Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “SOLVENTS”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

The solute-solvent system: solvent constraints on the conformational dynamics of acetylcholine.

The objective of this study was to determine if and how a solvent influences internal motions in a solute molecule. Acetylcholine was chosen as the object of study given its interesting molecular structure and major biological significance. Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out in the vacuum (10 ns), water (5 ns), methanol (5 ns), and octanol (1.5 ns). Seven clusters of conformers were identified, namely, +g+g, -g-g, +gt, -gt, t+g, t-g, and tt, where the gauche and trans labels refer to the dihedral angles tau(2) and tau(3), respectively. As expected, the relative proportion of these conformational clusters was highly solvent-dependent and corresponded to a progressive loss of conformational freedom with increasing molecular weight of the solvent. More importantly, the conformational clusters were used to calculate instantaneous and median angular velocity (omega and omega(M), respectively) and instantaneous and median angular acceleration (alpha and alpha(M), respectively). Angular velocity and angular acceleration were both found to decrease markedly with increasing molecular weight of the solvent, i.e., vacuum (epsilon = 1) > water > methanol > octanol. The decrease from the vacuum to octanol was approximately 40% for tau(2) and approximately 60% for tau(3). Such solvent-dependent constraints on a solute's internal motions may be biologically and pharmacologically relevant.

1-Octanol↗

Solvent constraints on the property space of acetylcholine. I. Isotropic solvents.

The objective of this study was, first, to examine the property space of a test molecule and, second, to assess solvent constraints. Acetylcholine was chosen as the object of study given its interesting molecular structure and major biological significance. Molecular dynamics simulations of long duration (30 ns) were carried out with acetylcholine in a vacuum or in a box of solvent (chloroform, water, water plus one chloride counterion). For each of the 6000 conformers stored during each run, various geometric and physicochemical properties were calculated, namely, N(+)-C8 distance, solvent-accessible surface area (SAS), polar surface area (PSA), dipole moment, and lipophilicity (virtual log P). The variations of these properties as a function of the dihedral angles tau(2) and tau(3) were unexpectedly broad for such a small molecule. Dipole moment and virtual log P were well correlated, and they varied in a complex manner with the dihedral angles. For example, each of the seven conformational clusters was able to access much of the lipophilicity space of acetylcholine. Solvent constraints on the property space clearly indicate that a polar medium tends to favor polar conformers, whereas the opposite is true for a solvent of low polarity.

Acetylcholine↗

Role of the solvent in the adsorption-desorption equilibrium of cinchona alkaloids between solution and a platinum surface: correlations among solvent polarity, cinchona solubility, and catalytic performance.

The role that the nature of the solvent plays in defining the extent of cinchona alkaloid adsorption-desorption equilibrium on platinum surfaces has been studied both by testing their solubility in 54 different solvents and by probing the stability of adsorbed cinchona in the presence of those solvents. The solubilities vary by as much as 5-6 orders of magnitude, display volcano-type correlations with solvent polarity and dielectric constant, and follow a cinchonine < cinchonidine < quinine, quinidine sequence. The adsorption-desorption equilibrium shifts toward the solution with increasing dissolving power of the solvent. The relevance of these results to the behavior of cinchona as chiral modifiers in hydrogenation catalysis is discussed.

Adsorption↗

Encapsulating aspirin into a surfactant-free ethyl cellulose microsphere using non-toxic solvents by emulsion solvent-evaporation technique.

Microencapsulation of aspirin in ethylcellulose was studied in a surfactant-free, water-in-oil type of emulsification/solvent evaporation process using non-toxic solvents. Ethanol was used as the dispersed phase and soybean oil as the continuous phase. The recovered weight, particle size distribution, aspirin loading efficiency, and the aspirin release rate of microspheres were analysed. The addition of a small amount of non-solvent (water) prior to the emulsification was found to have a significant impact on the microencapsulation process. Adding non-solvent increases the recovered weight and the size of the microspheres. The addition of non-solvent also markedly changes the microsphere characteristics, resulting in a coarser surface and an increased release rate. Increasing the emulsification evaporation temperature increases the size of the microsphere, but reduces the recovered weight and loading efficiency. The release rate follows a first-order kinetics and Higuchi matrix kinetics at low concentrations of non-solvent, suggesting a monolithic system with aspirin uniformly distributed in the microsphere.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗

Exposure to organic solvents--I. A survey on the use of solvents.

