Characterization of dissolved tannins and their metal-ion complexes by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Tannin complexation with metal ions and its implication on human health, environment and industry: An overview

Tannins, also known as plant polyphenols (PPs), are secondary metabolites widely existing in higher plants and are a kind of natural renewable resource with wide distribution, variety and quantity. Tannin has become an important class of fine chemicals due to the easily modified molecular structure and the properties of antibacterial and antioxidant, combining with protein and complexing with metal ion. Besides being used for tanning leather, tannins are also widely used in wood adhesive, concrete water-reducing agents, oil drilling fluid viscosity-reducing agents, pharmaceutical, mineral processing, water treatment, gas desulfurization, metal anticorrosion, wood anticorrosion, printing and dyeing, liquor clarification, oil antioxidant, daily chemical products and other products preparation. There are two groups of tannins: condensed tannins (CTs) (flavonoid-derived proanthocyanidins) and hydrolysable tannins (HTs) (gallic acid ester-derived). Tannins can form complexes with metals through the ortho-dihydroxyphenolic group(s), especially with transition metals. The structure-activity relationships, stoichiometry, and origin of the insolubility of which were emphasized. Furthermore, this paper proposed an in-depth discussion of the associations of tannins-metal complexes in human health, environment and industries.

Collagen Fiber-Based Advanced Separation Materials: Recent Developments and Future Perspectives

Separation plays a critical role in a broad range of industrial applications. Developing advanced separation materials is of great significance for the future development of separation technology. Collagen fibers (CFs), the typical structural proteins, exhibit unique structural hierarchy, amphiphilic wettability, and versatile chemical reactivity. These distinctive properties provide infinite possibilities for the rational design of advanced separation materials. During the past 2 decades, many progressive achievements in the development of CFs-derived advanced separation materials have been witnessed already. Herein, the CFs-based separation materials are focused on and the recent progresses in this topic are reviewed. CFs widely existing in animal skins display unique hierarchically fibrous structure, amphiphilicity-enabled surface wetting behaviors, multi-functionality guaranteed covalent/non-covalent reaction versatility. These outstanding merits of CFs bring great opportunities for realizing rational design of a variety of advanced separation materials that were capable of achieving high-performance separations to diverse specific targets, including oily pollutants, natural products, metal ions, anionic contaminants and proteins, etc. Besides, the important issues for the further development of CFs-based advanced separation materials are also discussed.

Silicate-Phenolic Networks: Coordination-Mediated Deposition of Bioinspired Tannic Acid Coatings

Surface modification with polyphenolic molecules has been pursued in biomedical materials owing to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial characteristics. Recently, the use of silicic acid (Siaq ) as a mediator for efficient surface deposition of tannic acid (TA) was reported, but the postulated Si-TA polymeric networks were not characterized. Herein, we present unambiguous evidence for silicate-TA networks that involve Si-O-C motifs by using solid-state NMR spectroscopy, further supported by XPS and ToF-SIMS. By using QCM-D we demonstrate the advantages of Siaq , compared to using transition-metal ions, to improve the coating efficiency under mildly acidic conditions. The presented homogenous coating buildup and validated applicability in inorganic buffers broadens the use of TA for surface modifications in technological and biomedical applications.

The use of direct analysis in real time (DART) to assess the levels of inhibitors co-extracted with DNA and the associated impact in quantification and amplification

The measure of quality in DNA sample processing starts with an effective nucleic acid isolation procedure. Most problems with DNA sample typing can be attributed to low quantity DNA and/or to the presence of inhibitors in the sample. Therefore, establishing which isolation method is best at removing potential inhibitors may help overcome some of the problems analysts encounter by providing useful information in the determination of the optimal approach for any given sample. Direct analysis in real time (DART) mass spectrometry was used in this study to investigate the ability of different extraction methods to remove PCR inhibitors. Methods investigated included both liquid/liquid (phenol-chloroform) and solid phase based robotic procedures, (PrepFiler™ and EZ1 chemistries). Following extraction, samples were analyzed by DART in order to determine the level of remaining inhibitors and then quantified and amplified to determine the effect any remaining inhibitor had on the overall results. The data suggests that organic extraction methods result in detrimental amounts of phenol carryover while automated methods may produce carry-over of bile salts and other chemicals that preferentially bind the solid phase matrix. Both of these effects can have a negative impact in downstream sample processing and genotyping by PCR.

Review of the bulk and surface chemistry of iron in atmospherically relevant systems containing humic-like substances

The current state of knowledge and future research directions of the bulk and surface chemistry of iron relevant to atmospheric surfaces are reviewed.

