Tetrachlorocarbonyliridates: water-soluble carbon monoxide releasing molecules rate-modulated by the sixth ligand

A new family of compounds is presented as potential carbon monoxide releasing molecules (CORMs). These compounds, based on tetrachlorocarbonyliridate(III) derivatives, were synthesized and fully characterized by X-ray diffraction, electrospray mass spectrometry, IR, NMR, and density functional theory calculations. The rate of CO release was studied via the myoglobin assay. The results showed that the rate depends on the nature of the sixth ligand, trans to CO, and that a significant modulation on the release rate can be produced by changing the ligand. The reported compounds are soluble in aqueous media, and the rates of CO release are comparable with those for known CORMs, releasing CO at a rate of 0.03-0.58 μM min(-1) in a 10 μM solution of myoglobin and 10 μM of the complexes.     

A theoretical study of the hydrogen bond donor capability and co-operative effects in the hydrogen bond complexes of the diaza-aromatic betacarbolines

In this work, we present a quantum mechanical investigation on the hydrogen bond interactions of N(9)-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole, MBC, and N(2)-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole, BCA, with different hydrogen bond donors. Thus, it has been analysed the influence that the hydrogen bond donor strength and the co-operative effect of the increasing number of donor molecules have on the shape of the potential energy surfaces versus the N···H distances, r(N–H). To rationalize the nature of the interactions, the Bader theory has been applied and the characteristics of the bond critical points analysed. The results show that two different hydrogen bond complexes can be formed depending on the donor capabilities or the number of donor molecules included in the calculations. The topological parameters from the Bader theory are used to justify the statement that the analysed interactions can be classified as weak or partially covalent hydrogen bond interactions, respectively. As experimentally observed, weak hydrogen bond donors form weak hydrogen bond complexes, called HBC. Upon the increase of the donor strength the N···H proton is shifted nearest to the nitrogen atom giving rise to the observation of a stronger hydrogen bond complex, the proton transfer complex, PTC. The most outstanding result of these studies is the fact that the formation of the PTC can also be managed just by changing the number of donor molecules, that is, by a co-operative effect of the hydrogen bonds.     

Olefin Cyclopropanation by Radical Carbene Transfer Reactions Promoted by Cobalt(II)/Porphyrinates: Active‐Metal‐Template Synthesis of [2]Rotaxanes

A Co^II/porphyrinate‐based macrocycle in the presence of a 3,5‐diphenylpyridine axial ligand functions as an endotopic ligand to direct the assembly of [2]rotaxanes from diazo and styrene half‐threads, by radical‐carbene‐transfer reactions, in excellent 95 % yield. The method reported herein applies the active‐metal‐template strategy to include radical‐type activation of ligands by the metal‐template ion during the organometallic process which ultimately yields the mechanical bond. A careful quantitative analysis of the product distribution afforded from the rotaxane self‐assembly reaction shows that the Co^II/porphyrinate subunit is still active after formation of the mechanical bond and, upon coordination of an additional diazo half‐thread derivative, promotes a novel intercomponent C?H insertion reaction to yield a new rotaxane‐like species. This unexpected intercomponent C?H insertion illustrates the distinct reactivity brought to the Co^II/porphyrinate catalyst by the mechanical bond.     

Synthesis of cobalt ferrite core/metallic shell nanoparticles for the development of a specific PNA/DNA biosensor

Controlled synthesis of cobalt ferrite superparamagnetic nanoparticles covered with a gold shell has been achieved by an affinity and trap strategy. Magnetic nanoparticles are functionalized with a mixture of amino and thiol groups that facilitate the electrostatic attraction and further chemisorption of gold nanoparticles, respectively. Using these nanoparticles as seeds, a complete coating shell is achieved by gold salt-iterative reduction leading to monodisperse water-soluble gold-covered magnetic nanoparticles, with an average diameter ranging from 21 to 29 nm. These constitute a versatile platform for immobilization of biomolecules via thiol chemistry, which is exemplified by the immobilization of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) oligomers that specifically hybridize with complementary DNA molecules in solution. Hybridation with DNA probes has been measured using Rhodamine 6G fluorescence marker and the detection of a single nucleotide mutation has been achieved. These results suggest the PNA-nanoparticles application as a biosensor for DNA genotyping avoiding commonly time-consuming procedures employed.     

A versatile protocol for the preparation of substituted 1- and 2-naphthyl piperazines from aminonaphthols

Aminonaphthols are easily transformed into a variety of 1- and 2-naphthyl piperazines using a sequence of diazotization, iodide substitution and Pd(0) catalyzed coupling reactions.     

Development and validation studies for determination of phenylpropanoid‐substituted flavan‐3‐ols in semipurified extract of Trichilia catigua by high‐performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection

The phenolic compounds are the main phytochemical constituents of the bark of Trichilia catigua and are commonly used for medicinal purposes. An HPLC method for the simultaneous quantification of phenolic compounds (procyanidin B2 (PB2), epicatechin (EPC), chinchonains Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, catechin, and chrologenic acid) in T. catigua extract was developed and validated. A suitable chromatographic system was selected, which uses a gradient elution with methanol/ACN (75:25), and water both with 0.05% TFA, as mobile phase, column Luna, 280 nm, and flow 0.4 mL/min. Validation of the analytical method was based on the parameters: linearity, precision, LODs and LOQs, accuracy, robustness, and stability. The method showed linearity for PB2 and EPC, in the range 10–120 μg/mL with good correlation coefficients (>0.996). For precision, the repeatability ranged from 1.89 to 3.23%, and the values for accuracy for PB2 and EPC were 95 and 89%, respectively. The LODs and LOQs for PB2 were 1.36 and 4.12 μg/mL, and for EPC were 2.18 and 6.61 μg/mL, respectively. The method was robust under the conditions employed. The proposed method could be employed for quality assessment of T. catigua, as well as pharmaceutical products.     

