Synthesis of well-defined polymers with protected silanol groups by atom transfer radical polymerization and their use for the fabrication of polymeric nanoparticles

Copper-mediated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of a protected silanol group-holding methacrylate, methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MOPS), was investigated. In a dry condition using carefully distilled solvent and monomer, the polymerization proceeded in a living fashion providing a low-polydispersity polymer with a predicted molecular weight. The ATRP in conjunction with the sequential monomer addition of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and MOPS afforded a block copolymer of the type PMMA-b-poly(MMA-r-MOPS). The heat treatment of a solution of the block copolymer in the presence of a catalytic amount of ammonia gave a polymeric core-shell nanoparticle with a shell of PMMA moieties and a core of the poly(MMA-r-MOPS) blocks cross-linked via the condensation of the trimethoxysilane groups of the MOPS moieties.     

Synthesis of the proposed structure of plakevulin A: revised structure of plakevulin A

A total synthesis of the proposed structure of plakevulin A was accomplished. However, the NMR spectral data of the synthetic plakevulin A were not identical of those of the reported compound. We next converted the synthetic plakevulin A into 1-dihydrountenone A. The ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectral data of 1-dihydrountenone A were identical with those of reported plakevulin A except for the peaks derived from levulinic acid. Thus, we repurified sample of the natural product and confirmed that the natural sample contained 1-dihydrountenone A and levulinic acid in the ratio of one to one. We also found that not plakevulin A but 1-dihydountenone A possessed the inhibitory activity against mammalian DNA polymerases α and β.     

Acidic properties of V2O5-WO3/ZrO2 catalysts

The adsorption of pyridine on V₂O₅−WO₃/ZrO₂ has been studied by FTIR. In V₂O₅/ZrO₂ (2 wt.%), the number of both Br?nsted and Lewis acidic sites increased with the addition of WO₃, while in V₂O₅/ZrO₂ (5 wt.%), Br?nsted sites increased and Lewis sites did not change.     

Practical asymmetric synthesis of (S)-MA20565, a wide-spectrum agricultural fungicide

A practical asymmetric synthesis of a wide-spectrum agricultural fungicide, (S)-MA20565 (1), is described. The convergent synthesis was achieved starting from commercially available 3-(trifluoromethyl)aniline (7) in 44% overall yield through five steps and 2-bromobenzaldehyde (9) in 48% overall yield through four steps, respectively. (S)-O-[1-(3-Trifluoromethylphenyl)ethyl]hydroxylamine (2), a key intermediate of 1, was prepared via ruthenium(II)-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of 1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)ethanone (6) followed by chlorination using methanesulfonyl chloride and oxyamination using potassium acetohydroxamate with high level of stereocontrol.     

Platinum Nanoflowers on Scratched Silicon by Galvanic Displacement for an Effective SALDI Substrate

We report a new and facile method for synthesizing 3D platinum nanoflowers (Pt Nfs) on a scratched silicon substrate by electroless galvanic displacement and discuss the applications of the Pt Nfs in surface‐assisted laser desorption/ionization‐mass spectrometry (SALDI‐MS). Surface scratching of n‐type silicon is essential to induce Pt Nf growth on a silicon substrate (to obtain a Pt Nf silicon hybrid plate) by the galvanic displacement reaction. The Pt Nf silicon hybrid plate showed excellent SALDI activity in terms of the efficient generation of protonated molecular ions in the absence of a citrate buffer. We propose that the acidity of the Si? OH moieties on silicon increases because of the electron‐withdrawing nature of the Pt Nfs; hence, proton transfer from the Si? OH groups to the analyte molecules is enhanced, and finally, thermal desorption of the analyte ions from the surface occurs. Signal enhancement was observed for protonated molecular ions produced from a titania nanotube array (TNA) substrate on which Pt nanoparticles had been photochemically deposited. Moreover, surface modification of the Pt Nf silicon hybrid plate by perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane (FDTS) (to obtain an FDTS‐Pt Nf silicon hybrid plate) was found to facilitate soft SALDI of labile compounds. More interestingly, the FDTS‐Pt Nf silicon hybrid plate acts 1) as a high‐affinity substrate for phosphopeptides and 2) as a SALDI substrate. The feasibility of using the FDTS‐Pt Nf silicon hybrid plate for SALDI‐MS has been demonstrated by using a β‐casein digest and various analytes, including small molecules, peptides, phosphopeptides, phospholipids, carbohydrates, and synthetic polymers. The hybridization of Pt Nfs with a scratched silicon substrate has been found to be important for achieving excellent SALDI activity.     

Complete NMR analysis of oxytocin in phosphate buffer

Complete NMR analysis of oxytocin (OXT) in phosphate buffer was elucidated by one‐dimensional (1D)‐ and two‐dimensional (2D)‐NMR techniques, which involve the assignment of peptide amide NH protons and carbamoyl NH₂ protons. The ¹H? ¹⁵N correlation of seven amide NH protons and three carbamoyl NH₂ protons were also shown by HSQC NMR of OXT without ¹⁵N enrichment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of boradiazaindacene-imidazopyrazinone conjugate as lipophilic and yellow-chemiluminescent chemosensor for superoxide radical anion

As a chemiluminescent chemosensor that emits yellow light on reacting with a superoxide radical anion (O₂⁻) and has a lipophilic character, a 6-phenylimidazo[1,2-a]pyrazin-3(7H)-one derivative possessing a boradiazaindacene (BODIPY) at the para position of 6-phenyl (1) was synthesized. The lipophilicity of 1 was investigated by reversed-phase liquid chromatography, and its log P_ow value was found to be 3.57. This value was much higher than that of 2-methyl-6-(4-methoxypheyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazin-3(7H)-one (MCLA, log P_ow=1.19) and 6-[4-[2-{N′-(5-fluoresceinyl)thioureido}ethoxy]phenyl]-2-methylimidazo[1,2-a]pyrazin-3(7H)-one (FCLA, log P_ow=−0.08), and it was comparable to that of benzenoid hydrocarbons. The O₂⁻-induced chemiluminescence of 1 was investigated using the hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase system as the source of O₂⁻, and as a result, yellow emission was observed. The maximum wavelength was observed at 542 nm, and it was longer than that of FCLA.     

Long-range migration of a water molecule to catalyze a tautomerization in photoionization of the hydrated formamide cluster

The dynamics on the vacuum-ultraviolet one-photon ionization of a formamide-water cluster is investigated by a combination of theoretical reaction-path search and infrared spectroscopic methods. A keto-enol tautomerization of the formamide moiety occurs after photoionization by a catalytic action of the water molecule accompanied with its long-distance migration; the water molecule in the cluster migrates almost one turn around the formamide moiety. During the migration, the water molecule abstracts the proton of CH in the formamide moiety and carries it to the O atom side in the carbonyl group through a "catch and release"-type catalytic action.     

Preparation of alpha-elastin nanoparticles by gamma irradiation

Nanoparticles were prepared by utilizing the thermosensitive aggregation of alpha-elastin and gamma ray crosslinking. Three different heating process, “Slow heating”, “Fast heating”, and “Heat shock”, were applied for the aggregation of the alpha-elastin and examined to yield nanoparticles by gamma rays crosslinking. As a result, only “Slow heating” process yielded nanoparticles with diameters of about ca. 300 nm above cloud point (CP) and about ca. 100 nm below CP, and a narrow size distribution above 1.0 mg/ml concentration (exclude 1.0 mg/ml).