On the formation of doubly charged ions in field ionization

The observation of doubly charged ions in field ionization with blade or wire emitters does not in itself indicate that high excitation energies (≥ 17 eV) are accessible through gas phase ionization with such emitters.     

A Volume-diameter inequality for n-cubes

Conclusion Several problems still remain open. It would be very interesting if a proof of Theorem (3.5) could be obtained without the requirement that the functiong be Lipschitzian; this condition being required in order to guarantee thatA be sufficiently smooth. An analogue of Theorem (3.5) using interior distance should also be possible. Moreover, Theorem (4.8) should extend to the continuous case. Analogues of these theorems using weighted distances probably would have meaningful applications in the study of extremal length. This work was partially supported by NSF grant GP-4071, and was submitted as a doctoral dissertation at Indiana University.     

Synthesis of optically pure (+)-puraquinonic acid and assignment of absolute configuration to natural (-)-puraquinonic acid. Use of radical cyclization for asymmetric generation of a quaternary center

An asymmetric aldol reaction between aldehyde 31 and imide 32, followed at a later stage by ring-closing metathesis (38 --> 40), are key reactions used to make optically pure allylic alcohol 40. Radical cyclization of the derived Stork bromo acetals gives lactol ethers 43, which were degraded to generate a quaternary center carrying a methoxycarboxyl group (44 --> 47). Compound 47 was converted into (+)-puraquinonic acid; and comparison with a natural sample established that the configuration of the natural compound is 2R (1).     

Synthesis of (+/-)-hamigeran B, (-)-hamigeran B, and (+/-)-1-epi-hamigeran B: use of bulky silyl groups to protect a benzylic carbon-oxygen bond from hydrogenolysis

Enone 42 was converted into diene 56, which was then subjected to hydrogenation. Use of the tert-butyldimethylsiloxy groups enforces facial selectivity and protects the C(5) oxygen from hydrogenolysis. The resulting product (55) is easily converted into hamigeran B (1), a marine natural product with powerful activity against herpes and polio viruses. Optically pure enone 73 was made by use of a Meyers' auxiliary and converted into (-)-hamigeran B with the natural absolute configuration.     

The biological buffer bicarbonate/CO2 potentiates H2O2-mediated inactivation of protein tyrosine phosphatases

Hydrogen peroxide is a cell signaling agent that inactivates protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) via oxidation of their catalytic cysteine residue. PTPs are inactivated rapidly during H(2)O(2)-mediated cellular signal transduction processes, but, paradoxically, hydrogen peroxide is a rather sluggish PTP inactivator in vitro. Here we present evidence that the biological buffer bicarbonate/CO(2) potentiates the ability of H(2)O(2) to inactivate PTPs. The results of biochemical experiments and high-resolution crystallographic analysis are consistent with a mechanism involving oxidation of the catalytic cysteine residue by peroxymonocarbonate generated via the reaction of H(2)O(2) with HCO(3)(-)/CO(2).     

Kinetic energy release in unimolecular decompositions of ions. hydrogen rearrangements

The partition of reverse activation energy in hydrogen rearrangements is considered in terms of atomic motions composing the transition state reaction coordinate. It is shown how this approach predicts that, in general, elimination of H₂ from any small ion (as defined in the paper) is likely to be characterized by partition of significant proportions of any reverse activation energy as translational energy of the products. Hydrogen rearrangements in large ions leading to fragments of comparable mass are much less likely to partition reverse activation energy into product translation.     

Interparticle interactions in glutathione mediated assembly of gold nanoparticles

The understanding of the detailed molecular interactions between (GSH) glutathione molecules in the assembly of metal nanoparticles is important for the exploitation of the biological reactivity. We report herein results of an investigation of the assembly of gold nanoparticles mediated by glutathione and the disassembly under controlled conditions. The interparticle interactions and reactivities were characterized by monitoring the evolution of the surface plasmon resonance band using the spectrophotometric method and the hydrodynamic sizes of the nanoparticle assemblies using the dynamic light scattering technique. The interparticle reactivity of glutathiones adsorbed on gold nanoparticles depends on the particle sizes and the ionic strength of the solution. Larger-sized particles were found to exhibit a higher degree of interparticle assembly than smaller-sized particles. The assembly-disassembly reversibility is shown to be highly dependent on pH and additives in the solution. The interactions of the negatively charged citrates surrounding the GSH monolayer on the particle surface were believed to produce more effective interparticle spatial and electrostatic isolation than the case of OH (-) groups surrounding the GSH monolayer. The results have provided new insights into the hydrogen-bonding character of the interparticle molecular interaction of glutathiones bound on gold nanoparticles. The fact that the interparticle hydrogen-bonding interactions in the assembly and disassembly processes can be finely tuned by pH and chemical means has implications to the exploitation of the glutathione-nanoparticle system in biological detection and biosensors.     

Elucidating Chemical and Morphological Changes in Tetrachloroauric Solutions Induced by X-ray Photochemical Reaction

Chemical and morphological changes induced by an X-ray photochemical reaction in tetrachloroauric solutions leading to Au(3+)-to-Au(0) reduction are monitored in real time by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray small angle scattering. Prior to metal precipitation, the intermediate state, also observed by other techniques, is unambiguously determined for the first time to be the reduction of Au(3+) to Au(1+), whose kinetics is strictly of the zeroth order. The morphological changes occur simultaneously in the solutions, that is, the gold complexes rearrange and aggregate, as unequivocally observed by the correlated changes in the Au L(3) emission and small angle scattering intensities. The experimental evidence indicates that the eventual metal precipitation is strongly influenced by the changing solution acidity under X-ray irradiation. Detailed local structure changes are also described.     

Synthesis of the potent anticancer agents ottelione A and ottelione B in both racemic and natural optically pure forms

The powerful antitumor agents ottelione A and B were synthesized in racemic form by a method that relies on selective ring closing metathesis. Optically pure natural (+)-ottelione A was then made from d-ribose, via an alpha-keto cyclopropane. A key feature of the route is that the cyclopropyl group controls the stereochemistry in the attachment of the ArCH2 unit and is then converted by the action of SmI2 into a vinyl group, so that the substituents on the resulting five-membered ring have the required trans relationship. Epimerization of an intermediate gave access by the same method to the trans ring fused isomer (-)-ottelione B.     

The naturally occurring ketene acetal benesudon: total synthesis and assignment of relative and absolute stereochemistry

The densely functionalized ketene acetal benesudon, which is a bioactive fungal metabolite, was synthesized from D-glucose by a route involving radical cyclization to form the five-membered ring, and oxidative decarboxylation to generate the key central double bond. The originally suggested stereochemistry for the quaternary center C(5) must be revised, as both C(5) epimers were prepared and a comparison with an authentic sample was made. The absolute configuration of benesudon is 4S,5R,6S.