Alkaline hydrolysis of Co(Asn)2 (Asn = l-asparagine)

The kinetics of alkaline hydrolysis of Co(Asn)2, yielding Co(OH)2, NH3 and aspartic acid, have been studied spectrophotometrically, and the effects of CoII and NaOH concentrations on the reaction rate determined. The rate increases with increasing [NaOH], whereas variation of [CoII] has no significant effect. The kinetics of NH3 evolution conform to the rate law:

Measurement of slow (micros-ms) time scale dynamics in protein side chains by (15)N relaxation dispersion NMR spectroscopy: application to Asn and Gln residues in a cavity mutant of T4 lysozyme.

A new NMR experiment is presented for the measurement of micros-ms time scale dynamics of Asn and Gln side chains in proteins. Exchange contributions to the (15)N line widths of side chain residues are determined via a relaxation dispersion experiment in which the effective nitrogen transverse relaxation rate is measured as a function of the number of refocusing pulses in constant-time, variable spacing CPMG intervals. The evolution of magnetization from scalar couplings and dipole-dipole cross-correlations, which has limited studies of exchange in multi-spin systems in the past, does not affect the extraction of accurate exchange parameters from relaxation profiles of NH(2) groups obtained in the present experiment. The utility of the method is demonstrated with an application to a Leu --> Ala cavity mutant of T4 lysozyme, L99A. It is shown that many of the side chain amide groups of Asn and Gln residues in the C-terminal domain of the protein are affected by a chemical exchange process which may be important in facilitating the rapid binding of hydrophobic ligands to the cavity.     

Role of NH3 in the dehydrogenation of calcium amidoborane ammoniate and magnesium amidoborane ammoniate: a first-principles study

First-principles calculations show that [NH(3)] molecules play crucial roles as both activator for the break-up of B-H bond and supplier of protic H for the establishment of dihydrogen bonding, which could facilitate the dehydrogenation of Ca(NH(2)BH(3))(2)·2NH(3) or Mg(NH(2)BH(3))(2)·NH(3) occurring at lower temperatures compared to those of Ca(NH(2)BH(3))(2) and Mg(NH(2)BH(3))(2). Moreover, the calculations of Helmholtz Free energy and [NH(3)] molecule removal energy evidence that coordination between [NH(3)] and Mg cation is stronger than that between [NH(3)] and Ca cation; therefore, Mg(NH(2)BH(3))(2)·NH(3) will undergo directly dehydrogenation rather than deammoniation at lower temperatures.     

Mechanistic investigations on the heterogeneous solid-state reaction of magnesium amides and lithium hydrides

Isothermal and non-isothermal kinetic measurements on the chemical reaction between Mg(NH2)(2) and LiH, as well as the thermal decomposition of Mg(NH(2))(2), give apparent activation energies of 88.1 and 130 kJ/mol, respectively, which reveal that the thermal decomposition of Mg(NH2)(2) is unlikely to be an elementary step in the chemical reaction of Mg(NH2)(2) and 2LiH. The H-D exchange between H(delta+) in Mg(NH2)(2) and D(delta-) in LiD gives evidence for the coordinated interaction between amide and hydride. The observed linear and nonlinear kinetic growth in the reaction of Mg(NH2)(2)-2LiH indicates that the reaction rate is controlled by the interface reaction in the early stage of the reaction and by mass transport through the imide layer in the later stage. Both particle size and degree of mixing of the reacting species affect the overall kinetics of the reactions.     

Experimental and theoretical studies of sodium cation complexes of the deamidation and dehydration products of asparagine, glutamine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid

