Cationic ring-opening transfer polymerization of spiro ortho esters initiated by carbon black

The ring-opening transfer polymerization of spiro ortho esters (SOE) initiated by carbon black was investigated. In the absence of carbon black, no polymerization occurred at all. In the presence of channel black containing carboxyl group, the ring-opening transfer polymerization of SOE was initiated at 50-70°C. to give polyether ester, namely alternating copolymer of epoxide and lactone. The rate of polymerization of 1,4,6-trioxaspiro[4.4]nonane and 1,4,6-trioxaspiro[4.5]decane was considerably small compared with that of 1,4,6-trioxaspiro[4.6]undecane. The activation energy of the polymerization of 2-chloromethyl-1,4,6-trioxaspiro[4.6]undecane was estimated to be 6.0 kcal/mol. The initiating activity of carbon black increased with an increase in carboxyl group content of carbon black. Furnace black that contained no carboxyl group was unable to initiate the polymerization. Furthermore, the carbon black lost the initiating ability of the polymerization upon the blocking of carboxyl group on the surface by the treatment with potassium hydroxide or diazomethane. Based on these results, it was concluded that carboxyl group on carbon black plays an important role in the initiation. During the polymerization, a part of the polymer formed was grafted onto carbon black: the grafting ratio was 10–30%. The mechanisms of initiation and grafting were discussed.     

Total synthesis of mycestericin A

The first total synthesis of mycestericin A (1) starting from tartrates is described. The Overman rearrangement of an allylic trichloroacetimidate generated a tetra-substituted carbon with nitrogen, and subsequent stereoselective transformations afforded the highly functionalized vinyl iodide. The cross-coupling of the vinyl iodide with a chiral organozinc species under Negishi conditions, followed by deprotection, completed the total synthesis of 1.     

Development of SI-traceable C-peptide certified reference material NMIJ CRM 6901-a using isotope-dilution mass spectrometry-based amino acid analyses

A certified reference material (CRM) is a higher-order calibration material used to enable a traceable analysis. This paper describes the development of a C-peptide CRM (NMIJ CRM 6901-a) by the National Metrology Institute of Japan using two independent methods for amino acid analysis based on isotope-dilution mass spectrometry. C-peptide is a 31-mer peptide that is utilized for the evaluation of β-cell function in the pancreas in clinical testing. This CRM is a lyophilized synthetic peptide having the human C-peptide sequence, and contains deamidated and pyroglutamylated forms of C-peptide. By adding water (1.00 ± 0.01) g into the vial containing the CRM, the C-peptide solution in 10 mM phosphate buffer saline (pH 6.6) is reconstituted. We assigned two certified values that represent the concentrations of total C-peptide (mixture of C-peptide, deamidated C-peptide, and pyroglutamylated C-peptide) and C-peptide. The certified concentration of total C-peptide was determined by two amino acid analyses using pre-column derivatization liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and hydrophilic chromatography-mass spectrometry following acid hydrolysis. The certified concentration of C-peptide was determined by multiplying the concentration of total C-peptide by the ratio of the relative area of C-peptide to that of the total C-peptide measured by liquid chromatography. The certified value of C-peptide (80.7 ± 5.0) mg/L represents the concentration of the specific entity of C-peptide; on the other hand, the certified value of total C-peptide, (81.7 ± 5.1) mg/L can be used for analyses that does not differentiate deamidated and pyroglutamylated C-peptide from C-peptide itself, such as amino acid analyses and immunochemical assays.     

UV dose measurements of photosensitive dermatosis patients by polycrystalline GaN-based portable self-data-acquisition UV monitors

We have developed a UV monitor with polycrystalline (poly-) gallium nitride (GaN) UV sensors and evaluated its performance from the viewpoint of its effectiveness for use with photosensitive dermatosis patients. The poly-GaN UV sensor is sensitive to UV light from 280 to 410 nm even without optical filters. The UV monitor is a portable self-data-acquisition instrument with a minimum detection level (defined as average UV intensity over 290 to 400 nm) of 2 microW/cm2 and can store UV dose data for 128 days. It allows easy measurement of four orders of magnitude of ambient UV intensity and dose from indoor light to direct solar radiation in summer. Trial use of the UV monitor by five xeroderma pigmentosum patients started in June 2000 and was carried out for 1 year. It was demonstrated that the UV monitor was useful in improving their quality of life.     

