Three-dimensional structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae inorganic pyrophosphatase complexed with cobalt and phosphate ions

Crystals of Saccharomyces cerevisiae inorganic pyrophosphatase suitable for X-ray diffraction study were grown by cocrystallization of the enzyme with cobalt chloride and imidodiphosphate. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a metal-dependent enzyme which catalyzes hydrolysis of inorganic pyrophosphate to orthophosphate. The three-dimensional structure of this enzyme was solved by the molecular-replacement method and refined at 1.8 Å resolution to an R factor of 19.5%. Cobalt and phosphate ions were revealed in the active centers of both identical subunits (A and B) of the pyrophosphatase molecule. In subunit B, a water molecule was found between two cobalt ions. It is believed that this water molecule acts as an attacking nucleophile in the enzymatic cleavage of the pyrophosphate bond. It was demonstrated that cobalt ions and a phosphate group occupy only part of the potential binding sites (two chemically identical and crystallographically independent subunits have different binding sites). The arrangement of ligands and the structure of the nucleophile-binding site are discussed in relation to the mechanism of action of the enzyme and the nature of the metal activator.     

Triruthenium dodecacarbonyl/triphenylphosphine catalyzed dehydrogenation of primary and secondary alcohols

Dehydrogenation of alcohols into aldehydes and ketones by Ru₃(CO)₁₂/PPh₃ based homogeneous catalysis has been investigated as an alternative for the classical Oppenauer oxidation. Several catalytic systems have been screened in the Oppenauer-like oxidation of alcohols. A systematic study of various combinations of Ru₃(CO)₁₂, mono- and bidentate ligands and hydride acceptors was performed to enable dehydrogenation of primary alcohols to stop at the aldehyde stage. Among many H-acceptors screened, diphenylacetylene (tolane) proved the most suitable judged from its smooth reduction. Electron rich and deficient analogues of tolane have been synthesized and, based on competition experiments between these H-acceptors, a tentative catalytic cycle for the Ru₃(CO)₁₂/PPh₃-catalyzed dehydrogenations has been proposed.     

Access to Paullone Analogues by Intramolecular Heck Reaction

The syntheses of paullone ( 1a ) and three paullone derivatives, including a sulfur analogue ( 2a ), a tricyclic derivative ( 2b ), and a ring‐enlarged variant ( 2c ), are described, Pd‐catalyzed intramolecular Heck reaction being the key step. The kinase‐inhibitory properties of the novel paullone analogues were investigated.     

Laser evaporation as a source of small free radicals

It is shown that laser evaporation of a solid target followed by adiabatic expansion can be used to produce cold beams of neutral small open shell molecules. LIF is applied to detect CuH (X ¹), CH (X ²), SiH (X ²), CuO (X ²), and FeO (X ⁵). A production of 10^9±1 molecules/sr in a single pulse is obtained for SiH. For a copper target, the optical emission of the jet plume is discussed.     

THE SYNERGISTIC INFLUENCE OF A PRE-IRRADIATION ON THE PHOTOINHIBITTON OF GHERKIN SEEDLINGS

Abstract— A pre-irradiation of etiolated gherkin seedlings increases the effect of a subsequent irradiation with red light, whereas it does not influence the inhibitive effect of blue light. Blue and far red radiation are more active as a pre-irradiation than red light. It is concluded that at least two photoreactions are involved in the control of the elongation of the gherkin hypocotyl and that the blue, far red sensitive reaction has a synergistic effect on the red sensitive (Phytochrome mediated) reaction.     

Allyl complexes of dicyclopentadienyl-niobium(III) and -tantalum(III)

The synthesis and the properties of the complexes Cp₂TaCl₂, Cp₂M(allyl), Cp₂M(1-methylallyl) and Cp₂M(2-methylallyl) with M  Nb, Ta are described. The complex Cp₂TaCl₂ has one unpaired electron per tantalum atom, while the allyl complexes are diamagnetic. The IR and PMR spectra indicate that the allyl group is π-bonded to the metal. The mass spectra of the complexes are discussed; the thermal stability of the Cp₂Nb- and Cp₂Ta-(allyl) complexes was investigated by differential thermal analysis. The properties of the niobium and tantalum complexes are compared with those of the corresponding titanium complexes.     

Conformational control in the cyclization of hydrogen-bonded supramolecular polymers

Bifunctional 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone (UPy) derivatives can form small cyclic oligomers as well as long supramolecular polymers in chloroform solutions using the quadruple hydrogen-bonding motif. Ring-chain equilibria of a set of supramolecular monomers containing methyl-substituted alkyl linkers between the hydrogen-bonding UPy moieties were investigated by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and viscometry. The data were characterized in terms of critical concentration (CC, denoting the onset of polymerization) and equilibrium cyclic dimer concentration (EDC, representing preorganization of the monomer toward selective formation of cyclic dimer). Methyl substituents in the monomer were found to promote conformations favorable for cyclic dimerization, leading to an increase in both the EDC and the CC with respect to unsubstituted monomer. Furthermore, we observed an odd-even effect in the CC and EDC with increasing length of the linker between the hydrogen-bonding units. The combined results allow tuning of the critical concentration over a broad range and offer detailed information on the correlation between monomer structure, conformation, and polymerizability which may provide new insights for the study and design of other ring-chain equilibria or helix-random coil transitions.     

Thermal decomposition of dicyclopentadienylarylvanadium compounds

The thermolysis of compounds of the type Cp₂VR (R = aryl) in the solid state has been studied. A distinct increase in thermal stability is observed upon substitution of the ortho-position of the aryl group. Thermal decomposition occurs with formation of RH, Cp₂ V, a vanadocene homologue with the group R substituted in one of the Cp rings and, probably, a vanadocene homologue with two substituted Cp rings. It is shown that the abstraction of the hydrogen atom from the cyclopentadienyl ring, necessary for the formation of RH, is an intermolecular process, whereas the substitution of the aryl group in the Cp ring is intramolecular. A decomposition mechanism is proposed in which the group R is transferred from the vanadium atom to the C₅H₅ ring of the same molecule by interaction with an aryl group of another molecule. The thermal decomposition of Cp₂VR is compared with that of the analogous titanium compounds.     

First principles and experimental 1H NMR signatures of solvated ions: The case of HCl(aq).

A combined experimental and ab initio study is presented of the 1H NMR chemical shift distribution of aqueous hydrogen chloride solution as a function of acid concentration, based on Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations and fully periodic NMR chemical-shift calculations. The agreement of computed and experimental spectra is very good. From first-principles calculations, we can show that the individual contributions of Eigen and Zundel ions, regular water molecules, and the chlorine solvation shell to the NMR line are very distinct and almost independent of the acid concentration. From the computed instantaneous NMR distributions, it is further possible to characterize the average variation in hydrogen-bond strength of the different complexes.