Thermostability of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cromobacterium viscosum</Emphasis> lipase in AOT/isooctane reverse micelle

The thermostability of Cromobacterium viscosum lip ase (EC 3.1.1.3) entrapped in AOT (sodium bis-[2-ethylhexyl] sulfosuccinate) reverse micelles was in creased by the addition of short-chain polyethylene glycol (PEG 400). Two different approaches were considered: (1) the determination of half-life time and (2) the mechanistic analysis of deactivation kinetics. The half-life of lipase entrapped in AOT/isooctane reverse micelles with PEG 400 at 60°C was 28h, ninefold higher than that in reverse micelles without PEG 400. The lip ase entrapped in both reverse micellar systems followed a series-type deactivation mechanism involving two first-order steps. The deactivation constant for the first step at 60°C in PEG containing reverse micelles was 0.055 h¹¹, 11-fold lower than that in reverse micelles without PEG, whereas it remained almost constant for the second step. The inactivation energy of the lip ase entrapped in reverse micelles with and without PEG 400 was 88.12 and 21.97 kJ/mol, respectively.     

Regioselective lithiation of II-(arene)chromium tricarbonyl complexes

Chromium tricarbonyl complexes of 3-methoxybenzyl alcohol and related compounds were selectively lithiated at the 4-position in contrast to the corresponding metal free arene compounds. The resulting 4-lithio complexes were converted to the 4-substituted arene compounds in moderate to excellent yields through the reactions with proper electrophiles and subsequent demetalation.     

Release characteristics of a free polyunsaturated fatty acid from an oily lymphographic agent

The release profiles of a free polyunsaturated fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid, from solutions in an oily lymphographic agent Lipiodol-Ultra-Fluid (Lipiodol), to rabbit and human plasma, phosphate buffer solution (PBS), and PBS containing bovine serum albumin (BSA) were examined in vitro. The times required for 50% release of alpha-linolenic acid from Lipiodol were about 1 and 1.5 h in the rabbit and human plasma, respectively. Although only a slight amount of alpha-linolenic acid was released from Lipiodol to PBS after 24 h incubation at 37 degrees C, release was markedly enhanced by the addition of BSA to PBS. The amount of alpha-linolenic acid released from Lipiodol into PBS containing 5% BSA increased as the alpha-linolenic acid content in Lipiodol was increased. In all experiments, the release had stopped before all alpha-linolenic acid had been released. The prolongation of alpha-linolenic acid release from Lipiodol is considered a requisite for a selective anticancer effect of Lipiodol containing a free fatty acid on liver cancer.     

Blue myoglobin reconstituted with an iron porphycene shows extremely high oxygen affinity

Myoglobin will be a good scaffold for engineering a function into proteins. To modulate the physiological function of myoglobin, almost all approaches have been demonstrated by site-directed mutagenesis, however, there are few studies which show a significant improvement in the function. In contrast, we focused on the replacement of heme in the protein with an artificial prosthetic group. Recently, we prepared a novel myoglobin reconstituted with an iron porphycene as a structural isomer of mesoheme. The bluish colored reconstituted myoglobin is relatively stable and the deoxymyoglobin reversibly binds ligands. Interestingly, the O2 affinity of the reconstituted myoglobin, 1.1 x 109 M-1, is a significant 1,400-fold higher than that of the native myoglobin. Furthermore, the unfavorable autoxidation kinetics show 7-fold decrease in rate for the reconstituted myoglobin relative to the native myoglobin, indicating the stable oxy-form against autoxidation. The net results come from the slow dissociation of the O2 ligand in the reconstituted myoglobin, koff = 0.11 s-1, because of the formation of strong hydrogen bond between His64 and negatively charged dioxygen. The present study indicates that the replacement of native heme with an artificially created prosthetic group will give us a unique function into a hemoprotein.     

La luminescence différée du styrène en solution vitreuse dans le méthylcyclohexane

The trapping of electrons and styrene cations and anions has been studied in a methylcyclohexane glass by the techniques of deferred luminescence. Radiothermoluminescence curves consist of two peaks, at 90 and 95°K, in this matrix. The second peak increases linearly with styrene concentration up to 2 × 10^?2M when it reaches a constant value, whereas the first peak increases from 10^?4 to 10^?3M and then decreases at higher concentrations and is not discernible at concentrations above 10^?2M. We propose two mechanisms which are qualitatively consistent with this behavior and are based essentially on the recombination of styrene cations with thermally detrapped electrons in the first peak and with anions in the second peak. Photothermoluminescence (i.e., thermoluminescence after photoionization with ultraviolet light) similarly consists of the 90 and 95°K peaks for a 10^?3M solution and of the 95° peak alone for a 10^?d M solution. Radiophotoluminescence excitation spectra at 77°K, corresponding to absorption spectra of trapped electrons and styrene anions, show that anions are the predominant negative species in 10^?2 molar solution, and trapped electrons in 10^?3 molar solution. Spectral analysis of radiothermoluminescenece shows the presence of two emission bands, one of which is identical with styrene fluorescence excited by the 254 Nm mercury line (λ_max = 292, 302, 307, and 317 Nm). The other band has three fairly poorly resolved maxima at 474, 486 and 496 nm and seems to correspond to the fluorescence of C₆H₅?H-CH₃ radicals formed during radiolysis.     

