Polystachyne F, a 5,10-seco-neoclerodane from Salvia polystachya

A new 5,10-seco-neoclerodane diterpene, polystachyne F (1), was isolated from the aerial parts of Salvia polystachya. Its structure was established on the basis of its spectroscopic properties and X-ray crystallographic analysis. Some correlations in the NOESY spectrum of 1 suggested the existence of a conformational equilibrium.     

Noncovalent interactions between organometallic metallocene complexes and single-walled carbon nanotubes

First principles density functional pseudopotential calculations have been used to investigate the nature of interactions between single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and intercalated transition metal metallocene complexes, M(eta-C(5)H(5))(2) (MCp(2)). Three composites, MCp(2)-graphene (d(t)=infinity), MCp(2)@(17,0) (d(t)=1.33 nm), and MCp(2)@(12,0) (d(t)=0.94 nm) (where M=Fe,Co), have been studied to probe the influence of the nanotube diameter (d(t)) on the nature and magnitude of the interactions. Theoretical results presented here demonstrate that these MCp(2)@SWNT composites are stabilized by weak pi-stacking and CH...pi interactions, and in the case of the CoCp(2)@SWNT composites there is an additional electrostatic contribution as a result of charge transfer from CoCp(2) to the nanotube. The extent of charge transfer (MCp(2)-->SWNT) can be rationalized in terms of the electronic structures of the two fragments, or more specifically, the relative positions of the metallocene highest occupied molecular orbital and the conduction band of the nanotube in the electronic structure of the composite.     

Ru(TPP)CO]-Catalysed Intramolecular Benzylic CH Bond Amination, Affording Phenanthridine and Dihydrophenanthridine Derivatives

Shedding light on azides: [Ru(TPP)CO] (TPP=tetraphenyl porphyrin dianion), white light and O(2) were found to be a suitable catalyst combination to perform the annulation of several biaryl azides. The high chemoselectivity of the process allows the synthesis of phenanthridines and dihydrophenanthridines in good yield and purity.     

Tetramethylnorbornadiene, a versatile alkene for cyclopentenone synthesis through intermolecular Pauson-Khand reactions

1,2,3,4-Tetramethyl-bicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene (TMNBD, for tetramethylnorbornadiene) has been prepared and used successfully as an acetylene equivalent in the synthesis of substituted cyclopentenones. TMNBD is easily accessible on a multigram scale and displays excellent reactivity toward the intermolecular Pauson-Khand reaction. Conjugate additions on the resulting tricyclic compounds proceed with exquisite diastereoselectivity. The retro-Diels-Alder reaction of these TMNBD derivatives occurs under much smoother conditions than those required for its norbornadiene homologues.     

Mass transport controlled oxygen reduction at anthraquinone modified 3D-CNT electrodes with immobilized Trametes hirsuta laccase

Carbon nanotubes covalently modified with anthraquinone were used as an electrode for the immobilization of Trametes hirsuta laccase. The adsorbed laccase is capable of oxygen reduction at a mass transport controlled rate (up to 3.5 mA cm(-2)) in the absence of a soluble mediator. The storage and operational stability of the electrode are excellent.     

A structural investigation of the alkali metal site distribution within bioactive glass using neutron diffraction and multinuclear solid state NMR

The atomic-scale structure of Bioglass and the effect of substituting lithium for sodium within these glasses have been investigated using neutron diffraction and solid state magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR. Applying an effective isomorphic substitution difference function to the neutron diffraction data has enabled the Na-O and Li-O nearest-neighbour correlations to be isolated from the overlapping Ca-O, O-(P)-O and O-(Si)-O correlations. These results reveal that Na and Li behave in a similar manner within the glassy matrix and do not disrupt the short range order of the network former. Residual differences are attributed solely to the variation in ionic radius between the two species. Successful simplification of the 2 < r (?) < 3 region via the difference method has enabled all the nearest neighbour correlations to be deconvolved. The diffraction data provides the first direct experimental evidence of split Na-O nearest-neighbour correlations in these melt quench bioactive glasses, and an analogous splitting of the Li-O correlations. The observed correlations are attributed to the metal ions bonded either to bridging or to non-bridging oxygen atoms. (23)Na triple quantum MAS (3QMAS) NMR data corroborates the split Na-O correlations. The structural sites present will be intimately related to the release properties of the glass system in physiological fluids such as plasma and saliva, and hence to the bioactivity of the material. Detailed structural knowledge is therefore a prerequisite for optimizing material design.     

Isolation and structure elucidation of ovatoxin-a, the major toxin produced by Ostreopsis ovata

Since 2005, the benthic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis cf. ovata has bloomed across the Mediterranean basin, provoking serious toxic outbreaks. LC/MS studies have identified a number of palytoxin-like compounds, termed ovatoxins, along with trace amounts of putative palytoxin as the causative agents of the O. cf. ovata -related human sufferings. So far, any risk assessment for ovatoxins as well as establishment of their allowance levels in seafood has been prevented by the lack of pure toxins. The present paper reports on the isolation, NMR-based structural determination, and preliminary mouse lethality evaluation of ovatoxin-a, the major toxic compound contained in O. cf. ovata extracts. Availability of pure ovatoxin-a will open the double prospect of fully evaluating its toxicity and preparing reference standards to be employed in LC/MS quantitative analyses. Elucidation of ovatoxin-a's complex structure will ultimately herald the understanding of the molecular bases of ovatoxins bioactivity.     

RNA and DNA association to zwitterionic and charged monolayers at the air-liquid interface

The objective of this work is to establish under which conditions short RNA molecules (similar to miRNA) associate with zwitterionic phospholipids and how this differs from the association with cationic surfactants. We study how the base pairing (i.e., single stranded versus double stranded nucleic acids) and the length of the nucleic acid and the charge of the lipid/surfactant monolayer affect the association behavior. For this purpose, we study the adsorption of nucleic acids to monolayers composed of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) or dioctadecyl-dimethyl-ammoniumbromide (DODAB) using the surface film balance, neutron reflectometry, and fluorescence microscopy. The monolayer studies with the surface film balance suggested that short single-stranded ssRNA associates with liquid expanded zwitterionic phospholipid monolayers, whereas less or no association is detected for double-stranded dsRNA and dsDNA. In order to quantify the interaction and to determine the location of the nucleic acid in the lipid/surfactant monolayer we performed neutron reflectometry measurements. It was shown that ssRNA adsorbs to and penetrates the liquid expanded monolayers, whereas there is no penetration of nucleic acids into the liquid condensed monolayer. No adsorption was detected for dsDNA to zwitterionic monolayers. On the basis of these results, we propose that the association is driven by the hydrophobic interactions between the exposed hydrophobic bases of the ssRNA and the hydrocarbon chains of the phospholipids. The addition of ssRNA also influences domain formation in the DPPC monolayer, leading to fractal-like interconnected domains. The experimental results are discussed in terms of the implication for biological processes and new leads for applications in medicine and biotechnology.     

Cell-selective labeling of bacterial proteomes with an orthogonal phenylalanine amino acid reporter

Orthogonal amino acid reporters allow the selective labeling of different cell types in heterogeneous populations through the expression of engineered aminoacyl tRNA synthetases. Here, we demonstrate that para-ethynylphenylalanine (PEP) can be used as an orthogonal amino acid reporter for efficient selective labeling of an intracellular bacterial pathogen during infection.