Effect of amine ligand bulk on the interaction of methionine with platinum(II) diamine complexes

Molecular mechanics and dynamics calculations have been used in conjunction with experimental data to study the effects of amine ligand bulk on the formation of both guanine and methionine complexes with platinum diamine compounds. The AMBER force field has been supplemented with previous modifications [Yao; et al. Inorg. Chem. 1994, 33, 6061-6077. Cerasino; et al. Inorg. Chem. 1997, 36, 6070-6079] and has been further modified to include parameters for platinum bound to the sulfur atom of methionine. Molecular mechanics calculations with this modified AMBER force field have suggested that a platinum complex with two sulfur-bound methionine ligands and a bulky diamine ligand (N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine, Me(4)en) would have severe interligand clashes; such interligand clashes are less pronounced in bis(9-ethylguanine) complexes. Consistent with these observations, NMR studies with [Pt(Me(4)en)(D(2)O)(2)](2+) have indicated that guanine 5'-monophosphate reacts in a 2:1 guanine:platinum ratio while both methionine and N-acetylmethionine react with only a 1:1 stoichiometry. Methionine forms a chelate via the sulfur and nitrogen atoms whereas N-acetylmethionine forms a chelate via the sulfur and oxygen atoms. The oxygen of the latter chelate can be displaced by the addition of guanosine 5'-monophosphate, although complete displacement of the N-acetylmethionine was not observed.     

Surface chemical analysis of raw cotton fibres and associated materials

The surface chemical composition of raw unscoured cotton was successfully investigated by the surface analytical techniques X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The presence of non-cellulosic material at the fibre surface was established and determined to be a complex mixture of fatty acids, alcohols, alkanes, esters and glycerides. The effect of scouring and bleaching was to reduce the surface concentration of these materials but even after aqueous processing some non-cellulosic material residue was still detected at the fibre surface.     

The dependence of the lattice parameter and density of Zn1−xMnxTe on composition

The lattice parameter of the diluted magnetic semiconductor Zn_1?xMn_xTe has been determined as a function of composition. This material crystallizes in the zinc-blende structure for values of x below about 0.75. The results show that for this range of composition the lattice parameter satisfies Vegard's law and is given by a(x) = (6.103 + 0.237x) Å. This result corrects earlier published values of a(x) for this material (Juza et al., Z. anorg. allg. Chem.285, 61 (1956)), which are in considerable error. Because of its rather pronounced dependence on x, the lattice parameter provides an excellent method for determining sample composition. By extrapolating the expression of a(x) to x = 1, the results also provide a value of 6.340 ± 0.005 Å for the lattice parameter of the hypothetical zinc-blende phase of pure MnTe. The strong dependence of the lattice parameter of Zn_1?xMn_xTe on x is responsible for most of the variation of its density with composition.     

Free radical rearrangements of organocobaloximes: alkynyl to cycloalkylidene and hexenyl to cyclopentylmethyl

Under irradiation by tungsten light in pyridine solution, several substituted alkylcobaloximes undergo rearrangement to more stable substituted alkyl- or alkenyl-cobaloximes. When the same reactions are carried out in the presence of carbon tetrachloride or chloroform, no rearranged organocobaloximes are obtained, but a variety of organic products are obtained derived from the interception of transient organic radicals by the halogenated solvent. The rearrangements are rationalised in terms of a reversible homolysis of the carbon-cobalt bond, rearrangement of the organic radical and recapture by the cobalt(II) fragment to give complexes that are more stable to irradiation than their precursors.     

Determination of chromium,iron and copper in niobium by radiochemical proton activation analysis

Chromium, iron and copper were determined in niobium by radiochemical proton activation analysis (PAA). The main steps of the technique involved the irradiation of the samples with 13 MeV protons, the post-irradiation decontamination of the sample surface, a two-step separation procedure based on anion exchange from HF and HCl medium, and counting the separated indicator radionuclides with a well-type NaI detector. For a 5-hr irradiation, limits of detection for chromium, iron, and copper were 0.2, 5.0, and 15 ppb respectively. The results obtained by this technique are compared with data obtained by radiochemical neutron activation analysis (NAA) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS).     

Validation of the LacTek test applied to spiked extracts of tissue samples: determination of performance characteristics

LacTek tests are competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays intended for rapid detection of antimicrobial residues in bovine milk. In this study, the LacTek test protocol was modified for use with extracts of bovine tissue to detect beta-lactam, tetracycline, and sulfamethazine residues. Test performance characteristics--precision, accuracy, ruggedness, practicability, and analytical specificity and sensitivity--were investigated. Results suggest that LacTek tests can be easily adapted to detect antimicrobial residues in extracts of lean ground beef. However, positive samples may not contain residues at violative concentrations (i.e., Canadian maximum residue limits), and therefore, additional analysis would be required for final confirmation and quantitation (e.g., chromatography).     