Racemization in stepwise solid-phase peptide synthesis at elevated temperatures

The present work is an attempt to assess racemization in stepwise solid-phase peptide synthesis at elevated temperatures (SPPS-ET), a high-speed approach in which peptide elongation occurs at 55-75 °C. This attempt was based on the notion that a high propensity for this side reaction would hamper employment of this alternative approach and would dampen interest in its further development. Simple peptide models were synthesized using customized protocols for classical SPPS or SPPS-ET. Systematic analyses of the resulting crude peptides by reversed-phase HPLC, ion-exchange HPLC, capillary electrophoresis and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry revealed low diastereomeric byproduct contents. These results indicate that, from the standpoint of racemization, classical SPPS and SPPS-ET protocols were equivalent. Therefore, further studies employing SPPS-ET protocols are justified.     

Regiospecific synthesis of trichloromethyl substituted 4,5‐dihydro‐1h‐1‐tosylpyrazoles

The regiospecific synthesis of a new series of eight 3‐alkyl(aryl)‐5‐hydroxy‐5‐trichloromethyl‐4,5‐dihydro‐1H‐1‐tosylpyrazoles is reported. The 1‐p‐tosyl‐2‐pyrazolines were obtained from the cyclocondensation reaction of 4‐alkyl(aryl)‐4‐alkoxy‐1,1,1‐trichloroalk‐3‐en‐2‐ones, [where alkyl = H, Me and aryl = ‐C₆H₅, 4‐CH₃C₆H₄, 4‐OCH₃C₆H₄, 4‐FC₆H₄, 4‐ClC₆H₄, 4‐BrC₆H₄,] with p‐tosylhydrazine in 64 to 92 % yields, employing anhydrous toluene at reflux or diethyl ether at room temperature as the reaction condition.     

Defining the antigenic structure of human GM-CSF and its implications for receptor interaction and therapeutic treatments

Three epitopes of human Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (hGM-CSF) recognised by neutralising and non-neutralising monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were characterised using competitive binding assays, dissociation constant measurements with glycosylated and non-glycosylated rhGM-CSF, bioactivity inhibition studies, and synthetic peptide arrays. Based on the first approach, two different binding sites were identified: an area referred to as A, recognised by mAbs M1B8 and CC5B5, and an area referred to as B, recognised by mAbs CC1H7 and CC3C12. These binding sites on hGM-CSF were accurately delineated using cytokine-derived overlapping peptide scans and combinatorial hexapeptide libraries prepared by SPOT synthesis on cellulose membranes. We assigned the identical linear epitope A₁P₂A₃R₄ to both non-neutralising mAbs CC1H7 and CC3C12. The conformational epitopes A₁₈E₂₁R₂₃R₂₄F₁₁₉ and R₂₃E₂₁N₁₇W₁₃ recognised by mAb CC5B5, and P₁₁₈F₁₁₉EW₁₃E₁₄ recognised by mAb M1B8, were delineated by dual-positional scanning and subsequent iterative searches with two interrogating positions. Competitive binding assays with mAbs M1B8 and CC5B5 revealed the overlapping nature of the cytokine recognition. However, peptide library screening confirmed their binding to different epitopes of which the essential amino acids were found very closely located on the native protein surface. Inhibition of hGM-CSF biological activity by these mAbs demonstrated that these epitopes are located within or very near the receptor binding site of hGM-CSF. Finally, this work supports the importance of residues from helix A and residues from the C-terminal region of the cytokine, composing a common area that is indispensable for the cytokine's biological activity.     

Facile Synthesis and Structural Characterization by NMR,ESI–MS/MS and DFT Calculations of New (E)‐6‐[2‐Ferrocenylalkylidenehydrazino]nicotinic Hydrazides and Their (E)‐Ferrocenyl‐pyrazolyl‐pyridine Heterocyclic System

This paper reports a facile and convenient access by a conventional thermal procedure in ethanol as solvent to a new examples of (E)‐6‐[2‐ferrocenylalkylidenehydrazino]nicotinic hydrazides ( 3 ) (53–72%) from the quimioselective reactions of 6‐hydrazinonicotinc hydrazide ( 1 ) with acylferrocenes ( 2 ), where acyl = formyl and acetyl. Subsequently, cyclocondensation reactions of ferrocenylalkylidene hydrazones ( 3 ) with 4‐R¹‐4‐alkoxy‐1,1,1‐trifluoroalk‐3‐en‐2‐ones ( 4 ), where R¹ = Me, Ph, 2‐Furyl, to obtain new six heterocyclic derivatives as (E)‐pyrazolyl‐pyridinohydrazones ( 5 ) (58–63%), are also presented. The structures of these new heterocyclic compounds 5 containing an organometallic unit were characterized and studied by NMR, ESI–MS/MS techniques. DFT calculations were also employed to assign the E configuration for compounds 3 and 5 .