Chiara Salvitti

Characterization of naproxen-polymer conjugates for drug-delivery.

Abstract The synthesis and the characterization of three new naproxen decorated polymers are described. A versatile and general approach is employed to link the drug to polymers, affording the derivatives with a very high degree of purity. The release of the drug from the conjugates proved to be exceptionally slow, even in acidic aqueous media, and the kinetic of the process seems to be triggered by their solubility in water. On the other hand, the interesting outcome of the first ex vivo drug release experiments on human blood samples makes this preliminary study valuable for future investigations on the use of these polymeric prodrugs in in vivo treatment of inflammatory states.

A mass spectrometric study of the acid-catalysed d-fructose dehydration in the gas phase

5-hydroxymethylfuraldehyde (5-HMF) and simpler compounds, such as levulinic acid (LA) and glyceraldehyde, are platform molecules produced by the thermal acid-catalyzed dehydration of carbohydrates coming from biomass. Understanding sugar degradation pathways on a molecular level is necessary to increase selectivity, reduce degradation by-products yields and optimize catalytic strategies, fundamental knowledge for the development of a sustainable renewable industry. In this work gaseous protonated d-fructose ions, generated in the ESI source of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, were allowed to undergo Collisionally Activated Decomposition (CAD) into the quadrupole collision cell. The ionic intermediates and products derived from protonated d-fructose dehydration were structurally characterized by their fragmentation patterns and the relative water-loss dehydration energies measured by energy-resolved CAD mass spectra. The data were compared with those obtained from protonated d-glucose decomposition in the same experimental conditions. In the gas phase, d-fructose dehydration leads to the formation of a mixed population of isomeric [C6H6O3]H(+) ions, whose structures do not correspond exclusively to 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde protonated at the more basic aldehydic group.

The Oxidation of Sulfur Dioxide by Single and Double Oxygen Transfer Paths

The oxidation of SO2 by nonmetal oxoanions in the gas phase is investigated in an experimental and theoretical study of the structure of the species involved and the reaction kinetics and mechanism. SO3 , SO3(.-) and SO4(.-) are efficiently produced by reaction of On XO(-) anions (X=Cl, Br, and I; n=0 and 1) with SO2 ; XO(-) ions mainly react to give SO3 by oxygen-atom transfer, whereas OXO(-) ions mainly give SO3(.-) by oxygen-anion transfer. On descending the halogen group from chlorine to iodine, the SO3 /SO3(.-) ratio decreases and increases for reactions involving XO(-) and OXO(-) anions, respectively, whereas the formation of SO4(.-) is particularly significant with OIO(-). Kinetic factors play a major role in the reactions of On XO(-), depending on the halogen atom and its oxidation state.

Ab-initio and experimental study of pentose sugar dehydration mechanism in the gas phase

In this work pentose sugar (D-xylose, D-ribose and D-arabinose) gas phase dehydration reaction was investigated by means of mass spectrometric techniques and theoretical calculations. The ionic species derived from the dehydration reaction of protonated D-ribose and D-arabinose were structurally characterized by their fragmentation patterns and the relative dehydration energies measured by energy resolved CAD mass spectra. The results were compared with those recently obtained for D-xylose in the same mass spectrometric experimental conditions. Dehydration of C1-OH protonated sugars was theoretically investigated at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ//M11/6-311++G(2d,2p) level of theory. Protonated pentoses are not stable and promptly lose a water molecule giving rise to the dehydrated ions at m/z 133. D-xylose, D-ribose and D-arabinose dehydration follows a common reaction pathway with ionic intermediates and transition states characterized by similar structures. Slightly different dehydration energies were experimentally measured and the relative trend was theoretically confirmed. The overall dehydration activation energy follows the order arabinose < ribose < xylose. Gas-phase pentose sugar dehydration leads to the formation of protonated 2-furaldehyde as final product. Based on the experimental and theoretical evidence a new mechanistic hypothesis starting from C1-OH protonation was proposed.

Synthesis and characterization of two new triads with ferrocene and C60 connected by triple bonds to the beta-positions of meso -tetraphenylporphyrin

The 2,12 pyrrole positions of meso-tetraphenylporphyrin were functionalized through triple carbon–carbon bonds by C60 and ferrocene giving new electron donor–acceptor triads which have been characterized and studied by photophysical methods. The fluorescence spectra of the new compounds have been compared to those previously reported for similar compounds giving as a result an increase of the quantum efficiency based on the larger separation of fullerene from the porphyrin ring. On the contrary the efficiency decreases with the presence of a phenylene spacer between ferrocene and the macrocycle.

Vanadium Hydroxide Cluster Ions in the Gas Phase: Bond‐Forming Reactions of Doubly‐Charged Negative Ions by SO2‐Promoted V−O Activation

The gas-phase reactivity of doubly-charged vanadium hydroxides anions with SO2 has been studied by experimental and computational methods. The obtained results highlight the role of sulfur dioxide in promoting unprecedented bond-forming reactions, which produce singly-charged products by breaking the Vx Oy skeleton or a terminal V-O bond.

Vitamin C: An Experimental and Theoretical Study on the Gas Phase Structure and Ion Energetics of Protonated Ascorbic Acid.

In order to investigate the gas-phase mechanisms of the acid catalyzed degradation of ascorbic acid (AA) to furan, we undertook a mass spectrometric (ESI/TQ/MS) and theoretical investigation at the B3LYP/6-31 + G(d,p) level of theory. The gaseous reactant species, the protonated AA, [C6 H8 O6 ]H+ , were generated by electrospray ionization of a 10-3  M H2 O/CH3 OH (1 : 1) AA solution. In order to structurally characterize the gaseous [C6 H8 O6 ]H+ ionic reactants, we estimated the proton affinity and the gas-phase basicity of AA by the extended Cookss kinetic method and by computational methods at the B3LYP/6-31 + G(d,p) level of theory. As expected, computational results identify the carbonyl oxygen atom (O2) of AA as the preferred protonation site. From the experimental proton affinity of 875.0 ± 12 kJ mol-1 and protonation entropy ΔSp 108.9 ± 2 J mol-1  K-1 , a gas-phase basicity value of AA of 842.5 ± 12 kJ mol-1 at 298 K was obtained, which is in agreement with the value issuing from quantum mechanical computations. Copyright

Iron-Promoted C-C Bond Formation in the Gas Phase.

An unusual iron transfer and carbon-carbon coupling take place in gas-phase ionized mixtures containing ferrocene and dichloromethane. Ferrous chloride and the protonated benzenium ion are eventually formed by a thermal and efficient reaction, through stable intermediates that undergo a remarkable reorganization. The mechanism of the concerted iron extrusion, carbon-chlorine bond activation and carbon-carbon bond formation is elucidated by electronic structure calculations that show the crucial role of iron.

Sulphur dioxide cooperation in hydrolysis reactions of vanadium oxide and hydroxide cluster dianions

Unprecedented hydrolysis reactions are observed in the gas phase in clusters containing doubly-charged vanadium oxides and hydroxide anions, SO2 and H2O. The experimental and computational study shows the cooperative effects of the vanadium species, V2O62− and HV3O92−, and sulfur dioxide on the enhancement of the hydrogen bonds of water that allows the acid–base reaction and charge separation in the doubly-charged ion.