Rapid synthesis of acyl transfer auxiliaries for cysteine-free native glycopeptide ligation

[reaction: see text] Rapid, facile routes to the TFA-cleavable 4,5,6-trimethoxy-2-mercaptobenzyl and 1-(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-mercaptoethyl classes of auxiliaries for cysteine-free native chemical ligation are described. Rapid synthesis, coupled with mild cleavage conditions will undoubtedly broaden the utility of such auxiliaries, particularly where chemically fragile peptide modifications such as glycosylation are present.     

Design and evaluation of a Dean vortex-based micromixer

A mixer, based on the Dean vortex, is fabricated and tested in an on-chip format. When fluid is directed around a curve under pressure driven flow, the high velocity streams in the center of the channel experience a greater centripetal force and so are deflected outward. This creates a pair of counter-rotating vortices moving fluid toward the inner wall at the top and bottom of the channel and toward the outer wall in the center. For the geometries studied, the vortices were first seen at Reynolds numbers between 1 and 10 and became stronger as the flow velocity is increased. Vortex formation was monitored in channels with depth/width ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0. The lowest aspect ratio strongly suppressed vortex formation. Increasing the aspect ratio above 1 appeared to provide improved mixing. This design has the advantages of easy fabrication and low surface area.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of a fully conjugated macrocyclic tetraaza(14)-membered Schiff base and its bivalent metal complexes

A novel 14-membered macrocyclic Schiff base derived from 3-cinnamalideneacetoacetanilide and o-phenylenediamine acts as a tetradentate and strongly conjugated ligand to form a cationic solid complex with CuCl₂/NiCl₂/CoCl₂/ZnCl₂. The ligand and the complexes were characterized by the usual spectral and analytical techniques. The main i.r. band of the macrocyclic Schiff base was compared to that of its metal complexes. The C=N bands are shifted to the lower wave number. The cyclic voltammogram of the copper complex shows that the macrocyclic ligand is able to stabilize the copper(III) oxidation state. The e.s.r. spectra of the copper complex in DMSO solution at room temperature and liquid N₂ temperature were recorded and their salient features thoroughly discussed. The antimicrobial screening tests were also recorded and gave good results in the presence of metal ions in the ligand system.     

Comparison of polydimethyl siloxane stationary phases with 5% and 50% phenyl substitution for the separation of organophosphorus and organonitrogen pesticides under optimized gas chromatographic conditions

The CGC analysis of 25 organophosphorus and organonitrogen pesticides was optimized on two different stationary phases, namely a 5% diphenyl dimethyl silicone (SE-54 type) and a 50% diphenyl dimethyl silicone (OV-17 type) by selecting the best temperature program conditions, using computer simulation.     

Two unusual, competitive mechanisms for (2-ethynylphenyl)triazene cyclization: pseudocoarctate versus pericyclic reactivity

The cyclization of (2-ethynylphenyl)triazenes in ODCB at 200 degrees C gives exclusively cinnolines, whereas addition of CuCl to 1,2-dichloroethane solutions of the triazenes at 50 degrees C results in the sole formation of isoindazoles. DFT calculations and deuterium labeling studies suggest the intermediacy of a 3-dehydrocinnolinium ion, produced through a pericyclic transition state. Calculations and trapping studies strongly implicate a carbene intermediate in isoindazole formation, which proceeds through a pseudocoarctate transition state.     

Copper(II) coordination to ligands immobilized on photoluminescent porous silicon

Increased preorganization can be achieved by immobilizing ligands on solid supports. Photoluminescent porous silicon, which can undergo facile hydrosilylation, was used as a support for open chain neutral N- and O-donor ligands. The abilities of these ligands to bind the divalent metal ions Ni(2+), Cu(2+), Zn(2+), and Pb(2+) are examined. Immobilized ligands selectively complexed Cu(II) over the other metal ions studied. Ligands immobilized on photoluminescent porous silicon also removed a significant amount, up to 98%, of Cu(II) from copper(II)-spiked, organic-rich, seawater samples.     

On the mechanism of electroluminescence emission by porous silicon layers

The analytical treatment of a model considering the electrooxidation of p-porous silicon layers under galvanostatic conditions is able to give account of experimental facts such as the shape and location of the electroluminescence peak as well as of the spectral shift of the electroluminescence peak produced by oxidation. The proposed model considers electroluminescence to be the result of electron injection into the conduction band by an adsorbed intermediate produced by electrooxidation of the surface coverage with hydrogen or siloxene of the silicon nanocrystallites. The access of holes to the surface is made possible by low accumulation layer conditions and is the rate determining step in the electroluminescence mechanism. In this way it is possible to give a satisfactory explanation to the shift towards the blue experimented by the electroluminiscence emission maximum as a consequence of electrooxidation.     

Metal salt catalyzed carbenoid—XIII: On the mechanisms of cyclopropanation and allylic CH insertions by diazo esters in the presence of olefins and homogeneous copper catalysts

Evidence is presented demonstrating the existence of two paths to the title processes which arise from a common intermediate. A rationale involving catalyzed addition of the diazo compound to the olefin and carbenoid addition to the olefin is proposed. The penultimate intermediate has one new CC bond formed. It is partitioned between products by forming the second CC bond or formation of a hydrocarbenoid allyl complex which collapses to the allylic CH insertion products. Cyclopropanation occurs stereospecifically. The proposed mechanism accounts for the stereospecificity of cyclopropanation, the variance of syn/anti ratios with catalyst concentration when diazoacetic ester is employed and optical inductions with chiral catalysts. The question of whether the alleged carbenoid and/or the penultimate intermediate contain N₂ is not answered although it is felt that a cupro-cyclobutane intermediate is the most probable intermediate before product partitioning.     

Kinetic study of anhydride formation during thermal degradation of isotactic and atactic polymethacrylic acid

A kinetic study of anhydride formation in isotactic and atactic polymethacrylic acids (PMA) has been performed at about 200° using a vacuum thermobalance. The results obey first order kinetics and show that the rate of water loss is about four times higher for the isotactic PMA than for the atactic isomer. The activation energies are almost identical (42 ± 1 kcal per mole); it is concluded that the arrangement of neighbouring carboxyl groups is more favourable for the formation of a cyclic anhydride by intramolecular reaction in the case of the isotactic PMA.     

The influence of microhydration on the ionization energy thresholds of uracil and thymine

In the present study the ionization energy thresholds (IET's) of uracil and thymine have been calculated (with the B3LYP, PMP2, and P3 levels of theory using the standard 6-31++G(d,p) basis set) with one to three water molecules placed in the first hydration shell. Then (B3LYP) polarizable continuum model (PCM) calculations were performed with one to three waters of the hydration shell included. Calculations show there is a distinct effect of microhydration on uracil and thymine. For uracil, one added water results in a decrease in the IET of about 0.15 eV. The second and third water molecules cause a further decrease by about 0.07 eV each. For thymine, the first water molecule is seen to decrease the IET by about 0.1 eV, while the second and third water molecules cause a further decrease of less than 0.1 eV each. The changes in IET calculated here for thymine with one to three waters of hydration are smaller than the experimental values determined by Kim et al. (Kim, S. K.; Lee, W.; Herschbach, D. R. J. Phys. Chem. 1996, 100, 7933). Preliminary results presented here indicate that the experimental results may involve keto-enol tautomers of thymine. The results of placing the microhydrated structures of uracil and thymine in a PCM cavity was seen to make very little difference in the IET when compared to the IET of ordinary uracil or thymine in a PCM cavity. The implications are that accurate calculations of the IET's of uracil and thymine can be obtained by simply considering long-range solvation effects.