Low spin ferric hemoglobin complexes

A caloulation has been made of the energy eigenfunotions and eigenvalues of low spin ferric ion in complexes with a strong cubic crystal field including the effects of tetragonal and rhombic distortions and of spin-orbit coupling among the ground state components and with excited states. Using the resultant, spin-orbit coupled eigenfunotions as a basis set, the magnetic susceptibility, the components of magnetic field energy, and the lattice and valence contributions to an electric field gradient at the iron nucleus were all calculated as a function of rhombic, tetragonal, and spin-orbit coupling strength used as parameters: R, u and . All of the calculated results agree reasonable well with experiment for the values of parameters R=1000 cm^–1, u=2000 cm^–1 and the free ion value (=420 cm^–1. These values of parameters were selected for the excellent fit they gave of the calculated values of g _x, g_y and g _z compared with the experimental ones obtained from single crystal electron spin resonance of ferrihemoglobin azide. With them, a value of 2.29 Bohr magnetons was calculated for the effective magnetic moment compared to the experimental value of 2.35. The total field gradient calculated under the same conditions, predicts a nuclear quadrupole moment Q in the range of. 107 –127. Barns, which is smaller than the range predicted from the high spin ferric ion results. Reasons for this discrepancy are discussed.

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Zusammenfassung Ausgehend von einem starken kubischen Ligandenfeld und unter Berücksichtigung tetragonaler (R) und rhombischer (u) Verzerrung sowie der Spin-Bahn-Kopplung () werden Eigenfunktionen und Energien fur Low-Spin-Ferrihämoglobinkomplexe berechnet. Mit den Parametern R=1000 cm^–1, u=2000 cm^–1, =420 cm^–1 erhält man für Suszeptibilität, elektrischen Feldgradienten am Fe und g-Werte gute Übereinstimmung mit experimentellen Daten. Aus dem berechneten Feldgradienten folgt ein Quadrupolmoment des Fe⁵⁷ von 0.107–0.127 Barn, im Gegensatz zu den viel höheren Resultaten bei High-Spin-Fe(III)-Verbindungen; diese Diskrepanz wird diskutiert.

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Résumé Les fonctions propres et les énergies du complexe Ferrihémoglobine «low spin» sont calculées pour un fort champ de ligandes à symétrie cubique, en tenant compte des distortions tétragonale (R) et rhomboédrique (u), ainsi que du couplage spin-orbite (). Avec les parametres R=1000 cm^–1, u=2000 cm^–1, =420 cm^–1, on trouve pour la susceptibilité, le gradient du champ électrique à l'emplacement de Fe et le facteur g des valeurs en bon accord avec les données expérimentales. On déduit du gradient de champ calculé un moment quadrupolaire de Fe⁵⁷ de 0,107 à 0,127 Barn, en désaccord avec les résultats beaucoup plus élevés obtenus à partir des associations Fe (III) «high spin». Ce désaccord fait l'objet d'une discussion.

     

DNA interchain cross-links formed by acrolein and crotonaldehyde

Acrolein and higher alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes are bifunctional genotoxins. The deoxyguanosine adduct of acrolein, 3-(2-deoxy-beta-d-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-8-hydroxypyrimido[1,2-a]purin-10(3H)-one (8-hydroxy-1,N(2)-propanodeoxyguanosine, 2a), is a major DNA adduct formed by acrolein. The potential for oligodeoxynucleotide duplexes containing 2a to form interchain cross-links was evaluated by HPLC, CZE, MALDI-TOF, and melting phenomena. Interchain cross-links represent one of the most serious types of damage in DNA since they are absolute blocks to replication. In oligodeoxynucleotides containing the sequence 5'-dC-2a, cross-linking occurred in a slow, reversible manner to the extent of approximately 50%. Enzymatic digestion to form 3-(2-deoxy-beta-d-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-8-(N(2)-2'-deoxyguanosinyl)pyrimido[1,2-a]purin-10(3H)one (5a) and reduction with NaCNBH(3) followed by enzymatic digestion to give 1,3-bis(2'-deoxyguanosin-N(2)-yl)propane (6a) established that cross-linking had occurred with the exocyclic amino group of deoxyguanosine. It is concluded that the cross-link is a mixture of imine and carbinolamine structures. With oligodeoxynucleotide duplexes containing the sequence 5'-2a-dC, cross-links were not detected by the techniques enumerated above. In addition, (15)N-(1)H HSQC and HSQC-filtered NOESY spectra carried out with a duplex having (15)N-labeling of the target amino group established unambiguously that a carbinolamine cross-link was not formed. The potential for interchain cross-link formation by the analogous crotonaldehyde adduct (2b) was evaluated in a 5'-dC-2b sequence. Cross-link formation was strongly dependent on the configuration of the methyl group at C6 of 2b. The 6R diastereomer of 2b formed a cross-link to the extent of 38%, whereas the 6S diastereomer cross-linked only 5%.     

