Stability and Structure of Activated Macrocycles. Ligands with Biological Applications

Single p-toluic acid pendant groups were attached to 1,4,7,10,13-pentaazacyclopentadecane (15aneN5) and 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane (cyclam) to prepare bifunctional reagents for radiolabeling monoclonal antibodies with (64,67)Cu. The ligands are 1,4,7,10,13-pentaazacyclopentadecane-1-(alpha-1,4-toluic acid) (PCBA) and 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane-1-(alpha-1,4-toluic acid) (CPTA). For the parent macrocycles and their pendant arm derivatives, the 1:1 Cu(2+) complexes dissociate only below pH 2. At pH 0.0 and 25 degrees C the CPTA-Cu complex has a half-life toward complete dissociation of 24 days. A new approach was developed for the estimation of the Cu(2+) stability constant for the kinetically robust CPTA. All other formation constants were determined at 25.0 degrees C with batch spectrophotometric techniques. Potentiometric titrations were used to determine the protonation constants of the macrocyclic ligands as well as of the metal chelates. The protonation constants, stability constants, and pM's are discussed in terms of both molecular mechanics calculations and the ligands' potential applicability as copper(II) radiopharmaceuticals.     

On the choice of active space orbitals in MCSCF calculations

We describe a procedure which may be used to aid selection of the active space in multiconfigurational self-consistent field (MCSCF) calculations for general chemical systems. Starting from a restricted Hartree-Fock calculation, we define a hierarchy of interacting virtual orbitals for every occupied orbital. The most strongly interacting orbitals are then taken to constitute the active space in a configuration interaction (CI) calculation. The natural orbital occupation numbers obtained from the CI calculation are then used to choose the active space to be used in a subsequent MCSCF calculation. We illustrate our method on a number of systems (Li₂, B₂, C₂, carbonyl oxide and the transition state for oxidation of H₂S by dioxirane). In all these cases, ‘intuitive’ active spaces are inadequate, as are active spaces derived from the natural orbitals of unrestricted Hartree-Fock calculations.     

The influence of substituent groups on the resonance stabilization of benzene. An ab initio computational study

Accurate G3(MP2) calculations of the enthalpies of formation (Delta(f)H298) of organic molecules permit replication and extension of calculations that were formerly dependent on experimental thermochemical results. A case in point is Kistiakowski's classical calculation of the total stabilization enthalpy of benzene relative to that of cyclohexene, called for many years the "resonance energy". This paper investigates extension of the classical calculation to substituted benzenes. Slight modification of the usual procedure for Delta(f)H298 determination permits exclusion of all empirical information, leaving a purely ab initio result. Stabilization enthalpies relative to the corresponding 4-substituted cyclohexenes are presented for benzene, toluene, aniline, phenol, phenylacetylene, styrene, ethylbenzene, and phenylhydrazine. In the process of calculating these stabilization enthalpies, we have also obtained 42 values of Delta(f)H298 for monosubstituted benzenes, cyclohexenes, and cyclohexanes, 24 of which are not in the standard reference literature. For the remaining 18 G3(MP2) results, the unsigned mean difference between calculated Delta(f)H298 values and experimental results is +/-0.91 kcal x mol(-1).     

Selective, controllable, and reversible aggregation of polystyrene latex microspheres via DNA hybridization

The directed three-dimensional self-assembly of microstructures and nanostructures through the selective hybridization of DNA is the focus of great interest toward the fabrication of new materials. Single-stranded DNA is covalently attached to polystyrene latex microspheres. Single-stranded DNA can function as a sequence-selective Velcro by only bonding to another strand of DNA that has a complementary sequence. The attachment of the DNA increases the charge stabilization of the microspheres and allows controllable aggregation of microspheres by hybridization of complementary DNA sequences. In a mixture of microspheres derivatized with different sequences of DNA, microspheres with complementary DNA form aggregates, while microspheres with noncomplementary sequences remain suspended. The process is reversible by heating, with a characteristic "aggregate dissociation temperature" that is predictably dependent on salt concentration, and the evolution of aggregate dissociation with temperature is observed with optical microscopy.     

