Control of singlet oxygen generation photosensitized by meso-anthrylporphyrin through interaction with DNA

To control the activity of photosensitized singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) generation, the electron donor-connecting porphyrin, 5-(9'-anthryl)-10,15,20-tris(p-pyridyl)porphyrin (AnTPyP), was designed and synthesized. AnTPyP became water-soluble by the protonation of the pyridyl moieties in the presence of 5 mM trifluoroacetic acid (pH 2.3). The photoexcited state of the porphyrin ring in an AnTPyP molecule was effectively deactivated by intramolecular electron transfer from the anthracene moiety within 0.04 ns in an aqueous solution. The deactivation was suppressed by the interaction with a DNA strand, resulting in the elongation of the lifetime of the porphyrin excited state and the enhancement of the fluorescence intensity. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the interaction enabled the photoexcited AnTPyP to generate (1)O(2). Selective (1)O(2) generation by forming a complex with DNA should be the initial step to realize the target selective photodynamic therapy.     

A viscosity-tunable polymer for DNA separation by microchip electrophoresis

A thermo-responsive separation matrix, consisting of Pluronic F127 tri-block copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(propylene oxide), was used to separate DNA fragments by microchip electrophoresis. At low temperature, the polymer matrix was low in viscosity and allowed rapid loading into a microchannel under low pressure. With increasing temperatures above 25°C, the Pluronic F127 solution forms a liquid crystalline phase consisting of spherical micelles with diameters of 17–19 nm. The solution can be used to separate DNA fragments from 100 bp to 1500 bp on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) chips. This temperature-sensitive and viscosity-tunable polymer provided excellent resolution over a wide range of DNA sizes. Separation is based on a different mechanism compared with conventional matrices such as methylcellulose. To illustrate the separation mechanism of DNA in a Pluronic F127 solution, DNA molecular imaging was performed by fluorescence microscopy with F127 polymer as the separation matrix in microchip electrophoresis. Figure Temperature dependence of the viscosity of 20% w/w Pluronic F127 solution in 1xTBE buffer. Dotted approximates resultant curve.     

A convenient preparation of 4,8-dimethoxy-3-substituted-2(1H)-quinolones by an electrophilic reaction through base-induced deprotonation and its synthetic application for the synthesis of new alkaloids, 3,4,8-trimethoxy-2(1H)-quinolone and 3-formyl-4,7,8-trimethoxy-2(1H)-quinolone(glycocitridine)

Some 4,8-dimethoxy-3-substituted-2(1H)-quinolones were prepared by electrophilic reaction of 4,8-dimethoxy-2(1H)-quinolone with electrophiles in the presence of n-butyllithium-N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethyl-enediamine in fairly good yields. This present method was successfully applied for the synthesis of two new alkaloids bearing the 4,8-dimethoxy-2(1H)-quinolone skeleton.     

Quantum dots for single bio-molecule imaging.

The emerging nanomaterial, quantum dots or QDs, offers numerous potential applications in the biological area. As cell labeling probes, QDs become now an alternative of existing organic fluorescent dyes and fluorescent proteins. In this short review, we cover typical and successful applications of QDs as fluorescent probes in cell labeling and genomic diagnosis. As a future important application, biomolecular detection at a single molecule level utilizing QDs is also discussed.     

Electrophilic cyclization of N-alkenylamides using a chloramine-T/I2 system

A new protocol for the cyclization of N-alkenylamides using chloramine-T and iodine is described. When N-alkenylsulfonamides are treated with chloramine-T and iodine, three- to six-membered N-heterocycles are obtained with complete stereoselectivity. The method is compatible with the cyclization of the allylbenzamide or allylbenzthioamide to afford an oxazoline or thiazoline derivative, respectively. Mechanistic studies indicate that the chloramine-T/I₂ system functions as an effective iodonium species.     

