SOLVENT DEPENDENCE OF PYRIMIDINE DIMER SPLITTING IN A COVALENTLY LINKED DIMER-INDOLE SYSTEM

Cyclobutadipyrimidines (pyrimidine dimers) undergo splitting that is photosensitized by indole derivatives. We have prepared a compound in which a two-carbon linker connects a dimer to an indolyl group. Indolyl fluorescence quenching indicated that the two portions of the molecule interact in the excited state. Intramolecular photosensitization of dimer splitting was remarkably solvent dependent, ranging from phi spl = 0.06 in water to a high value of phi spl = 0.41 in the least polar solvent mixture examined, 1,4-dioxane-isopentane(5 : 95). A derivative with a 5-methoxy substituent on the indolyl ring behaved similarly. These results have been interpreted in terms of electron transfer from the excited indolyl group to the dimer, which would produce a charge-separated species. The dimer anion within such a species could split or undergo back electron transfer. The possibility that back electron transfer is in the Marcus inverted region can be used to rationalize the observed solvent dependence of splitting. In the inverted region, the high driving force of a charge recombination exceeds the reorganization energy of the solvent, which is less for solvents of low polarity than those of high polarity. If this theory is applicable to the hypothetical charge-separated species, a slower back electron transfer, and consequently higher splitting efficiencies, would be expected in solvents of lower polarity. Photolyases may have evolved in which a low polarity active site retards back transfer of an electron and thereby contributes to the efficiency of the enzymatic dimer splitting.     

THERMAL REQUIREMENTS OF PHOTOSENSITIZED PYRIMIDINE DIMER SPLITTING

Abstract— A cis, syn -pyrimidine dimer (derived from thymine and orotate) covalently linked to 5-methoxyindole has been studied as a mechanistic model of photosensitized pyrimidine dimer splitting. In this dimer-indole, photoinitiated electron transfer to the dimer causes splitting in a manner that parallels the mechanism by which the DNA photolyases are thought to act. Dissolved in EPA (diethyl ether-isopentane-ethyl alcohol, 5: 5: 1, by vol) at room temperature, the dimer-indole exhibited indole fluorescence quenching and underwent splitting upon irradiation at 300 nm. In an EPA glass at 77 K, however, no splitting was detectable. To distinguish the effects of temperature and immobilization, photolysis experiments were performed on PMM [poly(methyl methacrylate)] films containing dimer-indole. In PMM at room temperature, dimer-indole underwent splitting when irradiated at 300 nm, which indicated that immobilization per se was not responsible for the failure of dimer-indole to split at low temperature. Furthermore, no splitting was observed when dimer-indole was irradiated in PMM at 77 K. These results imply that a step following photoinitiated, intramolecular electron transfer from indole to dimer has an insurmountable activation barrier at 77 K. The mechanistic implications for the photolyases are considered.     

Metal complexes of the trans-influencing ligand thiomaltol

The wide use of the ligand 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-pyrone (maltol) in bioinorganic chemistry has prompted an effort to further exploit this ligand class by achieving an efficient, one-step synthesis of the chelator 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-thiopyrone (thiomaltol). Complexes of thiomaltol with nickel(II) and iron(III) have been prepared and studied by using UV-visible spectroscopy and electrochemical methods. In addition, both complexes as well as the free thiomaltol ligand have been structurally characterized by using single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. The ligand is found to exert a strong trans influence on the structure of the complexes in the solid state with the nickel(II) and iron(III) complexes demonstrating a cis and fac geometry, respectively. The compounds described here should significantly expand the scope and utility of O,S-donor ligands derived from maltol and related precursors.     

Intervalence transitions in the mixed-valence monocations of bis(triarylamines) linked with vinylene and phenylene-vinylene bridges

(E)-4,4'-Bis[bis(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]stilbene, 1, (E,E)-1,4-bis[4-[bis(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]styryl]benzene, 2, and two longer homologues, (E,E,E)-4,4'-bis[4-[bis(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]styryl]stilbene, 3, and (E,E,E,E)-1,4-bis(4-[4-[bis(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]styryl]styryl)benzene, 4, have been oxidized to their mono- and dications using tris(4-bromophenyl)aminium hexachloroantimonate. The intervalence charge-transfer (IVCT) band of 1(+) is narrow and asymmetric and exhibits only weak solvatochromism. Analysis of this band indicates that 1(+) is a class-III or class-II/III borderline mixed-valence species. In contrast, a broad, strongly solvatochromic IVCT band is observed for 2(+), indicating that this species is a class-II mixed-valence species. The assignment of 1(+ ) and 2(+) as symmetric class-III and unsymmetric class-II species, respectively, is also supported by AM1 calculations. Hush analysis of the IVCT bands of both 1(+) and 2(+) gives larger electronic couplings, V, than for their analogues in which the double bonds are replaced with triple bonds. The diabatic electron-transfer distance, R, in 1(+) can be estimated by comparison of the V estimated by Hush analysis and from the IVCT maximum; it is considerably less than the geometric N-N separation, a result supported by quantum-chemical estimates of R for 1(+)-4(+). In 3(+) and 4(+), the IVCT is largely obscured by an intense absorption similar to a band seen in the corresponding dications and to that observed in the monocation of a model compound, (E,E,E)-1-[bis(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]-4-[4-[4-(4-tert-butylstyryl)styryl]styryl]benzene, 5, containing only one nitrogen redox center; we attribute this band to a bridge-to-N(+) transition. The corresponding dications 1(2+)-4(2+) show a complementary trend in the coupling between redox centers: the shortest species is diamagnetic, while the dication with the longest bridge behaves as two essentially noninteracting radical centers.     

