Photochemical generation of tetramethyldisilene and photoinduced 1,2-silyl-migration

Described herein is the first clear evidence of the photochemical generation of tetramethyldisilene which can be efficiently trapped by dienes. An intriguing 1,2-photo-induced silyl migration is also reported.     

Chemistry of organosilicon compounds : CXIX. Preparation and some reactions of 1,2-disilacyclobutenes

Two new 1,2-disilacyclobutenes have been prepared by the reaction of tetramethyldisilene with acetylenes. Several reactions of these new 1,2-disilacyclobutenes including oxidation, silylene insertion, iron carbonyl insertion, and addition to acetylenes and dienes are reported.     

Preparation of new bis(oxazoline) ligand bearing non-covalent interaction sites and an application in the highly asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction

New asymmetric bis(oxazoline) (Box) ligand bearing amide group at the oxazoline 4-position, (S,S)-2,2′-methylenebis(4-tert-butylcarbamoyl-2-oxazoline) (1S), was designed and synthesized for selective catalytic reaction. The crystal structure of the ternary copper complex, consisting of 1S and N-benzoyl-N-phenyl-hydroxylamine, demonstrated interligand interactions, such as hydrogen bonding and CH-π interaction. Catalytic performance of the copper complex with 1S was investigated for an asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction using benzylidene-2-acetylpyridine and 1,3-cyclohexadiene (CHD). The reaction product was enantio-pure endo-(pyridin-2-yl)(3-phenylbicyclo[2,2,2]oct-5-ene-2-yl)methanone (BPCD), of which crystal structure was analyzed by the X-ray method. No stereo- and enantio-isomer of BPCD was detected by chiral HPLC analysis. Introduction of hydrogen bonding site into 1S can promote the Diels-Alder reaction even though using poor reactive CHD. Without 1S, this reaction did not give any product. Addition of 2-propanol to this reaction system inhibited the formation of BPCD, indicating that the designed interligand interaction sites, especially hydrogen bonding, play an important role for catalytic performance.     

Theoretical study of quinolines-I(2) intermolecular interaction and implications on dye-sensitized solar cell performance

The monomer and intermolecular charge-transfer complexes of 13 different quinoline derivatives with diiodine were studied using ab initio molecular orbital (MO) and density functional theory (DFT) methods. Calculations revealed that the sigma* orbital of iodine interacts with the nitrogen lone pair in the quinoline ring. The open-circuit photovoltage (V(oc)) values of an Ru(II) complex dye-sensitized nanocrystalline TiO(2) solar cell with an I(-)/I(3) (-) redox electrolyte in acetonitrile using quinoline additives were compared to the computational calculations on the intermolecular interaction between quinolines and I(2). The optimized geometries, frequency analyses, Mulliken population analyses, natural bond orbital (NBO) analyses, and interaction energies indicate that the V(oc) value of the solar cell is higher when quinoline complexes more favorably interact with I(2). Therefore, the interaction between the quinoline additives and iodine redox electrolyte is an important factor for controlling dye-sensitized solar cell performance.     

Immobilization of histidine-tagged recombinant proteins onto micropatterned surfaces for cell-based functional assays

This letter describes a method for preparing protein microarrays that allow the functional analysis of proteins at a cellular level. This method involves the utilization of recombinant proteins genetically engineered to carry a fusion tag that has an affinity for metal ions. A micropatterned alkanethiol monolayer was used to prepare a microarray having multiple spots with immobilized metal ions. The fusion protein was chelated to the spots under physiological conditions. The feasibility of the method was demonstrated by culturing neural stem cells on the microarray that displayed oligohistidine-tagged epidermal growth factor.     

Effect of counterion species on colloidal crystal

The effect of counterion species on the colloidal crystal structure in a dispersion was carefully investigated as a function of the degree of neutralization (alpha) by the ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering technique. The nearest neighbor interparticle distance (2D(exp)) first increased with decreasing alpha, and then decreased after passing through the maximum. This behavior was confirmed for K(+), Li(+), Ca(2+), TMA(+) (tetramethylammonium) as a counterion, and Na(+) in our previous report (Harada, T.; Matsuoka, H.; Ikeda, T.; Yamaoka, H. Langmuir 2000, 16, 1612). However, the alpha value of the maximum position (alpha(max)) largely depended on the counterion species, and it was in the order K(+) < Na(+) < TMA(+) approximately Li(+). This behavior was well characterized by the specific features of each ion: the alpha(max) map could be well superimposed in the Stokes radius-crystal ion radius relationship of counterions. The alpha(max) dependence on Stokes radius was very similar to that of the B coefficient by Jones and Dole except in the case of Ca(2+). In principle, the smaller the value for B, the smaller alpha(max), indicating that a water structure breaker such as K(+) can more easily destroy the colloidal crystal structure. In other words, the effect of the counterion species on colloidal crystal stability follows the Hofmeister series. Including Ca(2+), the relationship was linear for the alpha(max) values plotted as a function of the limiting equivalent conductivity of small ions. A counterion with larger conductivity would be a stronger breaker for the colloidal crystal structure.     

DNA damage by fasicularin

Fasicularin is a structurally novel thiocyanate-containing alkaloid isolated from the ascidian Nephteis fasicularis. Early biological experiments suggested that this compound's cytotoxic properties may stem from its ability to damage cellular DNA. Sequence gel analysis reveals that treatment of a 5'-32P-labeled DNA duplex with fasicularin in pH 7.0 buffer causes strand cleavage selectively at guanine residues. Further experiments indicate that production of these base-labile lesions in DNA involves alkylation of guanine residues by a fasicularin-derived aziridinium ion. This work reveals fasicularin as the first natural product found to generate a DNA-alkylating aziridinium ion via a mechanism analogous to the clinically used anticancer drugs mechlorethamine, melphalan, and chlorambucil.