Antifungal activity of crown ethers

Some crown ethers were found to show significant antifungal activity against some wood-decay fungi, phytopathogenic fungi and eumycetes,Trichophytons for dermatomycosis. Their toxicity was evaluated by the paper disc method as well as by determining the values of ED₅₀, i.e., the concentration which inhibits the mycelium growth by 50%. The fungi examined areTyromyces palustris, Picnoporous coccineus, Coriolous versicolor, Pyricularia filamentosa, Fusarium sp., Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton sp., etc. Among the 26 crown ethers tested, 3,5-di-t-butyl-benzo-15-crown-5 showed relatively high activity, the highest ED₅₀ value of which being 8 M or 3 ppm. Other alkylbenzocrown ethers, dicyclohexyl crown ethers and Kryptofix 22DD also showed considerable activity. On the other hand, unsubstituted crown ethers, benzocrown ethers with a polar substituent, Kryptofix 222B and Kryptofix 221 were inactive.     

Gas-phase reactions of organic radicals and diradicals with ions

Reactions of polyatomic organic radicals with gas phase ions have been studied at thermal energy using a flowing afterglow-selected ion flow tube (FA-SIFT) instrument. A supersonic pyrolysis nozzle produces allyl radical (CH2CHCH2) and ortho-benzyne diradical (o-C6H4) for reaction with ions. We have observed: [CH2CHCH2 + H3O+ --> C3H6+ + H2O], [CH2CHCH2 + HO- --> no ion products], [o-C6H4 + H3O+ --> C6H5+ + H2O], and [o-C6H4 + HO- --> C6H3- + H2O]. The proton transfer reactions with H3O+ occur at nearly every collision (kII approximately with 10(-9) cm3 s(-1)). The exothermic proton abstraction for o-C6H4 + HO- is unexpectedly slow (kII approximately with 10(-10) cm3 s(-1)). This has been rationalized by competing associative detachment: o-C6H4 + HO- --> C6H5O + e-. The allyl + HO- reaction proceeds presumably via similar detachment pathways.     

Flow injection determination of cobalt after its sorption onto polyurethane foam loaded with 2-(2-thiazolylazo)-p-cresol (TAC)

An electrochemically stable monolayer of tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) was obtained for the first time. It was based on the electrostatic attachment of Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) to the benzene sulfonic acid monolayer film, which was covalently bound onto glassy carbon electrode by the electrochemical reduction of diazobenzene sulfonic acid. The surface-confined Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) underwent reversible surface process, and reacted with the coreactant, tripropylamine, to produce electrochemiluminescence. In view of the stability of the electrode, the results strongly suggested that light was emitted from the surface-confined Ru(bpy)(3)(2+), not from the detached Ru(bpy)(3)(2+). The Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) modified electrode was used to the determination of tripropylamine. It showed good linearity in the concentration range from 5 muM to 1 mM with a detection limit of 1 muM (S/N=4). The good stability of the Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) modified electrode also showed that the benzene sulfonic acid monolayer film prepared can be served as an excellent support to construct multilayers.     

Preparation and properties of dinitrogen complexes of molybdenum and tungsten with trimethylphosphine as coligand : III. Synthesis and properties of cis-[W(N2)2(PMe3)4], trans-[W(C2H4)2(PMe3)4] and [M(N2)(PMe3)5] (M = Mo,W). The crystal and molecular structure of [Mo(N2)(PMe3)5]

The reduction of [WCl₄(PMe₃)₃] with dispersed sodium, under dinitrogen, gives cis-[W(N₂)₂(PMe₃)₄], while under ethylene trans-[W(C₂H₄)₂(PMe₃)₄] is obtained. The ethylene complex can also be prepared by displacement of the dinitrogen molecules in cis-[W(N₂)₂(PMe₃)₄] by ethylene at room temperature and pressure. Interaction of cis-[M(N₂)₂(PMe₃)₄] complexes (M = Mo, W), with PMe₃, under helium or argon, yields [M(N₂)(PMe₃)₅]. The molybdenum complex crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pnma, with a 22.063(6), b 12.106(4), c 9.745(4) Å. The Mo—P distance trans to the dinitrogen ligand (2.483(7) Å) is slightly longer than the average of the other four Mo—P bonds (2.460(5) Å).     

