Identification of a new class of nonpeptidic inhibitors of cruzain

Cruzain is the major cysteine protease of Trypanosoma cruzi, which is the causative agent of Chagas disease and is a promising target for the development of new chemotherapy. With the goal of developing potent nonpeptidic inhibitors of cruzain, the substrate activity screening (SAS) method was used to screen a library of protease substrates initially designed to target the homologous human protease cathepsin S. Structure-based design was next used to further improve substrate cleavage efficiency by introducing additional binding interactions in the S3 pocket of cruzain. The optimized substrates were then converted to inhibitors by the introduction of cysteine protease mechanism-based pharmacophores. Inhibitor 38 was determined to be reversible even though it incorporated the vinyl sulfone pharmacophore that is well documented to give irreversible cruzain inhibition for peptidic inhibitors. The previously unexplored beta-chloro vinyl sulfone pharmacophore provided mechanistic insight that led to the development of potent irreversible acyl- and aryl-oxymethyl ketone cruzain inhibitors. For these inhibitors, potency did not solely depend on leaving group p K a, with 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenoxymethyl ketone 54 identified as one of the most potent inhibitors with a second-order inactivation constant of 147,000 s (-1) M (-1). This inhibitor completely eradicated the T. cruzi parasite from mammalian cell cultures and consequently has the potential to lead to new chemotherapeutics for Chagas disease.     

NiY分子筛表面酸性影响其选择性吸附脱硫性能的机理研究

采用原位红外光谱技术,以噻吩、环己烯和苯为模型探针分子,分别考察单一烃分子在NiY分子筛上的吸附与反应行为以及噻吩与烯烃、芳烃间的竞争吸附和催化反应行为。单一探针分子吸附研究发现,NiY分子筛中与Ni物种相关的Lewis(L)酸位是噻吩的选择性吸附活性位;噻吩和环己烯在NiY分子筛中Brnsted(B)酸位上发生的质子化和低聚反应明显弱于HY分子筛。双探针分子竞争吸附研究发现,环己烯二聚体在NiY中强B酸位上的强化学吸附与噻吩存在显著的竞争吸附行为。另外,苯和噻吩在NiY上的竞争吸附现象在373K时明显减弱。由此,在选择性吸附脱硫过程中,减少吸附剂表面B酸中心可降低烯烃对噻吩的竞争吸附,另外适当提高吸附体系的温度可以有效避免芳烃对噻吩的竞争吸附。     

Kinetic study of bleaching of photoinduced forms of o-methylnitrobenzothiazoles

Photochromic properties of benzothiazole derivatives containing nitro and methyl groups in the ortho positions with respect to each other were studied by flash photolysis. The rate constant of bleaching of the corresponding photoinduced nitronic acids and their anions increases as the CH₃C-CNO₂ bond becomes longer. The application of the thermodynamic approach to predict the kinetic stability of nitronic acids is limited owing to specific intramolecular interactions. The lifetime of photoinduced nitronic acid anions tends to increase with rise in the chemical shift of the methyl protons.     

Study of Self-Ignition of PVC

The self-ignition of rigid PVC has been studied under static and dynamic conditions. Only a high-temperature boundary has been found, and the self-ignition temperature in air at atmospheric pressure lies between 555 and 560°C. The effect of preliminary HC1 evolution has been investigated, and it is shown that the more the HC1 evolution, the higher the self-ignition limit. It has been impossible to make polyacetylene ignite spontaneously in the presence of HC1 in oxygen up to 900° C. This is attributed to a special role of HC1 in combustion of PVC. The rate of HC1 release was measured by a potentiometric method, and the overall activation energy of the process was found to be 9.4 kcal/mole. This low value seems to be due to the presence of oxygen. Chromatographic analysis showed CH4 and CO to be the major gaseous products of oxidation of PVC in this parametric zone.     

