Photoelectron spectra of styrenes

The photoelectron spectra of styrene and its methyl derivatives were measured and interpreted. The vinyl group twisted by the steric hindrance of the α- or orthomethyl group was found to play an important role in the interpretation of the photoelectron spectra of these compounds. The dependence of the higher occupied π orbital energies of styrene upon the twist angle of the vinyl group was estimated from the experimental data.     

A two-phase reaction catalyzed by a protein — asymmetric oxidation of formaldehyde dithioacetals with aqueous sodium metaperiodate

We examined whether a protein could catalyze two-phase oxidation of formaldehyde dithioacetals with aqueous sodium metaperiodate and bovine serum albumin was found to be effective and give the corresponding S-oxides in optically active forms.     

Control of hole opening in single-wall carbon nanotubes and single-wall carbon nanohorns using oxygen

Due to the simplicity of the process, holes in the graphene walls of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and single-wall carbon nanohorns (SWNHs) have often been opened using O2 gas at high temperatures, even though this contaminates the nanotubes with carbonaceous dust (C-dust). To open holes with less C-dust contamination, we found that a slow temperature increase of 1 degrees C/min or less, in air, was effective. We also found that SWNHs having little C-dust could store a large quantity of materials inside the tubes. We infer that the local temperature increase due to the exothermic reaction of combustion may have been suppressed in the slow combustion process, which was effective in reducing the C-dust.     

Novel formation of iodobenzene derivatives from 1-(methylthio)-3-tosylhexa-1,3-dien-5-ynes via iodine-induced intramolecular cyclization

The reaction of (1E,3E)-1-(methylthio)-3-tosylhexa-1,3-dien-5-ynes (3) with iodine to form iodine-substituted benzenes (4) is reported. The reaction of 3 with iodine proceeded very slowly, but UV irradiation accelerates the reaction to give 4 in high-to-excellent yields. Irradiation induces the cis-trans isomerization of the C1-C2 double bond, leading to the (1Z,3E)-geometric isomer (3'), which easily reacts with iodine to afford 4. This reaction is applicable to 3-(methoxycarbonyl)-1-(methylthio)-6-phenylhexa-1,3-dien-5-yne (11), which is synthesized as a geometric mixture. Interestingly, this mixture can be used as the starting material. Irradiation of the mixture (the geometric isomer ratio = 50:28:5:17) with iodine resulted in the formation of methyl 3-iodo-4-phenylbenzoate (12) in 80% yield.     

Structure activity relationships of quinoxalin-2-one derivatives as platelet-derived growth factor-beta receptor (PDGFbeta R) inhibitors, derived from molecular modeling

We previously reported a quinoxalin-2-one compound (Compound 1) that had inhibitory activity equivalent to existing platelet-derived growth factor-beta receptor (PDGFbeta R) inhibitors. Lead optimization of Compound 1 to increase its activity and selectivity, using structural information regarding PDGFbeta R-ligand interactions, is urgently needed. Here we present models of the PDGFbeta R kinase domain complexed with quinoxalin-2-one derivatives. The models were constructed using comparative modeling, molecular dynamics (MD) and ligand docking. In particular, conformations derived from MD, and ligand binding site information presented by alpha-spheres in the pre-docking processing, allowed us to identify optimal protein structures for docking of target ligands. By carrying out molecular modeling and MD of PDGFbeta R in its inactive state, we obtained two structural models having good Compound 1 binding potentials. In order to distinguish the optimal candidate, we evaluated the structural activity relationships (SAR) between the ligand-binding free energies and inhibitory activity values (IC50 values) for available quinoxalin-2-one derivatives. Consequently, a final model with a high SAR was identified. This model included a molecular interaction between the hydrophobic pocket behind the ATP binding site and the substitution region of the quinoxalin-2-one derivatives. These findings should prove useful in lead optimization of quinoxalin-2-one derivatives as PDGFb R inhibitors.     

First-principles study of substitutional magnesium and zinc in hydroxyapatite and octacalcium phosphate

First-principles calculations are performed for Mg(2+) and Zn(2+) substitution in hydroxyapatite (HAp) and octacalcium phosphate (OCP), because the foreign ions are known to play an important role for bone formation. In order to study their possible location in the system of HAp in contact with the aqueous solution, OCP is considered as a structural model of the transition region between HAp and the solution. It is found that, when the foreign ions substitute for Ca sites, the surrounding oxygen ions undergo considerable inward relaxation, due to their smaller ionic sizes than Ca(2+), which results in the smaller coordination numbers with oxygen as compared with those of Ca in bulk HAp and OCP. From the calculated defect formation energies, it is likely that the substitutional foreign ions are quite difficult to dissolve into HAp whereas can be more easily incorporated in OCP. In particular, Zn(2+) can more favorably substitute for the specific Ca site of OCP, as compared to Mg(2+), which is attributed with covalent bond formation between Zn and the surrounding oxygen ions. It is thus considered that zinc may play its role to promote bone formation by being incorporated into the transition region between HAp and the surrounding solution.