Organic solvent neurotoxicity is a serious occupational health problem in Denmark. To obtain a precise description of the use of solvents, a questionnaire investigation of a random sample of 1000 companies was made. Information about 2000 liquid products, in particular various kinds of degreasers, paints and lacquers, was collected. Approximately two-thirds of all products contained more than 1% of organic solvents, and of these two-thirds contained more than 20%. A total of 93 different solvents were used, ethanol, industrial gasoline, toluene, isopropyl alcohol and acetone being the commonest. Chlorinated hydrocarbons are not often used now, owing to the replacement of organic solvent-based products by water-based products.

Denmark↗

Role of intermolecular disulfide bonds of the organic solvent-stable PST-01 protease in its organic solvent stability.

The PST-01 protease is secreted by the organic solvent-tolerant microorganism Pseudomonas aeruginosa PST-01 and is stable in the presence of various organic solvents. Therefore, the PST-01 strain and the PST-01 protease are very useful for fermentation and reactions in the presence of organic solvents, respectively. The organic solvent-stable PST-01 protease has two disulfide bonds (between Cys-30 and Cys-58 and between Cys-270 and Cys-297) in its molecule. Mutant PST-01 proteases in which one or both of the disulfide bonds were deleted were constructed by site-directed mutagenesis, and the effect of the disulfide bonds on the activity and the various stabilities was investigated. The disulfide bond between Cys-270 and Cys-297 in the PST-01 protease was found to be essential for its activity. The disulfide bond between Cys-30 and Cys-58 played an important role in the organic solvent stability of the PST-01 protease.

Disulfides↗

Effect of solvents on the characteristics of rosin walled microcapsules prepared by a solvent evaporation technique.

Rosin microcapsules were prepared by a solvent evaporation technique using solvents with different rates of evaporation. Sulphadiazine was used as a model drug. The microcapsules were studied for their size, drug content, wall thickness, surface characteristics and in vitro release. The mean diameter increased and the drug content decreased as the rate of evaporation of the solvent increased. Fast evaporating solvents produced thick walled microcapsules with innumerable surface pores/cracks compared with slow evaporating solvents.

Capsules↗

Correlation of surface tension of mixed solvents with solvent composition.

A simple computational method for calculating surface tension of solvent mixtures based on the Redlich-Kister extension was proposed. The model was applied to the experimental surface tension of binary solvent mixtures and showed accurate results. Overall average percentage deviation (APD) between calculated and experimental surface tensions was calculated as an accuracy criterion. The overall APD for correlating surface tensions in binary solvents was 4.30%. The accuracy of the proposed model has also been compared with those of previously published models and the results showed that the proposed model was superior and capable of providing more accurate results. An extension of the model was also proposed to correlate surface tension of ternary solvents and the overall APD for ternary solvent data was 2.06%.

Algorithms↗

Purification and characterization of organic solvent-stable protease from organic solvent-tolerant Pseudomonas aeruginosa PST-01.

An organic solvent-stable protease (PST-01 protease) in a culture broth of organic solvent-tolerant Pseudomonas aeruginosa PST-01 was purified by successive hydrophobic interaction chromatography using Butyl-Toyopearl gels. The purified enzyme was homogeneous as determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. PST-01 protease had a molecular mass of 38 kDa. The optimum temperature and pH for casein hydrolysis were 55 degrees C and 8.5, respectively. PST-01 protease was stable at pH 8-12 and below 50 degrees C and was determined to be a metalloprotease which was inhibited by EDTA, 1,10-phenanthroline, and phosphoramidon. PST-01 protease inhibited by EDTA was reactivated completely by the addition of zinc or cobalt ions. The stability of PST-01 protease in solutions containing water-soluble organic solvents or alcohols was higher than that in the absence of organic solvent. Furthermore, in general, PST-01 protease was more stable than commercially available proteases, namely, subtilisin Carlsberg, thermolysin, and alpha-chymotrypsin, in the presence of water-soluble organic solvents or alcohols.

