Studying the active-site loop movement of the S?o Paolo metallo-β-lactamase-1

Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) catalyse the hydrolysis of almost all β-lactam antibiotics. We report biophysical and kinetic studies on the São Paulo MBL (SPM-1), which reveal its Zn(ii) ion usage and mechanism as characteristic of the clinically important di-Zn(ii) dependent B1 MBL subfamily. Biophysical analyses employing crystallography, dynamic ¹⁹F NMR and ion mobility mass spectrometry, however, reveal that SPM-1 possesses loop and mobile element regions characteristic of the B2 MBLs. These include a mobile α3 region which is important in catalysis and determining inhibitor selectivity. SPM-1 thus appears to be a hybrid B1/B2 MBL. The results have implications for MBL evolution and inhibitor design.     

CH-stretching overtone spectroscopy of 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane

We have recorded the vibrational absorption spectrum of 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a) in the fundamental and first five CH-stretching overtone regions with the use of Fourier transform infrared, dispersive long-path, intracavity laser photoacoustic, and cavity ringdown spectroscopies. We compare our measured total oscillator strengths in each region with intensities calculated using an anharmonic oscillator local mode model. We calculate intensities with 1D, 2D, and 3D Hamiltonians, including one or two CH stretches and two CH stretches with the HCH bending mode, respectively. The dipole moment function is calculated ab initio with self-consistent-field Hartree-Fock and density functional theories combined with double- and triple-zeta-quality basis sets. We find that the basis set choice affects the total intensity more than the choice of the Hamiltonian. We achieve agreement between the calculated and measured total intensities of approximately a factor of 2 or better for the fundamental and first five overtones.     

Preparation of composite latex particles by engulfment

It can be predicted that, provided the interfacial energies are well chosen for two individual particles, then it is possible to engulf one particle into the other. This has now been achieved experimentally using poly-[butylmethacrylate] particles as the host material and poly-[styrene] particles for engulfment. Initially, anionic poly-[styrene] particles were heterocoagulated onto electrosterically stabilised cationic particles of poly-[butylmethacrylate]. Then on heating the heterocoagulated units above the glass transition temperature of the latter engulfment occurred.     

Theoretical Investigation of the Electronically Excited States of Chlorine Hydrate

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.     

Synthesis of the stabilized active metabolite of clopidogrel

The convergent synthesis of the stabilized active metabolite of clopidogrel was achieved in eleven steps from commercially available 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine and 2-bromo-3′-methoxy acetophenone (MPBr). This synthetic route used a standard Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction allowing the introduction of a Z exocyclic double bond. A selective hydrolysis of an acrylic methyl ester moiety, isolated by an efficient and reliable preparative chiral chromatography at gram scale, released the title compound with a 98% LC purity and d.e. >99%.     

Stable jets of viscoelastic fluids and self-assembled cylindrical capsules by hydrodynamic focusing

We demonstrate formation of long-lived cylindrical jets of a viscoelastic fluid using hydrodynamic focusing. A solution of polyacrylamide in water is driven coaxially with immiscible oil and subjected to strong extensional flow. At high flow rates, the aqueous phase forms jets that are 4-90 microm in diameter and several centimeters long. The liquid surfaces of these jets are then used as templates for assembly of microspheres into novel rigid and hollow cylinders.     

Assessing the reproducibility of an analytical method

The reproducibility of a validated analytical method may require reassessment because of various reasons, such as the transfer between laboratories or companies, changes in the instruments or software platforms (or both), or changes in critical reagents, among others. This paper is a demonstration of an assay bridging study in evaluating reproducibility. The approach is simple but very informative and offers many advantages over existing approaches.     

Rewritable DNA microarrays

Thiol-terminated single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acids (ssDNA) can be immobilized onto pulsed plasma deposited poly(allylmercaptan) surfaces via disulfide bridge chemistry and are found to readily undergo nucleic acid hybridization. Unlike other methods for oligonucleotide attachment to solid surfaces, this approach is shown to be independent of substrate material or geometry, and amenable to highly efficient rewriting.     

Fluids of clusters in attractive colloids

We show that colloidal particles with attractive interactions induced by a nonadsorbing polymer exhibit a stable phase consisting of a fluid of clusters of particles. This phase persists even in the absence of any long-range repulsion due to charge, contrary to expectations based on simulation and theory. Cluster morphology depends strongly on the range of the interparticle attraction: With a shorter range, clusters are tenuous and branched; with a longer range, they are more compact.     

Order parameter saturation (plateau effect) as a function of composition in the sanmartinite (ZnWO4)-Cuproscheelite (CuWO4) solid solution

Metallic nanoparticles are deposited on multilayers of an unsaturated phospholipid to form a planar nano-composite material. At temperatures near or above the main transition of the lipid, the organic layers exhibit a high degree of mobility and allow for a significant rearrangement of the metallic particles. Originally after deposition, the inter-particle distances correspond to the average bilayer thickness of the given phospholipid. After annealing of the composite structure in the presence of moisture, the spacing between the particles is significantly reduced, associated with an interdigitation of aliphatic chains in the hydrophobic region. This phenomenon is still observed after UV irradiation of the unsaturated hydrocarbon chains.