Potentially biologically active new substituted anilides of benzo[2,3-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]thiophene series

New substituted anilides of the heterocyclic series 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 together with the earlier described compounds 1 and 3 (Jarak I et al. (2005) J Med Chem 48:2346), were synthesized from the corresponding heterocyclic carbonyl chlorides, methoxycarbonyl- and cyano-substituted anilines. Compounds 2 and 7 were prepared by methylation with methyl-iodide on the amide and the pyridine nitrogen. The Pinner reaction was used in the preparations of amidino-substituted compounds. It seems that all the prepared compounds could be biologically interesting, especially amidino-substituted anilides prepared in the form of water-soluble hydrochlorides or hydroiodides. Molecular and crystal structures of the three compounds, namely, 4′-methoxycarbonyl-N-phenyl-3-chlorobenzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxamide (1), N-(4′-amidinophenyl)-3-chlorobenzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxamide hydrochloride monohydrate (4) and 1-methyl-N-(4-amidinophenyl)-3-pyridine carboxamide iodide hydroiodide (7) have been determined by X-ray single-crystal diffractometry in the solid state. Compounds 1, 4 and 7 are not planar and the amide group (C=O in relation to NH group) is in trans position in all three compounds. The 3-chlorobenzo[b]thiophene moiety in 1 and 4 is oriented with the chloro substituent in cis position in relation to amide NH group. The conformational characteristics of the compounds result from the introduction of different substituents or solvent molecules (water molecule in 4), which leads to various intermolecular hydrogen bonds formation (N–H⋯O, N–H⋯Cl, O–H⋯Cl⁻, N–H⋯I⁻) in 1, 4 and 7. Hydrogen bond formation could be responsible for the potential biological activity of the compounds.     

Diverse coordination of two ligands in ferromagnetic [Cu(μ-HCO2)2(3-pyOH)]n and [Cu2(μ-HCO2)2(μ-3-pyOH)2(3-pyOH)2(HCO2)2]n

Two novel polynuclear complexes with methanoate anions and 3-hydroxypyridine ligands [Cu(μ-HCO₂)₂(3-pyOH)]_n (1) and [Cu₂(μ-HCO₂)₂(μ-3-pyOH)₂(3-pyOH)₂(HCO₂)₂]_n (2), respectively, were synthesized and characterized. The central copper atom in 1 is surrounded by four methanoates and a 3-pyOH molecule, forming a square-pyramidal CuO₃NO chromophore. All the methanoates are bidentate and serve as bridges between the adjacent copper ions via syn-anti and anti–anti coordination. The basal square coordination axes are formed by O(syn), N(3-pyOH) (1.974(2), 2.016(2) Å) and O(anti), O(anti) (1.945(2), 1.960(2) Å), while the third O(anti) (2.247(2) Å) is on the top of the pyramid. A ferromagnetic transition with an exchange constant 2J/k_B = 9.2 cm⁻¹ is found for 1 below 20 K. This interaction probably takes place through two syn-anti methanoates extended in a chain through the 2D structure. On the other hand, two monoatomic Cu–O–Cu intra-dinuclear asymmetric (1.986(2), 2.415(2) Å) bridges of two methanoates in [Cu₂(HCO₂)₄(3-pyOH)₄] (2) are present. An elongated distorted octahedral coordination sphere around each copper(II) atom is completed by an additional monodentate terminal methanoate (1.975(2) Å), two N-coordinated 3-pyOH (2.005(2), 2.002(2) Å) and the third weakly O-coordinated 3-pyOH (2.732(2) Å). Although a shorter Cu?Cu distance is noticed in 2 than in 1 (4.690(1) Å 1, 3.442(1) Å 2), much weaker ferromagnetism is found in 2.     

Oxidative polymerization of anilinium 5-sulfosalicylate with peroxydisulfate in water

Anilinium 5-sulfosalicylate was prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, and FTIR and NMR spectroscopies. It was polymerized in an aqueous solution using ammonium peroxydisulfate as an oxidant. The precipitated polyaniline 5-sulfosalicylate exhibited high thermal stability and conductivity of 0.13 S cm⁻¹. Its mass-average molar mass and polydispersity index were determined by gel-permeation chromatography as 22,900 g mol⁻¹ and 2.7, respectively. Elemental analysis and FTIR spectroscopy study of polyaniline 5-sulfosalicylate revealed the doping level and the oxidation state between emeraldine and protoemeraldine salt while corresponding studies of the polyaniline base indicate a small extent of the covalent bonding of 5-sulfosalicylate anions to polyaniline chains.     

