1.2-Bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)tetrachlorodisilane and its reduction to decamethylsilicocene

Reaction of pentamethylcyclopentadienyl(pentachloro)disilane (2), prepared from hexachlorodisilane and potassium pentamethylcyclopentadienide (Cp^*K), with a further equivalent of Cp^*K leads selectively to the title compound Cp^* ₂ Si ₂ Cl ₄ (3) which was characterized by NMR and X-ray structural data. Dehalogenation of 3 with four equivalents of sodium naphthalenide offers an alternative route for the synthesis of decamethylsilicocene (1). Dedicated to Professor Mitsuo Kira on the occasion of being honoured with the Wacker Silicon Award 2005.     

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman Scattering Microscopy.

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy is presented as a new nonlinear optical technique. The combination of vibrational spectroscopy and microscopy allows highly sensitive investigations of unlabelled samples. CARS is an ideal tool for studying a broad variety of samples. The main drawback of the technique is its non-zero-background nature, which implies that the signal has to be detected against a nonresonant background. The need to solve this problem is reflected in the rapid technological developments that have been observed during the last decade. Recent results show that CARS microscopy has the potential to become an important complementary technique that can be used with other well-established microscopic methods. Although it has some limitations, it offers unique access to many problems that cannot be tackled with conventional techniques. For this reason, it can be expected that the impressive growth of the field will continue.     

Lipase surface diffusion studied by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching

We have analyzed surface diffusion properties of a variant of Thermomyces lanuginosa lipase (TLL) on hydrophilic silica and silica methylated with dichlorodimethylsilane (DDS) or octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS). For this study a novel method for analysis of diffusion on solid surfaces was developed. The method is based on fluorescence recovery after photobleaching using confocal microscopy. When a rectangular area of the sample was photobleached, fluorescence recovery could be analyzed as one-dimensional diffusion, resulting in simplified mathematical expressions for fitting the data. The method was initially tested by measuring bovine serum albumin diffusion on glass, which led to a diffusion coefficient in good correspondence to earlier reports. For the analysis of TLL diffusion, ellipsometry data of TLL adsorption were used to calibrate fluorescence intensity to surface density of lipase, enabling measurements of the diffusion coefficient at different surface densities. The average diffusion coefficient was calculated in two time intervals after adsorption. Mobile fraction and diffusion coefficient were lowest on the OTS surface, when extrapolated to infinite surface dilution. Moreover, the diffusion rate decreased with time on the hydrophobic surfaces. Our observations can be explained by the surface dependence on the distribution of orientations and conformations of adsorbed TLL, where the transition from the closed to the catalytically active open and more hydrophobic structure is important.     

Implications of active site constraints on varied DNA polymerase selectivity

DNA polymerase selectivity often varies significantly depending on the DNA polymerase. The origin of this varying error propensity is elusive. It is assumed that DNA polymerases form nucleotide binding pockets that differ in properties such as shape and tightness. We tested this prediction and studied HIV-1 RT by employment of size-augmented nucleotides and site-directed mutagenesis of the enzyme. New valuable insights into the mechanism of DNA polymerase fidelity were obtained. The presented study provides experimental evidence that variations of steric constraints within the nucleotide binding pocket of at least two DNA polymerases cause variations in nucleotide incorporation selectivity. Thus, our results support the concept of active site tightness as a causative in differential fidelity among DNA polymerases.     