Metal mobilization in soil by two structurally defined polyphenols

Polyphenols including tannins comprise a large percentage of plant detritus such as leaf litter, and affect soil processes including metal dynamics. We tested the effects of tannins on soil metal mobilization by determining the binding stoichiometries of two model polyphenols to Al(III) and Fe(III) using micelle-mediated separation and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). By fitting the data to the Langmuir model we found the higher molecular weight polyphenol (oenothein B) was able to bind more metal than the smaller polyphenol (epigallocatechin gallate, EGCg). For example, oenothein B bound 9.43 mol Fe mol(-1), while EGCg bound 4.41 mol of Fe mol(-1). Using the parameters from the binding model, we applied the Langmuir model for competitive binding to predict binding for mixtures of Al(III) and Fe(III). Using the parameters from the single metal experiments and information about polyphenol sorption to soils we built a model to predict metal mobilization from soils amended with polyphenols. We tested the model with three natural soils and found that it predicted mobilization of Fe and Al with r(2)=0.92 and r(2)=0.88, respectively. The amount of metal that was mobilized was directly proportional to the maximum amount of metal bound to the polyphenol. The secondary parameter in each model was the amount of weak organically chelated Fe or Al that was in the soil. This study provides the first compound-specific information about how natural polyphenols interact with metals in the environment. We propose a model that is applicable to developing phytochelation agents for metal detoxification, and we discuss how tannins may play a role in metal mobilization from soils.

Adsorptive removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solutions using collagen-tannin resin

The collagen-tannin resin (CTR), as a novel adsorbent, was prepared via a reaction of collagen with black wattle tannin and aldehyde, and its adsorption properties to Cu(II) were systematically investigated, including pH effect, adsorption equilibrium, adsorption kinetics, and column adsorption. The adsorption capacity of Cu(II) on CTR was pH-dependent, and it increased with the increase of solution pH. The adsorption isotherms were well described by Langmuir isotherm model with correlating constant (R(2)) higher than 0.99. The adsorption capacity determined at 303 K was high up to 0.26 mmol/g, which was close to the value (0.266 mmol/g) estimated from Langmuir equation. The adsorption capacity was increased with the increase of temperature, and thermodynamic calculations suggested that the adsorption of Cu(II) on CTR is an endothermic process. The adsorption kinetics were well fitted by the pseudo-second-order rate model. Further column studies suggested that CTR was effective for the removal of Cu(II) from solutions, and more than 99% of Cu(II) was desorbed from column using 0.1 mol/L HNO(3) solution. The CTR column can be reused to adsorb Cu(II) without any loss of adsorption capacity.

Molecular basis of the interaction between proteins of plant origin and proanthocyanidins in a model wine system

Plant proteins are being used as a replacement for animal proteins in wine fining. The surface hydrophobicity of plant proteins in four commercial preparations differing for their origin and processing was assessed by using a fluorescent hydrophobic probe in wine-like media. Displacement of the probe by addition of wine phenolics was measured as a way to compare and predict to some extent the efficiency of these proteins in wine fining. It was found that the binding of polyphenols was much more specific than that of the hydrophobic probe. Further analysis of the polyphenol pattern in protein-treated wine-like solutions pointed out two relevant facts: (1) proteins may interfere with the chemistry of the interactions between polyphenols and other wine components; (2) individual protein preparation having different surface hydrophobicities also have different specificities in binding different polymeric forms of the polyphenols and in their substitution products. These findings are related to the possible carry-over of transition metals and may be worth exploring for custom tailoring the fining process. Whether the practical application of the latter finding will call for production and/or screening of plant-derived proteins with features appropriate to this task remains to be investigated. However, the approaches presented in this study may be used for large-scale screening of protein suitability for fining application under laboratory conditions, providing guidelines for their use in actual winemaking applications.

Effects of wood bark and fertilizer amendment on trace element mobility in mine soils, Broken Hill, Australia: implications for mined land reclamation

