Calculation of quantum partition function of the BCS model in the disordered phase

E. K. Zavoiskii Kazan Physicotechnical Institute, Kazan Branch, USSR Academy of Sciences. Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Matematicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 90, No. 2, pp. 233–245, February, 1992.     

Efficient synthesis of (carboranylmethyl)siloxanes from carboranylcopper and chloromethylsiloxanes

A preparative synthesis of (carboranylmethyl)siloxanes from carboranylcopper and chloromethylsiloxanes was developed. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 709–711, April, 1998.     

A possible helical model for sodium glycocholate micellar aggregates

Sodium glycocholate crystallizes in the tetragonal space group14 witha =b = 27.793(4),c = 7.937(1) Å andZ = 8. Refinement based on 2290 observed reflections led to a conventionalR = 0.10. The bile salt molecules are arranged in a helix with 2₁ symmetry stabilized mainly by polar interactions. Four helices are held together by hydrogen bonds involving water molecules, giving rise to hydrophilic channels, with a small cross section, which can include water molecules. The packing of these tetramers form hydrophobic channels containing some disordered acetone and water molecules. The helices will be checked as a model for the micellar aggregates of this important conjugated bile salt, following the same strategy successfully applied to sodium deoxycholate. Supplementary Data relating to this article are deposited with the British Library as Supplementary Publication No. SUP 82107 (20 pages).     

Oxidative Polymerization of the Pheomelanin Precursor 5-Hydroxy-1,4-benzothiazinylalanine: A New Hint to the Pigment Structure

Biosynthetic studies have shown that pheomelanins, the distinctive pigments of red human hair, arise from oxidative polymerization of cysteinyldopas via 1,4-benzothiazinylalanine intermediates. However, the mode of formation of the pigment polymer remains controversial. To address this point, we have investigated the conversion of the major biosynthetic precursor 5-S-cysteinyldopa (2a) to pheomelanin under biomimetic conditions. Peroxidase/H(2)O(2) oxidation of 2a was shown to lead in the early stages to the 1,4-benzothiazinylalanine 8a, which rapidly declines with concomitant formation of a distinct pattern of oligomeric products. Reduction of the reaction mixture at this stage allowed the isolation of dimer 17 in 10% yield, along with trimers 18 and 19 in smaller amounts. A restricted rotation about the ethereal C-O bond of 17 was apparent by the presence of two NMR-detectable conformational isomers, separated by an activation energy barrier of 17.83 +/- 0.03 kcal mol(-)(1). Under similar oxidation conditions, the model catechol 2b gave the related dimers 15 and 16. The structure of oligomers 17-19, all characterized by C-C and C-O bonds between the benzothiazine units, would suggest that the peroxidase-promoted polymerization proceeds by phenol-type coupling of an aryloxy radical generated by initial one-electron oxidation of 8a. Overall, these results point to a structural model for the pheomelanin polymer which is basically different from that proposed on the basis of degradative studies.     

大豆中Glycinol的分离与鉴定

 Glycinol是大豆中主要的植物抗毒素和植物雌激素glyceollins的直接前体,是研究大豆中异戊烯转移酶必需的重要底物。该研究以新鲜大豆为原料，采用硝酸银诱导大豆子叶使glycinol 在其中累积,再用甲醇提取，经制备高效液相色谱分离获得单一成分;经液相色谱/四极杆-飞行时间串联质谱及紫外光谱鉴定,并与标准品对照,确定所获得的单一成分为glycinol。采用该分离方法可从390 g鲜重的大豆中分离得到100 mg高纯度的glycinol。该研究提供了一种分离纯化和较大量制备glycinol 的方法。     

