Nitrogen bridgehead compounds part 16. Facile total synthesis of 7,8-dihydro-13H-indolo[2′,3′:3,4]pyrido[2,1-b]quinazolin-5-one (Rutecarpine).

Rutecarpine $\text{1}$ has been synthetised from hydrazone $\text{2}$, in high yield by Fischer indole synthesis, Hydrazone $\text{2}$ has been prepared from $\text{3}$ with benzenediazonium chloride or $\text{5}$ with phenylhydrazine. $\text{2}$ Shows a solvent dependent E-Z isomerism.     

Simultaneous determination of nanomole amounts of sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide by flow injection analysis with on-line preconcentration by means of capillary denuder tubes

A simple and rapid method for trace determination of SO2 and H2S in gaseous samples by using a flow injection system with on line preconcentration on capillary denuder is described. The gaseous samples are led through a 0.4 M sulphamic acid solution, retaining nitrogen dioxide, ammonia and hydrogen chloride. The sulphur dioxide is collected from the carrier gas stream (250 cm3 min-1) as sulphuric acid in a capillary denuder tube coated with a thin layer of 0.01-0.03 M hydrogen peroxide solution of 0.05 mM sulphuric acid; hydrogen sulphide passes into a second tube coated with 0.075 mM sodium sulphide solution of 0.1 M aqueous sodium hydroxide. The films containing the sulphuric acid and the sodium sulphide, respectively, are eluted with the corresponding circulating absorbent streams and pass through the detectors. Sulphuric acid is detected by conductimetry and sulphide is determined spectrophotometrically at 230 nm. If nanoequivalent amounts of H2S are present in the sample containing a large concentration of SO2 (SO2/H2S concentration ratio > 20), the sulphur dioxide is filtered out of the sample gas stream by solid sodium hydrogen carbonate. A limit of detection of 3.5 micrograms m-3 is obtained.     

A novel dinuclear species in the aqueous distribution of aluminum in the presence of citrate

The chemistry of aluminum was explored in the presence of the physiological ligand citric acid and in low-pH aqueous media. As a result, the first dinuclear aluminum-citrate complex (NH4)4[Al2-(C6H4O7)(C6H5O7)2].4H2O was isolated at low pH (approximately 3.5), and was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The structural analysis reveals the presence of a dinuclear assembly of two aluminum ions octahedrally coordinated to three citrate ligands of differing protonation state. The NMR solution behavior of this complex emphasizes its time-dependent transformation into a number of variable nature species, ultimately leading to the thermodynamically stable trinuclear species. It also establishes the participation of the dinuclear complex as a viable component of the aqueous Al(III)-citrate speciation. The chemical and structural features of this novel low molecular mass species provide considerable insight into citrate's ability, as a natural ligand, to influence the chemistry of aluminum in a pH-dependent fashion, and potentially affect aluminum's (bio)distribution, absorption, accumulation, and biotoxicity at sensitive biological sites.     

Apoptotic cell death dynamics of HL60 cells studied using a microfluidic cell trap device

This paper presents the design, fabrication and first results of a microfluidic cell trap device for analysis of apoptosis. The microfluidic silicon-glass chip enables the immobilization of cells and real-time monitoring of the apoptotic process. Induction of apoptosis, either electric field mediated or chemically induced with tumour necrosis factor (TNF-alpha), in combination with cycloheximide (CHX), was addressed. Exposure of cells to the appropriate fluorescent dyes, FLICA and PI, allows one to discriminate between viable, apoptotic and necrotic cells. The results showed that the onset of apoptosis and the transitions during the course of the cell death cascade were followed in chemically induced apoptotic HL60 cells. For the case of electric field mediated cell death, the distinction between apoptotic and necrotic stage was not clear. This paper presents the first results to analyse programmed cell death dynamics using this apoptosis chip and a first step towards an integrated apoptosis chip for high-throughput drug screening on a single cellular level.     

Stereoselective synthesis of fluorobis(phenylsulfonyl)methyl-substituted alkenes using free radical fluoroalkylation

(PhSO₂)₂CFI was prepared in quantitative yield by the iodination of fluorobis(phenylsulfonyl)methane and utilized in facile radical bis(phenylsulfonyl)monofluoromethylation of various terminal alkenes. The synthetic methodology was further extended for the preparation of monofluoromethyl-substituted alkenes.     