Soil amendments can immobilize metals in soils, reducing the risks of metal exposure and associated impacts to flora, fauna and human health. In this study, soil amendments were compared, based on "closed system" water extracts, for reducing metal mobility in metal-contaminated soil from the Broken Hill mining center, Australia. Phosphatefertilizer (bovine bone meal, superphosphate, triple superphosphate, potassium orthophosphate) and pine bark (Pinus radiata) were applied to two soils (BH1, BH2) contaminated with mining waste. Both soils had near neutral to alkaline pH values, were sulfide- or sulfate-rich, and contained metal and metalloid at concentrations that pose high environmental risks (e.g., Pb = 1.25 wt% and 0.55 wt%, Zn = 0.71 wt% and 0.47 wt% for BH1 and BH2, respectively). The addition of fertilizers and/or pine bark to both soil types increased water extractable metals and metalloids concentrations (As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Sb, Zn) compared with nonamended soils. One or more of the elements As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn increased significantly in extracts of a range of different soil+pine bark and soil+fertilizer+piner+pine bark tests in response to increased pine bark doses. By contrast, Fe and Sb concentrations in extracts did not change significantly with pine bark addition. Solution pH was decreased by phosphate fertilizers (except for bovine bone meal) and pine bark, and pine bark enhanced dissolved organic carbon. At least in the short-term, the application of phosphate fertilizers and pine bark proved to be an ineffective method for controlling metal and metalloid mobility in soils that contain admixtures of polymetallic, polymineralic mine wastes.

Interactive intoxicating and ameliorating effects of tannic acid, aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), and selenate (SeO) in wheat roots: a descriptive and mathematical assessment

Tannic acids and tannins are produced by plants and are important components of soil and water organic matter. These polyphenolic compounds form complexes with proteins, metals and soil particulate matter and perform several physiological and ecological functions. The tannic acid (TA) used in our study was a mixture of gallic acid and galloyl glucoses ranging up to nonagalloyl glucose. TA inhibited root elongation in wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Scout 66) at concentrations >4 mg l(-1); but TA alleviated the toxicity of Al(3+), Cu(2+) and SeO(4)(2-); and Al(3+) and SeO(4)(2-) alleviated the toxicity of TA. The interactions of Al(3+) and TA (each toxic but each alleviating the toxicity of the other) were stoichiometric. Growth was affected as though 1 kg TA bound 2.76 mol Al so strongly that if (mol Al)/(kg TA) <2.76, then free Al approximately 0, and if (mol Al)/(kg TA) >2.76, then free TA approximately 0. This stoichiometry is consistent with one mole of galloyl groups binding approximately 0.5 mol Al. Using this binding scheme, growth was modeled successfully on the basis of free TA and free Al. TA enhanced the negativity of root surfaces and enhanced the binding of Al and Cu there without enhancing their toxicity. These and other interactions among TA, Al(3+), Cu(2+), SeO(4)(2-), Ca(2+), Na(+) and H(+) were quantified with a comprehensive non-linear equation with statistically significant coefficients.

Copper complexation by tannic acid in aqueous solution

The speciation of titrated copper in a dissolved tannic acid (TA) solution with an initial concentration of 4 mmol organic carbon (OC)/l was investigated in a nine-step titration experiment (Cu/OC molar ratio=0.0030-0.0567). We differentiated between soluble and insoluble Cu species by 0.45 microm filtration. Measurements with a copper ion selective electrode (ISE) and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) were conducted to quantify unbound Cu(II) cations ("free" Cu) and labile soluble Cu complexes. For the DGT measurements, we used an APA hydrogel and a Chelex 100 chelating resin (Na form). Insoluble organic Cu complexes (>0.45 microm) was the dominant Cu species for Cu/OC=0.0030-0.0567 with a maximum fraction of 0.96 of total Cu. At Cu/OC>0.0100, Cu-catalysed degradation of aggregate structures resulted in a strong increase of free Cu and (labile) soluble Cu complexes with a maximum fraction of 0.28 and 0.32 of total Cu, respectively. Labile (i.e. DGT-detectable) soluble Cu complexes had a relatively high averaged diffusion coefficient (D) in the APA hydrogel (3.50 x 10(-6)- 5.58 x 10(-6)cm(2)s(-1)).

Electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) in the study of metal-ligand solution equilibria

In the 20 years, since the introduction of electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), the use of this technique in various fields of inorganic, organometallic, and analytical chemistry has been steadily increasing. In this study, the application of ESI-MS to the study of metal-ligand solution equilibria is reviewed (till 2004 included). In a first section, advantages and drawbacks of ESI-MS in this type of application are described. Subsequently, a list of ca. 300 studies is reported, in which ESI-MS was used to give number and stoichiometry of the species at equilibrium, or also to estimate their stability constants. All studies are classified according to the metal ions under examination. Other related applications, such as host-guest interactions and metal ion-protein binding studies, are briefly reviewed as well.

