Searching of chemical structure data bases with parallel computer hardware

The use of two types of parallel computer hardware for increasing the efficiency of processing in chemical structure data bases is discussed. The distributed array processor can be used for the clustering of 2-D chemical structure data bases by using the Jarvis—Patrick clustering method and for the ranking of output in an experimental system for substructure searching in the 3-D macromolecules in the Protein Data Bank. The Inmos transputer can be used in the construction of PC-based systems for 2-D substructure searching and in the identification of the maximal substructures common to pairs of 3-D molecules.     

Phytochemicals from Echinacea and Hypericum: A Direct Synthesis of Isoligularone

Reaction of trienes with α,β-unsaturated aldehydes produces bicyclic products via a tandem Diels-Alder/ene reaction. The adduct from tiglic aldehyde was converted into isoligularone by conversion to a furan followed by benzylic oxidation.     

Development and validation of routine analysis methods for the determination of essential, nonessential, and toxic minor and trace elements in cereal and cereal flour samples by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

Various digestion procedures were carefully investigated and accurately evaluated with respect to their effect on the analysis of cereals and cereal flours. Multielement methods were selected and well developed for the determination of essential (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Zn), nonessential (Ag, Al, Ba, Bi, In, and Ga), and toxic (Cd and Pb) minor and trace elements by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. Only Ag could be determined, either with aqueous standard or standard addition calibration methods, while the standard addition methods were more accurate for the determination of other elements. The recoveries were mostly within the range of 84.1-113% for the expected values of all analytes with respect to certified reference material NIST SRM 1586a (rice flour). The results proved that, for cereals and cereal flours, the use of H2O2 for wet digestion and HNO3 for dry ashing were not necessary. Linear regression analysis and Student's paired t-test were applied to evaluate the significant differences between different procedures and type of samples.     

Dynamics of self-assembled chaining in magnetorheological fluids

The aggregation dynamics of paramagnetic spherical particles embedded in a viscous fluid is investigated via numerical simulations using a fully coupled three-dimensional model. Particles experience simultaneously Brownian motion, dipolar magnetic attraction, and multibody hydrodynamic interactions. When the dipole strength characterizing the ratio of magnetic attraction to random diffusion exceeds a critical value, particles join together forming supraparticle structures. As time evolves, particle/chain and chain/ chain interactions lead to a continuous increase of the cluster size. The mean length of particle chains has a power-law dependence with respect to time, as predicted by the theory of diffusion-limited aggregation. Both the exponent and the characteristic time scale agree very well with the experimental results of Promislow et al.     

IR laser-induced dehydrohalogenation of halogenated ethanes

Pulsed IR radiation from a CO₂ TEA laser has been shown to cause dehydrohalogenation of CF₃CH₃, CF₂ClCH₃ and C₂H₅Cl under collisionless conditions. IR emission has been observed and is attributed to HF² and CF₂CH₂² from CF₃CH₃, and to HF² and HCl² from CF₂ClCH₃.     

Photochemical and thermal transformations of 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]Heptadiene and 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene systems

2,3-Dicarbomethoxy-7,7-dimethyl-7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene (III) on photolysis gave dimethyl tetraphenylphthalate whereas the photolysis of 7,7-dimethyl-7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hep-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride (XIa) resulted in the formation of 1,1-dimethyl-2,3,4,5-tetraphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene (XIIIa). The thermolysis of XIa also gave rise to XIIIa. Similarly, the photolysis as well as thermolysis of 1,4,5,6,7,7-hexaphenyl-7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride (XIb) led to hexaphenylsilacyclopentadiene (XIIIb). Attempts to detect radical intermediates in these thermal and photochemical transformations by carrying out the reaction in the presence of hydroquinone, hydrazobenzene, 3,6-diphenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine, cumene and tolan were unsuccessful. An attempted preparation of 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta2,5-dienes by the reaction of silacyclopentadienes such as 1-methyl-1-vinyl2,3,4,5-tetraphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene (XV) and 1-methyl-1,2,3,4,5-pentaphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene (XVI) with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate resulted in the isolation of dimethyl tetraphenylphthalate indicating that the corresponding 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-dienes are thermally unstable.     

Single nanocrystal arrays on patterned poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer microstructures using selective wetting and drying

Single nanocrystal arrays were fabricated on sub-microwells of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) copolymer using selective wetting on the hydrophilic regions of the exposed substrate surface and subsequent drying. Templates were produced by molding a thin film of a PEG-based random copolymer on hydrophilic substrates such as glass or silicon dioxide. The polymeric microstructures provide a topographical barrier around the well, which makes it possible to create nanocrystal arrays with controlled geometrical features. The size of the nanocrystal was found to decrease with decreasing well size and also decrease with decreasing topological height. A simple empirical equation was derived to predict the size of the crystal as a function of the pattern size and height, which is in good agreement with the experimental data.     

Electronic detection of the enzymatic degradation of starch

[reaction: see text] The enzymatic degradation of starch can be monitored electronically using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as semiconducting probes in field-effect transistors (FETs). Incubation of these devices in aqueous buffer solutions of amyloglucosidase (AMG) results in the removal of the starch from both the silicon surfaces and the side walls of the SWNTs in the FETs, as evidenced by direct imaging and electronic measurements.     

Self-assembling structures of long-chain phenyl glucoside influenced by the introduction of double bonds

Four long-chain phenyl glucoside amphiphiles possessing a saturated or unsaturated long alkyl chain group as the self-assembling unit of a highly organized molecular architecture were synthesized. Their self-assembling properties were investigated by EF-TEM, SEM, CD, FT-IR, and XRD. Compound 2 possessing one double bond in the lipophilic portion showed twisted helical fibers, which formed a bilayered structure with a 3.59 nm period, while compound 3 showed the helical ribbons and left-handed nanotubular structures with 150-200 nm inner diameters and ca. 20 nm of wall. Very interestingly, compound 4 possessing three double bonds showed a nanotubular structure with ca. 70 nm of inner diameter through a helical ribbon, which formed a loose bilayered structure with 4.62 nm. These results indicate that self-assembling properties strongly depend on the number of cis double bonds.