A kinetic study of proton transfer reactions of NH+4, CH3NH+3, and PH+4 with calcium atoms

Cross section measurements for the proton transfer reactions of NH⁺₄, CH₃NH⁺₃, and PH⁺₄ with Ca(g) have been obtained over a range of low ion kinetic energies. For all reactions studied the cross sections drop sharply with increase in ion kinetic energy, indicating exothermic behavior. The results show that Ca(g) is an unusually strong base with a proton affinity in excess of 9.2 eV. Cross sections for the PH⁺₄Ca reaction are an order to magnitude higher than those for the NH⁺₄Ca reaction for ion energies between one and three eV. This effect is not explained by simple theories of ion-induced dipole interactions. It is suggested that the enhanced rate of the PH⁺₄Ca reaction may be due to d-orbital participation.     

Lewis acid-promoted Kharasch-Curran additions: a competition kinetics study of bromine atom transfer addition of N-alpha-bromoacetyl-oxazolidinone to 1-hexene

Lewis acids can efficiently promote free radical atom transfer reactions of an oxazolidinone imide substrate, 1, derived from alpha-bromo acetic acid. Thus, 1 undergoes a radical chain addition to 1-hexene giving the atom transfer addition compound, 6, in the presence of scandium or ytterbium triflate in 1,2-dichloroethane or a cosolvent mixture of 1/9 THF/dichloromethane. In 1,2-dichloroethane the solution is heterogeneous, while the cosolvent mixture gives a homogeneous solution, even at temperatures of -78 degrees C. Competition experiments were carried out in both solvent systems with added carbon tetrachloride to study how Lewis acid affected the product distribution. In the presence of carbon tetrachloride, chloride 7 is formed in addition to 6 and the ratio of these two products depends on the amount of Lewis acid present. In the presence of ytterbium triflate, in the cosolvent system, the reaction rate of bromine atom transfer was enhanced up to 400-fold compared to the reaction without added Lewis acid. Significant rate enhancements were also obtained in the solvent 1,2-dichloroethane, although the analysis of the system is complicated by the heterogeneous nature of the medium. Computation of C-Br bond dissociation energies (BDE) of the complexed and uncomplexed oxazolidinone bromide suggest that complexation lowers the BDE due to the effect of the strong electron-withdrawing group on the C-Br bond dipole.     

Structural reassignment of the dehydration product of 2′-Hydroxywarfarin

The base catalyzed condensation reaction between 4-hydroxycoumarin and o-hydroxybenzal-acetone yields 6-methyl-6,12-methano-6H,12H,13H-[1]benzopyran[4,3-d][1,3]benzodioxocin-13-one as the product rather than 6-oxo-7-(2-oxopropyl)-6H, 7H-[1]benzopyrano[4,3-b][1]-benzopyran as had been previously postulated.     

Kinetics of the association of H+3 with H2 at low temperatures

The rate constant for the formation of H⁺₅ (D⁺₅) at (86 ± 3) °K by the three-body process has been determined (k₃(H) = (2.16 ± 0.10) × 10^?28 × 10^?28 cm⁶/molecule² sec and k₃(D) = (1.47 ± 0.20) × 10^?28 cm⁶/molecule² sec) in a high pressure mass spectrometer. Comparison of this result with published rate data at 300 °K indicates the reaction has an apparent activation energy of ?1.5 kcal/mole.     

A general technique to rank protein-ligand binding affinities and determine allosteric versus direct binding site competition in compound mixtures