Determination of trace level impurities in uranium compounds by ICP-AES after organic extraction

The determination was studied of Al, B, Be, Cd, Ca, Co, Cu, Mg, Mn, Mo, Pb, Si, Sn, V, Cr, Ni, and Fe as trace level impurities in uranium compounds by ICP-AES after extraction of uranium with three different mixtures of di-(2-ethyl-hexyl) phosphate (D2EHP) and tri-(2-ethyl-hexyl)-phosphate (T2EHP) in solvents like toluene, carbon tetrachloride, hexane and cyclohexane. The study was carried out in presence of different concentrations of HCl and HNO(3). A single extraction with D2EHP in cyclohexane using nitric acid as matrix was sufficient to reduce the U(3)O(8) concentration from 100 g/l to 100 microg/ml. The ICP-AES instrumentation applied, allowed the determination of metal concentrations ten-times lower than those usually found in nuclear grade U(3)O(8). To check the efficiency of the extraction and the accuracy of the proposed method, Certified Reference Materials were used in the dissolution and extraction steps. The method described can be used for the determination of trace metals in nuclear grade U(3)O(8).     

Electrothermal stirring for heterogeneous immunoassays

A technique is proposed to enhance microfluidic immuno-sensors, for example, immunoassays, in which a ligand immobilized on a microchannel wall specifically binds analyte flowing through the channel. These sensors can be limited in both response time and sensitivity by the diffusion of analyte to the sensing surface. In certain applications, the sensitivity and response of these heterogeneous immunoassays may be improved by using AC electrokinetically-driven microscale fluid motion to enhance antigen motion towards immobilized ligands. Specifically, the electrothermal effect is used to micro-stir analyte near the binding surface. Numerical simulations of antigen in a microchannel flow subjected to the electrothermal effect show that 6 V(rms) applied to electrodes near a binding region can increase binding in the first few minutes by a factor of seven. The effectiveness of electrothermal stirring is a strong function of the Damk?hler number. The greatest binding enhancement is possible for high Damk?hler numbers, where the reaction is limited by diffusion. Based on these results, the utility of this technique for diffusion-limited microfluidic sensor applications is demonstrated.     

A laser flash photolysis and pulse radiolysis study of primary photochemical processes of flumequine

The 355 nm laser flash photolysis of argon-saturated pH 8 phosphate buffer solutions of the fluoroquinolone antibiotic flumequine produces a transient triplet state with a maximum absorbance at 575 nm where the molar absorptivity is 14,000 M(-1) cm(-1). The quantum yield of triplet formation is 0.9. The transient triplet state is quenched by various Type-1 photodynamic substrates such as tryptophan (TrpH), tyrosine, N-acetylcysteine and 2-deoxyguanosine leading to the formation of the semireduced flumequine species. This semireduced form has been readily identified by pulse radiolysis of argon-saturated pH 8 buffered aqueous solutions by reaction of the hydrated electrons and the CO2*- radicals with flumequine. The absorption maximum of the transient semireduced species is found at 570 nm with a molar absorptivity of 2,500 M(-1) cm(-1). In argon-saturated buffered solutions, the semireduced flumequine species formed by the reaction of the flumequine triplet with TrpH stoichiometrically reduces ferricytochrome C (Cyt Fe3+) under steady state irradiation with ultraviolet-A light. In the presence of oxygen, O2*- is formed but the photoreduction of Cyt Fe3+ by O2*- competes with an oxidizing pathway which involves photo-oxidation products of TrpH.     

