Novel quinazoline ring synthesis by cycloaddition of N-arylketenimines with N,N-disubstituted cyanamides

The reaction of N-aryl-substituted ketenimines with N,N-disubstituted cyanamides or (MeS)2C=N-CN under high pressure afforded 4-(N,N-disubstituted amino) or 4-(MeS)2C=N-substituted quinazoline derivatives, respectively. These products were formed by [4+2] cycloaddition between the aza-diene moieties of the N-arylsubstituted ketenimines and cyano groups. A 4-(unsubstituted amino)quinazoline derivative was synthesized by hydrolysis of the latter product.     

Effect of cationic surfactant on the formation of ferron complexes

In the spectrophotometric determination of aluminium and iron with ferron (7-iodo-8-quinolinol-5-sulphonic acid, H(2)L), the addition of cationic surfactants greatly improves the linearity of the calibration curve and widens the useful pH range. The effect of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTMAC) on the stepwise stability constants (K(1),K(2) and K(3)) of the ferron complexes of aluminium and iron (ML(+), ML(-)(2) and ML(3-)(3)) and on the acid-dissociation constants (K(a1) and K(a2)) of ferron has been studied in connection with the role of the surfactant. CTMAC greatly increases the value of K(3) while exerting little effect on K(1) and K(2), thus rendering ML(3-)(3) the predominant species even at very low concentration of free L(2-). It also has some effect on the acid-dissociation constants of ferron, but sometimes it acts to decrease the free L(2-) concentration. At is therefore concluded that the improvements due to addition of surfactant should be attributed to the increased K(3) value. The presence of surfactant micelles is not essential, because the surfactant has a favourable effect when present at well below its critical micelle concentration, and because the continuous variations plots show a peak at a point corresponding to the composition M: L: Q (Q = cationic surfactant) = 1:3:3.     

Construction of nitrogen-heterocyclic compounds through zirconium mediated intramolecular alkene-carbonyl coupling reaction of N-(o-alkenylaryl)carbamate derivatives

Intramolecular alkene-carbonyl coupling reaction of N-benzyl-N-(o-alkenylaryl)carbamate derivative derived from o-aminostyrene, o-(aminomethyl)styrene and o-aminoallylbenzene smoothly proceeded by treating with zirconocene-butene complex to give the corresponding lactam derivative.     

CHANGES IN THE PATTERNS OF BIOSYNTHESIS and COMPOSITION OF AMINO ACIDS IN A MARINE PHYTOPLANKTER EXPOSED TO ULTRAVIOLET-B RADIATION: NITROGEN LIMITATION IMPLICATED

Abstract— The impact of ultraviolet-B radiation (UVBR) on the biosynthesis and the composition of intracellular dissolved free and combined amino acids was examined in nitrate-replete and nitrate-deficient cultures of Tetraselmis sp. Several similarities were observed in the response of Tetraselmis sp. to nitrogen deficiency and exposure to UVBR, in support of a view that UVBR affects amino acid synthesis in phytoplankton via its inhibitory effects on nitrogen assimilation into the cells. At levels that still permitted the uptake of carbon into the cells, both nitrogen deficiency and UVBR exposure resulted in a reduction in the overall rates of carbon incorporated into amino acids, an increase in the absolute concentrations of amino acids within the intracellular dissolved free amino acid (INDFAA) pool and a decrease in the total cellular amino acid (TCAA) pool. An examination of the patterns of carbon assimilation into individual amino acids in cells exposed to UVBR revealed similarities with the patterns in cells subject to nitrogen deficiency. The most conspicuous changes from the controls included an increased incorporation of ¹³C into glutamic' acid (glutamic acid + glutamine) and aspartic acid and a marked reduction into alanine and valine. Changes in the concentrations of amino acids within the INDFAA and TCAA pools were also similar in nitrate-deficient and UVBR-exposed cells and resembled the carbon assimilation patterns. These results strongly suggest that UVBR-induced changes in the biosynthesis and composition of amino acids are probably via its suppression of nitrogen assimilation into the cells.     

Changes in enzymatic and membrane-adsorbing activities of sphingomyelinase from Bacillus cereus by modification with a polyethylene glycol derivative.