Competition between transferrin and the serum ligands citrate and phosphate for the binding of aluminum

A key issue regarding the speciation of Al(3+) in serum is how well the ligands citric acid and phosphate can compete with the iron transport protein serum transferrin for the aluminum. Previous studies have attempted to measure binding constants for each ligand separately, but experimental problems make it very difficult to obtain stability constants with the accuracy required to make a meaningful comparison between these ligands. In this study, effective binding constants for Al-citrate and Al-phosphate at pH 7.4 have been determined using difference UV spectroscopy to monitor the direct competition between these ligands and transferrin. The analysis of this competition equilibrium also includes the binding of citrate and phosphate as anions to apotransferrin. The effective binding constants are 10(11.59) for the 1:1 Al-citrate complexes and 10(14.90) for the 1:2 Al-citrate complexes. The effective binding constant for the 1:2 Al-phosphate complex is 10(12.02). No 1:1 Al-phosphate complex was detected. Speciation calculations based on these effective binding constants indicate that, at serum concentrations of citrate and phosphate, citrate will be the primary low-molecular-mass ligand for aluminum. Formal stability constants for the Al-citrate system have also been determined by potentiometric methods. This equilibrium system is quite complex, and information from both electrospray mass spectrometry and difference UV experiments has been used to select the best model for fitting the potentiometric data. The mass spectra contain peaks that have been assigned to complexes having aluminum:citrate stoichiometries of 1:1, 1:2, 2:2, 2:3, and 3:3. The difference UV results were used to determine the stability constant for Al(H(-1)cta)-, which was then used in the least-squares fitting of the potentiometric data to determine stability constants for Al(Hcta)+, Al(cta), Al(cta)2(3-), Al(H(-1)cta)(cta)(4-), Al2(H(-1)cta)2(2-), and Al3(H(-1)cta)3(OH)(4-).     

Ab initio rotation-vibration spectra of HCN and HNC

We have calculated an ab initio HCN/HNC linelist for all transitions up to J= 25 and 18000 cm(-1) above the zero point energy. This linelist contains more than 200 million lines each with frequencies and transition dipoles. The linelist has been calculated using our semi-global HCN/HNC VQZANO + PES and dipole moment surface, which were reported in van Mourik et al. (J. Chem. Phys. 115 (2001) 3706). With this linelist we synthesise absorption spectra of HCN and HNC at 298 K and we present the band centre and band transition dipoles for the bands which are major features in these spectra. Several of the HCN bands and many of the HNC bands have not been previously studied. Our line intensities reproduce via fully ab initio methods the unusual intensity structure of the HCN CN stretch fundamental (00(0)1) for the first time and also the forbidden (02(2)0) HCN bending overtone. We also compare the J = 1-->0 pure rotational transition dipole in the HCN/HNC ground and vibrationally excited states with experimental and existing ab initio results.     

QUENCHING OF CHLOROPHYLL FLUORESCENCE BY NITROBENZENE

Abstract—Nitrobenzene quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence in ethanol has been investigated. Steady state relative quantum yields have been measured and fluorescence decay rates were determined using both nanosecond photon counting and picosecond pulses from a mode-locked Nd³⁺ glass laser.
The fluorescence decay is described by
1( t )= I ₀ exp (- t/τ−At^1/2 )
the form predicted for decay governed by the kinetics of the continuum model of diffusion controlled reactions. From the parameters of the fluorescence decay, the encounter distance is 5–7 A° the mutual diffusion coefficient is 0.62 × 10^--⁵ cm2s^-1± 12%.
Some of the fluorescence quenching is also attributed to static quenching by a nitrobenzene-chlorophyll, ground-state complex. The equilibrium constant for formation of this ground-state complex was determined to be 4.1 M ^-1. The combined dynamic and static quenching model allows calculation of quantum yields of fluorescence in good agreement with the experimentally determined quantum yields.