A. W. Mcculloch

HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY OF DOMOIC ACID, A MARINE NEUROTOXIN, WITH APPLICATION TO SHELLFISH AND PLANKTON*

Abstract A recent outbreak of poisoning resulting from the consumption of cultured blue mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) from a localized area in Eastern Canada has been attributed to the presence of domoic acid (1), a relatively rare neurotoxic amino acid, previously found only in some algae of the family Rhodomelaceae. Studies on aqueous extracts of shellfish tissue indicated that the toxin and several of its isomers could be separated (and isolated in sufficient amounts for subsequent structural identification) by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) diode array detection (DAD). Aqueous acetonitrile containing 0.1% v/v trifluoroacetic acid was used as mobile phase. As the retention time and characteristic UV absorption spectrum of 1 (λmax = 242 nm) permit unequivocal identification, the HPLC-DAD procedure was refined with a microbore column to provide a rapid (5 min), sensitive (0.3 ng detection limit) and reproducible assay method for the determination of 1 in ...

A new synthesis of substituted α-methylene-γ-lactones☆

Abstract Ene reactions of suitably substituted olefins with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate give substituted 1,4-pentadiene-1,2-dicarboxylates, which undergo acid-catalyzed cyclization to α-carbomethoxymethylene γ-lactones.

The action of hypochlorite on m-cresol. Part 2. Muconic acid derivatives

Two new crystalline products were isolated from the chlorination of m-cresol in cold alkaline solution. These products have been identified as E,Z-2-chloro-5-methyl muconic acid and 5Z-carboxymethylene-3-chloro-4-methyl-2(5H) furanone.