Sphingomyelinase (SMPLC) from Bacillus cereus was modified with a polyethylene glycol (PEG) derivative, methoxypolyethylene glycol-succinimidyl succinate (ss-PEG). The molecular weight of the ss-PEG-modified SMPLC was calculated to be approx. 150 kDa by gel-filtration whereas that of the native enzyme, was 25 kDa. By this modification, the enzyme increased its thermostability and retained its hydrolytic activity toward 2-(N-hexadecanoylamino)-4-nitrophenylphosphocholine (HNP) and sphingomyelin (SM) in the mixed micelles with the surfactants such as Triton X-100 and sodium deoxycholate (SDC). However, the activity toward liposomal SM was significantly decreased, and all the enzyme activities toward bovine erythrocytes, including membraneous SM-hydrolyzing and hemolytic activities as well as the enzyme adsorption onto the erythrocyte membranes, were completely lost.     

Fluorimetric assay for measuring Dns-His-Lys-Arg-His-Lys cleaving enzyme using high-performance liquid chromatography

A rapid and sensitive assay for the determination of Dns-His-Lys-Arg-His-Lys cleaving enzyme activity is reported. This assay is based on fluorimetric detection of a dansylated dipeptide, 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl-His-Lys, enzymatically formed from the substrate 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl-His-Lys-Arg-His-d-Lys, after separation by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using a C-18 reversed-phase column by isocratic elution. This assay is sensitive enough to measure 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl-His-Lys at concentrations as low as 7 pmol, and yields highly reproducible results and requires less than 9.0 min per sample for separation and quantitation. The optimum pH for Dns-His-Lys-Arg-His-Lys cleaving enzyme activity was 7.5-8.0. The Michaelis constant (K_m) and the maximum velocity (V_max) values were 33.3 μM and 47.07 pmol/(μg h), respectively with the use of enzyme extract obtained from bovine pituitary. By using this assay, axonal transport of this enzyme activity was observed 48 h after double ligations of rat sciatic nerves. The high sensitivity and selectivity of this assay would be useful for clarification of the physiological role of this enzyme.     

Effects of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) concentration on the permeability of PEG-grafted liposomes

Poly(ethylene glycol)-grafted liposomes (PEG-liposomes) were prepared from dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) with various amounts of distearoyl-N-monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-succinyl-phosphatidylethanolamines (DSPE-PEG) with PEG molecular weights of 1000, 2000, 3000 and 5000. The effects of DSPE-PEG concentration on the permeability of PEG-liposomes were investigated using carboxyfluorescein (CF). In the gel state, the CF leakage from PEG-liposomes was decreased with increasing mole fractions of DSPE-PEG for all PEG molecular weights. In the liquid-crystalline state, the CF leakage from PEG-liposomes containing DSPE-PEG1000 gradually increased with increasing mole fractions of DSPE-PEG, while that of PEG-liposomes whose molecular weight in PEG units was above 2000 rapidly decreased by the addition of DSPE-PEG. Furthermore, no effect of PEG molecular weight on CF leakage was observed. The relationship between the fluorescence polarization of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) (or 1-(4-trimethylammoniumphenyl)-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (TMA-DPH)) and the mole fraction of DSPE-PEG for PEG-liposomes was also investigated. No significant changes in fluorescence polarization of DPH for liposomal bilayer membranes was observed in the gel and liquid-crystalline states due to the addition of DSPE-PEG, while that of TMA-DPH was decreased compared with that of liposomes without DSPE-PEG in both states.     

Intramolecular oxyselenenylation and deselenenylation reactions in water, conducted by employing polymer-supported arylselenenyl bromide

After immobilizing arylselenenyl bromide on polymer resin, the oxyselenenylation reaction of olefin was carried out in water. An amphiphilic polymer-supported arylselenenyl bromide was employed, and various intramolecular oxyselenenylation and deselenenylation reactions proceeded smoothly in water in fair chemical yields (up to an 83% yield).     

Making the liquid-phase catalytic hydrodechlorination of pce over Pd/C safer

Summary The hydrodechlorination of tetrachloroethylene in methanol (MeOH) over palladium catalysts on activated carbon (Pd/C) at 20°C and atmospheric pressure was rendered safer by using ethanol (EtOH), isopropanol (IPA) or water-alcohol mixtures as solvents. Adding water to MeOH was better than using EtOH or IPA since it resulted in a faster reaction and better stability of Pd/C, which could also be completely reactivated.