Flavin Redox Bifurcation as a Mechanism for Controlling the Direction of Electron Flow during Extracellular Electron Transfer

The iron‐reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1 has a dual directional electronic conduit involving 40 heme redox centers in flavin‐binding outer‐membrane c‐type cytochromes (OM c‐Cyts). While the mechanism for electron export from the OM c‐Cyts to an anode is well understood, how the redox centers in OM c‐Cyts take electrons from a cathode has not been elucidated at the molecular level. Electrochemical analysis of live cells during switching from anodic to cathodic conditions showed that altering the direction of electron flow does not require gene expression or protein synthesis, but simply redox potential shift about 300 mV for a flavin cofactor interacting with the OM c‐Cyts. That is, the redox bifurcation of the riboflavin cofactor in OM c‐Cyts switches the direction of electron conduction in the biological conduit at the cell–electrode interface to drive bacterial metabolism as either anode or cathode catalysts.     

Synthesis,solid‐state,and charge‐transport properties of conjugated polythiophene‐S,S‐dioxides

An alkylated semiconducting polymer comprising alternating bithiophene‐[all]‐S,S‐dioxide and aromatic monothiophene units in the polymer backbone was synthesized with the intent of modifying the energy gap and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital for use as a stable n‐type semiconductor. Films spun from this semiconducting polymer were characterized utilizing X‐ray scattering, near edge X‐ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, and thin‐film field effect transistors to determine how oxidation of the thiophene ring systems impacts the structural and electronic properties of the polymer. The thiophene‐S,S‐dioxide polymers have lower optical and electrical band gaps than corresponding thiophene polymers. X‐ray scattering results indicate that the polymers are well ordered with the π–π stacking distances increased by 0.4 Å relative to analogous thiophene polymers. The electrical stability of these polymers is poor in transistors with a drop in the field effect mobility by approximately one order of magnitude upon addition of just 5% of the thiophene‐S,S‐dioxide unit in a copolymer with thiophene. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2013     

How molecular internal‐geometric parameters affect PB‐PEO polymersome size in aqueous solution

Amphiphilic polybutadiene polyethylene oxide (PB‐PEO) is one of the best known chemistries to form stable vesicular morphologies, stated as polymersomes, in aqueous environment. Mimicking cell membranes, these structures self‐assemble in an “amphiphilic window” determined by 0.15 < f < 0.35 where f is the ratio between the hydrophilic block volume and the entire diblock volume. However the polymersome size distribution also depends on molecular weight (M_n) and in order to gain insight on how f and M_n together determine polymersome size, we prepared PB‐PEO diblock copolymers with different block lengths and analyzed vesicle morphology via Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Freeze‐fracture transmission electron microscopy (FF‐TEM). We found three main regimes: high f / low M_n with polymersomes of mixed diameter, high f / high M_n with mainly large polymersomes and low f, with mainly small polymersomes. In the first region, the polymersomes are highly polydisperse. There is a tendency towards increased diameter with increasing f and M_n. Taken together our findings can help to identify how polymersome self‐assembly can be controlled to achieve size distribution specificity alleviating the need for subsequent tuning of size via extrusion. This can pave the way for cost‐effective upscaling of polymersome production for biomedical and biomimetic applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 699–708     

Model for phase coexistence in phase transitions

We propose a general model for describing the phenomena of phase coexistence in relation to pressure induced phase transformations by means of the T–P distribution in statistical thermodynamics. Using the well‐known B1–B2 transition in NaCl as a prototype, we demonstrate how phase coexistence gives rise to the changes in the bulk modulus and the equation‐of‐state across the transition. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2004     

Quick method for separating target compounds from the bark of Maqian (Zanthoxylum myriacanthum var. pubescens) by high‐performance countercurrent chromatography

Choosing a suitable solvent system for a countercurrent chromatography separation presents a challenge for many researchers. In this study, we introduce a quick method of separating a target compound from the bark of Zanthoxylum myriacanthum var. pubescens by countercurrent chromatography. This method relies on the thin‐layer chromatography based generally useful estimation of solvent systems. This paper will present how to quickly choose a suitable solvent system with a thin‐layer chromatography based generally useful estimation of solvent systems working chart. O‐Methyltembamide ( 1 ) was enriched by countercurrent chromatography using n‐hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (6:4:6:4) as the solvent system. Further purification was achieved by high‐performance liquid chromatography with purities of 98.2% from Z. myriacanthum var. pubescens bark.     

