S-oxidation of thiazolidinedione with hydrogen peroxide, peroxynitrous acid, and C4a-hydroperoxyflavin: a theoretical study

Quantum chemical analysis was carried out to model metabolism of glitazone class of drugs through oxygen transfer process to the sulfur atom of thiazolidinedione ring with different oxidants such as H(2)O(2), HOONO, and C4a-hydroperoxyflavin. Complete optimization (geometric and energy parameters) of all the required structures and transition states on the reaction path was carried out using MP2(full)/6-31+G(d,p). Charge and second-order delocalization analyses of important structures were carried out using the NBO method. The effect of solvent on the oxygen transfer to sulfur of thiazolidinedione was studied by including one, two, or three explicit water molecules. These calculations revealed that explicit solvent (water) effectively contributed in the sulfoxidation of thiazolidinedione and led to remarkable reduction in the energy barrier by ～10 kcal/mol as compared to the gas phase. These results were found to be consistent with previously reported S-oxidation of dimethyl sulfide. When explicit water molecules were included, solvent molecules stabilize the charge separation at the transition state via specific interactions, and oxidation occurs via stretching of the O-O bond of oxidants and gradual formation of S-O bond. This study is helpful in understanding the metabolite generation due to the S-oxidation process in the glitazone series of antidiabetic drugs under physiological conditions.     

A new window towards multidimensional sensing of transition metal cations through dual mode sensing ability of N-benzyl-(3-hydoxy-2-naphthalene): emission enhancement coupled remarkable spectral shift

A structurally simple Schiff base N-benzyl-(3-hydroxy-2-naphthalene) (NBHN32) has been synthesized and characterized by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, and DEPT spectroscopy. The photophysical behaviour of NBHN32 in response to the presence of various transition metal cations has been explored by means of steady-state absorption, emission and time-resolved emission spectroscopy techniques. Efficient through space intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer (PET) between the naphthalene fluorophore and the imine group has been argued for extremely low fluorescence yield of NBHN32 compared to the parent molecule 3-hydroxy-2-naphthaldehyde (HN32) containing the same fluorophore but lacking the receptor moiety. Transition metal ion-induced emission enhancement is thus addressed on the lexicon of perturbation of the PET by the metal ions. Apart from fluorescence enhancement, transition metal ion imparts remarkable shift of the emission maxima of NBHN32, which is another unique aspect on the proposed ability of NBHN32 to function as a fluorescence chemosensor.     

Studies of bio-mimetic medium of ionic and non-ionic micelles by a simple charge transfer fluorescence probe N,N-dimethylaminonapthyl-(acrylo)-nitrile

In this report we have studied micellization process of anionic, cationic and non-ionic surfactants using N,N-dimethylaminonapthyl-(acrylo)-nitrile (DMANAN) as an external fluorescence probe. Micropolarity, microviscosity, critical micellar concentration of these micelles based on steady state absorption and fluorescence and time resolved emission spectroscopy of the probe DMANAN show that the molecule resides in the micelle-water interface for ionic micelles and in the core for the non-ionic micelle. The effect of variation of pH of the micellar solution as well as fluorescence quenching measurements of DMANAN provide further support for the location of the probe in the micelles.     

Unexpectedly low angular extent of journal bearing pressures: experiment and theory

Journal bearings have been studied for a long time. Pressure solutions for the same, as presented in textbooks, typically have angular extents exceeding 150°. Here, for a bearing with a relatively larger clearance ratio (0.01 as opposed to, say, 0.001), our experiments show an angular extent of about 50° only. Such small angular extents cannot be predicted, even approximately, by the existing simple theories for journal bearing pressures. However, such theories are based on assumptions whereby only the relative speed between bearing and journal surfaces enters the governing equations. We discuss how these same assumptions motivate some new combinations of boundary conditions that allow reasonably simple numerical treatment. In this paper, the resulting families of possible solutions are computed semi-numerically using a Fourier series expansion in one direction and finite differences and numerical continuation in the other. We find that one such solution family contains small-extent solutions similar to those observed experimentally.     

Simple,Convenient Method for the Synthesis of Substituted Furan-2(5H)-one Derivatives Using Tin(II) Chloride

Furan-2(5H)-one derivatives have been synthesized by a simple, efficient, one-pot, three-component condensation of anilines, dimethylacetylenedicarboxylate, and aromatic aldehydes in the presence of a catalytic amount of tin(II) chloride in excellent yields.     

