Synthesis of isothiocyanatophosphoranes and isothiocyanatophosphonium salts via oxidative addition of thiocyanogen and ligand substitution : Novel reagents for converting hydroxy groups into thiocyanate and isothiocyanate functions under mild conditions

The oxidative addition of thiocyanogen to triphenylphosphine has been investigated by ³¹P NMR spectroscopy showing the formation of the isothiocyanatophosphonium salt 8. The analogous reaction between thiocyanogen and alkyl o-phenylene phosphites 7 leads to diisothiocyanatophosphoranes 9. The same products were prepared via ligand substitution from the corresponding chlorophosphonium salt 12 and alkyldichloro-o-phenylene phosphóranes 13 by the action of potassium thiocyanate in the presence of 18-crown-6-ether or more conveniently using lead thiocyanate. The phosphonium salt 8 and phosphoranes 9 were employed as convenient novel reagents for converting hydroxy groups into thiocyanate and isothiocyanate functions with high stereoselectivity under very mild conditions. The efficient synthesis of acylisothiocyanales RCONCS, R₂P(O)NCS and R₂P(S)NCS via addition of thiocyanogen to mixed anhydrides is of special interest.     

Driving forces for layer-by-layer self-assembly of films of SiO2 nanoparticles and heme proteins

Heme protein hemoglobin (Hb) or myoglobin (Mb) and silica nanoparticles in a variety of charge states were assembled layer-by-layer into films on solid surfaces to investigate the driving forces for film assembly. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-vis and reflectance absorption infrared (RAIR) spectroscopy were used to characterize the different [SiO2/protein]n films. Even when the proteins and silica were both negatively charged, stable layer-by-layer [SiO2/protein]n films were successfully fabricated, although amounts of protein were smaller than when nanoparticles and proteins had opposite charges. Results suggest the importance of localized Coulombic attractions between the negative nanoparticle surface and positively charged amino acid residues on the Mb or Hb surfaces in the assembly and for the stability of [SiO2/protein]n films.     

(α/β)_8桶状蛋白质中紧密接触对的统计性质研究

在计算蛋白质分子中的氨基酸紧密接触对时采用以氨基酸的重心代替Cα 原子的新方法 ,通过计算(α/β) 8桶状蛋白质中的中程和远程紧密接触对的数目 ,研究了不同氨基酸在形成紧密接触对时所具有的不同能力以及在蛋白质结构稳定性中所起的不同作用 .发现在 (α β) 8桶状蛋白质中氨基酸形成的远程紧密接触对数目与它的Fauchere Pliska疏水性实验数值 (FPH)存在着非常好的线性关系 ,而对于氨基酸所形成的中程紧密接触对数目不存在这种关系 .同时还研究了 (α β) 8桶状蛋白质分子大小 ,发现其回转半径大小与表示远程接触对数目的远程次序值LRO存在着关系 .表明这一类 (α β) 8桶状蛋白质具有相似的结构 ,分子的远程接触对数目越多 ,分子越紧密 ,分子尺寸就越小 .同时还研究了不同氨基酸之间形成紧密接触对的能力 .     

On the importance of purity for the formation of self-assembled monolayers from thiocyanates

Assembly of dodecyl thiocyanate (C12SCN) from ethanol solution onto Au(111)/mica substrates was investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS). Contrary to previous reports, thiolate monolayers formed by cleavage of the S-CN bond can be obtained whose quality is at least as good as that of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed directly from the thiol analogue of C12SCN, dodecanethiol (C12SH). However, the achievable quality is strikingly dependent on the purity of the thiocyanate with even low levels of contamination impeding the formation of structurally well-defined monolayers.     

Direct Zinc Finger Protein Persulfidation by H2S Is Facilitated by Zn2+

H₂S is a gaseous signaling molecule that modifies cysteine residues in proteins to form persulfides (P‐SSH). One family of proteins modified by H₂S are zinc finger (ZF) proteins, which contain multiple zinc‐coordinating cysteine residues. Herein, we report the reactivity of H₂S with a ZF protein called tristetraprolin (TTP). Rapid persulfidation leading to complete thiol oxidation of TTP mediated by H₂S was observed by low‐temperature ESI‐MS and fluorescence spectroscopy. Persulfidation of TTP required O₂ , which reacts with H₂S to form superoxide, as detected by ESI‐MS, a hydroethidine fluorescence assay, and EPR spin trapping. H₂S was observed to inhibit TTP function (binding to TNFα mRNA) by an in vitro fluorescence anisotropy assay and to modulate TNFα in vivo. H₂S was unreactive towards TTP when the protein was bound to RNA, thus suggesting a protective effect of RNA.     

