Composition and properties of freeze-dried products of nicotinic acid withβ-cyclodextrin and heptakis (2,6-0-dimethyl)-β-cyclodextrin

The purpose of the study was to examine the formation of inclusion compounds in the freeze-dried products obtained from aqueous solutions of nicotinic acid and -cyclodextrin (-CD), or heptakis (2,6-0-dimethyl)--cyclodextrin (DIMEB). The molar ratios used were 1:1 and 2:1. In addition two freezing temperatures (–40 and –196°C) and different secondary drying temperatures (+50 and +80°C) were used. Freeze-dried products with -CD obtained after low temperature freezing are of the same crystallographic structure as seen in a pure inclusion compound prepared by coprecipitation. Amorphous products were formed after fast freezing. The molar ratios of included nicotinic acid in the freeze-dried products vary — dependent on the preparation conditions — between 0.75:1 and 1:1. A factorial design proves that the included drug amount can be increased by enhancement of the amount of nicotinic acid used, by faster freezing, and by the combination of these two factors. The proof of inclusion formation was given by a combination of X-ray diffractography, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry and thermofractography.The freeze-dried preparations obtained with DIMEB were amorphous mixtures of the two components. No proof for inclusion of the nicotinic acid in the cyclodextrin cavity could be given. Higher (–40°C) or lower (–196°C) freezing temperatures and the running of the secondary drying process could not influence these results. The very low stability constant of the complex and steric reasons are responsible for this behavior.     

Giant vesicles formed by gentle hydration and electroformation: a comparison by fluorescence microscopy

Giant unilamellar vesicles (diameter of a few tens of micrometers) are commonly produced by hydration of a dried lipidic film. After addition of the aqueous solution, two major protocols are used: (i) the gentle hydration method where the vesicles spontaneously form and (ii) the electroformation method where an ac electric field is applied. Electroformation is known to improve the rate of unilamellarity of the vesicles though it imposes more restricting conditions for the lipidic composition of the vesicles. Here we further characterize these methods by using fluorescence microscopy. It enables not only a sensitive detection of the defects but also an evaluation of the quantity of lipids in these defects. A classification of the defects is proposed and statistics of their relative importance in regard to both methods and lipid composition are presented: it shows for example that 80% of the vesicles obtained by electroformation from 98% 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine are devoid of significant defects against only 40% of the vesicles with the gentle hydration method. It is also shown that the presence of too many negatively charged lipids does not favor the formation of unilamellar vesicles with both methods. For the gentle hydration, we checked if the negatively charged lipids were inserted in the vesicles membrane in the same proportion as that of the lipid mixture from which they are formed. The constant incorporation of a negatively charged labeled lipid despite an increasing presence of negatively charged 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-l-serine] tends to confirm that the composition of vesicles is indeed close to that of the initial mixture.     

Trifluoromethoxy substituted anilines: metalation as the key step for structural elaboration

Trifluoromethoxy-substituted anilines undergo hydrogen/lithium permutation ("metalation") with optional site selectivity depending on the N-protective group employed. N-tert-Butoxycarbonyl-2- and -4-(trifluoromethoxy)aniline react with tert-butyllithium at the nitrogen-adjacent 6- and 2-position affording, after electrophilic trapping, products 1-6. In contrast, deprotonation of the para isomer occurs at the oxygen-neighboring 3-position, giving rise to the acid 12, when the amino group is carrying two trimethylsilyl groups. sec-Butyllithium attacks 3-trifluoromethoxy-N-mono(trimethylsilyl)aniline at the 2-position, but 3-trifluoromethoxy-N,N-bis(trimethylsilyl)aniline at the 4-position to provide respectively the acids 10 and 11 after carboxylation. The synthesis of two new benzodiazepines illustrates (19 and 22) the preparative potential of the aniline functionalization mediated by organometallic reagents.     

Reagents for new heteroannelation reactions III. 2-(Methylthio)-2-thiazoline

Summary A variety of partly novel tri- and tetracyclic hetero systems were obtained by reaction of heteroaromatic 2-aminoesters with 2-(methylthio)-2-thiazoline, yielding double-annelation of a thiazolo[2,3-b]pyrimido moiety in a one-pot process.On leave from University of Chittagong, Bangladesh     

A microcomputer-controlled titrator for automated individual analysis

A titration unit for automatic analysis systems is described. The titrator performs different titrations specified by strings of digital parameters. It has 4 independent titration stations with individual electrode systems. A multiburette with 20 cylinders provides all stations with the necessary reagents. End-point titrations, and incremental and equilibrium titrations are controlled by a microcomputer. In combination with a sample transport and a desk calculator, the titrator can be used to process automatically samples of different natures which require different treatment.     

Efficient desulfurization of 2-thiopyrimidine nucleosides to the corresponding 4-pyrimidinone analogues using trans-2-(phenylsulfonyl)-3-phenyloxaziridine

A brief treatment of 2-thiopyrimidine nucleosides (s²U^∗) with trans-2-phenylsulfonyl-3-phenyloxaziridine (PSO) results in efficient substrate desulfurization leading to the corresponding 4-pyrimidinone analogues (H²U^∗). The key transformation proceeds through oxidation of the 2-thiocarbonyl group to a sulfur oxyacid derivative and subsequent elimination of sulfur dioxide. 4-Pyrimidinone 1-β-d-riboside (H²U) has been transformed into the respective phosphoramidite, a ready-to-use monomer for the introduction of a modified nucleoside into an oligonucleotide chain. Moreover, the effective desulfurization of the 2-thiouridine nucleotide could be achieved directly at the oligonucleotide level, by treatment of the TdA(s²U)dGdC oligonucleotide with PSO, as verified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.     

Simultaneous light emission from a mixture of dendrimer encapsulated chromophores: a model for single-layer multichromophoric organic light-emitting diodes

The site isolation of two dyes capable of electronic interaction via Forster energy transfer has been studied with the two dyes coumarin 343 and pentathiophene encapsulated by dendrons containing both solubilizing and electroactive moieties. Photoluminescence studies of mixtures of the dendritic dyes show that at high dendron generation, significant site isolation is achieved with relative emission characteristics influenced by both the degree of site isolation and the emission quantum yield of the dyes. Electroluminescence studies carried out in organic light emitting diode devices confirm that color tuning may be achieved by mixing the two encapsulated dyes in a single layer. However, selective carrier trapping by one of the core component dyes can dramatically influence the effectiveness of other components in the device.     

Gauge group,degeneration, and degrees of freedom in the ECSK theory of gravity. II. The Moncrief decomposition

It is shown that in the ECSK theory (coupled to an arbitrary tensor matter field) the degeneration distribution of the symplectic 2-form is closely connected with the action of the gauge groupG in the space of solutions to the field equations.     

Surface second-harmonic generation: A novel technique for ps-pulse duration measurements

Second-harmonic generation from dye adsorbates has been successfully used to measure the duration of ps pulses. In the red and in the blue-green spectral range pulse durations of 2.4 and 6.1 ps—in agreement with streak camera measurements — have been obtained from collinear, slow autocorrelation traces.