Some symmetry-induced isotope effects in the kinetics of recombination reactions

Symmetry-induced isotope effects in recombination and collision-induced dissociation reactions are discussed. Progress on understanding the anomalous isotope effects in ozone is reviewed. Then, calculations are performed for the simpler reaction xNe+yNe+H<-->xNeyNe+H, where x and y label either identical or different isotopes. The atomic masses in the model are chosen so that symmetry is the only difference between the systems. Starting from a single potential energy surface, the properties of the bound, quasibound, and continuum states of the neon dimer are calculated. Then, the vibration rotation infinite order sudden approximation is used to calculate cross sections for all possible inelastic and dissociative processes. A rate constant matrix that exactly satisfies detailed balance is constructed. It allows recombination to occur both via direct three-body collisions and via tunneling into the quasibound states of the energy transfer mechanism. The eigenvalue rate coefficients are determined. Significant isotope effects are clearly found, and their behavior depends on the pressure, temperature, and mechanism of the reaction. Both spin statistics and symmetry breaking produce isotope effects. Under most conditions the breaking of symmetry enhances the rates, but a wide spectrum of effects is observed; they range from isotope effects with a normal mass dependence to huge, mass-independent isotope effects to cancellation and even to reversal of the isotope effects. This is the first calculation of symmetry-induced isotope effects in recombination rates from first principles. The relevance of the present effects to ozone recombination is discussed.     

Iterated reaction graphs: simulating complex Maillard reaction pathways

This study investigates a new method of simulating a complex chemical system including feedback loops and parallel reactions. The practical purpose of this approach is to model the actual reactions that take place in the Maillard process, a set of food browning reactions, in sufficient detail to be able to predict the volatile composition of the Maillard products. The developed framework, called iterated reaction graphs, consists of two main elements: a soup of molecules and a reaction base of Maillard reactions. An iterative process loops through the reaction base, taking reactants from and feeding products back to the soup. This produces a reaction graph, with molecules as nodes and reactions as arcs. The iterated reaction graph is updated and validated by comparing output with the main products found by classical gas-chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis. To ensure a realistic output and convergence to desired volatiles only, the approach contains a number of novel elements: rate kinetics are treated as reaction probabilities; only a subset of the true chemistry is modeled; and the reactions are blocked into groups.     

AB initio calculations of 2H and 14N quadrupolar coupling constants in hydrogen bonded dimers

SCF MO calculations at the 6-31G^** level of approximation are reported for ²H and ¹⁴N electric field gradients in HCN?HCN, HCN?HF, and CH₃CN?HF dimers, with emphasis on the configurational dependence of these quantities in (HCN)₂. In comparison with available experimental nuclear quadrupolar coupling constants, the calculated values for the monomers and dimers exhibit an accuracy of ≈ 10%, which is comparable to that of other spectroscopic parameters. The implications of hydrogen bonding for quadrupolar spin-lattice relaxation rates are briefly discussed.     

Shift to Pseudomonic acid B production in P. fluorescens NCIMB10586 by mutation of mupirocin tailoring genes mupO, mupU, mupV, and macpE

Mupirocin, a polyketide-derived antibiotic from Pseudomonas fluorescens NCIMB10586, is a mixture of pseudomonic acids (PA) that target isoleucyl-tRNA synthase. The mup gene cluster encodes both type I polyketide synthases and monofunctional enzymes that should play a role during the conversion of the product of the polyketide synthase into the active antibiotic (tailoring). By in-frame deletion analysis of selected tailoring open-reading frames we show that mupQ, mupS, mupT, and mupW are essential for mupirocin production, whereas mupO, mupU, mupV, and macpE are essential for production of PA-A but not PA-B. Therefore, PA-B is not simply produced by hydroxylation of PA-A but is either a precursor of PA-A or a shunt product. In the mupW mutant, a new metabolite lacking the tetrahydropyran ring is produced, implicating mupW in oxidation of the 16-methyl group.     

EVIDENCE AGAINST THE PRODUCTION OF SUPEROXIDE BY PHOTOIRRADIATION OF HEMATOPORPHYRIN DERIVATIVE

Abstract Experiments were performed to ascertain whether superoxide anion (O₂⁻) was produced by the photodynamic activation of hematoporphyrin derivative (HPD). Three different systems were utilized to detect formation of O₂⁻, oxidation of epinephrine to adrenochrome, reduction of cytochrome c and reduction of nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT). The effects on these detectors under identical conditions for HPD + h ν were compared to those obtained with two O₂⁻ generating systems, riboflavin + by and xanthine-xanthine oxidase, and to a singlet oxygen generating system, photoradiation of methylene blue. The results indicated that HPD + hv differed from the two O₂⁻ generating systems in failing to reduce cytochrome c or NET, and that HPD + h ν was similar to the behavior of methylene blue + h ν . In addition, HPD + h ν but not the O₂⁻ generating systems could inhibit mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase activity. We conclude that the photodynamic activation of HPD does not produce O₂⁻ as a major oxygen radical and that the effects of HPD + h ν on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase are not caused by O₂⁻.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the grafting of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate onto hydrocarbon substrates

