The behaviour of carbon species produced by CO disproportionation on Ru(1, 1, 10) and Ru(001) surfaces

The behaviour of adsorbed CO on Ru(001) flat and Ru(l,1,10) stepped surfaces in the CO pressure range between 10^?6 and 10¹ Pa has been investigated by TDS, AES, LEED and UPS. The disproportionation of CO proceeds rapidly on the stepped surface and its apparent activation energy was obtained to be 20 kJ mol^?1 at nearly zero coverage. The carbon species produced by CO disproportionation show non-uniform reactivity with ¹⁸O₂ and provide four CO desorption peaks in TPR spectra, which are assigned to α-C¹⁸O,ß-C¹⁸O and those derived from carbidic and graphitic carbons. At smaller carbon coverage, only α-CO and β-CO were observed, but with increasing coverage the amount of ß-CO reaches a maximum and carbidic carbon is newly formed. Further increase of carbon deposition gives graphitic carbon. The conversion from carbidic to graphitic carbon and the dissolution into the bulk took place upon heating to 1000 K. It is remarkable that very active carbon species are converted to molecular CO through the reaction with O₂ even at low temperature such as 200 K. It was also confirmed that active carbon species are formed on Ru surface during COH₂ reaction.     

Low Power Penalty Operation of a Wide Input Dynamic Range Cross-Phase Modulation Wavelength Converter

We successfully demonstrated low power penalty operation of a cross-phase modulated (XPM) wavelength converter using a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) power equalizer. We also clarified the SOA equalizing level for more adaptive wavelength conversion and achieved a power penalty of less than 1 dB over the wide input dynamic range of 15 dB.     

Synthesis, photophysical and electrochemical properties of perfluoroisopropyl substituted binuclear phthalocyanine conjugated with a butadiyne linker

Synthesis of 1,3-butadiyne-bridged perfluoroisopropyl binuclear phthalocyanine 2 has been successfully achieved from unsymmetrical A₃B-type iodo-perfluoroisopropyl phthalocyanine by palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling with trimethylsilylacetylene and copper-catalyzed Glaser homo-coupling as key reactions. The dyad 2 essentially remains non-aggregated irrespective of solvent and concentration. Electrochemical analysis suggests oxidation is not possible whereas the molecule is more easily reduced. All the results are advantages for photodynamic therapy (PDT).     

Structure activity relationships of quinoxalin-2-one derivatives as platelet-derived growth factor-beta receptor (PDGFbeta R) inhibitors, derived from molecular modeling

We previously reported a quinoxalin-2-one compound (Compound 1) that had inhibitory activity equivalent to existing platelet-derived growth factor-beta receptor (PDGFbeta R) inhibitors. Lead optimization of Compound 1 to increase its activity and selectivity, using structural information regarding PDGFbeta R-ligand interactions, is urgently needed. Here we present models of the PDGFbeta R kinase domain complexed with quinoxalin-2-one derivatives. The models were constructed using comparative modeling, molecular dynamics (MD) and ligand docking. In particular, conformations derived from MD, and ligand binding site information presented by alpha-spheres in the pre-docking processing, allowed us to identify optimal protein structures for docking of target ligands. By carrying out molecular modeling and MD of PDGFbeta R in its inactive state, we obtained two structural models having good Compound 1 binding potentials. In order to distinguish the optimal candidate, we evaluated the structural activity relationships (SAR) between the ligand-binding free energies and inhibitory activity values (IC50 values) for available quinoxalin-2-one derivatives. Consequently, a final model with a high SAR was identified. This model included a molecular interaction between the hydrophobic pocket behind the ATP binding site and the substitution region of the quinoxalin-2-one derivatives. These findings should prove useful in lead optimization of quinoxalin-2-one derivatives as PDGFb R inhibitors.     