Protein resistance of titanium oxide surfaces modified by biologically inspired mPEG-DOPA

In the present study, we have utilized X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), spectroscopic ellipsometry (ELM), and optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS) to examine the surface adsorption and protein resistance behavior of bio-inspired polymers consisting of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) conjugated to peptide mimics of mussel adhesive proteins. Peptides containing up to three residues of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), a key component of mussel adhesive proteins, were conjugated to monomethoxy-terminated PEG polymers. These mPEG-DOPA polymers were found to be highly adhesive to TiO2 surfaces, with quantitative XPS analysis providing useful insight into the binding mechanism. Additionally, the antifouling properties of immobilized PEG were reflected in the excellent resistance of mPEG-DOPA-modified TiO2 surfaces to protein adsorption. Measurements of mPEG-DOPA and human serum adsorption were related in terms of ethylene glycol (EG) surface density and serum mass adsorbed and demonstrated a threshold of approximately 15-20 EG/nm2, above which substantially little protein adsorbs. With respect to surface density of adsorbed PEG and the associated nonfouling behavior of the adlayers, strong parallels exist between the nonfouling properties of the surface-bound mPEG-DOPA polymers and PEG polymers immobilized to surfaces using other approaches. Peptide anchors containing three DOPA residues resulted in PEG surface densities higher than those achieved using several existing PEG immobilization strategies, suggesting that peptide mimics of mussel adhesive proteins may be useful for achieving high densities of protein-resistant polymers on surfaces.     

Coupling caspase cleavage and proteasomal degradation of proteins carrying PEST motif

The degradation is critical to activation and deactivation of regulatory proteins involved in signaling pathways to cell growth, differentiation, stress responses and physiological cell death. Proteins carry domains and sequence motifs that function as prerequisite for their proteolysis by either individual proteases or the 26S multicomplex proteasomes. Two models for entry of substrates into the proteasomes have been considered. In one model, it is proposed that the ubiquitin chain attached to the protein serves as recognition element to drag them into the 19S regulatory particle, which promotes the unfolding required to its access into the 20S catalytic chamber. In second model, it is proposed that an unstructured tail located at amino or carboxyl terminus directly track proteins into the 26S/20S proteasomes. Caspases are cysteinyl aspartate proteases that control diverse signaling pathways, promoting the cleavage at one or two sites of hundreds of structural and regulatory protein substrates. Caspase cleavage sites are commonly found within PEST motifs, which are segments rich in proline (P), glutamic acid (D), aspartic acid (E) and serine (S) or threonine (T) residues. Considering that N- and C- terminal peptide carrying PEST motifs form disordered loops in the globular proteins after caspase cleavage, it is postulated here that these exposed termini serve as unstructured initiation site, coupling caspase cleavage and ubiquitin-proteasome dependent and independent degradation of short-lived proteins. This could explain the inherent susceptibility to proteolysis among proteins containing PEST motif.     

The sorption of thiocyanate ions on complex-forming ionites

The ligand sorption of thiocyanate ions on several complex-forming ionites was studied. The ionites were preliminarily transformed into metal forms by saturation with copper(II) ions. ANKB-2 amphoteric ionite in the Cu form had the strongest affinity for thiocyanate ions. The optimum conditions for their extraction were pH ∼ 2 and solution ionic strength 1. IR spectroscopy was used to study the ligand sorption of SCN⁻ ions by ANKB-2 ionite in the Cu form. The stability constants of thiocyanate ionite copper complexes were calculated from formation function [`(n)] \bar n .     

Targeting proteins to liquid-ordered domains in lipid membranes

We demonstrate the construction of novel protein-lipid assemblies through the design of a lipid-like molecule, DPIDA, endowed with tail-driven affinity for specific lipid membrane phases and head-driven affinity for specific proteins. In studies performed on giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) with varying mole fractions of dipalymitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), cholesterol, and diphytanoylphosphatidyl choline (DPhPC), DPIDA selectively partitioned into the more ordered phases, either solid or liquid-ordered (L(o)) depending on membrane composition. Fluorescence imaging established the phase behavior of the resulting quaternary lipid system. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy confirmed the fluidity of the L(o) phase containing DPIDA. In the presence of CuCl(2), the iminodiacetic acid (IDA) headgroup of DPIDA forms the Cu(II)-IDA complex that exhibits a high affinity for histidine residues. His-tagged proteins were bound specifically to domains enriched in DPIDA, demonstrating the capacity to target protein binding selectively to both solid and L(o) phases. Steric pressure from the crowding of surface-bound proteins transformed the domains into tubules with persistence lengths that depended on the phase state of the lipid domains.     

