Raman study of SO2 at high pressure: aggregation,phase transformations,and photochemistry

We report Raman measurements made on SO₂ in a diamond cell up to 75 kbar showing two new phases, solid II and solid III, which differ from known, zero-pressure solid I. Spectra indicate that SO₂ molecules aggregate in solid III to possibly form a cyclical trimer; solid III is shown to be photochemically active to blue radiation.     

Dyeing uric acid crystals with methylene blue

The growth of anhydrous uric acid (UA) and uric acid dihydrate (UAD) crystals from supersaturated aqueous solutions containing methylene blue, a cationic organic dye, has been investigated. Low concentrations of dye molecules were found to be included in both types of crystal matrixes during the growth process. Incorporation of dye into UA crystals occurs with high specificity, affecting primarily [001] and [201] growth sectors, while UAD crystals grown from solutions of similar dye concentration show inclusion but little specificity. The orientation of the UA-trapped species was determined from polarization data obtained from visible light microspectrometry. To achieve charge neutrality, a second anionic species must also be included with the methylene blue into UA and UAD crystal matrices. Under high pH conditions, crystallization of 1:1 stoichiometric mixtures of methylene blue and urate yields methylene blue hexahydrate (MBU.6(H2O). The crystal structure of MBU.6(H2O) reveals continuous pi-pi stacks of planes of dye cations and urate anions mediated by water molecules. This structure provides an optimal geometry for methylene blue-urate pairs and additional support for the incorporation of these dimers in uric acid single-crystal matrices. The strikingly different inclusion patterns in UA and UAD demonstrate that subtle changes in the crystal surfaces and/or growth dynamics can greatly affect recognition events.     

Application of the NT solvent nucleophilicity scale to attack at phosphorus: solvolyses of N,N,N',N'-tetramethyldiamidophosphorochloridate

The specific rates of solvolysis of N,N,N',N'-tetramethyldiamidophosphorochloridate have been measured at 25.0 degrees C in 31 solvents. Analysis with the extended Grunwald-Winstein equation leads to sensitivities toward changes in solvent nucleophilicity (l) of 1.20 +/- 0.07 and toward changes in solvent ionizing power (m) of 0.69 +/- 0.04. The correlation is improved by omission of the four data points for 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol-ethanol mixtures (F-test value from 155 to 320) with very small reductions in both l and m values. Activation parameters are reported for eight of the solvolyses. The l and m values are very similar to those previously reported for solvolyses of several arenesulfonyl chlorides, consistent with a concerted substitution process. This assignment is supported by a large k(Cl)/k(F) ratio for hydrolysis and a corresponding ratio for hydroxide-assisted hydrolysis of 178. The stereochemistry of nucleophilic attack at tetracoordinate phosphorus(V) is discussed.     

KINETIC FACTORS GOVERNING SENSITIZED PHOTOOXIDATION OF EXCITABLE CELL MEMBRANES

Abstract— The kinetic factors which determine the rate at which Na⁺ channels in nerve membranes become photochemically modified were studied on giant axons from lobsters using the double sucrose gap voltage clamp technique. Axons were bathed in artificial sea water containing sensitizing dyes and illuminated from a Xe are source with light in the visible region while being repetitively step depolarized. Successive values of peak Na⁺ current and time-to-peak were monitored and rate constants for their change served as the assay for magnitude of modification. Action spectra for four sensitizers in the fluorescein series exhibited red shifts of roughly 17nm demonstrating that sensitizing species are not simply free in solution. Eosin Y diffuses to its sensitization sites with a half time of 70s indicating the existence of a major diffusion barrier which may mean that dye must penetrate to the interior of the membrane to be effective. Eosin Y is removed from sensitization sites by rinse with the same half time but shows two fractions: a faster fraction comprising 80% of sensitizing effectiveness and a slower fraction comprising 20%. The concentration dependence for Eosin Y is linear below 10 μ M and shows a progressive saturation at higher values, where the relationship is difficult to determine because of shielding. Different sensitizers vary in their ability to sensitize block of channels vs disruption of inactivation, demonstrating separate processes for the two modifications. It is suggested that both modifications proceed from single photon absorption events by individual sensitizer molecules bound or located close to the modification sites on the channels.     