The deamidation and dehydration products of Na+(L), where L = asparagine (Asn), glutamine (Gln), aspartic acid (Asp), and glutamic acid (Glu), are examined in detail utilizing collision-induced dissociation (CID) with Xe in a guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer (GIBMS). Results establish that the Na+(L) complexes decompose upon formation in our dc discharge/flow tube ion source to form a bis-ligand complex, Na+(L-HX)(HX), composed of a sodium cation, the (L-HX) decomposition product, and HX, where HX = NH3 for the amides and H2O for the acids. Analysis of the energy-dependent CID cross sections for the Na+(L-HX)(HX) complexes provides unambiguous identification of the (L-HX) fragmentation products as 3-amino succinic anhydride (a-SA) for Asx and oxo-proline (O-Pro) for Glx. Furthermore, these experiments establish the 0 K sodium cation affinities for these five-membered ring decomposition products and the H2O and NH3 binding affinities of the Na+(a-SA) and Na+(O-Pro) complexes after accounting for unimolecular decay rates, the internal energy of reactant ions, and multiple ion-molecule collisions. Quantum chemical calculations are determined for a number of geometric conformations of all reaction species as well as a number of candidate species for (L-HX) at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level with single-point energies calculated at MP2(full), B3LYP, and B3P86 levels using a 6-311+G(2d,2p) basis set. This coordinated examination of both the experimental work and quantum chemical calculations allows for a complete characterization of the products of deamidation and dehydration of Asx and Glx, as well as the details of Na+, H2O, and NH3 binding to the decomposition species.     

Solvation of yttrium with ammonia revisited. Di-amide formation in the reaction of yttrium with ammonia

The reactivity of yttrium atoms toward ammonia is revisited using expanded density functional theory calculations. The new results reveal that absorption of NH3 on YNH is dissociative to form Y(NH2)2.The di-amide species can adsorb further NH3 molecules molecularly to form Y(NH2)2NH3 and Y(NH2)2(NH3)2. The calculations aimed to reveal the detail of the potential energy curves between the imide and the di-amide forms. The Y(NH2)2(NH3)x species are more stable than those of YNH(NH3)x by more than 20 kcal/mol.     

Direct analysis of 15N-label in amino and amide groups of glutamine and asparagine

A novel method for on-line determination of the amount and position of 15N-labeling in complex mixtures of amino acids is presented. Underivatized amino acids were analyzed by ion-pair chromatography in combination with mass spectrometry. This enables the direct determination of the 15N label distribution. The fragmentation pathways of the nitrogen moieties of glutamine (Gln) and asparagine (Asn) were studied in detail using all mono 15N isotopomers, which led to a method for differentiating between 15N-amide and 15N-amino labeling. The fragmentation involving the amino and amide groups of Gln led to distinct ion structures. The equivalent fragmentation pattern was not observed for Asn. Instead, the amide group of Asn was eliminated as HNCO in a secondary process. The developed analytical method was evaluated by analysis of a range of standard mixtures taking into account different levels of 15N abundance and distribution between the amino and amide groups. The detection limit (3 SD) for the presence of a 15N label was 0.7 and 1.0% for Gln and Asn, respectively. The determination of the positional labeling follows a nonlinear function. A representative example at 30% 15N was used as a benchmark resulting in average relative standard deviations of 2.7 and 15% for Gln and Asn, respectively. The corresponding expectation windows for the positional labeling were found to be 2 and 12%, respectively.     

RK-805, an endothelial-cell-growth inhibitor produced by Neosartorya sp., and a docking model with methionine aminopeptidase-2

We found that a fungus Neosartorya sp. produced an angiogenesis inhibitor, RK-805. By spectroscopic analyses and semi-synthetic methods from fumagillin, the structure of RK-805 was identified as 6-oxo-6-deoxyfumagillol, which has not been reported as a natural product. RK-805 preferentially inhibited the growth of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) rather than that of human normal fibroblast in cell proliferation assays and blocked endothelial cell migration induced by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Moreover, RK-805 selectively inhibited methionine aminopeptidase-2 (MetAP2), but not methionine aminopeptidase-1 (MetAP1). The docked structure of RK-805 complexed with human MetAP2 indicated that not only a covalent bond between a nucleophilic imidazole nitrogen atom of His231 and the carbon of the reactive spirocyclic epoxide of RK-805, but also a hydrogen bond between NH (Asn329) and the carbonyl group of RK-805 at C-6 promote close contact in the binding pocket of the enzyme. Taken together, these results suggest that structure activity relationships of RK-805 derivatives at both C-4 and C-6, in comparison with ovalicin and TNP-470, would be useful for development of new angiogenesis inhibitors.     