Synthesis, characterization, and biomimetic chemistry of cis-oxosulfidomolybdenum(VI) complexes stabilized by an intramolecular Mo(O)=S...S interaction

The reactions of jade-green Tp*MoIVO(S2PR2) [Tp* = hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)borate; R = Et, Pri, Ph] with propylene sulfide produce ochre-red Tp*MoVIOS{SP(S)R2}. The complexes have been characterized by microanalysis, mass spectrometry, cyclic voltammetry, spectroscopy (IR, NMR, UV-vis, and X-ray absorption), and X-ray crystallography. The distorted-octahedral isopropyl and phenyl derivatives feature a tridentate fac-Tp* ligand, a terminal oxo ligand, and a unique five-membered Mo(=S){SP(=S)R2 ring moiety formed by a weak, intramolecular, bonding interaction between the Mo=S1 and (uncoordinated) S3=P moieties. The Mo=S1 [2.227(2) A (R = Pri) and 2.200(2) A (R = Ph)] and S1...S3 distances [2.396(3) A (R = Pri) and 2.383(2) A (R = Ph)] are indicative of a pi-bonded Mo=S1 unit and a weak (bond order ca. 1/3) S1...S3 interaction; the solid-state structures are maintained in solution according to S K-edge X-ray absorption data. The complexes react with excess cyanide to form thiocyanate and Tp*MoO(S2PR2), under anaerobic conditions, or Tp*MoO2(S2PR2), under aerobic conditions; the latter models the production of thiocyanate and desulfo molybdenum hydroxylases upon cyanolysis of molybdenum hydroxylases. The complexes react with triphenylphosphine to give Tp*MoO(S2PR2) and SPPh3, with cobaltocene or hydrosulfide ion to produce [Tp*MoVOS(S2PR2)]-, and with ferrocenium salts to yield [Tp*MoVO(S3PR2)]+; in the last two reactions, Mo(V) is produced by direct or induced internal redox reactions, respectively. The presence of the Mo(O)=S...S interaction does not radically lengthen the Mo=S bond in the complexes or preclude them from reactions typical of unperturbed oxosulfidomolybdenum(VI) complexes.     

Why is there an "inert" metal center in the active site of nitrile hydratase? Reactivity and ligand dissociation from a five-coordinate Co(III) nitrile hydratase model.

To determine how a substitutionally inert metal can play a catalytic role in the metalloenzyme nitrile hydratase (NHase), a reactive five-coordinate Co(III) thiolate complex ([Co(III)(S(2)(Me2)N(3)(Pr,Pr))](PF(6)) (1)) that resembles the active site of cobalt containing nitrile hydratase (Co NHase) was prepared. This was screened for reactivity, by using low-temperature electronic absorption spectroscopy, toward a number of biologically relevant "substrates". It was determined 1 will react with azide, thiocyanate, and ammonia, but is unreactive toward nitriles, NO, and butyrate. Substrate-bound 1 has similar spectroscopic and structural properties as [Co(III)(ADIT(2))](PF(6)) (2). Complex 2 is a six-coordinate Co(III) complex containing cis-thiolates and imine nitrogens, and has properties similar to the cobalt center of Co NHase. Substrate binding to 1 is reversible and temperature-dependent, allowing for the determination of the thermodynamic parameters of azide and thiocyanate binding and the rates of ligand dissociation. Azide and thiocyanate bind trans to a thiolate, and with similar entropies and enthalpies (thiocyanate: DeltaH = -7.5 +/- 1.1 kcal/mol, DeltaS = -17.2 +/- 3.2 eu; azide: DeltaH = -6.5 +/- 1.0 kcal/mol, DeltaS = -12.6 +/- 2.4 eu). The rates of azide and thiocyanate displacement from the metal center are also comparable to one another (k(d) = (7.22 +/- 0.04) x 10(-)(1) s(-)(1) for thiocyanate and k(d) = (2.14 +/- 0.50) x 10(-)(2) s(-)(1) for azide), and are considerably faster than one would expect for a low-spin d(6) six-coordinate Co(III) complex. These rates are comparable to those of an analogous Fe(III) complex, demonstrating that Co(III) and Fe(III) react at comparable rates when in this ligand environment. This study therefore indicates that ligand displacement from a low-spin Co(III) center in a ligand environment that resembles NHase is not prohibitively slow so as to disallow catalytic action in nonredox active cobalt metalloenzymes.     