Blue natural organic dyestuffs--from textile dyeing to mural painting. Separation and characterization of coloring matters present in elderberry, logwood and indigo

Natural dyestuffs used for painting or dyeing of textiles are complex mixtures of compounds of various chemical properties. Proper identification of the dye used by a painter and, even better, its origin is possible only when its compositional 'fingerprint' can be evaluated. For this reason gradient program for liquid chromatographic separation of 16 color compounds--components of natural blue dyes: elderberry, logwood and indigo--has been developed. Two detector systems were used simultaneously: UV-Vis spectrophotometry (at 280, 445, 520 and 600 nm) and ESI mass spectrometry (positive and negative SIM mode). It was found that fragmentation observed in ESI-MS is affected not only by ion source parameters, but also by chromatographic conditions, especially in case of the less stable substances: cyanidin glucosides, tannic acid, rutin and hematoxylin. Examination of characteristic dissociation pathways of the compounds under investigation after direct admission into ion source or after chromatographic separation allowed to select proper ions for SIM detection and to develop novel and efficient reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC)-UV-Vis/ESI-MS method for the analysis of natural blue dyes. The procedure was successfully applied for identification of indigotin and carminic acid-main colorants extracted from a fiber taken from the blue-red 'Italian' tapestry (the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw, Poland).

Speciation of cyclo(Pro-Gly)3 and its divalent metal-ion complexes by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was used to study the binding of selected group II and divalent transition-metal ions by cyclo(Pro-Gly)3 (CPG3), a model ion carrier peptide. Metal salts (CatXn) were combined with the peptide (M) at a molar ratio of 1:10 M/Cat in aqueous solvents containing 50% vol/vol acetonitrile or methanol and 1 or 10 mM ammonium acetate (NH4Ac). Species detected include [M+H]+, [M+Cat-H]+, [M2+Cat]2+, [M+Cat+Ac]+, and [M+Cat+X]+. The relative stabilities of complexes formed with different cations (Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+, Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+) were determined from the abundance of 1:1 and 2:1 M/Cat species relative to that of the unbound peptide. The largest metal ions (Ca2+, Sr2+, and Mn2+) formed the most stable complexes. Reducing the buffer concentration increased the overall extent of metal binding. Results show that the binding specificity of CPG3 depends upon the size of the metal ion and its propensity for electrostatic interaction with oxygen atoms. Product ion tandem mass spectrometry of [M+H]+ and [M+Cu-H]+ confirmed the cyclic structure of the peptide, although the initial site(s) of metal attachment could not be determined.

Inhibitory effects of tannin on human salivary α-amylase

Here, we first report on the effectiveness and specificity of tannin inhibition of 2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl-4-O-beta-d-galactopyranosylmaltoside hydrolysis that is catalyzed by human salivary alpha-amylase (HSA). Tannin was gallotannin in which quinic acid was esterified with 2-7 units of gallic acid. A number of studies establish that polyphenols-like tannins-may prevent oral diseases, e.g., dental caries. Kinetic analyses confirmed that the inhibition of hydrolysis is a mixed non-competitive type and only one molecule of tannin binds to the active site or the secondary site of the enzyme. Since Dixon plots were linear, product formation could be excluded from the enzyme-substrate-inhibitor complex (ESI). Kinetic constants calculated from secondary plots and non-linear regression are almost identical, thereby confirming the suggested model. Kinetic constants (K(EI) = 9.03 microgmL(-1), K(ESI) = 47.84 microgmL(-1)) show that tannin is as an effective inhibitor of HSA as acarbose and indicate a higher stability for the enzyme-inhibitor complex than ESI.

Collagen fiber immobilized Myrica rubra tannin and its adsorption to UO2(2+)

Tannins, which are rich in ortho-hydroxyl groups, have a high affinity for UO2(2+). In this paper, Myrica rubra tannin was immobilized on collagen fiber by an aldehydic cross-linking reaction to prepare a novel adsorbent for uranium (UO2(2+)) recovery from wastewater. The adsorption equilibrium, the adsorption kinetics, and the effects of temperature and pH on the adsorption equilibrium were investigated in detail. It was found that the Myrica rubra tannin immobilized on collagen fiber exhibits an excellent adsorption capacity for UO2(2+). The adsorption capacity at 293 K and pH 5.0 was as high as 1.19 mmol UO2(2+)/g (283.3 mgU/g) when the initial concentration of UO2(2+) in solution was 7.5 mmol/L. The adsorption isotherms could be described by the Freundlich equation, and the increase of temperature promoted the adsorption to UO2(2+) . The adsorption kinetics data were fitted very well by the pseudosecond-order rate model, and the equilibrium adsorption capacity calculated by the pseudo-second-order rate model was almost the same as that determined by the actual measurement with the error < or = 4%. The pH has a significant effect on the adsorption process. According to our experiments, the suitable pH scope should be 5-8.