2-Mercaptomethyl-thiazolidines use conserved aromatic–S interactions to achieve broad-range inhibition of metallo-β-lactamases

Infections caused by multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria are a major public health threat. Carbapenems are among the most potent antimicrobial agents that are commercially available to treat MDR bacteria. Bacterial production of carbapenem-hydrolysing metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) challenges their safety and efficacy, with subclass B1 MBLs hydrolysing almost all β-lactam antibiotics. MBL inhibitors would fulfil an urgent clinical need by prolonging the lifetime of these life-saving drugs. Here we report the synthesis and activity of a series of 2-mercaptomethyl-thiazolidines (MMTZs), designed to replicate MBL interactions with reaction intermediates or hydrolysis products. MMTZs are potent competitive inhibitors of B1 MBLs in vitro (e.g., K_i = 0.44 μM vs. NDM-1). Crystal structures of MMTZ complexes reveal similar binding patterns to the most clinically important B1 MBLs (NDM-1, VIM-2 and IMP-1), contrasting with previously studied thiol-based MBL inhibitors, such as bisthiazolidines (BTZs) or captopril stereoisomers, which exhibit lower, more variable potencies and multiple binding modes. MMTZ binding involves thiol coordination to the Zn(ii) site and extensive hydrophobic interactions, burying the inhibitor more deeply within the active site than d/l-captopril. Unexpectedly, MMTZ binding features a thioether–π interaction with a conserved active-site aromatic residue, consistent with their equipotent inhibition and similar binding to multiple MBLs. MMTZs penetrate multiple Enterobacterales, inhibit NDM-1 in situ, and restore carbapenem potency against clinical isolates expressing B1 MBLs. Based on their inhibitory profile and lack of eukaryotic cell toxicity, MMTZs represent a promising scaffold for MBL inhibitor development. These results also suggest sulphur–π interactions can be exploited for general ligand design in medicinal chemistry.

Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are major culprits of resistance to carbapenems in bacteria. A series of thiazolidines are potent MBL inhibitors, restoring the activity of carbapenems. Metal binding and sulphur–π interactions are key to inhibition.     

New Bio-Based Furanic Materials Effectively Absorb Metals from Water and Exert Antimicrobial Activity

Development of sustainable bio-based materials for removal of toxic contaminants from water is a high priority goal. Novel bio-based binary and ternary copolymers with enhanced ion-exchange, adsorption and antibacterial properties were obtained by using plant biomass-derived diallyl esters of furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) as crosslinking agents and easily available vinyl monomers. The synthesized copolymer materials showed higher sorption capacities for Ni^II, Co^II and Cu^II compared to the commercial ion-exchange resins, and they maintained their high metal adsorption capacities for over 10 cycles of regeneration. The synthesized copolymer gels containing 1–5 wt % of the crosslinker showed excellent water absorption capacities. The synthesized copolymers with 1 % crosslinker content showed swelling ratios high enough to also act as moisture absorbents. Synthesized copolymers with crosslinker content of 10 wt % performed as contact-active antibacterials by inhibiting the growth of Gram-positive (S. aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, K. pneumonia) in suspension tests.     

Computational Fluid Dynamic Design of Jet Stirred Reactors for Measuring Intrinsic Kinetics of Gas‐Phase and Gas‐Solid Reactions

Nonreactive and reactive computational fluid dynamic simulations were applied to optimize the design of a laboratory scale jet stirred reactor for measuring intrinsic kinetics of gas‐phase and gas‐solid reactions, i.e. kinetics determined by chemical steps only and not by heat or mass transfer. In the past these reactors were designed and tested based on empirical design criteria and residence time distribution experiments. This work shows that these do not always capture important local effects that are vital for kinetic studies. First the degree of macro–mixing was evaluated for three different geometries (down case, 45° case and 90° case) by performing in silico residence time distribution experiments at 900 K, showing that with these type of experiments only minor differences are observed. However, the ethane steam cracking simulations revealed major differences, with the 45° case being the most uniform in terms of temperature and the 90° case being by far the worst. The species nonuniformity in all geometries was acceptable and was in some cases even partly masked by important shortcut streams such as those observed in the 90° case. The existing gradients on the substrate surface are sufficiently small to be neglected in modeling efforts. As temperature is the major parameter determining the rate of the surface reactions, the 45° case is suggested as the best geometry for measuring intrinsic kinetics.