Inequivalence of substitution pairs in hydroxynaphthaldehyde: A theoretical measurement by intramolecular hydrogen bond strength,aromaticity, and excited‐state intramolecular proton transfer reaction

The inequivalence of substitution pair positions of naphthalene ring has been investigated by a theoretical measurement of hydrogen bond strength, aromaticity, and excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) reaction as the tools in three substituted naphthalene compounds viz 1‐hydroxy‐2‐naphthaldehyde (HN12), 2‐hydroxy‐1‐naphthaldehyde (HN21), and 2‐hydroxy‐3‐naphthaldehyde (HN23). The difference in intramolecular hydrogen bond (IMHB) strength clearly reflects the inequivalence of substitution pairs where the calculated IMHB strength is found to be greater for HN12 and HN21 than HN23. The H‐bonding interactions have been explored by calculation of electron density ρ(r) and Laplacian ?²ρ(r) at the bond critical point using atoms in molecule method and by calculation of interaction between σ* of OH with lone pair of carbonyl oxygen atom using NBO analysis. The ground and excited state potential energy surfaces (PESs) for the proton transfer reaction at HF (6‐31G**) and DFT (B3LYP/6‐31G**) levels are similar for HN12, HN21 and different for HN23. The computed aromaticity of the two rings of naphthalene moiety at B3LYP/6‐31G** method also predicts similarity between HN12 and HN21, but different for HN23. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Dipyrrolylmethane-based macrobicyclic azacryptand: synthesis, X-ray structures, conformational and anion binding properties

A new class of macrobicyclic azacryptand containing dipyrrolylmethane subunits with nitrogen bridgeheads was synthesized by the Mannich reaction of the dipyrrolylmethane in the presence of aqueous ammonia. The azacryptand exhibits a staggered conformation in the solid state, but is in a dynamic equilibrium with the eclipsed conformation in solution studied by the variable-temperature (1)H NMR methods. The azacryptand has a specific size suitable only for fluoride ion; large anions such as NO(3)(-) bind in the clefts of the macrobicycle as shown by the X-ray structures of its fluoride ion inclusion and the nitrate anion complexes. The anion binding studies showed that it has high selectivity and affinity for fluoride ion in acetone over other anions studied, which was supported by (1)H and (19)F NMR methods. The azacryptand has fast fluoride ion-mediated proton-deuterium exchanges with acetone-d(6) studied by the (19)F NMR method.     

Analysis of chemical signals in red fire ants by gas chromatography and pattern recognition techniques

Gas chromatographic (GC) profiles of cuticular hydrocarbon extracts obtained from individual and pooled ant samples were analyzed using pattern recognition techniques. Clustering according to the biological variables of social caste and colony were observed. Pooling individual extracts enhanced the recognition of patterns in the GC profile data characteristic of colony. Evidently, the contribution of the ant's individual pattern to the overall hydrocarbon profile pattern can obscure information about colony in the GC traces of cuticular hydrocarbon extracts obtained from red fire ants. Re-analysis of temporal caste and time period data on the cuticular hydrocarbon patterns demonstrates that sampling time and social caste must be taken into account to avoid unnecessary variability and possible confounding. This and the fact that foragers could not be separated from reserves and brood-tenders in all five laboratory colonies studied suggests that cuticular hydrocarbons as a class of sociochemicals cannot model every facet of nestmate recognition in Solenopsis invicta which in turn suggests a potential role for other compounds in the discrimination of alien conspecifics from nestmates.     

Fluorescent Probing of Protein Bovine Serum Albumin Stability and Denaturation Using Polarity Sensitive Spectral Response of a Charge Transfer Probe

The polarity sensitive photo-induced intra-molecular charge transfer (ICT) fluorescence probe (E)-3-(4-methylamino-phenyl)-acrylic acid ethyl ester (MAPAEE) has been used to study the model protein Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) in its native and thermal and urea induced denatured states. The interaction between BSA and the regular surfactant Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS) as well as the biologically relevant steroid-based amphiphile Sodium Deoxycholate (NaDC) has also been very keenly followed using this ICT probe. The variation of micellar properties of both SDS and NaDC with increasing ionic strengths and in presence of the chaotrope urea has also been well documemted by the same probe. Steady-state spectroscopy, FRET, and fluorescence anisotropy measurements have been used to gain better insight into these processes and the molecule MAPAEE to be a full-bodied fluorescent probe for studying such intricate biological systems, their properties and interactions.