Journal Article↗

Solvent reorganization controls the rate of proton transfer from neat alcohol solvents to singlet diphenylcarbene.

Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy was used to study singlet diphenylcarbene generated by photodissociation of diphenyldiazomethane with a UV pulse at 266 nm. Absorption by singlet diphenylcarbene was detected and characterized for the first time. Similar band shapes were observed in acetonitrile and in cyclohexane with lambda(max) approximately 370 nm. The singlet absorption decays by intersystem crossing to triplet diphenylcarbene at rates that agree with previous measurements. The singlet absorption band is completely formed 1 ps after the pump pulse. It is preceded by a strong and broad absorption band, which is tentatively assigned to excited-state absorption by a singlet diazo excited state. In neat alcohol solvents the growth and decay of the diphenylmethyl cation was observed. This species is formed by proton transfer from an alcohol molecule to singlet diphenylcarbene. Since a shell of solvent molecules surrounds each nascent carbene, the intrinsic rate of protonation in the absence of diffusion could be measured. In methanol, proton transfer occurs with a time constant of 9.0 ps, making this the fastest known intermolecular proton-transfer reaction to carbon. In O-deuterated methanol proton transfer occurs in 15.0 ps. Slower rates were observed in the longer alcohols. The protonation times correlate reasonably well with solvation times in these alcohols, suggesting that solvent fluctuations are the rate-limiting step. In all alcohols studied, the carbocations decay on a somewhat slower time scale to yield diphenylalkyl ethers. In methanol and ethanol the rate of decay is determined by reaction with neutral solvent nucleophiles. There is evidence in 2-propanol that geminate reaction within the initial ion pair is faster than reaction with solvent. No isotope effect was observed for the reaction of the diphenylmethyl carbocation in methanol. Using comparative actinometry the quantum yield of protonation was measured. In methanol, the quantum yield of carbocations reaches a maximum value of 0.18 approximately 18 ps after the pump pulse. According to our analysis, 30% of the photoexcited diazo precursor molecules are eventually protonated. Somewhat lower protonation efficiencies are observed in the other alcohols. Because the primary quantum yield for formation of singlet diphenylcarbene is still unknown, the importance of reaction channels that might exist in addition to protonation cannot be determined at present. Singlet carbenes are powerful, photogenerated bases that open new possibilities for fundamental studies of proton transfer in solution.

Journal Article↗

Effects of methyl substitution on radiative and solvent quenching rate constants of [Ru(phen)2dppz]2+ in polyol solvents and bound to DNA.

Methyl substituents on the distant benzene ring of the dppz ligand in the "light switch" complex [Ru(phen)(2)dppz](2+) have profound effects on the photophysics of the complexes in water as well as in the polyol solvents ethylene glycol, glycerol, and 1,2- and 1,3-propanediol. Whereas 11,12-dimethyl substitution decreases the rate of quenching by diminishing hydrogen bonding by solvent, the 10-methyl substituent in addition also decreases both the radiative and the nonradiative rate constant for decay to the ground state of the non-hydrogen-bonded excited state species. For both the 10-methyl and the 11,12-dimethyl derivatives, the effect of methyl substitution on the equilibrium of solvent hydrogen bonding to the excited state is due to changes in the entropy terms, rather than in the enthalpy, indicating that the effect is a steric perturbation of the solvent cage around the molecule. When intercalated into DNA, the effects of methyl substitution is smaller than those in polyol solvent or water, suggesting that the water molecules that quench the excited state by hydrogen bonding to the phenazine aza nitrogens mainly access them from the same groove as in which the Ru(II) ion resides. Since the Delta-enantiomer of [Ru(phen)(2)10-methyl-dppz](2+) has an absolute quantum yield of up to 0.23 when bound to DNA, a value 7000 times higher than in pure water solution, it is promising as a new luminescent DNA probe.

