Thermodynamic study of CN~- ion inhibition of Jack bean urease using the extended solvation theory

Cyanide ion was studied as an inhibitor of Jack bean urease at 300 K in 30 mmol/L tris buffer,pH 7.The inhibition was investigated by isothermal titration calorimetry(ITC).The extended solvation model was used for CN~- + JBU interaction over the whole range of CN~- concentrations.The binding parameters recovered from the solvation model were attributed to the cyanide ion interaction.It was found that cyanide ion acted as a non-cooperative inhibitor of urease,and there is a set of 12±0.12 identical and in...     

Effect of some environmental ligands and fertilizers on humic acid complexation with strontium

The effect of some environmental ligands and certain fertilizers on the complexation of strontium with humic acid wasinvestigated colorimetrically and radiometrically. The results indicate that Na₂-EDTA, Na₃-citrate and NaCl compete to complex strontium in solution with the sequence: chloride < citrate < EDTA while Na₃-phosphate has the reverse behavior. In the case of nitrogen containing fertilizers, the results show that urea, Mg-ammonium nitrate and ammonium nitrate increase the availability of strontium to plants and microorganisms.     

Thermoelectric power of (Me4N)2Ag13I15 and (Et4N)2Ag13I15

Thermoelectric power using reversible silver electrodes and electrical conductivity on the compressed pellets of (Me₄N)₂Ag₁₃I₁₅, and (Et₄N)₂Ag₁₃I₁₅ have been measured between room temperature and below 160°C. The results of θ can be expressed by the equations:?θ = 0.115 (10³/T)+0.2905VK^?1 and ?θ = 0.150 (10³/T) + 0.305mV K^?1; and those of conductivity by the equations; σ = 28.7 exp (?0.17eV/kT) ohm^?1cm^?1 and $\text{σ = 216.6 exp (?0.24e}\text{V}\text{kT}\text{)}$ ohm^?1cm^?1; respectively for Me- and Et-electrolytes. The results are discussed and compared with those of previous authors.     

Rapid determination of reduced and oxidized glutathione levels using a new thiol-masking reagent and the enzymatic recycling method: application to the rat liver and bile samples

A microtiter plate assay for quantitation of reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) glutathione in the rat liver tissue and bile is described. The assay is based on the established enzymatic recycling method and a new thiol-masking reagent, 1-methyl-4-vinyl-pyridinium trifluoromethane sulfonate (M4VP). Samples were first processed by homogenization with (liver) or addition of (bile) sulfosalicylic acid. The total glutathione and GSSG were then determined before and after rapid (≤2 min) and efficient (100%) masking of the GSH content of the samples with M4VP followed by the enzymatic recycling assay. The percentages of error and coefficient of variation of the assay were within the accepted guidelines, indicating the accuracy and precision of the assay in the range of 6.25–100 pmol GSH per microplate well and 2.17–140 pmol GSSG per well, with lower limit of quantitation of 6.25 and 2.17 pmol per well for GSH and GSSG, respectively. Furthermore, the recoveries of added GSH or GSSG from the liver and bile samples were accurate and precise. The assay was applied to measurement of GSH, GSSG, and GSH:GSSG ratio in the liver and serially collected bile samples in sham-operated and ischemic rat livers, demonstrating a depletion of glutathione and a decrease in the GSH:GSSG ratio as a result of ischemia. The developed assay is rapid, sensitive, accurate, and precise and is suitable for studies of the redox status of liver under physiologic and pathophysiologic conditions.     

The decoupling of damped linear systems in free or forced vibration

The purpose of this paper is to extend classical modal analysis to decouple any viscously damped linear system in non-oscillatory free vibration or in forced vibration. Based upon an exposition of how exponential decay in a system can be regarded as imaginary oscillations, the concept of damped modes of imaginary vibration is introduced. By phase synchronization of these real and physically excitable modes, a time-varying transformation is constructed to decouple non-oscillatory free vibration. When time drifts caused by viscous damping and by external excitation are both accounted for, a time-varying decoupling transformation for forced vibration is derived. The decoupling procedure devised herein reduces to classical modal analysis for systems that are undamped or classically damped. This paper constitutes the second and final part of a solution to the “classical decoupling problem.” Together with an earlier paper, a general methodology that requires only the solution of a quadratic eigenvalue problem is developed to decouple any damped linear system.     