Rotational dynamics of thiocyanate ions in highly concentrated aqueous solutions

The thiocyanate (SCN(-)) anion is known as one of the best denaturants, which is also capable of breaking the hydrogen-bond network of water and destabilizing native structures of proteins. Despite prolonged efforts to understand the underlying mechanism of such Hofmeister effects, detailed dynamics of the ions in a highly concentrated solution have not been fully elucidated yet. Here, we used a dispersive IR pump-probe spectroscopic method to study the dependence of vibrational lifetimes and rotational relaxation times of thiocyanate ions on KSCN concentration in D(2)O. The nitrile stretch mode is used as a vibrational probe for dispersed IR pump-probe and FTIR measurements. To avoid possible self-attenuation of the IR pump-probe signal by highly concentrated SCN(-) ions, we added a small amount of (13)C-isotope-labeled thiocyanate ions (S(13)CN(-)) and focused on the excited-state absorption contribution to the IR pump-probe signal of the (13)C-isotope-labeled nitrile stretch mode. Quite unexpectedly, the vibrational lifetime of S(13)CN(-) ions is independent of the total KSCN concentration in the range from 0.46 m (molality) to 11.8 m while the rotational relaxation time of S(13)CN(-) ions is linearly dependent on the total KSCN concentration. By combining the present experimental findings with the fact that the dissolved ions of KSCN salt have a strong tendency to form a large ion cluster in a highly concentrated aqueous solution, we believe that the ion clusters consisting of potassium and thiocyanate ion pairs in D(2)O behave like ionic liquids and the ions inside ion clusters are weakly bound by electrostatic Coulombic interactions. The ability of SCN(-) ions to form ion clusters in aqueous protein solutions seems to be a key to understand the Hofmeister ion effect. We anticipate that the present experimental results provide a clue for further elucidating the underlying mechanism of the Hofmeister ion effects on protein stability in the future.     

Ambident reactivity of the thiocyanate anion revisited: can the product ratio be explained by the hard soft acid base principle?

Laser flash photolysis and stopped-flow methods have been employed to determine the kinetics of the reactions of benzhydrylium ions with both termini of the thiocyanate ion. In contrast to previous investigations which reported sulfur/nitrogen ratios of k(S)/k(N) = 2-10 for the reactions of carbocations with SCN(-), values of k(S)/k(N) = 10(3)-10(4) are now derived from absolute rate constants. This discrepancy is explained by the fact that the data determined in this investigation are the first which refer to activation-controlled attack of carbocations at both termini of the thiocyanate ion, while previous reactivity ratios included diffusion-controlled reactions. It is concluded that the selectivities of the reactions of carbocations with the thiocyanate ion cannot be explained by the hard soft acid base principle.     

Spectrophotometric determination of molybdenum in rocks with thiocyanate

A rapid procedure for the determination of microgram amounts of molybdenum in rocks is described. After acid decomposition, molybdenum is extracted from a hydrochloric acid solution into xylene with tributyl phosphate. After back-extraction with water, molybdenum is extracted as the α-benzoinoximate into chloroform, stripped into hydrochloric acid extracted as the thiocyanate into amyl alcohol, and determined spectrophotometrically. The molybdenum thiocyanate color produced is stable, sensitive, and reproducible. Results of analyses of several of the U.S. Geological Survey standard rocks are given.     

Spectroscopic study for photocatalytic decomposition of organic compounds on titanium dioxide containing sulfur under visible light irradiation

Yellowish S-containing TiO2 (S-TiO2) powders were prepared by calcination of a mixture of titanium(III) chloride and ammonium thiocyanate solutions. Three kinds of S-TiO2 were prepared by varying the concentration of ammonium thiocyanate (0.5, 1 or 13 M). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra of the S-TiO2 showed that sulfur atoms existed on the surface of TiO2 powders. But the peaks assigned to S disappeared after Ar+ etching, which means that these atoms were not doped in the bulk of the TiO2 powders. While UV-visible absorption spectra of S-TiO2 showed that the absorption edges of these photocatalysts were seen to shift to a longer wavelength (lower band gap energy) than those of undoped rutile TiO2 prepared and commercial anatase type TiO2 (ST-01). The S-TiO2 (1 M) exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than ST-01 for degradation of methylene blue in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation (lambda > 400 nm). It was also confirmed by IR spectroscopy that acetaldehyde in oxygen under visible light irradiation (lambda > 400 nm) was decomposed to acetic acid by the S-TiO2 and ST-01 at the first decomposition step.     