Absorption↗

Dispersion of nitric acid-treated SWNTs in organic solvents and solvent mixtures.

The dispersion of pristine and nitric acid-treated single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) has been studied in organic solvents and solvent mixtures using optical absorption, as a function of settling time. The extinction coefficients of both the pristine and acid-treated tubes at 500-nm wavelength was measured to be 25.5 (mg/L)(-1) cm(-1) in various solvents. The dispersibility of nitric acid-treated tubes increased with the solvent's hydrogen-bonding ability and reached 27 mg/L in ethanol and 35 mg/L in water. Nitric acid-treated tubes could also be dispersed in butanol/toluene and xylene/ethanol mixtures, which are known to be poor solvents for the pristine SWNTs.

Journal Article↗

Dynamics of 4-benzylamino-7-nitrobenzofurazan in the 1-propanol/water binary solvent system. Evidence for composition-dependent solvent organization.

We report on the fluorescence lifetime and rotational diffusion dynamics of 4-benzylamino-7-nitrobenzofurazan (BBD) in a series of 1-propanol/water binary solvent systems. The fluorescence lifetime of BBD increases monotonically with increasing 1-propanol concentration. The rotational diffusion dynamics of BBD also vary with solution 1-propanol content, but this variation is not monotonic. Comparison of the BBD rotational diffusion time constant to solution viscosity and 1-propanol composition reveals the presence of a solution composition dependence of solvent-solute interactions, with a relative decrease in solvent-solute interaction strength for solvent system compositions where the 1-propanol/water azeotrope is known to exist. These data point collectively to the existence of microscopic heterogeneity in these binary solvent systems.

Journal Article↗

Predicting the solubility of sulfamethoxypyridazine in individual solvents. II: Relationship between solute-solvent interaction terms and partial solubility parameters.

In the first paper in the series, an expanded system of parameters was devised to account for orientation and induction effects, and the term Wh was introduced to replace delta 1h delta 2h of the extended Hansen solubility approach. In the present report, a new term, Kh = Wh/delta 1h delta 2h is observed to take on values larger or smaller than unity depending on whether the hydrogen bonded solute-solvent interaction is larger or smaller than predicted by the term delta 1h delta 2h. The acidic delta a and basic delta b solubility parameters are used to represent two parameters, sigma and tau, suggested by Small in his study of proton donor-acceptor properties. The Small equation, including a heat of mixing term for hydrogen bonded species, is shown to be capable of semiquantitative evaluation. A partial molar heat delta H2h of hydrogen bonding is calculated using delta h and Wh terms; delta H2h is found to be correlated with the logarithm of the residual activity coefficient, In alpha R, a term representing strong solute-solvent interaction. The terms Wh, delta H2h, and In alpha 2R may be used to test the deviation from the geometric mean assumed in regular solution theory, and to replace the hydrogen bonding terms of the extended Hansen three-parameter model. The solubility of sulfamethoxypyridazine in 30 solvents is used to test the semiempirical solubility equations. The results are interpreted in terms of partial solubility parameters and the proton donor-acceptor properties of the solvents.

Chemical Phenomena↗

The role of solvents in the stabilization of helical structure: the low pH ribo A8 and A10 double helices in mixed solvents.

The order-disorder transitions of the double helices formed by the ribo-oligoadenylic acids rA8 and rA10 at pH 4.2 have been investigated in a series of organic/aqueous mixed solvents. Melting temperature data, Tm, derived from the uv melting curves were used to define the stability of the double helices in the different mixed solvent systems. It was found that the extent of helix destabilization depended in a predictable fashion on both the quantity and the nature of the added organic solvents. For the C1 through C4 aliphatic alcohols, the longer, less branched alcohols proved to be more effective destabilizers of the helical structure. Significantly, the amides proved to be more powerful destabilizers than the alcohols. Analysis of the melting curves provided the Van't Hoff enthalpy change for each transition. The data are interpreted in terms of the role of solvent in the stabilization of ribonucleic acid structure.

