Silicon‐containing trifunctional and tetrafunctional cyanate esters: Synthesis,cure kinetics,and network properties

The synthesis and physical properties of new silicon‐containing polyfunctional cyanate ester monomers methyl[tris(4‐cyanatophenyl)]silane and tetrakis(4‐cyanatophenyl)silane, as well as polycyanurate networks formed from these monomers are reported. The higher crosslinking functionality compared to di(cyanate ester) monomers enables much higher ultimate glass transition temperatures to be obtained as a result of thermal cyclotrimerization. The ability to reach complete conversion is greatly enhanced by cocure of the new monomers with di(cyanate ester) monomers such as 1,1‐bis(4‐cyanatophenyl)ethane. The presence of silicon in these polycyanurate networks imparts improved resistance to rapid oxidation at elevated temperatures, resulting in char yields as high as 70% under nitrogen and 56% in air in the best‐performing networks. The water uptake in the silicon‐containing networks examined is 4–6 wt % after 96 h of immersion at 85 °C, considerably higher than both carbon‐containing and/or di(cyanate ester) analogs. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 767–779     

Dehydroalanine-based inhibition of a peptide epimerase from spider venom

Ribosomally produced peptides that contain D-amino acids have been isolated from a number of vertebrate and invertebrate sources. In each case, the D-amino acids are introduced by a posttranslational modification of a parent peptide containing only amino acids of the L-configuration. The only known enzyme to catalyze such a reaction is the peptide epimerase (also known as peptide isomerase) from the venom of the funnel web spider, Agelenopsis aperta. This enzyme interconverts two 48-amino-acid-long peptide toxins that differ only by the stereochemistry at a single serine residue. In this paper we report the synthesis and testing of two pentapeptide analogues that contain modified amino acids at the site normally occupied by the substrate serine residue. When the L-chloroalanine-containing peptide 3 was incubated with the epimerase it was converted into the dehydroalanine-containing peptide 4 via an elimination of HCl. The dehydroalanine peptide 4 was independently synthesized and found to act as a potent inhibitor of the epimerase (IC50 = 0.5 microM). These results support a direct deprotonation/reprotonation mechanism in which a carbanionic intermediate is formed. The observed inhibition by 4 can be attributed to the sp(2)-hybridization of the alpha-carbon in the dehydroalanine unit that mimics the planar geometry of the anionic intermediate.     

X‐Ray Crystal Structures of Hexa‐oxotellurate Complexes of Ruthenium(VI) and Silver(III): Na6[RuO2{TeO4(OH)2}2]·16H2O and Na5[Ag{TeO4(OH)2}2]·16H2O

X‐ray crystal structures are reported for Na₆[RuO₂{TeO₄(OH)₂}₂]·16H₂O and Na₅[Ag{TeO₄(OH)₂}₂]·16H₂O which contain respectively Ru^VI and Ag^III coordinated to chelating bidentate tellurate ([TeO₄(OH)₂]⁴⁻) groups. Na₆[RuO₂{TeO₄(OH)₂}₂]·16H₂O: Space group P1¯, Z = 2, lattice dimensions at 120 K; a = 6.9865(1), b = 8.7196(2), c = 11.7395(2)Å, α = 74.008(1), β = 79.954(1), γ = 88.514(1)°; R1 = 0.025. Na₅[Ag{TeO₄(OH)₂}₂]·16H₂O: Space group P1¯, Z = 2, lattice dimensions at 120 K; a = 5.888(1), b = 8.932(1), c = 12.561(2)Å, α = 98.219(6), β = 97.964(9), γ = 93.238(14)°; R1 = 0.047.     

Synthesis and Structural Characterization of [Cu20Se4(μ3‐SePh)12(PPh3)6] and [Ag(SePh)]∞

Reaction of lithium phenylselenothiolate, generated in situ from the reductive cleavage of PhSe‐SiMe₃ with alkyl lithium reagents and insertion of elemental sulfur, with triphenylphosphine solubilized CuCl affords the molecular cluster complex [Cu₂₀Se₄ (μ₃‐SePh)₁₂(PPh₃)₆] ( 1 ). The analogous reaction with AgCl yields the extended structure [Ag(SePh)]_∞ ( 2 ) in which an infinite layer of Ag^I atoms is capped on either side by μ₄‐SePh ligands. 1: space group P¯1, a = 17.9510(6), b = 18.1712(7), c = 31.4311(11) Å, a = 78.098(2), β = 82.905(2), γ = 70.012(2)°. 2: space group C2/c, a = 5.8762(6), b = 7.2989(7), c = 29.124(2) Å, β = 95.790(3)°.     

