Autoxidation of salvinorin A under basic conditions

[reaction: see text] Treatment of salvinorin A (1a) with KOH in MeOH gave the enedione 3, for which the dienone structure 7 was recently proposed. Also isolated, after methylation, were the secotriesters 4a-c. A mechanism for this unusual series of autoxidations is proposed. Surprisingly, 4a showed weak affinity at the kappa-opioid receptor. Divinatorins A-C (2a-c) showed no affinity at opioid receptors. Attempted reduction of 3 to a novel salvinorin diol (9d) was unsuccessful, but careful deacetylation of salvinorin C (9a) provided a viable route to this compound. A general method for identifying salvinorin 8-epimers by TLC is also presented.     

Crude fat, hexanes extraction, in feed, cereal grain, and forage (Randall/Soxtec/submersion method): collaborative study

A method for determining crude fat in animal feed, cereal grain, and forage (plant tissue) was collaboratively studied. Crude fat was extracted from the animal feed, cereal grain, or forage material with hexanes by the Randall method, also called the Soxtec method or the submersion method. The use of hexanes provides for an alternative to diethyl ether for fat extractions. The proposed submersion method considerably decreases the extraction time required to complete a batch of samples compared to Soxhlet. The increase in throughput is very desirable in the quest for faster turnaround times and the greater efficiency in the use of labor. In addition, this method provides for reclamation of the solvent as a step of the method. The submersion method for fat extraction was previously studied for meat and meat products and was accepted as AOAC Official Method 991.36. Fourteen blind samples were sent to 14 collaborators in the United States, Sweden, Canada, and Germany. The within-laboratory relative standard deviation (repeatability) ranged from 1.23 to 5.80% for crude fat. Among-laboratory (including within) relative standard deviation (reproducibility) ranged from 1.88 to 14.1%. The method is recommended for Official First Action.     

Exploring phase-transfer catalysis with molecular dynamics and 3D/4D quantitative structure-selectivity relationships

Quantitative Structure-Selectivity Relationships (QSSR) are developed for a library of 40 phase-transfer asymmetric catalysts, based around quaternary ammonium salts, using Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA) and closely related variants. Due to the flexibility of these catalysts, we use molecular dynamics (MD) with an implicit Generalized Born solvent model to explore their conformational space. Comparison with crystal data indicates that relevant conformations are obtained and that, furthermore, the correct biphenyl twist conformation is predicted, as illustrated by the superiority of the resulting model (leave-one-out q(2) = 0.78) compared to a random choice of low-energy conformations for each catalyst (average q(2) = 0.22). We extend this model by incorporating the MD trajectory directly into a 4D QSSR and by Boltzmann-weighting the contribution of selected minimized conformations, which we refer to as '3.5D' QSSR. The latter method improves on the predictive ability of the 3D QSSR (leave-one-out q(2) = 0.83), as confirmed by repeated training/test splits.     

Covalent display of oligosaccharide arrays in microtiter plates

A covalent array for the display of complex oligosaccharides in microtiter plates has been developed. This strategy is conducive to the display of carbohydrates to proteins of interest such as lectins and antibodies, including the broadly neutralizing antibody 2G12 against HIV envelope oligomannose and can be cleaved from the surface for further characterization by mass spectrometry. The system was used to probe the multivalent interaction of 2G12 with an optimal epitope (Kd 0.1 muM).     

Crystal Structure and Thermogravimetric Analysis of Hexaaquazinc Triflate

The crystal structure of hexaaquazinc triflate is reported. The zinc center is surrounded by an octahedral environment of aqua ligands. The triflate anions occupy the second coordination sphere forming O–HO hydrogen bonds with the aqua ligands. Thermogravimetric analysis is consistent with six water molecules binding to the cation.     

Synthesis of 4-substituted cis,cis-1,6-cyclodecadienes via cycloalkylation

Cycloalkylation of dimethyl malonate and tosylmethylisocyanide with $\text{cis}$,$\text{cis}$-1,9-dibromonona-2,7-diene has demonstrated the feasibility of direct cyclization as a route to functionalized $\text{cis}$,$\text{cis}$-1,6-cyclodecadienes.     

EPR study of substrate binding to the Mn(II) active site of the bacterial antibiotic resistance enzyme FosA: a better way to examine Mn(II)

FosA is a manganese metalloglutathione transferase that confers resistance to the broad-spectrum antibiotic fosfomycin, (1R,2S)-epoxypropylphosphonic acid. The reaction catalyzed by FosA involves the attack by glutathione on fosfomycin to yield the product 1-(S-glutathionyl)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid. The enzyme is a dimer of 16 kDa subunits, each of which harbors one mononuclear Mn(II) site. The coordination environment of the Mn(II) in the FosA x Mn(2+) complex is composed of a glutamate and two histidine ligands and three water molecules. Here we report EPR spectroscopic studies on FosA, in which EPR spectra were obtained at 35 GHz and 2 K using dispersion-detection rapid-passage techniques. This approach provides an absorption envelope line shape, in contrast to the conventional (slow-passage) derivative line shape, and is a more reliable way to collect spectra from Mn(II) centers with large zero-field splitting. We obtain excellent spectra of FosA bound with substrate, substrate analogue phosphate ion, and product, whereas these states cannot be studied by X-band, slow-passage methods. Simulation of the EPR spectra shows that binding of substrate or analogue causes a profound change in the electronic parameters of the Mn(II) ion. The axial zero-field splitting changes from [D] = 0.06 cm(-1) for substrate-free enzyme to 0.23 cm(-1) for fosfomycin-bound enzyme, 0.28 (1) cm(-1) for FosA with phosphate, and 0.27 (1) cm(-1) with product. Such a large zero-field splitting is uncommon for Mn(II). A simple ligand field analysis of this change indicates that binding of the phosphonate/phosphate group of substrate or analogue changes the electronic energy levels of the Mn(II) 3d orbitals by several thousand cm(-1), indicative of a significant change in the Mn(II) coordination sphere. Comparison with related enzymes (glyoxalase I and MnSOD) suggests that the change in the coordination environment on substrate binding may correspond to loss of the glutamate ligand.     

Size-exclusion chromatography in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol

Two molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been synthesised for the selective extraction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) from water samples. One polymer was synthesised via a non-covalent approach and the other via a semi-covalent approach. The selectivity of the polymers for 4-NP was evaluated when these polymers were applied in on-line solid-phase extraction (MISPE) coupled to reversed-phase HPLC. The MISPE conditions for both MIPs were optimised and a clean-up step was included to eliminate non-specific interactions. Differences between the two MIPs were observed with the non-covalent MIP being the more selective of the two, whereas the recoveries were slightly higher for the semi-covalent MIP. The performance of the imprinted polymers in the MISPE of real water samples was also evaluated.