Semisynthetic ‘designer’ p53 sheds light on a phosphorylation–acetylation relay

The tumor suppressor protein p53 is a master regulator of cell fate. The activity of p53 is controlled by a plethora of posttranslational modifications (PTMs). However, despite extensive research, the mechanisms of this regulation are still poorly understood due to a paucity of biochemical studies with p53 carrying defined PTMs. Here, we report a protein semi-synthesis approach to access site-specifically modified p53. We synthesized a set of chemically homogeneous full-length p53 carrying one (Ser20ph and Ser15ph) or two (Ser15,20ph) naturally occurring, damage-associated phosphoryl marks. Refolding and biochemical characterization of semisynthetic p53 variants confirmed their structural and functional integrity. Furthermore, we show that phosphorylation within the N-terminal domain directly enhances p300-dependent acetylation approximately twofold, consistent with the role of these marks in p53 activation. Given that the p53 N-terminus is a hotspot for PTMs, we believe that our approach will contribute greatly to a mechanistic understanding of how p53 is controlled by PTMs.

‘Designer’ p53: semi-synthesis of the tumor suppressor protein p53 via native chemical ligation enables in vitro structure–activity studies to reveal how this master regulator of cell fate is itself regulated by phosphorylation.     

Crystal structures of bile salts: Sodium taurocholate

Crystals of sodium taurocholate (NaC₂₆H₄₄NO₇S · 2.5 H₂O) belonging to the triclinic space groupP1 have unit cell parametersa = 12.731 (2),b = 16.104 (2),c = 7.628 (1) A, =83.40 (1), = 101.20 (1), = 105.35 (1)°, and two molecules in the asymmetric unit. The refinement, carried out on 4424 observed reflections, gaveR = 0.059 andR _w = 0.066. The packing is characterized by bilayers, formed by antiparallel monolayers and with nonpolar outermost surfaces, held together by van der Waals interactions. Inside the bilayers there are channels, lined with polar groups, and filled by sodium ions and water molecules. A structural unit has been identified that could provide a reasonable model for the micellar aggregates of this bile salt. Supplementary Data relevant to this article have been deposited with the British Library under the reference number SUP 82125 (38 pages).     

Heterogeneous uptake and reactivity of formic acid on calcium carbonate particles: a Knudsen cell reactor, FTIR and SEM study

The heterogeneous uptake and reactivity of formic acid (HCOOH), a common gas-phase organic acid found in the environment, on calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) particles have been investigated using a Knudsen cell reactor, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). FTIR measurements show that the adsorption of formic acid on the surface of calcium carbonate results in the formation of calcium formate. Besides calcium formate, carbonic acid is also a reaction product under dry conditions (<1% RH). Under dry conditions and at low pressures, the initial uptake coefficient of formic acid on CaCO(3) particles is measured to be 3 +/- 1 x 10(-3) and decreases as the surface saturates with adsorbed products. The maximum surface coverage of formic acid under dry conditions is determined to be (3 +/- 1)x 10(14) molecules cm(-2). Under humidified conditions (RH >10%), adsorbed water on the surface of the carbonate particles participates in the surface reactivity of these particles, which results in the enhanced uptake kinetics and extent of reaction of this organic acid on CaCO(3) as well as opens up several new reaction pathways. These reaction pathways include: (i) the water-assisted dissociation of carbonic acid to CO(2) and H(2)O and (ii) the formation of calcium formate islands and crystallites, as evident by SEM images. The results presented here show that adsorbed water plays a potentially important role in the surface chemistry of gas-phase organic acids on calcium carbonate particles.     

Production of crosslinked,hollow nanoparticles by surface‐initiated living free‐radical polymerization

Surface‐initiated living free‐radical polymerization is employed in a multistep procedure to prepare hollow polymeric nanocapsules. Initially, trichlorosilyl‐substituted alkoxyamine initiating groups are attached to the surface silanol groups of silica nanoparticles. This surface layer of initiating groups is then used to grow functionalized linear chains leading to a core–shell morphology. The choice of functional groups is governed by their ability to undergo facile crosslinking reactions, with both active ester and benzocyclobutene groups being examined. Under either chemical or thermal conditions, the reaction of these functionalities gives a crosslinked polymeric shell that is covalently attached to, and surrounds, the central silica core. Removal of the silica core with HF then gives the hollow polymeric nanocapsules, which are stable under solvent dissolution and thermal treatment because of their crosslinked structure. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1309–1320, 2002