Conformational analysis of oleandomycin and its 8-methylene-9-oxime derivative by NMR and molecular modelling

Conformations of the 14-membered macrolide antibiotic oleandomycin and its 8-methylene-9-oxime derivative were determined in various solvents. The experimental NMR data--coupling constants and NOE contacts--were compared with the results of molecular modelling--molecular mechanics calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. The conformational changes, on the right-hand side of the 14-membered ring, affected mostly the 3JH2,H3 values and NOE crosspeaks H3 or H4 to H11. Oleandomycin was found to be present predominantly in the C3-C5 folded-in conformations in DMSO-d6 solution, whereas in buffered D2O, acetone-d6 and CDCl3, there was a mixture of folded-in and folded-out conformational families. The predominant conformation of the 8-methylene-oleandomycin-9-oxime derivative in solution was a folded-out one although different amounts of folded-in conformation were also present depending on the solvent. Oleandrose and desosamine sugar moieties adopted the usual and expected chair conformation. The conformation around the glycosidic bonds, governing the relative orientation of sugars vs. the lactone ring, showed a certain flexibility within two conformationally close families. We believe that by combining the experimental NMR data and the molecular modelling techniques, as reported in this paper, we have made significant progress in understanding the conformational behaviour and properties of macrolides. Our belief is based on our own current studies on oleandomycins as well as on the previously reported results and best practices concerning other macrolides. A rational for macrolide conformational studies and advances in methodology has been suggested accordingly.     

trans‐Bis(dimethyl sulfoxide‐κO)bis(3‐oxo‐3,4‐dihydroquinoxaline‐2‐carboxylato‐κ2N1,O2)copper(II)

The title compound, [Cu(C₉H₅N₂O₃)₂(C₂H₆OS)₂], consists of octahedrally coordinated Cu^II ions, with the 3‐oxo‐3,4‐dihydroquinoxaline‐2‐carboxylate ligands acting in a bidentate manner [Cu—O = 1.9116 (14) Å and Cu—N = 2.1191 (16) Å] and a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) molecule coordinated axially via the O atom [Cu—O = 2.336 (5) and 2.418 (7) Å for the major and minor disorder components, respectively]. The whole DMSO molecule exhibits positional disorder [0.62 (1):0.38 (1)]. The octahedron around the Cu^II atom, which lies on an inversion centre, is elongated in the axial direction, exhibiting a Jahn–Teller effect. The ligand exhibits tautomerization by H‐atom transfer from the hydroxyl group at position 3 to the N atom at position 4 of the quinoxaline ring of the ligand. The complex molecules are linked through an intermolecular N—H...O hydrogen bond [N...O = 2.838 (2) Å] formed between the quinoxaline NH group and a carboxylate O atom, and by a weak intermolecular C—H...O hydrogen bond [3.392 (11) Å] formed between a carboxylate O atom and a methyl C atom of the DMSO ligand. There is a weak intramolecular C—H...O hydrogen bond [3.065 (3) Å] formed between a benzene CH group and a carboxylate O atom.     

Resistive gas sensors based on the composites of nanostructured carbonized polyaniline and Nafion

Due to constant necessity to have reliable and sensitive gas sensors in many contemporary technologies, there is a permanent need for development of new sensing platforms with good sensing properties. Here, we demonstrate a novel type of resistive gas sensors based on carbonized polyaniline/Nafion composites. The sensing mechanism of such sensors is based on the sorption of gases by the composites which induce Nafion swelling and decreasing of conductivity. Chemosensitive properties can be tuned by the (i) choice of carbon materials with different conductivities, (ii) Nafion content in the composite, and (iii) thickness of the composite layer. We have shown that the sensors respond to water, acetone, ethanol, and methanol vapors. For the last two cases, we have achieved high sensitivity, fast response, wide concentration range, and good recovery. The use of simultaneous two- and four-point techniques for these sensors provides an internal control of the sensor integrity.     

Silicon nanowire photodetector enhanced by a bow-tie antenna

Properties of surface plasmon polaritons can be exploited for the miniaturisation of photonic circuits below the optical wavelength scale. Smaller and more sensitive photodetectors can be made by using sub-wavelength semiconductor elements such as germanium or silicon nanowires in combination with nanometer-scale antennas. The proposed nanowire photodetector enables on-chip optical sensing applications with increased sensitivity and reduced size.     

Direct measurement of the lifetime of optical phonons in single-walled carbon nanotubes

Time-resolved anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy has been applied to probe the dynamics of optical phonons created in single-walled carbon nanotubes by femtosecond laser excitation. From measurement of the decay of the anti-Stokes Raman signal in semiconducting nanotubes of (6,5) chiral index, a room-temperature lifetime for G-mode phonons of 1.1+/-0.2 ps has been determined. This lifetime, which reflects the anharmonic coupling of the G-mode phonons to lower-frequency phonons, is important in assessing the role of nonequilibrium phonon populations in high-field transport phenomena.     

Optical pumping of the Zeeman components in the rubidium vapor

We investigated the optical pumping of the Zeeman components of rubidium atoms, in the presence of the external magnetic field ranging from the geomagnetic up to 130 Gauss. Using the saturated absorption spectroscopy with linearly polarized pump and probe laser beams, the rubidium Doppler-free spectra at different magnetic field strengths were measured. The dips (negative intensity signals) in the saturated absorption spectra of the ⁸⁷Rb hyperfine transition lines were observed. They come as a result of the alignment process induced by the incoherent population transfer due to the hyperfine optical pumping. By inspection of the dips for different magnetic field strengths we were able to conclude about the dynamics of the alignment process in the external magnetic field. Present work is a part of the investigations concerning the influence of the magnetic field on the velocity selective optical pumping of the rubidium atoms induced by femtosecond frequency comb [D. Aumiler, T. Ban, H. Skenderovi?, G. Pichler, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95 (2005) 233001; T. Ban, D. Aumiler, H. Skenderovi?, G. Pichler, Phys. Rev. A 73 (2006) 043407].