Palladium-catalyzed regio- and diastereo-selective allylic alkylation using 2-(diphenylphosphino)benzoic acid: construction of vicinal quaternary and tertiary carbon centers

The palladium-catalyzed regio- and diastereo-selective allylic alkylation of allyl acetates with carbon nucleophiles occurred. The stereochemistry was highly controlled by the palladium catalyst with 2-(diphenylphosphino)benzoic acid as the ligand, and vicinal quaternary and tertiary carbon centers were constructed.     

Polymeric phosphonium salts as a novel class of cationic biocides. V. Synthesis and antibacterial activity of polyesters releasing phosphonium biocides

Polyesters were prepared which retained phosphonium biocides as counter ions of sodium sulfonate moieties incorporated into the polymers, and surface antibacterial activity of the polyester films against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was explored. These films exhibited a high surface antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli, particularly against S. aureus, and the activity was affected by the structure and the compositional ratio of the phosphonium salts. Amount of the released phosphonium salts was very small, so that liberation of the phosphonium biocides can be expected to occur over a long period. Morphological changes of the cells of S. aureus and E. coli in contact with the polyester films were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the surface antibacterial activity of the polyester films was rather bacteriostatic than bactericidal as evidenced by no morphological changes of the bacterial cells in contact with the phosphonium biocides © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Some structural features induced by the space-time metrical fluctuation in the theory of gravitational fields

Under the assumption that the so-called space-time fluctuationy(x) in a classical sense, attached to each point of the gravitational field at some microscopic stage, is summarized as the metrical fluctuation in the formg _λκ (x)=g_λκ (x)·exp2σ(y(x)), some new physical aspects induced by the conformal scalarσ(x) (≡σ(y(x))) are found: By introducing the torsionT _κ ^λμ (x) from a general standpoint, the resulting micro-gravitational field is made to have a conformally non-Riemannian structure, where a special form ofT _κ ^λμ (i.e.,T _κ ^λμ =δ _κ ^λ σ_μ?δ _κ ^μ σ_λ(σ_μ=?σ/?x ^μ)) shows some peculiar features. An averaging process with respect toy is taken into account, by which the spatial structure of the corresponding macro-field is shown, in general, to have a somewhat “non”-Riemannian structure due to the contributions of the torsionT _κ ^λμ .     

Spinel, YbFe2O4, and Yb2Fe3O7 types of structures for compounds in the In2O3 and Sc2O3---A2O3---BO systems [A: Fe, Ga, or Al; B: Mg, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, or Zn] at temperatures over 1000°C

In the Sc₂O₃---Ga₂O₃---CuO, Sc₂O₃---Ga₂O₃---ZnO, and Sc₂O₃---Al₂O₃---CuO systems, ScGaCuO₄, ScGaZnO₄, and ScAlCuO₄ with the YbFe₂O₄-type structure and Sc₂Ga₂CuO₇ with the Yb₂Fe₃O₇-type structure were obtained. In the In₂O₃---A₂O₃---BO systems (A: Fe, Ga, or Al; B: Mg, Mn, Fe, Ni, or Zn), InGaFeO₄, InGaNiO₄, and InFe³⁺MgO₄ with the spinel structure, InGaZnO₄, InGaMgO₄, and InAlCuO₄ with the YbFe₂O₄-type structure, and In₂Ga₂MnO₇ and In₂Ga₂ZnO₇ with the Yb₂Fe₃O₇-type structure were obtained. InGaMnO₄ and InFe₂O₄ had both the YbFe₂O₄-type and spinel-type structures. The revised classification for the crystal structures of AB₂O₄ compounds is presented, based upon the coordination numbers of constituent A and B cations.     

