A note on the necessary conditions for the algebraic Riccati equation

We derive some useful and easily computable necessary conditionsfor the existence of a positive semi-definite solution to thealgebraic Ricatti equation (ARE). A motivating example is givento highlight the usefulness of the conditions for controllerand observer designs for nonlinear systems. Further, an upperbound on the trace of the solution to the ARE is also derived.     

Mechanism of DNA-drug interactions

Over the last two decades many strategies have been planned to design specific drugs for rare diseases to target their action at the DNA level. Advancements in our understanding of the interactions of small nonpeptide molecules with DNA have opened the doors for “rational” drug design. Special methods have now been developed to give accurate account of the precise location of ligand-DNA adducts on target DNA. We are now in a position to think of designing ligands that recognize particular sequences of base pairs. This work will allow us to enter into a new era of gene therapy for diseases like Cystic fibrosis, Alzheimer’s disease and many related disorders at genetic level. These ligands can also be employed in the treatment of various types of cancers. They may also be useful as highly specific probes to locate particular sequences in the genomic DNA.     

Utilization of CS2 as a source of C1 chemistry for the generation of methyldithioformate

Insertion of CS(2) into the Ru-H bond of cis-[(dppe)(2)Ru(H)(2)] takes place to afford the hydride dithioformate complex trans-[(dppe)(2)Ru(H)(SC(S)H)]. The hydride dithioformate complex reacts under very mild conditions with MeX (X = OTf, I) to give the hydride methyldithioformate derivative trans-[(dppe)(2)Ru(H)(SC(SMe)H)][X]. Three different pathways have been found to cleave off the ester moiety from the metal complex. A method to recover the ruthenium starting material upon elimination of the methyldithioformate is presented. This is a novel case of C(1) chemistry using carbon disulfide.     

Novel double insertion of carbon disulfide into two Ru-H bonds of [(dppm)(2)Ru(H)(2)] (dppm = Ph(2)PCH(2)PPh(2)): synthesis and crystal structure of a methanedithiolate complex

Addition of excess carbon disulfide to cis/trans-[(dppm)(2)Ru(H)(2)] results in the methanedithiolate complex [(dppm)(2)Ru(eta(2)-S(2)CH(2))] 4 via the intermediacy of cis-[(dppm)(2)Ru(H)(SC(S)H)] 2. The X-ray crystal structure of this species has been determined.     

First example of the C-alkylation of indoles with Baylis-Hillman acetates

Baylis-Hillman acetates undergo S_N2′ allylic substitution with indoles in the presence of 20 mol % of indium tribromide under mild conditions to afford a new class of substituted indoles in high yields with (E)-stereoselectivity. The stereochemistry of the products was assigned by various NMR experiments.     

Fullerenols revisited as stable radical anions

The first exhaustive purification and characterization of the much-studied "fullerenols", prepared by reaction of C(60) in toluene with an oxygenated, aqueous NaOH solution using tetrabutylammonium hydroxide as a phase transfer catalyst, has been performed. The resulting fullerenol is not simply polyhydroxylated C(60) but rather is a structurally and electronically complex C(60) radical anion with a molecular formula of Na(+)(n)[C(60)O(x)(OH)(y)](n)(-) (where n = 2-3, x = 7-9, and y = 12-15) for three different, but identical, preparations. Surprisingly, Na(+)-fullerenol is paramagnetic, exhibiting mu(B) values in aqueous solution of 1.9-2.1 B.M. at 0.5 T and 300 K and R(1) proton relaxivities of 0.55-0.77 mM(-1)s(-1) at 20 MHz and 40 degrees C, values both slightly higher than those expected for a pure S = 1/2 spin system. ESR studies (ESE-FS and 2D nutation) of frozen aqueous solutions at 1.5 and 5.0 K establish that Na(+)-fullerenol is mainly S = 1/2 with a minor, but significant, component of S = 1. Thus, this is the first report to characterize these widely studied, water-soluble fullerenols as stable radical anions. The stability of the S = 1/2 Na(+)-fullerenol radical is likely due to a highly derivatized C(60) surface that protects a cyclopentadienyl radical center on the fullerene.     

Organoboranes—34 : General synthesis of chiral boronic and borinic esters via asymmetric hydroboration-displacement. carbenoidation of chiral borinic esters to acyclic ketones of high enantiomeric purities

Asymmetric hydroboration of appropriate alkenes with diisopinocampheylborane (Ipc₂BH) or monoisopinocampheylborane (IpcBH₂) produces intermediates that readily eliminate α-pinene on treat- ment with acetaldehyde, providing a direct, convenient route to chiral boronic esters of high enantiomeric purities. Mixed chiral trialkylboranes, readily prepared by stepwise hydroboration of appropriate alkenes with IpcBH₂, eliminate α-pinene on treatment with acetaldehyde under very mild conditions. The procedure makes readily available chiral borinic esters of high enantiomeric purities. The synthetic utility of chiral borinic esters is demonstrated by converting them into acyclic ketones including an alarm pheromone of the ant Monica mutica.     

A comparative study of various computational approaches in calculating the structure of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent beta-lyase protein. The importance of protein environment

Various computational approaches, using molecular mechanics (Amber), semiempirical (AM1), density functional (B3LYP), and various ONIOM methods, have been comparatively investigated for the structure of Escherichia coli NifS CsdB protein. The structure of the entire monomer containing 407 amino acid residues and 579 surrounding water molecules has been optimized. The full geometry optimization in the "active site-only" approach (including only active site atoms) has been found to give the largest root-mean-square (RMS) deviation from the X-ray structure; a much better agreement has been achieved by keeping the atoms leading to the backbones of some amino acids frozen in their positions in the X-ray structure. The best agreement has been attained by including the surrounding protein in the calculations using the two-layer ONIOM (B3LYP:Amber) approach. The results presented in this study conclusively demonstrate the importance of the protein/active-site interaction on the active-site structure of the enzyme. The present theoretical study represents the largest system studied at the ONIOM level to date, containing 7992 atoms, including 84 atoms in the QM region and rest in the MM region.