphilic dendrimers that respond to the presence of the protein, immunoglobulin G. It is of particular interest that the ligand functionality, utilized for causing the binding-induced disassembly, be lipophilic. Demonstration of binding with lipophilic ligands greatly expands the repertoire of binding-induced disassembly, since this covers a rather large class of ligand moieties designed for proteins and these provide specific insights into the mechanistic pathways that are available for the binding-induced disassembly process. Here, we describe the details of the binding induced disassembly, including the change in size of the assembly in response to proteins, concurrent release of noncovalently encapsulated guest molecules, and the specificity of the disassembly process.