Aza-Diels-Alder reaction in fluorinated alcohols. A one-pot synthesis of tetrahydroquinolines

Hexafluoroisopropanol and trifluoroethanol are found to promote imino-Diels-Alder reactions of the N-aryl aldimine 1 with alkyl vinyl ethers to afford the corresponding tetrahydroquinolines in good yields without Lewis acid under mild and neutral conditions. The reaction is also efficient in a three component process from aldehyde, amine and vinyl ethers.     

Hydrolytic protein cleavage mediated by unusual mononuclear copper(II) complexes: X-ray structures and solution studies

The crystal structures and redox and UV-vis/EPR spectroscopic properties of two new mononuclear copper(II) complexes, [Cu(HL1)Cl2] (1) and [Cu(L1)Cl] (2), prepared through the reaction between copper(II) chloride and the ligand 2-[(bis(pyridylmethyl)amino)methyl]-4-methyl-6-formylphenol (HL1) under distinct base conditions, are reported along with solution studies. Also, we demonstrate that these CuII complexes are able to cleave unactivated peptide bonds from bovine serum albumin (BSA) and the thermostable enzyme Taq DNA polymerase at micromolar concentration, under mild pH and temperature conditions. The cleavage activity seems to be specific with defined proteolytic fragments appearing after protein treatment. The location of the specific cleavage sites was tentatively assigned to solvent-accessible portions of the protein. These are two of the most active Cu(II) complexes described to date, since their cleavage activity is detected in minutes and evidence is here presented for a hydrolytic mechanism mediating protein cleavage by these complexes.     

Study on the Kinetics of Non-isothermal Dehydration of Alkaline Earth Metal Selenites

The dehydration kinetics of crystallohydrates of beryllium, magnesium and calcium selenites were studied under non-isothermal conditions. The values of the activation energy of dehydration, the pre-exponential factor in Arrhenius equation and the change of entropy for the formation of the activated complex were calculated using the calculation procedure of Coats and Redfern. Thermal stability and activation energy of dehydration of the crystallohydrates were found to increase by the same order. The relationships observed were interpreted using Klopman’s generalized perturbation theory of chemical reactivity. The same theory was applied to explain the differences in the IR spectra of the selenite crystallohydrates studied.     

Eptastigmine,nicotinamide and nicotinic acid determination using an inhibition enzyme sensor; application to pharmaceutical analysis

An enzyme inhibition biosensor, developed in our laboratory and previously used for the analysis of compounds with anticholinesterase activity (e.g. physostigmine, neostigmine, pyridostigmine nicotine and organophosphorus compounds) has now been tested for the analysis of another recently synthesized cholinesterase inhibitor, i.e. eptastigmine. In addition nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, although displaying weaker inhibition properties, were also tested in pharmaceutical products using the same inhibition enzyme sensor. The biosensor consisted of a hydrogen peroxide amperometric electrode coupled to a functionalised nylon membrane chemically bonding both the enzymes butyrylcholinesterase and choline oxidase; a butyrylcholine standard solution in glycine buffer acted as substrate. The response of the system to all the inhibitors considered was characterised completely and the analysis of several pharmaceutical formulations containing nicotinamide or nicotinic acid was also performed.     

The CuII−CuI−Cu0(Hg) system in the presence of benzotriazole: Part II. A chronocoulometric investigation

Both the oxidation of Cu⁰ at dropping amalgam electrodes immersed in solutions of benzotriazole (BTA) and the reduction of Cu^II at a dropping mercury electrode from BTA solutions have been investigated by the single potential-step chronocoulometric technique. The dependence of the charge Q(t) flowing as a consequence of a given potential jump E_i→E_f upon the initial and final potentials E_i and E_f, as well as upon the time t elapsed from the instant of the potential jump provides direct evidence for the presence of a single adsorbed monolayer of a Cu^I compound on a mercury electrode immersed in a Cu^II solution containing BTA, at applied potentials positive to ≈?0.4 V/SCE. Analogous measurements carried out at dropping amalgam electrodes reveal the presence of a single adsorbed monolayer of a Cu^I compound, or else of an adsorbed multilayer, depending on the potential range investigated. The results of the chronocoulometric measurements are in agreement with those of the polarographic measurements of Part I.     