Enzymatic Method for the Synthesis of Long DNA Sequences with Multiple Repeat Units

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) derived method for preparing long DNA, consisting of multiple repeat units of one to ten base pairs, is described. Two seeding oligodeoxynucleotides, so‐called oligoseeds, which encode the repeat unit and produce a duplex with 5′‐overhangs, are extended using a thermostable archaeal DNA polymerase. Multiple rounds of heat–cool extension cycles, akin to PCR, rapidly elongate the oligoseed. Twenty cycles produced long DNA with uniformly repeating sequences to over 20 kilobases (kb) in length. The polynucleotides prepared include [A]_n/[T]_n, [AG]_n/[TC]_n, [A₂G]_n/[T₂C]_n, [A₃G]_n/[T₃C]_n, [A₄G]_n/[T₄C]_n, [A₉G]_n/[T₉C]_n, [GATC]_n/[CTAG]_n, and [ACTGATCAGC]_n/[TGACTAGTCG]_n, indicating that the method is extremely flexible with regard to the repeat length and base sequence of the initial oligoseeds. DNA of this length (20 kb≈7 μm) with strictly defined base reiterations should find use in nanomaterial applications.     

New insights into the mechanisms behind the strengthening of lignocellulosic fibrous networks with polyamines

Polyelectrolytes have been used extensively in the papermaking industry for various purposes. Although recent studies have shown that polyamines can be efficient dry-strength additives, the mechanism governing the strength enhancement of paper materials following the adsorption of polyamines onto pulp fibres is still not well understood. In this study, the effect of the adsorption of polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) onto the surface of unbleached kraft pulp fibres was investigated on both the fibre and the network scale. Isolated fibre crosses were mechanically tested to evaluate the impact of the chemical additive on the interfibre joint strength on the microscopic scale and the effect was compared with that previously observed on the paper sheet scale. X-ray microtomography was used to understand structural changes in the fibrous network following the adsorption of a polyamine such as PAH. Using image analysis methods, it was possible to determine the number of interfibre contacts (or joints) per unit length of fibre as well as the average interfibre joint contact area. The results showed that the median interfibre joint strength increased by 18 % upon adsorption of PAH. This can be achieved both by a larger molecular contact area in the contact zones and by a stronger molecular adhesion. The addition of the polymer also increased the number of efficient interfibre contacts per sheet volume. This combination of effects is the reason why polyamines such as PAH can increase the dry tensile strength of paper materials.     

RELATIVE REPAIR OF ADENOVIRUS DAMAGED BY SUNLAMP, UV AND γ-IRRADIATION IN COCKAYNE SYNDROME FIBROBLASTS IS DIFFERENT FROM THAT IN XERODERMA PIGMENTOSUM FIBROBLASTS

The DNA repair capacities of three unrelated Cockayne syndrome (CS) fibroblast strains were compared to that of three unrelated xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) strains for three different DNA damaging agents using a sensitive host cell reactivation (HCR) technique. Adenovirus type 2 (Ad 2) was treated with either UV light, gamma-rays or sunlamp-irradiation and subsequently assayed for its ability to form viral structural antigens (Vag) in the CS and XP strains using immunofluorescent straining. D37 values for the survival of Ad 2 Vag synthesis in the CS and XP strains, expressed as a percentage of those obtained in normal strains, were used as a measure of DNA repair capacity. Percent HCR values in the XP strains XP25RO, XP2BE and XP5BE respectively were lowest for UV (6, 14 and 6%), intermediate for sunlamp-irradiation (18, 32 and 10%) and highest for gamma-irradiation (65, 61 and 60%), whereas for the CS strains CS1BE, CS3BE and CS278CTO respectively, percent HCR values were lowest for UV (26, 30 and 34%), intermediate for gamma-irradiation (61, 64 and 69%) and near normal for sunlamp-irradiation (82, 73 and 89%). These results suggest that the 'spectrum of lesions' which is defectively repaired in CS is not the same as that which is defectively repaired in XP.     

Automated molecular design: A new fragment-joining algorithm

Summary A popular first step in the problem of structure-based, de novo molecule design is to identify regions where specific functional groups or chemical entities would be expected to interact strongly. When the three-dimensional structure of the receptor is not available, it may be possible to derive a pharmacophore giving the three-dimensional relationships between such chemical groups. The task then is to design synthetically feasible molecules which not only contain the required groups, but which can also position them in the desired relative orientation. One way to do this is to first link the groups using an acyclic chain. We have investigated the application of the tweak algorithm [Shenkin, P.S. et al., Biopolymers, 26 (1987) 2053] for generating families of acyclic linkers. These linking structures can subsequently be braced using a ring-joining algorithm [Leach, A.R. and Lewis, R.A., J. Comput. Chem., 15 (1994) 233], giving rise to an even wider variety of molecular skeletons for further studies.