Peptide design using omega-amino acids: unusual turn structures nucleated by an N-terminal single gamma-aminobutyric acid residue in short model peptides

Incorporation of omega-amino acids into peptide sequences plays an important role in designing peptides with modified backbone conformation and enhanced stability against proteolysis. The present study establishes the presence of unusual turns involving 12-membered hydrogen bonded rings in terminally blocked tri- and tetrapeptides. X-ray diffraction analysis of single crystals and NMR studies have been used to probe the three-dimensional structures of two terminally protected short peptides, Boc-gamma-Abu(1)-Aib(2)-Ala(3)-OMe 1 and Boc-gamma-Abu(1)-Aib(2)-Ala(3)-Aib(4)-OMe 2 (gamma-Abu = gamma-aminobutyric acid), in which conformationally flexible omega-amino acids (gamma-Abu) and conformationally restricted alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) residues are positioned contiguously. The crystal structures of both peptides 1 and 2 exhibit unusual turns composed of 12-membered hydrogen bonded rings involving C [double bond] O from the Boc-group and Ala(3) NH. A type I' beta-turn was observed in the structure of peptide 2 adjacent to the unusual turn with a hydrogen bond between gamma-Abu(1) C [double bond] O and Aib(4) NH. The crystals of peptide 1 are in the space group P2(1), a = 9.3020(10) A, b = 23.785(2) A, c = 10.022(3) A, beta = 101.35 degrees(4), Z = 4, R = 5.7%, and R(w) = 14.5%. Similarly, the crystals of peptide 2 are in the space group C2, a = 19.0772(6) A, b = 8.7883(2) A, c = 16.7758(3) A, beta = 110.7910 degrees(10), Z = 4, R = 6.71%, and R(w) = 15.11%. The unusual turn in both peptides 1 and 2 are retained in solution as is evident from NMR studies in CDCl(3). The role of the adjacently located Aib residue to nucleate the 12-membered hydrogen bonded ring is also addressed.     

Pick up of cesium and cobalt activity by oxide sludge in steam generator

A pinhole developed near the tube sheet in the steam generator (SG) tube of a pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) caused leak of primary coolant containing radioactive contaminants (¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs and ⁶⁰Co) to the shell side. The sludge collected from the tube sheet region was found to have adsorbed these radionuclides at the high temperature (230-240 °C) that prevailed in the SG. An attempt has been made to evaluate the quantity of activity retained in the various oxide phases that constitute the sludge and their mode of pick-up. The sludge was characterized by XRD and XPS, which showed the presence of various oxides of iron, copper and nickel along with the silicates of calcium, magnesium and aluminum. Gamma-spectrometry of the sludge confirmed the presence of ¹³⁷Cs¹³⁴Cs and ⁶⁰Co to an extent of 7.6, 1.3 and 0.9 mCi/g of sludge, respectively. Selective dissolution in various EDTA based formulations and equilibration with nitric acid and magnesium chloride solutions helped to understand the quantity of activity adsorbed by various constituents of the sludge. It was concluded that a major portion of cesium was picked up by a reversible ion exchange process on various oxide constituents and about 10% by an irreversible specific adsorption process on insoluble silicates. Also, it was proved that ⁶⁰Co was specifically adsorbed over the oxides of iron and nickel.     

Ethyl β‐{2‐[4‐(dimethylamino)phenyliminomethyl]‐1‐(phenylsulfonyl)indol‐3‐yl}acrylate

The title compound, C₂₈H₂₇N₃O₄S, crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group P2₁/n, with one mol­ecule in the asymmetric unit. In the indole ring, the dihedral angle between the fused rings is 3.6 (1)°. The phenyl ring of the sulfonyl substituent makes a dihedral angle of 79.2 (1)° with the best plane of the indole moiety. The phenyl ring of the di­methyl­amino­phenyl group is orthogonal to the phenyl ring of the phenyl­sulfonyl group. The dihedral angle formed by the weighted least‐squares planes through the pyrrole ring and the phenyl ring of the di­methyl­amino­phenyl group is 7.8 (1)°. The molecular structure is stabilized by C—H?O and C—H?N interactions.     

