New chiral porphyrin-brucine gelator characterized by methods of circular dichroism

Herein, we report the first use of chiral alkaloid brucine to synthesize novel porphyrin-brucine conjugate capable of acting as a gelator of methanol and acetonitrile at extremely low level of concentration. The synthesis, characterization and spectral properties of gelator based on a novel structural motif, quaternized alkaloid conjugates, are described. Different spectroscopic methods (¹H NMR spectroscopy, Raman and infrared spectroscopy, and spectroscopy of electronic and vibrational circular dichroism) were used for characterization of the prepared organogel. The aggregation of the gelator studied by UV-vis spectroscopy and electronic circular dichroism showed the formation of chiral J-aggregates in water and water-methanol (1:1) mixture. A new methodology for the determination of functional groups involved in gel formation based on vibrational circular dichroism is presented.     

Pressure-induced protein unfolding in the ternary system AOT-octane-water is different from that in bulk water

In a cellular environment, the presence of macromolecular cosolutes and membrane interfaces can influence the folding-unfolding behavior of proteins. Here we report on the pressure stability of alpha-chymotrypsin in the ternary system bis(2-ethylhexyl)sodium sulfosuccinate-octane-water using FTIR spectroscopy. The ternary system forms anionic reverse micelles which mimic cellular conditions. We find that inclusion of a single protein molecule in a reverse micelle does not alter its conformation. When pressurized in bulk water, alpha-chymotrypsin unfolds at 750 MPa into a partially unfolded structure. In contrast, in the ternary system, the same pressure increase induces a random coil-like unfolded state, which collapses into an amorphous aggregate during the decompression phase. It is suggested that the unfolding pathway is different in a cell-mimicking environment due to the combined effect of multiple factors, including confinement. A phase transition of the reverse micellar to the lamellar phase is thought to be essential to provide the conditions required for unfolding and aggregation, though the unfolding is not a direct result of the phase transition. Our observations therefore suggest that membranes may cause the formation of alternative conformations that are more susceptible to aggregation.     

Recognition and quantification of binary and ternary mixtures of isomeric peptides by the kinetic method: metal ion and ligand effects on the dissociation of metal-bound complexes

The kinetic method is applied to differentiate and quantify mixtures of isomeric tripeptides based on the competitive dissociations of divalent metal ion-bound clusters in an ion trap mass spectrometer. This methodology is extended further to determine compositions of ternary mixtures of the isomers Gly-Gly-Ala (GGA), Ala-Gly-Gly (AGG), and Gly-Ala-Gly (GAG). This procedure also allows to perform chiral quantification of a ternary mixture of optical isomers. The divalent metal ion Ca(II) is particularly appropriate for isomeric distinction and quantification of the isobaric tripeptides Gly-Gly-Leu/Gly-Gly-Ile (GGL/GGI). Among the first-row transition metal ions, Cu(II) yields remarkably effective isomeric differentiation for both the isobaric tripeptides, GGI/GGL using GAG as the reference ligand, and the positional isomers GAG/GGA using GGI as the reference ligand. This is probably due to agostic bonding: alpha-agostic bonding occurs between Cu(II) and GAG and beta-agostic bonding between Cu(II) and GGI, each produces large but different steric effects on the stability of the Cu(II)-bound dimeric clusters. These data form the basis for possible future quantitative analyses of mixtures of larger peptides such as are generated, for example, in combinatorial synthesis of peptides and peptide mimics.     

Die Mikrobestimmung der Oxyäthylengruppe

Zusammenfassung Es wurde eine Mikromethode für die Bestimmung von Oxyäthylengruppen ausgearbeitet. Das Prinzip der Methode beruht darauf, daß Äthylenoxydverbindungen beim Sieden mit Jodwasserstoffsäure neben anderen Produkten eine äquivalente Menge Jod liefern, die durch Titration mit Natriumthiosulfat bestimmt wird.Es wurde eine einfache Apparatur erprobt, die selbst geringe Jodverluste verhindert.

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Summary A micromethod has been worked out for the determination of oxyethylene groups. Its principle is based on the fact that on boiling with hydriodic acid, the ethylene oxide compounds yield, along with other products, an equivalent quantity of iodine, which can be measured by titration with sodium thiosulfate.A simple apparatus has been tested, which prevents the loss of even slight amounts of iodine.

