Polymer-supported approach for solution-phase synthesis of cysteine trap protease inhibitors: procedure for straightforward optimization of the P1-P1' pocket

Peptide-based reversible and irreversible cysteine proteases inhibitors are well reported in the literature. Many of these compounds have an electrophilic carbonyl group as a cysteine trap in the place of a scissile amide moiety of the natural substrate. As a common mechanism strategy, we have designed a probe library of a cysteine trap for rapid optimization of P1-P1' pockets of different cysteine proteases. The synthesis of this library using a straightforward methodology based on polymer-supported reagents and scavengers to avoid tedious purification steps has been achieved. For the selective monobromination of diazo ketones, preparation of a new supported reagent, piperidinoaminomethylpolystyrene hydrobromide, is also described.     

Hydrogen adsorption and methanol electrooxidation on platinum films between 293 and 163 K

Hydrogen adsorption on plantinum polycrystalline films in methanolic medium has been studied between 293 and 163 K by cyclic voltammetry. At the same time, the electrooxidation of the solvent was followed down to the solidification point of the electrolyte. The oxidation reactions of the residues coming from methanol adsorption on platinum are thermally activated phenomena which are controlled by diffusion at very low temperature, whereas the mechanism of hydrogen adsorption does not seem to be thermally activated. The adsorption of hydrogen on Pt in methanolic medium is not all “blocked” below T = 243 K. Moreover, at low temperature, it seems to be stronger than that at room temperature.     

Effect of conformational changes on a one-electron reduction process: evidence of a one-electron P-P bond formation in a bis(phosphinine)

EPR spectra show that one-electron reduction of bis(3-phenyl-6,6-(trimethylsilyl)phosphinine-2-yl)dimethylsilane (1) on an alkali mirror leads to a radical anion that is localized on a single phosphinine ring, whereas the radical anion formed from the same reaction in the presence of cryptand or from an electron transfer with sodium naphthalenide is delocalized on the two phosphinine rings. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that in the last species the unpaired electron is mainly confined in a loose P-P bond (3.479 A), which results from the overlap of two phosphorus p orbitals. In contrast, as attested by X-ray spectroscopy, the P-P distance in neutral 1 is large (5.8 A). As shown by crystal structure analysis, addition of a second electron leads to the formation of a classical P-P single bond (P-P 2.389 A). Spectral modifications induced by the presence of cryptand or by a change in the reaction temperature are consistent with the formation of a tight ion pair that stabilizes the radical structure localized on a single phosphinine ring. It is suggested that the structure of this pair hinders internal rotation around the C-Si bonds and prevents 1 from adopting a conformation that shortens the intramolecular P-P distance. The ability of the phosphinine radical anion to reversibly form weak P-P bonds with neutral phosphinines in the absence of steric hindrance is confirmed by EPR spectra obtained for 2,6-bis(trimethylsilyl)-3-phenylphosphinine (2). Moreover, as shown by NMR spectroscopy, in this system, which contains only one phosphinine ring, further reduction leads to an intermolecular reaction with the formation of a classical P-P bond.     

Determination of 2-mercaptopropionylglycine and its metabolite, 2-mercaptopropionic acid, in plasma by ion-pair reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with post-column derivatization.

A simple and fast high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the simultaneous measurement of 2-mercaptopropionylglycine (Tiopronine) and its metabolite (2-mercaptopropionic acid) in human plasma after the administration of a pharmaceutical dosage form (Acadione). The sample treatment before high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis consisted of the reduction of the corresponding disulphides by tri-n-butylphosphine and protein precipitation with ethanol. Separation was achieved by ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography on a reversed-phase column (LiChrospher RP 18e) with cetrimonium bromide as counter ion and detection by fluorimetry after post-column derivatization with a selective thiol reagent, i.e. pyrenemaleimide. The high frequency of the analyzed samples and validation results make the method suitable for pharmacokinetic studies, and this was demonstrated by the first results obtained after the administration of an oral dose of 500 mg of Tiopronine to two healthy subjects.     

The sum of divisors function and the Riemann hypothesis

The Ramanujan Journal - Let $$\sigma (n)=\sum _{d\mid n}d$$ be the sum of divisors function and $$\gamma =0.577\ldots $$ the Euler constant. In 1984, Robin proved that, under the Riemann...     

Exact exponent for the number of persistent spins in the zero-temperature dynamics of the one-dimensional Potts model

For the zero-temperature Glauber dynamics of theq-state Potts model, the fractionr(q, t) of spins which never flip up to timet decays like a power lawr(q, t)t ^–(q) when the initial condition is random. By mapping the problem onto an exactly soluble one-species coagulation model (A+AA) or alternatively by transforming the problem into a free-fermion model, we obtain the exact expression of (q) for all values ofq. The exponent (q) is in general irrational, (3)=0.53795082..., (4)=0.63151575..., ..., with the exception ofq=2 andq=, for which (2)=3/8 and ()=1.     

Long-range order in a simple model of interacting fermions

We consider a model of spinless fermions on a lattice, interacting through a nearest neighbor repulsion. In the half-filled band case and for dimensionsd 2, we rigorously prove that there is long-range order in some domain of the parameters=(k _B T)^–1 andt/U, wheret is the hopping amplitude of the particles,U the strength of their repulsion, and the inverse temperature. Our technique is based on the usual Peierls argument of classical statistical mechanics but fails for the groundstate. We discuss the specific difficulties introduced by the Fermi statistics.Work supported in part by U.S. NSF grant PHY 90-19433-A02.     

Un théorème de convergence presque-sŭre pour des familles subordonnées à un semi groupe discret

LetP be a positive contraction ofL ¹, we say that a sequence (Q _n ) _n of positive operators is subordinated toP if $$Q_0 = Id, \forall n \in \mathbb{N} Q_n P \geqslant Q_{n + 1} .$$ Let (Q _n,k ) be a double sequence of operators such that for each integerk the sequence (Q _n,k ) _n is subordinated toP. We prove a result of almost everywhere convergence for the quotientsW ^k f/W _k g, whereW ^k f=∑ _n=0 ^∞ Q _n,k f.     

Zirconocene-mediated route to enantiopure 9-oxabicyclononanes functionalized on both carbon bridges

[reaction: see text] A zirconocene-mediated ring contraction of 4-vinylfuranosides generated either from d-arabinose or d-glucose is followed by sequential oxidation to the ketone and alkynyl Grignard addition. The resulting cis-cyclobutanediols are subjected in turn to thermal rearrangement and intramolecular oxymercuration-demercuration. The regiochemistry of the final ring closure is controlled by the nature of R.