The Role of Oxygen in the Antiviral Activity of Hypericin and Hypocrellin

The light-induced antiviral activity of hypericin and hypocrellin in the presence and absence of oxygen was examined under experimental conditions where the effect of oxygen depletion could be quantified. There was a significant reduction of light-induced antiviral activity of hypericin and hypocrellin under hypoxic conditions. Interestingly, antiviral activity of hypocrellin was not observed at low oxygen levels at which hypericin retained measurable virucidal activity. This suggests that additional pathways, such as the generation of protons from excited states of hypericin, may enhance the biological activity of activated oxygen species.     

An alternate synthesis of 6-substituted-5-deazapteridines

A procedure for synthesis of 2,4-diamino-6-substituted-5-deazapteridines (pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines) is described. Condensation of 1-piperidino-1-propene with ethoxymethylenemalononitrile afforded an enamino malononitrile adduct, which when treated with ammonia yielded 2-amino-3-cyano-5-methylpyridine. Cyclization to 2,4-diamino-6-methyl-5-deazapteridine could be effected with guanidine. Similar condensation of piperidinopropene with ethyl methoxymethylenecyanoacetate followed by cyclization with hydroxylamine gave 2-amino-3-carbethoxy-6-methylpyridine 1-oxide. Reduction with phosphorus trichloride afforded the pyridine base, however, attempts to cyclize the amino ester to 2-amino-4-hydroxy-6-methyl-5-deazapteridine were unusccessful.     

Anionic-initiated polymerization of β-nitrostyrenes

β-Nitrostyrene and many of its derivatives have been shown to yield high polymers via anionic initiation with alkoxide ions in protic solvents, e.g., alcohols. A study was conducted to determine the effect of certain substituents on the polymerization characteristics of representative monomers of this series and the properties of their polymers. A kinetic study was conducted and the relative rates of propagation were unexpectedly found to correlate well with brown's σ⁺ values. The rates of initiation of two representative monomers, β-nitrostyrene and p-methoxy-β-nitrostyrene, with sodium ethoxide were found to be 3.51 and 2.86 liter/mole sec, respectively. The rate of chain transfer in ethanol was studied qualitatively by using gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) to obtain molecular weight distribution (MWD) curves. The low values of the M _w/M _n ratios indicated little chain transfer in the protic solvent.     

Reactive E=C(p‐p)π‐Systems. 56 [1] Attempted Preparation of PhE=C(CF3)2 by Reactions of Hexafluoroacetone with PhE(SiMe3)2 (E = As,P)

The chance to prepare sterically and inductively stabilized arsa‐ and phosphaalkenes of the type PhE=C(CF₃)₂ (E = As, P) by reacting phenyl‐bis(trimethylsilyl)‐arsane ( 1 ) and ‐phosphane ( 5 ), respectively, with hexafluoroacetone (HFA) was investigated. The insertion of the carbonyl function in one of the Si–E bonds was found to occur at temperatures between ?78 and 20 °C. The elimination of hexamethyldisiloxane, which in case of acylamides and ketones spontaneously follows the insertion and in case of RE(SiMe₃)–CR′₂(OSiMe₃) at least can be initiated by solid sodium hydroxide as catalyst, turned out to be impossible for the primary products PhE(SiMe₃)–C(CF₃)₂‐OSiMe₃ [E = As ( 2 ), P ( 6 )]. 2 and 6 were characterized by analytical (C, H) and spectroscopic methods (IR, NMR, MS).     

Coordination chemistry of bidentate diflourophospines IV. Complexes of 1,2-bis(diflourophosphino)ethane with Ni(O) and Mo(O).

The ligand, 1,2-bis(difluorophosphino)ethane, (PF₂C₂H₄PF₂), reacts with Ni(CO)₄ in the gas phase and in solution to produce carbon monoxide and a polymer, [Ni(PF₂C₂H₄PF₂)₂]_x. PF₂C₂H₄PF₂ displaces norbornadiene from (C₇H₈)Mo(CO)₄ to yield the relatively air-stable complex, Mo(CO)₄-(PF₂C₂H₄PF₂). Analysis of the infrared spectrum of the monomeric complex indicates that the ligand exhibits π-acceptor strength equal to PF₂C₆H₁₀PF₂.     

Theoretical treatment of intermediate electrolysis electrochemical detectors

A simple approach for deriving expressions for the limiting steady-state response of the open tubular electrode, under conditions of intermediate electrolytic yields, is described. This approach couples the principles of laminar fluid dynamics with the theory of the porous electrode reactor. The dependence of the limiting current, I₁, on flow rate, V_f, has the form of I₁ α V^m_f , with m ? $\text{1}\text{3}$, depending upon the electrolytic yield. The effects of electroactive species depletion upon the detector response are discussed. Experimental results are incorporated to support the theoretical conclusions. For a tubular electrode (4-cm long) the degree of conversion decreases from 0.21 to 0.03 and m decreases from 0.42 to 0.32 as the flow rate increases from 0.15 to 3.5 ml min^-1.     

