α-Methylidene- and α-Alkylidene-β-lactams from Nonproteinogenic Amino Acids

Treatment of methyl 2-(1-hydroxyalkyl)prop-2-enoates 1 with conc. HBr solution afforded methyl (Z)-2-(bromomethyl)alk-2-enoates 2 , which were transformed regioselectively into N-substituted methyl (E)-2- (aminomethyl)alk-2-enoates 3 (S_N2 reaction) and into N-substituted methyl 2-(1-aminoalkyl)prop-2-enoates 4 (S_N2′ reaction). Regiocontrol of nucleophilic attack by amine was accomplished simply by choice of solvent, the S_N2 reaction occurring in MeCN and the S_N2′ reaction in petroleum ether. Hydrolysis and lactamization afforded β-lactams 7 and 8 , containing an exocyciic alkylidene and methylidene group at C(3), respectively.     

Synthesis of well‐designed polymers carrying saccharide moieties via RAFT miniemulsion polymerization

Two hydrophobic vinyl saccharide monomers based on D ‐glucose and D ‐fructose were polymerized by employing the reversible addition‐fragmentation transfer (RAFT) miniemulsion polymerization technique to prepare well‐designed glycopolymers. Three dithiobenzoate‐RAFT agents [S?C(Ph)S? R], 1‐phenylethyl dithiobenzoate (PED), 2‐phenylprop‐2‐yl dithiobenzoate (PPD), and 2‐cyanoprop‐2‐yl dithiobenzoate (CPD), were used to control the growth of polymer chains. The best results were obtained in the presence of the PPD‐RAFT agent and the formed polymers have polydispersity index's (PDI) lower than 1.15. Under adequate miniemulsion polymerization conditions, a glycopolymer with PDI of 1.1 and molecular weight of 5 × 10⁴ g/mol has been successfully synthesized in a short reaction time of 100 min. Furthermore, some block copolymers containing saccharide segment with butyl or methyl methacrylate were prepared. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Copper(II) Complexes of ω‐Hydroxy‐Functionalized N‐Salicylidenehydrazides show pH‐Controlled Switching between Dicationic Dimers and Neutral One‐Dimensional Coordination Polymers

New copper(II) complexes of the hydrazone ligands H₂salhyhb, H₂salhyhp, and H₂salhyhh, derived from salicylaldehyde and ω‐hydroxy carbonic acid hydrazides, have been synthesized and physically characterized. Two fundamental structures were found in solid state depending on the pH‐value of the reaction solution. Acidic conditions lead to the formation of the di‐μ‐phenoxo‐bridged dicationic complex dimers [{Cu(Hsalhyhb)}₂]²⁺ ( 1a ), [{Cu(Hsalhyhp)}₂]²⁺ ( 2a ), and [{Cu(Hsalhyhh)}₂]²⁺ ( 3a ), isolated as perchlorate salts. The dimeric complexes show strong antiferromagnetic coupling with J = ?399 ( 1a ), ?410 ( 2a ), and ?311 cm^?1 ( 3a ). Higher pH‐values resulted in the aggregation of neutral copper ligand fragments to the one‐dimensional coordination polymers [{Cu(salhyhb)}_n] ( 1b ), [{Cu(salhyhp)}_n] ( 2b ), and [{Cu(salhyhh)}_n] ( 3b ). 3b has been examined by means of X‐ray crystallography and represents the first example of a structurally characterized neutral copper(II) N‐salicylidenehydrazide complex without additional ligands. The magnetic interactions in the polymers are also antiferromagnetic with J = ?125 ( 1b ), ?136 ( 2b ), and ?148 cm^?1 ( 3b ), but strongly reduced compared to the corresponding dimeric complexes. The two basic structure types can be reversibly interconverted simply by pH‐control.     

