A Resin‐Linker‐Vector Approach to Radiopharmaceuticals Containing 18F: Application in the Synthesis of O‐(2‐[18F]‐Fluoroethyl)‐L‐tyrosine

A Resin‐linker‐vector (RLV) strategy is described for the radiosynthesis of tracer molecules containing the radionuclide ¹⁸F, which releases the labelled vector into solution upon nucleophilic substitution of a polystyrene‐bound arylsulfonate linker with [¹⁸F]‐fluoride ion. Three model linker‐vector molecules 7 a – c containing different alkyl spacer groups were assembled in solution from (4‐chlorosulfonylphenyl)alkanoate esters, exploiting a lipase‐catalysed chemoselective carboxylic ester hydrolysis in the presence of the sulfonate ester as a key step. The linker‐vector systems were attached to aminomethyl polystyrene resin through amide bond formation to give RLVs 8 a – c with acetate, butyrate and hexanoate spacers, which were characterised by using magic‐angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. On fluoridolysis, the RLVs 8 a , b containing the longer spacers were shown to be more effective in the release of the fluorinated model vector (4‐fluorobutyl)phenylcarbamic acid tert‐butyl ester ( 9 ) in NMR kinetic studies and gave superior radiochemical yields (RCY≈60 %) of the ¹⁸F‐labelled vector. The approach was applied to the synthesis of the radiopharmaceutical O‐(2‐[¹⁸F]‐fluoroethyl)‐L ‐tyrosine ([¹⁸F]‐FET), delivering protected [¹⁸F]‐FET in >90 % RCY. Acid deprotection gave [¹⁸F]‐FET in an overall RCY of 41 % from the RLV.     

Bifurcated, modular syntheses of chiral annulet triazacyclononanes

Three chiral 2,6-disubstituted tri-N-methyl azamacrocycles have been prepared by modular methods. These macrocycles were accessed from three chiral 1,4,7-triazaheptanes intermediates that were prepared by two independent routes. The first of these routes involved the benzylamine opening of chiral tosyl aziridines followed by debenzylation but was problematic on solubility grounds. A second, more effective, route was developed which avoided debenzylation by using ammonia in the nucleophilic opening of chiral tosyl aziridines.     

Revised algorithms for the build-up procedure for predicting protein conformations by energy minimization

The build-up procedure for predicting low-energy conformations of polypeptides has been extended to cover the case of peptides in aqueous solutions. The revised procedure consists of five steps to be applied to each stage of the build-up. I. All low-energy minima of each of the two fragments to be joined are combined as starting points for energy minimization of the enlarged fragment, and those minima of the enlarged fragment within a certain upper bound of the lowest energy are retained. II. Whenever one of the combinations in Step I leads to an atomic overlap, the minimization is started again using a pseudoenergy function which remains finite everywhere and becomes equal to the standard energy function when no atoms overlap. III. The minima generated in Steps I and II are culled by ignoring side-chain conformations and retaining only those minima whose backbone conformations differ significantly. IV. The rotameric states of the side chains are optimized, by testing their energy of interaction with the rest of the molecule, and subjecting the whole molecule to a further round of energy minimization if the test indicates that this would reduce the energy. V. The energies of all minima are recomputed with inclusion of a term for solvation and with a smaller upper bound as the criterion for retention. The original build-up procedure consisted of Steps I and III only. Examples are presented showing the effectiveness of the new Steps II and IV in locating low-energy minima, and the problems that remain to be solved, chiefly concerning Step V, are discussed.     

Comparison of RAFT‐derived poly(vinylpyrrolidone) verses poly(oligoethyleneglycol methacrylate) for the stabilization of glycosylated gold nanoparticles

Carbohydrates dictate many biological processes including infection by pathogens. Glycosylated polymers and nanomaterials which have increased affinity due to the cluster glycoside effect, are therefore useful tools to probe function, but also as prophylactic therapies or diagnostic tools. Here, the effect of polymer structure on the coating of gold nanoparticles is studied in the context of grafting density, buffer stability, and in a lectin binding assay. RAFT polymerization is used to generate poly(oligoethyleneglycol methacrylates) and poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidones) with a thiol end‐group for subsequent immobilization onto the gold. It is observed that poly(oligoethylene glycol methacrylates), despite being widely used particle coatings, lead to low grafting densities which in turn resulted in lower stability in biological buffers. A depression of the cloud point upon nanoparticle immobilization is also seen, which might compromise performance. In comparison poly(vinylpyrrolidones) resulted in stable particles with higher grafting densities due to the compact size of each monomer unit. The higher grafting density also enabled an increase in the number of carbohydrates which can be installed per nanoparticle at the chain ends, and gave increased binding in a lectin recognition assay. These results will guide the development of new nanoparticle biosensors with enhanced specificity, affinity, and stability. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 55, 1200–1208     

