Electrospray deposition in vacuum

We have used the established technique of electrospray in developing a portable vacuum electrospray system which can deposit, in vacuo, dissolved molecules onto a sample which may then be analysed by UHV techniques. As an initial test of the system we have analysed silicon samples with an electrosprayed layer of poly(ethylene) oxide (PEO) using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The polymer forms different structures depending on the voltage applied to the emitter, and solution composition. The system is part of our ongoing effort to deposit other materials such as nanoparticles, and large dye molecules for developing molecular dye sensitised solar cells.     

Transverse displacement at total reflection near the grazing angle: a way to discriminate between theories

The transverse shift is observed and precisely measured at total internal reflection on a dielectric interface for a circularly polarized light beam when the incident angle is scanned from the critical angle up to the grazing angle close to 90°. The experimental results show with no doubt that the transverse displacement exists far away from the critical angle and only vanishes at grazing angle. A comparison with theories also allows a discrimination between the most different theoretical models traditionally used to interpret physically this effect.     

Simultaneous separation of flavanone glycosides and polymethoxylated flavones in citrus juices using liquid chromatography

We present a simultaneous liquid chromatographic method for the separation of two flavonoid compound families, flavanone glycosides (FGs) and polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs), which are usually found in citrus fruit species and varieties. This technique permits the quantitation of six FGs (narirutin, naringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, didymin, poncirin) and six PMFs (sinensetin, hexamethoxyflavone, nobiletin, scutellarein, heptamethoxyflavone and tangeretin). This technique, to be used to characterize a citrus juice by its polyphenolic profile, has been applied to the determination of flavonoid compounds in grapefruit- and orange juice. Differentiation of orange juice varieties and mixtures containing tangor juice using polyphenolic profiles and flavonoid content has been achieved.     

Selective methodologies for the synthesis of biologically active piperidinic compounds

The synthesis of optically active substituted piperidines has been achieved by using four different methodologies. The first one is an intramolecular nucleophilic displacement of activated alcohol moieties that was used to build up the piperidine ring of (-)-prosophylline and (-)-slaframine, and the second one is a ring-closing metathesis of unsaturated amines which was employed in the synthesis of (+)-sedamine and 4a,5-dihydrostreptazoline. The third methodology is the alpha-functionalization of N-Boc piperidines which was particularly useful in the synthesis of argatroban, and the fourth one is a ring expansion of prolinols to 3-chloropiperidines or 3-hydroxypiperidines which was utilized to synthesize (-)-paroxetine, (-)-pseudoconhydrine, the piperidine ring of (-)-velbanamine and (+)-zamifenacin.     

Ethyl (4-N-acylaminopyridin-3-yl)glyoxylate and 5-azaisatin as new synthons for a route to various new polyheterocycles

From 4-N-protected-aminopyridines which were functionalized at their 3-position, 5-azaisatin and equivalent synthons where obtained. Via the use of the Pfitzinger reaction, these compounds provided an easy route to new and various polyheterocyclic compounds.     

Recherches sur la formation et la transformation des esters LXXIX [1]. Sur la réaction de l′isothiocyanate d′o-méthoxycarbonyl-phényle avec divers acides et l′acide sérinephosphorique

Amino acids devoid of «leaving groups» on their β carbon atom (neither ? OH: serine, nor ? SH: cysteine) react with o-methoxycarbonyl-phenyl isothiocyanate (I) in the presence of one equivalent of NaOH, in water-dioxane or in ethanol, to yield the corresponding hydroquinazolinone derivatives II which were isolated as free acids. When treated with CH₃COOH + conc. HCl the hydroquinazolinone resulting from the reaction of L -serine with I undergoes a nucleophilic attack of the carbon bearing the leaving group ? OH by a lone pair of electrons of S; this attack produces the formation of an additional thiazolidine ring, yielding the thiazoloquinazolinone derivative (?)-III. In an analogous reaction DL -serine phosphoric acid treated with I at pH 8–9 yields the corresponding substituted hydroquinazolinone which, boiled in 1N hydrochloric acid, undergoes ring closure to (±)-III by the same mechanism as the serine derivative (leaving group: ? OPO₃H₂). L -Cysteine reacted with 2 equiv. of I and then treated with CH₃COOH + conc. HCl gives two products: (?)-III produced by the same mechanism as for serine (leaving group: ? SH), and the quinazolinone derivative IV where the ? SH group is also thiocarbamoylated.     

Note sur la préparation et la scission de l'acide (diméthyl-3, 3-butyl)-phosphorique

3,3-Dimethylbutanol treated with polyphosphoric acid or with an equimolecular amount of POCl₃ gives rise to 3,3-dimethylbutyl phosphoric acid, isolated as baryum salt (yield 20 to 30%) or as sodium salt (yield 15%). Stable in NaOH 1N at 100°C, this monoester is split at pH 4.5 and in HCl 1N much slower than choline phosphate.     

Density functional study of the electric hyperfine interactions and the redox-structural correlations in the cofactor of nitrogenase. Analysis of general trends in (57)Fe isomer shifts

The influence of the interstitial atom, X, discovered in a recent crystallographic study of the MoFe protein of nitrogenase, on the electric hyperfine interactions of (57)Fe has been investigated with density functional theory. A semiempirical theory for the isomer shift, delta, is formulated and applied to the cofactor. The values of delta for the relevant redox states of the cofactor are predicted to be higher in the presence of X than in its absence. The analysis strongly suggests a [Mo(4+)4Fe(2+)3Fe(3+)] oxidation state for the S = 3/2 state M(N). Among C(4-), N(3-), and O(2-), oxide is found to be the least likely candidate for X. The analysis suggests that X should be present in the cofactor states M(OX) and M(R) as well as in the alternative nitrogenases. The calculations of the electric field gradients (EFGs) indicate that the small values for DeltaE(Q) in M(N) result from an extensive cancellation between valence and ligand contributions. X emerges from the analysis of the hyperfine interactions as an ionically bonded species. Its major effect is on the asymmetry parameters for the EFGs at the six equatorial sites, Fe(Eq). A spin-coupling scheme is proposed for the state [Mo(4+)4Fe(2+)3Fe(3+)] that is consistent with the measured (57)Fe A-tensors and DeltaE(Q) values for M(N) and identifies the unique site exhibiting the small A value with the terminal Fe site, Fe(T). The optimized structure of a cofactor model has been calculated for several oxidation states. The study reveals a contraction in the average Fe-Fe distance upon increasing the number of electrons stored in the cluster, in accord with extended X-ray absorption fine structure studies. The reliability of the adopted methodology for predicting redox-structural correlations is tested for cuboidal [4Fe-4S] clusters. The calculations reveal a systematic increase in the S...S sulfide distances, in quantitative agreement with the available data. These trends are rationalized by a simple electrostatic model.