Effect of oxidizing environments on the diffusion-segregation boron distribution in the thermal silicon dioxide-silicon system

The diffusion-segregation boron distribution in the silicon dioxide-silicon system upon oxidation in different environments is studied by secondary-ion mass spectrometry and numerical simulation. The coefficient of boron segregation at the SiO₂/Si interface and the enhancement of boron diffusion in silicon as functions of the type of oxidizing environment (dry oxygen, wet oxygen, and the presence of hydrochloric acid vapor), the orientation of the silicon surface, and the temperature of oxidizing annealing are obtained. A qualitative model is proposed based on the assumption that the segregation mass transfer of boron through the SiO₂/Si interface is associated with the generation of nonequilibrium intrinsic interstitials.     

Complex Compounds Based on 1-Isopropenylimidazoles and -pyrazole

With respect to Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺,Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Pd²⁺, and Sn⁴⁺ salts, 1-isopropenyl-substituted imidazole, 2-methylimidazole, and pyrazole behave as monodentate ligands with only one coordination center on the N¹ and N² atoms, respectively; 1-isopropenylpyrazole under complex-formation conditions is dealkylated to form pyrazole complexes. The reaction with HCl leaves the unsaturated substituent in 1-isopropenylimidazole intact and yields corresponding hydrochlorides by the N³ atom of the heterocycle. The least basic 1-isopropenylpyrazole takes up HCl also by the double bond of the alkenyl group.     

Reactions of benzothiazole-2-thione and benzothiazole-2-one with acetylene

Reaction of benzothiazole-2-thione and benzothiazole-2-one with acetylene in the presence of potassium hydroxide or cadmium acetate gives 2-vinylthiobenzothiazole and 3-vinylbenzothiazol-2-one, respectively. Benzothiazole-2-thione is partially convened to benzothiazol-2-one by the action of Cd(OAc)₂. Under vinylation conditions the latter also forms 2-vinylthioaniline.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 270–271, February, 1991.     

Protonated Sodium 1-Hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonates

Powder X-ray diffraction study of sodium salts of 1-hydroxyethane-1'1-diphosphonic acid (H₄L)of the compositions NaH₃L·H₂O, Na₂H₂L·4H₂O, Na₃HL·5.5H₂O showed that these compounds aresingle-phase. Some of their properties were determined. The possibility of preparing salts of other compositionswas examined.     

A new method for the synthesis of diorganylvinylphosphine oxides

Diorganylvinylphosphine oxides were synthesized in 31–38% yields on heating (50°C) diorganylphosphine oxides with vinyl sulfoxides or divinyl sulfone in the presence of KOH. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 1895–1896, October, 1997.     

Cyanoacetylene and Its Derivatives: XXXI. Nucleophilic Addition of 2- and 4-Mercaptopyridines to Cyanacetylenes

Reactions of nucleophilic addition of 2- and 4-mercaptopyridines to 3-phenyl-2-propynonitrile, 4-hydroxy-4-alkyl-2-alkynonitriles, and methyl 2-butynoate (triethylamine, 20-25 or 100°C) give rise to the corresponding S-adducts with Z-configuration (for cyanoethylenes), or to a mixture of E- and Z-isomers in 60:40 ratio for methyl 2-butynoate.     

N,N′-bis(2-Vinyloxyethyl)carbodiimide

Previously unreported N,N-bis(2-vlnyloxyethyl)carbodiimide was synthesized by the reaction of N,N -bis(2-vinyloxyethyl)thiourea with yellow mercuric oxide in CH₂Cl₂ at room temperature.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1897–1898, August, 1990.     

Reactions of 1-Allenylpyrazole and 1-Allenyl-1,2,4-triazole with Hydrogen Chloride and Metal Chlorides

1-Allenylpyrazole and 1-allenyl-1,2,4-triazole react with hydrogen chloride via proton addition at the pyridine-like nitrogen atom (N² and N⁴, respectively). In the reaction with 1-allenylpyrazole, 1-[(E)-3-chloro-1-propenyl]pyrazole is also formed via regio- and stereoselective addition of hydrogen chloride to the propadienyl group. 1-Allenylpyrazole and 1-allenyl-1,2,4-triazole act as unidentate ligands with respect to Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pd, and Sn, the donor centers being N² and N⁴, respectively. Apart from mononuclear coordination compounds, 1-allenylpyrazole gives rise to polymeric complexes which contain units and blocks formed by the free ligand.     

