Hybrid peptides: expanding the beta turn in peptide hairpins by the insertion of beta-, gamma-, and delta-residues

The beta turn segment in designed peptide hairpins has been expanded by the insertion of beta-, gamma- and delta-amino acids at the i+2 position. The model octapeptides Boc-Leu-Phe-Val-DPro-Ac6c-Leu-Phe-Val-OMe (1), Boc-Leu-Phe-Val-DPro-beta3-Ac6c-Leu-Phe-Val-OMe (2), and Boc-Leu-Phe-Val-DPro-Gpn-Leu-Phe-Val-OMe (3) have been shown to adopt beta hairpin conformations in methanol by the observation of key diagnostic nuclear Overhauser effects. Boc-Leu-Val-Val-DPro-delta-Ava-Leu-Val-Val-OMe (4) adopts a beta hairpin conformation in crystals; this is stabilized by three cross-strand hydrogen bonds as demonstrated by X-ray diffraction. The canonical C10 turn in an alpha-alpha segment is expanded to C11, C12, and C13 turns in alpha-beta, alpha-gamma, and alpha-delta segments, respectively. The crystal structures of Piv-LPro-beta3-Ac6c-NHMe (5) and Boc-Ac6c-Gpn-Ac6c-OMe (6) reveal intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded C11 and C12 conformations, respectively. Computer modeling of octapeptide sequences that contain centrally positioned hybrid-turn segments, by using turn parameters derived from the structures of peptides 5 and 6, establishes the stereochemical acceptability of the beta hairpins in the cases of peptides 2 and 3. Accommodation of omega-amino acids into the turn segments is achieved by the adoption of gauche conformations around the backbone C--C bonds.     

Methyl hydrogen peroxide dimer: A structural study

Methyl hydrogen peroxide (MHP) exhibits a tendency to form a stable dimer by hydrogen-bonding. Ab initio theoretical investigations on methyl hydrogen peroxide dimer (MHPD) carried out herein lead to several energetically stable structures that have a direct bearing on the reactivity of the monomer in terms of its molecular electrostatic potential (MESP). To gauge the role played by the electron-correlation in lending stability to MHP and its dimer, we employ the density functional theory (DFT) (as implemented by B3LYP-functional), and subsequently second order Møller-Plesset (MP2) perturbation theory, using the basis sets 6-31G(d, p) and 6-311++G(2d, 2p). Simulated infra-red vibrational spectra lead to spectral intensity redistribution upon dimerization. Energetically the lowest MHPD is endowed with inversion symmetry and has two hydrogen bonds, while three other structures emerge: one energetically very close with two H-bonds, and the two others, with three H-bonds each, yet higher by about 2 kcal mol⁻¹.     

Chromium(III) Hydroxide Solubility in the Aqueous K+-H+-OH?-CO2-HCO 3? -CO 32? -H2O System: A?Thermodynamic Model

Chromium(III)-carbonate reactions are expected to be important in managing high-level radioactive wastes. Extensive studies on the solubility of amorphous Cr(III) hydroxide solid in a wide range of pH (3–13) at two different fixed partial pressures of CO₂(g) (0.003 or 0.03 atm.), and as functions of K₂CO₃ concentrations (0.01 to 5.8 mol⋅kg⁻¹) in the presence of 0.01 mol⋅dm⁻³ KOH and KHCO₃ concentrations (0.001 to 0.826 mol⋅kg⁻¹) at room temperature (22±2 °C) were carried out to obtain reliable thermodynamic data for important Cr(III)-carbonate reactions. A combination of techniques (XRD, XANES, EXAFS, UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, thermodynamic analyses of solubility data, and quantum mechanical calculations) was used to characterize the solid and aqueous species. The Pitzer ion-interaction approach was used to interpret the solubility data. Only two aqueous species [Cr(OH)(CO₃)₂²⁻ and Cr(OH)₄CO₃³⁻] are required to explain Cr(III)-carbonate reactions in a wide range of pH, CO₂(g) partial pressures, and bicarbonate and carbonate concentrations. Calculations based on density functional theory support the existence of these species. The log ₁₀ K° values of reactions involving these species [{Cr(OH)₃(am) + 2CO₂(g)⇌Cr(OH)(CO₃)₂²⁻+2H⁺} and {Cr(OH)₃(am) + OH⁻+CO₃²⁻ ⇌Cr(OH)₄CO₃³⁻}] were found to be −(19.07±0.41) and −(4.19±0.19), respectively. No other data on any Cr(III)-carbonato complexes are available for comparisons.     

Synthesis and fluorescence properties of covalently linked homo- and hetero-porphyrin dyads containing meso-tolyl porphyrin and meso-furyl porphyrin sub-units

Three porphyrin building blocks with N₄, N₃S and N₂S₂ cores having three meso-furyl groups and one meso-iodophenyl group were synthesized and characterized. The porphyrin building blocks were used to synthesize six porphyrin dyads such as N₄-N₄, N₃S-N₃S, N₂S₂-N₂S₂, N₄-N₃S, N₄-N₂S₂ and N₃S-N₂S₂ containing meso-tolyl and meso-furyl porphyrin sub-units under mild Pd(0) mediated coupling conditions. Steady state fluorescence studies indicated an efficient energy transfer from the meso-tolyl porphyrin sub-unit to the meso-furyl porphyrin sub-unit in all six dyads. This study supported the argument that the meso-furyl porphyrins can be used as good energy acceptors when meso-aryl porphyrins act as energy donors in their metal free form.     

