Cone voltage and collision cell collision-induced dissociation study of triphenylethylenes of pharmaceutical interest.

Fragmentations of three triphenylethylene compounds (toremifene and its two metabolites) with different functional side-chain groups (alcohol, acid and amine) were studied. The compounds were dissociated by collision-induced dissociation (CID) in the interface region of an electrospray ionization source (ESI(+)) and in the collision cell of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Fragmentation pathways for these molecules are proposed, based on accurate mass measurements of in-source fragment ions and MS/MS experiments using product and precursor ion scanning. The side-chain functional groups were found to strongly affect the fragmentations of the molecular ions. The fragmentation pathways of the protonated molecule and sodium ion adduct were quite similar, but the subsequent stabilities of certain common fragments were surprisingly different.     

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Techniques of differential scanning calorimetry for quantification of low contents of amorphous phases

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is one of the most frequently used techniques for analyzing small concentrations of amorphous phases in a crystalline matrix. In recent years novel enhanced DSC approaches have been intensively looked for to improve parameters such as sensitivity, accuracy, and detection limit of the technique. Low levels of amorphous phases can be quantitatively determined in DSC by measuring the heat capacity change associated with the glass transition. In this short review the potentials provided by the HyperDSC and StepScan DSC techniques are discussed. Examples illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of the techniques and compare their abilities to detect small glass transitions and determine low contents of amorphous phases in samples which are mostly crystalline.     

AT‐Specific DNA Binding of Binuclear Ruthenium Complexes at the Border of Threading Intercalation

The binuclear ruthenium complex [μ‐bidppz(phen)₄Ru₂]⁴⁺ has been extensively studied since the discovery of its unusual threading intercalation interaction with DNA, a binding mode with extremely slow binding and dissociation kinetics. The complex has been shown to be selective towards long stretches of alternating AT base pairs, which makes it interesting, for example, as a model compound for anti‐malaria drugs due to the high AT content of the genome of the malaria parasite P. falciparum. We have investigated the effect of bridging ligand structure on threading intercalation ability and found that length and rigidity as well as the size of the intercalated ring system are all factors that affect the rate and selectivity of the threading intercalation. In particular, we discovered a new DNA‐threading compound, [μ‐dppzip(phen)₄Ru₂]⁴⁺, which appears to be just at the border of being capable of threading intercalation and displays even greater selectivity for AT‐DNA than the parent compound, [μ‐bidppz(phen)₄Ru₂]⁴⁺.     

Dicaesium silver zinc thio­cyanate,Cs2[AgZn(SCN)5]

The title compound, dicaesium(I)‐μ‐thio­cyanato‐κ²N:S‐zinc(II)‐tetra‐μ‐thio­cyanato‐κ²S:N‐argentate(I), crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pmn2₁ and contains units of composition AgZn(SCN)₃ lying on a mirror plane and bonded together through Cs⁺ ions and thio­cyanate groups. The crystal studied contained equal numbers of inversion twins.     

Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Optimal Cutting Temperature (OCT) Embedded Core-Needle Biopsy of Lung Cancer

With recent advances in understanding the genomic underpinnings and oncogenic drivers of pathogenesis in different subtypes, it is increasingly clear that proper pretreatment diagnostics are essential for the choice of appropriate treatment options for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Tumor tissue preservation in optimal cutting temperature (OCT) compound is commonly used in the surgical suite. However, proteins recovered from OCT-embedded specimens pose a challenge for LC-MS/MS experiments, due to the large amounts of polymers present in OCT. Here we present a simple workflow for whole proteome analysis of OCT-embedded NSCLC tissue samples, which involves a simple trichloroacetic acid precipitation step. Comparisons of protein recovery between frozen versus OCT-embedded tissue showed excellent consistency with more than 9200 proteins identified. Using an isobaric labeling strategy, we quantified more than 5400 proteins in tumor versus normal OCT-embedded core needle biopsy samples. Gene ontology analysis indicated that a number of proliferative as well as squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) marker proteins were overexpressed in the tumor, consistent with the patient’s pathology based diagnosis of “poorly differentiated SqCC”. Among the most downregulated proteins in the tumor sample, we noted a number of proteins with potential immunomodulatory functions. Finally, interrogation of the aberrantly expressed proteins using a candidate approach and cross-referencing with publicly available databases led to the identification of potential druggable targets in DNA replication and DNA damage repair pathways. We conclude that our approach allows LC-MS/MS proteomic analyses on OCT-embedded lung cancer specimens, opening the way to bring powerful proteomics into the clinic.

