Modular Synthetic Approach to Carboranyl‒Biomolecules Conjugates

The development of novel, tumor-selective and boron-rich compounds as potential agents for use in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) represents a very important field in cancer treatment by radiation therapy. Here, we report the design and synthesis of two promising compounds that combine meta-carborane, a water-soluble monosaccharide and a linking unit, namely glycine or ethylenediamine, for facile coupling with various tumor-selective biomolecules bearing a free amino or carboxylic acid group. In this work, coupling experiments with two selected biomolecules, a coumarin derivative and folic acid, were included. The task of every component in this approach was carefully chosen: the carborane moiety supplies ten boron atoms, which is a tenfold increase in boron content compared to the l-boronophenylalanine (l-BPA) presently used in BNCT; the sugar moiety compensates for the hydrophobic character of the carborane; the linking unit, depending on the chosen biomolecule, acts as the connection between the tumor-selective component and the boron-rich moiety; and the respective tumor-selective biomolecule provides the necessary selectivity. This approach makes it possible to develop a modular and feasible strategy for the synthesis of readily obtainable boron-rich agents with optimized properties for potential applications in BNCT.     

Thermodynamic study of transthyretin association (wild‐type and senile forms) with heparan sulfate proteoglycan: pH effect and implication of the reactive histidine residue

The tetramer destabilization of transthyretin into monomers and its fibrillation are phenomena leading to amyloid deposition. Heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) has been found in all amyloid deposits. A chromatographic approach was developed to compare binding parameters between wild‐type transthyretin (wtTTR) and an amyloidogenic transthyretin (sTTR). Results showed a greater affinity of sTTR for HSPG at pH 7.4 compared with wtTTR owing to the monomeric form of sTTR. Analysis of the thermodynamic parameters showed that van der Waals interactions were involved at the complex interface for both transthyretin forms. For sTTR, results from the plot representing the number of protons exchanged vs pH showed that the binding mechanism was pH‐dependent with a critical value at a pH 6.5. This observation was due to the protonation of a histidine residue as an imidazolium cation, which was not accessible when TTR was in its tetrameric structure. At pH >6.5, dehydration at the binding interface and several contacts between nonpolar groups of sTTR and HSPG were also coupled to binding for an optimal hydrogen‐bond network. At pH <6.5, the protonation of the His residue from sTTR monomer when pH decreased broke the hydrogen‐bond network, leading to its destabilization and thus producing slight conformational changes in the sTTR monomer structure. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and 1H, 19F NMR spectroscopic characterization of (pentafluorophenyl)3-n (pyrazol-1-yl-tetrafluorophenyl)n=1,2 porphyrins

Three new porphyrins bearing in the meso positions 4-(pyrazol-1-yl)-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenyl substituents have been prepared and characterized by nmr spectroscopy.     

Kinetics of chlorine isotope exchange reaction between sodium chloride-36 and triphenyltin chloride in mixed solvents

Isotope exchange reaction between NaCl-36 and triphenyltin chloride in dioxane-water (8020% w/w) and ethanol-water (9010% w/w) mixed solvents has been studied at 25, 35 and 50 °C. The exchange reaction was found to proceed via a bimolecular S_N2, limiting mechanism with reaction rates depending on the solvent used. Inhibition of the exchange in ethanol-water is probably due to solvation of chloride ion through hydrogen bond formation. The rate laws for the exchange reactions are: R_e=3.24×10⁹ e^–65550/RT [Rh₃SnCl] [NaCl] in dioxanewater and R_e=6.61×10⁸ e^–69600/RT [Ph₃SnCl] [NaCl] in ethanol-water, where is the degree of dissociation of NaCl and R_e is the rate of exchange in mol l^–1 s^–1. The activation parameters H^*, S^* and G^* are reported.     

A new and versatile Ugi/SNAr synthesis of fused 4,5-dihydrotetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxalines

A combinatorial synthetic route yielding fused tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxalines is described. The use of 2-fluorophenylisocyanide in the Ugi-tetrazole reaction (tetrazole-U-4CR) followed by a nucleophilic aromatic substitution (S_NAr) affords the tricylic tetrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline moiety in good yields and with high diversity.     

Controlled synthesis of poly(acetone oxime acrylate) as a new reactive polymer: Stimuli-responsive reactive copolymers

Acetone oxime acrylate has been synthesized as a new active ester monomer. Free radical polymerization yielded a reactive polymer soluble in various organic solvents, such as chloroform, dioxane, DMSO, acetone, methanol, dichloromethane, DMF, and ethanol. Controlled radical polymerization of acetone oxime acrylate was successfully conducted using the RAFT, NMP and Iniferter method. Partly polymer analogous reaction with N-isopropylamine resulted in the reactive copolymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acetone oxime acrylate), which featured a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of 61 °C in water. Further, the reactivity of the copolymer was exemplary proven by complete reaction with ammonia yielding poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide), which does not possess a LCST.     

