Catalytic Behavior of Mono-N-Protected Amino-Acid Ligands in Ligand-Accelerated C−H Activation by Palladium(II)

Mono-N-protected amino acids (MPAAs) are increasingly common ligands in Pd-catalyzed C−H functionalization reactions. Previous studies have shown how these ligands accelerate catalytic turnover by facilitating the C−H activation step. Here, it is shown that MPAA ligands exhibit a second property commonly associated with ligand-accelerated catalysis: the ability to support catalytic turnover at substoichiometric ligand-to-metal ratios. This catalytic role of the MPAA ligand is characterized in stoichiometric C−H activation and catalytic C−H functionalization reactions. Palladacycle formation with substrates bearing carboxylate and pyridine directing groups exhibit a 50–100-fold increase in rate when only 0.05 equivalents of MPAA are present relative to Pd^II. These and other mechanistic data indicate that facile exchange between MPAAs and anionic ligands coordinated to Pd^II enables a single MPAA to support C−H activation at multiple Pd^II centers.     

A cryptosystem based on cellular automata

Cryptosystems for binary information are based on two primitives: an indexed family of permutations of binary words and a generator of pseudorandom sequences of indices. A very efficient implementation of the primitives is constructed using the phenomenon of synchronization in cellular automata. (c) 1998 American Institute of Physics.     

Synchronization of cellular automaton pairs

The phenomenon of synchronization in pairs of cellular automata coupled in a driver-replica mode is studied. Necessary and sufficient conditions for synchronization in linear cellular automaton pairs are given. The couplings that make a pair synchronize are determined for all linear elementary cellular automata. (c) 1998 American Institute of Physics.     

Electrochemical oxidation of C4-vanillin- and C4-isovanillin-1,4-dihydropyridines in aprotic medium: Reactivity towards free radicals

This work reports the electrochemical oxidation of two new synthetic C4-vanillin and -isovanillin-1,4-dihydropyridines in aprotic medium. Its reactivity with alkylperoxyl radicals ABAP-derived at pH 7.4 is also studied. Voltammetry, coulometry, controlled-potential electrolysis, UV–visible spectroscopy and GC–MS techniques were employed to collect data that permitted us to study its oxidation. Effect of TBA-OH addition on the oxidation was electrochemically and spectroscopically followed. In aprotic medium, the oxidation mechanism involves the formation of the pyridine derivative, which was generated by controlled-potential electrolysis (CPE) at 1270 mV and identified by GC–MS technique as the final product of the electrolysis. Spectroelectrochemical experiments also support the formation of the pyridine derivative from the oxidation of both 1,4-dihydropyridines. Direct reactivity of synthesized compounds towards alkylperoxyl radicals ABAP-derived was determined. Results reveal that the inclusion of vanillin radical or its positional isomer, isovanillin in the 4-position of the dihydropyridine ring produced a significant positive effect on the reactivity towards alkylperoxyl radicals, even compared with commercial dihydropyridine drugs with a well-known antioxidant ability. Scavenging mechanism involves the electron-transfer and the formation of a pyridine derivative, which was identified by GC–MS.     

Computer simulation of the gap-tripole ion trap with linear injection, 3D ion accumulation,and versatile packet ejection

The behavior of a completely new ion trap is shown with SIMION 7.0 simulations. The simulated trap, which was a mix of a linear and a 3D trap, was made by axially setting two ion guides with a gap between them. Each guide consisted of three rods with three symmetrically delayed radio frequency (rf) voltages (tripole). The "injected" ions were linearly contained by pulsed potentials on the entrance and exit plates. Then the three-dimensional (3D) rf field in the gap, which was created by the tripole special rod arrangement, could trap the ions when the translational energy was dampened by collisions with low-pressure nitrogen. Because the injected ions were trapped in the small gap, the trapping cycle could be repeated many times before ion ejection, so a high concentrated ion cloud could be obtained. This trapping and accumulation methodology is not possible in most conventional multipole linear traps with even number of poles. Compared with quadrupole linear trap at the same rf amplitude, tripole lost more ions due to strong charge repulsion in the ion cloud. However, tripole could catch up the ions at higher voltage. Radial and axial mass-independent ejection of the ions localized in the tripole gap was very simple, compared with conventional linear ion traps that need extra and complicated electrodes for effective axial ejection.     

