Reduction of nonpolar amino acids to amino alcohols to enhance volatility for high-precision isotopic analysis

Amino acids are routinely derivatized using carbon-containing groups prior to gas chromatography continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GCC-IRMS). Derivative C contaminates analyte C because the entire derivatized compound is combusted to CO2. Correction procedures are required to extract the analyte isotope ratio. We present a method for reduction of six nonpolar amino acids to their corresponding amino alcohols, demonstrate a GC strategy to produce acceptable peak shapes from the resulting strongly H-bonding analytes, and present isotopic analysis for amino acids and their corresponding amino alcohols to evaluate any possible isotopic fractionation. Alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, methionine, or phenylalanine was reduced using NaBH4 in THF with I2 as an electrophile. Reactions were performed with 2 g of analyte to permit isotopic analysis by conventional elemental analysis-IRMS. All reactions were quantitative as assessed by IR spectra, melting points, and GC. Recovery from the reaction mixture was 60-84%. GC separation of a mixture of the six amino alcohols was achieved using a thick stationary-phase (5 microm) capillary column to avoid tailing due to hydrogen bonding to the walls of the fused-silica capillary. The reproducibility of GCC-IRMS determinations of amino alcohols averaged SD(613C) = 0.25 +/- 0.19%. The absolute differences between delta13C of amino acids measured by an elemental analyzer coupled to IRMS and amino alcohols measured by GCC-IRMS was delta613C = 0.14% and showed no general trend. Reactions performed with 2 mg of analyte yielded equivalent chromatograms. These data indicate that the reduction method does not induce isotopic fractionation and can be used for continuous-flow isotopic analysis to avoid addition of contaminating carbon.     

Sensitive measurement of NH4+ 15N/14N (delta 15NH4+) at natural abundance levels in fresh and saltwaters

We report a new method for determining the 15N/14N of NH4+ at natural abundance level in both freshwater and seawater. NH4+ is first quantitatively oxidized to NO2- by hypobromite (BrO-) at pH approximately 12. After the addition of sodium arsenite to consume excess BrO-, yield is verified by colorimetric NO2- determination. NO2- is further reduced to N2O using a 1:1 sodium azide and acetic acid buffer solution using previously established procedures. The product N2O is then analyzed for isotopic composition using a continuous flow purge and cryogenic trap system coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Reliable delta 15N values (standard deviation is 0.3 per thousand or better) are obtained over an NH4+ concentration range of 0.5-10 microM using 20 mL volumes of either freshwater or seawater samples. Higher concentration samples are readily diluted to lower concentration. Preexisting NO2- is removed by treatment with sulfanilic acid. There is no interference from any of the nitrogen-containing compounds tested except short-chain aliphatic amino acids (i.e., glycine) which typically are present at very low environmental concentrations. As compared to published methods, our approach is more robust, readily applicable at low concentrations and small sample volumes, and requires less time for preparation and analysis.     

Moving-wire device for carbon isotopic analyses of nanogram quantities of nonvolatile organic carbon

We describe a moving-wire analyzer for measuring 13C in dissolved, involatile organic materials. Liquid samples are first deposited and dried on a continuously spooling nickel wire. The residual sample is then combusted as the wire moves through a furnace, and the evolved CO2 is analyzed by continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry. A typical analysis requires 1 microL of sample solution and produces a CO2 peak approximately 5 s wide. The system can measure "bulk" delta13C values of approximately 10 nmol of organic carbon with precision better than 0.2 per thousand. For samples containing approximately 1 nmol of C, precision is approximately 1 per thousand. Precision and sensitivity are limited mainly by background noise derived from carbon within the wire. Instrument conditions minimizing that background are discussed in detail. Accuracy is better than 0.5 per thousand for nearly all dissolved analytes tested, including lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, sugars, halocarbons, and hydrocarbons. The sensitivity demonstrated here for 13C measurements represents a approximately 1000-fold improvement relative to existing elemental analyzers and should allow the use of many new preparative techniques for collecting and purifying nonvolatile biochemicals for isotopic analysis.     

氨基酸离子液体应用研究进展

氨基酸离子液体是一类新型的功能化离子液体,除了具有常规离子液体的低蒸汽压、低熔点、宽液程、溶解性好和稳定性高等性质外,还具有很强的氢键网络结构、稳定的手性中心、双配位基团、生物兼容性和可生物降解等许多独特的性质。本文综述了近年来氨基酸离子液体在溶解生物质、气体吸收、手性分离、催化等方面的应用研究进展。     

Melting curve of mercury up to 15 · 108 N/m2

Conclusions Experimental data on the mercury melting curve in the pressure range of (1000–14500)·10⁵ N/m² and the corresponding temperatures of –30 to +33°C are provided. The phase-transition pressures were measured with a piston manometer up to 15000·10⁵ N/m². It has been shown that the experimental data can be represented adequately by the equation of F. E. Simon. Equation (2) is in good agreement with experimental data up to 70·10⁸ N/m².Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 8, pp. 29–30, August, 1967.     