Hydrogen-Ion Concentration↗

Occupational neurotoxicology of organic solvents and solvent mixtures.

The results of two field studies in painters and spray painters, the outcomes of examinations of workers with suspected work-related disease due to solvents, as well as data from an evaluation of an epidemiologic study in painters with confirmed occupational disease, are presented and discussed. The results of these studies and the experiences in occupational medicine in the Federal Republic of Germany do not support the assumption of high neurotoxic risks in solvent-exposed workers, which can be postulated from various epidemiologic studies from Scandinavian countries. Several factors may explain the different conclusions: 1) lower solvent exposures of German painters in the past decades; 2) false positive diagnosis of a toxic encephalopathy; 3) aetiological misclassification; 4) differences in legislation relevant for the acknowledgement of occupational diseases. In conclusion, there is a need for further well-designed epidemiologic studies in occupationally solvent-exposed workers. Suggestions regarding assessment of exposure and neurobehavioral tests are given.

Environmental Exposure↗

Solvent effects on allosteric equilibria: stabilization of T and R conformations of Escherichia coli aspartate transcarbamylase by organic solvents.

The activity of Escherichia coli aspartate transcarbamylase (ATCase) is markedly influenced by the addition of organic solvents to the assay medium. The cosolvents tested, which include simple aliphatic alcohols, amides, and ureas, as well as acetone and dioxane, fall into two different classes: the most polar ones (formamide, acetamide, N-methylformamide, and urea) stimulate the enzyme activity for all concentrations tested. In contrast, solvents that are less polar than water inhibit the enzyme at low concentrations but stimulate it at higher concentrations. No comparable effects are observed in the case of the isolated catalytic subunits, a non-regulated form of ATCase. Extensive kinetic studies on ATCase and on two of its Michaelian derivatives, 2-thioU-ATCase and carbamylated ATCase, indicate that solvents modulate the same allosteric transition that is responsible for homotropic interactions between the catalytic sites. The stabilization of the R state of ATCase by comparatively high concentrations of cosolvents is reminiscent of similar findings made on hemoglobin and glycogen phosphorylase, suggesting a common underlying mechanism. Addition of organic cosolvents to water is known to reduce hydrophobic interactions, and we suggest that this effect may preferentially stabilize the more "relaxed" conformations of allosteric proteins, because they have a larger surface exposed to solvent [Chothia, C. (1974) Nature (London) 248, 338-339]. On the other hand, we suggest that the stabilization of the T state by low concentrations of all but the most polar cosolvents simply reflects stronger electrostatic interactions in this conformation.

Allosteric Regulation↗

Solvent polarity and organic reactivity in mixed solvents: evidence using a reactive molecular probe to assess the role of preferential solvation in aqueous alcohols.

Product selectivities [S = ([ester product]/[acid product]) x ([water]/[alcohol solvent])] are reported for solvolyses of p-methoxybenzoyl chloride (2) in aqueous methanol, ethanol, 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, n-propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, and tert-butyl alcohol at 25, 35, and 45 degrees C. S values are small and depend significantly on the alcohol cosolvent, varying from 1.3 in methanol to 0.1 in tert-butyl alcohol, but S depends only slightly on the solvent composition, and on the temperature. As S adjusts the product ratios for changes in bulk solvent compositions, it is suggested that preferential solvation by either alcohol or water at the reaction site is not a major factor influencing rates or products. Logarithms of rates of solvolyses of 2 correlate well with Kosower Z values (based on solvatochromism). In contrast, another solvatochromic polarity index, E(T)(30), shows "dispersion" in correlations with the solvent ionizing power parameter, Y(OTs), probably due to aromatic ring and other solvation effects.

Alcohols↗