Supramolecular Subphthalocyanine Cage as Catalytic Container for the Functionalization of Fullerenes in Water

Herein we report the first example of a supramolecular cage that works as a catalytic molecular reactor to perform transformations over fullerenes in aqueous medium. Taking advantage of the ability of metallo–organic Pd(II)-subphthalocyanine (SubPc) capsules to form stable host:guest complexes with C₆₀, we have prepared a water-soluble cage that provides a hydrophobic environment for conducting cycloadditions over encapsulated C₆₀, namely, Diels–Alder reactions with anthracene. Indeed, the presence of catalytic amounts of SubPc cage dissolved in water promotes co-encapsulation of insoluble C₆₀ and anthracene substrates, allowing the reaction to occur inside the cavity under mild conditions. The lower stability of the host:guest complex with the resulting C₆₀ cycloadduct facilitates its displacement by pristine C₆₀, which grants catalytic turnover. Moreover, bis-addition compounds are regioselectively formed inside the cage when using excess anthracene.     

Isolation, structure, and antibacterial activity of philipimycin, a thiazolyl peptide discovered from Actinoplanes philippinensis MA7347

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics, particularly to multiple drug resistant antibiotics, is becoming cause for significant concern. The only really viable course of action is to discover new antibiotics with novel mode of actions. Thiazolyl peptides are a class of natural products that are architecturally complex potent antibiotics but generally suffer from poor solubility and pharmaceutical properties. To discover new thiazolyl peptides potentially with better desired properties, we designed a highly specific assay with a pair of thiazomycin sensitive and resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, which led to the discovery of philipimycin, a new thiazolyl peptide glycoside. It was isolated along with an acid-catalyzed degradation product by bioassay-guided fractionation. Structure of both compounds was elucidated by extensive application of 2D NMR, 1D TOCSY, and HRESIFT-MS/MS. Both compounds showed strong antibacterial activities against gram-positive bacteria including MRSA and exhibited MIC values ranging from 0.015 to 1 microg/mL. Philipimycin was significantly more potent than the degradation product. Both compounds showed selective inhibition of protein synthesis, indicating that they targeted the ribosome. Philipimycin was effective in vivo in a mouse model of S. aureus infection exhibiting an ED50 value of 8.4 mg/kg. The docking studies of philipimycin suggested that a part of the molecule interacts with the ribosome and another part with Pro23, Pro22, and Pro26 of L11 protein, which helped in explaining the differential of activities between the sensitive and resistant strains. The design and execution of the bioassay, the isolation, structure, in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activity, and docking studies of philipimycin and its degradation product are described.     

Monitoring Tyrosinase Expression in Non‐metastatic and Metastatic Melanoma Tissues by Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy

Although tremendous progress has been made in the diagnosis of melanoma, the identification of different stages of malignancy in a reliable way remains challenging. Current strategies rely on optical monitoring of the concentration and spatial distribution of specific biomarkers. State‐of‐the‐art optical methods can be affected by background‐color interference and autofluorescence. We overcame these shortcomings by employing scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) to map the prognostic indicator tyrosinase (TyR) in non‐metastatic and metastatic melanoma tissues by using soft‐stylus microelectrodes. Electrochemical readout of the TyR distribution was enabled by adapting an immunochemical method. SECM can overcome the limitations of optical methods and opens unprecedented possibilities for improved diagnosis and understanding of the spatial distribution of TyR in different melanoma stages.     

Determination of phthalates in wine by headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry: fibre comparison and selection

This paper describes the development of a headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) method for determining phthalates in wine. The HS-SPME conditions were thoroughly studied: first, the performance of six fibres at three temperature values and two sample volumes was surveyed by means of a 6 x 3 x 2 multi-factor categorical experimental design. From this study, three fibres - carbowax-divinylbenzene (CW-DVB), polyacrylate (PA) and polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene (PDMS-DVB) - were selected. Then, temperature, sample volume and sodium chloride concentration were optimised using a central composite design and the overall desirability function for each fibre. The optimal values were 70 degrees C, a NaCl concentration of 2.6, 3.6 and 5.5M for PA, CW-DVB and PDMS-DVB fibres, respectively, and sample volumes of 4.0, 3.5 and 3.0 mL. Next, the performance characteristics of the three fibres were obtained and compared. PDMS-DVB fibre showed the best repeatability values followed by CW-DVB. PA fibre was not suitable for diethylhexylphthalate extraction and showed poor repeatability for the heavier phthalates, and was therefore discarded. Finally, the performance of CW-DVB and PDMS-DVB fibres was checked for red, white and rosé wines.     

Spectral Criteria for Design of an Optical Modulator Based on Frustrated Total Internal Reflection

The spectral study of an optical modulator based on the frustrated total internal reflection is presented under static and dynamic conditions. An optical modulator based on macroscopic moving parts makes spectrometers voluminous and has low compactness. The use of static or quasi-static optical modulators, such as the one proposed in this paper, avoids these problems. The study under static conditions reveals that the modulator equalises the spectral emittance of a black body. The modulation efficiency is defined by comparing the modulator with an ideal square chopper. Study under dynamic conditions reveals spectral criteria that must be met in the design of the mechanical system of the modulator to shift the maximum value of the modulation efficiency to the desired wavelength.