Quality assurance in research laboratories

During the last decade, it has become increasingly important that researchers demonstrate that research is conducted to the highest standards. The implementation of quality assurance for research laboratories will enable all fields of research and development to be judged impartially. There are no specific standards for research laboratories but where possible, existing standards can be adapted. This review is structured around two approaches. The first considers research to be a logical extension of testing, and it is assumed that testing standards can be applied methodically to each step in a research project. The second advocates a flexible approach, with research-specific criteria for assessing quality. The important papers published on this topic have been reviewed. The conclusions are that the general quality management approach, encompassed by the ISO 9000 series of standards with the emphasis on customer satisfaction and ‘fitness for purpose’, is suitable for implementing quality assurance in research laboratories.     

The study of heated and charred archaeological materials with electron spin résonance spectroscopy

Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy has been used to examine archaeological materials in terms of identifying and quantifying the effects of ancient heating or charting and as a means of establishing thermal profiles of free-spin species with the aim of assessing the extent of ancient heat treatment and as an aid to source-type studies. The utilisation of the pyrolytically induced radical carbon signal in flint, bone and crop remains is discussed in the context of related ESR work on coal, charcoal and similar materials and the relevance of ESR dating techniques to developing an understanding of ancient pyrotechnology is outlined.     

Purine analog inhibitors of xanthine oxidase - structure activity relationships and proposed binding of the molybdenum cofactor

A number of new hypoxanthine analogs have been prepared as substrate inhibitors of xanthine oxidase. Most noteworthy inhibitory new hypoxanthine analogs are 3-(m-tolyl)pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-7-one ( 47 ), ID₅₀ 0.06 μM and 3-phenylpyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-7-one ( 46 ), ID₅₀ 0.40 μM. 5-(p-Chlorophenyl)pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-7-one ( 63 ) and the corresponding 5-nitrophenyl derivative 64 exhibited an ID₅₀ of 0.21 and 0.23 μM, respectively. 7-Phenylpyrazolo[1,5-a]-s-triazin-4-one ( 40 ) is shown to exhibit an ID₅₀ of 0.047 μM. The structure-activity relationships of these new phenyl substituted hypoxanthine analogs are discussed and compared with the xanthine analogs 3-m-tolyl- and 3-phenyl-7-hydroxypyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-5-ones ( 90 ) and ( 91 ), previously reported from our laboratory to have ID₅₀ of 0.025 and 0.038 μM, respectively. The presence of the phenyl and substitutedphenyl groups contribute directly to the substrate binding of these potent inhibitors. This work presents an updated study of structure-activity relationships and binding to xanthine oxidase. In view of the recent elucidation of the pterin cofactor and the proposed binding of this factor to the molybdenum ion in xanthine oxidase, a detailed mechanism of xanthine oxidase oxidation of hypoxanthine and xanthine is proposed. Three types of substrate binding are viewed for xanthine oxidase. The binding of xanthine to xanthine oxidase is termed Type I binding. The binding of hypoxanthine is termed Type II binding and the specific binding of alloxanthine is assigned as Type III binding. These three types of substrate binding are analyzed relative to the most potent compounds known to inhibit xanthine oxidase and these inhibitors have been classified as to the type of inhibitor binding most likely to be associated with specific enzyme inhibition. The structural requirements for each type of binding can be clearly seen to correlate with the inhibitory activity observed. The chemical syntheses of the new 3-phenyl- and 3-substituted phenylpyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines with various substituents are reported. The syntheses of various 8-phenyl-2-substituted pyrazolo-[1,5-a]-s-triazines, certain s-triazolo[1,5-a]-s-triazines and s-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine derivatives prepared in connection with the present study are also described.     

