IR laser-induced dehydrohalogenation of halogenated ethanes

Pulsed IR radiation from a CO₂ TEA laser has been shown to cause dehydrohalogenation of CF₃CH₃, CF₂ClCH₃ and C₂H₅Cl under collisionless conditions. IR emission has been observed and is attributed to HF² and CF₂CH₂² from CF₃CH₃, and to HF² and HCl² from CF₂ClCH₃.     

Indigo chemiluminescence

Indigotin in basic solutions of polar aprotic solvents reacts with atmospheric oxygen yielding isatin. The reaction is accompanied by emission of light with a quantum yield equal to 2.6×10^?4 Einstein/mol. The spectral distribution of the indigotin chemiluminescence is that of the isatin fluorescence. Addition of equimolar amounts of isatin to the reaction mixture raises the chemiluminescence quantum yield to 5.3×10^?4 Einstein/mol. A mechanism involving the intermediate formation of indigotin dioxetan is proposed.     

RAMPED-UP NMR: multiplexed NMR-based screening for drug discovery

The crucial step in drug discovery is the identification of a lead compound from a vast chemical library by any number of screening techniques. NMR-based screening has the advantage of directly detecting binding of a compound to the target. The spectra resulting from these screens can also be very complex and difficult to analyze, making this an inefficient process. We present here a method, RAMPED-UP NMR, (Rapid Analysis and Multiplexing of Experimentally Discriminated Uniquely Labeled Proteins using NMR) which generates simple spectra which are easy to interpret and allows several proteins to be screened simultaneously. In this method, the proteins to be screened are uniquely labeled with one amino acid type. There are several benefits derived from this unique labeling strategy: the spectra are greatly simplified, resonances that are most likely to be affected by binding are the only ones observed, and peaks that yield little or no information upon binding are eliminated, allowing the analysis of multiple proteins easily and simultaneously. We demonstrate the ability of three different proteins to be analyzed simultaneously for binding to two different ligands. This method will have significant impact in the use of NMR spectroscopy for both the lead generation and lead optimization phases of drug discovery by its ability to increase screening throughput and the ability to examine selectivity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time in any format that multiple proteins can be screened in one tube.     

An algorithm for semi-empirical design of nucleation rate surface

During the last half of century, Classical Nucleation Theory (CNT) has been developed and there have been advances in the molecular theory of nucleation. Most of these efforts have been directed towards small molecule system modeling using intermolecular potentials. Summarizing the nucleation theory, it can be concluded that the current theory is far from complete. Agreement is generally not obtained between experimental and theoretical results. In practical applications, parametric theories can be used for the systems of interest. However, experimental measurements are still the best source of information on nucleation. Experiments are labor intensive and costly, and thus, it is useful to extend the value of limited experimental measurements to a broader range of nucleation conditions. The available nucleation parameters represent only small regions of possible nucleation conditions over the range from the critical temperature to absolute zero. Thus, it is useful to develop better tools to use the data to estimate semi-empirical nucleation rate surfaces. Following our published approach, the nucleation rate surface for any system can be constructed over its phase diagram. This concept involves using the phase equilibrium diagram to establish lines of zero nucleation rates. Nucleation rate surfaces arise from equilibrium lines and their extensions that are representing unstable equilibria. Only limited experimental data is available for use in normalizing the slopes of the linearized nucleation rate surfaces. The nucleation rate surface is described in terms of steady-state nucleation rates. To design the surfaces of nucleation rates, several assumptions are presented. In the present study, an algorithm for the semi-empirical design of nucleation rate surfaces is introduced. The topology of the nucleation rate surface for a unary system using the example of water vapor nucleation is created semi-empirically. The nucleation of two concurrent (stable and unstable) phase states of critical embryos is considered in the context of multi-surface nucleation rates. Only one phase transition (melting) in the condensed state of water is considered for simplicity. The nucleation rate surface is constructed numerically using the available experimental results for vapor nucleation and phase diagram for water. The nucleation rate for water vapor is developed for the full temperature interval, i.e. from critical point to absolute zero. The results help to suggest a new direction for experimental nucleation research.     

