Photochemistry of Aryl Vinyl Sulfides and Aryl Vinyl Ethers: Evidence for the Formation of Thiocarbonyl and Carbonyl Ylides

Aryl vinyl thioethers 5a and 9a and aryl vinyl ethers 5b and 9b form ylide intermediates following laser irradiation at 308 nm. In benzene, the ylides possess long-lived absorption bands in the 600-800 nm region with a second weaker band at approximately 460 nm. In methanol, a known quencher of zwitterionic species, the lifetimes are reduced significantly. The decay kinetics measured within the long wavelength absorption envelope vary with wavelength, indicating the presence of more than one ylide species. Formation of the ylides occurs via a naphthalene-like triplet state in the case of aryl vinyl ethers, while for the thioethers the multiplicity of the ylide precursor could be either singlet or triplet. Product formation in benzene for 5a and 5b involves ring closure of the ylide to produce dihydrothiophene and dihydrofuran products, respectively. For short periods of irradiation (either lamps or laser) a mixture of cis- and trans-fused products is observed, while for prolonged irradiation only the cis-fused compound is detected, suggesting a photoenolization mechanism for conversion of trans to cis. In addition to products derived from ring closure, 9a provides intramolecular addition product 12. Conversely, the ylide derived from 9b gives rise to the [3 + 2] cycloaddition product 13.     

Visual immunoprecipitate assay eight hour method for detection of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 in raw and cooked beef (modification of AOAC Official Method 996.09): collaborative study

AOAC Official Method 996.09, Visual Immunoprecipitate Assay (VIP) for Escherichia coli O157:H7, was modified to incorporate a new enrichment protocol using BioControl EHEC8 medium for testing raw and cooked beef. Foods were tested by VIP assay and the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA/FSIS) enrichment procedure and the FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) isolation and confirmation techniques. A total of 15 collaborators participated. Raw and cooked ground beef were inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 at 2 different levels: a high level, where predominantly positive results were expected, and a low level where fractional recovery was anticipated. Collaborators tested 396 test portions and controls by both methods, for a total of 792 test portions. Of the 396 paired test portions, 75 were positive and 230 were negative by both the VIP and culture methods. Eleven test portions were presumptively positive by VIP and could not be confirmed culturally; 32 were negative by VIP, but confirmed positive by culture; and 65 were negative by the culture method, but confirmed positive by the VIP method. There was no statistical difference between results obtained with the VIP for EHEC 8 h method and the culture method except for cooked beef, where the VIP had significantly higher recovery for one inoculation level.     

Substituted 2-azabicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes as constrained proline analogues: implications for collagen stability

Among the proteinogenic amino acids, only proline is a secondary amine and only proline has a saturated ring. Electronegative substituents on C-4 (that is, C(gamma)) have a substantial effect on the trans/cis ratio of the prolyl peptide bond and the pucker of the pyrrolidine ring. 2-Azabicyclo[2.1.1]hexane is, in essence, a proline analogue with two C(gamma) atoms, one in each of the two prevalent ring puckers of proline. Here, 2-azabicyclo[2.1.1]hexane analogues of 2S-proline, (2S,4S)-4-hydroxyproline, and (2S,4S)-4-fluoroproline residues were synthesized, and their trans/cis ratios were shown to be invariant in a particular solvent. Thus, the substitution of a proline residue on C-4 affects the trans/cis ratio by altering the pucker of its pyrrolidine ring. This finding has implications for the conformation of collagen, which has an abundance of 2S-proline and (2S,4R)-4-hydroxyproline residues, and can be stabilized by (2S,4R)-4-fluoroproline and (2S,4S)-4-fluoroproline residues.     

NMR proofs of the involvement of an allenyl-naphthol as a key-intermediate in the photochromic process of [3H]-naphthopyrans

The NMR characterization of an intermediate, proved to be involved in the photochromic process of fluoro-substituted-3,3-diphenyl-3H-naphtho[2,1-b]pyrans is reported. An o-allenyl-naphthol structure was deduced and a plausible reaction mechanism was proposed.     

Enthalpy of reaction of thorium(IV) with oxalate

We have employed titration calorimetry to investigate the aqueous solution chemistry of the Th(IV) + oxalate coordination system. The enthalpies of formation of the two oxalic acid species and the first Th-oxalate complex have been measured at an ionic strength I=1.0M and temperature t=25°C. Corresponding entropy values were calculated from the van't Hoff equation, and a thermodynamic summary of the Th/H/oxalate system is presented in a table.     

Micellar and associated thermodynamic properties of binary mixtures of alkyl triphenyl phosphonium bromides in ethylene glycol and water mixtures

Micellar properties of binary combinations of a family of cationic alkyl triphenyl phosphonium bromides with varying chain length (C₁₀–C₁₆) were investigated in aqueous and aqueous ethylene glycol mixtures employing conductometric technique. The results of the mixed systems were analyzed in the light of the Regular Solution Theory and the Gibbs–Duhem equation to evaluate the composition of the mixed micelle, the activity coefficients, and the interaction parameter (β). The excess free energy and the other related thermodynamic parameters of mixing were calculated and discussed in terms of the stability of the mixed micelles in the presence of an ethylene glycol additive. Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Direct modification of the glycocalyx of a cultured muscle cell line by incorporation of foreign gangliosides and an integral membrane glycoprotein

As part of a program to better understand the cause-or-effect nature of the relationship between cell surface carbohydrate and cell properties and behaviour, experiments have been carried out on direct modification of the glycocalyx of cultured cells. Modification was by incorporation of gangliosides and an integral membrane glycoprotein chosen to be dissimilar to species occurring naturally in the cell line. Two methods of incorporation were investigated: simple addition of the new components to the culture medium for various times, or assembly of the components into the walls of lipid vesicles which were subsequently fused with cells. Gangliosides from beef brain and glycophorin, the major human erythrocyte sialoglycoprotein, were successfully added to the surface of myoblasts in quantities sufficient to represent a significant perturbation. Changes in cell adhesion, morphology, and viability were observed which seem to be a direct result of glycocalyx modification.     

Solar ultraviolet-B radiation in urban environments: the case of Baltimore, Maryland

Ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B, 280-320 nm) has important effects in urban areas, including those on human health. Broadband UV-B radiation is monitored in Baltimore, MD, as part of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, a long-term ecological research program. We compare broadband UV-B irradiance in Baltimore with UV-B at two nearby locations: a more rural station 64 km southeast and a suburban station 42 km southwest. The monitoring station in Baltimore is on the roof of a 33-m-tall building; there are no significant obstructions to sky view. The U.S. Department of Agriculture UV-B Monitoring and Research Program provided all sensors, which were calibrated at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Central UV Calibration Facility. UV-B irradiances at the three sites generally were similar. Over all conditions, Baltimore and the suburban site measured 3.4% less irradiance than the rural site. This difference is within the anticipated +/-3% calibration uncertainty of the pyranometers. On 59 days with cloud-free conditions at all three sites, average differences in measured UV-B among the three sites were even smaller; Baltimore measured 1.2% less irradiance than the rural site. High aerosol optical thickness strongly reduced daily UV-B dose, whereas [SO2] had no influence. Surface O3 increased with increasing UV-B dose when [NO2] exceeded 10 ppb.