Thiourea to bicyclic scaffolds: highly regio- and stereoselective routes to dithiazolopyrimidines

Microwave-activated solvent-free Michael addition of 3-imino-1,4,2-dithiazoles to 4-arylidene-5(4H)-oxazolones furnished isolable adducts regio- and diastereoselectively, which underwent ring transformation to yield the target dithiazolopyrimidines. Alternatively, the similar conjugate addition of methanesulfinylmethylisothioureas to 4-arylidene-5(4H)-oxazolones diastereoselectively afforded Michael adducts, which underwent ring transformation followed by heterocyclization via deoxygenative demethylation with thionyl chloride to yield the same products dithiazolopyrimidines regio- and diastereoselectively.     

Trace Spectrophotometric Determination of Dichlorvos using Diphenyl Semicarbazide (DPC) in Environmental and Agricultural Samples

A new and highly sensitive spectrophotometric method is developed for the determination of sub ppm levels of the widely used organophosphorus insecticide dichlorvos. The method is based on alkaline hydrolysis of dichlorvos to dichloroacetaldehyde followed by coupling with diphenyl semicarbazide (DPC) in alkaline medium. The absorption maxima of the wine red dye compound formed is measured at 490 nm. Beer's law is obeyed over the concentration range of 4.3 to 34 μg in a final solution volume of 25 mL (0.18–1.36 ppm). The molar absorptivity, Sandell's sensitivity and correlation coefficient were found to be 2.9 × 10⁵ l mole^?1 cm^?1, 0.013 μg cm^?2 and 0.9999, respectively. The standard deviation and relative standard deviation were found to be ± 0.007 and 1.90%, respectively. The lower limit of detection is 0.04 μg. The method is simple, sensitive and free from interferences of other pesticides and diverse ions. Other organophosphorous pesticides do not interfere with the proposed method. The method has been satisfactorily applied to the determination of dichlorvos in environmental and agricultural samples.     

Thermal study of accumulation of conformational disorders in the self-assembled monolayers of C8 and C18 alkanethiols on the Au111 surface

The thermal stability of short alkanethiol CH(3)(CH(2))(7)SH (C(8)) and long C(18) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) is investigated using grazing angle reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and molecular dynamics simulation. We track the disordering of SAM by untilting and gauche defect accumulation with increasing temperature in the 300-440 K range, a range of interest to tribology. Molecular dynamics simulation with both fully covered and partially covered C(6), C(8), and C(18) monolayers brings out the morphological changes in the SAM, which may be associated with the observed thermal stability characteristics. The molecular dynamics simulations reveal that short-chain C(6) and C(8) alkanethiols are more defective at lower temperature than the long-chain C(18) alkanethiol. With increasing temperature disorder in the SAM, as reflected in both untilting and gauche defect accumulation, tends to saturate at temperatures below 360 K for short-chain SAMs such that any further increase in temperature, until desorption, does not lead to any significant change in conformational order. In contrast the disorder in the long-chain C(18) SAM increases monotonically with temperature beyond 360 K. Thus, in a practical range of temperature, the ability of a SAM to retain order with increasing thermal perturbations is governed by the state of disorder prior to heat treatment. This deduction derived from molecular dynamics simulation helps to rationalize the significant difference we have observed experimentally between the thermal response of short- and long-chain thiol molecules.     

Synthesis of Some Novel Class of Peptides from α‐Amino Nitrones and Their Potential Biological Activities

α‐amino nitrones are found to have a great significance in the synthesis of peptides. Simple reaction methodology, high yield, and atom efficiency in these reactions have made this protocol highly attractive. The synthetic route may be extended to the synthesis of dipeptides in enantiomerically pure form. Potential biological activity of the newly synthesized peptides is the major application in this new methodology.     

Metal‐induced rearrangement of benzothiazoline ring: Synthesis and characterization of some new organoantimony(V) derivatives of N,O, and S atom containing schiff base ligands

Some new triphenylantimony(V) derivatives of Schiff bases having the composition have been synthesized by the equimolar reactions of Ph₃SbBr₂ with newly synthesized benzothiazoline ligands, (where R = C₆H₅(H₂L¹), 4‐BrC₆H₄(H₂L²), 4‐ClC₆H₄(H₂L³), 4‐CH₃‐OC₆H₄(H₂L⁴), 4‐CH₃C₆H₄(H₂L⁵)). The reaction proceeds with the rearrangement of benzothiazoline ring. All the derivatives have been characterized by elemental analyses, molecular weight measurements and their plausible structures have been proposed on the basis of IR and NMR (¹H and ¹³C) spectral studies. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 18:70–75, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20260