Increase in removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during bioremediation of crude oil-contaminated sandy soil

A 2³ full factorial experimental design was adopted to estimate the effects of three variables on the biodegradation of oil during soil bioremediation: bioaugmentation seeding a mixed culture, addition of fertilizer or mineral media, and correction of initial pH of the soil to 7.0. The tests were carried out in polyvinyl chloride reactors with 5.0 kg of crude oil-contaminated soil at 14 g/kg. After screening the variables, soil bioremediation tests were conduced with varied C:N ratios, yielding an increase in biodegradation of the oil heavy fraction from 24 to 65%, consumption of total n-paraffins, and a remarkable decrease in the concentration of residual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of the soil.     

SDS/n－C5H11OH/n－C7H16/H2O体系中W/O－BI微乳液界面电性质

In the system of SDS/n-C5H11OH/n-C7H16/H2O with the weight ratio of SDS/n-C5H11OH/H2O system at5.0/47.5/47.5, the upper phase of the system was W/O microemulsion, and the lower phase was the bicontinuous microemulsion. When the n-heptane content was less than 1%, with the increase of the n-heptane content, the capacitance (Co, Cod) in the upper phase (W/O) dropped, the capacitance (CB1, CBld) in the lower phase (BI) raised. At the same time, the W/O-BI inteffacial potential (ΔE), capacitance (Ci), and charge-transfer current (ict) decreased.After the n-heptane content reached 1%, with the increase of the n-heptane content, ΔE, Ci and ict demonstrated no significant change.     

Multifunctionality in spin crossover materials

One of the most important trends in the spin crossover (SCO) field is focused on the synthesis of new molecule-based functional materials in which the SCO properties may be combined with other physical or chemical properties in a synergic fashion. The current stage of investigations regarding interplay and synergic effects between SCO, magnetic coupling, liquid crystalline properties, host-guest interactions, non-linear optical properties, electrical conductivity, and ligand isomerization is highlighted and discussed.     

Die Benzonitril‐Addukte [Ho2Cl6(PhCN)6] und [HoCl3(PhCN)]: Synthese,Kristallstrukturen, FIR‐ und MIR‐Spektroskopische Untersuchungen

The Benzonitrile Adducts [Ho₂Cl₆(PhCN)₆] and equation/tex2gif-stack-4.gif [HoCl₃(PhCN)]: Syntheses, Crystal Structures, FarIR and MIR Spectroscopy Investigations Transparent light pink crystals of the compound [Ho₂Cl₆(PhCN)₆] were obtained by the reaction of a mixture of HoCl₃ and AlCl₃ with benzonitrile at 150μ °C. Transparent pink crystals of the compound equation/tex2gif-stack-5.gif[HoCl₃(PhCN)] were obtained by the same reaction under solvothermal conditions at 200μ °C. [Ho₂Cl₆(PhCN)₆] exhibits a dimeric structure of linked pentagonal bipyramids whereas equation/tex2gif-stack-6.gif[HoCl₃(PhCN)] forms a layer structure of trigonal Cl prisms around Ho, linked via corners and separated by coordinating PhCN molecules.     

Harmonic oscillator tensors in contact transformation theory

The application of contact transformation theory to the perturbed harmonic oscillator is reexamined in the light of the harmonic oscillator tensors previously presented. It is found that the recasting of the formalism of this problem in terms of harmonic oscillator tensors results in great simplifications, most of which stem from the introduction of the additional algebraic quantum numbers (l, m). The order of magnitude of each fragment of the Hamiltonian is easily recognizable, and the diagonal and nondiagonal parts contained therein are readily identifiable. The determination of the contact transformation operator is reduced to a simple formula. First, an analysis is made for a single mode of vibration, and it is subsequently extended to a multimode case. The perturbed diatomic vibrator is presented as an example.