Formation of a sandwich-structure assisted, relatively long-lived sulfur-centered three-electron bonded radical anion in the reduction of a bis(1-substituted-uracilyl) disulfide in aqueous solution

The one-electron reduction of bis[1-(2',3',5'-tri-O-acetylribosyl)uracil-4-yl] disulfide, initiated by hydrated electrons in a radiation chemical study, has been shown to yield 1-(2',3',5'-tri-O-acetylribosyl)-4-thiouracil as a stable molecular product. The reduction reaction leads, in the first instance, to a transient, albeit remarkably stable disulfide radical anion. This is characterized by a 2-center-3-electron bond with two bonding sigma-electrons and an antibonding sigma*-electron in the sulfur-sulfur bridge, (-S therefore S-)(-). It receives its stability from a sandwich-structure with the two uracilyl moieties facing each other (possibly further assisted by the 2',3',5'-tri-O-acetylribosyl substituents). A considerable lengthening of the original disulfide bridge from 2.02 to 2.73 A in the radical anion seems to facilitate the interaction of the heterocycles and leads to a gain in stabilization energy of 24 and 33 kcal/mol (100 and 140 kJ/mol) as evaluated by UMP2/cc-pVTZ and UMP2/cc-pVDZ calculations, respectively. The (-S therefore S-)(-) bonded radical anion shows a broad optical absorption band with lambdamax=450 nm, epsilonmax=6000 M(-1) cm(-1), and a half-width of 1.0 eV. It exists in equilibrium with the conjugated 1-(2',3',5'-tri- O-acetylribosyl)uracil-4-yl thiyl radical -S(*), and the corresponding thiolate, -S(-). The rate determining step for the disappearance of the disulfide radical anion appears to be protonation of both the radical anion and the free thiolate by reaction with H(+)aq. Absolute rate constants have been measured for these protonation processes, for the formation of the stable thiouridine product, and for the electron transfer from the disulfide radical anion to molecular oxygen. With the (-S therefore S-)(-) <--> -S(*) + -S(-) equilibrium lying very much on the left-hand side, the reduced disulfide system exhibits predominantly reducing properties whereas any oxidizing property of the conjugated thiyl radical has only little if any chance to materialize. Besides attaching directly to the disulfide bridge, the hydrated electrons react also, with about equal efficiency, with the uracil moiety of the investigated compound. This leads to a structurally totally different and electronically distinguishable species than that with the reduced disulfide bridge. In particular, there is no face-to-face interaction between the two heterocyclic moieties and no increased electron density in the S-S bond. The C-centered radicals resulting from the reduction of the uracil and possibly also generated from the ribosyl moieties initiate further cleavage of the S-S bond and thus contribute to the formation of thiouridine. The overall yield of the latter, as determined from steady-state gamma-radiolysis, indicates a small chain process (G=1.54 micromol/J). Possible mechanisms are discussed.     

Electrochemical response of oligonucleotides on carbon paste electrode

Electrochemical response of synthetic oligonucleotides with different DNA bases sequences was investigated to find relationships between a chain composition and a signal. All DNA mononucleotides present electroactivity at a carbon paste electrode yielding anodic peaks at potentials: 1.00 (GMP), 1.28 (AMP), 1.47 (TMP) and 1.53 V (CMP). Also 15-mer homooligonucleotides show respective anodic peaks. Electrochemical response of 15- and 19-mer oligonucleotides consisting of all four DNA bases in different amounts was determined by the composition of oligonucleotide chain. When the contribution of different bases in oligonucleotide was balanced two anodic peaks were obtained that can be attributed to guanine and adenine moieties. Thymine residue is shown as a separate peak in voltammogram when its content in oligonucleotide chain is close to 50% of the total number of bases. Cytosine also yields a peak at its significant contribution in oligonucleotide chain and both pyrimidinic moieties produce catalytic waves easier when one of them is dominating or when only one pyrimidine derivative is present in a chain. Guanine is the easiest oxidized base and it produces a peak even at its minimal contribution (one guanine residue in 19-mer oligonucleotide). Guanine peak potential is dependent on oligonucleotide concentration and oligonucleotide composition. The lowest oligonucleotide concentration detected by guanine peak was 12.5 nM whereas detected by thymine peak was 90 nM.     