Thermoresponsive N,N-dialkylacrylamide copolymer blends as DNA sieving matrices with a thermally tunable mesh size

In an earlier study we showed that a blend of thermoresponsive and nonthermoresponsive hydroxyalkylcelluloses could be used to create a thermally tunable polymer network for double-stranded (ds) DNA separation. Here, we show the generality of this approach using a family of polymers suited to a wider range of DNA separations: a blended mixture of N,N-dialkylacrylamide copolymers with different thermoresponsive behaviors. A mixture of 47% w/w N,N-diethylacrylamide (DEA)/53% w/w N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) (DEA47; thermoresponsive, transition temperature = 55 degrees C in water) and 30% w/w DEA/70% w/w DMA (DEA30; nonthermoresponsive, transition temperature > 85 degrees C in water) copolymers in the ratio of 1:5 w/w DEA47:DEA30 was used to separate a dsDNA restriction digest (PhiX174-HaeIII). We investigated the effects of changing mesh size on dsDNA separation, as controlled by temperature. We observed good DNA separation performance with the copolymer blend at temperatures ranging from 25 degrees C to 48 degrees C. The separation selectivity was evaluated quantitatively for certain DNA fragment pairs as a function of temperature. The results were compared with those obtained with a control matrix consisting only of the nonthermoresponsive DEA30. Different DNA fragment pairs of various sizes show distinct temperature-dependent selectivities. Over the same temperature range, no significant temperature dependence of selectivity is observed for these DNA fragment pairs in the nonthermoresponsive control matrix. Overall, the results show similar trends in the temperature dependency of separation selectivity to what was previously observed in hydroxyalkylcellulose blends, for the same DNA fragment pairs. Finally, we showed that a ramped temperature scheme enables improved separation in the blended copolymer matrix for both small and large DNA fragments, simultaneously in a single capillary electrophoresis (CE) run.     

De novo design of a redox-active minimal rubredoxin mimic

Metal-binding sites in metalloproteins frequently occur at the interfaces of elements of secondary structure, which has enabled the retrostructural analysis of natural proteins and the de novo design of helical bundles that bind metal ion cofactors. However, the design of metalloproteins containing beta-structure is less well developed, despite the frequent occurrence of beta-conformations in natural metalloproteins. Here, we describe the design and construction of a beta-protein, RM1, that forms a stable, redox-active 4-Cys thiolate Fe(II/III) site analogous to the active site of rubredoxin. The protein folds into a beta-structure in the presence and absence of metal ions and binds Fe(II/III) to form a redox-active site that is stable to repeated cycles of oxidation and reduction, even in an aerobic environment.     

Limit on right handed weak coupling parameters from inelastic neutrino interactions

Right handed weak quark currents coupled to the usual left handed weak lepton current would be seen in inclusive antineutrino scattering on nuclei as a contribution at largey with the quark (not antiquark) structure function. We do not see such a term, and can therefore put an upper limit on the relative strengths of such right handed currents: \(\varrho ^2 = \frac{{\sigma _R }}{{\sigma _L }}< 0.009\) , 90% confidence. This measurement puts limits on the mixing angle of left-right symmetric models. In distinction to similar limits derived from muon decay or β decay, our limits are also valid if the right handed neutrino is heavy.     

Fine structure and hyperfine structure in the excited configuration 5p 26s of the antimony I spectrum

By optical interference and VUV spectroscopy the doublet system of SbI 5p ²6s was investigated, so that now the hyperfinestructure of all 8 levels of 5p ²6s (A- andB-splitting constants) are known. From the analysis we receive a spin-orbit parameter ζ_5p =3,538(57) cm^?1 and from the hyperfine-analysis single electron splitting constantsa _5p ⁰¹ =52.4(4.6),a _5p ¹⁰ =?1.6(7.3),a _5p ¹² =72.3(2.3),a _6s ¹⁰ =91.7(4.1),b _5p ⁰² =?49.6(1.1) andb _5p ¹¹ =30.4(3.2) (all values in mK). For all calculations in the fs- and hfs-analysis the 5p ²6s ² D _3/2 has to be excluded (see discussion). With the figures given above the quadrupole moment¹²¹ Q(5p ²6s)=?0.44(3) barn was obtained. It is in good agreement with the¹²¹ Q(5p ³). For the core-polarization by the 5p electron in the innerfieldns-shells (n=1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and the unpaired 6s electron a field of +500(300) kG was obtained.     

Bounded perturbations of dynamics

If and are one-parameter automorphism groups of a von Neumann algebraM is said to be a bounded perturbation of if _t – _t 0 ast0. We give a complete characterization of the bounded perturbations of . In particular, we show that if can be implemented by a strongly continuous one-parameter group with self-adjoint generator (Hamiltonian)H, then can be implemented in the same way and the corresponding HamiltonianH can be chosen to be of the formH=VHV ^–1+h, whereV is a unitary ofM andh=h*M.On leave of absence from II. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Hamburg, D-2000 Hamburg 50, Federal Republic of Germany