Infrared-induced conformational isomerization and vibrational relaxation dynamics in melatonin and 5-methoxy-N-acetyl tryptophan methyl amide

The conformational isomerization dynamics of melatonin and 5-methoxy N-acetyltryptophan methyl amide (5-methoxy NATMA) have been studied using the methods of IR-UV hole-filling spectroscopy and IR-induced population transfer spectroscopy. Using these techniques, single conformers of melatonin were excited via a well-defined NH stretch fundamental with an IR pump laser. This excess energy was used to drive conformational isomerization. By carrying out the infrared excitation early in a supersonic expansion, the excited molecules were re-cooled into their zero-point levels, partially re-filling the hole created in the ground state population of the excited conformer, and creating gains in population of the other conformers. These changes in population were detected using laser-induced fluorescence downstream in the expansion via an UV probe laser. The isomerization quantum yields for melatonin show some conformation specificity but no hint of vibrational mode specificity. In 5-methoxy NATMA, no isomerization was observed out of the single conformational well populated in the expansion in the absence of the infrared excitation. In order to study the dependence of the isomerization on the cooling rate, the experimental arrangement was modified so that faster cooling conditions could be studied. In this arrangement, the pump and probe lasers were overlapped in space in the high density region of the expansion, and the time dependence of the zero-point level populations of the conformers was probed following selective excitation of a single conformation. The analysis needed to extract isomerization quantum yields from the timing scans was developed and applied to the melatonin timing scans. Comparison between the frequency and time domain isomerization quantum yields under identical experimental conditions produced similar results. Under fast cooling conditions, the product quantum yields were shifted from their values under standard conditions. The results for melatonin are compared with those for N-acetyl tryptophan methyl amide.     

A Yeast Chemical Genetic Screen Identifies Inhibitors of Human Telomerase

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Highlights? Growth arrest induced by human telomerase in yeast is chemically reversible ? Readout is sensitive to telomerase catalytic activity and telomere recruitment ? Three cell-permeable compounds also inhibit purified human telomerase ? Yeast can be successfully used to screen for human telomerase inhibitors     

Ultrafast dynamics of aniline in the 294-234 nm excitation range: the role of the πσ∗ state

The ultrafast relaxation of jet-cooled aniline was followed by time-resolved ionization, after excitation in the 294-234 interval. The studied range of energy covers the absorption of the two bright ππ? excitations, S(1) and S(3), and the almost dark S(2) (πσ?) state. The employed probe wavelengths permit to identify different ultrafast time constants related with the coupling of the involved electronic surfaces. A τ(1) = 165 ± 30 fs lifetime is attributed to dynamics along the S(2) (πσ?) repulsive surface. Other relaxation channels as the S(1)→S(0) and S(3)→S(1) internal conversion are also identified and characterized. The work provides a general view of the photophysics of aniline, particularly regarding the role of the πσ? state. This state appears as minor dissipation process due to the ineffective coupling with the bright S(1) and S(3) states, being the S(1)→S(0) internal conversion the main non-radiative process in the full studied energy range. Additionally, the influence of the off-resonance adiabatic excitation of higher energy electronic states, particularly S(3), is also observed and discussed.     

Headspace-solid-phase microextraction preconcentration of phenols, indoles and on-fibre derivatised volatile fatty acids in liquid and gas samples from cow slurries

Odorous organic compounds from liquid and gas samples of animal wastes were studied by headspace (HS)-solid-phase microextraction (SPME)-GC-MS. 1-Pirenyldiazomethane (PDAM) was adsorbed/absorbed on the SPME fibre in order to obtain the corresponding ester derivatives during the preconcentration step. The SPME fibre was immersed into a PDAM solution. Then, the SPME fibre was withdrawn and exposed to the HS of the liquid cow slurry. This way derivatisation of VFAs took place in the SPME fibre together with the preconcentration of the rest of the analytes of interest. The analytes were desorbed in the hot injection port (300 degrees C) of a GC-MS for 3 min. Four different fibre types and different immersion periods of the fibre in the PDAM solution were studied in order to obtain the best sensitivity with the selected fibre. Accuracy, precision and the LODs were calculated using spiked liquid and gas samples. The possibility of storing liquid samples after sampling by preconcentration on the fibre was also considered. Storage time and temperature were studied. The optimised method was applied to the determination of the analytes in liquid and gas samples from cow slurries from an intensive production farm.     

