On the cooperativity of the thermal denaturation of mini-proteins

It is well established that the reversible thermal denaturation of small globular proteins is a cooperative two-state transition, analogous to a first-order phase transition in a finite-size system. Finite-size effects on the cooperativity of the reversible thermal denaturation become more important when the polypeptide chain is very small, as in the case of some synthesized mini-proteins. The analysis of two specific examples of mini-proteins, by means of a statistical mechanical approach, leads to the conclusion that their thermal denaturation, in view of its broadness and energetics, cannot be considered a cooperative first-order phase transition.     

A study of the lignin of the cotton plant of the subspeciesmexicanium

p-Hydroxybenzoic, vanillic, ferulic, and syringic acids, and also p-hydroxybenzalde-hyde and vanillin, have been found in an ethanol-benzene extract of the stems of cotton plants of the subspeciesmexicanium. The dioxane lignin (DLA) has been isolated by Pepper's method, the semiempirical formula of its phenylpropane structural unit and its molecular-mass distribution have been established, and its UV, IR, and PMR spectra have been recorded. The DLA has a comparatively low molecular mass and a lower degree of polydispersity than the dioxane lignin of the cotton plant of variety Tashkent-1, while the amounts of functional groups in them coincide, with the exception of a lower amount of carboxy groups in the DLA.     

Importance of the catalytic effect of the substrate in the functionality of lubricant additives: the case of molybdenum dithiocarbamates

Molybdenum dithiocarbamates (MoDTCs) are lubricant additives very efficient in reducing the friction of steel, and they are used in a number of industrial applications. The functionality of these additives is ruled by the chemical interactions occurring at the buried sliding interface, which are of key importance for the improvement of the lubrication performance. Yet, these tribochemical processes are very difficult to monitor in real time. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations are the ideal tool to shed light on such a complicated reactivity. In this work, we perform ab initio simulations, both in static and tribological conditions, to understand the effect of surface oxidation on the tribochemical reactivity of MoDTC, and we find that when the surfaces are covered by oxygen, the first dissociative steps of the additives are significantly hindered. Our preliminary tribological tests on oxidized steel discs support these results. Bare metallic surfaces are necessary for a stable adsorption of the additives, their quick decomposition, and the formation of a durable MoS₂ tribolayer. This work demonstrates the importance of the catalytic role of the substrate and confirms the full capability of the computational protocol in the pursuit of materials and compounds more efficient in reducing friction.     

Effect of the sequence of the introduction of foreign substances on the action of papain

Summary In general, aniline, aniline hydrochloride, aniline sulfate, and triethylamine act as inhibitors in the hydrolysis of casein or of a suspension of flour from grain of Cicer arietinum by means of papain. The order in which the enzyme and the substrate is added to the inhibitor often has a significant effect. As a rule, there is a greater retardation when the enzyme is added last to a complex of the substrate and the inhibitor.     

Using of the Agglomeration-in-liquid for the Technology of the Fine Materials

The content of the fine and ultrafine particles in the raw material results in difficulty of the separation, the loss of the valuable components and ecological contamination. Secondary using of the fine particles is impossible without their granulation. This problem has been solved by the agglomeration-in-liquid method.An agglomeration-in-liquid method is a process to produce agglomerates in a liquid phase from solid particles suspended in the liquid. The surface of solid particles and the binding liquid must be of identical polarity, but the continuous phase must be of the opposite polarity. The water solutions of the surfactant are the binding liquids or the organic liquids.     

Effect of the shape of human erythrocytes on the evaluation of the passive electrical properties of the cell membrane

The possible influence of the cell shape on the derivation of the passive electrical parameters of a biological cell membrane is discussed in light of two different models which describe the cell as a shelled ellipsoidal particle and as a biconcave disk obtained by the revolution of the Cassini oval, respectively. Whereas within the first model, the Laplace equation can be solved analytically, in the second one a numerical algorithm based on the boundary element method has been employed. We have compared the results obtained by these two different models in the case of normal human erythrocyte cell membrane, using radiowave dielectric spectroscopy measurements. Our findings show that, although in principle the cell shape might deeply affect the evaluation of the passive electrical parameters of the cell membrane, in the case of the erythrocyte shape modelled by the Cassini curve, only small deviations are evidenced in comparison to the values derived, as usually done in the dielectric spectroscopy of biological cell suspensions, from an ellipsoidal model analysis. This result gives further support to the reliability of the data reported in the literature based on an ellipsoidal shape erythrocyte model.     

