Novel water-soluble anticancer agents derived from 4-arylcoumarins

Novel 4-arylcoumarin derivatives were obtained. They are water-soluble analogs of the well-known anticancer drug combretastatin A-4. The key step of the synthesis involves the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling. The water-soluble salts obtained exhibit considerable cytotoxic activity against the HBL-100 and HaCaT cell lines.     

Room-temperature synthesis of pharmaceutically important carboxylic acids bearing the 1,2,4-oxadiazole moiety

An efficient and mild one-pot protocol has been developed for the synthesis of 1,2,4-oxadiazoles via the reaction of amidoximes with dicarboxylic acid anhydrides in a NaOH/DMSO medium. The method allows the synthesis of diversely substituted carboxylic acids bearing the 1,2,4-oxadiazole motif, – a popular building block for pharmaceutical research, in moderate to excellent yields. The reaction scope includes aromatic and heteroaromatic amidoximes as well as five-, six- and seven-membered anhydrides. The advantages of this procedure are proven gram-scalability and the use of inexpensive starting materials, which from a process chemistry point of view are essential for future industrial applications.     

Local disturbances of lightning and seismic origin in the radiation belt

The results from observing bursts of high-energy charged particle fluxes in near-Earth space, caused by local disturbances of the radiation belt and particles precipitating from it, in the ARINA (on board the RESURS-DKI satellite since 2006) and VSPLESK (on board the International Space Station since 2008) satellite experiments are presented. New features were revealed in the geographic distribution of particle bursts, indicating that most high-energy electron bursts are interrelated with thunderstorm and seismic activities, at that some bursts are observed in regions of tectonic faults. Results from observing high-energy electron precipitation from the radiation belt over Japan during the powerful seismic event that began on March 11, 2011, are analyzed.     

Preparation of colloidal films with different degrees of disorder from monodisperse spherical silica particles

The process of coagulation of suspensions of monodisperse spherical silica particles driven by appropriate coagulants (NH₄Cl, HCl, C₁₆H₃₃N(CH₃)₃Br) has been studied. Films of photonic crystals and photonic glasses have been grown by the sedimentation method. The possibility of controlling the degree of structural disorder in colloidal films by properly varying the resistance of the water suspension of particles to aggregation has been demonstrated.     

Observation of solar-magnetospheric and geophysical effects on the electron and proton fluxes detected by the satellite-borne ARINA instrument

New results are presented on the observations of bursts and variations in high-energy charged-particle fluxes in the near-Earth space by the ARINA instrument operated onboard the Resurs-DK1 satellite since 2006.     

Analyzing the adsorption of blood plasma components by means of fullerene-containing silica gels and NMR spectroscopy in solids

The results from studying the adsorption of blood plasma components (e.g., protein, triglycerides, cholesterol, and lipoproteins of low and high density) using silica gels modified with fullerene molecules (in the form of C₆₀ or the hydroxylated form of C₆₀(OH) _x ) and subjected to hydration (or, alternatively, dehydration) are presented. The conditions for preparing adsorbents that allow us to control the adsorption capacity of silica gel and the selectivity of adsorption toward the components of blood plasma, are revealed. The nature and strength of the interactions of the introduced components (fullerene molecules and water) with functional groups on the silica surface are studied by means of solid state NMR spectroscopy (NMR-SS). Conclusions regarding the nature of the centers that control adsorption are drawn on the basis of NMR-SS spectra in combination with direct measurements of adsorption. The interaction of the oxygen of the hydroxyl group of silica gel with fullerene, leading to the formation of electron-donor complexes of C₆₀-H, C₆₀-OH, or C₆₀-OSi type, is demonstrated by the observed changes in the NMR-SS spectra of silica gels in the presence of fullerene.     

Study of the adsorption of sulfur dioxide on dealuminated zeolites Y by thermal desorption and powder X-ray diffraction

Sulfur dioxide is adsorbed on zeolites Y in two forms. The amount of the stable form (T_des=350–390 K) changes in proportion to the sodium content in the zeolite The stable form is localized in a large void at a distance of 1.8 å from the S_II position and causes redistribution of sodium cations. The weakly bound form (T_des=286–300 K) makes the main contribution to the adsorption of SO₂ on highly siliceous zeolites Y and is formed by adsorbate-adsorbate interaction, and it is apparently delocalized in a large void. Out-of-framework aluminum compounds that are formed during dealumination decrease the free volume of the zeolite without changing the nature of interaction of SO₂ with the zeolite.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 535–541, March, 1991.     

Orbit–orbit interaction in the NO–Fe(II)Hemoproteins studied by the low-temperature magnetic circular dichroism: Dynamic Jahn–Teller effect detected by MCD

This paper analyzes the low-temperature magnetic circular dichroism of NO–Fe(II)hemoproteins in detail. We include the Jahn–Teller effect in our consideration of the low-temperature MCD results.