Carbon-bound diazeniumdiolates from the reaction of nitric oxide with amidines

[reaction: see text] The enediamine tautomer of a variety of substituted amidine free bases reacts with nitric oxide (NO) to produce compounds containing a carbon-bound diazeniumdiolate [R1R2R3C-N(O)=NO-] functional group (previously called "nitrosohydroxylamines"). The new reaction has been shown to be quite general, although the nature of the products does vary. Amidines containing more than one replaceable hydrogen produce polydiazeniumdiolates as intermolecular salts, while those in which only one diazeniumdiolation can occur provide zwitterionic salts. These diazeniumdiolated amidines are shown to be useful NO donor compounds which undergo very slow spontaneous dissociation on dissolution in pH 7.4 phosphate buffer to produce mixtures of NO and nitrous oxide containing mostly NO. The most advantageous manifestation of the new discovery is the preparation of the monodiazeniumdiolated amidine zwitterions. Reaction of the medically relevant alpha-adrenergic agonists tetrahydrozoline and idazoxan produced monodiazeniumdiolated amidine zwitterions from which NO release was observed for up to 28 days and showed little sign of ending. The reaction should be applicable to a variety of pharmaceutical agents, including NO synthase inhibitors, antitumor agents, and antibacterials.     

Structural and rate studies of the 1,2-additions of lithium phenylacetylide to lithiated quinazolinones: influence of mixed aggregates on the reaction mechanism

The 1,2-addition of lithium phenylacetylide (PhCCLi) to quinazolinones was investigated using a combination of structural and rate studies. (6)Li, (13)C, and (19)F NMR spectroscopies show that deprotonation of quinazolinones and phenylacetylene in THF/pentane solutions with lithium hexamethyldisilazide affords a mixture of lithium quinazolinide/PhCCLi mixed dimer and mixed tetramer along with PhCCLi dimer. Although the mixed tetramer dominates at high mixed aggregate concentrations and low temperatures used for the structural studies, the mixed dimer is the dominant form at the low total mixed aggregate concentrations, high THF concentrations, and ambient temperatures used to investigate the 1,2-addition. Monitoring the reaction rates using (19)F NMR spectroscopy revealed a first-order dependence on mixed dimer, a zeroth-order dependence on THF, and a half-order dependence on the PhCCLi concentration. The rate law is consistent with the addition of a disolvated PhCCLi monomer to the mixed dimer. Investigation of the 1,2-addition of PhCCLi to an O-protected quinazolinone implicates reaction via trisolvated PhCCLi monomers.     

Predissociation spectroscopy of the argon-solvated H5O2+ "zundel" cation in the 1000-1900 cm(-1) region

Predissociation spectra of the H5O2+.Ar(1,2) cluster ions are reported in the 1000-1900 cm(-1) region. The weakly bound argon atoms enable investigation of the complex in a linear action mode, and the resulting spectra are much simpler than those reported previously in this region [Asmis et al., Science 299, 1375 (2003) and Fridgen et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 108, 9008 (2004)], which were obtained using infrared multiphoton dissociation of the bare complex. The observed spectrum consists of two relatively narrow bands at 1080 and 1770 cm(-1) that are likely due to excitation of the shared proton and intramolecular bending vibrations of the two water molecules, respectively. The narrow linewidths and relatively small (60 cm(-1)) perturbation introduced by the addition of a second argon atom indicate that the basic "zundel" character of the H5O2+ ion survives upon complexation.     

Large-scale resonance amplification of optical sensing of volatile compounds with chemoresponsive visible-region diffraction gratings

Micropatterning of the vapochromic charge-transfer salt, [Pt(CNC6H4C10H21)4][Pd(CN)4], on transparent platforms yields transmissive chemoresponsive diffraction gratings. Exposure of the gratings to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as chloroform and methanol leads to VOC uptake by the porous material comprising the grating lattice or framework, and a change in the material's complex refractive index, ?. The index change is accompanied by a change in the degree of index contrast between the lattice and the surrounding medium (in this case, air), and a change in the diffraction efficiency of the grating. When a monochromatic light source that is not absorbed by the lattice material is employed as a probe beam, only changes in the real component of ? are sensed. Under these conditions, the grating behaves as a nonselective, but moderately sensitive, sensor for those VOCs capable of permeating the porous lattice material. When a probe color is shifted to a wavelength coincident with the vapochromic charge-transfer transition of the lattice material, the sensor response is selectively amplified by up to 3.5 orders of magnitude, resulting in greatly enhanced sensitivity and some degree of chemical specificity. On the basis of studies at four probe wavelengths, the amplification effect is dominated by resonant changes in the imaginary component of the refractive index. The observed wavelength- and analyte-dependent amplification effects are quantitatively well described by a model that combines a Kramers-Kronig analysis with an effective-medium treatment of dielectric effects.