Cyclopropanation and carbonyl olefination utilizing 2-(Alk-1-yn-1-yl)-2-(trialkylsilyl)-1,3-dithianes via regioselective generation of titanium alkynylcarbene complexes

Cp(2)Ti[P(OEt)(3)](2)-promoted reactions of 2-(alk-1-yn-1-yl)-2-(trialkylsilyl)-1,3-dithianes (RS)(2)C(Si)CCR with terminal olefins and carbonyl compounds produced (trialkylsilylethynyl)cyclopropanes and 1-(trialkylsilyl)alk-3-en-1-ynes, respectively. These compounds were suggest to be produced via the formation of intermediary titanium alpha-(trialkylsilylethynyl)carbene complexes Cp(2)Ti=C(R)CCSi in preference to their regioisomers, alpha-(trialkylsilyl)alkynylcarbene complexes Cp(2)Ti=C(Si)CCR.     

Enantioselective desymmetrization of meso-N-(heteroarenesulfonyl)aziridines with TMSN3 catalyzed by chiral Lewis acids

A catalytic enantioselective desymmetrization of meso-N-(heteroarenesulfonyl)aziridines with TMSN₃ using chiral Lewis acids afforded products with high enantioselectivity. As proof of the utility of this procedure, the precursor of selective κ-opioid agonist (1S,2S)-(−)-U-50,488 was synthesized.     

Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of (Pyrrolidin‐1‐oxyl)–(Nitronyl Nitroxide)/(Iminonitroxide)‐Dyads

Unlike extensively studied diradicals linked by π‐conjugated systems, only a few studies have investigated weakly coupled diradicals linked by an sp³ carbon atom. Herein, we prepared pyrrolidin‐1‐oxyl–(nitronyl nitroxide)‐dyad 5 and pyrrolidin‐1‐oxyl–iminonitroxide‐dyad 6 . From the observed temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility, 5 and 6 were determined to be in singlet ground states with 2J_intra/k_B=?35.2 K and ?13.6 K, respectively. From these results and theoretical calculations of related diradicals, the spin‐polarization model counting the small spin density of the sp³ carbon atom could be used as a spin‐prediction model.     

Experimental detection of proteolytic activity in a signal peptide peptidase of Arabidopsis thaliana

Background

The ubiquitin ligase COP1, COnstitutively Photomorphogenic 1, functions in many biological responses in mammalian cells, but its downstream pathway remains unclear.

Results

Here, we identified FIP200, a key regulator of mammalian autophagy, as a novel COP1-interacting protein by yeast two-hybrid screening. The interaction was confirmed by a GST-pulldown assay. Split-GFP analysis revealed that interaction between COP1 and FIP200 predominantly occurred in the cytoplasm and was enhanced in cells treated with UV irradiation. Different forms of FIP200 protein were expressed in cultured mammalian cells, and ectopic expression of COP1 reduced one of such forms.

Conclusions

These data suggest that COP1 modulates FIP200-associated activities, which may contribute to a variety of cellular functions that COP1 is involved in.     

Chemical Stimulus‐responsive Folding and Unfolding of a Dendrimeric Assembly

A dendrimeric trimer undergoes folding and unfolding in response to a chemical stimulus. The trimer of interest contains a central dendrimer with a butadiyne‐linked zinc porphyrin dimer ((ZnP)₂) core, in addition to two terminal dendrimers with zinc porphyrin (ZnP) cores. The obtained absorption spectra indicate that the unfolded form is the exclusive conformer in chloroform, while the addition of 1,4‐diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) in chloroform leads to transformation from the unfolded to the folded structure containing two DABCO units per trimer; the folded structure originates from the cross‐linking of (ZnP)₂ and ZnP with DABCO. Moreover, the addition of excess DABCO promotes the generation of the unfolded structure containing four DABCO units.     

Stereoregularity of poly(α-methylvinyl alkyl ether)s determined by 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy

α-Methylvinyl methyl ether, ethyl ether, and isobutyl ether were polymerized under various polymerization conditions and the structure of the polymers was determined by ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy. α-Methyl and β-methylene carbon spectra of poly(α-methylvinyl isobutyl ether) showed splitting and were analyzed by triad and tetrad sequences. β-Methylene carbon spectra of poly(α-methylvinyl ethyl ether) also showed splitting. When Eu(fod)₃ was added, α-methyl and methoxy proton spectra in benzene of poly(α-methylvinyl methyl ether) showed splitting assigned to triad tacticities. All the polymers obtained in polar solvents exhibited an increase in syndiotacticity. The polymerization mechanism is discussed.