CELL MEMBRANE PHOTOMODIFICATION: RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF HALOGENATED FLUORESCEINS FOR PHOTOHEMOLYSIS

Abstract— Relative potency of 10 fluorescein derivatives as sensitizers of delayed photohemolysis of human erythrocytes has been assessed. Dilute suspensions of washed cells were illuminated in the presence of sensitizer at different concentrations for 1 h and analyzed for percent hemolysis following 23 h of dark incubation. Plots of percent hemolysis versus concentration showed a steep dependence on concentration for all sensitizers. Additional measurements of octanol/water partition coefficients, photon absorption in octanol and in saline and photobleach rates were made. After correction for absorption cross section, the effectiveness values ranged over more than three orders of magnitude with fluorescein being the least potent and rose bengal the most. A reasonable prediction of potency is obtained by taking the product of partition coefficient, relative absorption in octanol versus water and molecular weight of the substituents added to the fluorescein skeleton. The results suggest that the influence of halogen substitution on sensitizing potency is exerted by four factors; (1) distribution of sensitizer into a low polarity region of the cell membrane, (2) absorption efficiency in a low polarity region, (3) triplet quantum yield, and (4) photobleach rate.     

Structure of a surfactant-templated silicate framework in the absence of 3d crystallinity

The structure of a novel molecularly ordered two-dimensional (2D) silicate framework in a surfactant-templated mesophase has been established by using a combination of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and quantum chemical and empirical force-field modeling. These materials are unusual in their combination of headgroup-directed 2D crystalline framework ordering, zeolite-like ring structures within the layers, and long-range mesoscopic organization without three-dimensional (3D) atomic periodicity. The absence of registry between the silicate sheets, resulting from the liquidlike disorder of the alkyl surfactant chains, has presented significant challenges to the determination of framework structures in these and similar materials lacking 3D crystalline order. Double-quantum (29)Si NMR correlation experiments establish the interactions and connectivities between distinct intra-sheet silicon sites from which the structure of the molecularly ordered inorganic framework is determined.     

Enantioselective guest binding and dynamic resolution of cationic ruthenium complexes by a chiral metal-ligand assembly

A supramolecular metal-ligand assembly encapsulates a variety of cationic half-sandwich ruthenium complexes. Due to the chirality of both host and guest, chiral recognition is observed with diastereomeric excesses up to 70%. The chiral cavity can be used to carry out a dynamic resolution of the rapidly equilibrating enantiomers of the chiral organometallic guest.     

2-Mercaptomethyl-thiazolidines use conserved aromatic–S interactions to achieve broad-range inhibition of metallo-β-lactamases

Infections caused by multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria are a major public health threat. Carbapenems are among the most potent antimicrobial agents that are commercially available to treat MDR bacteria. Bacterial production of carbapenem-hydrolysing metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) challenges their safety and efficacy, with subclass B1 MBLs hydrolysing almost all β-lactam antibiotics. MBL inhibitors would fulfil an urgent clinical need by prolonging the lifetime of these life-saving drugs. Here we report the synthesis and activity of a series of 2-mercaptomethyl-thiazolidines (MMTZs), designed to replicate MBL interactions with reaction intermediates or hydrolysis products. MMTZs are potent competitive inhibitors of B1 MBLs in vitro (e.g., K_i = 0.44 μM vs. NDM-1). Crystal structures of MMTZ complexes reveal similar binding patterns to the most clinically important B1 MBLs (NDM-1, VIM-2 and IMP-1), contrasting with previously studied thiol-based MBL inhibitors, such as bisthiazolidines (BTZs) or captopril stereoisomers, which exhibit lower, more variable potencies and multiple binding modes. MMTZ binding involves thiol coordination to the Zn(ii) site and extensive hydrophobic interactions, burying the inhibitor more deeply within the active site than d/l-captopril. Unexpectedly, MMTZ binding features a thioether–π interaction with a conserved active-site aromatic residue, consistent with their equipotent inhibition and similar binding to multiple MBLs. MMTZs penetrate multiple Enterobacterales, inhibit NDM-1 in situ, and restore carbapenem potency against clinical isolates expressing B1 MBLs. Based on their inhibitory profile and lack of eukaryotic cell toxicity, MMTZs represent a promising scaffold for MBL inhibitor development. These results also suggest sulphur–π interactions can be exploited for general ligand design in medicinal chemistry.

Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are major culprits of resistance to carbapenems in bacteria. A series of thiazolidines are potent MBL inhibitors, restoring the activity of carbapenems. Metal binding and sulphur–π interactions are key to inhibition.     

Spectral baseline ripple in hot-electron bolometer mixers due to local oscillator phase and amplitude instabilities

High resolution millimetre and submillimetre wave astronomical spectrometers using hot-electron bolometer mixers as detectors often show marked standing wave patterns in the spectral baseline. LO phase noise contributes through two mechanisms: the phase noise side-bands may be converted to amplitude noise in the source because of the power-frequency characteristic of the source, or they can be converted to in-band amplitude noise through the action of the quasi-optical discriminator formed by the mixer, beam-splitter and telescope structure. The baseline ripple components due to each of these mechanisms have different characteristic periods, and under some circumstances can dominate the spectrometer baseline. The ripple levels estimated using the theory agree well with those observed in practice. It is shown that with careful design systematic effects due to this cause can be reduced to a negligible level.