Rotavap simulation and the estimation of boiling points

A Java applet that predicts solute losses during evaporation from a binary or ternary mixture has been developed which gives good agreement with experiment and can be used to estimate the boiling points of solutes, making use of information which is often collected and then discarded (http://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/magnus/rotavap/).     

Relative molecular mass information from aliphatic nitro compounds: A chemical ionization study

The mass spectra of a number of aliphatic nitro compounds have been studied using electron Ionization (EI) and a variety of chemical Ionization (CI) techniques in attempts to obtain relative molecular mass information. The use of positive ion ammonia chemical Ionization techniques gave very satisfactory results, providing abundant [M + NH4]⁺ ions, not only from both primary and secondary nitro compounds, but also from the much more labile tertiary nitro compounds. However, the use of methane and isobutane positive ion CI or EI conditions resulted in facile fragmentation with little relative molecular mass information being made available. Negative ion CI using methane, isobutane or ammonia as moderating gases all gave abundant [M ? 1]^? ions with primary and secondary nitro compounds but at much reduced sensitivity.     

The identification of 10 and 11 substituted 7H-benzimidazo[2,1-a]benz[de]isoquinolin-7-ones through 1N NOE studies on their methyl p-toluenesulfonate salts

The spectral similarities of 10 and 11 substituted 7H-benzimidazo[2,1-a]benz[de]isoquinolin-7-ones hinder the identification of the individual isomers. Preparation of the 13-methyl p-toluenesulfonate salts of these compounds has allowed the assignment by the use of NOE techniques. Saturation of the N-methyl caused an NOE at H-12. The coupling pattern of H-12 then provides identification of the compound.     

CNDO/2 calculations of some polyazaindenes

The theoretically estimated dipole moments of indolizine, imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine, imidazo-[1,5-a]pyridine and of pyrazolo[ 1,5-a]pyridine obtained by the CNDO/2 approximation have been compared with the experimental values. The bond angles and bond distances for these polyazaindenes have been estimated.     

Primary amido substituted diborane4 compounds and imidodiborate4 anions

Treatment of the diborane(4) compound B(2)(NMe(2))(4) with aniline or 2,6-dimethylaniline results in the primary amido compounds B(2)(NHR)(4)(R = Ph, 2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3)); subsequent treatment with n-BuLi in toluene in each case affords the first examples of anionic imidodiborates namely Li(4)(thf)(6)B(2)(NPh)(4) and Li(4)(thf)(4)B(2)(N-2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3))(4); all complexes have been characterised crystallographically.     

Nonaqueous biocatalytic synthesis of new cytotoxic doxorubicin derivatives: exploiting unexpected differences in the regioselectivity of salt-activated and solubilized subtilisin

Two enzymes, Mucor javanicus lipase and subtilisin Carlsberg (SC), catalyzed the nonaqueous acylation of doxorubicin (DOX). Compared to the untreated enzyme the rate of DOX acylation at the C-14 position with vinyl butyrate in toluene was 25-fold higher by lipase ion-paired with Aerosol OT (AOT) and 5-fold higher by lipase activated by 98% (w/w) KCl co-lyophilization (3.21 and 0.67 mumol/min g-lipase, respectively, vs 0.13 mumol/min g-lipase). Particulate subtilisin Carlsberg (SC) was nearly incapable of DOX acylation, but ion-paired SC (AOT-SC) catalyzed acylation at a rate of 2.85 mumol/min g-protease. The M. javanicus formulations, AOT-SC, and SC exclusively acylated the C14 primary hydroxyl group of DOX. Co-lyophilization of SC with 98% (w/w) KCl expanded the enzyme's regiospecificity such that KCl-SC additionally acylated the C4' hydroxyl and C3' amine groups. The total rate of DOX conversion with KCl-SC was 56.7 mumol/min g-protease. The altered specificity of KCl-SC is a new property of the enzyme imparted by the salt activation, and represents the first report of unnatural regioselectivity exhibited by a salt-activated enzyme. Using AOT-SC catalysis, four unique selectively acylated DOX analogues were generated, and KCl-SC was used to prepare DOX derivatives acylated at the alternative sites. Cytotoxicities of select derivatives were evaluated against the MCF7 breast cancer cell line (DOX IC50 = 27 nM) and its multidrug-resistant sub-line, MCF7-ADR (DOX IC50 = 27 muM). The novel derivative 14-(2-thiophene acetate) DOX was relatively potent against both cell lines (IC50 of 65 nM and 8 muM, respectively) and the 14-(benzyl carbonate) DOX analogue was as potent as DOX against the MCF7 line (25 nM). Activated biocatalysts and their novel regioselectivity differences thus enabled single-step reaction pathways to an effective collection of doxorubicin analogues.     

