Tetrafluoroaurate(III) der Lanthaniden M2F[AuF4]5 (M = Tb,Dy, Ho,Er)

Tetrafluoroaurates(III) of Lanthanoides M₂F[AuF₄]₅ (M = Tb, Dy, Ho, Er) Tetrafluoroaurates(III) M₂F[AuF₄]₅ with M = Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, all yellow, have been obtained. From single crystal data they crystallize triclinic, space group P1 -C¹_i (No. 2) with Tb: a = 1 194,34(7) pm, b = 798,46(6) pm, c = 902,02(7) pm, α = 89,033(7)°, β = 88,990(6)°, γ = 89,006(7)°; Dy: a = 1 191,66(9) pm, b = 796,33(8) pm, c = 899,65(9) pm, α = 88,956(8)°, β = 89,056(8)°, γ = 88,972(8)°; Ho: a = 1 189,06(10) pm, b = 795,46(6) pm, c = 896,81(7) pm, α = 88,912(8)°, β = 89,101(7)°, γ = 88,873(8)°; Er: a = 1 185,20(40), b = 793,98(14), c = 893,83(20), α = 88,751(23)°, β = 89,187(26)°, γ = 88,884(9)°     

Structural analysis of underivatized sialic acids by combined high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Mass spectra of chemically ionized, positive ions of underivatized N,O-acylated sialic acids, 2-deoxy-2,3-didehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid and sialyl-alpha(2-3)-lactose were obtained by combined high-performance liquid chromatography--mass spectrometry, using a direct liquid inlet system. The mass spectra of the different compounds for which fragmentation schemes are proposed enable the differentiation between sialic acids, although the localization of O-substituents is not possible. However, since the various sialic acids separated well on high-performance liquid chromatography, combined high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry allowed their unequivocal characterization.     

Phytochromes with noncovalently bound chromophores: the ability of apophytochromes to direct tetrapyrrole photoisomerization

Chromophore-apoprotein interactions were studied with recombinant apoproteins, oat phytochrome (phyA) and CphB of the cyanobacterium Calothrix PCC7601, which were both incubated with the bilin compounds biliverdin (BV) IXalpha, phycocyanobilin (PCB) and the 3'-methoxy derivative of PCB. Previously it was shown that CphB and its homolog in Calothrix, CphA, show strong sequence similarities with each other and with the phytochromes of higher and lower plants, despite the fact that CphB carries a leucine instead of a cysteine at the chromophore attachment position and thus holds the chromophore only noncovalently. CphA binds tetrapyrrole chromophores in a covalent, phytochrome-like manner. For both eyanobacterial phytochromes, red and far-red light-induced photochemistry has been reported. Thus, the role of the binding site of CphB in directing the photochemistry of noncovalently bound tetrapyrroles was analyzed in comparison with the apoprotein from phyA phytochrome. Both the aforementioned compounds, which were used as chromophores, are not able to form covalent bonds with a phytochrome-type apoprotein because of their chemical structure (vinyl group at position 3 or methoxy group at position 3'). The BV adducts of both apoproteins showed phytochrome-like photochemistry (formation of red and far-red-absorbing forms of phytochrome [P(r) and P(fr) forms]). However, incubation of the oat apophytochrome with BV primarily yields a 700 nm form from which the P(r)-P(fr) photochemistry can be initiated and to which the system relaxes in the dark after illumination. The results for CphB were compared with a CphB mutant where the chromophore-binding cysteine had been introduced, which, upon incubation with PCB, shows spectral properties nearly identical with its (covalently binding) CphA homolog. A comparison of the spectral properties (P(r) and P(fr) forms) of all the PCB- and BV-containing chromoproteins reveals that the binding site of the cyanobacterial apoprotein is better suited than the plant (oat) phytochrome to noncovalently incorporate the chromophore and to regulate its photochemistry. Our findings support the proposal that the recently identified phytochrome-like prokaryotic photoreceptors, which do not contain a covalently bound chromophore, may trigger a light-induced physiological response.     

Neutron induced radiography in the determination of boron in drinking water

Neutron induced radiography has been applied to the determination of boron concentrations in drinking water, collected from natural springs of Reshian and Muzaffarabad areas of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, using CR-39 etched track detectors. The technique is based upon the simultaneous irradiation with thermal neutrons of a sample of unknown concentration and a standard of known boron concentration, fixed on a track detector. The subsequent counting of alpha and ⁷Li tracks in the detector resulting from the ¹⁰B(n,)⁷Li nuclear reaction is done after chemical etching. Boron concentration in the sample is determined by comparing ⁷Li and alpha-particle track density with that of a standard of known boron concentration. Boron concentrations in drinking water samples from Muzaffarabad and Reshian area of Azad Kashmir have been found to vary from (0.054±0.001) mg/l to (0.250±0.004) mg/l with an average of (0.16±0.002) mg/l. The observed concentration of boron in drinking water has been found to be less than the provisional Maximum Acceptable Concentration level (0.4 mg//l) of WHO. The drinking water from the reported area has been found to be within safe limits as far as boron related health hazards are concerned.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

HostDesigner: a program for the de novo structure-based design of molecular receptors with binding sites that complement metal ion guests

This paper describes a novel approach to the discovery of host structures with binding sites that complement targeted metal ion guests. This approach uses a de novo structure-based design strategy that couples molecular building algorithms with scoring functions to prioritize candidate structures. The algorithms described herein have been implemented in a program called HostDesigner, the first structure-based design software specifically created for the discovery of metal ion receptors. HostDesigner generates and evaluates millions of candidate structures within minutes, rapidly identifying three-dimensional architectures that position binding sites to provide an optimal interaction with the metal ion.     