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Résumé On a mis au point une microméthode pour doser les groupes oxéthyles. Le principe de la méthode repose sur le fait que les composés de l'oxyde d'éthylène, portés à l'ébullition avec de l'acide iodhydrique, libèrent, à côté d'autres produits, une quantité équivalente d'iode que l'on titre par le thiosulfate de sodium.On a expérimenté un appareil simple qui empêche les pertes en iode, même faibles.

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Herrn Dipl.-Ing.J. Simandl danken wir für die anregende Diskussion und die Überlassung von oxyäthylierten Aminen. Herrn Dipl.-Ing.J. Kami danken wir für die Überlassung von Proben reiner Polyglykoläther. Die Wasserbestimmung nachK. Fischer führte HerrZ. Netuil aus.     

A Study of PbTiO3 Crystallization in Pure and Composite Nanopowders Prepared by the Sol-Gel Technique

Summary.  In this investigation the crystallization of PbTiO₃ upon annealing of pure nanopowders and PbTiO₃–SiO₂ (1:1 v/v) nanocomposite powders prepared by the sol-gel technique was studied. Using X-ray diffraction phase analysis, the start of PbTiO₃ crystallization in pure PbTiO₃ powders was detected at 400°C. Distinct crystallization of PbTiO₃ in PbTiO₃–SiO₂ nanocomposites starts at 700°C, whereas SiO₂ remains amorphous. There are indications that an interface interaction between the PbTiO₃ and the SiO₂ phase plays an important role in hindering the crystallization of PbTiO₃. The particle size (size of coherently scattering regions) was estimated from the broadening of the X-ray diffraction line profiles. The average size of PbTiO₃ nanocrystallites increases with temperature and time of annealing, the influence of temperature being more significant than that of the annealing time. Differential scanning calorimetry confirmed the results of the X-ray diffraction with respect to the start of the crystallization. Laser beam scattering and scanning electron microscopy provided the statistical distribution of the grain size and the morphology of the powder grains, showing that each grain of the powders contains several nanocrystallites (coherently scattering regions). Received October 4, 2001. Accepted (revised) December 14, 2001     

An improved method of characterizing fatty acids by equivalent chain length values

A method has been developed for calculating more accurate and reproducible equivalent chain length (ECL) values of 33 straight-chain fatty acids (FA), with various positions and numbers of cis double bonds, chromatographed on DB-Wax and DB-1 columns. The dependence of ECL values on the position and the number of double bonds is described, as is a method of utilizing these relationships for the characterization of FA by gas chromatography.     

Sol-gel phase transition of brucine-appended porphyrin gelator: a study by vibrational circular dichroism spectroscopy

A novel approach to study the sol-gel phase transition of a brucine–porphyrin based gelator, which uses vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy, is described. The gelation process leading to highly ordered chiral supramolecular assemblies was investigated in various solvents at the different temperatures and concentrations. The VCD spectra sensitively reveal the specific parts of molecule whose configuration is influenced by a sol-gel phase transition and chiral supramolecular aggregation and therefore indicate the parts of the molecule responsible for the chiral self-assembly formation. Temperature stability of the organogel studied is discussed on the basis of the VCD and IR absorption spectra. The scanning electron microscopy was used to visualize the structure of brucine–porphyrin conjugate in the gel phase.     

Retention of 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl derivatives of linear alcohol polyethoxylates in reversed-phase liquid chromatographic system with acetonitrile-water mobile phase

The influence of mobile phase composition (acetonitrile-water ratio) on the separation of derivatised linear alkyl polyethoxylates (LAEs) is evaluated using thermodynamic quantities (Gibbs energy, enthalpy and entropy). In comparison to homologue series of alcohols oligomers of LAEs show irregular chromatographic behaviour that is demonstrated in irregular changes of thermodynamic quantities. It might be explained considering an influence of some of the following processes or their combinations on the retention of LAEs. These processes are solvation of oxyethylene chains in mobile phase, their interaction with silanols on silica surface of stationary phase and possibly their conformation changes. The composition of a mobile phase affects the mentioned processes and that is why the retention of LAEs is strongly (for the reversed-phase system unusually) sensitive to this composition in the studied range (volume fraction of acetonitrile phi = 0.90, 0.96 and 0.98). The experimental data also support the idea of the active role of stationary phase in the reversed-phase system.     

Continuous completions

The paper generalizes some classical results about algebraic completions. Given a posetP with an auxiliary relation , it is shown how to construct all those completions ofP which are continuous lattices and whose way-below relation agrees with . The largest and the smallest such completions are investigated.Presented by R. W. Quackenbush.