A vibrational spectroscopic study of the adsorption of 4,4′-bipyridyl by sepiolite and smectite group clay minerals from Anatolia (Turkey)

The adsorption of 4,4-bipyridyl by natural sepiolite and smectite group clay minerals (bentonite, hectorite and saponite) from Anatolia (Turkey) has been studied using vibrational spectroscopy. Investigation of Fourier-transform infrared and Fourier-transform Raman spectra of adsorbed 4,4-bipyridyl indicate the presence of chemisorbed species. However, any evidence for the generation of anionic species on the surface of the phyllosilicates has not been detected. It is proposed that the adsorbed bipyridyl molecules on sepiolite are centrosymmetric and H-bonded to the surface hydroxyls through both the nitrogen lone pairs as bidentate ligands. The adsorbed bipyridyl molecules on the smectite group clays are coordinated to exchangeable cations both directly and also indirectly through water as monodentate ligands. XRD patterns of the clays studied are also recorded.     

The photo- and electroinitiated polymerization of N-vinyl phthalimide

To elucidate mechanisms in electroinitiated polymerization reactions a comparison was conducted between ultraviolet (UV) photoinitiation and electroinitiation of N-vinyl phthalimide with zinc chloride as a catalyst. Both methods give low yields of a complex polymer product. A detailed analysis, infrared (IR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), elemental, and molecular weight, conducted on the polymeric products, indicated that phthalimide ring opening was occurring and that complex mixtures of poly(N-vinyl phthalimide) derivatives were formed. Both initiation methods gave comparable results, which further indicated mechanistic similarity between photo-and electroinitiation in these donor–acceptor charge transfer polymerizations.     

Non-linear dielectric spectroscopy: antifouling and stabilisation of electrodes by a polymer coating

Non-linear dielectric spectroscopy (NLDS) has previously been shown to produce quantitative information that is indicative of the metabolic state of various organisms, by modeling the non-linear effects of their membranous enzymes on an applied oscillating electromagnetic field using supervised multivariate analysis methods. However, the instability of the characteristics of the measuring apparatus rendered the process temperamental at best in the laboratory and impractical for field use. The main practical problem, of the non-stationarity of the electrode-solution interface and the ease with which the electrode surfaces are subject to protein fouling. It is addressed by applying a thin, electrically transparent antifouling coat to the electrodes. This reduces the interminable cleaning procedures previously required to prepare the electrodes for use, increases their usable lifetime before recleaning, and also improves the precision and linearity of multivariate models on NLDS data.     

1H NMR study of the interaction between ethidium bromide and self-complementary and self-complementary deoxytetranucleotide 5′-d(CpGpCpG) in an aqueous solution

Complexation of the ethidium bromide (3,8-diamino-6-phenyl-5-ethylphenanthridine) dye with self-complementary deoxytetraribonucleoside triphosphate 5′-d(CpGpCpG) in a water-salt solution is studied by one- and two-dimensional¹H NMR spectroscopy (500 MHz). Two-dimensional PMR spectroscopy (2D-COSY and 2D-NOESY) is used for the full assignment of proton signals of the molecules in the solution and for the qualitative analysis of the interaction between ethidium bromide and the tetranucleotide. The concentration dependences of the proton chemical shifts of the molecules at a fixed temperature (T=308 K) are measured. Different schemes of the formation of the dye complexes with the tetranucleotide, taking into account various molecular associations in the solution are considered. The equilibrium constants of the reactions and the limiting chemical shifts of ethidium bromide protons in the complexes are determined. The relative contents of different complexes in the solution are analyzed, and the dynamic equilibrium is studied as a function of the dye-tetranucleotide ratio in the solution. The data obtained suggest that ethidium bromide (like the acridine dye proflavine) is intercalated predominantly into the pyrimidine-purine sections (CG sites) of the tetranucleotide duplex. However, ethidium bromide is intercalated on the side of the narrow slot of the duplex, while proflavine intercalation occurs through the broad slot of the double helix. The most likely structures of the 1∶2 and 2∶2 dye-tetranucleotide complexes in the solution are constructed using the calculated values of the induced chemical shifts of ethidium bromide protons and 2D NOESY spectroscopy data. Sevastopol State Technical University. Berkbeck College, London University. Translated fromZhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 75–87, January–February, 1996. Translated by I. Izvekova     

Novel human lens metabolites from normal and cataractous human lenses

4-(2-Aminophenyl)-4-oxobutanoic acid, 4-(2-amino-3-hydroxyphenyl)-4-oxobutanoic acid and glutathionyl-kynurenine have been identified as novel metabolites in normal and cataractous human lenses following total synthesis and comparison with authentic human lens samples. Their structures are consistent with those derived from the major human lens UV filters kynurenine and 3-hydroxykynurenine, and it is proposed that these compounds also play a role as UV filters. These metabolites were isolated in pmol/mg levels (dry mass) in lenses. 4-(2-Amino-3-hydroxyphenyl)-4-oxobutanoic acid and glutathionyl-kynurenine were found to be unstable at physiological pH. Other potential metabolites, glutathionyl-3-hydroxykynurenine, kynurenine yellow and 3-hydroxykynurenine yellow, were not detected in either normal or cataractous lenses.     