Capillary electrophoretic studies on quantum dots and histidine appended peptides self‐assembly

Herein, we designed four peptides appended with different numbers of histidine (His_n‐peptide). We launched a systematic investigation on quantum dots (QDs) and His_n‐peptide self‐assembly in solution using fluorescence coupled CE (CE‐FL). The results indicated that CE‐FL was a powerful method to probe how ligands interaction on the surface of nanoparticles. The self‐assembly of QDs and peptide was determined by the numbers of histidine. We also observed that longer polyhistidine tags (n ≤ 6) could improve the self‐assembly efficiency. Furthermore, the formation and separation of QD‐peptide assembly were also studied by CE‐FL inside a capillary. The total time for the mixing, self‐assembly, separation, and detection was less than 10 min. Our method greatly expands the application of CE‐FL in QDs‐based biolabeling and bioanalysis.     

Volume phase transition of methacryloyl‐L‐alanine copolymer hydrogels controlled by the terminal groups in the side chains

The volume phase transition of nonionic hydrogels was controlled with a very small amount of variation (pinpoint variation) of the side chains far from the main chain. The copolymer hydrogels poly(methacryloyl‐alanine methyl ester‐co‐methacryloyl‐alanine ethyl ester) [poly(MA‐Ala‐OMe‐co‐MA‐Ala‐OEt)] and poly(methacryloyl‐alanine alkylamide‐co‐methacryloyl‐alanine ethyl ester) [poly(MA‐Ala‐NR₂‐co‐MA‐Ala‐OEt)] were studied to investigate how pinpoint variation controls the volume phase transition. All copolymer hydrogels showed a volume phase transition from a swollen phase to a collapsed phase at a definite MA‐Ala‐OEt content at a specific temperature. The MA‐Ala‐OEt content at the midpoint of the transition linearly decreased with elevation of the temperature, and the decrease was larger for poly(MA‐Ala‐OMe‐co‐MA‐Ala‐OEt) than for poly(MA‐Ala‐NR₂‐co‐MA‐Ala‐OEt). These results suggest that the association of the side chains controlling the swelling character of the hydrogels depends on the interacting ester–ester or ester–amide groups, and the former is larger than the latter. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 56–62, 2001     

Preparative isolation and purification of anti‐tumor agent ansamitocin P‐3 from fermentation broth of Actinosynnema pretiosum using high‐performance counter‐current chromatography

Ansamitocin P‐3 is a potent anti‐tumor maytansinoid found in Actinosynnema pretiosum. However, due to the complexity of the fermentation broth of Actinomycete, how to effectively separate ansamitocin P‐3 is still a challenge. In this study, both analytical and preparative high‐performance counter‐current chromatography were successfully used to separate and purify ansamitocin P‐3 from fermentation broth. A total of 28.8 mg ansamitocin P‐3 with purity of 98.4% was separated from 160 mg crude sample of fermentation broth in less than 80 min with the two‐phase solvent system of hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (0.6:1:0.6:1, v/v/v/v). The purity and structural identification were determined by HPLC, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and mass spectroscopy.     

Convenient Synthesis of tert‐Butyl Esters of Indole‐5‐carboxylic Acid and Related Heterocyclic Carboxylic Acids

The tert‐butyl esters of indole‐5‐carboxylic acid and related compounds such as benzofuran‐ and benzothiophene‐5‐carboxylic acid were readily accessed by reacting the appropriate carboxylic acids with tert‐butyl trichloroacetimidate. To obtain the tert‐butyl esters of the 5‐carboxylic acids of 1H‐benzotriazole and 1H‐benzimidazole, position 1 of these heterocycles had to be protected by acetylation prior to reaction with tert‐butyl trichloroacetimidate. Cleavage of the acetyl residue of the obtained intermediates by dilute aqueous NaOH in ethanol led to the desired tert‐butyl 1H‐benzotriazole‐and 1H‐benzimidazole‐5‐carboxylates.     

Reversible Carrier‐Type Transitions in Gas‐Sensing Oxides and Nanostructures

Despite many important applications of α‐Fe₂O₃ and Fe doped SnO₂ in semiconductors, catalysis, sensors, clinical diagnosis and treatments, one fundamental issue that is crucial to these applications remains theoretically equivocal—the reversible carrier‐type transition between n‐ and p‐type conductivities during gas‐sensing operations. Herein, we present an unambiguous and rigorous theoretical analysis in order to explain why and how the oxygen vacancies affect the n‐type semiconductors α‐Fe₂O₃ and Fe‐doped SnO₂, in which they are both electronically and chemically transformed into a p‐type semiconductor. Furthermore, this reversible transition also occurs on the oxide surfaces during gas‐sensing operation due to physisorbed gas molecules (without any chemical reaction). We make use of the ionization energy theory and its renormalized ionic displacement polarizability functional to reclassify, generalize and explain the concept of carrier‐type transition in solids, and during gas‐sensing operation. The origin of such a transition is associated with the change in ionic polarizability and the valence states of cations in the presence of oxygen vacancies and physisorped gas molecules.     