The kinetics of grafting a basic monomer, 2-(dimethylamino)-ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) to hydrocarbon substrates have been investigated. These systems were chosen as models for the grafting of a homopolymerizable monomer to polyolefins such as polyethylene. The reactions with squalane and n-eicosane were initiated by an organic peroxide, 2,5-dimethyl 2,5 dit-butylperoxy)-3-hexyne; grafting yields become significant at high reaction temperatures and low monomer concentrations. In squalane, the order of reaction with respect to monomer increased from about 1.1 for 0.22?0.44M DMAEMA to almost 2 at 0.69M DMAEMA; the order with respect to initiator was 0.56. The overall activation energy in the 130?160°C temperature range was, however, surprisingly low, 42±5 kJ mol^?1. When analytical data were used to separate the overall rate into those for grafting and homopolymerization, different kinetic paths were observed for the competing reactions. These results are interpreted in terms of two different mechanisms; intramolecular chain transfer plays an important role in grafting, while depropagation becomes a major factor in homopolymerization at temperatures above 150°C. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis of novel 1-phenyl-1H-indole-2-carboxylic Acids. I. Utilization of ullmann and dieckmann reactions for the preparation of 3-hydroxy, 3-alkoxy,and 3-alkyl derivatives

Methods for the synthesis of novel 3-hydroxy, 3-alkoxy, and 3-alkyl indole-2-carboxylic acids and esters are described. Dieckmann cyclization of various 2-[(carboxymethyl)amino]benzoic acid diesters yielded 1-unsubstituted-, 1-methyl-, and 1-phenyl-3-hydroxy-1H-indole-2-carboxylic acid esters. An Ullmann reaction with bromobenzene converted 1H-indoles to 1-phenylindoles.     

Spectral Properties of Fluorescein in Solvent-Water Mixtures: Applications as a Probe of Hydrogen Bonding Environments in Biological Systems

Although fluorescein is a widely used fluorescent probe in the biosciences, the effect of solvent environment on its spectral properties is poorly understood. In this paper we explore the use of fluorescein as a probe of the state of hydrogen bonding in its local environment. This application is based on the observation, originally made by Martin ( Chem. Phys. Lett . 35, 105–111, 1975), that the absorption maximum of fluorescein undergoes substantial shifts in organic solvents related to the hydrogen bonding power of the solvents. We have extended this work by studying the spectral properties of the dianion form of the probe in solvent–water mixtures. We show that the magnitude of the shift correlates with the α and β parameters of Kamlet and Taft ( J. Am. Chem. Soc . 98, 377–383; 2886–2894, 1976), which provide a scale of the hydrogen bond donor acidities and acceptor basicities, respectively, of the solvents. In solvent–water mixtures, these shifts reflect general effects of the solvents on the hydrogen bonding environment of the fluorescein through water–solvent hydrogen bonding and specific effects due to fluorescein–solvent hydrogen bonding. Indeed, both the absorption and fluorescence properties appear to be dominated by these effects indicating that the spectral shifts of the dianion can be used as an indicator of its hydrogen bonding environment. We discuss the application of fluorescein as a probe of hydrogen bonding in the microenvironment immediately surrounding the fluorophore, and we illustrate the effect with reference to the fluorescein–antifluorescein antibody complex where it appears that antibodies selected during the immune response possess binding sites that are increasingly dehydrated and hydrophobic.     

Acyclic stereoselection. 35. Effect of cation on diastereofacial selectivity in aldol reactions of a chiral α-silyloxy ketone.

By an appropriate choice of cation, three of the four possible aldols from the reactions of the chiral α-silyloxy ketone 1 with aldehydes may be obtained. The $\text{Z}$, lithium enolate provides 6, the $\text{Z}$, boron enolate gives 7, and the $\text{E}$ magnesium enolate affords 8.     

Thermal conductivity of the urea-hexadecane inclusion compound

The thermal conductivity and the heat capacity per unit volumec _p have been measured for the urea-hexadecane inclusion compound using the transient hot-wire method. Measurements were made under isobaric conditions at a pressure of 0.1 GPa and in the temperature range of 100–300 K. There was evidence for a phase transition at a temperature of about 160 K, in reasonable agreement with previous work. For the high-temperature phase was independent of temperature within ±1%. The low-temperature phase showed a weak temperature dependence, with (d In/d InT) _p = –0.13. It was inferred that interaction between acoustic phonons and low-frequency vibrational excitations of the guest molecules made a major contribution to the thermal resistivity. For the quantityc _p a weak maximum was observed in the region of the phase transition temperature.Dedicated to Dr D. W. Davidson in honor of his great contributions to the sciences of inclusion phenomena.