Bifunctional Calix[4]arene Sensor for Pb(II) and Cr2O7 2− Ions

A readily available chromionophore 5,11,17,23-tetra-tert-butyl-25,27-bis(hydrazidecarbonylmethoxy)-26,28-dihydroxycalix[4]arene (HCC4) was employed as a chromogenic sensing probe selective for Pb(II) and Cr₂O₇ ^2? ions among a series of various ions such as Li(I), Na(I), K(I), Rb(I), Ba(II), Sr(II), Al(III), Cd(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Hg(II), Ni(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II) as well as Cr₂O₇ ^2?, CH₃CO₂ ^?, Br^?, Cl^?, F^?, I^?, ClO₄ ^? and NO₃ ^? that have been examined by UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. The HCC4 in DCM-MeCN system forms 2:1 (ligand-metal) complex with Pb(II). It also shows 2:1 stoichiometry with Cr₂O₇ ^2?. The complexation phenomenon has been confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy that favors the selective nature of HCC4 with Pb(II) and Cr₂O₇ ^2?. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) also supports its utility in drastic conditions.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation of a ferrous complex with an α,α′-diimine chelate ligand by ceric sulfate in aqueous acidic medium by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy

Kinetics of the oxidation of tris(2,2′-bipyridine)iron(II) sulfate by ceric sulfate was spectrophotometrically studied in an aqueous sulfuric acid medium. Different methods, including isolation, integration and half-life, were employed to determine the reaction order. The redox reaction was found to be first-order with respect to the reductant, tris(2,2′-bipyridine)iron(II) sulfate, and the oxidant, ceric sulfate. Complex kinetics was observed with an increase in the initial concentration of the oxidant. The influence of the dielectric constant, [H⁺] and [SO₄ ^2-] on the rate was also investigated. The increase in the dielectric constant and H⁺ ion concentration of the medium retard the rate, while an increase in the SO₄ ^2- ion concentration first accelerates the rate, and then retards the reaction. The effect of each factor, i.e., the dielectric constant, H⁺ ions and SO₄ ^2- ions, suggests that Ce(SO₄)₃ ^2- is the active species of cerium(IV). A rate law consistent with the observed kinetic data and the proposed mechanism is suggested to be: {fx631-1     

Chemical Validation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Phosphopantetheine Adenylyltransferase Using Fragment Linking and CRISPR Interference**

The coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis pathway has attracted attention as a potential target for much-needed novel antimicrobial drugs, including for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB), the lethal disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Seeking to identify inhibitors of Mtb phosphopantetheine adenylyltransferase (MtbPPAT), the enzyme that catalyses the penultimate step in CoA biosynthesis, we performed a fragment screen. In doing so, we discovered three series of fragments that occupy distinct regions of the MtbPPAT active site, presenting a unique opportunity for fragment linking. Here we show how, guided by X-ray crystal structures, we could link weakly-binding fragments to produce an active site binder with a K_D <20 μM and on-target anti-Mtb activity, as demonstrated using CRISPR interference. This study represents a big step toward validating MtbPPAT as a potential drug target and designing a MtbPPAT-targeting anti-TB drug.     

Quantum chemical characterization of low-energy states of calicene in the gas phase and in solution

The ground and excited electronic state properties of calicene (triapentafulvalene or 5-(cycloprop-2-en-1-ylidene)cyclopenta-1,3-diene) have been studied with a variety of density functional models (mPWPW91, PBE, TPSS, TPSh, B3LYP) and post-Hartree-Fock models based on single (MP2 and CCSD(T)) and multideterminantal (CASPT2) reference wave functions. All methods agree well on the properties of ground-state calicene, which is described as a conjugated double bond system with substantial zwitterionic character deriving from a charge-separated mesomer in which the three- and five-membered rings are both aromatic. Although the two rings are joined by a formal double bond, contributions from the aromatic mesomer reduce its bond order substantially. A rotational barrier of 40-41 kcal mol-1 is predicted in the gas phase and solvation effects reduce the barrier to 37 and 33 kcal mol-1 in benzene and water, respectively, because of increased zwitterionic character in the twisted transition-state structure. Multi-state CASPT2 (MS-CASPT2) is used to characterize the first few excited singlet and triplet states and indicates that the most important transition occurs at 4.93 eV (251 nm). A cis-trans photoisomerization about the inter-ring double bond is found to be inefficient.