Nickel(II) complexes of oligopeptides containing aspartyl and glutamyl residues. Potentiometric and spectroscopic studies

Nickel(II) complexes of di-, tri- and tetra-peptides built up from Asp and/or Glu residues have been studied by potentiometric, UV–Vis and circular dichroism spectroscopic methods. The stoichiometry of the complexes are the same as in the case of common oligopeptides, but the presence of the side chain carboxylate groups results in differences in their stabilities and coordination modes. The presence of the β-carboxylate groups increases the metal binding affinity of the peptides in all cases. This is due to the coordination of the first, second and third aspartic acid residue in the case of the NiL, NiH₋₁L and NiH₋₂L complexes, respectively. The high negative charge of Asp₄ suppresses the metal ion coordination of the third amide function, therefore the NiH₋₃L complex does not form with this tetra-peptide. In the case of peptides containing glutamic acid, no stability enhancement appears because there is only a weak interaction between the nickel(II) ion and the γ-carboxylate group, which is not able to compensate the disfavoured effect of the increasing negative charge of the complexes.     

The effect of K+ ion exchange on the structure and thermal reduction of hexagonal ammonium tungsten bronze

This paper discusses the changes in the structure and thermal reduction of nanosize hexagonal ammonium tungsten bronze (HATB), (NH₄)_0.33−xWO_3−y, which were caused by K⁺ ion exchange (doping) and studied by XRD, XPS, ¹H-MAS NMR, FTIR, SEM and TG/DTA-MS. Comparison of the cell parameters of undoped and doped HATB revealed that both a and c cell parameters decreased after the ion exchange reaction, which showed that smaller K⁺ ions partly replaced the larger NH₄⁺ ions in the hexagonal channels of HATB. After the reaction, from the hexagonal channels less NH₃ evolved, which also supported the incorporation of K⁺ ions into the hexagonal channels.     

Structure and stereochemistry of products of hydroxylation of human steroid hormones by a housefly cytochrome P450 (CYP6A1)

The structure and stereochemistry of nine steroid metabolites isolated in quantities ranging from 0.15 to 1.8 mg were determined using a variety of NMR techniques, including heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC) using broadband adiabatic 13C pulses and phase-sensitive data presentation. Testosterone, androstenedione and progesterone were oxidized with housefly cytochrome P450 6A1 enzyme reconstituted in vitro with housefly NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase and cytochrome b5. NMR analysis in CD3OD using a modified HMBC sequence as well as 2D heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC), COSY and nuclear Overhauser and exchange spectroscopy (NOESY), combined with a detailed analysis of J couplings showed that hydroxylation occurs exclusively on the beta-face of the steroids, at positions 2, 12, and 15.     

Complexation of Manidipine with Cyclodextrins and their Derivatives

Manidipine (MDP,(±)-2-[-(diphenylmethyl)-1-piperazinyl]ethylmethyl-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-4(m-nitrophenyl)-3,5-pyridinedicarboxylate methyl-ester) is a poorlysoluble (<1 g/mL) long acting antihypertensive drug. Salt formingwith citric or tartaric acid results in a 400 to 600 fold solubilityenhancement, respectively, which can be further increased by an order ofmagnitude with cyclodextrins. Dimethyl-CD alone results in a more than8000 fold solubility enhancement. Besides the strongly enhanced solubility¹HNMR spectroscopy also proves the inclusion-type interactionbetween Manidipine and cyclodextrins. From the attained 5-8 mg/mL solubilityof the drug in water an improved bioavailability and pharmacokinetics isexpected.     

Long-range contribution to inverse-distance power and Morse energy and pressure terms of a molecular liquid,tested on benzene

Analytical expressions were derived to estimate the contribution to the intermolecular energy and pressure from pairs of rigid molecules farther than a cutoff distance; inverse power terms (like in the Lennard-Jones potential) and exponential terms (like in the Morse potential) were considered. The Lennard-Jones case was tested on liquid benzene at room temperature in the Gibbs ensemble using the cavity-biased technique. The density produced by simulations using the derived cutoff correction was found to be independent of the cutoff used.     

Volumetric intensity dependence on the formation of molecular and atomic ions within a high intensity laser focus

The mechanism of atomic and molecular ionization in intense, ultra-short laser fields is a subject which continues to receive considerable attention. An inherent difficulty with techniques involving the tight focus of a laser beam is the continuous distribution of intensities contained within the focus, which can vary over several orders of magnitude. The present study adopts time of flight mass spectrometry coupled with a high intensity (8 x 10(15) Wcm(-2)), ultra-short (20 fs) pulse laser in order to investigate the ionization and dissociation of the aromatic molecule benzene-d1 (C(6)H(5)D) as a function of intensity within a focused laser beam, by scanning the laser focus in the direction of propagation, while detecting ions produced only in a "thin" slice (400 and 800 microm) of the focus. The resultant TOF mass spectra varies significantly, highlighting the dependence on the range of specific intensities accessed and their volumetric weightings on the ionization/dissociation pathways accessed.     

One-pot syntheses of 6-mercaptopurines (6MP) from 4,5-diamino-6-chloro-pyrimidines

A one-pot synthesis of 6-mercaptopurines from 4,5-diamino-6-chloro-pyrimidine, an aldehyde and elemental sulfur is presented. The key advantage of this procedure is that it utilizes the in situ generated H₂S to convert the chloro to a mercapto group.