At elevated levels, homocysteine (Hcy, 1) is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease, neural tube defects, and osteoporosis. Both 1 and cysteine (Cys, 3) are linked to neurotoxicity. The biochemical mechanisms by which 1 and 3 are involved in disease states are relatively unclear. Herein, we describe simple methods for detecting either Hcy or Cys in the visible spectral region with the highest selectivity reported to date without using biochemical techniques or preparative separations. Simple methods and readily available reagents allow for the detection of Cys and Hcy in the range of their physiologically relevant levels. New HPLC postcolumn detection methods for biological thiols are reported. The potential biomedical relevance of the chemical mechanisms involved in the detection of 1 is described.

The synthesis of new benzo[a]- and [b]xanthene dye frameworks is described. A unique benzo[a]xanthene, seminaphtho[a]fluorone (SNAFR-1), is studied in a variety of media. The optimization of solution parameters and excitation wavelengths allows SNAFR-1 to display red, green, and blue emission bands of approximately equal intensities and also to produce white light. Ratiometric red (anion) and green (neutral) emissions are observed upon varying solution pH. A pH-independent violet-blue emission band is due to the addition of nucleophiles to the benzylic carbon of SNAFR-1.

The levels of lead, cadmium, copper, nickel and zinc were determined in the roadside topsoil in Osogbo, Nigeria, with the view to determining the effect of traffic density and vehicular contribution to the soil heavy metal burden. The levels of the metals at the high density roads were significantly higher than the corresponding levels at the medium and low traffic density roads. The average levels of Pb, Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn in all road locations at a distance of 5 m from the roads were 68.74±34.82, 0.60±0. 31, 21.19±11.34, 8.38±2.40, and 42.45±17.68 mg/kg, respectively. Pb, Cd, and Cu were of average levels of 92.07±21.25, 0.76±0.35 and 27.69 mg/kg, respectively at a distance of 5 m from the road at high traffic density roads, while the levels of Ni and Zn averaged 9.65±2.61 and 56.27±11.58 mg/kg, respectively. There was a rapid decrease in the level of the metals with distance, with the metal levels at a distance of 50 m from the road almost reaching the natural background levels of the metals at the control sites. The levels of the metals were also determined at the four major motor parks and at the seven mechanic workshop settlements. The levels of the metals at the motor parks and mechanic workshops were far above the levels at the control sites. The levels of Pb, Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn at the motor parks were 519±73.0, 3.6±0.8, 37.9±12.5, 17.3±4.6 and 71.9±11.3 mg/kg, respectively, with the levels of Pb, Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn at the mechanic workshops averaging 729.57±110.93, 4.59±1.01, 116.6±26.8, 30.21±9.40, and 88.74±28.11 mg/kg, respectively.

We report the synthesis and characterization of amino acid ester based chiral ionic liquids, derived from L-and D-alanine tert butyl ester chloride. The synthesis was accomplished via an anion metathesis reaction between commercially available L-and D-alanine tert butyl ester chloride using a variety of counterions such as lithium bis (trifluoromethane) sulfonimide, silver nitrate, silver lactate, and silver tetrafluoroborate. Both enantiomeric forms were obtained as confirmed by bands of opposite sign in the circular dichroism spectra. The L-and D-alanine tert butyl ester bis (trifluoromethane) sulfonimide were obtained as liquids at room temperature and intriguingly exhibited the highest thermal stability (up to 263°C). In addition, the ionic liquids demonstrated enantiomeric recognition ability as evidenced by splitting of racemic Mosher's sodium salt signal using a liquid state 19 F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and fluorescence spectroscopy. The L-and D-alanine tert butyl ester chloride resulted in solid salts with nitrate, lactate, and tetrafluoroborate anions. This illustrates the previously observed tunability of ionic liquid synthesis, resulting in ionic liquids of varying properties as a function of varying the anion.

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