Effects of Adsorbed Polyaniline on Redox Process on MoO3 Surface

The effects exhibited by adsorbed conducting polyaniline on the redox process on a molybdenum oxide surface were studied. Thermogravimetric results indicate a 4% polyaniline deposition. Cyclic voltammograms of the adsorbed polymer on MoO3 show that polyaniline exerts remarkable effects on the molybdenum blue oxidation-reduction process, with oxidation and reduction potentials of 0.33 and 0.18 V, respectively. This effect strongly enhances the electrode response, and can be used as an important tool in qualitative and/or quantitative determinations of molybdenum in solution as well as in any substrate. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.     

Synthesis,Structure, and Decomposition of (NH4)2[Mo6Cl14] · H2O

(NH₄)₂[Mo₆Cl₁₄] · H₂O ( 1 ) was prepared from reactions of MoCl₂ in ethanol with aqueous NH₄Cl solution. It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group I2/a (no. 15), Z = 4 with a = 912.3(1), b = 1491.2(2), c = 1724.8(2) pm, β = 92.25(1)°; R1 = 0.023 (based on F values) and wR2 = 0.059 (based on F² values), for all measured X‐ray reflections. The structure of the cluster anion can be given as [(Mo₆Cl)Cl]^2– (i = inner, a = outer ligands). Thermal stability studies show that 1 loses crystal water followed by the loss of NH₄Cl above 350 °C to yield MoCl₂. The water‐free compound (NH₄)₂[Mo₆Cl₁₄] ( 2 ) was synthesized by solid state reaction of MoCl₂ and NH₄Cl in a sealed quartz ampoule at 270 °C. No single‐crystals could be obtained. Decompositions of 1 and 2 under nitrogen and argon exhibited the loss of NH₄Cl at about 350 °C. Decomposition under NH₃ resulted in the formation of MoN and Mo₂N at 540 °C and 720 °C, respectively.     

A new cryptand: synthesis and complexation with paraquat

[formula: see text] Inspired by folded, nonpseudorotaxane complexes of bis(m-phenylene)-32-crown-10 systems, we synthesized a new bicyclic crown ether containing two 1,3,5-phenylene units linked by three tetra(ethyleneoxy) units. The new cryptand forms a "pseudorotaxane-like" inclusion complex with N,N'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium bis(hexafluorophosphate) with association constant Ka = 6.1 x 10(4) M-1, 100-fold greater than that of an analogous simple crown ether.     

Unique "cradled barbell" complex between a secondary diammonium ion and bis(m-phenylene)-32-crown-10

[formula: see text] The complexation between N,N'-dibenzyl(m-xylylene)diammonium bis(hexafluorophosphate) (2) and bis(m-phenylene)-32-crown-10 (5) was shown to occur in solution by nuclear magnetic resonance with 1:1 stoichiometry and a Ka value of 189 +/- 19 M-1. A crystal structure of 2:5 revealed a unique 1:1 "exo" or "cradled barbell" complex, instead of the expected pseudorotaxane. This unexpected result illustrates that caution be used in interpreting the results from these types of complexes in the solution and "gas" phases on the basis of crystal structures.     

Tri­carbonyl­[1,1′,1′′-ethyl­idyne­tris­(pyrazole-κN2)]­rhenium(I) bromide and tri­carbonyl­[methyl­idyne­tris­(pyrazole-κN2)]­rhenium(I) iodide ethanol hemisolvate

The two title compounds, [Re(C₁₀H₁₀N₆)(CO)₃]Br and [Re(C₁₁H₁₂N₆)(CO)₃]I·0.5C₂H₆O, have slightly distorted octahedral geometries about the rhenium centers. The distortions result from the constraints of the η³-coordinated tris­(pyrazol-1-yl)­methane ligands in each case which reduce the N—Re—N bond angles well below the preferred value of 90° for facially disposed ligands at a six-coordinate metal center.     

Letter to the Editor: Stockwell and Wavelet Transforms

Recent applied literature introduces the Stockwell transform (S-transform) as a new approach to time-frequency analysis. It is the purpose of this letter to encourage the interaction between the wavelet and the Stockwell communities by demonstrating that—up to minor modifications—the S-transform is a special case of the well-known continuous wavelet transform via a Morlet-type mother wavelet, with the features of a linear frequency scale, and an amplitude and modulation adjustment in phase space. The extensive research and applications obtained for the continuous wavelet transform can therefore be directly applied to the Stockwell domain.