Preparation of the stabilized glycoenzymes by cross-linking their carbohydrate chains

Each of the three high-mannose type glycoproteins studied, acid phosphatase, invertase, and glucose oxidase, could be specifically cross-linked through its carbohydrate chains. The procedure involves periodate oxidation of carbohydrate residues followed by reaction of the generated aldehyde groups with adipic acid dihydrazide as a cross-linker. The amount and size as well as solubility of the formed polymers could be efficiently controlled by varying the reaction conditions, i.e., the oxidation degree and the concentrations of glycoproteins, cross-linker, and hydrogen ions during the cross-linking reaction. It was found that the quantity and size of polymers increased with oxidation degree and protein concentration and by lowering the pH. When the protein concentration was above and pH below certain values, depending on the glycoenzyme, insoluble polymers formed. The soluble cross-linked polymers retained a high level of original activity, and the minor decrease in specific activity noticed was shown to occur during the periodate oxidation step. The cross-linked glycoenzymes are much more resistant to denaturation by high temperature and by changes in pH, demonstrating the usefulness of this method in preparation of the stabilized glycoprotein derivatives.     

On the capillary gas chromatographic separation of enantiomers of N-trifluoroacetyl-O-alkyl esters of selected amino acids on 2,3-di-O-pentyl-6-O-acyl cyclodextrins

In this work, the separation of enantiomers of N-TFA-O-alkyl amino acids on the 2,3-di-O-pentyl-6-O-acyl alpha-, beta- and gamma-cyclodextrin stationary phases has been studied. The influence of structure differences in the alkyl substituents bonded to the stereogenic carbon atom (R1), as well as in the ester group (R2) of the selected amino acid derivatives, and the selectivity of modified alpha-, beta- and gamma-cyclodextrin phases in gas chromatographic separation of derivatized amino acid enantiomers was studied in detail. A model set of N-TFA-alkyl esters of four amino acids was separated on five columns. The separation of enantiomers was evaluated in terms of the interactions of the alkyl substituents bonded to the stereogenic carbon (R1) and/or the ester group (R2) of the N-TFA-O-alkyl amino acid derivatives as well as the nature of the 3-O-acyl group in the 2,6-di-O-pentyl-3-O-acyl alpha-, beta- and gamma-cyclodextrins. It was shown that the variation in the enantiomeric separation with temperature and the retention order of enantiomers on a given cyclodextrin capillary column depends both on the nature of the bonded R1 and R2 alkyl groups. It was found that the temperature dependencies of selectivity factors, ln alpha on 1/T, were mostly non-linear. The thermodynamic data [delta(deltaS) and [delta(deltaH)] which characterize the chiral recognition were used to gain more insight into the mechanistic aspects of enantio separation of the N-TFA-O-alkyl amino acid derivatives on 2,6-di-O-pentyl-3-O-acyl-alpha-, beta- and gamma-cyclodextrins.     

A crystal structure of mixed-metal dianionic phosphate Cs3.70Mg0.60Ti2.78(TiO)3(P2O7)4(PO4)2

The single crystals of caesium magnesium titanium (IV) tri-oxo-tetrakis-diphosphate bis-monophosphate, Cs_3.70Mg_0.60Ti_2.78(TiO)₃(P₂O₇)₄(PO₄)₂, crystallize in sp. gr. P-1 (No. 2) with cell parameters a=6.3245(4), b=9.5470(4), c=15.1892(9) Å, α=72.760(4), β=85.689(5), γ=73.717(4), z=1. The titled compound possesses a three-dimensional tunnel structure built by the corner-sharing of distorted [TiO₆] octahedra, [Ti₂O₁₁] bioctahedra, [PO₄] monophosphate and [P₂O₇] pyrophosphate groups. The Cs⁺ cations are located in the tunnels. The partial substitution of Ti positions with Mg atoms is observed. The negative charge of the framework is balanced by Cs cations and Mg atoms leading to pronounced concurrency and orientation disorder in the [P₂O₇] groups, which coordinate both.     

Author index to volume 104

Activation barriers of the title reactions are calculated using a DZ + P basis set with diffuse p functions on negative ions. In the correlation effects, which are large and negative, the importance of single and triple excitations is stressed. The barrier for the reaction of H^? with CH₃F is 12 kJ/mole, in good agreement with experiment, while the barrier for the reaction of F^? with CH₃F is predicted to be 14 kJ/mole.     

