Prediction of retention indexes. III. Silylated derivatives of polar compounds.

Polar compounds containing hydroxyl, amino and carboxyl groups, singly or in combination, can be chromatographed after the polar functional groups are silylated. The silylated derivatives of acids, alcohols, amines, diols, amino alcohols, amino acids are shown to behave chromatographically as hydrocarbons, and their retention indexes can be readily predicted from their base values. The column difference, namely, the difference between the retention indexes of the analyte on polar and non-polar columns is minimal for the silylated derivatives in comparison to that observed for the underivatized analytes. This minimal column difference is attributed to the hydrocarbon-like chromatographic characteristics of the silylated derivatives. The retention indexes of the silyl derivatives appear to correlate with the atom number Z of the analyte.     

P, p, T Surfaces of real gases and the Riemann-Hugoniot catastrophe

Analysing experimentally determined P, ?, T data of N₂, ethylene, propene, CO₂ and Xe by a new mathematical technique, we present evidence that their isothermal pressure-density dependence exhibits behaviour characteristic of a Riemann-Hugoniot catastrophe, in analogy to a van der Waals gas for above and sub critical isotherms.     

Application of NMR SHAPES screening to an RNA target

Several NMR screening techniques have been developed in recent years to aid in the identification of lead drug compounds. These NMR methods have traditionally been used for protein targets, and here we examine their applicability for an RNA target. We used the SHAPES compound library to test three different NMR screening methodologies: the saturation transfer difference (STD), the 2D trNOESY, and the WaterLOGSY experiments. We found that the WaterLOGSY experiment was the most sensitive method for our RNA target, the P4P6 domain of the Tetrahymena thermophila Group I intron. Using the WaterLOGSY experiment, we found that 23 of the 112 SHAPES compounds interact with P4P6. To identify which of these 23 hits bind through nonspecific interactions, we counterscreened with a linear duplex RNA control and identified one of the SHAPES compounds as interacting with P4P6 specifically. We thus demonstrated that the WaterLOGSY experiment in combination with the SHAPES compound library can be used to efficiently find RNA binding lead compounds.     

Adsorption of bovine serum albumin on nanosized magnetic particles

A new model was proposed to predict the adsorption equilibrium of mixtures composed of supercritical gases. The adsorbed phase was visualized as a two-dimensional nonideal compressed gas. Pore size distribution was used to describe the energetic heterogeneity of the surface, and the two-dimensional virial equation was used as the local adsorption isotherm. The new model obtained is thermodynamically rigorous because it reduces to Henry's law as pressure approaches zero. The prediction performance of the new model was verified and compared with other models using the experimental data of a ternary mixture of CH4/N2/H2 and two binary mixtures of CH4/C2H4 and CH4/N2. Better performance was shown for all systems tested.     

A Novel, Simple and Efficient Synthesis of Ferrocenyl Enones and Alkynols

Propargylic alcohols are versatile precursors to many organic molecules including natural products and pharmaceutical compounds.[1] In our continuing interest in the development of practical methods for synthesis of ferrocene derivatives, we decided to investigate the efficiencies of ferrocenylacetylene addition to aromatic aldehydes under t-BuOKcatalyzed condition.[2] Interestingly, we found that the usually reliable coupling reaction between terminal alkyne of type 1 and aromatic aldehydes of type 2 does not furnish the expected propargylic alcohols, but that the isomeric aryl enones 3are found in high yield and very short reaction time (10～20 min). This provided a promising protocol for preparation of ferrocenyl chalcones in a practical, economical and mild sense compared with the traditional method. To the best of our knowledge, this unusual reaction was first observed for the addition of ferrocenylacetylene to aldehyde in a base-catalyzed manner (Eq. 1).     

Supercritical Propanol-Water Synthesis and Comprehensive Size Characterisation of Highly Crystalline anatase TiO2 Nanoparticles

Highly crystalline anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles have been synthesised in less than 1 min in a supercritical propanol-water mixture using a continuous flow reactor. The synthesis parameter space (T, P, concentration) has been explored and the average particle size can be accurately controlled within 10-18 nm with narrow size distributions (2-3 nm). At subcritical conditions amorphous products are obtained, whereas a broad range of T and P in the supercritical regime gives 11-14 nm particles. At high temperature and pressure, the particles size increase to 18 nm. The nanoparticles have been extensively characterised with powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) with excellent agreement on size and size distribution parameters. The SAXS analysis suggests disk-shaped particles with diameters that are approximately double the height. For comparison, a series of conventional autoclave sol-gel syntheses have been carried out. These also produce phase-pure anatase nanoparticles, but with much broader size distributions and at much longer synthesis times (hours). The study demonstrates that synthesis in supercritical fluids is a very promising method for manipulating the size and size distribution of nanoparticles, thus removing one of the key limitations in many applications of nanomaterials.     

High-throughput cytochrome p450 inhibition assays by ultrafast gradient liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry using monolithic columns

A generic method employing ultrafast liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed and employed for routine screening of drug candidates for inhibition of five major human cytochrome p450 (CYP) isozymes, CYP3A4, CYP2D6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP1A2. The method utilized a monolithic silica rod column to allow fast flow rates to significantly reduce chromatographic run time. The major metabolites of six CYP-specific probe substrates for the five p450 isoforms were monitored and quantified to determine IC(50) values of five drug compounds against each p450 isozyme. Human liver microsomal incubation samples at each test compound concentration were combined and analyzed simultaneously by the LC/MS/MS method. Each pooled sample containing six substrates and an internal standard was separated and detected in only 24 seconds. The combination of ultrafast chromatography and sample pooling techniques has significantly increased sample throughput and shortened assay turnaround time, allowing a large number of compounds to be screened rapidly for potential p450 inhibitory activity, to aid in compound selection and optimization in drug discovery.