Simulation of a monolayer adsorbed on a heterogeneous surface: effect of the size and shape of the adsorbate on the structure of the interface and the distribution of the adsorption energies

At the low temperature limit, the effect on the size and shape factors of the adsorbate molecule is shown in a simulation of a monomolecular phase adsorbed on a heterogeneous surface. This factor is reflected both in the theoretical distribution of the adsorption energies and the packing of the adsorbed phase.     

The application of the OTA of kerogen to the evaluation of the rockmass heating

Oxyreactive thermal analysis (OTA) carried out in the conditions of full access of oxygen to each reacting particle of the sample investigated is a suitable method for the determination of important properties of the organic matter dispersed in the rocks. Its results may be easily evaluated to the form of values to be used in a clear diversification and classification system of organic matter/kerogen, as well as to the evaluation of its transformation process in a rockmass. The OTA also enables the distinguishing of the transformation stages and the investigation of the results of the gaseous products liberation from organic matter and kerogen. The OTA method may be applied as a complementary one for the Rock Eval analysis and be used for the organic geochemical and bituminological studies for geological bitumen prospecting.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

On the complexity of kinetics and the mechanism of the thiosulfate-periodate reaction

The thiosulfate-periodate reaction has been studied spectrophotometrically in a slightly acidic medium at 25.0 ± 0.1 °C in an acetate/acetic acid buffer by monitoring the absorbance in the 250-600 nm wavelength range at a constant ionic strength adjusted by the buffer component sodium acetate. In agreement with a previous study, we found that the reaction cannot be described by a single stoichiometric equation, tetrathionate and sulfate are simultaneously formed, and its ratio strongly depends on the pH. As expected at certain initial concentration ratios of the reactants, the reaction behaves as a clock reaction, but after its appearance, iodine is slowly consumed mainly because of the moderate tetrathionate-iodine reaction. It is also enlightened that the initial rate of the reaction is completely independent of the pH, which apparently contradicts a previous study, which postulates a "supercatalytic" behavior of the hydrogen ion on the title reaction. Significant buffer assistance that may change the absorbance-time profiles was also observed. On the basis of the kinetic data, a robust 28-step kinetic model with 22 fitted parameters is proposed and discussed to explain adequately all of the important characteristics of the kinetic curves.     

Characterization of the benzene-insoluble fraction of the hydrolyzate of phenyltrimethoxysilanes in the presence of benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide

The insoluble fraction obtained from the hydrolysis and condensation of (4-dimethylamino-, 2-methyl-, and nonsubstituted)phenyltrimethoxysilanes in the presence of benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide in benzene was characterized. IR, ¹H NMR, and ²⁹Si NMR suggested that the insoluble fraction was composed of RSi(O )₃, that is, a T³ structure. X-ray diffraction indicated the presence of a long-range ordered structure composed of a mixture of crystals. Raman spectroscopy strongly suggested a cage structure by the presence of a ring-opening vibration assignable to a cubic structure at 475–482 cm⁻¹. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4587–4597, 2004     

On the history of the development of Sephadex®

Summary The creative and stimulating atmosphere in the laboratories of The Svedberg and Arne Tiselius in the Departments of Physical Chemistry and Biochemistry of Uppsala University during the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's, was a nursery for a remarkable set of both academic and industrial advances. Their pupils were to become distinguished professors at Swedish Universities, as well as abroad, and they were directly involved in the development of two successful Swedish industries, LKB-produkter AB in Stockholm and Pharmacia AB in Uppsala. This review describes the preconditions and the events which led to the development of one of the first commercially available biochemical separation products, the gel filtration medium Sephadex which was introduced by Pharmacia AB in 1959. All the necessary components of a successful transfer of academic research to industrial product development were at hand: a scientific culture of common origin and a longstanding tradition in methodological research; mutual understanding and respect combined with informal links not only between the scientists involved but also between the president of the company and the university authorities. So far, 49 products (excluding those intended for use in health care and diagnostics) have been developed based on the epichlorohydrin cross-linked dextran gel Sephadex. This review is dedicated to my teacher professor Jerker Porath on his retirement as Jacobsonian Professor of Biochemistry at Uppsala University in December 1987.     