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Functionalized fullerenes in self-assembled monolayers

Anisotropy of intermolecular and molecule-substrate interactions holds the key to controlling the arrangement of fullerenes into 2D self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The chemical reactivity of fullerenes allows functionalization of the carbon cages with sulfur-containing groups, thiols and thioethers, which facilitates the reliable adsorption of these molecules on gold substrates. A series of structurally related molecules, eight of which are new fullerene compounds, allows systematic investigation of the structural and functional parameters defining the geometry of fullerene SAMs. Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) measurements reveal that the chemical nature of the anchoring group appears to be crucial for the long-range order in fullerenes: the assembly of thiol-functionalized fullerenes is governed by strong molecule-surface interactions, which prohibit formation of ordered molecular arrays, while thioether-functionalized fullerenes, which have a weaker interaction with the surface than the thiols, form a variety of ordered 2D molecular arrays owing to noncovalent intermolecular interactions. A linear row of fullerene molecules is a recurring structural feature of the ordered SAMs, but the relative alignment and the spacing between the fullerene rows is strongly dependent on the size and shape of the spacer group linking the fullerene cage and the anchoring group. Careful control of the chemical functionality on the carbon cages enables positioning of fullerenes into at least four different packing arrangements, none of which have been observed before. Our new strategy for the controlled arrangement of fullerenes on surfaces at the molecular level will advance the development of practical applications for these nanomaterials.     

Towards new molecular photocatalysts for CO2 reduction: photo-induced electron transfer versus CO dissociation within [Os(NN)(CO)2Cl2] Complexes

Optical excitation in the visible region of trans-(Cl)-[Os(bpy)(CO)(2)Cl(2)] (bpy=2,2'-bipyridine; C1) and trans-(Cl)-[Os(dmbpy)(CO)(2)Cl(2)] (dmbpy=4,4'-dimethyl 2,2'-bipyridine; C2) is known to induce the common CO dissociation reaction. However, the quantum yield of the reactions is less than 0.15, although C1 and C2 display pronounced photoluminescence in the visible region at room temperature with a lifetime of few tens of nanoseconds. Taking into account the characteristics of their emitting state, we have investigated the capability of C1 and C2 to act as a photosensitiser in redox reactions in different solvents (MeCN, PrCN and DMF). The efficient oxidation and reduction of both complexes under continuous irradiation in the presence of a sacrificial electron acceptor or donor is reported here. The photo-induced transformations and the nature of the resulting compounds were analysed by UV/Vis and IR spectroscopies and cyclic voltammetry. Photo-induced oxidation of C1 and C2 leads to the corresponding monocarbonyl oxidised species, whereas photo-induced reduction under argon leads mainly to the formation of the corresponding Os-bonded molecular wires P1 and P2 after exchange of two electrons associated with the loss of two chloro ligands. The chemical yield of the latter reaction (around 65%) becomes quantitative by adding [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) as an external redox photosensitiser. This behaviour has been used to photocatalyse the two electron, two proton conversion of CO(2) to CO. Turnover numbers (TON) of 11.5 and 19.5 have been obtained respectively for C1 and C2 after 4.5 h of irradiation under CO(2) in DMF with triethanolamine as the electron donor. TON can be slightly increased by adding [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) to the solution.