PHYTOCHROME EVOLUTION: A PHYLOGENETIC TREE WITH THE FIRST COMPLETE SEQUENCE OF PHYTOCHROME FROM A CRYPTOGAMIC PLANT: (Selaginella martensii SPRING)

We have sequenced cDNA and genomic clones coding for phytochrome of the fern Selaginella. On the amino acid level, this phytochrome shares sequence homologies with phytochromes of higher plants which range between 62 (phytochrome B of Arabidopsis) and 55 (56)% [phytochrome C of Arabidopsis (Avena)]. Introns in the Selaginella gene are short and occupy positions known from phytochrome sequences of higher plants. A rooted phylogenetic tree based on mutation distances puts Selaginella phytochrome closest to the hypothetical ancestor. A similar tree arises if the tree is constructed with partial sequences (about 200 amino acids) around the chromophore attachment site. An extension of this tree by sequences of other cryptogamic plants (Mougeotia, Ceratodon, Psilotum) shows all these sequences including those of the phytochromes B and C of Arabidopsis on a branch, well separated from the branch formed by phytochromes known to accumulate in etiolated plants. The rooted phytochrome phylogenetic tree, however, is difficult to reconcile with the fossil record.     

Efficient search for all low energy conformations of polypeptides by Monte Carlo methods

The Metropolis Monte Carlo method has been added to the program FANTOM for energy refinement of polypeptides and proteins using a Newton–Raphson minimizer in torsion angle space. With this extension, different strategies for global minimization of the semiempirical energy function ECEPP/2 by various temperature schedules and restriction of conformational space were tested for locating local minimum conformations with low energy of the pentapeptide Met-enkephalin. In total, 1881 conformations below ?10 kcal/mol were found. These conformations could be represented by 77 nonidentical conformations which were analysed for their pattern of hydrogen bonds, types of tight turn, pairwise root-mean-square-deviation (rmsd), Zimmermann codes and side chain conformations. All low energy conformations below ?10.4 kcal/mol show strong similarity to the global minimum conformation in the backbone structure.     

Phosphides with Zr2Fe12P7-type structure

Twenty-six ternary phosphides Ln₂T₁₂P₇ (Ln = lanthanoid, T = Fe, Co, Ni) were prepared for the first time by reaction of the elemental components in liquid tin or by reaction of the components in evacuated silica tubes. The analysis of their powder patterns indicates their isotypism with Zr₂Fe₁₂P₇. Their lattice constants are reported. Gd₂Ni₁₂As₇ also crystallizes with that structure.     

Phasentransferkatalysatoren auf Basis von Saccharose-Ethylenoxid-Addukten

Sucrose ethyleneoxide adducts have been prepared by reaction of sucrose with various amounts of ethyleneoxide inDMSO. The resulting polypode molecules were found to be efficient phase transfer catalysts in nucleophilic substitutions, oxidation and dichlorcarbene generation. Polymerisable polypodes have been obtained by reaction of sucrose ethyleneoxide adducts with methacrylic anhydride or methacryloylchloride in pyridine. Free radical polymerisation of the resulting mixtures of mono- and polyfunctional methacrylic esters of sucrose ethyleneoxide adducts yielded crosslinked gels. These polymer-supported octopus-molecules were found to be efficient triphase catalysts.

     

Gatekeeping patterns in the publication of analytical chemistry research

An analysis has been made of the nationalities of the members of advisory and editorial boards of analytical chemistry journals. Correlations were sought between their number and citation rates and between their number and the number of analytical papers published by scientists from the country in question. A comparison is given for the gatekeepers of organic and inorganic chemistry journals.     

Stoffwechselprodukte von Mikroorganismen. 177. Mitteilung. Avilamycin C

From cultures of the Avilamycin (Avilamycin A) producing organism, Streptomyces viridochromogenes, strain ETH 23575, a second antibiotic, Avilamycin C, C₆₁H₉₀Cl₂O₃₂ could be isolated in crystalline form. Both Avilamycins belong to the group of the Orthosomycins. By IR., ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR. spectroscopy and by transformation to a common derivative it could be proven that Avilamycin A is a methyl ketone, Avilamycin C the corresponding methyl carbinol.     

A fully automated mass spectrometer for the analysis of organic solids

Automation of a mass spectrometer—computer system makes it possible to process up to 30 samples without attention after sample loading. An automatic sample changer introduces the samples successively into the ion source by means of a direct inlet probe. A process control unit determines the operation sequence. Computer programs are available for the hardware support, system supervision and evaluation of the spectrometer signals. The most essential precondition for automation — automatic evaporation of the sample material by electronic control of the total ion current — is confirmed to be satisfactory. The system operates routinely overnight in an industrial laboratory, so that day work can be devoted to difficult analytical problems. The cost of routine analyses is halved.     

Zur Reaktion des Germaniums mit Germaniumtetrachlorid und zur Existenz der Oxidchloride GeOCl2 und GeOCl6 im Gleichgewicht

On the Reaction of Germanium with Germanium Tetrachloride and on the Existence of the Oxidechlorides GeOCl₂ and GeOCl₆ at the Equilibrium The above equilibrium was measured in a Gauge-manometer and the enthalpy of formation and the entropy for GeCl₂,g were derived from these results. From total pressure measurements and transport experiments of GeO₂ with GeCl₄ follows, that the oxidechlorides Ge₂OCl₆ and GeOCl₂ are not present in measurable concentrations, that means the enthalpy of formation of GeOCl₂ must be higher than ?327 kJ · mol^?1.     

Crown-containing butadienyl dyes 8. Structures and complexation of chromogenic dithia-15(18)-crown-5(6) ethers

The structures of new butadienyl dyes of the benzothiazole series containing the dithia-15-crown-5 (2a) or dithia-18-crown-6 (2b) fragments were established by X-ray diffraction. Complexation of dyes 2a,b with Hg²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Ag⁺, Zn²⁺, and alkaline-earth cations in aqueous-acetonitrile solutions was studied by spectrophotometry. At a high percentage of water in solutions (P _w ≈ 50%), these dyes have a very low ability to bind Pb²⁺ cations (logK < 2) and virtually do not bind Cd²⁺, Zn²⁺, and alkaline-earth cations. At the same time, these dyes form stable 1: 1 complexes with Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ cations at all P _w. The stability constants of complexes with the Ag⁺ cation increase with increasing P _w because the free energy of hydration of this cation is much lower than the free energy of solvation in acetonitrile. In the P _w range from 0 to 75%, the stability constants of the complexes of dyes 2a,b with the Hg²⁺ cation are larger than those of the corresponding complexes with the Ag⁺ cation by more than four orders of magnitude. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 90–96, January, 2006.     

THE REACTIVITY OF CITRONELLOL and α-THUJENE WITH SINGLET OXYGEN. RATE CONSTANTS OF CHEMICAL REACTION and PHYSICAL QUENCHING*

The quantum yields of Rose Bengal sensitized photooxidation of citronellol and α-thujene have been determined as a function of added acceptor and compared with those of furfuryl alcohol as a standard. The results permitted the calculation of the corresponding rate constants of chemical reaction (k_T) and physical quenching (K_q) of singlet oxygen. The sum (k_T+ k_q) has been verified independently by a Stern-Volmer analysis of the singlet oxygen luminescence quenching. α-Thujene reacts faster with singlet oxygen than citronellol, physical quenching being negligible in both cases.