Effect of addition of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate on conductivity of Na-containing polymer electrolyte

Research in the environmentally friendly energy field has grown rapidly due to severe problems such as global warming and climate change. Sodium-ion technology is one of the most promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries. Use of ionic liquids containing thiocyanate anion has been considered because of their low cost, low viscosity, and nonhazardous nature. In this work, polyethylene oxide (PEO)–sodium perchlorate (NaClO₄) samples containing different amounts of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate ionic liquid were prepared by a solution casting method. Addition of the ionic liquid to the PEO–NaClO₄ electrolyte further increased the ionic conductivity. The electrolyte containing 30 wt% ionic liquid exhibited the maximum ionic conductivity of ~5.0 × 10^?4 S/cm at room temperature. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy revealed the interaction between the polymer chain and salt ion complexes for various sodium salt contents. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) demonstrated that the crystallinity was reduced by addition of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate ionic liquid.     

Melamium Thiocyanate Melam,a Melamium Salt with Disordered Anion Sites

Melamium salts are a group of ionic carbon nitride type compounds that has been investigated only scarcely. We herein present a novel representative of this group. A melamium thiocyanate melam (1:1) adduct was synthesized from dicyandiamide and ammonium thiocyanate in sealed glass ampoules. The structure of the adduct was determined from single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. Melamium thiocyanate melam crystallizes in monoclinic space group P2₁/c (no. 14) with lattice parameters of a = 3.6041(11), b = 28.532(7), c = 10.937(4) Å, β = 99.051(14)°, and Z = 4. While the melamium ions form 2D extended hydrogen bridged networks, the thiocyanate ions are disordered and no distinct structural sites could be assigned to the respective atoms. Instead, continuous columns of electron density located in channels in the porous structure were identified as potential space for anion locations. The compound was further characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy and solid‐state MAS‐NMR spectroscopy of the nuclei ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N. Rietveld refinement of powder samples was performed for phase analysis. Furthermore, DSC‐TG was used to investigate the thermal behavior of the compound.     

The Oxidation of Thiocyanate to Polythiocyanic Acid Using Peroxydisulfate in Aqueous Solution

Abstract

The oxidation of thiocyanate to polythiocyanic acid by peroxydisulfate was carried out in an aqueous solution at room temperature. The primary step is the decomposition of peroxydisulfate into sulfate-free radicals. At room temperature in the presence of peroxydisulfate as a oxidizing agent, HSCN polymerizes to (HSCN)_n. The oxidation of thiocyanate in an aqueous solution is often complicated, but here we obtained the polythiocyanic acid as a major product. The products were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV- visible, H-NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray powder diffraction.     

The use of long-chain alkylamines for preconcentration of traces of molybdenum, tungsten and rhenium in their determination by atomic-absorption spectroscopy-I General studies

Long-chain alkylamines are used for the preconcentration of traces of molybdenum, tungsten and rhenium as thiocyanate complexes, in their determination by atomic-absorption spectroscopy. General studies of factors, influencing the extraction show that the thiocyanate complexes can be extracted into chloroform containing a low concentration of Amberlite LA1. Detection limits are 0.02 ppm Mo, 0.75 ppm W and 0.34 ppm Re in the final MIBK solution and are improved by a factor of 5-10 over those obtained by using current extraction methods. Serious interelement effects are eliminated and a range of other cations and anions are shown to have little effect on the absorption.     

Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of cadmium(II) complexes of thiones and thiocyanate

Cadmium(II) complexes of thiones and thiocyanate, [(>C=S)₂Cd(SCN)₂], have been prepared and characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy. An upfield shift in the >C=S resonance of thiones in the ¹³C NMR and downfield shift in N–H resonance in ¹H NMR are consistent with sulfur coordination to cadmium(II). The presence of ν(N–H) of thiones in IR spectra of the complexes indicates the thione forms of the ligands in the solid state; some contribution of the thiolate form was observed in one complex. The appearance of a band around 2100 cm^?1 in IR and a resonance around 132 ppm in ¹³C NMR indicates the binding of thiocyanate to cadmium(II).