乳状液膜法分离氨基酸的动力学

探讨了含载体P2 0 4 (磷酸二异辛酯 )的液膜体系用于苯丙氨酸促进运输的动力学行为 .采用液滴法装置 ,控制实验条件 ,测定了内相氢离子浓度随时间的变化 ,适用于有机相界面的化学反应对溶质传递的影响 ,并将计算的结果同实验相比较 ,建立了水相 -有机相界面化学反应对溶质传质具有决定作用时的传质模型     

生物降解氨基酸衍生聚合物的研究进展

氨基酸衍生聚合物具有良好的生物相容性和生物活性,且降解产物无毒,是一种非常理想的生物材料,可在不同的生物医用领域发挥作用.本文介绍了可降解生物材料的发展历程,比较了各类材料的优劣,详细介绍了拟聚氨基酸生物材料的合成、性质以及国内外研究现状.     

High-precision position-specific isotope analysis of 13C/12C in leucine and methionine analogues

We report an automated method for high-precision position-specific isotope analysis (PSIA) of carbon in amino acid analogues. Carbon isotope ratios are measured for gas-phase pyrolysis fragments from multiple sources of 3-methylthiopropylamine (3MTP) and isoamylamine (IAA), the decarboxylated analogues of methionine and leucine, using a home-built gas chromatography (GC)-pyrolysis-GC preparation system coupled to a combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry system. Over a temperature range of 620-900 degrees C, the characteristic pyrolysis products for 3MTP were CH4, C2H6, HCN, and CH3CN and for IAA products were propylene, isobutylene, HCN, and CH3CN. Fragment origin was confirmed by 13C-labeling, and fragments used for isotope analysis were generated from unique moieties with > 95% structural fidelity. Isotope ratios for the fragments were determined with an average precision of SD(delta13C) < 0.3% per thousand, and relative isotope ratios of fragments from different sources were determined with an average precision of SD(delta(delta)13C) < 0.5% per thousand. Delta(delta)13C values of fragments were invariant over a range of pyrolysis temperatures. The delta(delta)13C of complementary fragments in IAA was within 0.8% per thousand of the delta(delta)13C of the parent compounds, indicating that pyrolysis-induced isotopic fractionation is effectively taken into account with this calibration procedure. Using delta(delta)13C values of fragments, delta(delta)13C values were determined for all four carbon positions of 3MTP and for C1, C2, and the propyl moiety of IAA, either directly or indirectly by mass balance. Large variations in position-specific isotope ratios were observed in samples from different commercial sources. Most dramatically, two 3MTP sources differed by 16.30% per thousand at C1, 48.33% per thousand at C2, 0.37% per thousand at C3, and 5.36% per thousand at C(methyl). These PSIA techniques are suitable for studying subtle changes in intramolecular isotope ratios due to natural processes.     

Analysis of underivatized amino acids and their D/L-enantiomers by sheathless capillary electrophoresis/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Capillary electrophoresis/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (CE/ESI-MS) was applied to the analysis of underivatized amino acids and the separation of their D/L-enantiomers. Under full-scan mode, all standard protein amino acids were separated and detected at low-femtomole levels using a 130-cm-long, 20-microm-i.d., 150-microm-o.d. underivatized fused-silica capillary with 1 M formic acid as the background electrolyte. The CE/ESI-MS technique was also applied to the separation of L-arginine from L-canavanine (a close analogue of arginine where the terminal methylene linked to the guanidine group of arginine is replaced by an oxygen atom) in a complex mixture containing all standard protein amino acids. The utility of CE/ESI-MS in the analysis of real-world samples was demonstrated by the identification of two metabolic diseases (PKU and tyrosinemia) through blood analysis with minimal sample preparation. In addition, the on-line separation of 11 underivatized L-amino acids from their D-enantiomers was achieved by using a 30 mM solution of (+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid as the background electrolyte.     

Chemical noise reduction via mass spectrometry and ion/ion charge inversion: amino acids

Charge inversion ion/ion reactions can provide a significant reduction in chemical noise associated with mass spectra derived from complex mixtures for species composed of both acidic and basic sites, provided the ions derived from the matrix largely undergo neutralization. Amino acids constitute an important class of amphoteric compounds that undergo relatively efficient charge inversion. Precipitated plasma constitutes a relatively complex biological matrix that yields detectable signals at essentially every mass-to-charge value over a wide range. This chemical noise can be dramatically reduced using multiply charged reagent ions that can invert the charge of species amenable to the transfer of multiple charges upon a single interaction and by detecting product ions of opposite polarity. The principle is illustrated here with amino acids present in precipitated plasma subjected to ionization in the positive mode, reaction with anions derived from negative nanoelectrospray ionization of poly (amido amine) dendrimer generation 3.5, and mass analysis in the negative ion mode.     

