Biodegradable polymers derived from natural fatty acids

A new class of polyanhydrides synthesized from nonlinear hydrophobic fatty acid esters, based on ricinoleic, maleic acid, and sebacic acid, possessed desired physico-chemical and mechanical properties for use as drug carriers. The polymers were synthesized by melt condensation to yield film-forming polymers with molecular weights exceeding 100,000. Their rate of elimination from rats in the course of about 2 months was faster than that found for similar polyanhydrides previously tested. In vitro studies showed that these polymers underwent rapid degradation in the first 10 days. The drug release followed first-order kinetics, showing a rapid drug release rate in the first 10 days which correlated with the degradation of the polymers. The fatty acid ester monomers underwent in vitro enzymatic degradation to the natural starting acids. Tests in rats demonstrated their toxicological inertness and biodegradability. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Entrapped energy in chiral solutions: quantification and information capacity

A homogeneous solution of a chiral substance stores a residual chemical potential, related to its overall anisotropy. Therefore, by mixing solutions of opposite enantiomers, heat release may take place, corresponding to the mutual anisotropy annulment. In the following study we present proofs for this fundamental, yet unexplored, prediction by measuring the heat released upon mixing of aqueous solutions of D-proline with L-proline, as well as D-alanine with L-alanine, using isothermal titration calorimetry. Heat release in the range of 0.6-6 cal/mol was detected in these intermolecular racemizations at 30 degrees C. Its magnitude varied linearly with the apparent optical rotation, which complied with the possibility that the hydration envelope coating the chiral molecule is of a long-range condensed and asymmetrical configuration that can expand by integration with adjacent hydration envelopes. The ordered water in such hydration layers constitutes regions of "negative entropy", a basic medium for information storage. On the basis of our findings, a fundamental expression which combines entropy, information capacity, and thermal energy is proposed.     

Tandem addition beta-lithiation-alkylation sequence on alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes

A tandem reaction between (E)-cinnamaldehyde, 1a, and phenyllithium affording beta-substituted dihydrochalcones was recently reported. NMR spectroscopic studies on the reaction mixture, as well as isotopic exchange reactions and trapping of two intermediates, provide clues on the several mechanistic steps of this new reaction. Extended studies revealed that beta-alkyl-substituted alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes and aliphatic lithium reagents did not afford good yields of the tandem reaction products, while aromatic lithium reagents gave good results. The aggregation features of the aryllithium reagents and the extended charged delocalization effects are considered to promote beta-selectivity. This approach provides a convenient route for the synthesis of a wide variety of beta-alkyl-substituted dihydrochalcones.     

Triplet topology of self-assembled zinc porphyrin-pyridylfullerene complex

This work extends a recent EPR study on light-driven electron and energy transfer in a self-assembled zinc porphyrin-pyridylfullerene (ZnP-PyrF) complex. We report on a triplet line shape analysis of the photoexcited PyrF monomer and the ZnP-PyrF complex dissolved in isotropic and anisotropic matrixes of different polarity, namely, toluene, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and the nematic liquid crystals (LCs), E-7 and ZLI-4389. The line shape of the unbound *(3)PyrF obtained in both isotropic matrixes exhibits triplet parameters similar to those obtained for other monoadducts of C(60) under similar experimental conditions. On the other hand, 8(3)PyrF oriented in the LCs shows a complicated line shape, which is attributed to two conformers: (a) an axial dominant (85%) configuration characterized by triplet parameters, similar to those obtained in the isotropic matrixes and (b) a bent configuration associated with spin density localized about the poles accompanied by sign reversal of the ZFS parameter D of the *(3)C(60) moiety. Further, since in both LCs the ZnP-PyrF complex mainly exhibits a conformation with axial symmetry, the differences between the electron and the energy transfer routes in each LC are attributed to their different polarity. This study reflects the strength of LC matrixes to serve as a topological tool, enabling us to determine the conformers' distribution and to differentiate between electron and energy transfer routes.     

Intramolecular electron and energy transfer in an axial ZnP-pyridylfullerene complex as studied by X- and W-band time-resolved EPR spectroscopy

Light-driven electron transfer (ET) and energy transfer (EnT) in a self-assembled via axial coordination Zn-porphyrin-pyridylfullerene (ZnP-PyrF) complex were studied by time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) spectroscopy at 9.5 GHz (X-band) and 95 GHz (W-band). The studies over a wide temperature range were carried out in media of different polarity, including isotropic toluene and tetrahydrofuran (THF), and anisotropic nematic liquid crystals (LCs), E-7 and ZLI-4389. At low temperatures (frozen matrices), photoexcitation of the ZnP donor results mainly in singlet-singlet EnT to the pyridine-appended fullerene acceptor. In fluid phases ET is the dominant process. Specifically, in isotropic solvents the generated radical pairs (RPs) are long-lived, with lifetimes exceeding that observed for covalently linked donor-acceptor systems. It is concluded that in liquid phases of both polar and nonpolar solvents the separation of the tightly bound complex into the more loosely bound structure slows down the back ET (BET) process. Photoexcitation of the donor in fluid phases of LCs does not result in the creation of the long-lived RPs, since the ordered LC matrix hinders the separation of the complex constituents. As a result, fast intramolecular BET takes place in the tightly bound complex. Contrarily to the behavior of covalently linked donor-acceptor systems in different LCs, the polarity of the LC matrix affects the ET process. Moreover, in contrast to covalently linked D-s-A systems, utilization of LCs for the coordinatively linked D-s-A complexes does not reduce the ET rates significantly.