Synthesis, characterization, cytotoxic activity and crystal structures of tri- and di-organotin(IV) complexes constructed from the β-{[(E)-1-(2-hydroxyaryl)alkylidene]amino}propionate and β-{[(2Z)-(3-hydroxy-1-methyl-2-butenylidene)]amino}propionate skeletons

Reactions of potassium β-{[(E)-1-(2-hydroxyaryl)alkylidene]amino}propionates (L¹HK-L³HK) and potassium β-{[(2Z)-(3-hydroxy-1-methyl-2- butenylidene)]amino}propionate (L⁴HK) with R₃SnCl (R = Ph and ⁿBu) and ⁿBu₂SnCl₂ yielded complexes of composition Ph₃SnL¹H (1), Ph₃SnL²H (2), Ph₃SnL⁴H (3), ⁿBu₃SnL¹H (4), and {[ⁿBu₂Sn(L²H)]₂O}₂ (5) and {[ⁿBu₂Sn(L³H)]₂O}₂ (6), respectively. These complexes have been characterized by ¹H, ¹³C, ¹¹⁹Sn NMR, ESI-MS, IR and ^119mSn Mössbauer spectroscopic techniques in combination with elemental analyses. The crystal structures of 1, 4, 5 and 6 were determined. In the solid state, compound 1 is a one-dimensional polymer built from SnPh₃ moieties bridged by single carboxylate ligands, but two alternating modes of bridging are present along the polymeric chain. Compound 4 is also a one-dimensional polymer built from SnBu₃ moieties bridged by the two carboxylate O-atoms of a single ligand, but only one mode of bridging is present. Di-n-butyltin compounds 5 and 6 are centrosymmetric tetranuclear bis(dicarboxylatotetrabutyldistannoxane) complexes containing a planar Sn₄O₂ core in which two μ₃-oxo O-atoms connect an Sn₂O₂ ring to two exocyclic Sn-atoms. The four carboxylate ligands display two different modes of coordination where both modes involve bridging of two Sn-atoms. The solution structures were predicted by ¹¹⁹Sn NMR spectroscopy. The in vitro cytotoxic activity of compound 5 against WIDR, M19 MEL, A498, IGROV, H226, MCF7 and EVSA-T human tumor cell lines is reported.     

Structural basis for the enantioselectivity of an epoxide ring opening reaction catalyzed by halo alcohol dehalogenase HheC

Halo alcohol dehalogenase HheC catalyzes the highly enantioselective dehalogenation of vicinal halo alcohols to epoxides, as well as the reverse reaction, the enantioselective and beta-regioselective nucleophilic ring opening of epoxides by pseudo-halides such as azide and cyanide. To investigate this latter reaction, we determined X-ray structures of complexes of HheC with the favored and unfavored enantiomers of para-nitrostyrene oxide. The aromatic parts of the two enantiomers bind in a very similar way, but the epoxide ring of the unfavored (S)-enantiomer binds in a nonproductive inverted manner, with the epoxide oxygen and Cbeta atom positions interchanged with respect to those of the favored (R)-enantiomer. The calculated difference in relative Gibbs binding energy is in agreement with the observed loss of a single hydrogen bond in the S bound state with respect to the R bound state. Our results indicate that it is the nonproductive binding of the unfavored (S)-enantiomer, rather than the difference in affinity for the two enantiomers, that allows HheC to catalyze the azide-mediated ring opening of para-nitrostyrene oxide with high enantioselectivity. This work represents a rare opportunity to explain the enantioselectivity of an enzymatic reaction by comparison of crystallographic data on the binding of both the favored and unfavored enantiomers.     

High-resolution laser excitation spectroscopy of the A2E-X2A1 transition of SrCH3

High-resolution laser excitation spectroscopy has been used to record the A (2)E-X (2)A(1) electronic transition of SrCH(3) in a laser ablation/molecular jet source. Transitions arising from the K(')=1<--K(")=0, K(')=0<--K(")=1, and K(')=2<--K(")=1 subbands have been observed and assigned. The data were modeled with (2)E and (2)A(1) symmetric top Hamiltonian matrices in a Hund's case (a) basis, using a least squares fitting program. Rotational and fine structure parameters for the A (2)E state were determined. A comparison of the spin-orbit energy separation in the A (2)E state to other strontium containing free radicals showed that the Jahn-Teller effect is negligible. The spin-rotation constants for the A (2)E state were calculated using the pure precession model and were found to be in good agreement with the experimentally determined parameters. These calculations suggest that the A (2)E state of SrCH(3) is not entirely of p orbital character. The rotational constants were used to estimate the structural parameters of SrCH(3) in the A (2)E state. The strontium-carbon bond length was found to decrease by approximately 0.006 A, and the hydrogen-carbon-hydrogen bond angle opened by approximately 0.8 degrees compared to the X (2)A(1) state, similar to the geometry changes observed for CaCH(3).     