Elements of the topology of the region of the existence of the metastable states of a two-component vapor

Entire regions of the metastable states for binary and single-component systems were constructed. It was established that the regions include temperature intervals from absolute zero to critical temperatures, and from vapor—condensate equilibrium to the conditions of spinodal decomposition of supersaturated vapor in the system. Algorithms for determining the regions of metastable states are presented. The data obtained on their basis are noted to coincide qualitatively with known results. Correlations found earlier are employed to calculate the critical pressures and temperatures for the binary systems in the study.     

两种含杂环的氨基萘醌化合物的合成

以2,3-二氯-1,4-萘醌为主要原料,分别与吗啡啉和糠胺在一定条件下反应生成2种含杂环的氨基萘醌类化合物。2,3-二氯-1,4-萘醌与吗啡啉及2,3-二氯-1,4-萘醌与糠胺物质的量比均为1∶2,反应温度为60℃,溶剂为乙醇。2,3-二氯-1,4-萘醌与吗啡啉反应时间为1 h,产物2-氯-3-吗啡啉基萘-1,4-二酮(a)收率为93.5%;2,3-二氯-1,4-萘醌与糠胺反应时间为4 h,产物N~2,N~3-二(2-呋喃甲基)-1,4-二((2-呋喃甲基)亚胺)-1,4-二氢化萘-2,3-二氯化铵(d)收率为46.7%。对产物进行IR、Uv、MS和H-NMR等分析表征。     

Precision of Flash Pyrolysis-GC-MS Analysis: Experimental Evaluation of the Sources of Variability

The present study was carried out to evaluate the precision and to identify significant sources of variability in flash pyrolysis-GC-MS experiments. The analysis of variance has been applied to the example of polyethylene pyrolysis to estimate the impact of several controlled factors: sample handling, flash pyrolysis filament ageing and calibration. It was demonstrated that to get the best precision in experimental results, it is recommended to set the operator to reduce the impact of sample handling procedure and the filament to avoid variability due to changes in filament characteristics. In comparison, filament ageing and filament calibration are shown to influence in a limited extent the experimental results.     

Elucidation of the mechanism of redox grafting of diazotated anthraquinone

Redox grafting of aryldiazonium salts containing redox units may be used to form exceptionally thick covalently attached conducting films, even in the micrometers range, in a controlled manner on glassy carbon and gold substrates. With the objective to investigate the mechanism of this process in detail, 1-anthraquinone (AQ) redox units were immobilized on these substrates by electroreduction of 9,10-dioxo-9,10-dihydroanthracene-1-diazonium tetrafluoroborate. Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance was employed to follow the grafting process during a cyclic voltammetric sweep by recording the frequency change. The redox grafting is shown to have two mass gain regions/phases: an irreversible one due to the addition of AQ units to the substrate/film and a reversible one due to the association of cations from the supporting electrolyte with the AQ radical anions formed during the sweeping process. Scanning electrochemical microscopy was used to study the relationship between the conductivity of the film and the charging level of the AQ redox units in the grafted film. For that purpose, approach curves were recorded at a platinum ultramicroelectrode for AQ-containing films on gold and glassy carbon surfaces using the ferro/ferricyanide redox system as redox probe. It is concluded that the film growth has its origin in electron transfer processes occurring through the layer mediated by the redox moieties embedded in the organic film.     

Effect of microwave pretreatment of coal for improvement of rheological characteristics of coal-water slurries

Indian high-ash coal contains alpha-silica components of the mineral matter. When coal is transported in the form of a slurry, alpha-silica adds to the settling properties of coal and enhances erosion of pipelines. As such any technique that will contribute to changing the characteristics of mineral matter by selective demineralization is bound to supplement the knowledge of coal slurries in the science of rheology. One such method is the use of a novel microwave technology, which changes the alpha-silica to less harmful beta-silica. Thus microwave-treated coal slurry facilitates enhanced flow characteristics and abates the erosion problem in pipeline transport as well as in coal-slurry injection furnaces. This paper reports on the rheological study of closely sized coal particles of medium-volatile, low-ash, low-moisture cleans and high-ash rejects with and without microwave treatment. Viscosity of suspensions of microwave-treated coal was found to be less than that of untreated coal, in the case of both cleans and rejects. Microwave pretreatment thus reduces the viscosity and the pumping cost and opens a new outlook for pipeline transport. An attempt has been made to quantify the improvement of rheological characteristics due to microwave pretreatment.     

