The search for a potentially prebiotic synthesis of nucleotides via arabinose-3-phosphate and its cyanamide derivative

For the RNA world hypothesis to be accepted, the constitutional self-assembly of RNA will have to be demonstrated. Conceptually, the simplest route to RNA involves nucleotide polymerisation. Activated pyrimidine nucleotides can be derived from arabinose-3-phosphate under potentially prebiotic conditions, but the prebiotic synthesis of this sugar phosphate has not hitherto been investigated. The results of synthetic approaches involving phosphorylation, phosphate migration and 2,3-C--C bond construction are described herein.     

(1SR,2RS,5RS,6SR,8RS)‐7,7‐Dimethyltricyclo[6.2.1.01,6]undecane‐2,5,6‐triol: a supramolecular framework built from O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

In the title compound, C₁₃H₂₂O₃, the asymmetric unit has two independent mol­ecules linked by a strong O—H?O hydrogen bond. The cyclo­hexane ring is trans fused to the cyclo­pentane ring bridged through an ethyl moiety. The hydroxyl groups act as donors as well as acceptors, resulting in an extensive two‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded network in the (011) plane. Intermolecular O—H?O bonds between centrosymmetrically related mol­ecules form a four‐membered supramolecular assembly, leading to infinite chains parallel to the [01] direction, crosslinked in the [100] direction.     

Enantioselective synthesis of tryptophan derivatives by a tandem Friedel-Crafts conjugate addition/asymmetric protonation reaction

The tandem Friedel-Crafts conjugate addition/asymmetric protonation reaction between 2-substituted indoles and methyl 2-acetamidoacrylate is reported. The reaction is catalyzed by (R)-3,3'-dibromo-BINOL in the presence of stoichiometric SnCl(4), and is the first example of a tandem conjugate addition/asymmetric protonation reaction using a BINOL·SnCl(4) complex as the catalyst. A range of indoles furnished synthetic tryptophan derivatives in good yields and high levels of enantioselectivity, even on a preparative scale. The convergent nature of this transformation should lend itself to the preparation of unnatural tryptophan derivatives for use in a broad array of synthetic and biological applications.     

Synthesis of a pondaplin dimer and trimer. Aromatic interactions in novel macrocycles

Synthetic challenges in the use of an oxabicyclo[2.2.2]octenone moiety as a masked arene for the synthesis of pondaplin are disclosed. During the course of a study of the Heck reaction as a tool for macrocyclization to provide strained paracyclophanes, novel macrocycles displaying intra- and intermolecular aromatic interactions have been synthesized. The geometry of these interactions is compared to recent computational literature data.     

Sequential In Vitro Cyclization by Cytochrome P450 Enzymes of Glycopeptide Antibiotic Precursors Bearing the X‐Domain from Nonribosomal Peptide Biosynthesis

The biosynthesis of the glycopeptide antibiotics, which include vancomycin and teicoplanin, relies on the interplay between the peptide‐producing non‐ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) and Cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450s) that catalyze side‐chain crosslinking of the peptide. We demonstrate that sequential in vitro P450‐catalyzed cyclization of peptide substrates is enabled by the use of an NRPS peptide carrier protein (PCP)‐X di‐domain as a P450 recruitment platform. This study reveals that whilst the precursor peptide sequence influences the installation of the second crosslink by the P450 OxyA_tei, activity is not restricted to the native teicoplanin peptide. Initial peptide cyclization is possible with teicoplanin and vancomycin OxyB homologues, and the latter displays excellent activity with all substrate combinations tested. By using non‐natural X‐domain substrates, bicyclization of hexapeptides was also shown, which demonstrates the utility of this method for the cyclization of varied peptide substrates in vitro.     

