Mechanism of external heavy-atom enhancement of the radiative transition rate from the π,π* triplet state

The effect of external heavy-atom perturbation is examined for each of the three spin subcomponents of the π,π^* triplet state. It is shown that the radiative decay rate from the subcomponent whose spin wavefunction is within the molecular plane is most effectively enhanced. The main perturbing singlet state is the charge-transfer state arising from the excitation of an electron from a π orbital of the molecule to the σ^* orbital of the perturber.     

Synthesis of soluble aromatic polyesteramides by stepwise copolycondensation of bisphenols and aromatic diamines with diphenyl chlorophosphate in pyridine

The reaction promoted by diphenyl chlorophosphate (DPCP) in pyridine was successfully applied to the preparation of soluble aromatic copolyesteramides of high molecular weights directly from aromatic dicarboxylic acids, bisphenols, and a wide range of mol % aromatic diamines. Dropwise addition of a mixture of bisphenols and diamines (more favorably of bisphenols and then diamines) to the mixture of dicarboxylic acids activated by DPCP led the reactions homogeneously even with high mol % of diamines to produce copolymers of good solubility. This improved copolymer solubility was roughly estimated by sequence distribution of polyamide and polyester units in the copolymers, which was studied in a model reaction and in the copolycondensations by simultaneous and stepwise addition of bisphenols and diamines.     

Simultaneous determination of the binding of amantadine and its analogues to synthetic melanin by liquid chromatography after precolumn derivatization with dansyl chloride

For the determination of amantadine (1-ADA), 2-adamantanamine (2-ADA), memantine (MEM), and rimantadine (RIM) in melanin binding studies, the simultaneous determination of 1-ADA or 2-ADA, MEM, and RIM is investigated by high-performance liquid chromatographic assay with dansyl chloride as a fluorescent derivative reagent. Dansyl derivatives with fluorescent intensity are detected at an excitation wavelength of 370 nm and an emission wavelength of 506 nm. Retention times of 1-ADA, 2-ADA, MEM, and RIM derivatives are 12.2, 12.2, 15.2, and 16.6 min, respectively. The peak of 1-ADA derivative coelutes with the 2-ADA derivative. The limits of detection for 1-ADA, 2-ADA, MEM, and RIM are 0.014, 0.007, 0.012, and 0.020microM, respectively (signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1). In the intra- and interday assay, the range of standard deviation to the average of 1-ADA, 2-ADA, MEM, and RIM is 4.6-12.7%. Their recovery is also good. The ranking order for synthetic melanin binding among these compounds is RIM > MEM > 2-ADA = 1-ADA. The method is simple, sensitive, and reproducible for simultaneously measuring 1-ADA or 2-ADA, MEM, and RIM. Also, it is useful to investigate their binding kinetics to melanin.     

Determination of 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) in human plasma using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry after derivatization with a Cookson-type reagent

A practical LC-MS method for determination of (24R)-24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [24,25(OH)(2)D(3)] in human plasma has been developed using derivatization with a Cookson-type reagent, 4-[4-(6-methoxy-2-benzoxazolyl)phenyl]-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione (MBOTAD). The derivatization with MBOTAD significantly improved the ionization efficiency of the analyte with a detection limit of 18 fmol [equivalent to 7.5 pg of 24,25(OH)(2)D(3)] per injection. The method employed protein precipitation with acetonitrile, purification with OASIS HLB cartridge and silica gel column, derivatization with MBOTAD and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization MS detection. The mass spectrometer was operated in the positive-ion mode of mass chromatography and [26,26,26,27,27,27-(2)H(6)]-24,25(OH)(2)D(3) was used as an internal standard. The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were below 3.4 and 2.5%, respectively, and the analytical recovery of 24,25(OH)(2)D(3) was quantitative. Assay linearity was obtained in the range of 0.05-1.2 ng per tube and the limit of quantitation was 0.23 ng/mL for a 0.3 mL plasma aliquot. The developed method was applied to plasma samples obtained from volunteers and gave satisfactory results.     

Gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography of natural steroids.

This review article underlines the importance of gas chromatography (GC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and their hyphenated techniques using mass spectrometry (MS) for the determination of natural steroids, especially in human biological fluids. Steroids are divided into eight categories based on their structures and functions, and recent references using the above methodologies for the analysis of these steroids are cited. GC and GC-MS are commonly used for the determination of volatile steroids. Although HPLC is a widely used analytical method for the determination of steroids including the conjugated type in biological fluids, LC-MS is considered to be the most promising one for this purpose because of its sensitivity, specificity and versatility.     

Mechanistic action of ferric oxide in the hydrosilylation of 1,6-divinyl(perfluorohexane) with trichlorosilane

In the hydrosilylation of 1,6-divinyl(perfluorohexane) (FDV) with trichlorosilane (TCS) in the presence of catalytic chloroplatinic acid (Pt-Cat) under an air atmosphere (0.99 MPa), a runaway reaction accompanied by a severe pressure release occurred when Fe₂O₃ was present as an impurity in the system. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of action of Fe₂O₃ on this hydrosilylation by monitoring the thermal behavior of TCS/FDV/Pt-Cat/Fe₂O₃ mixtures with various compositions, using an accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC). In the case of TSC/FDV/Pt-Cat, a typical hydrosilylation composition in the industrial process, heat release, possibly due to hydrosilylation, began at 90 °C. On the other hand, for TCS/FDV/Pt-Cat/Fe₂O, the heat release due to hydrosilylation was hardly observed, but abrupt heat and pressure releases occurred at higher temperatures (>170 °C). Like TCS/FDV/Pt-Cat/Fe₂O₃, TCS/FDV, which contain neither Pt-Cat nor Fe₂O₃, released heat and pressure at high temperatures (>210 °C), while the heat and pressure release rates were comparatively low. From these results, the runaway reaction may occur when hydrosilylation is prevented, and Fe₂O₃ behaves as a negative catalyst for hydrosilylation. In the FT-IR spectrum of TCS/FDV/Pt-Cat/Fe₂O₃ after heating, an absorption peak at approximately 1,710 cm^?1, which may be attributed to a carbonyl group, was observed. Thus, it is considered that the runaway reaction observed during the hydrosilylation results from the action of Fe₂O₃ as a negative catalyst for hydrosilylation as well as as an oxidation catalyst for the by-product generated from the reaction between TCS and FDV.     

Disulfide‐Unit Conjugation Enables Ultrafast Cytosolic Internalization of Antisense DNA and siRNA

Development of intracellular delivery methods for antisense DNA and siRNA is important. Previously reported methods using liposomes or receptor‐ligands take several hours or more to deliver oligonucleotides to the cytoplasm due to their retention in endosomes. Oligonucleotides modified with low molecular weight disulfide units at a terminus reach the cytoplasm 10 minutes after administration to cultured cells. This rapid cytoplasmic internalization of disulfide‐modified oligonucleotides suggests the existence of an uptake pathway other than endocytosis. Mechanistic analysis revealed that the modified oligonucleotides are efficiently internalized into the cytoplasm through disulfide exchange reactions with the thiol groups on the cellular surface. This approach solves several critical problems with the currently available methods for enhancing cellular uptake of oligonucleotides and may be an effective approach in the medicinal application of antisense DNA and siRNA.