甲胺分子多光子电离质谱研究

胜多光子电离飞行时间质谱法，利用可调谐脉冲激光器，测得了甲胺分子在不同激光波长和激光功率下的多光子电离和解离产物。母体离子ＣＨ３ＮＨ＾＋２的离解速常数随激光发波长的增大而减小。     

Quantum chemical study of the mechanism of reaction between NH (X 3sigma-) and H2, H2O, and CO2 under combustion conditions

Reactions of ground-state NH (3sigma-) radicals with H2, H2O, and CO2 have been investigated quantum chemically, whereby the stationary points of the appropriate reaction potential energy surfaces, that is, reactants, products, intermediates, and transition states, have been identified at the G3//B3LYP level of theory. Reaction between NH and H2 takes place via a simple abstraction transition state, and the rate coefficient for this reaction as derived from the quantum chemical calculations, k(NH + H2) = (1.1 x 10(14)) exp(-20.9 kcal mol(-1)/RT) cm3 mol(-1) s(-1) between 1000 and 2000 K, is found to be in good agreement with experiment. For reaction between triplet NH and H2O, no stable intermediates were located on the triplet reaction surface although several stable species were found on the singlet surface. No intersystem crossing seam between triplet NH + H2O and singlet HNO + H2 (the products of lowest energy) was found; hence there is no evidence to support the existence of a low-energy pathway to these products. A rate coefficient of k(NH + H2O) = (6.1 x 10(13)) exp(-32.8 kcal mol(-1)/RT) cm3 mol(-1) s(-1) between 1000 and 2000 K for the reaction NH (3sigma-) + H2O --> NH2 (2B) + OH (2pi) was derived from the quantum chemical results. The reverse rate coefficient, calculated via the equilibrium constant, is in agreement with values used in modeling the thermal de-NO(x) process. For the reaction between triplet NH and CO2, several stable intermediates on both triplet and singlet reaction surfaces were located. Although a pathway from triplet NH + CO2 to singlet HNO + CO involving intersystem crossing in an HN-CO2 adduct was discovered, no pathway of sufficiently low activation energy was discovered to compare with that found in an earlier experiment [Rohrig, M.; Wagner, H. G. Proc. Combust. Inst. 1994, 25, 993.].     

Bond-selective photodissociation of partially deuterated ammonia molecules: photodissociations of vibrationally excited NHD(2) in the 5nu(NH) state and NH(2)D in the 5nu(ND) state

Ultraviolet photodissociation of NHD(2) excited to the fourth overtone state of the NH stretching mode (5nu(NH)) and NH(2)D excited to that of the ND stretching mode (5nu(ND)) has been investigated by using a crossed laser and molecular beams method. Branching ratio between the NH and ND bond dissociations has been determined by utilizing a (2+1) resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization scheme of H and D atoms. For the photolysis of NHD(2) in the 5nu(NH) state, the NH dissociation cross section is 5.1+/-1.4 times as large as the ND dissociation cross section per bond. On the other hand, for the photolysis of NH(2)D in the 5nu(ND) state, the ratio of the NH dissociation cross section per bond to the ND dissociation cross section decreases to 0.68+/-0.16. In comparison with the branching ratios for the photolysis of vibrationally unexcited NH(2)D and NHD(2), the present results indicate that the excitation of the NH stretching mode enhances the NH dissociation with ca. two times larger NH/ND branching ratio, whereas the excitation of the ND stretching mode results in the preferential ND dissociation with ca. 3-4 times larger ND/NH branching ratio than that for the vibrational ground states. The mechanism of the bond-selective enhancement has been discussed in terms of the energetics and dynamics of wave packet.     

Peptide‐Catalyzed Stereoselective Conjugate Addition Reactions of Aldehydes to Maleimide

The tripeptide H‐d Pro‐Pro‐Asn‐NH₂ is presented as a catalyst for asymmetric conjugate addition reactions of aldehydes to maleimide. The peptidic catalyst promotes the reaction between various aldehydes and unprotected maleimide with high stereoselectivities and yields. The obtained products were readily derivatized to the corresponding pyrrolidines, lactams, lactones, and peptide‐like compounds. ¹H NMR spectroscopic, crystallographic, and computational investigations provided insight into the conformational properties of H‐d Pro‐Pro‐Asn‐NH₂ and revealed the importance of hydrogen bonding between the peptide and maleimide for catalyzing the stereoselective C?C bond formation.     

Vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photodecomposition of urea isolated in cryogenic matrix: first detection of isourea

Vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) irradiation at wavelengths of lambda > 160 nm of urea-h4 (NH2CONH2) and urea-d4 (ND2COND2) has been monitored by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in argon and xenon matrixes. Several primary photoproducts, such as HNCO:NH3 (isocyanic acid:ammonia), CO:N2H4 (carbon monoxide:hydrazine) molecular complexes, and isourea (H2N(OH)C=NH), which is reported for the first time, were characterized. The assignment of complexes was achieved by co-depositing the pairs of respective species, whereas the isourea identification was based on the comparison between the experimental and theoretical (B3LYP) infrared spectra. Isourea is found in the argon matrix in its most stable (s-Z)-(E) configuration. It is an intermediate in the VUV decomposition process; its dehydration leads to the NH2CN:H2O complex. In the xenon matrix, the photochemistry of urea yields the HNCO:NH3 complex as a major product, whereas the CO:N2H4 complex is observed in trace amounts. The observed differences between the argon and xenon matrixes suggest the crossing between S1 and T1 potential surfaces of urea to be responsible for the formation of the HNCO:NH3 complex. A comparison is also performed with other carboxamides, such as formamide (HCONH2) or acetamide (CH3CONH2).     

Urea as a new and cheap nitrogen source for the synthesis of metal nitride clusterfullerenes: the role of decomposed products on the selectivity of fullerenes

By using urea as the new nitrogen source, for the first time, Sc-based metal nitride clusterfullerenes (NCFs), Sc(3)N@C(2n) (2n=80, 78, 70, 68), have been synthesized successfully. The optimum molar ratio of Sc(2)O(3)/CO(NH(2))(2)/C for the synthesis of Sc NCFs is 1:3:15. The yield of Sc(3)N@C(80)(I(h) +D(5h)) per gram of Sc(2)O(3), using CO(NH(2))(2) as the new nitrogen source, was quantitatively compared to those obtained when using the reported nitrogen sources, including N(2), NH(3), and guanidinium thiocyanate. We find that there is a clear difference on the selectivity of Sc-based NCFs within the extract mixture obtained from one rod and accumulative two rods. According to discharging experiments and XRD analysis, we conclude that NH(3) generated in situ from the decomposition of CO(NH(2))(2) is mainly responsible for the formation of Sc-based NCFs when using only one rod, whereas in the second rod CO(NH(2))(2) would decompose into melamine during discharging of the first rod. Thus, the selectivity of fullerenes is clearly dependent on the decomposed product of CO(NH(2))(2). Finally the difference in the decomposition behavior of CO(NH(2))(2) and melamine was studied in detail and a possible decomposition process of CO(NH(2))(2) during discharging was proposed. Accordingly, the difference in the selectivity and yield of Sc NCFs for CO(NH(2))(2) and melamine was interpreted.     

Unimolecular reactivity of strong metal-cation complexes in the gas phase: ethylenediamine-Cu(+)

The gas-phase reactions between ethylenediamine (en) and Cu(+) have been investigated by means of mass spectrometry techniques. The MIKE spectrum reveals that the adduct ions [Cu(+)(H(2)NCH(2)CH(2)NH(2))] spontaneously decompose by loosing H(2), NH(3) and HCu, the loss of hydrogen being clearly dominant. The spectra of the fully C-deuterated species show the loss of HD, NH(3) and CuD but no losses of H(2), D(2), NH(2)D, NHD(2), ND(3) or CuH are observed. This clearly excludes hydrogen exchange between the methylene and the amino groups as possible mechanisms for the loss of ammonia. Conversely, methylene hydrogen atoms are clearly involved in the loss of molecular hydrogen. The structures and bonding characteristics of the Cu(+)(en) complexes as well as the different stationary points of the corresponding potential energy surface (PES) have been theoretically studied by DFT calculations carried out at B3LYP/6-311+G(2df,2p)//B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level. Based on the topology of this PES the most plausible mechanisms for the aforementioned unimolecular fragmentations are proposed. Our theoretical estimates indicate that Cu(+) strongly binds to en, by forming a chelated structure in which Cu(+) is bridging between both amino groups. The binding energy is quite high (84 kcal mol(-1)), but also the products of the unimolecular decomposition of Cu(+)(en) complexes are strongly bound Cu(+)-complexes.     