保护的几丁寡糖及结构类似物的合成：复杂氨基寡糖合成的通用方法

建立了逐步合成具有重要生物活性的2-脱氧-2-氨基葡萄糖寡糖链的通用方法。采用邻苯二甲酰基保护氨基、硫代苯基为还原末端的离去基团,以氨基葡萄糖为起始原料,几种保护的几丁寡糖及结构类似物被合成：3-O-乙酰基-4,6-O-亚苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖-（1→4）-（3-O-乙酰基-6-O-苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基）-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖甲苷（4）、3-O-乙酰基-4,6-O-亚苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖-（1→4）-（3-O-乙酰基-6-O-苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖）-（1→4）-（3-O-乙酰基-6-O-苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基）-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖甲苷（6）、3-O-乙酰基-4,6-O-亚苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖-（1→3）-（4,6-O-亚苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基）-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖甲苷（8）、3-O-乙酰基-4,6-O-亚苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖-（1→3）-（4,6-O-亚苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基-b-D-吡喃葡萄糖）- （1→3）-（4,6-O-亚苄基-2-脱氧-2-邻苯二甲酰亚氨基）- b-D-吡喃葡萄糖甲苷（10）。所合成化合物通过核磁共振和质谱分析确证了其化学结构。     

A Convenient Synthesis of 2,3‐Dihydro‐4H‐thiopyrano[2,3‐b]‐, ‐[2,3‐c]‐, or ‐[3,2‐c]pyridin‐4‐ones by the Reaction of the Corresponding 1‐(Chloropyridinyl)alk‐2‐en‐1‐ones with NaSH

2,3‐Dihydro‐4H‐thiopyrano[2,3‐b]pyridin‐4‐ones 4 were prepared by a three‐step sequence from commercially available 2‐chloropyridine ( 1 ). Thus, successive treatment of 1 with ⁱPr₂NLi (LDA) and α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes gave 1‐(2‐chloropyridin‐3‐yl)alk‐2‐en‐1‐ols 2 , which were oxidized with MnO₂ to 1‐(2‐chloropyridin‐3‐yl)alk‐2‐en‐1‐ones 3 . The reactions of 3 with NaSH?n H₂O proceeded smoothly at 0° in DMF to provide the desired thiopyranopyridinones. Similarly, 2,3‐dihydro‐4H‐thiopyrano[2,3‐c]pyridin‐4‐ones 8 and 2,3‐dihydro‐4H‐thiopyrano[3,2‐c]pyridin‐4‐ones 12 were obtained starting from 3‐chloropyridine ( 5 ) and 4‐chloropyridine ( 9 ), respectively.     

Intermolecular Reactions of γ‐Halocarbanions – Stepwise Analogs of 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition

γ‐Halocarbanions, short‐lived intermediates, add to electron‐deficient double bonds of aldehydes, Michael acceptors, and imines to form anionic adducts that enter intramolecular 1,5‐substitution to form five‐membered rings of tetrahydrofurans, cyclopentanes, and pyrrolidines, respectively. Although the γ‐halocarbanions can be generated by simple deprotonation of appropriate precursors, a wealth of other methods based on Lewis acid‐catalyzed opening of cyclopropanes with formation of dipolar species utilizes a similar mechanistic scheme. In our review, we analyze kinetic relations of elementary processes in the multistep transformations, and demonstrate how structural factors influence the mechanisms and selectivity of the reaction.     

Synthesis of (4Z)‐4‐(Arylmethylidene)‐5‐ethoxy‐1,3‐oxazolidine‐2‐thiones by the Reaction of Ethyl (2Z)‐3‐Aryl‐2‐isothiocyanatoprop‐2‐enoates with Organolithium Compounds

A convenient one‐pot method for the preparation of (4Z)‐4‐(arylmethylidene)‐5‐ethoxy‐1,3‐oxazolidine‐2‐thiones 2 and 3 from ethyl (2Z)‐3‐aryl‐2‐isothiocyanatoprop‐2‐enoates 1 , which can be easily prepared from ethyl 2‐azidoacetate and aromatic aldehydes, has been developed. Thus, these α‐isothiocyanato α,β‐unsaturated esters were treated with organolithium compounds, including lithium enolates of acetates, to provide 5‐substituted (4Z)‐4‐(arylmethylidene)‐5‐ethoxy‐1,3‐oxazolidine‐2‐thiones, 2 , and 2‐[(4Z)‐(4‐arylmethylidene)‐5‐ethoxy‐2‐thioxo‐1,3‐oxazolidin‐5‐yl]acetates, 3 .     