New structures in the bi­pyridine–copper(II) nitrate–methanol system: [(bpy)2Cu(NO3)]NO3·CH3OH and [(bpy)2Cu(NO3)]NO3

Reaction of 2,2′‐bi­pyridine (bpy) and copper(II) nitrate in methanol results in two complexes, namely light‐blue bis(2,2′‐bi­pyridine)­nitrato­copper(II) nitrate methanol solvate, [Cu(NO₃)(C₁₀H₈N₂)₂]NO₃·CH₃OH, (I), which is unstable in air, and the product of its decomposition, catena‐poly­[[[bis(2,2′‐bi­pyridine)copper(II)]‐μ‐nitrato‐O:O′] nitrate], {[Cu(NO₃)(C₁₀H₈N₂)₂]NO₃}_n, (II). The crystal structures of both compounds were determined from one crystal at room temperature. Later, the structure of (I) was redetermined at low temperature. In (I) and (II), the Cu atom is coordinated by two bpy and one or two nitrate ions, respectively. The second nitrate ion in (I), along with the methanol solvent mol­ecule, is found in the outer coordination sphere, not bonded to Cu. The nitrate in (I) is chelating, while in (II), it bridges (bpy)₂Cu complexes, forming a one‐dimensional chain structure. The Cu cation in (II) lies on a twofold axis and the uncoordinated NO₃^? ion is located close to a twofold axis and is therefore disordered. Compound (I) converts into (II) upon loss of solvent.     

Penicillamin-Komplexe des Nickels,Chroms und Molybdäns — Strukturelle Besonderheiten und biologische/medizinische Relevanz

Penicillamine Complexes of Nickel, Chromium, and Molybdenum — Structural Particularity and Biological/Medical Relevance The compounds Tl₂[Ni^II(H₂O)₆][Ni^II(D-pen)(L-pen)]₂[Ni^II(SCN)₂(H₂O)₄] 1 , Tl[Ni^II(D-pen)₂H] · H₂O 2 , Tl[Cr^III(D-pen)₂] 3 , and Na₂[MoO₄(pen)₂] · 3 CH₃OH · 3 H₂O 4 have been prepared by the reaction of nickel nitrate (for 1 ), nickel acetate (for 2 ), potassium chromate (for 3 ), and sodium molybdate (for 4 ) with D- and D, L-penicillamine, respectively. They were characterized by single-crystal X-ray structure analysis and other physical methods. Whereas penicillamine acts as a bidentate (N, S)-ligand in 1 and 2 , Cr^III (in 3 ), and Mo^V (in 4 ) are coordinated to the three ligand atoms N, O, and S. The presence of three different types of Ni^II-complexes a cationic, a neutral, and an anionic one in 1 is remarkable. For crystal data see Inhaltsübersicht.     

Enrichment of hydrophobic proteins via Triton X-114 phase partitioning and hydroxyapatite column chromatography for mass spectrometry

Membrane proteins are the starting point of several signal transduction pathways. Therefore, the separation and identification of these proteins are of great interest in proteome analysis. However, the specific properties of membrane proteins seriously impede their analysis. We present an effective and highly reproducible method for the two-dimensional separation of extremely hydrophobic proteins and demonstrate the advantages of special preseparation procedures for the identification of proteins which have very similar Mr and p/. Using the example of the integral membrane protein very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) receptor (NCBI Acc. # 1730111) and the soluble heat shock protein (HSP) 90 (NCBI Acc. # 386786) we present the applicability of a phase-separation system with Triton X-114. Using matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) of the protein spots after 2-D separation of the hydrophilic and the strongly hydrophobic protein fraction of human endothelial cells (ECV cell line), we were able to distinguish both proteins.     

Reatarding effect of nitrogen ylide for the polymerization of N-vinyl pyrrolidone

-Picolinium-p-chlorophenacylide (-PCFY) acts as a retarder for polymerization of N-vinyl pyrrolidone. The polymerization runs were carried out at 60°C using benzene as an inert solvent. The kinetic equation for the present system may be written asR _p [-PCPY]^–1.0 [AIBN]^0.66[N-VP]^1.0. The value of overall energy of activation for polymerization in presence and absence of-PCPY was computed as 44.0 and 42.3 kJ mol^–1, respectively. The inverse relationship ofR _p and¯M _v with-PCPY suggests that-PCPY acts as a polymerization retarder. The retarding effect is also evidenced by higher initiator exponent value and higher value of energy of activation in presence of ylide. A mechanism is also proposed in which polymer propagating chain combines with one ylide component to give resonance stabilized radical.