Synthesis of bridged sugar amino acids: a new entry into conformationally locked δ- and ε-amino acids

The synthesis of three methylene bridged sugar amino acids is described. Key transformations in the synthetic strategy are a CO-insertion on fully protected ribose, an aldol condensation with formaldehyde and an oxetane forming cyclisation step. A novel Leu-enkephalin analogue containing the δ-SAA 1 was prepared using standard solution phase peptide chemistry.     

The structures of vanadium oxide cluster-ethene complexes. A combined IR multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy and DFT calculation study

Infrared spectra of complexes of small vanadium oxide clusters with ethene are determined using infrared multiple photon dissociation (IR-MPD) spectroscopy in the range of 550-1850 cm-1. The structures of the complexes have been identified by comparison of the experimental spectra with the harmonic vibrational frequencies and corresponding IR intensities of possible isomers calculated with DFT methods. We find that the ethene molecule binds directly to a vanadium atom in the cluster, although this it is not in all cases the most stable arrangement.     

Gome ozone profiles retrieved by neural network techniques: A global validation with lidar measurements

Ozone profiles retrieved from Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME, flying on ERS-2 satellite) spectra from July 1995 to June 2003 by means of 2 independent neural network (NN) schemes have been validated with ozone lidar measurements performed at different stations belonging to the network for the detection of atmospheric composition changes (NDACC). The retrieval and the whole validation have been carried out by using the performances and resources of the European project Enabling Grid for E-sciencE (EGEE) and of a local Grid at the European Space Research Institute of the European Space Agency (ESRIN/ESA). Roughly 1800 collocated profiles have been found, in tropical, mid-latitude and high-latitude regions; for each lidar station the differences between GOME and lidar profiles have been evaluated and the global performance of the proposed NN approaches has been critically discussed. The results indicate the potentialities for obtaining reliable ozone field analysis on global scale, including detailed altitude resolved trend analysis.     

Cold Molecules: Preparation,Applications, and Challenges

Research with cold molecules has developed rapidly in recent years. There is now a variety of established methods for cooling molecules into the millikelvin range. Nevertheless, a focal point of current research is directed toward finding new ways to bring the temperature of molecules even closer to absolute zero. Samples of cold molecules offer not only important applications for high‐resolution spectroscopy, which benefit from the increased interaction time of slow molecules with electromagnetic radiation; they also promise access to an exotic regime of chemical reactivity, in which phenomena such as quantum tunneling and quantum resonances predominate. This review begins with an introduction to the methods by which cold molecules can be prepared, with special emphasis on Stark deceleration and traps. In addition to applications of cold molecules that have already been partially achieved, an important focus of the review concentrates on possible future applications, and both aspects are illustrated with selected examples.     

Matrix suppression and analyte suppression effects of quaternary ammonium salts in matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry: an investigation of suppression mechanism

In the matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF MS) analysis of some quaternary ammonium salts (QASs), very clean spectra of the quaternary ammonium ions were recorded with a strong matrix suppression effect (MSE). The QASs also showed a considerable analyte suppression effect (ASE). It was demonstrated that the MSE and ASE of the QASs can be explained well by the cluster ionization model. According to this model, MALDI ions are formed from charged matrix/analyte clusters. Various analyte ions and matrix ions might coexist in the cluster, and they will compete for the limited number of net charges available. If enough quaternary ammonium ions are present in the cluster, they will take away the net charges, thus resulting in the MSE and ASE. Our results also suggest that ‘the cluster ionization model’ is not in conflict with ‘the theory of ionization via secondary gas‐phase reactions’. The initial MALDI ions produced from charged matrix/analyte clusters will collide with other molecules or ions in the MALDI plume. Depending on the properties of the initial ions and the composition of the MALDI plume, secondary gas‐phase reactions might result from these collisions. The final ions observed are the combined results of ‘cluster ionization’ and ‘ionization via secondary gas‐phase reactions’. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamic Supramolecular Polymers Based on Benzene‐1,3,5‐tricarboxamides: The Influence of Amide Connectivity on Aggregate Stability and Amplification of Chirality

N‐Centred benzene‐1,3,5‐tricarboxamides (N‐BTAs) composed of chiral and achiral alkyl substituents were synthesised and their solid‐state behaviour and self‐assembly in dilute alkane solutions were investigated. A combination of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarisation optical microscopy (POM) and X‐ray diffraction revealed that the chiral N‐BTA derivatives with branched 3,7‐dimethyloctanoyl chains were liquid crystalline and the mesophase was assigned as Col_ho. In contrast, N‐BTA derivatives with linear tetradecanoyl or octanoyl chains lacked a mesophase and were obtained as crystalline compounds. Variable‐temperature infrared spectroscopy showed the presence of threefold, intermolecular hydrogen bonding between neighbouring molecules in the mesophase of the chiral N‐BTAs. In the crystalline state at room temperature a more complicated packing between the molecules was observed. Ultraviolet and circular dichroism spectroscopy on dilute solutions of N‐BTAs revealed a cooperative self‐assembly behaviour of the N‐BTA molecules into supramolecular polymers with preferred helicity when chiral alkyl chains were present. Both the sergeants‐and‐soldiers as well as the majority‐rules principles were operative in stacks of N‐BTAs. In fact, the self‐assembly of N‐BTAs resembles closely that of their carbonyl (C?O)‐centred counterparts, with the exception that aggregation is weaker and amplification of chirality is less pronounced. The differences in the self‐assembly of N‐ and C?O‐BTAs were analysed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. These reveal a substantially lower interaction energy between the monomeric units in the supramolecular polymers of N‐BTAs. The lower interaction energy is due to the higher energy penalty for rotation around the Ph? NH bond compared to the Ph? CO bond and the diminished magnitude of dipole–dipole interactions. Finally, we observed that mixed stacks are formed in dilute solution when mixing N‐BTAs and C?O BTAs.