Solar active nano-TiO2 for mineralization of Reactive Red 120 and Trypan Blue: 1st Nano Update

Nano-TiO₂ was synthesized by sol–gel method. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, transmission electron microscope (TEM), BET surface area measurement and DRS analysis. The formation of anatase phase nano-TiO₂ was confirmed by XRD measurements and its crystalline size is found to be 15.2 nm. SEM images depict the crystalline nature of prepared TiO₂. The BET surface area of prepared TiO₂ is found to be 86.5 m² g^?1 which is higher than that of commercially available TiO₂–P25. The photocatalytic activity of prepared anatase phase TiO₂ has been tested for the degradation of two azo dyes: Reactive Red 120 (RR 120) and Trypan Blue (TB) using solar light. The photocatalytic activity of nano-TiO₂ is higher than TiO₂–P25 under solar light. The mineralization of dyes has been confirmed by chemical oxygen demand (COD) measurements.     

Characterization and Reactivity of a Tetrahedral Copper(II) Alkylperoxido Complex

A tetrahedral Cu^II alkylperoxido complex [Cu^II(TMG₃tach)(OOCm)]⁺ ( 1^OOCm ) (TMG₃tach={2,2′,2′′-[(1s,3s,5s)-cyclohexane-1,3,5-triyl]tris-(1,1,3,3-tetramethyl guanidine)}, OOCm=cumyl peroxide) is prepared and characterized by UV/Vis, cold-spray ionization mass spectroscopy (CSI-MS), resonance Raman, and EPR spectroscopic methods. Product analysis of the self-decomposition reaction of 1^OOCm in acetonitrile (MeCN) indicates that the reaction involves O−O bond homolytic cleavage of the peroxide moiety with concomitant C−H bond activation of the solvent molecule. When an external substrate such as 1,4-cyclohexadiene (CHD) is added, the O−O bond homolysis leads to C−H activation of the substrate. Furthermore, the reaction of 1^OOCm with 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol derivatives produces the corresponding phenoxyl radical species (ArO^.) together with a Cu^I complex through a concerted proton-electron transfer (CPET) mechanism. Details of the reaction mechanisms are explored by DFT calculations.     

3,3′‐[o‐Phenyl­enebis­(methyl­eneoxy)]­bis(6‐chloro­flavone) and 3,3′‐propyl­ene­dioxy­bis­[6‐chloro‐2‐(2‐furyl)‐4H‐1‐benzopyran‐4‐one]

The title compound 3,3′‐[o‐phenyl­enebis­(methyl­eneoxy)]­bis(6‐chloro­flavone), C₃₈H₂₄Cl₂O₆, (I), crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c, with the molecules lying across twofold rotation axes so that there is half a mol­ecule in the asymmetric unit, while the other title compound, 3,3′‐propyl­ene­dioxy­bis­[6‐chloro‐2‐(2‐furyl)‐4H‐1‐benzopyran‐4‐one], C₂₉H₁₈Cl₂O₈, (II), crystallizes in monoclinic space group P2₁/n with one mol­ecule in the asymmetric unit. In both compounds, the benzopyran moiety is nearly planar, with dihedral angles between the two fused rings of 1.43 (8)° in (I), and 2.54 (7) and 3.00 (6)° with respect to the benzopyran moieties in the two halves of (II). The furan rings are twisted by 8.3 (1) and 8.4 (1)° in the two halves of (II). In both compounds, the molecular structure is stabilized by intramolecular C—H⃛O hydrogen bonds, while the crystal packing is stabilized by C—H⃛Cl and C—H⃛O intermolecular hydrogen bonds in (I) and (II), respectively.     

3‐(p‐Chloro­phenyl)‐4‐phenyl‐4,5‐di­hydro­isoxazole‐5‐spiro‐2′‐1′,2′,3′,4′‐tetra­hydro­naphthalen‐1′‐one

In the title compound, C₂₄H₁₈ClNO₂, the phenyl ring and the tetralone moiety are approximately orthogonal to the isoxazoline ring. The isoxazoline ring adopts an envelope conformation, while the cyclo­hexenone ring of the tetralone moiety has an intermediate sofa/half‐chair conformation. In this structure, one C—H?N intermolecular and two C—H?O intramolecular hydrogen bonds occur; the H?A distances are 2.60, and 2.35 and 2.57 Å, respectively. The mol­ecules are held together by an intermolecular C—H?N hydrogen bond, forming a one‐dimensional chain along the [100] direction.