Investigation of the lability of the conformations of some alkaloids of the quinolizidine series

Summary The IR and NMR spectra of lupinine, epilupinine, and a series of other alkaloids of the quinolizidine series have been studied.It has been shown that the inhibition of the inversion processes in the molecules of the alkaloids in the solid phase is revealed in a change in the nature of the absorption in the 500–1200 cm^2–1 region.V. I. Lenin Tashkent State University. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 49–54, January, 1971.     

A study on the influence of the structure of the glycosyl acceptors on the stereochemistry of the glycosylation reactions with 2-azido-2-deoxy-hexopyranosyl trichloroacetimidates

The stereochemical outcome of glycosylations with 2-azido-2-deoxy-D-gluco- and D-galactopyranosyl trichloroacetimidates as glycosyl donors has been investigated by using a series of chiro-inositol derivatives as glycosyl acceptors. The influence of the absolute configuration, the conformation and the conformational flexibility of the glycosyl acceptor has been studied by using different glycosyl donors under similar pre-established experimental conditions. Although the structure of the acceptor may play a role in governing the stereochemistry of these glycosylations, the results show that, in general terms, the relative influence of these factors is difficult to evaluate. For a given set of experimental conditions, the stereochemical course of these glycosylations depends on structural features of both glycosyl donor and glycosyl acceptor. It is a balance of these factors, where the structure of the glycosyl donor always plays a major role, which determines the stereochemistry of the coupling reaction. Therefore, the examples reported in the literature in which the structure of the glycosyl acceptor appears to be crucial in determining the stereochemistry of the reaction constitute particularly favorable cases which do not presently allow any further generalization.     

Influence of the errors made in the measurement of the extra-column volume on the accuracies of estimates of the column efficiency and the mass transfer kinetics parameters

The influences of the errors made in the measurement of the extra-column volume of an instrument on the accuracies of the estimates made of the column efficiency and of the parameters of the mass transfer kinetics were investigated from an experimental point of view. A standard HP1090 apparatus (extra-column volume, approximately 50 micro L) was used to measure the efficiency of a Sunfire-C(18) RPLC column (column hold-up volume, approximately 1.50 mL). The first and second moments of the peaks of phenol (a retained compound) and of thiourea (a practically non-retained compound) were measured at six different temperatures between 22 and 78 degrees C, for flow rates between 0.10 and 4.70 mL/min (i.e., for linear velocities between 0.025 and 1.179 cm/s). Each series of measurements was successively made with the instrument being fitted with and without the column. The experimental HETP data must be corrected for the solute dispersion in the connected tubes in order properly to assess the true column efficiency. Even with a modern, high performance instrument, the dispersion of a non-retained compound is essentially due to the band broadening phenomena that take place in the extra-column volumes, the sum of all these extra-column band broadening contributions accounting for more than 80% of the total band broadening measured. The contribution of the sampling device is particularly deleterious since, for a 2 mu L injection, the maximum solute concentration in the peak that enters into the column is nearly ten-fold lower than that of the sample. Nevertheless, the impact of the extra-column volumes on the estimates of the kinetic parameters (e.g., molecular diffusion coefficient D(m) and effective particle diffusivity D(e)) remains negligible. Obviously, the relative error made on the column efficiency of a retained compound depends much on its retention factor. It decreases from 8 to 1% when the retention factor increases from 5 to 17.     

