Immobilization of single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid on gold electrode with self-assembled aminoethanethiol monolayer for DNA electrochemical sensor applications

A synthesized 24-mer single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (ssDNA) was covalently immobilized onto a self-assembled aminoethanethiol monolayer modified gold electrode, using water-soluble 1-ethyl-3(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide (EDC). The covalently immobilized ssDNAs were hybridized with complementary ssDNA (cDNA) or yAL(3) gene in solution, forming double-stranded DNAs (dsDNA). Meanwhile, daunomycin as an electrochemical active intercalator in the hybridization buffer solution was intercalated into the dsDNA to form a dsDNA/daunomycin system on the gold electrode surface, which was used for DNA electrochemical sensor. The cathodic waves of daunomycin bound to the double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) by linear sweep voltammetry were utilized to detect the cDNA. The cathodic peak current (i(pc)) of duanomycin was linearly related to the concentrations of cDNA between 0.1 mug ml(-1) and 0.1 ng ml(-1). The detection limit was about 30 pg ml(-1).     

Ultrathin self-assembled polymeric films on solid surfaces. I. Synthesis and characterization of acrylate copolymers containing alkyl disulfide side chains

Copolymers of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate and 2-methoxyethyl acrylate with variable compositions were synthesized, fractionated, and characterized by ¹H-NMR, IR, GPC, and viscometry. These copolymers were further modified via polymer analog esterification of copolymer hydroxy groups by a series of disulfide-containing carboxylic acids including lipoic acid and (n-pentyldithio) alkyl carboxylic acids (n-C₅H₁₁SS(CH₂)m? COOH, m = 10, 15, 22) in the presence of 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC). Esterification reactions were quantitative for copolymers possessing hydroxy monomer contents ≤ 40% when excess acid and DCC were present for sufficiently long reaction times (2–4 days) at room temperature. Copolymer DSC analysis demonstrates a systematic variation of T_g with copolymer composition in good agreement with ideal mixing theory. These disulfide-bearing copolymers spontaneously yield two-dimensional ultrathin polymer films with side chain-dependent layer thicknesses of 20–45 Å by solution adsorption onto freshly deposited gold surfaces. Such ultrathin polymer films are expected to have diverse applications as bound polymeric surface modification reagents. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Isoindole Cycloadditions. Part III: The Synthesis of "Windscreen Wiper" and Other N-Bridged Cavity Systems

The thermal addition of N-carbobenzyloxyisoindole (N-Z isoindole) 11a, generated by the reaction of 3,6-di(2-pyridyl)-s-tetrazine 9 with N-Z 7-azabenzonorbornadiene 8a, onto dimethyl tricyclo[4.2.1.0^2.5]nona-3,7-diene-3,4-dicarboxylate 17 occurred site selectively at the cyclobutene -bond to form a stereoisomeric mixture of 1 : 1-adducts 18 and 19, in which the bent-frame isomer 19 was dominant (ratio 5 : 1). In contrast, N-benzyl tetrafluoroisoindole 11c reacted with 17 only under high-pressure conditions (14 kbar, RT, 4 days) to afford 1 : 1-adducts at the cyclobutene site, in which the extended-frame isomer 18c was dominant and the accompanying bent-frame product 19c reverted to starting materials soon after isolation. These same stereoselectivities were used to prepare "windscreen wiper" compound 28c having two mobile N-benzyl substituents attached to a rigid scaffold by the reaction of N-benzyl tetrafluoroisoindole 11c with tetramethyl tetracyclo[4.4.1.0.^2,5.0^7.10]undeca-3,8-diene-3,4,7,8-tetracarboxylate 23. Cavity bis-(cyclobutene-1,2-diester) 6 reacted with N-benzyl tetrafluoroisoindole 11c twice over to produce cavity structure 36 with two O- and two N-benzyl bridges on the inner face, whereas the narrower cavity bis-alkene 32 stopped at the 1 : 1-addition stage. The dynamics of the Z-group in the dual adducts 26a–28a are discussed briefly and key adducts and cavity systems have been structurally evaluated by X-ray crystallography, VT NMR, and molecular modeling.     

Quantitative analysis of 23-hydroxybetulinic acid in mouse plasma using electrospray liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

23-Hydroxybetulinic acid is a newly isolated derivative of betulinic acid. The agent exhibits potential anti-tumor activity and functions in this regard via apoptosis. In support of pharmacokinetic and toxicological evaluations, a new assay based on liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) was developed for the quantitative analysis of 23-hydroxybetulinic acid. Sample preparation consisted of extraction of the plasma by the addition of methylene chloride followed by centrifugation. Aliquots of the supernatant were analyzed using an isocratic reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system coupled to a negative ion electrospray mass spectrometer. Molecules of 23-hydroxybetulinic acid and the internal standard limonin were detected using selected ion monitoring at m/z 471 and 469, respectively. The limit of detection of 23-hydroxybetulinic acid was 0.05 pg (0.11 fmol) injected on-column (10 pg/mL, 5 microL injection volume), and the limit of quantitation was 10 pg (21.19 fmol, 2 ng/mL, 5 muL injection volume). 23-Hydroxybetulinic acid was stable in plasma samples at -20 degrees C for at least 3 weeks. The intra-day and inter-day coefficients of variation of the assay were 3.0 and 4.8%, respectively. The utility of the assay was demonstrated by measuring 23-hydroxybetulinicacid in mouse plasma following intragastric administration (IG) in vivo. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using the 3P97 pharmacokinetic software package. A two-compartment, first-order model was selected for pharmacokinetic modeling. The result showed that after IG of 200 mg/kg 23-hydroxybetulinic acid, the plasma concentrations reached peaks at 2 h with C(max) of 3.1 microg/mL. The 200 mg/kg 23-hydroxybetulinic acid suspension IG doses were found to have long elimination half-lives of 25.6 h and low bioavailability of 2.3%. No interference was noted due to endogenous substances. These analytical methods should be of value in future studies related to the development and characterization of 23-hydroxybetulinic acid.     