Rate Determination of the CO2* Chemiluminescence Reaction CO + O + M CO2* + M

Electronically excited carbon dioxide (CO₂*) is known for its broadband emission, and its detection can lead to valuable information; however, owing to its broadband characteristics, CO₂* is difficult to isolate experimentally, and its chemical kinetics are not well known. Although numerous works have monitored CO₂* chemiluminescence, a full kinetic scheme for the excited species has yet to be developed. To this end, a series of shock‐tube experiments was performed in H₂‐N₂O‐CO mixtures highly diluted in argon at conditions where emission from CO₂* could be isolated and monitored. These results were used to evaluate the kinetics of CO₂*, in particular the main CO₂* formation reaction CO + O + M CO₂* + M (R1). Based on collision theory, the quenching chemistry of CO₂* was estimated for 11 collision partners. The final mechanism developed for CO₂* consists of 14 reactions and 13 species. The rate for (R1) was determined to within about ±60% using low‐pressure experiments performed in five different (H₂‐)N₂O‐CO‐Ar mixtures, as follows: where R is the universal gas constant in cal/mol‐K and T is the temperature in K. Final mechanism predictions were compared with experiments at low and high pressures, with good agreement at both conditions for the temperature dependence of the peak CO₂* and the CO₂* species time histories. Comparisons were also made with previous experiments in methane–oxygen mixtures, where there was slight overprediction of CO₂* experimental trends, but with the results otherwise showing a dramatic improvement over an earlier mechanism. Experimental results and model predictions were also compared with past literature rates for CO₂*, with good agreement for peak CO₂* trends and slight discrepancies in CO₂* species time histories. Overall, the ability of the CO₂* mechanism developed in this work to reproduce a range of experimental trends represents an important improvement over the existing knowledge base on chemiluminescence chemistry.     

The unusual stability of [NpO2Cl4]2−: Synthesis and characterisation of [NpO2(DPPMO2)2Cl]2[NpO2Cl4] and [Ph3PNH2]2[NpO2Cl4]

The [NpO₂(DPPMO₂)₂Cl][NpO₂Cl₄] complex (where DPPMO₂ = bis(diphenylphosphino)methanedioxide) contains the linear neptunyl group, {NpO₂}²⁺, with two bidentate P=O donor ligands. Coordinating anion Cl^? fills the fifth equatorial coordination site yielding a complex of general formula [NpO₂(DPPMO₂)₂X]₂[Y] (1) (where X = Cl^? and Y = [NpO₂Cl₄]^2?. Reaction between our newly prepared neptunium starting material [NpO₂Cl₂(thf)]_n and phosphinimine ligand produced crystals of [Ph₃PNH₂]₂[NpO₂Cl₄] (2). Compounds 1 and 2 have been structurally characterised.     

A highly selective fluorescent chemosensor for zinc ion and imaging application in living cells

A new 2,6-bis(5,6-dihydrobenzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2-c]quinazolin-6-yl)-4-methylphenol (1) serves as a highly selective and sensitive fluorescent probe for Zn(2+) in a HEPES buffer (50 mM, DMSO:water = 1:9 (v/v), pH = 7.2) at 25 °C. The increase in fluorescence in the presence of Zn(2+) is accounted for by the formation of dinuclear Zn(2+) complex [Zn(2)(C(35)H(25)N(6)O)(OH)(NO(3))(2)(H(2)O)] (2), characterized by X-ray crystallography. The fluorescence quantum yield of the chemosensor 1 is only 0.019, and it increases more than 12-fold (0.237) in the presence of 2 equiv of the zinc ion. Interestingly, the introduction of other metal ions causes the fluorescence intensity to be either unchanged or weakened. By incubation of cultured living cells (A375 and HT-29) with the chemosensor 1, intracellular Zn(2+) concentrations could be monitored through selective fluorescence chemosensing.     

Anodic oxidation of 2-aminofluorene in CH2Cl2 + 0.2 M Bu4NBF4: electrochemical behaviour of the derived oxidation products

The physicochemical properties and electrochemical behaviour of products obtained by anodic oxidation of 2-aminofluorene in CH₂Cl₂ + 0.2 M Bu₄NBF₄ are presented together with the oxidation conditions. Received: 8 January 1998 / Accepted: 21 September 1998     

Large regular graphs with no induced 2K 2

Letr be a positive integer. Considerr-regular graphs in which no induced subgraph on four vertices is an independent pair of edges. The numberv of vertices in such a graph does not exceed 5r/2; this proves a conjecture of Bermond. More generally, it is conjectured that ifv>2r, then the ratiov/r must be a rational number of the form 2+1/(2k). This is proved forv/r≥21/10. The extremal graphs and many other classes of these graphs are described and characterized. Research supported in part by the National Science Foundation under ISP 80110451. Research supported in part by the National Science Foundation under DMS-8401281. Research supported in part by the National Science Foundation under DMS-8504322, and by the Office of Naval Research under N00014-85K0570.