Reductive electron transfer in phenothiazine-modified DNA is dependent on the base sequence

A new DNA assay has been designed, prepared and applied for the chemical investigation of reductive electron transfer through the DNA. It consists of 5-(10-methyl-phenothiazin-3-yl)-2'-deoxyuridine (Ptz-dU, 1) as the photoexcitable electron injector and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (Br-dU) as the electron trap. The Ptz-dU-modified oligonucleotides were synthesised by means of a Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling protocol and subsequent automated phosphoramidite chemistry. Br-dU represents a kinetic electron trap, since it undergoes a chemical modification after its one-electron reduction that can be analysed by piperidine-induced strand cleavage. The quantification of the strand cleavage yields from irradiation experiments reveals important information about the electron-transfer efficiency. The performed DNA studies focused on the base sequence dependence of the electron-transfer efficiency with respect to the proposal that C*- and T*- act as intermediate electron carriers during electron hopping. From our observations it became evident that excess-electron transfer is highly sequence dependent and occurs more efficiently over T-A base pairs than over C-G base pairs.     

Sizable concentration-dependent frequency shifts in solution NMR using sensitive probes

With the growing use of high fields and ultrasensitive probes, radiation damping emerges as a significant feedback interaction in modern solution NMR. Motivated by recent observations of mysterious concentration-dependent frequency shifts, experiments carried out on a cryoprobe at 600 MHz have revealed a time-averaged frequency shift of up to +83/-81 Hz. The sizable frequency shifts arise from deviations in the phase of the radiation damping field from perfect orthogonality relative to the net transverse magnetization. The frequency shift is shown to depend on the longitudinal magnetization and probe tuning conditions through experiments and numerical simulations. Such unexpected shifts in the solvent precession frequency provide a physical explanation for the empirical practice of adjusting the irradiation frequency of the saturating B1 field in solvent presaturation to achieve optimal suppression. Additional applications of the radiation damping induced frequency shift to solvent suppression and NMR methodology are discussed.     

Spectroscopy and reactivity of a photogenerated tryptophan radical in a structurally defined protein environment

Near-UV irradiation of structurally characterized [Re(I)(CO)3(1,10-phenanthroline)(Q107H)](W48F/Y72F/H83Q/Y108W)AzM(II) [Az = Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin, M = Cu, Zn]/[Co(NH3)5Cl]Cl2 produces a tryptophan radical (W108*) with unprecedented kinetic stability. After rapid formation (k = 2.8 x 106 s-1), the radical persists for more than 5 h at room temperature in the folded ReAzM(II) structure. The absorption spectrum of ReAz(W108*)M(II) exhibits maxima at 512 and 536 nm. Oxidation of K4[Mo(CN)8] by ReAz(W108*)Zn(II) places the W108*/W108 reduction potential in the protein above 0.8 V vs NHE.     

Synthesis of highly functionalized furanones via aldol reaction of 3-silyloxyfurans

[reaction: see text] The stereoselective aldol reaction of 3-silyloxyfurans with aldehydes in the presence of a Lewis acid is described. N-Bromosuccinimide (NBS)-mediated cyclization of the aldol product leads to the formation of the 2,7-dioxa-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-3-one ring system, which represents the formal product of hetero Diels-Alder reaction of the furan with the aldehyde.     

Methyl methacrylate polymerization at samarium(II)-grafted MCM-41

Sm(II)-modified periodic mesoporous silica (PMS), Sm[N(SiHMe₂)₂]₂(THF)_x@MCM-41, was used for the synthesis of Sm(II) alkyl, alkoxide, and indenyl surface species via secondary ligand exchange. The performance of the novel Sm(II)-based organometallic–inorganic hybrid materials as initiators for the graft polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) is reported. All of the Sm(II) hybrid materials including the new PMMA–PMS composites were characterized via N₂ physisorption, elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The organic–inorganic composites revealed complete pore blockage as well as enrichment and strong adhesion of the polymer at the exterior of the porous silica material.     

Planar and tubular perovskite-type membrane reactors for the partial oxidation of methane to syngas

Dense planar and tubular oxygen separation membranes of La_0.6Ca_0.4Fe_0.75Co_0.25O_3– were investigated as reactors for the partial oxidation (POX) of methane to syngas. Their permeation properties were measured in an air/argon pO₂ gradient as a function of temperature. At 900 °C, the oxygen flux through a 1.26-mm-thick membrane was 0.075 mol/cm²·s and through a 0.25-mm-thick tube, 0.24 mol/cm²·s.For the POX measurements, a catalyst was added to the membrane and methane was introduced on the argon side. This resulted in a gradual increase of the oxygen flux with increasing concentration of methane, reaching 2 mol/cm²·s at 900 °C with pure methane. For the planar reactor, the CO selectivity reached 99% and the CH₄ conversion 75% at 918 °C with pure methane. For the tubular reactor, the CO selectivity and CH₄ conversion were 83 and 99%, respectively, under the same conditions. After 1,400 h of operation in a tubular POX reactor, the membrane was examined revealing phase demixing and local decomposition.Presented at the OSSEP Workshop Ionic and Mixed Conductors: Methods and Processes, Aveiro, Portugal, 10–12 April 2003     

