The counterion releasing effect and the partition coefficient of branched alkanols in ionic micellar solution

In the micellar solution of SDS, the partition coefficient (K_x) of following branched alkanols at infinite dilution was determined by applying a differential conductivity method: the alkanols used were i-C_mH_2m+1OH (m=4-9, i=1-5) in which the position of OH group (i) shifts from an end to the center of a hydrocarbon chain. The method provides two significant quantities, d!/dX_am and dC_sf/dC_af in addition to K_x. The following results have been obtained. (1) The dependence of K_x on i indicates that the hydrophobicity of alkanol is weakened with increasing i, whereas the increase in m strengthens the hydrophobicity. (2) The degree of counterion disossiation of micelles (!) is accelerated by the solubilized alkanols in micelles (mole fraction: X_am) and the acceleration rate, d!/dX_am (=0.17), depends on neither m nor i. (3) In the bulk water, the monomerically dissolved alkanols (concentration: C_af) depresses the concentration of free monomer surfactant (C_sf), and the depressing rate, dC_sf/dC_af, in micellar solution is identical with the corresponding quantity, ((CMC/(C_a)_o at CMC.     

Analysis to obtain precise density fluctuation of supercritical fluids by small-angle X-ray scattering

A procedure of analysis for small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data has been established to obtain density fluctuation of supercritical fluids near the critical point. It is indispensable for the certain analysis to utilize both of high-quality SAXS data measured under stable thermodynamic condition and accurate P–ρ–T data in supercritical region. As a standard example, SAXS measurements have been performed for supercritical CO₂, which is a suitable sample satisfying the condition for both experiment and analysis. The measurements were carried out along four isothermal conditions at reduced temperature of T_r = T/T_c = 1.020, 1.022, 1.043 and 1.064. Comparing the experimental density fluctuation with calculated one from the most reliable equation of state, the differences are within 8% at most.     

A versatile method for preparation of O-alkylperoxycarbonic acids: epoxidation with alkyloxycarbonylimidazoles and hydrogen peroxide

A variety of O-alkylperoxycarbonic acids ($\text{2}$) were conveniently prepared $\text{in}$$\text{situ}$ by utilizing alkyloxycarbonylimidazoles ($\text{1}$) as their precursors. Epoxidation of alkenes with such peroxy-acids was studied and their reactivities were compared with those of peroxycarboxylic acids.     

Two stereoisomers of an S-bridged RhIII2PtII2 tetranuclear complex [{Pt(NH3)2}2{Rh(aet)3}2]4+ that lead to a discrete and a 1D RhIII2PtII2AgI structures by reacting with AgI (aet = 2-aminoethanethiolate)

An S-bridged RhIII2PtII2 tetranuclear complex having two nonbridging thiolato groups, [{Pt(NH3)2}2{Rh(aet)3}2]4+ ([1]4+), in which two fac(S)-[Rh(aet)3] units are linked by two trans-[Pt(NH3)2]2+ moieties, was synthesized by the 1:1 reaction of fac(S)-[Rh(aet)3] (aet = 2-aminoethanethiolate) with trans-[PtCl2(NH3)2] in water. Complex [1]4+ gave both the meso (DeltaLambda) and racemic (DeltaDelta/LambdaLambda) forms, which were separated by fractional crystallization. Of two possible geometries, syn and anti, which arise from the arrangement of two nonbridging thiolato groups, the meso and racemic forms of [1]4+ selectively afforded the anti and syn geometries, respectively. The DeltaLambda-anti and DeltaDelta/LambdaLambda-syn isomers of [1]4+ reacted with Ag+ using two nonbridging thiolato groups to produce a {RhIII2PtII2AgI}n) polymeric complex, {[Ag{Pt(NH3)2}2{Rh(aet)3}2]5+}n) ([2]5+), and a RhIII2PtII2AgI pentanuclear complex, [Ag{Pt2(mu-H2O)(NH3)2}{Rh(aet)3}2]5+ ([3]5+), respectively, which contain octahedral RhIII, square-planar PtII, and linear AgI centers. In [2]5+, each DeltaLambda-anti-[{Pt(NH3)2}2{Rh(aet)3}2]4+ tetranuclear unit is bound to two AgI atoms to form a one-dimensional zigzag chain, indicating the retention of the parental S-bridged structure in DeltaLambda-anti-[1]4+. In [3]5+, two Delta- or Lambda-fac(S)-[Rh(aet)3] units are linked by a [Pt2(mu-H2O)(NH3)2]4+ dinuclear moiety, together with an AgI atom, indicating that two NH3 molecules in [1]4+ have been replaced by a water molecule that bridges two PtII centers, while the parental DeltaDelta/LambdaLambda-syn configuration is retained. The complexes obtained were characterized on the basis of electronic absorption, CD, and NMR spectra, along with single-crystal X-ray analyses.     

