Formation and dissociation of rhodamine 800 dimers in water: steady-state and ultrafast spectroscopic study

We investigated the fundamental photophysics and photochemistry of a cationic dye rhodamine 800 (R800) in water using steady-state and ultrafast time-resolved spectroscopies. In the ground state, the monomer and dimer coexist in equilibrium, which causes significant concentration dependence of UV-visible (vis) absorption spectra. We determined the equilibrium constant as well as the molar absorption spectra of the monomer and dimer from a global fitting analysis of the UV-vis spectra. The obtained pure dimer spectrum indicates that it is a nonparallel H-dimer. In contrast to the absorption spectra, the steady-state fluorescence spectra do not show any noticeable concentration dependence. The fluorescence lifetime was determined as 0.73 ns regardless of the concentration, and the fluorescence of R800 in water was solely attributed to the monomer. In femtosecond time-resolved absorption measurements, we observed the S(n) <-- S1 absorption bands of the monomer and the dimer, as well as the ground-state bleaching signals. It was found that the S1 dimer dissociates to produce the S1 monomer (and the S0 monomer) or relaxes to the S0 dimer with a time constant of as short as 3.0 ps, which brings about the absence of dimer fluorescence.     

(tBu2MeSi)2Sn=Sn(SiMetBu2)2: a distannene with a >Sn=Sn< double bond that is stable both in the solid state and in solution

((t)Bu(2)MeSi)(2)Sn=Sn(SiMe(t)Bu(2))(2) 1, prepared by the reaction of (t)Bu(2)MeSiNa with SnCl(2)-diox in THF and isolated as dark-green crystals, represents the first example of acyclic distannene with a Sn=Sn double bond that is stable both in the crystalline form and in solution. This was proved by the crystal and NMR spectral data of 1. Distannene 1 has these peculiar structural features: a shortest among all acyclic distannenes Sn=Sn double bond of 2.6683(10) A, a nearly planar geometry around both Sn atoms, and a highly twisted Sn=Sn double bond. The reactions of 1 toward carbon tetrachloride and phenylacetylene also correspond to the reactivity anticipated for the Sn=Sn double bond. The one-electron reduction of 1 with potassium produced the distannene anion radical, the heavy analogue of alkene ion radicals, for which the particular crystal structure and low-temperature EPR behavior are also discussed.     

Agesamides A and B, bromopyrrole alkaloids from sponge Agelas species: application of DOSY for chemical screening of new metabolites

Diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY) is a versatile and powerful NMR technique and a noninvasive analytical method for mixture analysis that does not require prior physical separation of the analytes. In our search for new metabolites from natural resources, DOSY was applied for constituent analysis of crude bromopyrrole fractions separated from an Okinawan marine sponge Agelas sp. so that two new bromopyrrole alkaloids, agesamides A (1) and B (2), have been isolated. The structures and relative stereochemistry of 1 and 2 were elucidated from spectroscopic data.     

Permanence of a discrete SIRS epidemic model with time delays

In this paper, we consider the permanence of a discrete SIRS epidemic model with time delays. This model is constructed from the discretization by the Euler method. Applying the technique to prove the existence of an eventual lower bound in a continuous epidemic model, a sufficient condition for the permanence of the above discrete SIRS epidemic model is obtained.     

Unsymmetrically substituted disilyne Dsi(2)(i)PrSi-Si≡Si-SiNpDsi(2) (Np = CH(2)(t)Bu): synthesis and characterization

The unsymmetrically substituted disilyne, Dsi(2)(i)PrSi-Si≡Si-SiNpDsi(2) (Np = CH(2)(t)Bu) 2, was synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography to show a trans-bent structure with a silicon-silicon triple bond length of 2.0569(12) ?. The (29)Si chemical shifts of the triply bonded silicon atoms of 2 are quite different, being observed at 62.6 ppm for the Dsi(2)(i)PrSi side and 106.3 ppm for the Dsi(2)NpSi side, indicating different hybridizations on the triply bonded silicon atoms at each site.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of a beauveriolide analogue library

Synthesis of beauveriolide III (1b), which is an inhibitor of lipid droplet accumulation in macrophages, was achieved by solid-phase assembly of linear depsipeptide using a 2-chlorotrityl linker followed by solution-phase cyclization. On the basis of this strategy, a combinatorial library of beauveriolide analogues was carried out by radio frequency-encoded combinatorial chemistry. After automated purification using preparative reversed-phase HPLC, the library was tested for inhibitory activity of CE synthesis in macrophages to determine structure-activity relationships of beauveriolides. Among them, we found that diphenyl derivative 7{9,1} is 10 times more potent than 1b.     

Global dynamics of a discretized SIRS epidemic model with time delay

We derive a discretized SIRS epidemic model with time delay by applying a nonstandard finite difference scheme. Sufficient conditions for the global dynamics of the solution are obtained by improvements in discretization and applying proofs for continuous epidemic models. These conditions for our discretized model are the same as for the original continuous model.     

Monoclonal antibody against Leptospira interrogans serovar canicola

Nine cell lines producing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against Leptospira interrogans serovar canicola strain Moulton were established by the cell fusion technique. The immunological reactivity of these MAbs with various kinds of serogroups, serovars and strains were examined by microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). MAbs W1-W3 derived from mice, which were immunized with whole cells of the strain Moulton, reacted with the serogroups Canicola, Icterohaemorrhagiae and Pyrogenes. On the other hand, MAbs A1-A6 derived from mice immunized with the outer envelope (OE) fraction, which showed a potent protective activity and was extracted with ammonium hydroxide from the strain Moulton, reacted specifically with the serogroup Canicola alone in MAT. A difference in antigenic structure between subserogroup A (canicola subgroup) and subserogroups B (schüeffneri subgroup) of the serogroup Canicola was demonstrated by MAT using the MAbs. All the MAbs clearly agglutinated serovars of subserogroup A except for serovars kamituga, jonsis and bindjei, but did not react with any serovars of subserogroup B. These findings suggest that MAb highly specific to each serovar is readily available by OE immunization and is useful for the classification of Leptospira.     

Stereoselective construction of a quaternary carbon substituted with multifunctional groups: application to the concise synthesis of (+)-ethosuximide

Synthetically useful β,γ-unsaturated carbonyl compounds having a quaternary carbon at the -position were prepared with high stereoselectivity by the reaction of a dienolate anion derived from ,β-unsaturated imide having a chiral auxiliary and electrophiles (ethyl acetate and allyl iodide as the C₂ and C₃ unit, respectively). This method was applied to a short asymmetric synthesis of (+)-ethosuximide.     

Terpenoids and aromatic compounds from the New Zealand liverworts Plagiochila, Schistochila, and Heteroscyphus species

A new clerodane- and two new ent-rosane-type diterpenoids have been isolated from the New Zealand liverworts Heteroscyphus billardierii and Plagiochila deltoidea, respectively. The known bisbibenzyl compounds and acetophenones have also been isolated from Schistochila glaucescens and Plagiochila fasciculata. Their structures were established by extensive NMR techniques. Chemosystematics of the Plagiochila species have been discussed.