A twin optically-pumped far-infrared CH3OH laser for plasma diagnostics

A twin optically-pumped far-infrared CH₃OH laser has been constructed for use in plasma diagnostics. The antisymmetric doublet due to the Raman-type resonant two-photon transition is reproducibly observed at 118.8 m. With the 118.8-m line, it is obtained from the frequency separation of the anti-symmetric doublet that CH₃OH absorption line center is 16±1 MHz higher than the pump 9.7-m P(36) CO₂ laser line center. It is shown that the Raman-type resonant two-photon transition is useful in order to get several-MHz phase modulation for the far-infrared laser interferometer. Some preliminary performances of this twin laser for the modulated interferometer are described.This work was carried out under the collaborating research program at the Institute of Plasma Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464, Japan.     

Real-time measurement of nitric oxide using a bio-imaging and an electrochemical technique

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important mediator responsible for numerous physiological phenomena. Transient levels of NO in biological systems usually range from nanomolar to micromolar concentrations, with a rapid return to basal levels normally seen following these increases. Because NO can diffuse only over a local area in limited time due to such low levels of production and due to its short life-time prior to degradation, high spatial and temporal resolutions are required for direct and continuous NO measurement if the physiological role of NO is to be investigated in any system. For such purposes, analytical methods based on bio-imaging and electrochemical techniques for the measurement of NO are useful. In this paper, we describe the successful application of these methods to a number of biological systems. Specifically, complementary application of these methods demonstrate that it is possible to detect real-time NO production from nervous tissue with high spatial and temporal resolutions.     

Cyclic polyvanadates incorporating template transition metal cationic species: synthesis and structures of hexavanadate [PdV6O18]4-, octavanadate [Cu2V8O24]4-, and decavanadate [Ni4V10O30(OH)2(H2O)6]4-

Three types of heteropolyvanadates, [(C2H5)4N]4[PdV6O18] (1), [(C2H5)4N]4[Cu2V8O24] (2), and [(C6H5)4P]4[Ni4V10O30(OH)2(H2O)6] (3), were synthesized through the reaction between the [VO3]- anion and metal template cations of Pd(II), Cu(II), and Ni(II). The X-ray crystal structures of 1 (a = 29.952(4) A, b = 12.911(2) A, and c = 13.678(2) A, orthorhombic, space group Pca2(1) with Z = 4), 2 (a = 13.740(1) A, b = 22.488(2) A, c = 18.505(2) A, and beta= 94.058(2) degrees , monoclinic, space group P2(1)/n with Z = 4), and 3 (a = 12.333(2) A, b = 16.208(4) A, c = 16.516(3) A, alpha = 112.438(3) degrees , beta = 94.735(3) degrees , and gamma = 104.749(3) degrees , triclinic, space group P with Z = 1) demonstrate that the metal cationic species induced cyclic [VO3](n-)n (n = 6, 8, 10) ring formation and the cations are incorporated in the rings themselves. In the metal inclusion products, the cyclic vanadates act as macrocyclic ligands, in which the metal cationic species act as the templates. The cyclic vanadate is composed of tetrahedral VO4 units that share corners and incorporates a metal cationic species in the center of the molecules. The bowl-shaped complex 1 includes a Pd2+ cation that is coordinated by the oxygen donors of a boatlike hexavanadate ring. The diamagnetic complex 1 was characterized via 51V and 17O NMR spectroscopy. Complex 2 involves an octavanadate ring and two Cu2+, which are located on both sides of the mean plane as defined by the eight oxygen atoms that bridge the vanadium atoms. In the case of complex 3, the di-mu-hydroxo-bridged Ni2+ dimer with capped Ni2+ aqua ions is formed by hydrolysis to form the decavanadate ring, in which two of the tetrahedral vanadate units are not bonded to the Ni2+ core but supported by hydrogen bonds through the aqua-ligand in the capped Ni2+ cation. Complexes 1-3 in solution were clearly identified by their characteristic isotope patterns using ESI-MS studies.     

Reaction of 3,4-disubstituted 1,2,5-oxadiazole 2-oxides with dipolarophiles : Substituent and solvent effect on the reaction courses

A variety of symmetrically or unsymmetrically 3,4-disubstituttd furoxans such as dicyano, dialkyl, diacyl, bis(phenylsulfonyl), N.N'-dialkyldicarbamoyl, 3(or 4)-methyl-4(or -3)-phenyl(or nitro, ethoxy, phenoxy, phenylthio, pyrrolidinyl, phenylsulfonyl), 3(or 4)-ethyl-4(or -3)phcnyl, and 3(or 4)-ethoxy-4(or -3)-phenylsulfonylruroxan reacted with dipolarophiles in toluene or xylene at the refluxing temperature to give nitrone-type 1,3-dipolar cycloadducts, 5-substituted 1-aza-2,8-dioxabicyclo-[3.3.0]octanes and/or 3-substituted 2-isoxazoline 2-oxides. On the other hand, some of the furoxans gave 2-isoxazolines via nitrile oxide 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition in a toluene (or xylene)-DMF solvent at the refluxing temperature.     

High enantioselectivity in rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation of 1-substituted 2-propenyl acetates

[reaction: see text] Rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of 1-substituted 2-propenyl acetates with dimethyl malonate proceeded with high enantioselectivity in the presence of cesium carbonate as a base and a rhodium catalyst generated from Rh(dpm)(C(2)H(4))(2) (dpm = dipivaloylmethanato) and a chiral phosphino-oxazoline whose basic skeleton is axially chiral binaphthyl to give branch alkylation products in greater than 90% ee.