To realize the full potential of combinatorial chemistry-based drug discovery, generic and efficient tools must be developed that apply the strengths of diversity-oriented chemical synthesis to the identification and optimization of lead compounds for disease-associated protein targets. We report an affinity selection-mass spectrometry (AS-MS) method for protein-ligand affinity ranking and the classification of ligands by binding site. The method incorporates the following steps: (1) an affinity selection stage, where protein-binding compounds are selected from pools of ligands in the presence of varying concentrations of a competitor ligand, (2) a first chromatography stage to separate unbound ligands from protein-ligand complexes, and (3) a second chromatography stage to dissociate the ligands from the complexes for identification and quantification by MS. The ability of the competitor ligand to displace a target-bound library member, as measured by MS, reveals the binding site classification and affinity ranking of the mixture components. The technique requires no radiolabel incorporation or direct biochemical assay, no modification or immobilization of the compounds or target protein, and all reaction components, including any buffers or cofactors required for protein stability, are free in solution. We demonstrate the method for several compounds of wide structural variety against representatives of the most important protein classes in contemporary drug discovery, including novel ATP-competitive and allosteric inhibitors of the Akt-1 (PKB) and Zap-70 kinases, and previously undisclosed antagonists of the M(2) muscarinic acetylcholine receptor, a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR). The theoretical basis of the technique is analyzed mathematically, allowing quantitative estimation of binding affinities and, in the case of allosteric interaction, absolute determination of binding cooperativity. The method is readily applicable to high-throughput screening hit triage, combinatorial library-based affinity optimization, and developing structure-activity relationships among multiple ligands to a given receptor.     

PICOSECOND TIME RESOLVED FLUORESCENCE OF CHLOROPHYLL IN VIVO

Abstract. The published data concerning the fluorescence kinetics of chlorophyll a in various photosynthetic species are reviewed. The effects of singlet-singlet and singlet-triplet annihilation induced by excessively high incident light intensities are discussed and related to the changes produced in the fluorescence lifetimes and quantum yields. We also review the fluorescence lifetimes of Chlorella pyrenoidosa and spinach chloroplast fragments under a variety of experimental conditions; these measurements were performed at single pulse excitation intensities of less than 5 × 10¹³ photons cm^–2 where distortion due to annihilation processes is negligible. Evidence for and against a time dependent rate equation for energy migration will be discussed with reference to the authors' work on in vitro systems.     

The modern mass spectrometer—a complete chemical laboratory

Using nitrobenzene as an example, various ways in which a contemporary mass spectrometer can be utilized to yield a wealth of information about the compound studied are reviewed. Applying a variety of different techniques and procedures, in addition to the conventional low resolution mass spectrum, the following nitrobenzene spectra have been obtained: collision induced dissociation mass spectrum, mass analysed ion kinetic energy spectra, collision induced dissociation mass analysed ion kinetic energy spectra, spectra obtained at constant B/E, spectra obtained at constant B²/E, high voltage scans of metastable ion fragmentation processes, consecutive fragmentations in different field free regions, charge exchange mass spectra, charge stripping mass spectra, doubly charged ion mass spectra, chemical ionization mass spectra, negative ion mass spectra, negative ion mass analysed ion kinetic energy spectra, negative ion mass analysed ion kinetic energy collision induced dissociation spectra, charge inversion spectra, etc. The complementary types of information available from the above studies are discussed to show the unique versatility of mass spectrometry as a technique for the examination of organic compounds.     

Rearrangements and isomerism in the molecular ion of o-methoxybenzoic acid

The molecular ion of o-methoxy-d₃-benzoic acid can undergo three different rearrangements and hydrogen/deuterium exchange between the functional groups. This can result in 14 isomers of the molecular ion before it decomposes giving fragments at m/z 105, 106, 107 and 108. Three types of isomer have been identified.     

Intra-molecular selectivity of muonium towards chlorinated aromatic compounds

Muon resonance studies show that muonium atoms (Mu) in ethanol add selectively to certain C-sites of aromatic compounds containing -Cl and -OH substituents. The sites chosen seem to be those carrying the lowest electron density. This helps to characterize Mu as a nucleophile in addition reactions and, in this respect, Mu differs from ordinary H-atoms.The study shows no apparentinter-molecular selectivity between a pair of aromatic solutes in an equimolar mixture, but strongintra-molecular selectivity in an ether composed of those two aromatic rings. This difference between intra- and inter-molecular selectivity is interpreted as kinetic in origin — arising from the caging effect of the solvent and peculiar to reactions close to the diffusion-controlled limit.