Robust and simple interface for microchip electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

A robust and simple interface for microchip electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (MCE-MS) was developed using a spray nozzle connected to the exit of the separation channel of the microchip. The spray nozzle was attached to the microchip using a polyether ether ketone screw without adhesive, thus allowing easy replaced. Sample injection and electrophoretic separation was performed by control of the voltage only. The analysis of a few basic drugs was performed using the optimized MCE-MS system. The separation was improved by using a high-viscosity separation buffer and a spray nozzle with a small bore size. This system was also applied to the separation of peptides and protein-trypsin digests. Sample adsorption was minimized by adding acetonitrile to the separation buffer when using a quartz microchip.     

Syntheses and structures of hypervalent pentacoordinate carbon and boron compounds bearing an anthracene skeleton--elucidation of hypervalent interaction based on X-ray analysis and DFT calculation

Pentacoordinate and tetracoordinate carbon and boron compounds (27, 38, 50-52, 56-61) bearing an anthracene skeleton with two oxygen or nitrogen atoms at the 1,8-positions were synthesized by the use of four newly synthesized tridentate ligand precursors. Several carbon and boron compounds were characterized by X-ray crystallographic analysis, showing that compounds 27, 56-59 bearing an oxygen-donating anthracene skeleton had a trigonal bipyramidal (TBP) pentacoordinate structure with relatively long apical distances (ca. 2.38-2.46 A). Despite the relatively long apical distances, DFT calculation of carbon species 27 and boron species 56 and experimental accurate X-ray electron density distribution analysis of 56 supported the existence of the apical hypervalent bond even though the nature of the hypervalent interaction between the central carbon (or boron) and the donating oxygen atom was relatively weak and ionic. On the other hand, X-ray analysis of compounds 50-52 bearing a nitrogen-donating anthracene skeleton showed unsymmetrical tetracoordinate carbon or boron atom with coordination by only one of the two nitrogen-donating groups. It is interesting to note that, with an oxygen-donating skeleton, the compound 61 having two chlorine atoms on the central boron atom showed a tetracoordinate structure, although the corresponding compound 60 with two fluorine atoms showed a pentacoordinate structure. The B-O distances (av 2.29 A) in 60 were relatively short in comparison with those (av 2.44 A) in 59 having two methoxy groups on the central boron atom, indicating that the B-O interaction became stronger due to the electron-withdrawing nature of the fluorine atoms.     

Anionic copolymerizations of acrylonitrile with β-propiolactone

Anionic copolymerizations of acrylonitrile (monomer 1) with β-propiolactone (monomer 2) and the structures of the resulting copolymers were studied. The copolymerization with sodium cyanide in N,N-dimethylformamide gave copolymers of the structure I containing acid anhydride linkage in the molecular chains, with the monomer reactivity ratios, r₁ = 1.20, r₂ = 0.00. The copolymerization with potassium hydroxide gave either copolymers of the structure II (r₁ = 0.00, r₂ = 3.64 at 30°C; r₁ = 0.00, r₂ = 5.00 at 40°C) in N,N-dimethylformamide or only β-propiolactone homopolymer in toluene.      

Guest-induced assembly of tetracarboxyl-cavitand and tetra(3-pyridyl)-cavitand into a heterodimeric capsule via hydrogen bonds and CH-halogen and/or CH-pi interaction: control of the orientation of the encapsulated guest

The guest- or solvent-induced assembly of a tetracarboxyl-cavitand 1 and a tetra(3-pyridyl)-cavitand 2 into a heterodimeric capsule 1.2 in a rim-to-rim fashion via four intermolecular CO(2)H.N hydrogen bonds has been investigated both in solution and in the solid state. In the (1)H NMR study, a 1:1 mixture of1a and 2a (R = (CH(2))(6)CH(3)) in CDCl(3) gave a mixture of various complicated aggregates, whereas this mixture in CDCl(2)CDCl(2) or p-xylene-d(10) exclusively produced the heterodimeric capsule 1a.2a. It was found that an appropriate 1,4-disubstituted-benzene is a suitable guest for inducing the exclusive formation of 1a.2a in CDCl(3). The ability of a guest to induce the formation of guest-encapsulating heterodimeric capsule, guest@(1a.2a), increased in the order p-ethyltoluene < 1-ethyl-4-methoxybenzene < or = 1-ethyl-4-iodobenzene < or = 1,4-dibromobenzene < 1-iodo-4-methoxybenzene < or= 1,4-dimethoxybenzene < or = 1,4-diiodobenzene. The (1)H NMR study revealed that a CH-halogen interaction between the inner protons of the methylene-bridge rims (-O-H(out)CH(in)-O-) of the 1a and 2a units and the halogen atoms of 1,4-dihalobenzenes and a CH-pi interaction between the methoxy protons of 1,4-dimethoxybenzene and the aromatic cavities of the 1a and 2a units play important roles in the formation of 1,4-dihalobenzene@(1a.2a) and 1,4-dimethoxybenzene@(1a.2a), respectively. A preliminary single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of guest@(1b.2b) (R = (CH(2))(2)Ph; guest = 1-iodo-4-methoxybenzene or p-xylene) confirmed that the guest encapsulated in 1b.2b is oriented with the long axis of the guest along the long axis of 1b.2b and that the iodo and the methoxy groups of the encapsulated 1-iodo-4-methoxybenzene are specifically oriented with respect to the cavities of the 2b and 1b units, respectively.     