Synthesis and reaction of alpha-dithiolactone

Treatment of di-tert-butylthioketene S-oxide (5 a) with Lawesson reagent at room temperature resulted in the formation of 3,3-di-tert-butylthiirane-2-thione (4 a) in high yield. The oxidation of 4 a with mCPBA (mCPBA=m-chloroperbenzioc acid) gave 3,3-di-tert-butylthiirane-2-thione S-oxide (6) almost quantitatively. The reactions of 4 a with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) and benzyne afforded dimethyl 2-(2,2,4,4-tetramethylpentan-3-ylidene)-1,3-dithiole-4,5-dicarboxylate (13) and 2-(2,2,4,4-tetramethylpentan-3-ylidene)benzo[d][1,3]dithiole (15), respectively, in high yields, suggesting that 4 a is an excellent 1,3-dipole. The reaction of 4 a with ethylenebis(triphenylphosphine)platinum (16) gave dithiolato-platinum complex (22) in high yield. The structure of 22 was determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis.     

One-electron reduction of kinetically stabilized dipnictenes: synthesis of dipnictene anion radicals

The redox behavior of kinetically stabilized dipnictenes, BbtE=EBbt [E = P, Sb, Bi; Bbt = 2,6-bis[bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl]-4-[tris(trimethylsilyl)methyl]phenyl], was systematically disclosed using cyclic voltammetry and theoretical calculations. It was found that they showed reversible one-electron redox couples in the reduction region. The anion radical species of the Bbt-substituted diphosphene and distibene were successfully synthesized by the reduction of the corresponding neutral dipnictenes (BbtP=PBbt and BbtSb=SbBbt). Their structures were reasonably characterized by ESR, UV-vis, and Raman spectroscopy, and the distibene anion radical was structurally characterized by X-ray crystallographic analysis.     

Synthesis and properties of a new kinetically stabilized digermyne: new insights for a germanium analogue of an alkyne

The reduction of an overcrowded (E)-1,2-dibromodigermene, Bbt(Br)Ge=Ge(Br)Bbt (2) [Bbt = 2,6-bis[bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl]-4-[tris(trimethylsilyl)methyl]phenyl], with KC8 afforded a stable digermyne, BbtGe[triple bond]GeBbt (1). The Ge[triple bond]Ge triple-bond characters of 1 were revealed by the X-ray crystallographic analysis and spectroscopic studies (UV/vis and Raman spectra) together with theoretical calculations. The Ge[triple bond]Ge bond lengths of the two nonidentical molecules of 1 observed in the unit cell were shorter than that of the previously reported digermyne, Ar'Ge[triple bond]GeAr' (Ar' = 2,6-Dip2C6H3, Dip = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl).     

Structure-property correlation of CdSe clusters using experimental results and first-principles DFT calculations

Structures and properties of CdSe quantum dots (clusters) up to a diameter of approximately 2 nm were investigated by combining experimental absorption, photoluminescence (PL), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopies as well as ab initio DFT calculations. These CdSe clusters were nucleated and grown from solutions containing respective cadmium and selenium precursors following the hot-injection technique that allows one to obtain size-controlled CdSe clusters having PL efficiency up to 0.5. The DFT calculations were performed at the B3LYP/Lanl2dz level and followed by time-dependent TDDFT calculations to estimate n energy singlet transitions. On the basis of the results of these experimental and theoretical studies, an approach to determine whether the proposed cluster with a mean diameter of approximately 2 nm is more physically reasonable is discussed. It was shown that the minimum nucleus of a CdSe cluster consists of (CdSe)(3) with a six-membered ring and planar structure. No PL is observed for this structure. The formation of the next stable cluster depends on whether hexadecylamine (HDA) was used for the growth of the CdSe clusters. In the absence of HDA, the second cluster was found to be (CdSe)(6) characterized by a broad PL spectrum, while in the presence of HDA, it was found to be (CdSe)(n) (where n > or = 14) with a sharp PL spectrum.