Calculation of conformations of organic molecules

The most stable conformation of the molecule has a minimum of potential energy that arises due to the competition between the tendency of the valency angles to take ideal values and that of non-bonded atoms to be situated at an equilibrium distance. The equilibrium distance is equal to the sum of intermolecular radii determined by measuring the distances between atoms of adjacent molecules in the crystal. This idea is suggested as underlying a method of computation that enables to solve two problems. Firstly, the structure of the molecule being known, it becomes possible to ascertain the points of the interaction curve of the non-bonded atoms and secondly, with the interaction curve known, one can calculate the optimal configuration of the molecule.

To illustrate the suggested theory the conformation of molecules of some cyclic hydrocarbons has been calculated. It is to be stressed that the investigation of the conformation of strained molecules affords the main means of studying the interaction of non-bonded atoms.     

The effect of structural characteristics of porous hydrophobized electrodes on selectivity of electrolysis of organic substances

A theoretical study of the effect of the electrode structure on the electrosynthesis in hydrophobized electrodes (HPE) for a case of further electrochemical conversion of the target product is performed by the example of nitromethane electroreduction to methyl hydroxylamine followed by its reduction to methylamine. The effect of the electrode structure on the selectivity of electrosynthesis in HPE was shown to be related to the effective diffusivity and conductivity.     

Application of the Marcus theory to description of the kinetics of reduction processes of organic cations

The calculation of the rate constants for the processes in the reduction of diazonium, tropylium, verdazylium, and pyrylium cations by various organic electron donors, using the equations of the Marcus theory with allowance for the reorganization energy of only the outer coordination sphere, leads to values which are one to seven orders of magnitude higher than the experimental values. By quantum-chemical calculations it was shown that the reduction of diazonium and tropylium cations to the corresponding radicals is accompanied by a substantial change in the structure of the reagents. This leads to high values for the reorganization energy of the inner coordination sphere of the cations, which must be taken into account during calculation of the rate constants. The differences in the rate constants of the processes of direct electron transfer from the electron donors to the organic cations and the recombination of these reagents depend on the dissociation energy of the bond of the cation with the donor leading to the electron transfer products.     

Formation of ring-shaped deposits as a result of evaporating droplets of dispersions of silver nanoparticles and study of their fine structure

Scanning electron microscopy is employed to study ring-shaped deposits formed at different time moments of evaporating droplets of silver colloidal solutions on a glass substrate. It is shown that, in addition to an external fringe, several rings are formed at intermediate stages of evaporation; these rings are, in the course of time, transformed into one dense fringe and a transition zone adjacent to its internal side. The time dependences of the height and width of the fringe are determined. It is established that an increase in the width and height of the fringe is due to the transfer of silver nanoparticles to this region, which play a key role in imparting specific structural organization to the fringe. It is noted that the height of the formed fringe may be qualitatively determined by energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis.     

Synthesis of a Pair of Derivatives of N-Methylpyrrole Polyamide

A pair of derivatives of tetrameric N-methylpyrrole polyamide were synthesized in order to develop a new method for the study of interaction of the polyamide derivatives with DNA. Indole acetic acid and nicotinic acid were introduced to the polyamide in the synthesized compound, which showed an expected red shift in the UV spectrum. These compounds may function as a potential tool in the detection of the polyamide binding to DNA.     