乳状液膜提取氨基酸的工艺状况

比较详细地介绍了国外乳状液膜提取氨基酸的工艺状态,其种类包括苯丙氨酸、色氨酸、赖氨酸、亮氨酸、缬氨酸等,并提出了有关该项工艺的几点看法．     

Derivatization of chiral amino acids in supercritical carbon dioxide

A new method is proposed to perform the derivatization of chiral amino acids occurring in complex samples using supercritical carbon dioxide as both the reaction medium and the agent used to extract the obtained derivatives prior to accomplishing the subsequent enantiomeric chromatographic analysis. The derivatization step under supercritical conditions involves the esterification of the carboxyl group and the acylation of the amino group of the amino acids without using a catalyst. A Chirasil-L-Val capillary column enabled the separation of the D- and L-forms of the amino acids as their N(O)-pentafluoropropionyl 1-propyl esters. Relative standard deviation values obtained from the gas chromatographic analysis for the derivatized amino acids ranged from 5 to 15%.     

带回流的多级连续电渗析分离氨基酸

以丝氨酸(Ser)和脯氨酸(Pro)为例,采用带回流的多级连续电渗析实验研究近等电点氨基酸的分离,探讨了回流级数、回流氨基酸流量、电流强度对分离性能的影响.结果表明:增加回流级数能在保持脯氨酸产品纯度基本不变的前提下提高丝氨酸产品的纯度.在4级回流时,脯氨酸产品纯度和丝氨酸产品纯度(摩尔分数)分别可以达到94.9%和90.9%.在相同的回流级数和电流强度下,增大回流氨基酸流量,可以提高丝氨酸产品纯度,但会降低脯氨酸产品纯度.在相同回流条件下,增大电流可以提高脯氨酸产品纯度,但会降低丝氨酸产品纯度.     

Adsorption of amino acids by fullerenes and fullerene nanowhiskers

Abstract

We have investigated the adsorption of some amino acids and an oligopeptide by fullerene (C₆₀) and fullerene nanowhiskers (FNWs). C₆₀ and FNWs hardly adsorbed amino acids. Most of the amino acids used have a hydrophobic side chain. Ala and Val, with an alkyl chain, were not adsorbed by the C₆₀ or FNWs. Trp, Phe and Pro, with a cyclic structure, were not adsorbed by them either. The aromatic group of C₆₀ did not interact with the side chain. The carboxyl or amino group, with the frame structure of an amino acid, has a positive or negative charge in solution. It is likely that the C₆₀ and FNWs would not prefer the charged carboxyl or amino group. Tri-Ala was adsorbed slightly by the C₆₀ and FNWs. The carboxyl or amino group is not close to the center of the methyl group of Tri-Ala. One of the methyl groups in Tri-Ala would interact with the aromatic structure of the C₆₀ and FNWs. We compared our results with the theoretical interaction of 20 bio-amino acids with C₆₀. The theoretical simulations showed the bonding distance between C₆₀ and an amino acid and the dissociation energy. The dissociation energy was shown to increase in the order, Val < Phe < Pro < Asp < Ala < Trp < Tyr < Arg < Leu. However, the simulation was not consistent with our experimental results. The adsorption of albumin (a protein) by C₆₀ showed the effect on the side chains of Try and Trp. The structure of albumin was changed a little by C₆₀. In our study Try and Tyr were hardly adsorbed by C₆₀ and FNWs. These amino acids did not show a different adsorption behavior compared with other amino acids. The adsorptive behavior of mono-amino acids might be different from that of polypeptides.     

Indirect fluorescence detection of amino acids on electrophoretic microchips

Microfabricated devices enable rapid separations of a variety of clinically significant analytes, including DNA, proteins, and amino acids. However, absorbance detection has been difficult to achieve on these devices, prohibiting analysis of nonfluorophore-bearing or nonfluorescently tagged analytes. An alternative detection technique exploiting indirect fluorescence has been adapted to the electrophoretic microchip to provide fast analysis of amino acids, bypassing the need for absorbance detection or fluorescence derivitization procedures. Nineteen of the standard amino acids could be detected with an average detection limit of 32.9 microM (approximately 1.6 amol). Despite the fact that the detection sensitivity was lower than that achievable by labeling the amino acids with fluorescein isothiocyanate (approximately 1 nM), circumventing sample preparation and the difficulties inherent with tagging complex samples make this technique attractive for a variety of assays where sensitivity is not critical. To demonstrate the applicability to real sample matrixes, the analysis of urine with elevated amino acid levels is used as a model system where the elevated levels are indicative of a variety of pathologies including amino acid metabolism disorders and kidney malfunction. The minimal sample handling and rapid separations achievable by employing indirect detection on microchips provides the potential for high-throughput applications for certain amino acid analyses.     

