Line shape analyses on the CO stretching bands of acetone using a vibrational coupling model

The line shapes of the polarized and depolarized Raman bands of the CO stretching of acetone, as well as the infrared band, are analyzed on the basis of the vibrational coupling model. The analytical procedures are described in detail. Satisfactory agreement between the observed and simulated spectra is obtained using almost the same coupling scheme for the three types of spectra. The orientational correlation between the coupled oscillators is discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

ChemInform Abstract: Determination of the Space Group of LaCrO3 by Convergent‐Beam Electron Diffraction.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.     

Deciphering the Biological Activities of Antifungal Agents with Chemical Probes

The growing number of fungal infections caused by pathogens resistant to one or more classes of antifungal drugs emphasizes the threat that these microorganisms pose to animal and human health and global food security. Open questions remain regarding the mechanisms of action of the limited repertoire of antifungal agents, making it challenging to rationally develop more efficacious therapeutics. In recent years, the use of chemical biology approaches has resolved some of these questions and has provided new promising concepts to guide the design of antifungal agents. By focusing on examples from studies carried out in recent years, this minireview describes the key roles that probes based on antifungal agents and their derivatives have played in uncovering details about their activities, in detecting resistance, and in characterizing the interactions between these agents and their targets.     

Dimensionally oriented redox-active π-conjugated systems

Porphyrins bearing the redox-active phenylenediamine pendant groups are synthesized to afford dimensionally oriented π-conjugated systems. The structural and electronic characteristics depend on the atropisomers. In the fluorescence emission spectra, the emission from the porphyrin moiety is almost completely quenched. Zinc complexation of the αααα isomers gives the corresponding zinc porphyrins bearing four phenylenediamine strands. Treatment with a bidentate ligand, DABCO, leads to the sandwich dimer complex, in which the porphyrin moieties are surrounded by π-conjugated pendant groups. p-t-Butylcalix[4]arenes bearing four redox-active phenylenediamine pendant groups on the lower rim are synthesized and characterized both spectroscopically and electrochemically. The interconversion of the oxidation states of the pendant groups is demonstrated both chemically and electrochemically.