A novel single source precursor: [bis(N,N-diethyl-N'-naphthoyl-selenoureato)palladium(II)] for palladium selenide thin films and nanoparticles

We describe for the first time the use of a single source precursor to deposit thin films and nanocrystals of palladium selenide.     

New biocompatible thermo-reversible hydrogels from PNiPAM-decorated amyloid fibrils

New biocompatible temperature-responsive hydrogels have been obtained by using unprecedented low concentration of amyloid fibril-PNiPAM hybrids. The viscoelasticity of the hydrogels can be finely controlled by tuning the PNiPAM layers without changing the structure or concentration of the amyloid fibrils.     

Photoreactive gold(I) macrocycles with diphosphine and trans,trans-muconate ligands

A pair of trans,trans-muconate ligands have been successfully aligned in two novel Au(I) macrocycles by design from phosphino metal precursors that undergo photochemical cycloaddition reactions quantitatively, resulting in the formation of cyclooctadiene derivatives.     

The two spin states of an end-on copper(II)-superoxide mimic

The reaction of nitrosobenzene with copper(I) complexes of a tetradentate ligand led to two novel species that are best described as copper(II) complexes of an O-bonded nitrosobenzyl radical anion, in either the singlet or the triplet spin-state. Both states were characterized by crystal structures, magnetic measurements and DFT calculations.     

Synthesis, experimental and theoretical characterization of N,N'-dipyridoxyl (1,4-butanediamine) Schiff-base ligand and its Cu(II) complex

A new N,N'-dipyridoxyl(1,4-butanediamine) [=H(2)BS] Schiff-base ligand and its Cu(II) salen complex, [Cu(BS)(H(2)O)(CH(3)OH)], were synthesized and characterized by IR, UV-vis, (1)H NMR, mass spectrometry and elemental analysis. Also, full optimization of the geometries, (1)H NMR chemical shifts (for the H(2)BS) and vibrational frequencies were calculated by using density functional theory (DFT) method. Structure of the H(2)BS ligand is not planar, i.e. two pyridine rings are not in the same plane. In the structure of the Cu complex, the Schiff-base ligand acts as a dianionic tetradentate ligand in N, N, O(-), O(-) manner. The coordinating atoms of BS(2-) occupy equatorial positions of the octahedral complex, where the H(2)O and CH(3)OH ligands locate at axial positions. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental data, confirming the suitability of the proposed and optimized structures for the H(2)BS ligand and its Cu complex.     

Synthesis, spectral and electrochemical studies of Cu(II) and Ni(II) complexes with new N2O2 ligands: a new precursor capable of depositing copper nanoparticles using thermal reduction

Cu(II) and Ni(II) complexes of the general type [M(N2O2)] are described. The N2O2 ligands used are [N,N'-bis(2-hydroxy-6-methoxybenzylidene)propane-1,3-diamine] (HOMeSalpn) and [N,N'-bis(2-hydroxy-6-methoxybenzylidene)propane-1,2-diamine (HOMeSalpr). These complexes have been characterized by IR, UV-vis, CV, TG-DTA and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The electrochemical behavior of these complexes at a glassy carbon electrode in acetonitrile solution indicates that the first reduction process corresponding to Cu(II)-Cu(I) and Ni(II)-Ni(I) is electrochemically irreversible. The new copper complexes have been applied for the preparation of copper nanoparticles using non-ionic surfactant (Triton X-100) by thermal reduction. The copper nanoparticles with average size of 48nm were formed by thermal reduction of [N,N'-bis(2-hydroxy-6-methoxybenzylidene)propane-1,3-diamine]copper(II) in the presence of triphenylphosphine thus releasing the reduced copper and affording the high-purity copper nanoparticles.     

Study binding of Al-curcumin complex to ds-DNA, monitoring by multispectroscopic and voltammetric techniques

In this work a complex of Al3+ with curcumin ([Al(curcumin) (EtOH)2](NO3)2) was synthesized and characterized by UV-vis, FT-IR, elemental analysis and spectrophotometric titration techniques. The mole ratio plot revealed a 1:1 complex between Al3+ and curcumin in solution. For binding studies of this complex to calf thymus-DNA various methods such as: UV-vis, fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD), FT-IR spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry were used. The intrinsic binding constant of ACC with DNA at 25°C was calculated by UV-vis and cyclic voltammetry as 2.1×10(4) and 2.6×10(4), respectively. The thermodynamic studies showed that the reaction is enthalpy and entropy favored. The CD results showed that only the Δ-ACC interacts with DNA and the Δ-ACC form has not any tendency to interact with DNA, also the pure curcumin has not any stereoselective interaction with CT-DNA. Fluorimetric studies showed that fluorescence enhancement was initiated by a static process in the ground state. The cyclic voltammetry showed that ACC interact with DNA with a binding site size of 2. From the FT-IR we concluded that the Δ-ACC interacts with DNA via partial electrostatic and minor groove binding. In comparison with previous works it was concluded that curcumin significantly reduced the affinity of Al3+ to the DNA.     

Diversity of phage-displayed libraries of peptides during panning and amplification

The amplification of phage-displayed libraries is an essential step in the selection of ligands from these libraries. The amplification of libraries, however, decreases their diversity and limits the number of binding clones that a screen can identify. While this decrease might not be a problem for screens against targets with a single binding site (e.g., proteins), it can severely hinder the identification of useful ligands for targets with multiple binding sites (e.g., cells). This review aims to characterize the loss in the diversity of libraries during amplification. Analysis of the peptide sequences obtained in several hundred screens of peptide libraries shows explicitly that there is a significant decrease in library diversity that occurs during the amplification of phage in bacteria. This loss during amplification is not unique to specific libraries: it is observed in many of the phage display systems we have surveyed. The loss in library diversity originates from competition among phage clones in a common pool of bacteria. Based on growth data from the literature and models of phage growth, we show that this competition originates from growth rate differences of only a few percent for different phage clones. We summarize the findings using a simple two-dimensional "phage phase diagram", which describes how the collapse of libraries, due to panning and amplification, leads to the identification of only a subset of the available ligands. This review also highlights techniques that allow elimination of amplification-induced losses of diversity, and how these techniques can be used to improve phage-display selection and enable the identification of novel ligands.     

Antimicrobial prospect of newly synthesized 1,3-thiazole derivatives

A new series of 1,3-thiazole and benzo[d]thiazole derivatives 10-15 has been developed, characterized, and evaluated for in vitro antimicrobial activity at concentrations of 25-200 μg/mL against Gram+ve organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Gram-ve organisms such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), and the fungal strain Aspergillus niger (A. niger) by the cup plate method. Ofloxacin and ketoconazole (10 μg/mL) were used as reference standards for antibacterial and antifungal activity, respectively. Compounds 11 and 12 showed notable antibacterial and antifungal activities at higher concentrations (125-200 μg/mL), whereas benzo[d]thiazole derivatives 13 and 14 were found to display significant antibacterial or antifungal activity (50-75 μg/mL) against the Gram+ve, Gram-ve bacteria, or fungal cells used in the present study. In addition, a correlation between calculated and determined partition coefficient (log P) was established which allows future development of compounds within this series to be carried out based on calculated log P values. Moreover, compounds 13 and 14 show that the optimum logarithm of partition coefficient (log P) should be around 4.