PICOSECOND LASER PHOTOLYSIS OF SQUID RHODOPSIN AT ROOM AND LOW TEMPERATURES

Abstract. Squid rhodopsin extracted with 2% digitonin (pH 10.5 or 7.0) was excited with a 347 nm light pulse from a mode-locked ruby laser at room temperature. Within 19 ps after the excitation, absorbance at 430 nm due to hypsorhodopsin increased and subsequently decreased with a decay time of 45 ± 10 ps. Absorbance at 550 nm due to bathorhodopsin increased with a rise time of 50 ± 10 ps. These results are the first observations of hypsorhodopsin at room temperature and clearly show that hypsorhodopsin is a precursor of bathorhodopsin which has been considered to be the earliest photoproduct in the photobleaching process of rhodopsin.
Hypsorhodopsin appeared with a rise time of 70 ± 10 ps at 421 nm at liquid nitrogen temperature without any bathorhodopsin being observed during the formation of hypsorhodopsin. An experiment using an N₂ laser showed that squid bathorhodopsin converted to lumirhodopsin with a decay time of about 300 ns at room temperature.     

Reduction behavior of Ru/CeO2 catalysts and their activity for wet oxidation

Three kinds of Ru/CeO₂ catalysts were prepared. The mobility of the oxygen on Ru and their catalytic activity in the wet oxidation of acetic acid was investigated. Ru was present in the form of RuO₂, and TPR experiment showed that the reaction, RuO₂ + 2H₂ Ru + 2H₂O, took place in different temperature ranges depending upon the kind of the catalysts. The catalyst with easily reducible oxygen on Ru had high activity in wet oxidation, and the importance of the release of oxygen from Ru to the reactant was suggested.     

Magnetic behavior and Mossbauer spectra of spin-crossover pyrazolate bridged dinuclear diiron(II) complexes: X-ray structures of high-spin and low-spin [(Fe(NCBH3)(py))2(mu-bpypz)2

The synthesis and characterization of new spin-crossover pyrazolato bridged dinuclear [(FeII(NCS)(py))2(mu-bpypz)2] and the corresponding cyanotrihydroborato-kappaN complexes are described together with the X-ray crystal analysis of the latter in both the high-spin and low-spin states as well as the variable temperature magnetic susceptibility and/or Mossbauer spectra demonstrating the spin-crossover which exhibits an one-step process, but not a two-step one characteristic of the known bpym bridged dinuclear complexes.     

Synthesis of 2,3,4-trideoxy-4-c-(phenylphosphinyl)-dl-glycero-pentofuranose and its 1,5-diacetate

Synthesis of 2,3,4-trideoxy-4-C-(phenylphosphinyl)-dl-glycero-pentofuranose (11) starting from 2-furanmethanol was successful. The reaction of methyl 2,3-dideoxy-(1S)-dl-pentopyranosid-4-ulose 4-(p-toluenesulfonylhydrazone) with methyl phenylphosphonite gave methyl (4RS)-2,3,4-trideoxy-4-C-[(methoxy)phenylphosphinyl]-4-C-(p-toluenesulfonylhydrazino)-(1S)-dl-pentopyranoside (7), which on treatment with sodium borohydride afforded methyl 2,3,4-trideoxy-4-C-[(methoxy)phenylphosphinyl]-(1S)-dl-glycero-pentopyranoside (9). Treatment of compound 9 with SDMA followed by hydrolysis and treatment with acetic anhydride-pyridine afforded 1,5-diacetate 12 of compound 11.     

Quantitative determination of the fatty acid composition of human serum lipids by high-performance liquid chromatography

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the analysis of the fatty acid composition of human serum lipids with fluorescence detection was examined. Both free and total fatty acids extracted from serum were derivatized with 9-anthryldiazomethane and were analysed using methanol-water (94.7:5.3) as mobile phase. Twelve kinds of fatty acid were detected, both in the free and total fatty acids, and were well separated. Concentrations of individual fatty acids of serum lipids were estimated from an internal standard, heptadecanoic acid. The results correlated well with those from two other quantitative analyses. These results indicate that the high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of fatty acids is a reliable method for determining individual fatty acids of human serum lipids. The compositions of free fatty acids and total fatty acids of serum lipids were analysed and compared in 27 normal subjects, 27 diabetics, and 20 angina pectoris patients by this method.     