The synthesis of some bidentate ligands containing both phosphine and nitrile groups

Both (C₆H₅)₂P(CH₂)₃CN and (C₆H₅)₂P(CH₂)₄CN have been obtained from the reaction of Br(CH₂)_nCN (n = 3, 4) with (C₆H₅)₂POCH₃ followed by reduction with (C₆H₅)₂SiH₂. These phosphine-nitrile ligands form L₂PdCl₂ complexes which are shown by IR measurements to have trans geometries with the phosphine portions of the ligands coordinated. Reactions of o-BrC₆H₄CN with CH₃(CH₂)₃Li followed by R₂PCl (R = C₆H₅ or (CH₃)₂N) have been used to provide good yields of the corresponding R₂P-o-C₆H₄CN products.     

Density functional theory studies on the mechanisms of regioselective allylic and cis-vinylic deprotonation of allyl amides and allylamines

A density functional theory (B3LYP/6-31+G) study was undertaken in an effort to learn more about the mechanisms controlling the regioselective deprotonations of the synthetically versatile N-lithio-N-(tert-butyl)allylamide 1 and N-lithio-N-(trimethylsilyl)allylamine 2 compounds. The calculations suggest that deprotonation of 1 occurs exclusively at the allylic position. This agrees with experimental results. The calculations also suggest that deprotonation of allylamine 2 exclusively at the cis-vinylic position is due to kinetic control.     

Application of the Sol-Gel Method at the Fabrication of Microstructure Fibers

This paper presents results on using the sol-gel process for the preparation of microstructure fibers (MSFs). In this preparation the sol-gel method is used for the formation of bonds between silica tubes and silica rods in the input stacks for MSF drawing and for filling-in the interstices between these parts. Gels applied on the stacks were prepared from sols composed of tetraethoxysilane, phosphorous oxychloride, boron tribromide, ethanol, HCl and water. Pastes prepared from the sols and solid fabricated through heat treatment of the sols at 1000°C were also used. The sols were applied on the stacks by the dip-coating method and the pastes were applied manually. The formed xerogels were heat-treated at temperatures of up to 1000°C. The MSFs of the grapefruit type were drawn from the stacks at a temperature of about 1900°C. Waveguiding properties of the fibers were examined under their excitation by an inclined collimated beam. It has been found that the sol-gel method is suitable particularly for filling-in the interstices at the end of the stack, which enables pressure control inside holes of the stack during MSF drawing.     

The first synthesis and cytostatic activity of novel 6-(fluoromethyl)purine bases and nucleosides

Two alternative approaches to the synthesis of novel 6-(fluoromethyl)purine bases and nucleosides are described either by direct deoxyfluorination or by multistep functional group transformations starting from 6-(hydroxymethyl)purines. 6-(fluoromethyl)purine ribonucleoside displayed significant cytostatic effects.     

Graphs with maximum connectivity index

Let G be a graph and d_v the degree (=number of first neighbors) of its vertex v. The connectivity index of G is χ=∑ (d_ud_v)^−1/2, with the summation ranging over all pairs of adjacent vertices of G. In a previous paper (Comput. Chem. 23 (1999) 469), by applying a heuristic combinatorial optimization algorithm, the structure of chemical trees possessing extremal (maximum and minimum) values of χ was determined. It was demonstrated that the path P_n is the n-vertex tree with maximum χ-value. We now offer an alternative approach to finding (molecular) graphs with maximum χ, from which the extremality of P_n follows as a special case. By eliminating a flaw in the earlier proof, we demonstrate that there exist cases when χ does not provide a correct measure of branching: we find pairs of trees T, T′, such that T is more branched than T′, but χ(T)>χ(T′). The smallest such examples are trees with 36 vertices in which one vertex has degree 31.     

Thermo-oxidative degradation of some elastomers with a high content of 3,4 isoprene units

New elastomers with high content of 3,4 isoprene units have been developed during the last decades in an attempt to ensure superior performances of the final products and the present study is devoted to the investigation of some peculiarities of their ageing behaviour. On thermo-oxidative degradation, 3,4 isoprene units are less affected in comparison to cis-1, 4 and trans-1, 4 isoprene units. The degradation process consists mainly in splitting of the main chains at temperatures of 80–100 °C while at higher temperatures (120–130 °C) branching becomes a significant modification and this reaction is enhanced for the polymers containing preponderantly 3,4 units. Such behaviour leads to the fact that the processability of polymers containing high amounts of 1,2 and 1,3 isoprene units is less affected by thermo-oxidative degradation in comparison with cis-1, 4-polyisoprene, which could be explained by the fact that large amounts of double bonds are not present in the backbone of macromolecules but in the pendent groups.