Über einige neue Bispirane

We have obtained four new bispirane systems in which both spiroatoms are vicinal atoms in cyclopropane or cyclobutane rings and in which the heterocyclic component has the basic structure of 1,4-dioxep-2-ene. We have shown that from two possibilities (bispiran, propellan) the general reaction leads only to a bispiran system. To the bispiran2 exhibiting the highest hyperchromism we ascribed the bispirocoplanar conformation (Fig. 1).

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Mit 3 Abbildungen     

A modification of the heteropoly blue method for the microgram determination of arsenic in biological materials

Summary A sensitive method has been developed for analysis of trace amounts of arsenic in biological materials using the heteropoly blue method. The method employs a closed apparatus and a nitrogen atmosphere, and allows the detection of arsenic in ppm concentration using samples of 100 mg.

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Zusammenfassung Eine empfindliche Methode zur Bestimmung von Arsenspuren in biologischem Material im Wege der Molybdänblaumethode wurde ausgearbeitet. Man arbeitet dabei in einer geschlossenen Apparatur in Stickstoffatmosphäre und kann so in 100-mg-Proben Arsenkonzentrationen in der Größenordnung von ppm bestimmen.

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Presented at the 6th Annual Northeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Burlington, Vermont, August 19, 1974.     

Die kathodische Sauerstoffreduktion an pyrolytisch abgeschiedenem Kohlenstoff in peroxidhältigen alkalischen Elektrolyten

The kinetics of the system O₂/HO₂ ^?, OH^? were studied at pyrolytic carbon in alkaline electrolytes. The rest potentials are close to the reversible values. They decrease by 30 mV when the HO₂ ^?-concentration is increased by a factor 10. CathodicTafel lines displayb-values between 70 and 95 mV. The exchange current densities are evaluated by extrapolation ofTafel lines to zero overvoltage and from the charge transfer resistance. Two different succeeding charge transfer reactions occur in course of the overall process, the first of which is the rate-determining step. A cathodic reaction order of zero is obtained with respect to HO₂ ^?. Theb values of anodicTafel lines are between 60 and 80 mV, the corresponding reaction order concerning the HO₂ ^? concentration is found to be +0.5. The kinetic studies prove the reversibility of the system O₂/HO₂ ^?, OH^? at carbon electrodes. The reaction mechanism is: $$\begin{array}{*{20}c} {O_2 + e^ - \rightleftarrows O_2 } \\ {O_{2^ - } + H_2 O \rightleftarrows HO_2 + OH - } \\ {HO_2 + e^ - \rightleftarrows HO_{2^ - } } \\ \end{array} $$ .     

Proton and deuteron position preferences in water clusters: an ab initio study

In order to explore the effect of H-to-D substitution on the zero-point energy (ZPE) of water clusters, Hessians were computed for a database of 53 optimized (H2O)n clusters, 5 < or = n < or = 21, at the B3LYP6-311 + + G** level. The 53 clusters contained 1524 protons, which were sorted into 18 categories according to the type of their donor O and (if not free) acceptor O. Letting deltaZPE[H]* denote the change in ZPE when the proton H* is replaced by D, mean values for deltaZPE[H*] for the H-bonded categories ranged from -2172 cal mol(-1) for H* in a DDAA-DDAA bond to -2118 for H* in a DAA-DDA bond. Mean value for H* free on DAA (respectively, DA) was -2018 (respectively, -1969). For DAA-DDA bonds, and for short H bonds in general, there was a strong inverse correlation between /deltaZPE[H*]/ and the O-H* distance. deltaZPE for multiple H-to-D substitutions was additive, except for a cooperativity effect of -13.7 to -19.7 cal mol(-1) when two substituted protons were in the same H2O unit and a much smaller cooperativity when one proton's donor was the other's acceptor. Implications of these data include a relative preference for D to occupy H bonded rather than free positions in finite water clusters, a value of 3.82 for the disproportionation equilibrium constant of mixed ice at 150 K, increased occupation by H at surface positions of mixed ice, and a larger average coordination number for liquid D2O than for liquid H2O.     

THE USE OF TETRAZOLIUM SALTS TO DETERMINE SITES OF DAMAGE TO THE MITOCHONDRIAL ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN IN INTACT CELLS FOLLOWING in vitro: PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY WITH PHOTOFRIN II

Abstract: A method is described utilizing the tetrazolium salts neotetrazolium chloride (NTC), triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC), C, N -diphenyl- N' -4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yrtetrazolium bromide (MTT) and various substrates to elucidate damage to the mitochondrial electron transport chain of intact cells following in vitro photodynamic therapy (PDT). Using this methodology, a portion of the dark toxicity manifested by Photofrin II (PII) was found to occur prior to entry of electrons into the transport chain through Complex I, as evidenced by the fact that the inhibition of MTT reduction was reversible by the addition of malic acid to the culture media. A second site of dark toxicity was found to be Complex IV (cytochrome oxidase). After photoirradiation of the cells, Complex I was found to be affected since malic acid could no longer reverse the inhibition of MTT reduction but it could be reversed by the addition of succinic acid, whose electrons enter the transport chain at Complex II. A second and more sensitive site of photoirradiation damage was found to be Complex IV. A region near cytochrome C was also affected by photoirradiation but appreciably less so than noted for Complexes I and IV. A kinetic analysis of MTT and TTC reduction following photoirradiation indicated that MTT reduction was sustained at a normal rate for 1 h after which it slowed down and eventually plateaued. In contrast, TTC reduction was found to be inhibited almost immediately indicating Complex IV is extremely susceptible to photoirradiation damage. Compared to other assays of mitochondrial function requiring subcellular fractionation, the use of tetrazolium salts is simpler to perform and can be done using physiologically relevant conditions.     

