Electron capture dissociation of polypeptides using a 3 Tesla Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer

Electron capture dissociation (ECD) of polypeptides has been demonstrated using a commercially available 3 Tesla Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) instrument. A conventional rhenium filament, designed for high-energy electron impact ionisation, was used to effect ECD of substance P, bee venom melittin and bovine insulin, oxidised B chain. A retarding field analysis of the effective electron kinetic energy distribution entering the ICR cell suggests that one of the most important parameters governing ECD for this particular instrument is the need to employ low trapping plate voltages. This is shown to maximise the abundance of low-energy electrons. The demonstration of ECD at this relatively low magnetic field strength could offer the prospect of more routine ECD analysis for the wider research community, given the reduced cost of such magnets and (at least theoretically) the greater ease of electron/ion cloud overlap at lower field.     

Quartic equations and classification of Riemann tensors in general relativity

For space-times in general relativity, the Petrov classification of the Weyl conformai curvature and the Plebaski or Segre classification of the Ricci tensor each depend on the properties of the roots of quartic equations. The coefficients in these quartic equations are in general complicated functions of the space-time coordinates. We review the general theory of quartic equations, and discuss algorithms for determining the existence and values of multiple roots. We consider practical implementation of an algorithm and the consequent Petrov classification. Tests of programs embodying this algorithm, using the computer algebra system CLASSI based on SHEEP, are reported.     

Application of ammonia intermittent temperature-programmed desorption to evaluate surface acidity of tungsten oxide supported on activated carbon

Intermittent temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia was used to study the strength and population of surface acid sites of tungsten oxide supported on activated carbon pretreated at 350 and 700 degrees C. Catalysts pretreated at 350 degrees C showed two types of surface acid sites and desorption occurred with free readsorption until a temperature of around 300 degrees C was reached. Pretreatment at 700 degrees C produced three different states of ammonia adsorbed on the catalysts and desorption occurred with free readsorption.     

Efficient and fast Heck vinylation of 2-bromo-6-methyl pyridines with methylacrylate. Application to the synthesis of 6-methyl cyclopenta[b]pyridinone

Heck vinylation of 2-bromo-6-methyl-3-substituted pyridines using η³-allylpalladium chloride dimer/P(o-Tol)₃ complex/toluene and dimethylacetamide (DMA) as co-solvent with methyl acrylate is reported. Electronic and steric effects were investigated engaging diversely 2-bromo-3,6-disubstituted pyridines. As application, a new synthesis of the 6-methyl cyclopenta[b]pyridinone building-block connecting Heck vinylation, alkene reduction and Dieckmann condensation is described.     

Intramolecular C-glycosylation of 2-O-benzylated pentenyl mannopyranosides: remarkable 1,2-trans stereoselectivity

The IDCP-promoted intramolecular C-glycosylation of pentenyl α-mannopyranosides carrying, at O-2, an activated benzyl group gave, unexpectedly, the 1,2-trans-fused bicyclic product which corresponds to an α-C-aryl mannopyranose derivative. This remarkable, strained C-glycosyl compound was rapidly epimerized to the more stable 1,2-cis product on treatment with BF₃·Et₂O. The IDCP-reaction product could be elaborated into a 2-(α-C-mannopyranosyl)-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl alcohol derivative.     

Effects of DNA secondary structure on oligonucleotide probe binding efficiency

Secondary structure motifs in nucleic acid probes generally impair intended hybridization reactions and so efforts to predict and avoid such structures are commonly employed in probe design schemes. Another key facet of probe design that has received much less attention, however, is that secondary structure at targeted probe binding site regions may also impair hybridization. Thus, evaluation of both probe and target site secondary structures together should improve hybridization prediction and design effectiveness. Several challenges confound this goal, including imperfect empirical rules and parameters underlying predictions and the fact that folding algorithms scale poorly with respect to sequence length. Here, we attempt to quantify the consequences of target site structure on predicted hybridization using sequences sampled from the human genome. We also provide a methodology for choosing a reasonable “window size” around target sites that is as small as possible without compromising folding algorithm prediction accuracy.     

Reactivity of monolayer-protected gold nanoclusters at dye-sensitized liquid/liquid interfaces

Hexanethiolate monolayer-protected gold nanoclusters (MPCs) were used as redox quenchers at the polarizable water/1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) interface. Photocurrent responses originating from the heterogeneous quenching of photoexcited water soluble porphyrin complexes by MPCs dissolved in the DCE phase were observed. As MPCs can function as both electron acceptors and donors, the photocurrent results from the superposition of two simultaneous processes, which correspond to the oxidation and reduction of MPCs. The magnitude of the net photocurrent is essentially determined by the balance of the kinetics of these two processes, which can be controlled by tuning the Galvani potential difference between the two phases. We show that, within the available potential window, the apparent electron-transfer rate constants follow classical Butler-Volmer dependence on the applied potential difference.     

Artificial metalloenzymes for enantioselective catalysis based on biotin-avidin

Homogeneous and enzymatic catalysis offer complementary means to generate enantiomerically pure compounds. Incorporation of achiral biotinylated rhodium-diphosphine complexes into (strept)avidin yields artificial metalloenzymes for the hydrogenation of N-protected dehydroamino acids. A chemogenetic optimization procedure allows one to produce (R)-acetamidoalanine with 96% enantioselectivity. These hybrid catalysts display features reminiscent both of enzymatic and of homogeneous systems.     

Artificial metalloenzymes: (strept)avidin as host for enantioselective hydrogenation by achiral biotinylated rhodium-diphosphine complexes

We report on the generation of artificial metalloenzymes based on the noncovalent incorporation of biotinylated rhodium-diphosphine complexes in (strept)avidin as host proteins. A chemogenetic optimization procedure allows one to optimize the enantioselectivity for the reduction of acetamidoacrylic acid (up to 96% ee (R) in streptavidin S112G and up to 80% ee (S) in WT avidin). The association constant between a prototypical cationic biotinylated rhodium-diphosphine catalyst precursor and the host proteins was determined at neutral pH: log K(a) = 7.7 for avidin (pI = 10.4) and log K(a) = 7.1 for streptavidin (pI = 6.4). It is shown that the optimal operating conditions for the enantioselective reduction are 5 bar at 30 degrees C with a 1% catalyst loading.     

Magnetic Effects in Curved Quantum Waveguides

The interplay among the spectrum, geometry and magnetic field in tubular neighbourhoods of curves in Euclidean spaces is investigated in the limit when the cross section shrinks to a point. Proving a norm resolvent convergence, we derive effective, lower-dimensional models which depend on the intensity of the magnetic field and curvatures. The results are used to establish complete asymptotic expansions for eigenvalues. Spectral stability properties based on Hardy-type inequalities induced by magnetic fields are also analysed.