Synthesis of New Bis‐imidazole Derivatives

The reaction of aldimines with α‐(hydroxyimino) ketones of type 10 (1,2‐diketone monooximes) was used to prepare 2‐unsubstituted imidazole 3‐oxides 11 bearing an alkanol chain at N(1) (Scheme 2, Table 1). These products were transformed into the corresponding 2H‐imidazol‐2‐ones 13 and 2H‐imidazole‐2‐thiones 14 by treatment with Ac₂O and 2,2,4,4‐tetramethylcyclobutane‐1,3‐dithione, respectively (Scheme 3). The three‐component reaction of 10 , formaldehyde, and an alkane‐1,ω‐diamine 15 gave the bis[1H‐imidazole 3‐oxides] 16 (Scheme 4, Table 2). With Ac₂O, 2,2,4,4‐tetramethylcyclobutane‐1,3‐dithione or Raney‐Ni, the latter reacted to give the corresponding bis[2H‐imidazol‐2‐ones] 19 and 20 , bis[2H‐imidazol‐2‐thione] 21 , and bis[imidazole] 22 , respectively (Schemes 5 and 6). The structures of 11a and 16b were established by X‐ray crystallography.     

Synthesis of Bis‐Heterocyclic 1H‐Imidazole 3‐Oxides from 3‐Oxido‐1H‐imidazole‐4‐carbohydrazides

The reaction of 1H‐imidazole‐4‐carbohydrazides 1 , which are conveniently accessible by treatment of the corresponding esters with NH₂NH₂?H₂O, with isothiocyanates in refluxing EtOH led to thiosemicarbazides (=hydrazinecarbothioamides) 4 in high yields (Scheme 2). Whereas 4 in boiling aqueous NaOH yielded 2,4‐dihydro‐3H‐1,2,4‐triazole‐3‐thiones 5 , the reaction in concentrated H₂SO₄ at room temperature gave 1,3,4‐thiadiazol‐2‐amines 6 . Similarly, the reaction of 1 with butyl isocyanate led to semicarbazides 7 , which, under basic conditions, undergo cyclization to give 2,4‐dihydro‐3H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐ones 8 (Scheme 3). Treatment of 1 with Ac₂O yielded the diacylhydrazine derivatives 9 exclusively, and the alternative isomerization of 1 to imidazol‐2‐ones was not observed (Scheme 4). It is important to note that, in all these transformations, the imidazole N‐oxide residue is retained. Furthermore, it was shown that imidazole N‐oxides bearing a 1,2,4‐triazole‐3‐thione or 1,3,4‐thiadiazol‐2‐amine moiety undergo the S‐transfer reaction to give bis‐heterocyclic 1H‐imidazole‐2‐thiones 11 by treatment with 2,2,4,4‐tetramethylcyclobutane‐1,3‐dithione (Scheme 5).     

Reactions of Imidoyl Isoselenocyanates with Aromatic 2‐Amino N‐Heterocycles and 1‐Methyl‐1H‐imidazole

The reaction of N‐phenylimidoyl isoselenocyanates 1 with 2‐amino‐1,3‐thiazoles 10 in acetone proceeded smoothly at room temperature to give 4H‐1,3‐thiazolo[3,2‐a] [1,3,5]triazine‐4‐selones 13 in fair yields (Scheme 2). Under the same conditions, 1 and 2‐amino‐3‐methylpyridine ( 11 ) underwent an addition reaction, followed by a spontaneous oxidation, to yield the 3H‐4λ⁴‐[1,2,4]selenadiazolo[1′,5′:1,5] [1,2,4]selenadiazolo[2,3‐a]pyridine 14 (Scheme 3). The structure of 14 was established by X‐ray crystallography (Fig. 1). Finally, the reaction of 1‐methyl‐1H‐imidazole ( 12 ) and 1 led to 3‐methyl‐1‐(N‐phenylbenzimidoyl)‐1H‐imidazolium selenocyanates 15 (Scheme 4). In all three cases, an initially formed selenourea derivative is proposed as an intermediate.     