Towards β-selectivity in functional estrogen receptor antagonists

Based on the benzo[b]naphtho[1,2-d]furan and benzo[b]naphtho[1,2-d]thiophene frameworks, a series of ligands with different basic side chains (BSCs) has been synthesized and pharmacologically evaluated. Also, their binding modes have been modelled using docking techniques. It was found that the introduction of a BSC in these systems brings about a decrease of affinity for both estrogen receptors α and β in an in vitro competitive binding assay. However, two full antagonists of the estrogen receptor β ( and ) have been discovered, with potency in the low micromolar concentration in a cell-based luciferase reporter assay, and completely devoid of activity against the α receptor at the same concentration range. Differences in the ERα/ERβ binding modes have also been rationalized with the help of molecular modelling techniques. This interesting functional profile could be used to elucidate the physiological role of each ER subtype.     

Wide-band SAW dispersive filter with a flat amplitude response

It is shown, that a dispersive delay line of a flat amplitude-frequency characteristic in the passband can be synthesized by using the method proposed in reference 1. Such a delay line can be applied in a chirp pulse compression system that exhibits lower side-lobe sensitivity to the Doppler frequency shift of the radar signal.     

Determination of selenium in infant foods using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry with direct slurry sample introduction

Slurry sampling electrothermal atomic absorption (SS ETAAS) was applied to the development of a sensitive and precise method for selenium determination in infant foods without sample pretreatment. Suspensions prepared in a medium containing 0.1% Triton X-100, 0.5 or 5% v/v concentrated HNO₃ were directly introduced into the furnace. The accuracy of the procedure was confirmed by analysis of a standard reference material and comparison with hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometric (HGAAS) procedure. The characteristic mass is 44 pg and detection limit 0.43 μg·l⁻¹.     

DNA sensor for o-dianisidine

o-Dianisidine (3,3'-dimethoxybenzidine) is applied in the production of some dyes and also used in analytical tests. However, this compound is anticipated to be a human carcinogen. An analytical strategy utilizing square wave voltammetry for the determination of o-dianisidine is presented. An electrochemical system was consisted of three electrodes: carbon paste working electrode, platinum wire counter electrode and silver-silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) reference electrode. However, square wave voltammograms of direct measurements of o-dianisidine were found to be hardly reproducible, exhibiting few peaks due to some labile short-lived intermediates with the only exception of a quite stable peak at +0.7 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Quantitative determination of o-dianisidine gave satisfactory results only when the carbon paste working electrode was replaced by deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) electrode obtained by immobilization of double-stranded (ds) DNA on carbon electrode. Square wave voltammogram of DNA showed two peaks attributed to adenine and guanine and the latter was used as analytical signal. After interaction with o-dianisidine, guanine oxidation peak was reduced to the extent related to the concentration of the analyte. Initial reduction of guanine peak took place already at the concentration of o-dianisidine equal to 0.4 microM; high concentrations (above 100 microM) of the analyte quenched completely a guanine response. The presented electrochemical system enables a specific detection of o-dianisidine by the presence of an oxidation peak at +0.7 V and its quantitative determination by measuring a reduction of guanine peak by means of a DNA sensor.     

Isotopic fingerprints of the Lake Żabińskie (NE Poland) hydrological system on contemporary carbonates precipitated in the lake

An isotopic monitoring was undertaken in 2012–2014 at Lake ?abińskie (Mazurian Lakeland, NE Poland). The aim was to identify the factors and processes controlling an isotopic composition of the lake water and to explore the mechanism responsible for recording the climatic signal in stable isotope composition of deposited carbonates. δ¹⁸O and δ²H in the precipitation, lake water column, inflows and outflow, δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C in the carbonate fraction of sediments trapped in the water column were recorded with monthly resolution. A relationship between δ¹⁸O and δ²H in local precipitation was used to estimate the local meteoric water line. The dataset obtained for the water enabled to identify the modification of the water’s isotopic composition due to evaporation, connected with seasonal lake water stratification and mixing patterns. Statistically significant correlation coefficients suggest that the δ¹⁸O of the carbonate fraction in the sediment traps depends on the δ¹⁸O of rainfall water and on air temperature. The fractionation coefficient α shows that in summer months the carbonate precipitation process is closest to equilibrium. As expected for an exorheic lake, no significant correlation was observed between δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C in precipitated carbonate.