COSMO-RS: A novel view to physiological solvation and partition questions

Both, dielectric continuum solvation models as well as surface or group based methods using polarity and lipophilicity parameters have been proven to be useful tools for the analysis of solvation and partition questions. For the first time, COSMO-RS provides an integrated theory, which combines the aspects of continuum solvation and surface interactions, and which ends up with chemical potentials of molecules in almost arbitrary solvents and mixtures. Due to its sound theoretical basis, COSMO-RS does not only provide a new quantitative access to solvation and partition properties in well defined solvents, but it also opens a novel view and gives a better understanding of the general problem of solvation. Finally, this allows for a generalisation of COSMO-RS to sophisticatedphysiological partition problems involving as complex phases as blood, brain, or cell membranes. The use of COSMO-RS for drug discovery and design is demonstrated by applications to blood-brain partition coefficients, and water solubility.     

Dehydroalanine-based inhibition of a peptide epimerase from spider venom

Ribosomally produced peptides that contain D-amino acids have been isolated from a number of vertebrate and invertebrate sources. In each case, the D-amino acids are introduced by a posttranslational modification of a parent peptide containing only amino acids of the L-configuration. The only known enzyme to catalyze such a reaction is the peptide epimerase (also known as peptide isomerase) from the venom of the funnel web spider, Agelenopsis aperta. This enzyme interconverts two 48-amino-acid-long peptide toxins that differ only by the stereochemistry at a single serine residue. In this paper we report the synthesis and testing of two pentapeptide analogues that contain modified amino acids at the site normally occupied by the substrate serine residue. When the L-chloroalanine-containing peptide 3 was incubated with the epimerase it was converted into the dehydroalanine-containing peptide 4 via an elimination of HCl. The dehydroalanine peptide 4 was independently synthesized and found to act as a potent inhibitor of the epimerase (IC50 = 0.5 microM). These results support a direct deprotonation/reprotonation mechanism in which a carbanionic intermediate is formed. The observed inhibition by 4 can be attributed to the sp(2)-hybridization of the alpha-carbon in the dehydroalanine unit that mimics the planar geometry of the anionic intermediate.     

Acid digestion of geological and environmental samples using open-vessel focused microwave digestion

The application of open vessel focused microwave acid digestion is described for the preparation of geological and environmental samples for analysis using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The method is compared to conventional closed-vessel high pressure methods which are limited in the use of HF to break down silicates. Open-vessel acid digestion more conveniently enables the use of HF to remove Si from geological and plant samples as volatile SiF4, as well as evaporation-to-dryness and sequential acid addition during the procedure. Rock reference materials (G-2 granite, MRG-1 gabbros, SY-2 syenite, JA-1 andesite, and JB-2 and SRM-688 basalts) and plant reference materials (BCR and IAEA lichens, peach leaves, apple leaves, Durham wheat flour, and pine needles) were digested with results comparable to conventional hotplate digestion. The microwave digestion method gave poor results for granitic samples containing refractory minerals, however fusion was the preferred method of preparation for these samples. Sample preparation time was reduced from several days, using conventional hotplate digestion method, to one hour per sample using our microwave method.     

Darstellung und Kristallstruktur von Na2Mn3O7

Synthesis and Crystal-Structure of Na₂Mn₃O₇ Single crystals of Na₂Mn₃O₇ have been grown hydrothermally applying high oxygen pressure (p = 2 kbar). The new compound cystallizes triclinic; space group P1 ; a = 6.636(6) Å, b = 6.854(6) Å, c = 7.548(6) Å, α = 105.76(6)°, β = 106.86(6)°, γ = 111.60(6)°; Z = 2. The crystal structure has been solved and refined to R = 7.9% and R_w = 6.2% (diffractometer data, 1044 independent reflexions). The crystal structure consists of Mn₃O₇^2? anions with manganese coordinated octahedrally by oxygen. These layered anions are hold together by Na⁺ ions (coordination numbers 5 and 6).     

Analytical applications of infra-red spectroscopy : The behaviour of the oxinates of niobium,tantalum and associated elements

The behaviour of the oxinates of niobium, tantalum and associated metals in the infra-red region was studied and a method developed for the determination of niobium and tantalum. Vanadium caused no interference, but other heavy metals, such as molybdenum, manganese and cobalt, which interfered were removed by preliminary treatment when the method was applied to the determination of niobium and tantalum in steels.     

The direct determination of Brueckner orbitals with application to the H2 molecule

An iterative procedure is presented which allows for the direct determination of approximate Brueckner orbitals for small atomic and molecular systems. Starting from the Hartree-Fock determinant one first determines pair natural orbitals (PNOs) of independent electron pairs in the HF-field of the remaining electrons. The use of the generalized Brillouin-theorem then leads to an approximate Brueckner orbital for each electron pair. This procedure must be repeated up to self-consistency which is reached generally after 4–5 macroiterations. Applications to the ground state of H₂ show how important the use of Brueckner orbitals is to get good expectation values of one-electron operators and the correct asymptotic behaviour of the potential energy curve for large internuclear distances.