Calculations on the rate of the ion-molecule reaction between NH3+ and H2

The rate coefficient for the ion-molecule reaction NH3(+) + H2 --> NH4(+) + H has been calculated as a function of temperature with the use of the statistical phase space approach. The potential surface and reaction complex and transition state parameters used in the calculation have been taken from ab initio quantum chemical calculations. The calculated rate coefficient has been found to mimic the unusual temperature dependence measured in the laboratory, in which the rate coefficient decreases with decreasing temperature until 50-100 K and then increases at still lower temperatures. Quantitative agreement between experimental and theoretical rate coefficients is satisfactory given the uncertainties in the ab initio results and in the dynamics calculations. The rate coefficient for the unusual three-body process NH3(+) + H2 + He --> NH4(+) + H + He has also been calculated as a function of temperature and the result found to agree well with a previous laboratory determination.     

Experimental and computational study of the formation mechanism of the diammoniate of diborane: the role of dihydrogen bonds

The mechanism of formation of ammonia borane (NH(3)BH(3), AB) and the diammoniate of diborane ([H(2)B(NH(3))(2)][BH(4)], DADB) in the reaction between NH(3) and THF·BH(3) was explored experimentally and computationally. Ammonia diborane (NH(3)BH(2)(μ-H)BH(3), AaDB), a long-sought intermediate proposed for the formation of DADB, was directly observed in the reaction using (11)B NMR spectroscopy. The results indicate that dihydrogen bonds between the initially formed AB and AaDB accelerate the formation of DADB in competition with the formation of AB.     

Big ligands for stabilization of small functionalities in calcium chemistry

Reaction of (DIPP-nacnac)CaN(SiMe3)2.THF (DIPP-nacnac=CH{(CMe)(2,6-iPr2C6H3N)}2) with NH3 gave the heteroleptic complex (DIPP-nacnac)CaNH2.(NH3)2 which crystallized as a dimer with bridging NH2- ions. In contrast to other heteroleptic (DIPP-nacnac)calcium amides, (DIPP-nacnac)CaNH2.(NH3)2 is remarkably stable toward ligand exchange. Reaction of (DIPP-nacnac)CaH.THF with Me3SiCN gave the heteroleptic complex (DIPP-nacnac)CaCN.THF that crystallized as a trimer. The CN- ions bridge in a linear fashion between the Ca2+ ions. In a new synthetic route (DIPP-nacnac)CaN(SiMe3)2.THF reacted with Et3NH+Cl- to give (DIPP-nacnac)CaCl.THF, which crystallized as a dimer with bridging Cl- ions. The exceptional stability of these aggregates toward ligand-exchange reactions, which would give insoluble homoleptic Ca(NH2)2, Ca(CN)2, or CaCl2, is remarkable and likely due to their multinuclear nature.     