Seasonal fluctuation of DNA photodamage in marine plankton assemblages at Palmer Station, Antarctica

Ultraviolet radiation-induced DNA damage frequencies were measured in DNA dosimeters and natural plankton communities during the austral spring at Palmer Station, Antarctica, during the 1999-2000 field season. We found that the fluence of solar ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) at the earth's surface correlated with stratospheric ozone concentrations, with significant ozone depletion observed because of "ozone hole" conditions. To verify the interdependence of ozone depletion and DNA damage in natural microbial communities, seawater was collected daily or weekly from Arthur Harbor at Palmer Station, Antarctica, throughout "ozone season," exposed to ambient sunlight between 0600 and 1800 h and fractionated using membrane filtration to separate phytoplankton and bacterioplankton populations. DNA from these fractions was isolated and DNA damage measured using radioimmunoassay. Under low-ozone conditions cyclobutane dimer concentrations in bacterioplankton and phytoplankton communities were maximal. DNA damage measured in dosimeters correlated closely with ozone concentrations and UV-B fluence. Our studies offer further support to the theory that stratospheric deozonation is detrimental to marine planktonic organisms in the Southern Ocean.     

Intramolecular Stacking in Ternary Complexes Containing Uridine 5′-Triphosphate, 2,2′-Bipyridyl,and a Divalent Metal Ion

The stability constants of the ternary complexes containing UTP, 2,2′-bipyridyl (bipy), and Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, or Zn²⁺ (M²⁺) have been determined by potentiometric titrations (Table 1). Changes in stability are quantified by Δlog K_M = log K–log K. For the Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Zn²⁺ systems Δlog K_M is 0.10, ?0.13, 0.36, and 0.15, respectively. All these ternary complexes are considerably more stable than would be expected on statistical grounds; indeed, for Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Zn²⁺, UTP^4? binds more tightly to M (bipy)²⁺ than to M²⁺. An UV. difference spectroscopic study suggests that stacked adducts between bipyridyl and the pyrimidine moiety of uridine are formed. ¹H-NMR. studies of the bipy/uridine, bipy/UTP, and bipy/UTP/Zn²⁺ systems (Figs. 1 and 2) confirm the presence of stacking in the binary adducts and in the ternary complex. There is also evidence for the existence of the stacked protonated complex, Zn(bipy) (HUTP)^?, with the proton at the γ-phosphate group. The acidity constant of this ternary complex has been measured (Fig. 3). The observed stability enhancement of stacked adducts by the formation of a metal ion bridge is discussed (Fig. 4) and biological implications are indicated.     

Rapid PCR in a continuous flow device

Continuous flow polymerase chain reaction (CFPCR) devices are compact reactors suitable for microfabrication and the rapid amplification of target DNAs. For a given reactor design, the amplification time can be reduced simply by increasing the flow velocity through the isothermal zones of the device; for flow velocities near the design value, the PCR cocktail reaches thermal equilibrium at each zone quickly, so that near ideal temperature profiles can be obtained. However, at high flow velocities there are penalties of an increased pressure drop and a reduced residence time in each temperature zone for the DNA/reagent mixture, that potentially affect amplification efficiency. This study was carried out to evaluate the thermal and biochemical effects of high flow velocities in a spiral, 20 cycle CFPCR device. Finite element analysis (FEA) was used to determine the steady-state temperature distribution along the micro-channel and the temperature of the DNA/reagent mixture in each temperature zone as a function of linear velocity. The critical transition was between the denaturation (95 degrees C) and renaturation (55 degrees C-68 degrees C) zones; above 6 mm s(-1) the fluid in a passively-cooled channel could not be reduced to the desired temperature and the duration of the temperature transition between zones increased with increased velocity. The amplification performance of the CFPCR as a function of linear velocity was assessed using 500 and 997 base pair (bp) fragments from lambda-DNA. Amplifications at velocities ranging from 1 mm s(-1) to 20 mm s(-1) were investigated. The 500 bp fragment could be observed in a total reaction time of 1.7 min (5.2 s cycle(-1)) and the 997 bp fragment could be detected in 3.2 min (9.7 s cycle(-1)). The longer amplification time required for detection of the 997 bp fragment was due to the device being operated at its enzyme kinetic limit (i.e., Taq polymerase deoxynucleotide incorporation rate).