Hyper-Rayleigh scattering spectrum of liquid nitromethane

The vertical vertical (VV), horizontal vertical (HV), and vertical horizontal (VH) hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) spectra were measured for liquid CH3NO2 at T= 300 K. The main HRS spectral component has a width upsilon1=1.28 +/- 0.04 cm(-1), which gives an orientation relaxation time pi=4.1 +/- 0.1 ps in good agreement with other experiments. However, the VH spectrum also contains a previously unobserved strong narrow peak at zero-frequency shift, absent from the VV and HV spectra, which is due to a slowly relaxing longitudinal orientation mode. The upper bound on the width of this peak is 5 MHz, which corresponds to a relaxation time pi > 30 ns.     

Beitrag zum Stabilisierungsmechanismus des Wollkeratins durch einige Metalle

Zusammenfassung Das Verhalten des Wollkeratins ist im kochenden Wasser nach Behandlung mit Kupfer-, Kadmium-, Silber- und Quecksilbersalzen unnormal, nicht nur verglichen mit dem Verhalten des metallfreien Proteins, sondern auch gegenüber des unter gleichen Bedingungen mit anderen Metallen behandelten Keratins. Die beobachteten Phänomene werden in einigen Fällen entweder mit der Annahme der Bildung von Vernetzungen zwischen benachbarten Polypeptidketten durch Komplexbildung des Metalls mit einigen Gruppen des Keratins oder durch Blockieren des Cysteins und der Verhinderung des Disulfidaustausches erklärt. In anderen Fällen jedoch, besonders bei Silber, ist die Erklärung der eintretenden Veränderung mit Hilfe dieser zwei Mechanismen nicht möglich, und es wird die direkte Reaktion des Metalls mit dem Schwefel des Cystins vorgeschlagen. Hierbei wird das Cystin und damit die Disulfidbindung gespalten. Die Spaltung dieser Bindung und die Verhinderung ihrer Rückbildung, entweder in derselben oder in anderer Lage, senkt die Zahl der Quervernetzungen im Keratin herab und damit die Fixierung der Polypeptidketten in ihrer ursprünglichen Lage. Hieraus resultiert eine Schrumpfung der Ketten und die Kontraktion der Faser.

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Summary Wool fibres containing cadmium, copper, mercury or silver set in a different way than the untreated ones or the fibres which contain other metals. This behaviour is explained in some cases by assuming the formation of complexes between the metal and the protein or by the disulphide exchange mechanism. In other cases, however, and particularly with silver this is not possible, and therefore the direct reaction between the metal and the sulphur of cystine is proposed. According to this mechanism the contraction of the fibre is due to the breakdown of the disulphide bond and the inability of its reformation.

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Mit 10 Abbildungen und 2 Tabellen     

Eutectic phase polymerization of activated ribonucleotide mixtures yields quasi-equimolar incorporation of purine and pyrimidine nucleobases

The RNA world hypothesis requires a plausible mechanism by which RNA itself (or precursor RNA-like polymers) can be synthesized nonenzymatically from the corresponding building blocks. Simulation experiments have exploited chemically reactive mononucleotides as monomers. Solutions of such monomers in the prebiotic environment were likely to be very dilute, but in experimental simulations of polymerization reactions dilute solutions of activated mononucleotides in the millimolar range hydrolyze extensively, and only trace amounts of dimers and trimers are formed. We report here that random medium-size RNA analogues with mixed sequences (5- to 17-mers with traces of longer products) can be synthesized in ice eutectic phases that are produced when dilute solutions of activated monomers and catalysts (Mg(II) and Pb(II)) are frozen and maintained at -18 degrees C for periods up to 38 days. Under these conditions, the monomers are concentrated as eutectics in an ice matrix. Hydrolysis of the activated mononucleotides was suppressed at low-temperature ranges, and polymerization was enhanced with yields up to 90%. Analysis of the mixed oligomers established that incorporation of both purine and pyrimidine bases proceeded at comparable rates and yields. These results suggest that ice deposits on the early Earth could have facilitated the synthesis of short- and medium-size random sequence RNA analogues and thereby provided a microenvironment suitable for the formation of biopolymers or their precursors.     

The different steric environments of the 5-exo- and 5-endo- substituent for a pair of isomeric tricarbonyl(methoxycyclohexa-1,-diene)irons

A shift reagent has been employed to demonstrate the sterically-hindered environment of the methoxy group in tricarbonyl(5-endo-methoxycyclohexa-1,-diene)iron relative to that of the methoxy group in the 5-exo analogue.