Application of a definitive screening design for the synthesis of a charge-transfer complex of sparfloxacin with tetracyanoethylene: spectroscopic, thermodynamic, kinetics, and DFT computational studies

Tetracyanoethylene as a Building Block in the π-Expansion of 1,4-Dihydropyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrroles

The outcome of the reaction of tetracyanoethylene with 1,4-dihydropyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrroles (DHPPs) strongly depends on the character of the substituents present at positions 2 and 5. With electron-withdrawing substituents, the reaction does not occur at all, while, in contrast, the presence of electron-donating substituents yields addition-elimination products. When thiazol-2-yl substituents are located at positions 2 and 5, addition occurs at the thiazole ring, rather than of the DHPP core. In cases where very electron-rich heterocycles are present at positions 2 and 5, a second addition occurs followed by aromatization, leading to the formation of an additional benzene ring bridging two heterocyclic scaffolds. The reaction occurs only at one site since the presence of the strongly electron-withdrawing tricyanoethylene group has a profound impact on electron density at the remaining free position 6. The DHPPs possessing a tricyanoethylene group are strongly polarized and thus enable a push-pull system showing red-shifted absorption and negligible fluorescence. In contrast, dyes possessing a 1,2-dicyanobenzene moiety exhibit strong emission bathochromically shifted by over 100 nm compared to parent 1,4-dihydrotetraarylpyrroles[3,2-b]pyrroles (TAPPs). Computational studies shed light on the evolution of the photophysical properties as a function of the substitution pattern of the final systems.

Application of Plackett–Burman Design for Spectrochemical Determination of the Last-Resort Antibiotic, Tigecycline, in Pure Form and in Pharmaceuticals: Investigation of Thermodynamics and Kinetics

Tigecycline (TIGC) reacts with 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) to form a bright green charge transfer complex (CTC). The spectrum of the CTC showed multiple charge transfer bands with a major peak at 843 nm. The Plackett–Burman design (PBD) was used to investigate the process variables with the objective being set to obtaining the maximum absorbance and thus sensitivity. Four variables, three of which were numerical (temperature—Temp; reagent volume—RV; reaction time—RT) and one non-numerical (diluting solvent—DS), were studied. The maximum absorbance was achieved using a factorial blend of Temp: 25 °C, RV: 0.50 mL, RT: 60 min, and acetonitrile (ACN) as a DS. The molecular composition that was investigated using Job’s method showed a 1:1 CTC. The method’s validation was performed following the International Conference of Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The linearity was achieved over a range of 0.5–10 µg mL−1 with the limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of 166 and 504 ng mL−1, respectively. The method was applicable to TIGC per se and in formulations without interferences from common additives. The application of the Benesi–Hildebrand equation revealed the formation of a stable complex with a standard Gibbs free energy change (∆G°) value of −26.42 to −27.95 kJ/mol. A study of the reaction kinetics revealed that the CTC formation could be best described using a pseudo-first-order reaction.

Application of Samarium- and Terbium-Sensitized Luminescence via a Multivariate-Based Approach for the Determination of Orbifloxacin

A lanthanide-based optical sensor has been developed for the sensitive and reliable spectrofluorometric determination of the fluoroquinolone antibiotic orbifloxacin (ORLX). Reaction of ORLX and two lanthanide metal ions, Sm(III) and Tb(III), in aqueous buffered solution produced highly fluorescent complexes. Plackett–Burman design (PBD) was used to explore the impact of four factors, pH, temperature (Temp), contact time (CT), and metal volume (MV), on the fluorescence intensity (FI) of the produced complexes. The obtained data showed that pH was the most significant variable. A blend of pH = 5.0, MV = 2.0 mL, T = 25°C, and CT = 10 min was used to achieve the maximum FI. FT-IR and Raman analyses were performed for the crystals of the as-prepared complexes. Obtained data showed shifting in most of the absorption bands, confirming the complexation of ORLX with both metal ions. Job’s method showed that the stoichiometry for the reaction of ORLX with Sm(III) and Tb(III) was 1 : 1. The proposed method was validated following the ICH guidelines. Injection formulation was analyzed successfully with the developed method with high recovery (99.42–100.91%). The detection and quantification limits were 0.987 and 3.289 ng/mL for the ORLX-Sm(III) complex and 1.020 and 3.399 ng/mL for the ORLX-Tb(III) complex, respectively.

Chemical Aspects of Human and Environmental Overload with Fluorine

Over the last 100-120 years, due to the ever-increasing importance of fluorine-containing compounds in modern technology and daily life, the explosive development of the fluorochemical industry led to an enormous increase of emission of fluoride ions into the biosphere. This made it more and more important to understand the biological activities, metabolism, degradation, and possible environmental hazards of such substances. This comprehensive and critical review focuses on the effects of fluoride ions and organofluorine compounds (mainly pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals) on human health and the environment. To give a better overview, various connected topics are also discussed: reasons and trends of the advance of fluorine-containing pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, metabolism of fluorinated drugs, withdrawn fluorinated drugs, natural sources of organic and inorganic fluorine compounds in the environment (including the biosphere), sources of fluoride intake, and finally biomarkers of fluoride exposure.

Eco-Structured Biosorptive Removal of Basic Fuchsin Using Pistachio Nutshells: A Definitive Screening Design—Based Approach

Biosorptive removal of basic fuchsin (BF) from wastewater samples was achieved using the recycled agro-wastes of pistachio nut shells (PNS). Seven adsorbents were developed; raw shells (RPNS) and the thermally activated biomasses at six different temperatures (250–500 °C). Two measures were implemented to assess the performance of utilized adsorbents; %removal (%R) and adsorption capacity (qe). RPNS proved to be the best among the tested adsorbents. A smart approach, definitive-screening design (DSD) was operated to test the impact of independent variables on the adsorption capacity of RPNS. pH, adsorbent dose (AD), dye concentration (DC), and stirring time (ST), were the tested variables. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), control, and quality charts helped establishing regression model. Characterization was performed using Fourier- transform infrared (FT-IR)/Raman spectroscopies together with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses. The surface area and other textural properties were determined using the Brunauer Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. Removal of 99.71% of BF with an adsorption capacity of 118.2 mg/g could be achieved using a factorial blend of pH 12, 100 mg/50 mL of RPNS, and 250 ppm BF for 20 min. Equilibrium studies reveal that the adsorption is physisorption with adsorption energy of 7.45 kJ/mol as indicated by Dubinin-Radushkevich (DR) and Langmuir isotherms. Moreover, adsorption follows pseudo-second-order kinetics with respect to BF and is controlled by the adsorption rate.