Convergent total syntheses of gambierol and 16-epi-gambierol and their biological activities

The convergent total syntheses of gambierol (1) and 16-epi-gambierol (2) have been achieved. The ABC and FGH ring segments 4 and 5 were prepared from known compounds 6 and 13, respectively, by linear manners. The fragments prepared were connected by our own synthetic strategy including the intramolecular allylation of alpha-acetoxy ether followed by ring-closing metathesis to furnish the octacyclic ether 3. The diiodoalkene 45, prepared from 3, was converted to the Z-iodoalkene 50 via a novel and stereoselective hydrogenolysis followed by deprotection. Construction of the triene side chain was performed by the modified Stille coupling of 50 with the Z-vinylic stannane 41 to afford 1. The similar transformations were carried out on the epimeric octacycle 34 to give 2, which showed no toxicity against mice at the concentration of 14 mg/kg.     

Azide-Containing Phenolic Resin as a Negative Deep Uv Resist

A negative photoresist has been developed by partial esterification of poly(p-hydroxystyrene) with p-azidobenzenesulfonyl chloride. About 10% of esterification is sufficient to sensitize the polymer to light in the wavelength region between 240 and 300 nm. The dose required to insolubilize the polymer was 80 mJ/cm². The resolution capability is not as high as expected because of the swelling of photoinsolubilized resist films in an aqueous alkaline developer.     

A validated HPLC‐fluorescence method with a semi‐micro column for routine determination of homocysteine,cysteine and cysteamine,and the relation between the thiol derivatives in normal human plasma

A semi‐micro column HPLC‐fluorescence method for routine determination of thiol derivatives such as homocysteine (Hcy), cysteine (Cys) and cysteamine (CA) is described. The thiol derivatives labeled with ammonium‐7‐fluorobenzo‐2‐oxa‐1,3‐diazole‐4‐sulfonate (SBD‐F) were isocratically separated within 12 min on a semi‐micro ODS column (Daisopak‐SP‐120‐5‐ODS‐BP) with a mixture of 25 mm acetate buffer (pH 2.00) and CH₃CN as a mobile phase. The purity and similarity of SBD‐thiols by a multi‐wavelength fluorescence detector were more than 92.3 and 96.7%. The detection limits of Hcy, Cys and CA at a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3 were 0.16, 0.47 and 0.03 µm , respectively. Furthermore validation parameters such as accuracy, precision and robustness of the proposed method showed satisfactory results. Almost 850 plasma sample injections (range 572–1076, n = 3) for a column could be performed without differences in retention time and peak heights of labels. As an application of the proposed method, the determination of thiol derivatives in normal human plasma (n = 103) was demonstrated. The correlation coefficients between Hcy vs Cys and Hcy vs CA were 0.38 and −0.35, respectively. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation and characterization of organic–inorganic hybrids and coating films from 3‐methacryloxypropylpolysilsesquioxane

3‐Methacryloxypropylpolysilsesquioxane (MA‐PS) was prepared by acid‐ or base‐catalyzed hydrolytic polycondensation of 3‐methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MAS). MA‐PS coating film was prepared by dip‐coating on organic, metal and inorganic substrates, including poly(ethylene terephthalate), aluminum, stainless steel, and glass. The coating films on poly(ethylene terephthalate) and glass showed high adhesive strength. The hardness of coating films increased with increasing heat treatment temperature, whereas they decreased with increasing H₂O/MAS molar ratio. The refractive index of coating films increased with increasing heat treatment temperature. In addition, flat and transparent free‐standing films (0.24–0.27 mm thickness) were prepared from MA‐PS that were crack‐free after heat treatment at 1000 °C. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.