Einfache Apparatur und Auswertungsverfahren zur nichtisothermen Bestimmung chemischer Reaktionskinetik

Zusammenfassung Es werden eine einfache Apparatur für nichtisotherme kinetische Messungen und Auswertungsverfahren mit Hilfe eines elektronischen Digitalrechners beschrieben. Die Meßmethode wurde an Diels-Alder-Reaktionen mit Nitrosoverbindungen erprobt; sie eignet sich gut zur raschen Ermittlung von Reaktionskonstanten nach Hammett.

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Summary A simple apparatus is described for non-isothermal kinetic measurements, together with methods for interpreting the data using a digital computer. The method is tested for Diels-Alder reactions with nitroso compounds; it is useful for rapidty determining values of Hammett's reaction constants.

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Herrn H. Ebert sei für die Hilfe beim Aufbau der Apparatur vielmals gedankt, der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft für die großzügige Unterstützung durch Sachund Geldmittel, dem Leibniz-Rechenzentrum der Bayrischen Akademie der Wissenschaften für die Rechenerlaubnis am Digitalrechner TR 4.     

The quenching of CdSe quantum dots photoluminescence by gold nanoparticles in solution

The photoluminescence (PL) of CdSe quantum dots (QD) in aqueous media has been studied in the presence of gold nanoparticles (NP) with different shapes. The steady state PL intensity of CdSe QD (1.5-2 nm in size) is quenched in the presence of gold NP. Picosecond bleach recovery and nanosecond time-resolved luminescence measurements show a faster bleach recovery and decrease in the lifetime of the emitting states of CdSe QD in the presence of quenchers. Surfactant-capped gold nanorods (NR) with aspect ratio of 3 and surfactant-capped and citrate-capped nanospheres (NS) of 12 nm diameter were used as quenchers in order to study the effect of shape and surface charge on the quenching rates. The Stern-Volmer kinetics model is used to examine the observed quenching behavior as a function of the quencher concentration. It was found that the quenching rate of NR is more than 1000 times stronger than that of NS with the same capping material. We also found that the quenching rate decreases as the length of the NR decreases, although the overlap between the CdSe emission and the NR absorption increases. This suggests that the quenching is a result of electron transfer rather than long-range (Forster-type) energy transfer processes. The quenching was attributed to the transfer of electron with energies below the Fermi level of gold to the trap holes of CdSe QD. The observed large difference between NR and NS quenching efficiencies was attributed to the presence of the [110] facets only in the NR, which have higher surface energy.     

Platinum(II) 1,10-phenanthroline complexes of acetylides containing redox-active groups

The new diimine ligand 3,8-di-n-pentyl-4,7-di(phenylethynyl)-1,10-phenanthroline (1) was used for the synthesis of a range of Pt(II) complexes, viz.[Pt(1)Cl2], [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-Ph)2], [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-Fc)2] and [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-p-C6H4-C triple bond C-Fc)2](Fc = ferrocenyl). Crystal structure analyses were performed for [Pt(1)Cl2] and [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-Ph)2] and revealed that the di(acetylide)pi-tweezer of the latter binds a molecule of chloroform through C-H...pi hydrogen bonds. The redox and optical properties of 1 and its complexes were investigated by (spectro-)electrochemistry, UV-Vis and luminescence spectroscopy, and an energy level diagram was derived for [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-Fc)2] and related compounds on the basis of the data collected. The ferrocenyl-substituted Pt(II) complexes are donor-sensitiser assemblies. Intramolecular quenching of the photoexcited Pt(II) diimine unit leads to very short luminescence lifetimes for [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-p-C(6)H(4)-C triple bond C-Fc)2](2 ns) and [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-Fc)2](0.3 ns), as opposed to [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-Ph)2](0.7 micros). Excimer formation has been observed for [Pt(1)(C triple bond C-Ph)(2)] at room temperature in dichloromethane and at low temperatures in frozen glassy dichloromethane and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran solution, but not in the solid state.     

The number oft-wise balanced designs

We prove that the number oft-wise balanced designs of ordern is asymptotically , provided that blocks of sizet are permitted. In the process, we prove that the number oft-profiles (multisets of block sizes) is bounded below by and above by for constants c₂>c₁>0.