Controlled monomer insertion into polymer main chain: synthesis of sequence ordered polystyrene containing thiourethane and trithiocarbonate units by the RAFT process

A polymer having a trithiocarbonate moiety in the main chain was applied as a polymeric precursor to the synthesis of a sequence ordered polymer by insertion polymerization of styrene into the main chain by a RAFT mechanism.     

Novel polycationic biocides: Synthesis and antibacterial activity of polymeric phosphonium salts

Various polymeric phosphonium salts and the corresponding low-molecular-weight model compounds were prepared and their antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were explored by the viable cell counting method in sterile distilled water. Antibacterial activity of the polymers was found to be higher than that of the corresponding model compounds, particularly against S. aureus. Furthermore, the polymeric phosphonium salt exhibited a higher activity by 2 orders of magnitude than the polymeric quaternary ammonium salt with the same structure except the cationic part. Compounds with the longest alkyl chain (octyl) studied were found to exhibit particularly high activity, and this finding may be ascribed to the contribution of the increased hydrophobicity of the compounds to the cidal activity. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Circular Dichroism Study of the Inclusion-Dissociation Behavior of Complexes between a Molecular Nanotube and Azobenzene Substituted Linear Polymers

We have investigated the inclusion properties of molecular nanotubes composed ofcrosslinked -cyclodextrin. Induced circular dichroism was used to probe theformation and dissociation of complexes between the nanotubes and azobenzenemodified linear polymers. The polymer was poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), either withor without a hydrophobic alkyl chain.It was found that the inclusion complex betweenthe nanotubes and polymers formed at room temperature, and that the polymers dissociated from the nanotubes with increasing temperature. Further, the polymer with hydrophobic alkyl chain was bound inside the nanotube more strongly and dissociated more abruptly with increasing temperature than its hydrophilic counterpart as expected theoretically.     

Proposed mechanism for the reaction catalyzed by a diterpene cyclase,aphidicolan-16beta-ol synthase: experimental results on biomimetic cyclization and examination of the cyclization pathway by ab initio calculations

To examine the mechanism of the cyclization reaction catalyzed by aphidicolan-16beta-ol synthase (ACS), which is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of diterpene aphidicolin, a specific inhibitor of DNA polymerase alpha, skeletal rearrangement of 2a and biomimetic cyclization of 4b were employed. The structures of the reaction products, which reflect penultimate cation intermediates, allowed us to propose a detailed reaction pathway for the Lewis acid-catalyzed cyclizations and rearrangements. Isolation of these products in an aphidicolin-producing fungus led us to speculate that the mechanism of the ACS-catalyzed cyclization reaction is the same as that of a nonenzymatic reaction. Ab initio calculations of the acid-catalyzed reaction intermediates and the transition states indicate that the overall reaction catalyzed by ACS is an exothermic process though the reaction proceeds via an energetically disfavored secondary cation-like transition state. In conjunction with the solvent effect in the acid-catalyzed reactions, this indicates that the actual role of ACS is to provide a template which enforces conformations of the intermediate cations leading to the productive cyclization although it has been believed that the cation-pi interaction between cation intermediates and aromatic amino acid residues in the active site is important for the enzymatic catalysis. This study provided important information on the role of various cationic species, especially secondary cation-like structures, in both nonenzymatic and enzymatic reactions.     

Diastereocontrolled synthesis of dinucleoside phosphorothioates using a novel class of activators, dialkyl(cyanomethyl)ammonium tetrafluoroborates

A novel class of activators, dialkyl(cyanomethyl)ammonium tetrafluoroborates 1a-c, has been developed and applied to the condensations of diastereopure 5'-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilylthymidine 3'-cyclic phosphoramidites 3a-d with 3'-O-tert-butyldimethylsilylthymidine (4a). Among them, the condensation of 3a with 4a in the presence of 1a completed within 5 min and gave only one diastereoisomer of the corresponding phosphite 5a. After sulfurization and deprtection, almost diastereopure (Rp)-TpsT 7 was obtained (d.r. = 99:1). Next the 5'-O-(DMTr)nucleoside 3'-phosphoramidites 8a-d containing thymine, N6-benzoyladenine, N4-benzoylcytosine, and N2-phenylacetylguanine have been synthesized and allowed to condense with 3'-O-protected thymidine and 2'-deoxyadenosine. The 5'-O-DMTr group and the N-acyl groups of the nucleobases were compatible with the reaction conditions and the condensations completed quickly with excellent diastereoselectivity.