Synthesis and Properties of Bis(2,5-dimethylpyrrolo[3,4-d])tetrathiafulvalenes, a Class of Annelated Tetrathiafulvalene Derivatives with Excellent Electron Donor Properties

The synthesis of the first derivatives of bis(pyrrolo[3,4-d])tetrathiafulvalene has been studied in detail. Starting from the readily available 2,5-dimethylpyrrole (11) and N-phenyl-2,5-dimethylpyrrole, bis(2,5-dimethylpyrrolo[3,4-d])tetrathiafulvalene (8) and the N,N'-disubstituted derivatives 6, 7, 9, and 10 were prepared in good yields by practical procedures. In contrast to the other types of aromatic annelated tetrathiafulvalenes (TTFs), which have appreciably higher oxidation potentials than TTF, the redox behavior of the pyrrolo tetrathiafulvalenes (TTFs) is very close to that of TTF itself. The potential of pyrrolotetrathiafulvalenes as a new series of organic metal building blocks is shown by the two-probe conductivities of the tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) complexes of the N-phenyl compound 7 and the N-methyl compound 9, which give higher values than TTF-TCNQ under similar conditions.     

Capacitive-discharge-heated anisotropic pyrolytic graphite furnace used for atomic absorption spectrometry Part 2. Experimental Verification of Temperature Distribution of the Furnace Surface and of the Gas Phase

The predictions of a theoretical model, embodied in a computer program, describing the heating characteristics of the furnace surface and the gas phase of an anisotropic pyrolytic graphite furnace heated by the capacitive discharge technique are compared with the experimental results obtained by optical pyrometry and by two-line atomic absorption spectrometry, respectively. The surface temperature gradient around the circumference of the type 1 furnace and along the optical axis of the type 3 furnace are calculated and compared with the measured temperatures. The weighted-average of the theoretically predicted gas temperature is in reasonable agreement with the effective vapour temperature measured by two-line atomic absorption method. The heating rate of the furnace does not have a significant effect on the temperature distribution of either the furnace surface or the gas phase. The effect of the difference in the temperature distribution of the type 1 and type 3 furnaces on the atomic absorption signals is also discussed.     

Automated multi-attribute method sample preparation using high-throughput buffer exchange tips

Rationale

The multi-attribute method (MAM) has become a valuable mass spectrometry (MS)-based tool that can identify and quantify the site-specific product attributes and purity information for biotherapeutics such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and fusion molecules in recent years. As we expand the use of the MAM at various stages of drug development, it is critical to enhance the sample preparation throughput without additional chemical modifications and variability.

Methods

In this study, a fully automated MAM sample preparation protocol is presented, where rapid desalting in less than 15 minutes is achieved using miniaturized size-exclusion chromatography columns in pipette tips on an automated liquid handler. The peptide samples were analyzed using an electrospray ionization (ESI) orbitrap mass spectrometer coupled to an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) system with a dual column switching system.

Results

No significant change was observed in product attributes and their quantities compared with manual, low-artifact sample preparation. The sample recovery using the buffer exchange tips was greatly enhanced over the manual spin cartridges while still demonstrating excellent reproducibility for a wide variety of starting sample concentrations. Unlike a plate desalting system, the individual columns provide flexibility in the number of samples prepared at a time and sample locations within plates.

Conclusions

This automated protocol enables the preparation of up to 96 samples with less “at-bench” time than the manual preparation of a smaller batch of samples, thereby greatly facilitating support of process development and the use of the MAM in quality control.

     

Preparation and characterization of molecularly imprinted electropolymerized carbon electrodes

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) selective for fluorescein, rhodamine or 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) were electropolymerized onto graphite electrodes using an aqueous solution equimolar in resorsinol/ortho-phenylenediamine and in the presence of the template molecule. For the dyes, the MIP-coated electrodes showed higher affinity for their template molecule than for a non-template dye. The 2,4-D-MIP-coated electrode showed a concentration dependent response for 2,4-D as compared to the polymer-coated electrode prepared in the absence of template molecule.