Reaction of 2,3‐Dichloro‐1,4‐Naphthoquinone with 1‐Phenylbiguanide and 2‐Guanidinebenzimidazole

When 2,3‐dichloro‐1,4‐naphthoquinone (DCHNQ) ( 1 ) is allowed to react with 1‐phenylbiguanide (PBG) ( 2 ), 4‐chloro‐2,5‐dihydro‐2,5‐dioxonaphtho[1,2‐d]imidazole‐3‐carboxylic acid phenyl amide ( 4 ), 6‐chloro‐8‐phenylamino‐9H‐7,9,11‐triaza‐cyclohepta[a]naphthalene‐5,10‐dione ( 5 ) and 4‐dimethyl‐amino‐5,10‐dioxo‐2‐phenylimino‐5,10‐dihydro‐2H‐benzo[g]quinazoline‐1‐carboxylic acid amide ( 6 ) were obtained. While on reacting 1 with 2‐guanidinebenzimidazole (GBI) ( 3 ) the products are 3‐(1H‐benzoimidazol‐2‐yl)‐4‐chloro‐3H‐naphtho[1,2‐d]imidazole‐2,5‐dione ( 7 ) and 3‐[3‐(1H‐benzoimidazol‐2‐yl)‐ureido]‐1,4‐dioxo‐1,4‐dihydronaphthalene‐2‐carboxylic acid dimethylamide ( 8 ).     

Synthesis and bioanalytical evaluation of morphine-3-O-sulfate and morphine-6-O-sulfate in human urine and plasma using LC-MS/MS

The aim of this work was to synthesize morphine‐3‐O‐sulfate and morphine‐6‐O‐sulfate for use as reference substances, and to determine the sulfate conjugates as possible heroin and morphine metabolites in plasma and urine by a validated LC‐MS/MS method. Morphine‐6‐O‐sulfate and morphine‐3‐O‐sulfate were prepared as dihydrates from morphine hydrochloride, in overall yields of 41 and 39% with product purities of >99.5% and >98%, respectively. For bioanalysis, the chromatographic system consisted of a reversed‐phase column and gradient elution. The tandem mass spectrometer was operated in the positive electrospray mode using selected reaction monitoring, of transition m/z 366.15 to 286.40. The measuring range was 5–500 ng/mL for morphine‐3‐O‐sulfate and 4.5–454 ng/mL for morphine‐6‐O‐sulfate in plasma. In urine, the measuring range was 50–5000 ng/mL for morphine‐3‐O‐sulfate and 45.4–4544 ng/mL for morphine‐6‐O‐sulfate. The intra‐assay and total imprecision (coefficient of variation) was below 11% for both analytes in urine and plasma. Quantifiable levels of morphine‐3‐O‐sulfate in authentic urine and plasma samples were found. Only one authentic urine sample contained a detectable level of morphine‐6‐O‐sulfate, while no detectable morphine‐6‐O‐sulfate was found in plasma samples.     

Anti‐inflammatory bioactive equivalence of combinatorial components β‐carboline alkaloids identified in Arenaria kansuensis by two‐dimensional chromatography and solid‐phase extraction coupled with liquid–liquid extraction enrichment technology

Bioactive equivalent combinatorial components play a critical role in herbal medicines. However, how to discover and enrich them efficiently is a question for herbal pharmaceuticals researchers. In our work, a novel two‐dimensional reversed‐phase/hydrophilic interaction high‐performance liquid chromatography method was established to perform real‐time components trapping and combining for preparation and isolation of coeluting components. Arenaria kansuensis was taken as an example, and solid‐phase extraction coupled with liquid–liquid extraction as a simple and efficient method for enriching trace components, reversed phase column coupled with hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography XAmide column as two‐dimensional chromatography technology for isolation and preparation of coeluting constituents, enzyme‐linked immune‐sorbent assay as bio‐guided assay, and anti‐inflammatory bioactivity evaluation for bioactive constituents. A combination of 12 β‐carboline alkaloids was identified as anti‐inflammatory bioactive equivalent combinatorial components from A. kansuensis , which accounts for 1.9% w/w of original A. kansuensis . This work answers the key question of which are real anti‐inflammatory components from A. kansuensis and provides a fast and efficient approach for discovering and enriching trace β‐carboline alkaloids from herbal medicines for the first time. More importantly, the discovery of bioactive equivalent combinatorial components could improve the quality control of herbal products and inspire a herbal medicine based on combinatorial therapeutics.