Oxygen capture by lithiated organozinc reagents containing aromatic 2-pyridylamide ligands

The sequential reaction of ZnMe2 with a 2-pyridylamine (HN(2-C5H4N)R, R = Ph: 1; 3,5-Xy (=3,5-xylyl): 2; 2,6-Xy: 3; Bz (=benzyl): 4; Me: 5), tBuLi and thereafter with oxygen affords various lithium zincate species, the solid-state structures of which reveal a diversity of oxo-capture modes. Amine 1 reacts to give both dimeric THF [Li(Me)OZn[N(2-C5H4N)Ph]2] (6), wherein oxygen has inserted into the Zn-C bond of a [MeZn[N(2-C5H4N)-Ph]2] ion, and the trigonal Li2Zn complex, bis(OtBu)-capped (THF x Li)2-[[(mu3-O)tBu]2Zn[N(2-C5H4N)Ph]2] (7). The structural analogue of 6 (8) results from the employment of 2, while the use of more sterically congested 3 yields a pseudo-cubane dimer [(THF x [Li(tBu)OZn(OtBu)Me]]2] (9) notable for the retention of labile Zn-C(Me). Amines 4 and 5 afford the oxo-encapsulation products [mu4-O)Zn4[(2-C5H4N)-NBz]6] (10b), and [tBu(mu3-O)-Li3(mu6-O)Zn3[(2-C5H4N)NMe]6] (11), respectively, with concomitant oxo-insertion into a Li-C interaction resulting in capping of the fac-isomeric (mu6-O)M3M'3 distorted octahedral core of the latter complex by a tert-butoxide group.     

Dialysis-Chelex method for determination of exchangeable copper in human plasma

A method based on dialysis in the presence of histidine, and subsequent copper adsorption and preconcentration using Chelex-100 resin, has been developed for selective extraction of exchangeable copper from blood plasma. The method was verified by comparative analysis using two different instrumental techniques, ICP–MS and AAS. The results obtained were in excellent agreement. Accurate quantification of the exchangeable copper and the firmly bound copper was achieved. The method was further validated by analysis of a lyophilised human serum certified reference material.     

Non-unitary scattering and capture. I. Hilbert space theory

By carrying out a general analysis of properties of the wave operators for the non-unitary scattering theory which arises in connection with the use of complex optical potentials in nuclear scattering and elsewhere, we clarify some puzzling differences between two recent approaches to this subject.     

A precise PKPβ+ measurement at Z = 55: (I). The mass of 130Cs

The Q-value for the ¹²⁹Xe(³He, d)¹³⁰Cs reaction is measured to be +5 ± 20 keV. By combining this result with the known neutron separation energy of ¹³⁰Xe, we derive the total decay energy of ¹³⁰Cs

¹³⁰Xe to beQ_EC = 2974 ± 20 keV. This value agrees well with two previous positron end-point measurements but disagrees with the corresponding value derived from the 1977 atomic mass evaluation. This has significance in testing the accuracy of the calculated ratio for ¹³⁰Cs decay. The mass excess of ¹³⁰Cs is derived to be ?86908 ± 14 keV. An excited state in ¹³⁰Cs. was also identified at 121 ± 15 keV with J < 3 and positive parity. The Q-value for ¹³⁶Xe(³He, d)¹³⁷Cs was measured to be 1918 ± 12 keV.     

Asymmetric synthesis of the cis- and trans-stereoisomers of 4-aminopyrrolidine-3-carboxylic acid and 4-aminotetrahydrofuran-3-carboxylic acid

The diastereoselective conjugate addition of lithium (S)-N-benzyl-N-[small alpha]-methylbenzylamide has been successfully applied to the first asymmetric syntheses of cis-(3S,4R)- and trans-(3R,4R)-4-aminotetrahydrofuran-3-carboxylic acids (26% and 25% overall yield respectively, >98% d.e. and >97% e.e. in each case). Furthermore, the most efficient asymmetric synthesis to date of cis-(3R,4R)- and trans-(3R,4S)-4-aminopyrrolidine carboxylic acids is delineated: for cis-(3R,4R), four steps, >98% d.e., 52% overall yield; for trans-(3R,4S), five steps, >98% d.e., 50% overall yield.