Propagation of near-limit gaseous detonations in small diameter tubes

In this study, detonation limits in very small diameter tubes are investigated to further the understanding of the near-limit detonation phenomenon. Three small diameter circular tubes of 1.8, 6.3, and 9.5 mm inner diameters, of 3 m length, were used to permit the near-limit detonations to be observed over long distances of 300 to 1500 tube diameters. Mixtures with high argon dilution (stable) and without dilution (unstable) are used for the experiments. For stable mixtures highly diluted with argon for which instabilities are not important and where failure is due to losses only, the limit obtained experimentally appears well to be in good agreement in comparison to that computed by the quasi-steady ZND theory with flow divergence or curvature term modeling the boundary layer effects. For unstable detonations it is suggested that suppression of the instabilities of the cellular detonation due to boundary conditions is responsible for the failure of the detonation wave. Different near-limit propagation regimes are also observed, including the spinning and galloping mode. Based on the present experimental results, an attempt is made to study an operational criterion for the propagation limits of stable and unstable detonations.     

Locally symmetric riemannian spaces and solutions of Yang-Mills equations

We give an explicit construction for all classical solutions of Euclidean SU(2) Yang-Mills equations which can be obtained by reduction of conformally flat locally symmetric Riemannian spaces.Address after 1 April 1987: Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Karlsruhe, D-7500 Karlsruhe 1, West Germany.     

Local modal analysis of unsteady discrete systems with nodal equations of unequal form

Finite element discretisations of higher order, applied to unsteady equations, generate nodal equations of unequal form. The stability analysis of a time-discretisation scheme for this system, by the local modal approach, therefore cannot be used. In this paper it is shown how, at the expense of a limited increase in numerical work, local modal analysis can be applied to these systems.     

Biocatalytic enantioselective synthesis of N-substituted aspartic acids by aspartate ammonia lyase

The gene encoding aspartate ammonia lyase (aspB) from Bacillus sp. YM55-1 has been cloned and overexpressed, and the recombinant enzyme containing a C-terminal His(6) tag has been purified to homogeneity and subjected to kinetic characterization. Kinetic studies have shown that the His(6) tag does not affect AspB activity. The enzyme processes L-aspartic acid, but not D-aspartic acid, with a K(m) of approximately 15 mM and a k(cat) of approximately 40 s(-1). By using this recombinant enzyme in the reverse reaction, a set of four N-substituted aspartic acids were prepared by the Michael addition of hydroxylamine, hydrazine, methoxylamine, and methylamine to fumarate. Both hydroxylamine and hydrazine were found to be excellent substrates for AspB. The k(cat) values are comparable to those observed for the AspB-catalyzed addition of ammonia to fumarate ( approximately 90 s(-1)), whereas the K(m) values are only slightly higher. The products of the enzyme-catalyzed addition of hydrazine, methoxylamine, and methylamine to fumarate were isolated and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and HPLC analysis, which revealed that AspB catalyzes all the additions with excellent enantioselectivity (>97 % ee). Its broad nucleophile specificity and high catalytic activity make AspB an attractive enzyme for the enantioselective synthesis of N-substituted aspartic acids, which are interesting building blocks for peptide and pharmaceutical synthesis as well as for peptidomimetics.     

Pressure broadening of the J=5←4 transition of carbon monoxide from 17 to 200 K: A new collisional cooling experiment

A new spectroscopic experiment has been constructed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This experiment employs the collisional cooling technique to study gases at temperatures below their condensation points. Specifically, the experiment has been designed to mimic the temperatures of the interstellar medium for the study of water under these conditions. The ultimate purpose is to measure state-to-state excitation rates under equilibrium conditions to provide insights into the interpretation of interstellar water spectra obtained from space-borne platforms such as the Herschel Space Observatory. This paper presents an overview of the new experiment including a discussion of its design and a detailed explanation of the system. In addition, we report a pressure broadening study of the J=5←4 transition of CO at 576 GHz used as a system validation. The new results are compared with measurements from the literature as a validation of the new experiment. In addition, the non-classical behavior of the pressure broadening of CO at low temperature observed in the measurements will be discussed.     

Electron transfer within self-assembling cyclic tetramers using chlorophyll-based donor-acceptor building blocks

The synthesis and photoinduced charge transfer properties of a series of Chl-based donor-acceptor triad building blocks that self-assemble into cyclic tetramers are reported. Chlorophyll a was converted into zinc methyl 3-ethylpyrochlorophyllide a (Chl) and then further modified at its 20-position to covalently attach a pyromellitimide (PI) acceptor bearing a pyridine ligand and one or two naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) (NDI) secondary electron acceptors to give Chl-PI-NDI and Chl-PI-NDI(2). The pyridine ligand within each ambident triad enables intermolecular Chl metal-ligand coordination in dry toluene, which results in the formation of cyclic tetramers in solution, as determined using small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering at a synchrotron source. Femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy of the monomers in toluene-1% pyridine and the cyclic tetramers in toluene shows that the selective photoexcitation of Chl results in intramolecular electron transfer from (1*)Chl to PI to form Chl(+?)-PI(-?)-NDI and Chl(+?)-PI(-?)-NDI(2). This initial charge separation is followed by a rapid charge shift from PI(-?) to NDI and subsequent charge recombination of Chl(+?)-PI-NDI(-?) and Chl(+?)-PI-(NDI)NDI(-?) on a 5-30 ns time scale. Charge recombination in the Chl-PI-NDI(2) cyclic tetramer (τ(CR) = 30 ± 1 ns in toluene) is slower by a factor of 3 relative to the monomeric building blocks (τ(CR) = 10 ± 1 ns in toluene-1% pyridine). This indicates that the self-assembly of these building blocks into the cyclic tetramers alters their structures in a way that lengthens their charge separation lifetimes, which is an advantageous strategy for artificial photosynthetic systems.