Cloning, sequencing, and functional analysis of the biosynthetic gene cluster of macrolactam antibiotic vicenistatin in Streptomyces halstedii

Vicenistatin, an antitumor antibiotic isolated from Streptomyces halstedii, is a unique 20-membered macrocyclic lactam with a novel aminosugar vicenisamine. The vicenistatin biosynthetic gene cluster (vin) spanning approximately 64 kbp was cloned and sequenced. The cluster contains putative genes for the aglycon biosynthesis including four modular polyketide synthases (PKSs), glutamate mutase, acyl CoA-ligase, and AMP-ligase. Also found in the cluster are genes of NDP-hexose 4,6-dehydratase and aminotransferase for vicenisamine biosynthesis. For the functional confirmation of the cluster, a putative glycosyltransferase gene product, VinC, was heterologously expressed, and the vicenisamine transfer reaction to the aglycon was chemically proved. A unique feature of the vicenistatin PKS is that the loading module contains only an acyl carrier protein domain, in contrast to other known PKS-loading modules containing certain activation domains. Activation of the starter acyl group by separate polypeptides is postulated as well.     

Direct polyesterification with thionyl chloride in pyridine improved by a modification of monomer sequences in copolymers

The direct polyesterification with thionyl chloride (SOCl₂) in pyridine was further investigated. Copolycondensations of dicarboxylic acids, bisphenols, and hydroxybenzoic acids were significantly affected by the reaction temperatures and combinations of monomers which could change relative rates of alcoholyses of the activated dicarboxylic acids and the hydroxyacids consequently to vary monomer sequences in the copolymers resulted. The sequences were tried to be varied more directly by stepwise reactions of monomers in copolycondensations of dicarboxylic acids, bisphenols, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHB), as well as PHB and m-hydroxybenzoic acid (MHB). The reactions proceeded smoothly and satisfactorily when carried out by initial reaction of dicarboxylic acids and PHB followed by bisphenols likely to favor sequential to random distributions of monomers. Reverse addition of PHB and bisphenols, and then dicarboxylic acids resulted in rapid precipitation due to some oligomerization of PHB at an earlier stage of reaction, and largely retarded the reaction. This was also the case for the copolycondensation of PHB and MHB. Copolymers of high inherent viscosities with up to 65 mol% PHB could be obtained by initial reaction of MHB followed by PHB.     

Preparation and analytical properties of a chelating resin containing phenylalanine groups

A polystyrene-based macroreticular resin containing phenylalanine groups has been prepared and its analytical properties have been investigated and compared with Dowex A-1. The phenylalanine resin shows high selectivity for mercury(II) and copper(II) in the pH region 2-3. The sorption behaviour of copper has been examined in detail, with the intention of using the resin analytically. The important characteristics of the resin are fast equilibration, high selectivity and small volume change between its hydrogen form and metal forms. These enable it to be applied for the rapid concentration of trace amounts of copper in the presence of large amounts of diverse metals. It may be used for the determination of copper in sea-water and the separation of copper/cobalt and copper/nickel.     

Chelate and intramolecular ion-pair formation: A guiding concept for structure/selectivity relationships in the liquid-liquid extraction of alkali and alkaline earth metal ions by anionic crown ether derivatives

Crown ether dyes with pendent anionic side-arms were synthesized for extractionspectrophotometry of alkali and alkaline earth metal ions. Dramatic changes in metal selectivity were obtained simply by changing the nature of the anionic side-arm on the same crown ether skeleton. A structure/metal selectivity relationship is discussed in detail in terms of “chelate” and “intramolecular ion-pair” formation. Small metal cations (high charge density) are preferred in the extraction by a crown ether reagent with a charge-localized anionic side-arm through the formation of a “chelate”. Large metal cations (low charge density) are preferred in the extraction by reagents with a charge-delocalized anionic side-arm through the formation of an “intramolecular ion-pair”. Steric restrictions imposed by the side-arm on the metal ion approaching the crown ether are also important factor in controlling the selectivity of these reagents.     

Induction of a remarkable conformational change in a human telomeric sequence by the binding of naphthyridine dimer: inhibition of the elongation of a telomeric repeat by telomerase

The binding of a dimeric form of the 2-amino-1,8-naphthyridine derivative (naphthyridine dimer) to a human telomeric sequence, TTAGGG, was investigated by UV melting, CD spectra, and CSI-MS measurements. Both the 9-mer d(TTAGGGTTA) and the 15-mer d(TTAGGGTTAGGGTTA) showed apparent melting temperatures (T(m)) of 45.6 and 63.6 degrees C, respectively, in the presence of naphthyridine dimer (30 microM) in sodium cacodylate buffer (50 mM, pH 7.0) containing 100 mM NaCl. The CD spectra at 235 and 255 nm of the 9-mer increased in intensity accompanied with strong induced CDs at 285 and 340 nm upon complex formation with naphthyridine dimer. UV titration of the binding of naphthyridine dimer to the 9-mer at 320 nm showed a hypochromism of the spectra. A Scatchard plot of the data showed the presence of multiple binding sites with different association constants. Cold spray ionization mass spectrometry of the complex between naphthyridine dimer and the 9-mer clearly showed that one to three molecules of the ligand bound to the dimer duplex of the 9-mer. Telomeric repeat elongation assay showed that the binding of naphthyridine dimer to the telomeric sequence inhibits the elongation of the sequence by telomerase.