Biodegradable microcapsules designed via 'click' chemistry

Dextrans modified with alkyne and azide groups through hydrolysable carbonate esters form degradable microcapsules after Cu(I) catalysed 'click' reaction between azides and alkynes yielding triazole cross-links.     

Self-consistent treatment of spin-orbit interactions with efficient Hartree-Fock and density functional methods

Efficient self-consistent field (SCF) schemes including both scalar relativistic effects and spin-orbit (SO) interactions at Hartree-Fock (HF) and density functional (DFT) levels are presented. SO interactions require the extension of standard procedures to two-component formalisms. Efficiency is achieved by using effective core potentials (ECPs) and by employing the resolution-of-the-identity approximation for the Coulomb part (RI-J) in pure DFT calculations as well as also for the HF-exchange part (RI-JK) in the case of HF or hybrid-DFT treatments. The procedures were implemented in the program system TURBOMOLE; efficiency is demonstrated for comparably large systems, such as Pb54. Relevance of SO effects for electronic structure and stability is illustrated by treatments of small Pb and Po clusters with and without accounting for SO effects.     

Facile synthesis of novel indolo[3,2-b]carbazole derivatives and a chromogenic-sensing 5,12-dihydroindolo[3,2-b]carbazole

Novel indolo[3,2-b]carbazole derivatives and a chromogenic-sensing 5,12-dihydroindolo[3,2-b]carbazole have been synthesized starting from tetra-tert-butylated 6,12-diaryl-5,11-dihydroindolo[3,2-b]carbazoles, which were prepared via an efficient tert-butylation of 6,12-diaryl-5,11-dihydroindolo[3,2-b]carbazoles.     

Synthesis of pyrazino[1,2-a]benzimidazol-1(2H)ones via a microwave assisted Buchwald-Hartwig type reaction

A convenient synthesis of substituted pyrazino[1,2-a]benzimidazol-1(2H)ones starting from 3,5-dichloropyrazinones has been accomplished. Various 3-anilino-pyrazinones were easily converted to the desired tricyclic structures by applying a microwave assisted Buchwald-Hartwig type cyclization.     

Recent applications in CEC

In this review, research papers on CEC are summarized that have been published between May 2005 and May 2007. Application-oriented research is discussed in which CEC is used in biochemical and pharmaceutical studies, in the analysis of food and natural products, and in industrial, environmental, and forensic analysis. Some trends and developments in separation science that may increase the applicability of the separation technique CEC are highlighted: 2-D separation systems and the application of nano- and microfluidic devices in separations.     

PVC Supported Liquid Membrane and Carbon Paste Potentiometric Sensors Incorporating a Mn(III)‐Porphyrin for the Direct Determination of Undissociated Paracetamol

PVC supported liquid membrane and carbon paste potentiometric sensors incorporating an Mn(III)‐porphyrin complex as a neutral host molecule were developed for the determination of paracetamol. The measurements were carried out in solution at pH 5.5. Under such conditions paracetamol exists as a neutral molecule. The mechanism of molecular recognition between the Mn(III)‐porphyrin and paracetamol, leading to potentiometric signal generation, is discussed.     

Loop grafting of Bacillus subtilis lipase A: inversion of enantioselectivity

Lipases are successfully applied in enantioselective biocatalysis. Most lipases contain a lid domain controlling access to the active site, but Bacillus subtilis Lipase A (LipA) is a notable exception: its active site is solvent exposed. To improve the enantioselectivity of LipA in the kinetic resolution of 1,2-O-isopropylidene-sn-glycerol (IPG) esters, we replaced a loop near the active-site entrance by longer loops originating from Fusarium solani cutinase and Penicillium purpurogenum acetylxylan esterase, thereby aiming to increase the interaction surface for the substrate. The resulting loop hybrids showed enantioselectivities inverted toward the desired enantiomer of IPG. The acetylxylan esterase-derived variant showed an inversion in enantiomeric excess (ee) from -12.9% to +6.0%, whereas the cutinase-derived variant was improved to an ee of +26.5%. The enantioselectivity of the cutinase-derived variant was further improved by directed evolution to an ee of +57.4%.     

Elucidation of urinary metabolites of fluoxymesterone by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The suitability of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for the elucidation of fluoxymesterone metabolism has been evaluated. Electrospray ionization (ESI) and collision induced dissociation (CID) fragmentation in LC-MS/MS and electron impact spectra (EI) in GC-MS have been studied for fluoxymesterone and two commercially available metabolites. MS(n) experiments and accurate mass measurements performed by an ion-trap analyser and a QTOF instrument respectively have been used for the elucidation of the fragmentation pathway. The neutral loss scan of 20 Da (loss of HF) in LC-MS/MS has been applied for the selective detection of fluoxymesterone metabolites. In a positive fluoxymesterone doping control sample, 9 different analytes have been detected including the parent compound. Seven of these metabolites were also confirmed by GC-MS including 5 previously unreported metabolites. On the basis of the ionization, the CID fragmentation, the accurate mass of the product ions and the EI spectra of these analytes, a tentative elucidation as well as a proposal for the metabolic pathway of fluoxymesterone has been suggested. The presence of these compounds has also been confirmed by the analysis of five other positive fluoxymesterone urine samples.     

Polyketide Synthase-Mediated O-Methyloxime Formation in the Biosynthesis of the Oximidine Anticancer Agents

Bacterial trans-acyltransferase polyketide synthases (trans-AT PKSs) are modular megaenzymes that employ unusual catalytic domains to assemble diverse bioactive natural products. One such PKS is responsible for the biosynthesis of the oximidine anticancer agents, oxime-substituted benzolactone enamides that inhibit vacuolar H⁺-ATPases. Here, we describe the identification of the oximidine gene cluster in Pseudomonas baetica and the characterization of four novel oximidine variants, including a structurally simpler intermediate that retains potent anticancer activity. Using a combination of in vivo, in vitro and computational approaches, we experimentally elucidate the oximidine biosynthetic pathway and reveal an unprecedented mechanism for O-methyloxime formation. We show that this process involves a specialized monooxygenase and methyltransferase domain and provide insight into their activity, mechanism and specificity. Our findings expand the catalytic capabilities of trans-AT PKSs and identify potential strategies for the production of novel oximidine analogues.