Electron tunneling through molecular media: a density functional study of Au/Dithiol/Au systems.

We report a density functional theory study of the electronic properties of n-alkanedithiols (CnS2, with n=4, 8 and 12) sandwiched between two Au(111) infinite slab electrodes. We investigate the influence of the distance between the two electrodes and of the molecular chain length, tilt angle, and coverage on the local density of states (LDOS) at the Fermi energy (E(f)). We find that the (small) value of the LDOS at Ef near the center of the molecular wires--a quantity that is related to the tunneling current--is mainly determined by the length n of the alkane chains: it originates from the tails of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) which are broadened by the interaction with the electrodes, and decays exponentially with the length of the molecular wire. This opens a nonresonance tunneling channel for charge transport at small bias voltages. While the length of the hydrocarbon chain appears to be the determining factor, the tilt angle of the molecular wires with respect to the electrode surfaces, and therefore the distance between these, has a small influence on the LDOS at the center of the molecule, while the effect of coverage can be ignored. The picture which emerges from these calculations is totally consistent with a through-bond tunneling mechanism.     

Dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene with CO2 over Cr-MCM-41 catalyst

M-MCM-41 catalysts (M: V, Cr, Fe, and Ga) prepared by direct hydrothermal synthesis (DHT) have been tested for dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene with CO₂. The synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂ adsorption (77 K), and diffuse reflectance UV–vis spectroscopic measurements. Cr-MCM-41 showed the highest activity among M-MCM-41 catalysts tested, resulting in the production of styrene with the conversion of 65% and the selectivity above 90%. The rate of styrene formation increased with increasing Cr loading up to 1.7 wt.%. It is suggested that Cr(VI)O₄ in tetrahedral coordination is formed as an active monochromate species and reduced to Cr(III)O₆ in octahedral coordination as a less active polychromate species during the reaction. Deactivated catalyst was regenerated by a treatment with gaseous oxygen or CO₂, during which redistribution as well as reoxidation of polymeric Cr(III)O₆ octahedra to monomeric Cr(VI)O₄ tetrahedra was observed. The rate of CO formation increased together with that of styrene formation, while the rate of H₂ formation decreased, with increasing partial pressure of CO₂. It was confirmed that reverse water-gas shift reaction took place over Cr-MCM-41 by a separate experiment. The rate of CO formation during the dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene with CO₂ over Cr-MCM-41 was well accounted for by assuming parallel occurrence of two reactions, i.e., direct oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene with CO₂ and simple dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene thermodynamically assisted by reverse water-gas shift reaction.     

MEASUREMENTS OF CHAIN INTERPENETRATION OF POLYMER GLASSES

The concept of entanglement provides the basis of our current understanding of the flow behavior of polymer melts, Current techniques developed to investigate the degree of interpenetration of polymer chains only provide indirectly the information of the degree of entanglement in a relatively large scale （several to tens of nanometer）. In this article, we report ^1H-NMR spectroscopy with dipolar filters under fast magic angle spinning for probing chain interpenetration of polymer glasses at the molecular level.     

Synthesis and Reactions of Polyhedral Compounds. 27. Development of a Synthetic Route for 2- Spiro-substituted 6-Hydroxy-5,7-dimethyl-1,3-diazaadamantanes

Alternative methods for the synthesis of 2-spiro-substituted 6-hydroxy-5,7-dimethyl-1,3-diazaadamantanes have been developed. These are the reduction of the ketone group to hydroxyl in the corresponding 6-oxo-1,3-diazaadamantanes and the condensation of 9-hydroxy-1,5-dimethyl-3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (obtained by different routes from 5,7-dimethyl-6-oxo-1,3-diazaadamantane) in reaction with cyclic ketones.     

Comparison between ab Initio and Modified INDO-MO Calculations of N20

Both STO-3G ab initio and s-p separation-type-modified INDO semiempirical methods were applied to molecular-orbital calculation of the N₂₀ molecule. From these two methods, the optimized bond distances between the nearest N atoms (d_n-n) and the most calculated thermodynamic data are close to each other. The positive values of ΔH_a° and ΔG_a° for the atomization reaction in this work prove that N₂₀ is stable. In contrast to conventional INDO and MINDO/3, but similar to former AMI and MNDO calculations, both ΔH_r° and ΔG_r° are positive in the formation reaction, which indicates that N₂₀ belongs to the category of high-energy molecules.     

Chemically modified resins for solid-phase extraction

The packings most widely used for solid-phase extraction are hydrophobic and make poor surface contact with aqueous samples unless the resins are first treated with an activating organic solvent such as methanol. Insertion of an acetyl- or hydroxymethyl group into a porous polystyrene-divinylbenzene resin provides a more hydrophilic surface that is easily wetted by water alone. Small columns of the chemically modified resins were found to be very efficient for the solid-phase extraction of many types of organic solutes from aqueous samples. Comparative recovery studies showed that the modified resins are superior to both silica packings and unmodified organic resins for the solid-phase extraction of organic compounds, and especially for polar organics such as phenols.