(1SR,2RS,5RS,6SR,8RS)‐7,7‐Dimethyltricyclo[6.2.1.01,6]undecane‐2,5,6‐triol: a supramolecular framework built from O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

In the title compound, C₁₃H₂₂O₃, the asymmetric unit has two independent mol­ecules linked by a strong O—H?O hydrogen bond. The cyclo­hexane ring is trans fused to the cyclo­pentane ring bridged through an ethyl moiety. The hydroxyl groups act as donors as well as acceptors, resulting in an extensive two‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded network in the (011) plane. Intermolecular O—H?O bonds between centrosymmetrically related mol­ecules form a four‐membered supramolecular assembly, leading to infinite chains parallel to the [01] direction, crosslinked in the [100] direction.     

Polymerized bicontinuous cubic nanoparticles (cubosomes) from a reactive monoacylglycerol

Bicontinuous cubic phases of monoacylglycerides/Poloxamer 407 (PEO98PPO67PEO98)/water can be dispersed into submicron particles, which are termed "cubosomes". Technological applications of these nanoparticles may be possible, if their nonlamellar architecture can be rendered more robust. To accomplish this goal, a polymerizable heterobifunctional monoacylglycerol, 3-(2,4,13-(E,E)-tetradecatrienoyl)-sn-glycerol (1), was synthesized and combined with water to form an optically transparent gel. In the presence of Poloxamer 407 and excess water the cubic phase of 1 was dispersed by ultrasonication into 300-nm diameter nanoparticles. The polymerization of these reactive cubosomes could be initiated either by the use of a photoinitiator or with redox chemistry. The polymerized cubosomes remained stable even after the addition of excess Triton X-100, in a manner consistent with executing cross-linking in the nanostructures.     

Empirical relations between σI, σoR and taft σ* values of alkyl,acyl, benzoyl and substituted phenyl groups

The X(X) values¹ of the halogens (which resemble the Pauling electronegativities) and of some oxa substituents can be interpreted in terms of the inductive and resonance parameters σ_I and σ^o_R according to the regression equation

and η*_R=η(X)?η(R) it is found that for some substituted methyl, phenyl and benzoyl groups [σ*]^X_R=αη^X_R where α equals ?10.6 and ?10.9 for R = Me and R = Ph, CHO and PhCO respectively. Thus [σ*]^X_Rand η^x_r represent Taft σ* and [σ_I(X)?σ_oR(X)] values relative to that of the parent R group. The hydroxyl frequencies of phenol, and benzoic, acrylic, acetic and formic acids measured in dilute carbon tetrachloride solutions correlate with σ_I(X) and σ^o_R(X) according to the equations v(OH) = ?423.0 σ_I(X) + 3654.7 v(OH) = ?270.0 σ⁰_R(X) + 3586.7 where X = Ph, PhCO, CH₂=CHCO, MeCO and HCO. From these results, it is inferred that the σ* values of substituents having an α sp² hybridized carbon atom are proportional to σ⁰_R according to the equation σ*(X) = 3.97 σ⁰_R(X) + 1 New σ_I σ^o_R and σ* values of some acyi, benzoyl and substituted phenyl groups are presented.     

Kinetics and mechanism of dissociation of copper(II) complexes of biguanide and someN 1-substituted biguanides in aqueous acetate buffer media

The kinetics fo dissociation of thebis complexes [Cu(LH)₂]²⁺ formed by Cu^II with biguanide andN ¹-substituted methyl, phenyl, dimethyl and diethyl biguanides into the mono biguanide complexes in aqueous NaOAc-HOAc buffer media have been studied by stopped-flow spectrophotometry. The results, under pseudo-first-order conditions, indicate k_obs=k_o+k_H[H⁺]. For the different complexes k_o values are comparable, but k_H values differ appreciably; log k_H versus log K _d ^H is linear withca. unit slope K _d ^H being the equilibrium constant for the process:

A direct route to six and seven membered lactones via γ-C(sp3)–H activation: a simple protocol to build molecular complexity

Lactones comprise a class of valuable compounds having biological as well as industrial importance. Development of a methodology to synthesize such molecules directly from readily available materials such as aliphatic carboxylic acid is highly desirable. Herein, we have reported synthesis of δ-lactones and ε-lactones via selective γ-C(sp³)–H activation. The γ-C–H bond containing aliphatic carboxylic acids provide six or seven membered lactones depending on the olefin partner in the presence of a palladium catalyst. A mechanistic investigation suggests that C–H activation is the rate-determining step. Further transformations of the lactones have been carried out to showcase the applicability of the present strategy.

Six and seven membered lactones have been synthesized directly from readily available aliphatic acids.     

Determination of chromophore charge states in the low pH color transition of the fluorescent protein Rtms5 via time-dependent DFT

The red fluorescent protein Rtms5^H146S displays a transition from blue (absorbance λ_max 590 nm) to yellow (absorbance λ_max 453 nm) upon titration to low pH. The pK_a of the reaction depends on the concentration of halide, offering promise for new expressible halide sensors. The protonation state involved in the low pH form of the chromophore remains, however, ambiguous. We report calculated excitation energies of different protonation states of an RFP chromophore model. These suggest that the relevant titration site is the phenoxy moiety of the chromophore, and the relevant base and conjugate acid are anionic and neutral chromophore species, respectively.