Quantum-chemical investigation of the mechanism of the sulfonation of pyrrole

A detailed quantum-chemical study of the sulfonation of pyrrole with regard to the effect of the solvent (the model of overlapping spheres) on the energy characteristics of the formation of the σ-complexes produced during attack on the α-and β-positions of the heterocycle and their possible transformation paths was made by density functional theory [the B3LYP/6-31G(d) method]. The possibility of mutual transformations between the isomeric σ-complexes by α/β-migration of the SO₃ is examined. The formation of pyrrolesulfonic acids was studied for the case of the intramolecular rearrangement of the complexes. Comparison of the activation energies shows that in contrast to the gas-phase reaction the formation of the β-sulfonic acid is preferred in methylene chloride: the solvation energy of the α-isomer of the σ-complex is higher than the energy for the transition state of its rearrangement and its product, α-pyrrolesulfonic acid, leading to an increase in the kinetic barrier and to a decrease of the energy gain on the path to the formation of the latter. The opposite variation of the energy characteristics on the path to the β-isomer with regard to solvation leads to agreement between the calculated data and the experimentally observed preferred formation of the β-pyrrolesulfonic acid. Dedicated to Mikhail Grigor’evich Voronkov. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 11, pp. 1647–1654, November, 2006.     

Prediction of latent heat of vaporization of multicomponent mixtures

A very simple method has been developed for predicting the differential latent heat of vaporization involved in vapor-liquid equilibria of multicomponent mixtures. The technique uses the UNIFAC method for predicting activity coefficients.In order to establish this method, 88 binary systems and 13 ternary systems, both nonazeotropic and azeotropic, were tested successfully. On the basis of the 101 systems investigated, the mean overall deviation between the observed and predicted values was found to be 4.6%. Despite the fact that the majority of the systems tested were azeotropic, a consequence of the small amount of data available for the differential heats of nonazeotropic systems, the method proposed is equally applicable to nonazeotropic systems.For azeotropic mixtures, it is possible to predict the latent heat (integral or differential) by means of an analytical equation which involves only the parameters of Antoine's equation, with a mean overall deviation of 6.1%.From the differential heats obtained by the proposed method, it is possible to calculate integral heats by applying equations derived here which relate these quantities.     

Quantum-chemical investigation of the effect of solvent polarity on the direction of sulfonation of pyrrole

The relative stability of the isomeric σ-complexes formed in the sulfonation of pyrrole at the α-or β-position (the α-isomer is energetically more favorable) does not agree with the experimentally established positional selectivity of substitution (the formation of β-pyrrolesulfonic acid). However, quantum-chemical calculations of the energy parameters for the reaction of pyrrole and SO₃ with due regard to the solvation effect in the model solvent methylene chloride (ε = 8.93) lead to the conclusion that the calculated activation energy of the rearrangement to the more favorable β-pyrrolesulfonic acid for the less favorable β-isomer of the σ-complex is lower than on the path to the formation of the α-pyrrolesulfonic acid. It was shown that the significant increase in the polarity of the model medium in the transition to DMSO (ε = 46.7) does not lead to substantial change in the energy parameters of the reaction. The explanation for the positional selectivity during the sulfonation of pyrrole using Py·SO₃, according to previous data, involves the participation of the pyridine in the transformation of the σ-complexes into the products. The calculations were made by the B3LYP/6-31G(d) and HF/3-21+G methods using the model of overlapping spheres to take account of solvation. Dedicated to E. J. Lukevics on his 70th birthday __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 34–40, January, 2007.     

Effect of pretreatment of molasses and posttreatment of fermented broth in industrial production of ethanol

The aim of preclarification is to minimize sludge going to yeast separators. This purpose is partially fulfilled. However, it has been measured during the plant trial runs that preclarification does not noticeably improve fermentation. The aim of postclarification is to minimize sludge going to distillation. This purpose is well served as noted from the fact that cycle run of distillation columns using postclarification is three times longer (9–12 mo) as compared to the normal one (3–4 mo).