Molecular rearrangements—XII: Pyrolysis of α-phenylacetanilide

Pyrolysis of α-phenylacetanilide resulted in migration of the benzyl group to the o and p positions of the aniline nucleus and formation of CO, NH₃, toluene benzaldehyde, dibenzyl, trans stilbene, aniline, 9 phenylacridine and 2,3 diphenyl-indole. With o-toluidine as a solvent the previous products were accompanied by 2,3 diphenyl-7-methylindole and 4 amino 3 methyl diphenylmethane. With isoqumoline 1 benzyl isoquinoline and 1,1' bi-isoquinolyl were also obtained.It is concluded that the pyrolysis of phenylacetanilide depends on the homolytic fission of the amide C-N bond into anilino and phenylacetyl free radicals followed by the interaction of the primary and secondary formed radicals with the rearrangement products and solvent nuclei.     

Kinetics of multiple electron transfer reactions at porous electrodes under stationary and flow conditions

The kinetics of consecutive two-electron transfer reactions at porous flooded electrodes are investigated under both stationary and flow conditions, where mass transfer is due respectively to diffusion and forced convection. The current-polarization relations were calculated for both modes of mass transfer as a function of the specific surface area of the electrode, the rates of the respective steps of the electron transfer reaction and the appropriate mass transfer coefficients. The computed solutions degenerate to the known limiting cases of single electron transfer control under conditions of very high or very low polarizations. Thus, at high anodic polarization, the electrochemical reaction is controlled by a single electron transfer step, the other step being too fast. Under conditions of 0.1<i/i_L<1, the overall reaction rate is controlled by both mass transfer and electrochemical activation. For flooded diffusion electrodes, the current-voltage curves follow the Tafel equation with a slope of double the normal value. This is attributed to mass transfer control in agreement with previous work. Experimental results, obtained on the porous flow-through electrode, agreed well with the theoretical predictions. The calculations presented here enable a quantitative evaluation of the relative influence of the rate of any step on the overall behaviour of the electrode under the appropriate experimental conditions.     

Potential energy surfaces for HenNe+ ions: ab initio and diatomics-in-molecule results

The potential energy surface of He2Ne+ has been reinvestigated using a combination of ab initio and diatomics-in-molecule (DIM) calculations. In contrast to the reports of two recent studies the ion is found to have an asymmetric linear He-Ne-He structure, with no barrier to formation from the separated atoms on the ground-state surface. The He-Ne+ bond lengths at the potential minimum are 1.51 and 1.81 A, and the total bonding energy is 0.717 eV. Comparing the He2Ne+ energy to that of HeNe+, the bonding energy for the second helium atom is 0.06 eV, about 10% of that of the first He atom. The saddle point between the two equivalent minima is a symmetric structure, 0.0074 eV above the potential minimum. A symmetric geometry becomes the overall potential minimum if the 2s hole on the Ne is excluded from the reference states of a multireference configuration interaction calculation. A DIM potential was created for the HenNe+ family of ions. The DIM potential is consistent with the asymmetric He2Ne+ ion serving as a core; it predicts a slightly more asymmetric geometry than the ab initio results. Additional helium atoms form five-membered rings around the bonds of the core ion to fill the first shell and then add to the ends of the cluster. The asymmetric core ion and the highly compact structure help to account for the lack of apparent shell structure in the mass spectrometry of HenNe+ clusters. Finally, we recommend that the value De=0.63+/-0.04 eV be adopted for the ground state of HeNe+.     

Inner-sphere electron-transfer reorganization energies of zinc porphyrins

Inner-sphere electron-transfer reorganization energies of Zn(protoporphyrin IX) and Zn(octaethylporphyrin) are determined from band-shape analyses of the first ionization obtained by gas-phase valence photoelectron spectroscopy. The experimentally determined total inner-sphere reorganization energies for self-exchange (120-140 meV) indicate that structural changes upon oxidation are largely confined to the porphyrin ring, and substituents on the ring or solvent and other environmental factors make smaller contributions. Computational estimates by different models vary over a wide range and are sensitive to numerical precision factors for these low reorganization energies. Of current computational models that are widely available and practical for molecules of this size, functionals that contain a mixture of Hartree-Fock exchange and DFT exchange-correlation appear to be the most applicable.