Strukturen und Molekül-Eigenschaften ladungsgestörter Moleküle. 52. Mitteilung. 2, 3-Diphenylchinoxalin-Radikalanionen in Lösung und im Kristall

Structures and Molecular Properties of Charge-Pertubed Molecules. 2, 3-Diphenylquinoxaline Radical Anions in Solution and in Crystals The Na⊕ and K⊕ radical-ion salts of 2, 3-diphenylquinoxaline seem to be (according to a structural database search) among the first ones of N-heterocyclic radical anions in crystals. The one-electron reduction in aprotic 1, 2-dimethoxyethan (DME) solution at metal mirrors and the crystallization under Ar have been preceded by cyclovoltammetric (CV) and ESR/ENDOR measurement. The first electron insertion at ?1.63 V proves to be reversible, whereas the irreversible second step, which is accompanied by an overcrossing of the CV line, can be rationalized by an ‘ECE-DISP’ mechanism via a dianion redox disproportionation. The ENDOR spectrum resolves four ¹H couplings and allows to simulate the ESR spectrum including the ¹⁴N hyperfine splittings. Both dark-blue single crystals of the radical ion salts $[2,3{\rm - diphenylquinoxaline}^{{.} \ominus} {\rm Met}^ \oplus ({\rm DME})]^.$ show unexpected similarities for Met⊕ = Na⊕, K⊕ despite the 36-pm difference in their ionic radii. The largest structural changes inflicted by the one-electron reduction of the N-heterocyclic molecule are observed in the vicinity of the N-centers bearing the highest effective nuclear charge. The DME-chelated metal cations coordinate at the N electron pairs and form Met⊕(DME)-bridged polymer chains of the radical anion, which are differently ondulated in the Na⊕ and K⊕ radical anion salts. The take-home lesson suggests that many more N-heterocyclic molecules might be analogously reduced under optimized conditions and isolated as single crystals.     

Methylene-azaphosphirane as a reactive intermediate

Reaction of the transient phosphinidene complexes R-P=W(CO)5 with N-substituted-diphenylketenimines leads unexpectedly to the novel 2-aminophosphindoles, as confirmed by an X-ray crystal structure determined for one of the derivatives. Experimental evidence for a methylene-azaphosphirane intermediate was found by using the iron-complexed phosphinidene iPr2N-P=Fe(CO)4, which affords the 2-aminophosphindole together with the novel methylene-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzo[1,3]azaphosphole. Analysis of the reaction pathways with DFT indicates that the initially formed methylene-azaphosphirane yields both phosphorus heterocycles by way of a [1,5]- or [1,3]-sigmatropic shift, respectively, followed by a H-shift. Strain underlies both rearrangements, which causes these remarkably selective conversions that can be tuned by changing the substituents.     

Laser desorption mass spectrometry on thin liquid jets

A recently developed soft desorption method for mass spectrometry is presented, which is called Laser Induced Liquid Beam Ionization/Desorption (LILBID). Analyte ions are desorbed from a thin jet of analyte solution directly into vacuum by means of an IR laser pulse, which has been tuned to a vibrational resonance of the solvent. A comparative experiment with ammonium chloride and aniline hydrochloride shows that ion formation via proton transfer takes place in the solution. Thermally unstable compounds, as well as supra- and biomolecular complexes, can be detected intact and mass analyzed in a reflectron time-of-flight (Re-TOF) mass spectrometer. During the desorption process, noncovalent interactions and some solvation characteristics are preserved. Three examples for the capacity of LILBID are given in this short overview: (a) ion-solvent interactions with the formation of a clathrate structure Cs⁺(H₂O)₂₀, (b) host-guest interactions with the K⁺ selectivity of valinomycin, and (c) noncovalent interactions with the dimerization of gramicidin. Received: 29 July 1997 / Revised: 4 September 1997 / Accepted: 12 September 1997     

Synthesis of a simplified bryostatin C-ring analogue that binds to the CRD2 of human PKC-alpha and construction of a novel BC-analogue by an unusual Julia olefination process

[structure: see text] The synthesis of two truncated bryostatin analogues 2 and 3 is described. High-field NMR measurements on the C-ring analogue 3 in C(2)H(3)CN containing 25% (2)H(2)O have shown that it binds to the CRD2 of human PKC-alpha at virtually the same position as phorbol-13-acetate (PA) and bryostatin 1 (1). NMR titration studies have also revealed that 3 binds to the CRD2 with a potency similar in magnitude to PA but much less potently than 1.