The potential of organic (electrospray- and atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation) mass spectrometric techniques coupled to liquid-phase separation for speciation analysis

The use of mass spectrometry based on atmospheric pressure ionisation techniques (atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation, APCI, and electrospray ionisation, ESI) for speciation analysis is reviewed with emphasis on the literature published in and after 1999. This report accounts for the increasing interest that atmospheric pressure ionisation techniques, and in particular ESI, have found in the past years for qualitative and quantitative speciation analysis. In contrast to element-selective detectors, organic mass spectrometric techniques provide information on the intact metal species which can be used for the identification of unknown species (particularly with MS-MS detection) or the confirmation of the actual presence of species in a given sample. Due to the complexity of real samples, it is inevitable in all but the simplest cases to couple atmospheric pressure MS detection to a separation technique. Separation in the liquid phase (capillary electrophoresis or liquid chromatography in reversed phase, ion chromatographic or size-exclusion mode) is particularly suitable since the available techniques cover a very wide range of analyte polarities and molecular mass. Moreover, derivatisation can normally be avoided in liquid-phase separation. Particularly in complex environmental or biological samples, separation in one dimension is not sufficient for obtaining adequate resolution for all relevant species. In this case, multi-dimensional separation, based on orthogonal separation techniques, has proven successful. ESI-MS is also often used in parallel with inductively coupled plasma MS detection. This review is structured in two parts. In the first, the fundamentals of atmospheric pressure ionisation techniques are briefly reviewed. The second part of the review discusses recent applications including redox species, use of ESI-MS for structural elucidation of metal complexes, characterisation and quantification of small organometallic species with relevance to environment, health and food. Particular attention is given to the characterisation of biomolecules and metalloproteins (metallothioneins and phytochelatins) and to the investigation of the interaction of metals and biomolecules. Particularly in the latter field, ESI-MS is the ideal technique due to the softness of the ionisation process which allows to assume that the detected gas-phase ions are a true representation of the ions or ion-biomolecule complexes prevalent in solution. It is particularly this field, important to biochemistry, physiology and medical chemistry, where we can expect significant developments also in the future.

Electrospray ionization of alkali and alkaline earth metal species. Electrochemical oxidation and pH effects

The utility of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) for characterizing dissolved metal species has generated considerable interest in the use of this technique for metal speciation. However, the development of accurate speciation methods based on ESI-MS requires a detailed understanding of the mechanisms by which dissolved metal species are ionized during electrospray. We report how the analysis of alkali and alkaline earth metal species provides new information about some of the processes that affect electrospray ion yield. Selected metal ions and organic ligands were combined in 50 : 50 water-acetonitrile buffered with acetic acid or ammonium acetate and analyzed by flow injection ESI-MS using mild electrospray conditions. Species formed by alkali metal ions with thiol and oxygen-donating ligands were detected in acidic and neutral pH solutions. Electrochemical oxidation of N, N-diethyldithiocarbamate and glutathione during electrospray was indicated by detection of the corresponding disulfides as protonated or alkali metal species. The extent of ligand oxidation depended on solution pH and the dissociation constant of the thiol group. Tandem mass spectrometric experiments suggested that radical cations such as [NaL](+.) (where L=N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate) can be generated by in-source fragmentation of disulfide species. Greater complexation of alkali metals at neutral pH was indicated by a corresponding decrease in the relative abundance of the free metal ion. The number of alkali metal ions bound by glutathione and phthalic acid also increased with increasing pH, in accordance with thermodynamic equilibrium theory. Alkaline earth metal species were detected only in acidic solutions, the absence of 8-hydroxyquinoline complexes being attributed to their relative instability and subsequent dissociation during electrospray. Hence, accurate speciation by ESI-MS depends on experimental conditions and the intrinsic properties of each analyte. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Current awareness

In order to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, John Wiley & Sons are providing a current awareness service in each issue of the journal. The bibliography contains newly published material in the field of mass spectrometry. Each bibliography is divided into 11 sections: 1 Books, Reviews & Symposia; 2 Instrumental Techniques & Methods; 3 Gas Phase Ion Chemistry; 4 Biology/Biochemistry: Amino Acids, Peptides & Proteins; Carbohydrates; Lipids; Nucleic Acids; 5 Pharmacology/Toxicology; 6 Natural Products; 7 Analysis of Organic Compounds; 8 Analysis of Inorganics/Organometallics; 9 Surface Analysis; 10 Environmental Analysis; 11 Elemental Analysis. Within each section, articles are listed in alphabetical order with respect to author (6 Weeks journals - Search completed at 7th. June 2000)