Automated linkage of proteins and payloads producing monodisperse conjugates

Controlled protein functionalization holds great promise for a wide variety of applications. However, despite intensive research, the stoichiometry of the functionalization reaction remains difficult to control due to the inherent stochasticity of the conjugation process. Classical approaches that exploit peculiar structural features of specific protein substrates, or introduce reactive handles via mutagenesis, are by essence limited in scope or require substantial protein reengineering. We herein present equimolar native chemical tagging (ENACT), which precisely controls the stoichiometry of inherently random conjugation reactions by combining iterative low-conversion chemical modification, process automation, and bioorthogonal trans-tagging. We discuss the broad applicability of this conjugation process to a variety of protein substrates and payloads.

Controlled protein functionalization holds great promise for a wide variety of applications.

Applications of protein conjugates are limitless, including imaging, diagnostics, drug delivery, and sensing.^1–4 In many of these applications, it is crucial that the conjugates are homogeneous.⁵ The site-selectivity of the conjugation process and the number of functional labels per biomolecule, known as the degree of conjugation (DoC), are crucial parameters that define the composition of the obtained products and are often the limiting factors to achieving adequate performance of the conjugates. For instance, immuno-PCR, an extremely sensitive detection technique, requires rigorous control of the average number of oligonucleotide labels per biomolecule (its DoC) in order to achieve high sensitivity.⁶ In optical imaging, the performance of many super-resolution microscopy techniques is directly defined by the DoC of fluorescent tags.⁷ For therapeutics, an even more striking example is provided by antibody–drug conjugates, which are prescribed for the treatment of an increasing range of cancer indications.⁸ A growing body of evidence from clinical trials indicates that bioconjugation parameters, DoC and DoC distribution, directly influence the therapeutic index of these targeted agents and hence must be tightly controlled.⁹Standard bioconjugation techniques, which rely on nucleophile–electrophile reactions, result in a broad distribution of different DoC species (Fig. 1a), which have different biophysical parameters, and consequently different functional properties.¹⁰Open in a separate windowFig. 1Schematic representation of the types of protein conjugates.To address this key issue and achieve better DoC selectivity, a number of site-specific conjugation approaches have been developed (Fig. 1b). These techniques rely on protein engineering for the introduction of specific motifs (e.g., free cysteines,¹¹ selenocysteines,¹² non-natural amino acids,^13,14 peptide tags recognized by specific enzymes^15,16) with distinct reactivity compared to the reactivity of the amino acids present in the native protein. These motifs are used to simultaneously control the DoC (via chemo-selective reactions) and the site of payload attachment. Both parameters are known to influence the biological and biophysical parameters of the conjugates,¹¹ but so far there has been no way of evaluating their impact separately.The influence of DoC is more straightforward, with a lower DoC allowing the minimization of the influence of payload conjugation on the properties of the protein substrate. The lowest DoC that can be achieved for an individual conjugate is 1 (corresponding to one payload attached per biomolecule). It is noteworthy that DoC 1 is often difficult to achieve through site-specific conjugation techniques due to the symmetry of many protein substrates (e.g., antibodies). Site selection is a more intricate process, which usually relies on a systematic screening of conjugation sites for some specific criteria, such as stability or reactivity.¹⁷Herein, we introduce a method of accessing an entirely new class of protein conjugates with multiple conjugation sites but strictly homogenous DoCs (Fig. 1c). To achieve this, we combined (a) iterative low conversion chemical modification, (b) process automation, and (c) bioorthogonal trans-tagging in one workflow.The method has been exemplified for protein substrates, but it is applicable to virtually any native bio-macromolecule and payload. Importantly, this method allows for the first time the disentangling of the effects of homogeneous DoC and site-specificity on conjugate properties, which is especially intriguing in the light of recent publications revealing the complexity of the interplay between payload conjugation sites and DoC for in vivo efficacy of therapeutic bioconjugates.¹⁸ Finally, it is noteworthy that this method can be readily combined with an emerging class of site-selective bioconjugation reagents to produce site-specific DoC 1 conjugates, thus further expanding their potential for biotechnology applications.¹⁹     

The cell-penetrating peptide TAT(48-60) induces a non-lamellar phase in DMPC membranes.

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are short polycationic sequences that can translocate into cells without disintegrating the plasma membrane. CPPs are useful tools for delivering cargo, but their molecular mechanism of crossing the lipid bilayer remains unclear. Here we study the interaction of the HIV-derived CPP TAT (48-60) with model membranes by solid-state NMR spectroscopy and electron microscopy. The peptide induces a pronounced isotropic (31)P NMR signal in zwitterionic DMPC, but not in anionic DMPG bilayers. Octaarginine and to a lesser extent octalysine have the same effect, in contrast to other cationic amphiphilic membrane-active peptides. The observed non-lamellar lipid morphology is attributed to specific interactions of polycationic peptides with phosphocholine head groups, rather than to electrostatic interactions. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy indicates that TAT(48-60) induces the formation of rodlike, presumably inverted micelles in DMPC, which may represent intermediates during the translocation across eukaryotic membranes.