Pore size distribution measurements in small samples and with nanoliter volume resolution by NMR cryoporometry

NMR cryoporometry is demonstrated to provide access to pore size and pore size distribution in small amounts of porous materials. With a conventional NMR spectrometer and probe, the detection limit for total pore volume is shown to be on the order of 100 nL with a volume resolution on the order of a few nanoliters.     

Pore morphology and interconnectivity in a mesoporous/macroporous polyhedral silica foam material

The pore system of a highly swollen, block-copolymer-templated, polyhedral silica foam material is investigated by a combination of transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen sorption, and NMR cryoporometry. The adsorption-desorption hysteresis and melting-freezing hysteresis data recorded by the respective methods provide pore volume and access channel sizes that virtually coincide for the two used methods. This provides a consistent picture where polyhedral foam cells of 60-70 nm diameter are interconnected by cylindrical access channels with several characteristic sizes for the latter.     

Structural Chemistry author wins Nobel Prize

The 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry highlighted another spectacular achievement in structural chemistry and supramolecular chemistry. The three awardees built molecular machines based on their intimate knowledge of molecular properties and behavior. One of the three laureates, J. Fraser Stoddart, with two co-authors, published an invited paper in 1999 in our journal in which they surveyed the interplay between the synthesis of functioning supramolecular systems and their X-ray crystallographic investigation. Structural Chemistry congratulates Stoddart and his co-laureates on this momentous occasion.     

Disturbance of the determination of aldehydes and ketones: Structural elucidation of degradation products derived from the reaction of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) with ozone

None of the reaction products of ozone and DNPH immobilized on solid phase support have been identified yet. However, they can interfere with the determination of carbonyl compounds in ozone containing air when analysis is performed by sampling and derivatization with DNPH coated silica cartridges. To elucidate the structure of these compounds, DNPH silica cartridges were treated with synthetic air containing defined concentrations of ozone and eluted with acetonitrile. The products were characterized by HPLC-UV/Vis and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Three of the degradation products were identified as 2,4-dinitrophenol, 2,4-dinitroaniline and 1,3-dinitrobenzene. The identification was confirmed by comparison with commercially available standard compounds. The other elutable products were characterized as substituted aromatic compounds. The formation of all characterized products is consistent with a radical mechanism which has been previously discussed in the literature. Received: 9 September 1998 / Revised: 9 February 1999 / Accepted: 11 February 1999     

Beta-Carotene Affects the Effects of Heme Oxygenase-1 in Isolated,Ischemic/Reperfused Rat Hearts: Potential Role of the Iron

Beta-carotene (BC) is a well-known antioxidant. However, increasing evidence shows that under severe oxidative conditions, BC can become pro-oxidant, an effect that may be enhanced in the presence of iron (II). In our earlier studies, we observed that despite increasing heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) levels in the heart, the protective effects of BC have been lost when it was used at a high concentration. Since iron releases from heme as a consequence of HO-1 activity, we hypothesized that the application of an iron-chelator (IC) would reverse the lost cardiac protection associated with an elevated HO-1 level. Thus, in the present study, we investigated the effects of desferrioxiamine (DFO) in isolated, ischemic/reperfused rat hearts after long-term treatment with vehicle or high-dose (HD) BC. Vehicle or 150 mg/bw kg daily doses of BC were administered to the rats for 4 weeks, and then their hearts were removed and subjected to 30 min of global ischemia (ISA) followed by 120 min of reperfusion (REP). During the experiments, cardiac function was registered, and at the end of the REP period, infarct size (IS) and HO-1 expression were measured. The results show that DFO treatment alone during REP significantly ameliorated postischemic cardiac function and decreased IS, although HO-1 expression was not increased significantly. In hearts isolated from BC-treated rats, no cardioprotective effects, despite an elevated HO-1 level, were observed, while DFO administration after ISA resulted in a mild improvement in heart function and IS. Our results suggest that iron could have a role whether BC exerts antioxidant or pro-oxidant effects in ISA/REP-injured hearts.