Synthesis of a 2'-Se-uridine phosphoramidite and its incorporation into oligonucleotides for structural study

[chemical reaction: see text]. We report here the synthesis of the 5'-[benzhydryloxybis(trimethylsilyloxy)]silyl-2'-methylseleno-2'-deoxyuridine phosphoramidite and its incorporation into oligonucleotides by solid-phase synthesis. The coupling yield of this phosphoramidite into oligonucleotides is higher than 99%. We also demonstrate that this 2'-methylselenophosphoramidite is compatible with the 5'-silyl-2'-ACE chemistry, for longer Se-RNA solid-phase synthesis. Our preliminary NMR study on the synthesized 2'-Se-DNA has revealed a U(Se)-A base pair and a duplex structure formation when its complementary strand was present.     

Preparation and structural properties of MgO films grown on GaAs substrate

Epitaxial MgO thin films have been grown on semiinsulating GaAs (0 0 1) substrates using electron beam (e-beam) evaporation. X-ray diffraction indicates c-axis oriented MgO with (0 0 2) reflection only and rocking curve widths ∼2.2-3°. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses confirm an epitaxial growth of the MgO films. We study the microstructure and the defects at the interface between the MgO film and the GaAs substrate. Auger electron Spectroscopy (AES) concentration depth profiles reveal no contamination of the MgO films by As and Ga at different temperatures of the deposition process.     

Analysis of the importance of the metallo-beta-lactamase active site loop in substrate binding and catalysis

The role of the mobile loop comprising residues 60-66 in metallo-beta-lactamases has been studied by site-directed mutagenesis, determination of kinetic parameters for six substrates and two inhibitors, pre-steady-state characterization of the interaction with chromogenic nitrocefin, and molecular modeling. The W64A mutation was performed in IMP-1 and BcII (after replacement of the BcII 60-66 peptide by that of IMP-1) and always resulted in increased K(i) and K(m) and decreased k(cat)/K(m) values, an effect reinforced by complete deletion of the loop. k(cat) values were, by contrast, much more diversely affected, indicating that the loop does not systematically favor the best relative positioning of substrate and enzyme catalytic groups. The hydrophobic nature of the ligand is also crucial to strong interactions with the loop, since imipenem was almost insensitive to loop modifications.     

A free boratriptycene-type Lewis superacid

Bicyclic pyrazabole-bridged ferrocenes with BH groups at their bridgehead positions were prepared from [Li(thf)]₂[1,1′-fc(BH₃)₂] and pyrazole or 3,5-dimethylpyrazole in the presence of Me₃SiCl (1 or 1Me, respectively; 1,1′-fc = 1,1′-ferrocenylene); Me₃SiH and H₂ are released as byproducts. Treatment of 1 or 1Me with 1 eq. of the hydride scavenger [Ph₃C][B(C₆F₅)₄] afforded the borenium salts [2][B(C₆F₅)₄] (72%) and [2Me][B(C₆F₅)₄] (77%). According to X-ray crystallography, [2Me]⁺ contains one trigonal-planar borenium cation, the cyclopentadienyl (Cp) rings of the 1,1′-fc fragment remain parallel to each other, but the Cp–B bond vector is bent out of the Cp plane by an unprecedentedly large dip angle α* of 40.6°. The Fe⋯B(sp²) distance is very short (2.365(4) Å) and the ¹¹B NMR signal of the cationic B(sp²) center is remarkably upfield shifted (23.4 ppm), suggesting a direct Fe(3d) → B(2p) donor–acceptor interaction. Although this interpretation is confirmed by quantum-chemical calculations, the coupling between the associated orbitals corresponds to an energy of only 12 kJ mol⁻¹. Accordingly, both the experimental (e.g., Gutmann–Beckett acceptor number AN = 111) and theoretical assessment (e.g., Et₃PO and F⁻-ion affinities) of the Lewis acidity proves that [2]⁺ is among the strongest boron-based Lewis acids available to date.

An exceptionally strong ferrocene-containing, cationic boratriptycene-type Lewis acid is stabilized by a weak Fe⋯B through-space interaction.     

Calculation of rotational barriers in amorphous polymers

The Monte Carlo method was used for generation of amorphous polyethylene configurations on a diamond lattice. Chain building was performed on the tetrahedral lattice of edges 36, 62 and 43 Å with periodic boundary conditions imposed.32 chains were generated, each with a length of 100 CH₂-groups (resulting density = 0.81 g·cm⁻³). Small spherical volumes with a radius of 10 Å were chosen at random from the total volume for the calculation of rotational barriers. The rotating bond was chosen to be close to the center of this sphere. We employed the method of molecular mechanics in order to calculate the rotational barriers. The calculation was made for 578 rotating bonds and the obtained distribution of rotational barriers is approximated by the corresponding Γ-distribution.     

Functional derivatives of sterically hindered amines. 1. Glycidyl compounds

Four polymerizable glycidyl derivatives of sterically hindered amines were prepared from derivatives of 2, 2, 6, 6-tetramethyl-4-hydroxypiperidine and 14, 16-dioxo-7, 15-diazadispiro [5, 1, 5, 3] hexadecane. One of them is a stable nitroxyl derivative.     

Azo‐group labelled polyesters by end‐capping with 2‐oxazoline derivatives – preparation

Two azobenzene containing 2‐oxazolines were used for labelling of polyesters with carboxylic end groups by the end‐capping method. The reaction proceeded under the conditions of reactive processing, and in a solution. High conversions in melt were achieved in several minutes. The coupling of the modifiers was proved by NMR spectroscopy.