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Zusammenfassung Es wird eine Iterationsmethode beschrieben, die eine direkte Bestimmung genäherter Bruecknerorbitale für kleine atomare und molekulare Systeme gestattet. Ausgehend von der Hartree-Fock-Determinante bestimmt man zunächst Paar-NOs (PNOs) der unabhängigen Elektronenpaare im HF-Feld der übrigen Elektronen des Systems. Mit Hilfe des verallgemeinerten Brillouin-Theorems erhält man dann ein genähertes Bruecknerorbital für jedes Elektronenpaar. Dies Verfahren muß bis zur Selbstkonsistenz wiederholt werden, die man im allgemeinen nach 4–5 solcher Makroiterationen erreicht. Anwendung auf den Grundzustand des H₂-Moleküls zeigt, wie wichtig die Benutzung von Bruecknerorbitalen ist, wenn man gute Erwartungswerte von Einelektronenoperatoren und das richtige asymptotische Verhalten der Potentialkurve bei großen Abständen erhalten will.

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Résumé On propose un schéma itératif qui permet le calcul direct des orbitales de Brueckner approchées pour les atomes et les petites molécules. Partant du déterminant Hartree-Fock on calcule d'abord les PNO (pair natural orbitals) des paires indépendantes d'électrons dans le champ effectif des autres électrons dans l'approximation Hartree-Fock. Ensuite le théorème de Brillouin généralisé permet de calculer les orbitales de Brueckner approchées pour chaque paire d'electrons. On recommence le calcul des PNO, la self-consistance de cette méthode itérative s'établit en général au bout de 4 ou 5 macroitérations. Les applications à la molécule H₂ démontrent que l'utilisation d'orbitales de Brueckner s'impose si l'on s'intéresse à des bonnes valeurs moyennes d'opérateurs monoélectroniques ou au comportement asymptotique correct des courbes de potentiel aux grandes distances.

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Dedicated to the memory of Prof. K. H. Hansen.     

CZE separations of basic proteins at low pH in fused silica capillaries with surfaces modified by silane derivatization and/or adsorption of polar polymers

Mixtures of several basic proteins have been used to test CZE capillaries with surfaces modified by new pretreatment procedures; the performance obtained has been compared with that achieved using capillaries treated by procedures described in the literature. It has been shown that addition of non-ionic polyvinylalcohols (PVA) to CZE buffer solutions deactivates even bare, i.e. untreated, fused silica surfaces and renders them suitable for separations of basic proteins. The performance obtained from such surfaces was comparable with that of capillaries modified by the more elaborate procedures of etching, silanol derivatization, and/or adsorptive coating (again with polymers). A home-made device is described which enables derivatization and coating reactions to be performed on fused silica capillaries under an inert atmosphere, i.e. one free from oxygen and water.     

The utilization of chemical shift and spin-lattice (T1) relaxation time data for the discrimination of isomeric indenoisoxazoles

Treatment of 2-pivaloyl-1,3-indandione with hydroxylamine leads to the formation of a pair of isomeric indenoisoxazoles, the product formed dependent upon the cyclization conditions. Under acidic conditions, 8-t-butylindeno[1,2-c]isoxazol-7-one ( 5 ) is formed while under neutral or basic conditions, an oxime, 2 , is generated which may then be cyclized under acidic conditions to give 3-t-butylindeno[1,2-c]isoxazol-4-one ( 4 ). Although these isomeric indenoisoxazoles may be discriminated by chemical means, we were interested in developing an unequivocal method for distinguishing these and potentially other isomeric pairs by spectroscopic means. A ¹³C-nmr based method for the discrimination of these isomers which is based on the utilization of chemical shift arguments and spin-lattice relaxation data is thus presented.     

The effect of substituents on the extraction behavior of hydroxamic acids

The extraction behavior of several alkyl-substituted hydroxamic acids in chloroform solution with several metal ions is described. Among the N-phenylacylhydroxamic acids used, those with o-alkyl substituents on either the phenyl or acyl ring generally do not extract metals, apparently because of steric problems at the O=CNO^? chelation site. An improved synthesis of substituted hydroxamic acids is reported.     

Indirect electrochemical methods of nitration: Novel nitroacetamidation of dienes

Solutions of nitronium tetrafluoroborate in acetonitrile prepared by anodic oxidation of nitrogen dioxide, efficiently nitrate aromatics, enolsilyethers, alkenes and conjugated dienes to afford respectively nitroaromatics, α-nitroketones, vicinal nitroamides and mixtures of nitroacetamides by 1,2- and 1,4-addition.