Calcium-amidoborane-ammine complexes: thermal decomposition of model systems

Hydrocarbon-soluble model systems for the calcium-amidoborane-ammine complex Ca(NH(2)BH(3))(2)?(NH(3))(2) were prepared and structurally characterized. The following complexes were obtained by the reaction of RNH(2)BH(3) (R = H, Me, iPr, DIPP; DIPP = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl) with Ca(DIPP-nacnac)(NH(2))?(NH(3))(2) (DIPP-nacnac = DIPP-NC(Me)CHC(Me)N-DIPP): Ca(DIPP-nacnac)(NH(2)BH(3))?(NH(3))(2), Ca(DIPP-nacnac)(NH(2)BH(3))?(NH(3))(3), Ca(DIPP-nacnac)[NH(Me)BH(3)]?(NH(3))(2), Ca(DIPP-nacnac)[NH(iPr)BH(3)]?(NH(3))(2), and Ca(DIPP-nacnac)[NH(DIPP)BH(3)]?NH(3). The crystal structure of Ca(DIPP-nacnac)(NH(2)BH(3))?(NH(3)(3) showed a NH(2)BH(3)(-) unit that was fully embedded in a network of BH???HN interactions (range: 1.97(4)-2.39(4)??) that were mainly found between NH(3) ligands and BH(3) groups. In addition, there were N-H???C interactions between NH(3) ligands and the central carbon atom in the ligand. Solutions of these calcium-amidoborane-ammine complexes in benzene were heated stepwise to 60?°C and thermally decomposed. The following main conclusions can be drawn: 1)?Competing protonation of the DIPP-nacnac anion by NH(3) was observed; 2)?The NH(3) ligands were bound loosely to the Ca(2+) ions and were partially eliminated upon heating. Crystal structures of [Ca(DIPP-nacnac)(NH(2)BH(3))?(NH(3))](∞), Ca(DIPP-nacnac)(NH(2)BH(3))?(NH(3))?(THF), and [Ca(DIPP-nacnac){NH(iPr)BH(3)}](2) were obtained. 3)?Independent of the nature of the substituent R in NH(R)BH(3), the formation of H(2) was observed at around 50?°C. 4)?In all cases, the complex [Ca(DIPP-nacnac)(NH(2))](2) was formed as a major product of thermal decomposition, and its dimeric nature was confirmed by single-crystal analysis. We proposed that thermal decomposition of calcium-amidoborane-ammine complexes goes through an intermediate calcium-hydride-ammine complex which eliminates hydrogen and [Ca(DIPP-nacnac)(NH(2))](2). It is likely that the formation of metal amides is also an important reaction pathway for the decomposition of metal-amidoborane-ammine complexes in the solid state.     

From quantum motifs to assemble nanoaggregates: the preparation of organo-molybdenum hybrid nanostructures

Nanoaggregates such as nanowires, nanoparticles, nanotubules, and nanoribbons were prepared from bulk crystals, which are shaped as needles (1), blocks (2), tubules (3α), and plates (3β), respectively, by grinding and ultrasonication. Nanowires have diameters of approximately 2 nm, lengths of thousands of nanmeters, and the distance between adjacent nanowires is approximately 2 nm. The diameters of nanoparticles range from 3 to 5 nm. Nanotubules display diameters of 70 nm and lengths of thousands of nanometers, and nanoribbons exhibit widths of approximately 50 nm and lengths of hundreds of nanometers. All of the bulk crystals have been synthesized by the wet chemical method. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals that crystal 1 is constituted by infinite one-dimensional {[NH(3)CH(2)CH(NH(2))CH(3)](C(6)H(4)O(2))[μ(2)-OC(6)H(4)O](Mo(VI)-O-Na-O)[NH(2)CH(2)CH(NH(2))CH(3)]}(n) (1), which acts as a parallel aligned quantum wire forming lamellas that assemble themselves into multilayered architecture. Crystal 2 consists of discrete [NH(3)CH(2)CH(NH(2))CH(3)](2)[Mo(VI)O(2)(O(2)C(6)H(4))(2)] (2), which presents as quantum particles and repeats itself along a three-dimensional crystal lattice. Crystal 3α, formed under 5 °C, and 3β, crystallized above 10 °C, are both composed of (NH(3)CH(2)CH(2)NH(2))(2)[Mo(VI)O(2)(O(2)C(6)H(4))(2)](NH(2)CH(2)CH(2)NH(2))(0.5) (3) but are packed in different ways. In crystal 3α, four [Mo(VI)O(2)(O(2)C(6)H(4))(2)](2-) circle into a quantum tube that is further assembled into multitubular architecture. However, in crystal 3β, two [Mo(VI)O(2)(O(2)C(6)H(4))(2)](2-) form a bilayered quantum lamellar motif that is piled into multilayered architecture. TEM reveals that all of the morphologies of the nanoaggregates are associated with the structures of the quantum motifs in their crystal lattices, which provide successful and effective access to assemble controlled nanostructures from quantum motifs of fine-desired and well-ordered bulk crystals. The technology of grinding and ultrasonication to prepare nanoaggregates is simple and available.