Photochemical and thermal transformations of 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]Heptadiene and 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene systems

2,3-Dicarbomethoxy-7,7-dimethyl-7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene (III) on photolysis gave dimethyl tetraphenylphthalate whereas the photolysis of 7,7-dimethyl-7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hep-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride (XIa) resulted in the formation of 1,1-dimethyl-2,3,4,5-tetraphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene (XIIIa). The thermolysis of XIa also gave rise to XIIIa. Similarly, the photolysis as well as thermolysis of 1,4,5,6,7,7-hexaphenyl-7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride (XIb) led to hexaphenylsilacyclopentadiene (XIIIb). Attempts to detect radical intermediates in these thermal and photochemical transformations by carrying out the reaction in the presence of hydroquinone, hydrazobenzene, 3,6-diphenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine, cumene and tolan were unsuccessful. An attempted preparation of 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta2,5-dienes by the reaction of silacyclopentadienes such as 1-methyl-1-vinyl2,3,4,5-tetraphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene (XV) and 1-methyl-1,2,3,4,5-pentaphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene (XVI) with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate resulted in the isolation of dimethyl tetraphenylphthalate indicating that the corresponding 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-dienes are thermally unstable.     

On-resin native chemical ligation for cyclic peptide synthesis

A novel cysteine derivative, N(alpha)-trityl-S-(9H-xanthen-9-yl)-l-cysteine [Trt-Cys(Xan)-OH] has been introduced for peptide synthesis, specifically for application to a new strategy for the preparation of cyclic peptides. The following steps were carried out to synthesize the cyclic model peptide cyclo(Cys-Thr-Abu-Gly-Gly-Ala-Arg-Pro-Asp-Phe): (i). side-chain anchoring of Fmoc-Asp-OAl via its free beta-carboxyl as a p-alkoxybenzyl ester to a solid support; (ii). stepwise chain elongation of the peptide by standard Fmoc/tBu solid-phase chemistry; (iii). removal of the N-terminal Fmoc group; (iv). coupling of Trt-Cys(Xan)-OH; (v). selective Pd(0)-promoted cleavage of the C-terminal allyl ester; (vi). coupling of the C-terminal residue, i.e., H-Phe-SBzl, preactivated as a thioester; (vii). selective removal of the N(alpha)-Trt and S-Xan protecting groups under very mild acid conditions; (viii). on-resin cyclization by native chemical ligation in an aqueous milieu; and (ix). final acidolytic cleavage of the cyclic peptide from the resin. The strategy was evaluated for three supports: poly[N,N-dimethacrylamide-co-poly(ethylene glycol)] (PEGA), cross-linked ethoxylate acrylate resin (CLEAR), and poly(ethylene glycol)-polystyrene (PEG-PS) graft resin supports. For PEGA and CLEAR, the desired cyclic product was obtained in 76-86% overall yield with initial purities of approximately 70%, whereas for PEG-PS (which does not swell nearly as well in water), results were inferior. Solid-phase native chemical ligation/cyclization methodology appears to have advantages of convenience and specificity, which make it promising for further generalization.     

Reductive activation of nitrate reductases

Protein film voltammetry of Paracoccus pantotrophus respiratory nitrate reductase (NarGH) and Synechococcus elongatus assimilatory nitrate reductase (NarB) shows that reductive activation of these enzymes may be required before steady state catalysis is observed. For NarGH complementary spectroscopic studies suggest a structural context for the activation. Catalytic protein film voltammetry at a range of temperatures has allowed quantitation of the activation energies for nitrate reduction. For NarGH with an operating potential of ca. 0.05 V the activation energy of ca. 35 kJ mol-1 is over twice that measured for NarB whose operating potential is ca. -0.35 V.     

Single nanocrystal arrays on patterned poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer microstructures using selective wetting and drying

Single nanocrystal arrays were fabricated on sub-microwells of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) copolymer using selective wetting on the hydrophilic regions of the exposed substrate surface and subsequent drying. Templates were produced by molding a thin film of a PEG-based random copolymer on hydrophilic substrates such as glass or silicon dioxide. The polymeric microstructures provide a topographical barrier around the well, which makes it possible to create nanocrystal arrays with controlled geometrical features. The size of the nanocrystal was found to decrease with decreasing well size and also decrease with decreasing topological height. A simple empirical equation was derived to predict the size of the crystal as a function of the pattern size and height, which is in good agreement with the experimental data.