Adsorption of amino acids by fullerenes and fullerene nanowhiskers

We have investigated the adsorption of some amino acids and an oligopeptide by fullerene (C₆₀) and fullerene nanowhiskers (FNWs). C₆₀ and FNWs hardly adsorbed amino acids. Most of the amino acids used have a hydrophobic side chain. Ala and Val, with an alkyl chain, were not adsorbed by the C₆₀ or FNWs. Trp, Phe and Pro, with a cyclic structure, were not adsorbed by them either. The aromatic group of C₆₀ did not interact with the side chain. The carboxyl or amino group, with the frame structure of an amino acid, has a positive or negative charge in solution. It is likely that the C₆₀ and FNWs would not prefer the charged carboxyl or amino group. Tri-Ala was adsorbed slightly by the C₆₀ and FNWs. The carboxyl or amino group is not close to the center of the methyl group of Tri-Ala. One of the methyl groups in Tri-Ala would interact with the aromatic structure of the C₆₀ and FNWs. We compared our results with the theoretical interaction of 20 bio-amino acids with C₆₀. The theoretical simulations showed the bonding distance between C₆₀ and an amino acid and the dissociation energy. The dissociation energy was shown to increase in the order, Val < Phe < Pro < Asp < Ala < Trp < Tyr < Arg < Leu. However, the simulation was not consistent with our experimental results. The adsorption of albumin (a protein) by C₆₀ showed the effect on the side chains of Try and Trp. The structure of albumin was changed a little by C₆₀. In our study Try and Tyr were hardly adsorbed by C₆₀ and FNWs. These amino acids did not show a different adsorption behavior compared with other amino acids. The adsorptive behavior of mono-amino acids might be different from that of polypeptides.     

Isolation of amino acids from natural samples using sublimation

Amino acids have appreciable vapor pressures above 150 degrees C and will sublime under partial vacuum at elevated temperatures without any racemization or decomposition. The recoveries of several amino acids including aspartic acid, serine, glycine, alanine, alpha-aminoisobutyric acid, and valine were optimized by varying the temperature and duration of sublimation. Sublimation has been shown to be a rapid and effective technique for the isolation of amino acids from natural samples for enantiomeric analyses and a good substitute for conventional cation-exchange desalting techniques.     

氨基酸/羟基磷灰石复合材料的制备与表征及其在酸蚀牛牙釉质体外再矿化中的应用

在不同浓度丝氨酸(Ser),天冬氨酸(Asp)和谷氨酸(Glu)的组合下制备氨基酸/羟基磷灰石(AA/HAP)复合材料。通过红外光谱仪、X射线衍射仪和透射电镜对复合材料进行表征,评估复合材料对酸蚀牛牙釉质体外再矿化的效果。结果表明:氨基酸(AA)会干扰羟基磷灰石(HAP)晶面的生长,使HAP的溶解度增加和晶体结构有序性降低。X射线衍射图及透射电镜图的结果显示,AA对HAP的[100]晶向具有显著的抑制作用,且与不含AA的HAP相比,AA修饰的HAP复合材料具有细化的晶粒尺寸。通过CCK-8法评估了材料的细胞毒性,结果表明AA/HAP复合材料的相对细胞活性优于HAP。场发射扫描电镜图表明不含AA的HAP材料和两组不同浓度AA改性HAP材料均可修复酸蚀牛牙釉质的表面龋损。而在Ser,Asp和Glu均为10 mmol·L-1条件下制备的AA/HAP可在牛牙釉质的深层再矿化中生成厚度约为22μm的致密再矿化层,并获得了最佳的表面显微硬度恢复效果。     

用(CuZn)85 Ti15钎料连接Si3 N4陶瓷接头的微观结构

采用（CuZn)85Ti15钎料,研究了Si3N4陶瓷活性钎焊的接头微观组织结构,结果表明：在合适的钎爆条件下可以获得致密的Si3N4/Si3/N4接头,钎缝主要由含有Ti的硅化物和Ti的氮化物的Cu固溶体和Cu2TiZn组成,随着爆接温度从850℃升高,界面反应层增厚,填充金属中反应物的数量增多。尺寸增大,Zn能降低钎爆合金的熔化温度并降低钎焊温度,这有利于钎料的流动和润湿钎缝。Zn的蒸发将随着钎焊温度的上升而加剧,但它可以被合适的钎爆过程所控制。