Stereocontrolled conjugate additions to dihydroindolizinone systems. Synthesis of enantiopure polysubstituted tetrahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolones

Conjugate addition reactions of various types of nucleophiles to the γ-lactam unit of dihydroindolizinone systems have been studied. The addition of cuprates, amines or stabilized carbanions requires the activation of the unsaturated bicyclic lactam with a EWG at C-2, while sulfur-stabilized carbanions are reactive enough to add to the unsubstituted lactam. The stereochemical outcome of the conjugate addition reaction depends on the nature of the substituent at the angular position, and the incoming nucleophile. Thus 1,10b-cis or 1,10b-trans diastereomers could be obtained selectively with dr>95:5. The tandem conjugate addition–alkylation also takes place in good yields. These reactions have been applied to the synthesis of enantiopure tetrahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines.     

Exponential stability of simultaneously triangularizable switched systems with explicit calculation of a common Lyapunov function

In this note, a common quadratic Lyapunov function is explicitly calculated for a linear hybrid system described by a family of simultaneously triangularizable matrices. The explicit construction of such a function allows not only obtaining an estimate of the convergence rate of the exponential stability of the switched system under arbitrary switching but also calculating an upper bound for the output during its transient response. Furthermore, the presented result is then extended to the case where the system is affected by parametric uncertainty, providing the corresponding results in terms of the nominal matrices and uncertainty bounds.     

Ultrafast photophysics of the isolated indole molecule

The relaxation dynamics of the isolated indole molecule has been tracked by femtosecond time-resolved ionization. The excitation region explored (283-243 nm) covers three excited states: the two ππ* L(b) and L(a) states, and the dark πσ* state with dissociative character. In the low energy region (λ > 273 nm) the transients collected reflect the absorption of the long living L(b) state. The L(a) state is met 1000-1500 cm(-1) above the L(b) origin, giving rise to an ultrafast lifetime of 40 fs caused by the internal conversion to the lower L(b) minimum through a conical intersection. An additional ~400 fs component, found at excitation wavelengths shorter than 263 nm, is ascribed to dynamics along the πσ* state, which is likely populated through coupling to the photoexcited L(a) state. The study provides a general view of the indole photophysics, which is driven by the interplay between these three excited surfaces and the ground state.     

The dynamics of conformational isomerization in flexible biomolecules. I. Hole-filling spectroscopy of N-acetyl tryptophan methyl amide and N-acetyl tryptophan amide

The conformational isomerization dynamics of N-acetyl tryptophan methyl amide (NATMA) and N-acetyl tryptophan amide (NATA) have been studied using the methods of IR-UV hole-filling spectroscopy (HFS) and IR-induced population transfer spectroscopy (IR-PTS), which were developed for this purpose. Single conformations of these molecules were selectively excited in well-defined NH stretch fundamentals. This excess energy was used to drive conformational isomerization. By carrying out the infrared excitation early in a supersonic expansion, the excited molecules were recooled into their zero-point levels, partially refilling the hole created in the ground state population of one of the conformers, and creating gains in population in other conformers. These changes in population were detected using laser-induced fluorescence downstream in the expansion. In HFS, the IR wavelength is fixed and the UV laser tuned in order to determine where the population went following selective infrared excitation. In IR-PTS, the UV is fixed to monitor the population of a given conformation, and the IR is tuned to record the IR-induced changes in the population of the monitored conformer. Besides demonstrating the capability of the experiment to change the downstream conformational population distribution, the IR-PTS scans were used to extract two quantitative results: (i) The fractional populations of the conformers in the absence of the infrared, and (ii) the isomerization quantum yields for each of the six unique amide NH stretch fundamentals (three conformers each with two amide groups). The method for obtaining quantum yields is described in detail. In both NATMA and NATA, the quantum yields show modest conformational specificity, but only a hint of vibrational mode specificity. The prospects for the hole-filling technique for providing insight into energy flow in large molecules are discussed, leaving a more detailed theoretical modeling to the adjoining paper [Evans et al. J. Chem. Phys. 120, 148 (2004)].     

Resolution and identification of co‐eluting alkylphenols in comprehensive two‐dimensional gas chromatography–mass spectrometry by multivariate curve resolution‐alternating least squares

The interest in the analysis of alkylphenols (APs) has widely increased in the last decades because of the endocrine disrupting features of these phenol derivatives. However, the isolation and identification of many of the multiple chemical structures of all APs is a very challenging task because of their similar physicochemical properties. In this work, the co‐elution of the isomers present in technical mixtures and using comprehensive two‐dimensional gas chromatography coupled to quadrupole mass spectrometry was resolved using multivariate curve resolution‐alternating least squares algorithm. The mass spectrum of each resolved compound was compared with the theoretical mass spectrum obtained from the literature, in order to assign the appropriate identification of each isomer. Two commercial mixtures were studied; in one of them, 34 compounds were resolved, and in the second mixture, 40 compounds were resolved. The relative abundances of the compounds were also calculated in both mixtures. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.