Analysis of oxidation process of cholecystokinin octapeptide with reactive oxygen species by high‐performance liquid chromatography and subsequent electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The C‐terminal octapeptide of cholecystokinin (CCK8) includes some easily oxidizable amino acids. The oxidation of CCK8 by reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and hydroxyl radicals (OH^?) was investigated using reversed‐phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP‐HPLC) and subsequent electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The mechanism of oxidation of CCK8 in the H₂O₂ system differed from that of CCK8 in the Fenton system, in which OH^? are produced. In the H₂O₂ system, ²⁸Met and ³¹Met were oxidized to methionine sulfoxide, and no further oxidation or degradation/hydrolysis occurred. On the other hand, in the Fenton system, ²⁸Met and ³¹Met residues were oxidized to methionine sulfone via the formation of methionine sulfoxide. In addition, the oxidized product was observed at the Trp residue but not at the Tyr residue, and small peptide fragments from CCK8 were observed in the Fenton system. From these results, it was concluded that ²⁸Met and ³¹Met residues of CCK8 are susceptible to oxidation by ROS. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reductive Benzylation of Dimetallo Hexaaryl[70]Fullerenes on the Equatorial Region

Dianions of dimetallic hexa(organo)[70]fullerene [(C₅R₅)₂Ru₂C₇₀Ar₆]^2? (R=H, Me; Ar=Ph, 4‐MeC₆H₄, 4‐tBuC₆H₄) react with benzylic bromide to yield the dibenzylated product dimetallic octa(organo)[70]fullerene (C₅R₅)₂Ru₂C₇₀Ar₆(CH₂Ar′)₂ (Ar′=Ph, 4‐MeO₂CC₆H₄), where the benzylic groups are attached to the equatorial belt region of [70]fullerene; this region is generally considered to be rather unreactive. This unusual structure was unambiguously determined by X‐ray crystallography. Theoretical studies on the electronic properties of the monoanionic intermediate indicated that the highest spin density resides on the two carbon atoms in the belt region; one of them then couples with a benzylic radical to yield the octa(organo)fullerene product after ionic substitution of the fullerene anion with a benzylic bromide. Electrochemical analysis of the hexa(organo) and octa(organo) ruthenium complexes suggests that the modification of the belt region does not affect the electronic communication between the two metal centers.     

Synthesis of well‐defined and end‐polymerizable star‐shaped polysulfides and their application to negative photoresist

Various star‐shaped poly(phenoxy propylene sulfide)s (PPSs) bearing curable end groups were synthesized by the functionalization of the propagating ends of star‐shaped poly(PPS) with various electrophilies. The functionalization with chloromethyl styrene proceeded quantitatively, and afforded polymers with M_n almost agreed with theoretical value and narrow M_w/M_n. The photocuring conditions were optimized, and the addition of 10 wt % of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate was effective to attain sufficient crosslinking. The photocuring reaction of the end‐functionalized poly(PPS) films cast on silicon wafers was conducted by UV irradiation. The cured poly (PPS)s became insoluble in THF, supporting the sufficient crosslinking. Developing of a cured polymer yielded a negative photoresist pattern. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

A new water‐soluble branched poly(ethylene imine) derivative having hydrolyzable imidazolidine moieties and its application to long‐lasting release of aldehyde

A new water‐soluble poly(ethylene imine)‐derivative having imidazolidine moieties was developed. With using branched poly(ethylene imine) (BPEI) as a precursor, it was modified by Michael addition reaction of its primary amino group to an acrylate having poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain. The modified BPEI was reacted with octanal to give the corresponding BPEI derivative having octanal‐derived imidazolidine moieties. The obtained polymer inherited the high hydrophilicity of the attached PEG chains to allow hydrolysis of the imidazolidine moieties under homogeneous conditions in aqueous media, leading to long‐lasting release of octanal. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Relativistic correlating basis sets for 57La and 89Ac

Developed and reported are compact yet efficient correlating basis sets for the ₅₇La and ₈₉Ac atoms, missing in the literature. Good performance of these correlating sets is exemplified in molecular applications to diatomic oxides and fluorides. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Biological identification of peptides that specifically bind to poly(phenylene vinylene) surfaces: recognition of the branched or linear structure of the conjugated polymer

Peptides that bind to poly(phenylene vinylene) (PPV) were identified by the phage display method. Aromatic amino acids were enriched in these peptide sequences, suggesting that a π-π interaction is the key interaction between the peptides and PPV. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments using chemically synthesized peptides demonstrated that the Hyp01 peptide, with the sequence His-Thr-Asp-Trp-Arg-Leu-Gly-Thr-Trp-His-His-Ser, showed an affinity constant (7.7 × 10(5) M(-1)) for the target, hyperbranched PPV (hypPPV) film. This value is 15-fold greater than its affinity for linear PPV (linPPV). In contrast, the peptide screened for linPPV (Lin01) showed the reverse specificity for linPPV. These results suggested that the Hyp01 and Lin01 peptides selectively recognized the linear or branched structure of PPVs. The Ala-scanning experiment, circular dichroism (CD) spectrometry, and molecular modeling of the Hyp01 peptide indicated that adequate location of two Trp residues by forming the polyproline type II (P(II)) helical conformation allowed the peptide to specifically interact with hypPPV.     

An effective synthesis of N,N-dimethylamides from carboxylic acids and a new route from N,N-dimethylamides to 1,2-diaryl-1,2-diketones

Carboxylic acids were heated at 150 °C in DMF in the presence of 1.25 equiv of thionyl chloride to give corresponding N,N-dimethylamides in good yields. Tandem chlorination and amidation reactions occurred in the one-pot procedure. Dicarboxylic acids needed prolonged reaction time to produce bisamides in good yields. Some benzamides were efficiently converted into corresponding 1,2-diaryl-1,2-diketones (benzils) under acyloin condensation conditions in the presence of 4,4′-di-tert-butylbiphenyl (DBB) in THF. Ultrasonic irradiation effectively accelerates the reaction, but it is not critical. However, the presence of DBB is fatal to the reaction. Although a few synthetic methods for benzils from benzoic acids have been reported so far, this method is one of the most convenient and highly reproducible procedures.     

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.     

Monolithic silica spin column extraction and simultaneous derivatization of amphetamines and 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamines in human urine for gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric detection

A simple, sensitive, and specific method with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was developed for simultaneous extraction and derivatization of amphetamines (APs) and 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamines (MDAs) in human urine by using a monolithic silica spin column. All the procedures, such as sample loading, washing, and elution were performed by centrifugation. APs and MDAs in urine were adsorbed on the monolithic silica and derivatized with propyl chloroformate in the column. Methamphetamine-d₅ was used as an internal standard. The linear ranges were 0.01-5.0 μg mL⁻¹ for methamphetamine (MA) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and 0.02-5.0 μg mL⁻¹ for amphetamine (AP) and 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) (coefficient of correlation ≧0.995). The recovery of APs and MDAs in urine was 84-94%, and the relative standard deviation of the intra- and interday reproducibility for urine samples containing 0.1, 1.0, and 4.0 μg mL⁻¹ of APs and MDAs ranged from 1.4% to 13.6%. The lowest detection limit (signal-to-noise ratio ≧ 3) in urine was 5 ng mL⁻¹ for MA and MDMA and 10 ng mL⁻¹ for AP and MDA. The proposed method can be used to perform simultaneous extraction and derivatization on spin columns that have been loaded with a small quantity of solvent by using centrifugation.