Orientation-selected 15N-HYSCORE detection of weakly coupled nitrogens around the archaeal rieske [2Fe-2S] center

The weakly coupled 15N atoms around a reduced Rieske [2Fe-2S] cluster of the uniformly 15N-labeled, hyperthermostable archaeal Rieske protein appear to produce readily observable cross-peaks in the HYSCORE spectra, with the well-resolved couplings of 0.3-0.4 MHz for the Nepsilon and 1.1 MHz for the peptide backbone nitrogens, in addition to the contributions from the coordinated Ndelta atoms. These features can be used for structure-mechanism studies of the biological redox protein system involving the weakly coupled nitrogens in coupled electron-proton transfer reactions.     

Rhodamine B amine as a highly sensitive fluorescence derivatization reagent for saccharides in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

6-Rhodamine B amine functions as a highly sensitive fluorescence derivatization reagent for mono- and oligosaccharides; it reacts with the reducing end of saccharides under acidic conditions. The fluorescent derivatives of five monosaccharides can be separated within 25 min by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with isocratic elution. The detection limits (S/N = 3) for mono-, di-, and oligosaccharides are 7-51, 13, and 9-35 fmol/20 microl injection, which correspond to analyte concentrations of 35-255, 65, 45-175 nM, respectively. We have applied this derivatization method successfully to the analysis of the components of oligosaccharides in glycoproteins (ribonuclease B and fetuin) following their acidic or enzymatic hydrolysis. The results from these analyses are in good agreements with the reported values established previously.     

Antioxidant activity and Neurite outgrowth-enhancing activity of scorbamic acid and a red pigment derived from ascorbic acid

Abstract

L-Ascorbic acid (AA), known as vitamin C, can form browning products by a non-enzymatic process during storage and the browning products cause deterioration of agricultural products. In the browning reaction, a red pigment, 2,2´-nitrilodi-2(2´)-deoxy-L-ascorbic acid ammonium salt (NDA), is generated from AA via L-scorbamic acid (SCA) as an intermediate. However, the biological activities of SCA and NDA have not yet been clarified. In this study, we assayed the antioxidant activities of SCA and NDA using ABTS radical cation and their neurite outgrowth-enhancing activities in PC12 cells. SCA showed stronger radical-scavenging activity than that of AA, while NDA hardly showed any activity. SCA and NDA enhanced the neurite outgrowth induced by dibutyryl cyclic AMP after their incorporation into cells in the same manner as that of AA. The results indicated that SCA has antioxidant activity and that SCA and NDA have neurite outgrowth-enhancing activity.     

Structure and crystallization of sub-elementary fibrils of bacterial cellulose isolated by using a fluorescent brightening agent

The structure and crystallization of carefully isolated sub-elementary fibrils (SEFs) of bacterial cellulose have been investigated using TEM, WAXD, and high-resolution solid-state ¹³C NMR. The addition of a suitable amount of fluorescent brightener (FB) to the incubation medium of Acetobacter xylinum effectively suppressed the aggregation of the SEFs into the microfibrils, as previously reported. However, this study confirmed for the first time that serious structural change in the SEFs occurs during the removal of excess FB by washing with buffer solutions having pH values higher than 6 or with the alkaline aqueous solution that was frequently used in previous studies. In contrast, the isolation of unmodified SEFs was successfully performed by utilizing a washing protocol employing pH 7 citrate–phosphate buffer solution containing 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate. High-resolution solid-state ¹³C NMR and WAXD measurements revealed that the SEFs thus isolated are in the noncrystalline state in which the pyranose rings of the almost parallel cellulose chains appear to be stacked on each other. The respective CH₂OH groups of the SEFs adopt the gt conformation instead of the tg conformation found in cellulose I _α and I _β crystals, and undergo significantly enhanced molecular motion in the absence of intermolecular hydrogen bonding associated with these groups. The main chains are also subject to rapid motional fluctuations while maintaining the parallel orientation of the respective chains, indicating that the SEFs have a liquid crystal-like structure with high molecular mobility. Moreover, the SEFs crystallize into cellulose I _β when the FB molecules that may adhere to the surface of the SEFs are removed by extraction with boiling 70 v/v% ethanol and 0.1N NaOH aqueous solution. On the basis of these results, the crystallization of the SEFs into the I _α and I _β forms is discussed, including the possible formation of the crystalline-noncrystalline periodic structure in native cellulose.