Behavior of the Surface Tension and the Viscosity in the Eutecticregion of the Liquid Feb alloy

Abstract

Thermodynamic and transport properties of pure liquid metals show interesting correlations near the melting temperature. This is well known for the case of the surface tension σ and the shear viscosity η In this paper we investigate the possible extension of these correlations to binary alloys, taking the FeB alloy as a case study. Based on literature data we analyze the variation of σ and η as a function of temperature and concentration in a deep eutectic region of the phase diagram of this alloy, as well as the possible correlations between those two quantities. Substantial differences with respect to the behavior in pure metals are found.     

Measurement of the ground-state lambshift of hydrogenlike uranium at the electron cooler of the ESR

X-rays are emitted with the radiative recombination of free electrons in an electron cooler of a heavyion storage ring. Due to a small width of the X-ray lines, an observation angle close to 0° and an accurate determination of the ion velocity, the ground-state Lambshift of hydrogenlike uranium (470 ± 16) eV could be measured to an accuracy of 3.4%. A re-evaluation of a measurement of the 1s _1/2 Lambshift in hydrogenlike gold gave a new value of (202.3 ± 7.9) eV as compared to the former value of (212 ± 15) eV. The results are in excellent agreement with QED calculations and are more precise than any other measurements previously reported for a high-Z, hydrogenlike ion.     

FTIR study of the mode of binding of the reactants on the Pd nanoparticle surface during the catalysis of the Suzuki reaction

In the Suzuki reaction between phenylboronic acid and iodobenzene catalyzed by palladium nanoparticles, our previous studies suggested that the phenylboronic acid adsorbs on the nanoparticle surface and then interacts with the iodobenzene that is present in solution. In the present study, FTIR is used to examine the change in the vibrational frequencies of phenylboronic acid in films with and without the addition of palladium nanoparticles. The large change in the B-O stretching frequency of phenylboronic acid from 1348 to 1376 cm(-1) in the presence of sodium acetate and palladium nanoparticles strongly suggests that the mode of binding of phenylboronic acid to the Pd nanoparticle surface involves a B-O-Pd type of bonding. Shifts in the B-C stretching mode and the out-of-plane phenyl C-C ring deformation bands associated with phenylboronic acid provide additional confirmations of the binding process. It is also shown that the phenylboronic acid needs to be in the deprotonated form in the presence of sodium acetate (phenylboronate anion) to bind to the palladium nanoparticle surface. No changes in the characteristic bands of iodobenzene were observed in films made in the presence of the palladium nanoparticles. The FTIR studies provide proof of the mode of binding that occurs in the nanoparticle surface for the first time and also confirms the mechanism of the Suzuki reaction that we proposed previously.     

Effect of the nature of the solvent on the rate and mechanism of the catalytic hydrogenation of difurfurylideneacetone

It was established that the hydrogenation of difurfurylideneacetone on a skeletal Ni-Ti-Al catalyst at atmospheric pressure proceeds nonselectively. The rate of hydrogenation in both aprotic and protic solvents increases as their overall electrophilicity increases. The process is realized selectively under hydrogen pressure. By changing the type of solvent one can obtain a catalyzate enriched in various reaction products.Deceased.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 7, pp. 889–893, July, 1981.     

On the origin of the stereoselectivity in the alkylation of oxazolopiperidone enolates

The origin of the diastereoselective alkylation of enolates of oxazolopiperidones is studied by means of theoretical calculations and experimental assays. For the unsubstituted oxazolopiperidone, the alkylation with methyl chloride is predicted to afford mainly the exo product, a finding further corroborated from the analysis of the experimental outcome obtained in the reaction of the racemic oxazolopiperidone. However, such a preference can be drastically altered by the presence of substituents attached to the fused ring. In particular, when the angular carbon adopts an R configuration in a phenylglycinol-derived oxazolopiperidone, the presence of a phenyl ring at position 3 forces the pseudo-planarity of the bicyclic lactam, and the diastereoselectivity is dictated by the internal torsional strain induced in the enolate. However, when the angular carbon adopts an S configuration, the preference for the exo alkylation stems from the intermolecular steric hindrance between the enolate and the alkylating reagent. Interestingly, the intramolecular hydrogen bond formed between the phenyl ring and the carbonyl oxygen in the enolate largely reduces the difference in stability of the two TSs compared to the unsubstituted oxazolopiperidone.