The circular dichroism spectra of the β-cyclodextrin complex with azulene

When azulene is included in the cavity of β-cyclodextrin (β-CDx), induced circular dichroism (CD) bands are observed in the corresponding absorption bands of azulene. On the basis of the theoretical conclusions for β-CDx complexes with naphthalene derivatives of Harata and Uedaira, it is concluded from the signs of the CD bands that the first (about 455 to 715 nm), third (about 290 to 305 nm) and fifth (at about 238 nm) absorption bands have the transition dipole moments perpendicular to the long axis and the second 305 to 360 nm), fourth (about 240 to 290 nm) and sixth (shorter than 220 nm) absorption bands have the transition dipole moments parallel to the long axis of azulene. Our assignments are in complete agreement with earlier assignments. Our experimental results do not provide any information regarding two new electronic transitions suggested theoretically by Thulstrup et al.     

Antioxidant activity and Neurite outgrowth-enhancing activity of scorbamic acid and a red pigment derived from ascorbic acid

Abstract

L-Ascorbic acid (AA), known as vitamin C, can form browning products by a non-enzymatic process during storage and the browning products cause deterioration of agricultural products. In the browning reaction, a red pigment, 2,2´-nitrilodi-2(2´)-deoxy-L-ascorbic acid ammonium salt (NDA), is generated from AA via L-scorbamic acid (SCA) as an intermediate. However, the biological activities of SCA and NDA have not yet been clarified. In this study, we assayed the antioxidant activities of SCA and NDA using ABTS radical cation and their neurite outgrowth-enhancing activities in PC12 cells. SCA showed stronger radical-scavenging activity than that of AA, while NDA hardly showed any activity. SCA and NDA enhanced the neurite outgrowth induced by dibutyryl cyclic AMP after their incorporation into cells in the same manner as that of AA. The results indicated that SCA has antioxidant activity and that SCA and NDA have neurite outgrowth-enhancing activity.     

Motor protein nano-biomachine powered by self-supplying ATP

A new nano-biomachine has been created from microtubules (MTs) and hetero-bifunctional polymer particles bearing pyruvate kinase, which is propelled on glass surfaces coated with kinesin by use of self-supplying ATP.     

Isolation of heptadepsin, a novel bacterial cyclic depsipeptide that inhibits lipopolysaccharide activity

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is considered to cause various inflammatory reactions. We searched among microbial secondary metabolites for compounds that could inhibit LPS-stimulated adhesion between human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and human myelocytic cell line HL-60 cells. In the course of our screening, we isolated a novel cyclic depsipeptide, which we named heptadepsin, from the whole culture broth of Paenibacillus sp. The addition of heptadepsin prior to LPS stimulation decreased HL-60 cell-HUVEC adhesion without showing any cytotoxicity. It also inhibited the cellular adhesion induced by lipid A, the active component of LPS, but it did not inhibit TNF-alpha or IL-1beta-induced cell adhesion. The result of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis revealed that heptadepsin interacted with lipid A directly. Thus, heptadepsin, a novel naturally occurring cyclic heptadepsipeptide, was shown to inactivate LPS by direct interaction with LPS.     

Application of AMS <Superscript>14</Superscript>C measurements to criminal investigations

¹⁴C variations of atmospheric CO₂ as well as carbonaceous fraction of living materials, such as collagen from tooth and bone, tissue, skin, hair, nail, etc., of modern humans are influenced by ¹⁴C produced artificially by nuclear bomb tests in the atmosphere from late 1950s to early 1960s. By careful investigation of ¹⁴C concentration of tree rings and human body samples formed in this time intervals, we can establish a relationship of their ¹⁴C concentrations with calendar year. By applying this relation to a sample whose ¹⁴C concentration can be measured, we can estimate the formation age of the sample. In addition, sources of the chemicals that were used in some criminal cases can be possibly identified, by their carbon isotope ratios (¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁴C/¹²C). This method of age determination has been applied to a forensic study, i.e., two criminal cases of murder. For each case, by comparing the measured ¹⁴C abundances of several pieces of hair and one tooth (the third molar) from the body with the annual change on concentrations of bomb-produced ¹⁴C, the time of death of the body and the age of the victim were estimated. The estimated values were consistent with the real ones that were revealed by the confession of the real murderers.