Structural chemistry of complex carbides and related compounds

Complex carbides formed in ternary systems of a transition element (M), a B-group element (M′), and carbon and having a formula M₂M′C (H-phase) or M₃M′C (perovskite carbide) occur frequently. This reflects the simple geometry of the atomic arrangement of the metals and the filling mode by an interstitial stabilizer such as carbon or nitrogen. The phase relationship of the ternary combinations {Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mn, and Ni}-aluminum-carbon was investigated. New complex carbides were found with the corresponding zirconium, hafnium, and tantalum combinations. The crystal structures in the case of Zr- and Hf-containing complex carbides can be characterized by a twelve-metal-layer sequence and by a ten-metal-layer sequence with carbon atoms again filling octahedral voids. The transition of structure types from TiC, Ti₂AlC, Ti₃SiC₂, ZrAlC₂, Zr₂Al₃C₅, to Al₄C₃ is also discussed.     

Combinatorial chemistry toward understanding the function(s) of carbohydrates and carbohydrate conjugates

Combinatorial chemistry has contributed significantly to understanding the structure-function relationships of biologically important molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. However, carbohydrates and carbohydrate conjugates, which have been identified as key modulators of several biological functions have not enjoyed the same measure of success. The complexity and synthetic challenges of carbohydrate conjugates have resulted in a number of conceptual approaches to rapidly access sufficient quantities of these biomolecules. This article summarizes these combinatorial approaches and also highlights fully automated library synthesis of artificial glycopeptides with the goals of understanding their biological roles.     

High-throughput purification of single compounds and libraries

The need for increasing productivity in medicinal chemistry and associated improvements in automated synthesis technologies for compound library production during the past few years have resulted in a major challenge for compound purification technology and its organization. To meet this challenge, we have recently set up three full-service chromatography units with the aid of in-house engineers, different HPLC suppliers, and several companies specializing in custom laboratory automation technologies. Our goal was to combine high-throughput purification with the high attention to detail which would be afforded by a dedicated purification service. The resulting final purification laboratory can purify up to 1000 compounds/week in amounts ranging from 5 to 300 mg, whereas the two service intermediate purification units take 100 samples per week from 0.3 to 100 g. The technologies consist of normal-phase and reversed-phase chromatography, robotic fraction pooling and reformatting, a bottling system, an automated external solvent supply and removal system, and a customized, high-capacity freeze-dryer. All work processes are linked by an electronic sample registration and tracking system.     

Dealkylation of organotin compounds by biological dithiols: toward the chemistry of organotin toxicity

In this Communication, we report evidence for the dealkylation of trialkyltin compounds by a short linear peptide extracted from a small membrane protein (stannin) involved in cellular apoptosis and containing a CXC motif. We show that (a) organotin binding induces the formation of a beta-turn in the linear peptide, (b) both cysteines are necessary for the dealkylation reaction, and (c) stable 1:1 complexes are formed between the peptide and diorganotins that can be observed by ESI-MS. Organotin degradation by biological dithiols may be responsible for both the delayed activity of these toxins in humans and the organotin resistance mechanisms in bacteria.     

Conjugates of polyhedral boron compounds with carbohydrates

Conjugates of β-lactosylamine derivatives bearing terminal amino groups in aglycon with ortho-carboranylacetic acid were synthesized. Five glycoconjugates with spacers of different length (from 9 to 18 atoms) and hydrophilicity containing di-, tri-, and pentapeptide fragments constructed of glycine and serine residues and spacers incorporating ethylenediamine and tartaric acid or tertiary amine residues were prepared Dedicated to the memory of outstanding chemist and biochemist V. N. Shibaev. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 2033–2036, October, 2007.     

Recognition properties of an acyclic biphenyl-based receptor toward carbohydrates

Biphenyl-based receptor 1, incorporating four heterocyclic recognition units, was synthesized, and its binding properties toward neutral sugars were determined. Receptor 1 is a representative of a new series of acyclic carbohydrate-binding receptors, which were designed to recognize disaccharides. The compound 1 has been established as a highly effective receptor for dodecyl beta-D-maltoside, showing successive 1:1 and 2:1 receptor/substrate complexation behavior toward the disaccharide. Both hydrogen bonding and interactions of the sugar CH's with the aromatic units of the receptor contribute to the stabilization of the receptor-maltoside complexes.     

New challenges in environmental analytical chemistry: Identification of toxic compounds in complex mixtures

Toxic effects evidenced in the environment are most often caused by mixtures of known and unknown pollutants. One of the key challenges in environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology is to characterize and identify those toxicants in relation with the effect. However, many of the current bottlenecks in the assessment of organic contaminants in our environment are related to the difficulty of evaluating various chemical classes and biological effects within complex mixtures and more precisely to link both approaches. To tackle these analytical challenges, the bioanalytical concept has emerged during the last decade. In this article, we describe through some outstanding examples the current limitations in the chemical-driven approach such as problems encountered for a correct evaluation of water quality when the continuous introduction of new chemicals has to be taken into account in monitoring for correct evaluation of this quality and could led to tremendous analytical costs or some of the integrated bioanalytical approaches as promising powerful tools to improve environmental risk assessment by taking into account the link presence/effect.     

High-throughput optofluidic platforms for mosaicked microfibers toward multiplex analysis of biomolecules

We describe high-throughput optofluidic platforms for mosaic-patterned microfibers by generating stratified laminar flows. An inert carrier liquid flow near PDMS channel walls conveyed a photopolymerizable liquid which permitted stable production of microfibers with particular morphologies and compositional patterns. Finally, mosaicked microfibers were prepared with desired configurations toward multiplex biomolecular analysis.     

Rich chemistry of nitroso compounds

Nitrosobenzene or nitrosopyridine are found to be attractive electrophiles in catalytic enantioselective carbon-nitrogen and/or carbon-oxygen bond forming reactions. In the presence of designer Lewis or Br?nsted acid catalysts, catalytic enantioselective O- and N-nitroso aldol reaction or nitroso Diels-Alder reaction proceed smoothly. The scope and limitation of new catalytic processes are described.     

Nuclear chemistry of indium and related compounds

The activation of indium by gamma-ray source through absorption of photons of resonance energy and the threshold energy (appearance energy) determination in indium compounds as well as some results of hot atom chemistry studies of indium compounds and of implantation with indium ions are described.     

Chemistry of natural compounds and bioorganic chemistry

The racemic form of the metabolite of theDysidea sea sponge, furanoterpenoid pallescensin A, was synthesized by cationic cyclization of the sulfonyl-substituted linear sesquiterpene precursors. Deceased. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 2060–2064, November, 1997.     

The chemistry of caryophyllene and related compounds

A review is given of the literature over the period from the middle of the 1950s to the beginning of the 1980s on the distribution in nature, the biological activity, the conformation, and the chemical transformations of sesquiterpenes of the caryophyllene type.Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry, Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh soedinenii, No. 4, pp. 475–499, July–August, 1987.