Synthesis of 4,6-disubstituted-7-β-D-ribofuranosyl- and arabinofuranosylpyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines and certain related ribonucleosides

Several disubstituted pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine, pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine and thiazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidine ribonucleosides have been prepared as congeners of uridine and cytidine. Glycosylation of the trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivative of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine-4,6(1H,5H,7H)-dione ( 4 ) with 1-O-acetyl-2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-D-ribofuranose ( 5 ) in the presence of TMS triflate afforded 7-(2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-β-D-ribofuranosyl)pyrazolo-[3,4-d]pyrimidine-4,6(1H,5H)-dione ( 6 ). Debenzoylation of 6 gave the uridine analog 7-β-D-ribofuranosylpyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine-4,6(1H,5H)-dione ( 3 ), identical with 7-ribofuranosyloxoallopurinol reported earlier. Thiation of 6 gave 7 , which on debenzoylation afforded 7-β-D-ribofuranosyl-6-oxopyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine-4(1H,5H)-thione ( 8 ). Ammonolysis of 7 at elevated temperature gave a low yield of the cytidine analog 4-amino-7-β-D-ribofuranosylpyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-6(1H)-one ( 11 ). Chlorination of 6 , followed by ammonolysis, furnished an alternate route to 11 . A similar glycosylation of TMS-4 with 2,3,5-tri-O-benzyl-α-D-arabinofuranosyl chloride ( 12 ) gave mainly the N7-glycosylated product 13 , which on debenzylation provided 7-β-D-arabinofuranosylpyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine-4,6(1H,5H)-dione ( 14 ). 4-Amino-7-β-D-arabinofuranosyl-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-6(1H)-one ( 19 ) was prepared from 13 via the C4-pyridinium chloride intermediate 17 . Condensation of the TMS derivatives of 7-hydroxy- ( 20 ) or 7-aminopyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-5(4H)-one ( 23 ) with 5 in the presence of TMS triflate gave the corresponding blocked nucleosides 21 and 24 , respectively, which on deprotection afforded 7-hydroxy- 22 and 7-amino-4-β-D-ribofuranosylpyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-5-one ( 25 ), respectively. Similarly, starting either from 2-chloro ( 26 ) or 2-aminothiazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidine-5,7-(4H,6H)-dione ( 29 ), 2-amino-4-β-D-ribofuranosylthiazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidine-5,7(6H)-dione ( 28 ) has been prepared. The structure of 25 was confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies.     

Synthesis of imidazo[4,5-d]pyridazine nucleosides related to inosine

Several imidazo[4,5-d]pyridazine nucleosides which are structurally similar to inosine were synthesized. Anhydrous stannic chloride-catalyzed condensation of persilylated imidazo[4,5-d]-pyridazin-4(5H)one (1) and imidazo[4,5-d]pyridazine-4,7(5H,6H)dione ( 16 ) with 1-O-acetyl-2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-β-D-ribofuranose ( 3 ) provided (after sodium methoxide deblocking) 6-β-D-ribo furanosylimidazo[4,5-d]pyridazin-4(5H)one (5) and 3,6-di-(β-D-ribofuranosyI)imidazo[4,5-d]pyridazin-4-one ( 7 ); and 1-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)imidazo[4,5-d]pyridazine-4,7(5H,6H)dione ( 19 ) and 1,5 or 6-di-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)imidazo[4,5-d ]pyridazine-4,7(5H or 6H)dione ( 21 ), respeeitvely. 4,7-Diehloro-1-β-D-ribofuranosylimidazo[4,5-d]pyridazine ( 12 ) and dimethyl 1-β-D-ribofuranosylimidazole-4,5-dicarboxylate ( 26 ), both prepared from stannic chloride-catalyzed ribosylations of the corresponding heterocycles, were converted in several steps to 3-β-D-ribo-furanosy limidazo[4,5-d]pyridazin-4(5H)one ( 14 ) and nucleosidc 19 , respectively. Acid-catalyzed isopropylidenation of mesomeric betaine 7 or nuclcoside 14 provided 3-(2,3-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosyl)imidazo[4,5-d]pyrizin-4(5H)one ( 31 ). 1-β-D-Ribofuranosylimidazo[4,5-d]-pyridazine ( 29 ) was obtained in several steps from nueleoside 12 . The structure of the nucleosides was established by the use of carbon-13 and proton nmr.