Spatial profiling invertebrate ganglia using MALDI MS

The ability of MALDI TOF MS to spatially map peptides and proteins directly from a tissue is an exciting advance to imaging mass spectrometry. Recent advances in instrumentation for MS have resulted in instruments capable of achieving several micron spatial resolution while acquiring high-resolution mass spectra. Currently, the ability to obtain high quality mass spectrometric images depends on sample preparation protocols that often result in limited spatial resolution. A number of sample preparation and matrix deposition protocols are evaluated for spatial profiling of Aplysia californica exocrine gland and neuronal tissues. Such samples are different from mammalian tissues, but make good targets for method optimization because of the wealth of biochemical information available on neuropeptide processing and distribution. Electrospray matrix deposition and a variety of freezing methods have been found to be optimum for these invertebrate tissues, with the exact protocols being tissue dependent.     

Covalent Schiff base catalysis and turnover by a DNAzyme: a M2+ -independent AP-endonuclease mimic

A DNAzyme, synthetically modified with both primary amines and imidazoles, is found to act as a M2+ -independent AP lyase-endonuclease. In the course of the cleavage reaction, this DNAzyme forms a covalent Schiff base intermediate with an abasic site on a complementary oligodeoxyribonucleotide. This intermediate, which is inferred from NaCNBH3 trapping as well as cyanide inhibition, does not evidently accumulate because the second step, dehydrophosphorylative elimination, is fast compared to Schiff base formation. The 5'-product that remains linked to the catalyst hydrolyzes slowly to regenerate free catalyst. The use of duly modified DNAzymes to perform Schiff base catalysis demonstrates the value of modified nucleotides for enhancing the catalytic repertoire of nucleic acids. This work suggests that DNAzymes will be capable of catalyzing aldol condensation reactions.     

Investigation of the asymmetric ionic Diels-Alder reaction for the synthesis of cis-decalins

The ionic Diels-Alder reaction, whereby an alpha,beta-unsaturated acetal in combination with a Lewis or Bronsted acid forms an equilibrium concentration of an activated dienophile, has been developed to provide an enantioselective synthesis of cis-decalins. Cyclohex-2-enone type chiral acetals of (2R,3R)-butane-2,3-diol have been screened against Lewis and Br?nsted acids with a variety of dienes and are efficient for the synthesis of a limited subset of cis-decalin structures. Diastereoselectivities of 73% and 82% have been found for the asymmetric ionic Diels-Alder reaction between the chiral acetal derivatives of cyclohex-2-enone (6) and 2-methylcyclohex-2-enone (18) with 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene (7). Terminal substituents on the diene partner in general render the system unreactive. However a synthetically useful cis-decalin 31, derived from the reaction of 2-methylcyclohex-2-enone and Z-3-t-butyldimethyl-silyloxypenta-1,3-diene has been prepared in enantiomerically pure form in 74% isolated yield using this asymmetric ionic Diels-Alder protocol.     

Development of a liquid chromatographic time-of-flight mass spectrometric method for the determination of unlabelled and deuterium-labelled alpha-tocopherol in blood components

A method is described for the analysis of deuterated and undeuterated alpha-tocopherol in blood components using liquid chromatography coupled to an orthogonal acceleration time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer. Optimal ionisation conditions for undeuterated (d0) and tri- and hexadeuterated (d3 or d6) alpha-tocopherol standards were found with negative ion mode electrospray ionisation. Each species produced an isotopically resolved single ion of exact mass. Calibration curves of pure standards were linear in the range tested (0-1.5 microM, 0-15 pmol injected). For quantification of d0 and d6 in blood components following a standard solvent extraction, a stable-isotope-labelled internal standard (d3-alpha-tocopherol) was employed. To counter matrix ion suppression effects, standard response curves were generated following identical solvent extraction procedures to those of the samples. Within-day and between-day precision were determined for quantification of d0- and d6-labelled alpha-tocopherol in each blood component and both averaged 3-10%. Accuracy was assessed by comparison with a standard high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method, achieving good correlation (r(2) = 0.94), and by spiking with known concentrations of alpha-tocopherol (98% accuracy). Limits of detection and quantification were determined to be 5 and 50 fmol injected, respectively. The assay was used to measure the appearance and disappearance of deuterium-labelled alpha-tocopherol in human blood components following deuterium-labelled (d6) RRR-alpha-tocopheryl acetate ingestion. The new LC/TOFMS method was found to be sensitive, required small sample volumes, was reproducible and robust, and was capable of high throughput when large numbers of samples were generated.