Structure,biosynthetic origin,and engineered biosynthesis of calcium-dependent antibiotics from Streptomyces coelicolor

The calcium-dependent antibiotic (CDA), from Streptomyces coelicolor, is an acidic lipopeptide comprising an N-terminal 2,3-epoxyhexanoyl fatty acid side chain and several nonproteinogenic amino acid residues. S. coelicolor grown on solid media was shown to produce several previously uncharacterized peptides with C-terminal Z-dehydrotryptophan residues. The CDA biosynthetic gene cluster contains open reading frames encoding nonribosomal peptide synthetases, fatty acid synthases, and enzymes involved in precursor supply and tailoring of the nascent peptide. On the basis of protein sequence similarity and chemical reasoning, the biosynthesis of CDA is rationalized. Deletion of SCO3229 (hmaS), a putative 4-hydroxymandelic acid synthase-encoding gene, abolishes CDA production. The exogenous supply of 4-hydroxymandelate, 4-hydroxyphenylglyoxylate, or 4-hydroxyphenylglycine re-establishes CDA production by the DeltahmaS mutant. Feeding analogs of these precursors to the mutant resulted in the directed biosynthesis of novel lipopeptides with modified arylglycine residues.     

Facile synthesis of highly substituted 2-pyrone derivatives via a tandem Knoevenagel condensation/lactonization reaction of β-formyl-esters and 1,3-cyclohexadiones

A mild and efficient tandem process for the synthesis of new highly substituted 2-pyrones starting from commercially available 2-arylacetic acids has been developed. The synthesis is based on the Knoevenagel condensation of 1,3-cyclohexadiones with various β-formyl-esters, followed by lactonization in the presence of nano ZnO (20 mol %). Moderate to high yields and readily available cheap starting materials are the key features of the present method.     

Linking Deltahedral Zintl Clusters with Conjugated Organic Building Blocks: Synthesis and Characterization of the Zintl Triad [R‐Ge9‐CHCH?CHCH‐Ge9‐R]4−

The accessibility of triads with deltahedral Zintl clusters in analogy to fullerene–linker–fullerene triads is another example for the close relationship between fullerenes and Zintl clusters. The compound {[K(2.2.2‐crypt)]₄[RGe₉‐CHCH CHCH‐Ge₉R]}(toluene)₂ (R=(2Z,4E)‐7‐amino‐5‐aza‐hepta‐2,4‐dien‐2‐yl), containing two deltahedral [Ge₉] clusters linked by a conjugated (1Z,3Z)‐buta‐1,3‐dien‐1,4‐diyl bridge, was synthesized through the reaction of 1,4‐bis(trimethylsilyl)butadiyne with K₄Ge₉ in ethylenediamine and crystallized after the addition of 2.2.2‐cryptand and toluene. The compound was characterized by single‐crystal structure analysis as well asNMR and IR spectroscopy.     

Sulfonyl Ketenimines as Key Intermediates in One‐Pot Synthesis of N‐Sulfonyl‐2‐alkaneimidoyl Selenocyanates

Sulfonyl‐ketenimine intermediates, generated by the addition of Cu acetylides to sulfonyl azides, are trapped by KSeCN to afford N‐sulfonyl‐2‐alkaneimidoyl selenocyanates in moderate‐to‐good yields.     

Synthesis and crystal structure of a new copper (II) complex,designed to produce efficient successor of Cu2O,toward synergy of adsorption and photodegradation of MB

A new copper (II) coordination complex formulated as [Cu (dipic)(phen)(2-MePy)]. 2H₂O ( 1 ) where phen = 1, 10-phenanthroline, dipic²⁻ = pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylato and 2-MePy = 2-methyl pyrrole was synthesized through a simple and environment-friendly reaction under ultrasound irradiation. Also, complex 1 was synthesized by hydrothermal process at 120 °C for 3 days. The corresponding structure of complex 1 was characterized by elemental analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), conductivity measurement, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and fluorescence. The crystal structure of the hydrothermally synthesized complex was characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD(, which revealed a triclinic structure. In the remainder of this study, the Cu₂O nanoparticles have been prepared via thermal decomposition of hydrothermal and ultrasound complexes and characterized by ICP, FT-IR, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM and N₂ adsorption/desorption. Adsorption and visible-light-driven photocatalytic capabilities of two synthetic Cu₂O were investigated in the removal of MB from water. The result showed that the synthesized catalysts have good catalytic activity and the photocatalytic degradation is more effective in dye removal of MB compared with the adsorption.     

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of Ferula latisecta and Mozaffariania insignis from Iran

The hydrodistilled oils from the aerial parts of Ferula latisecta and Mozaffariania insignis, which is endemic to Iran, were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. (Z)-Ocimenone (32.4%), (E)-ocimenone (20.3%), and cis-pinocarvone (11.4%) were the main components among the 22 constituents characterized in the oil of F. latisecta, representing 87.7% of the total components detected. Twenty-five compounds were identified in the oil of M. insignis, representing 99.0% of the total oil, with octyl acetate (41.1%), β-pinene (30.3%), and α-pinene (23.9%) as the main constituents. The essential oils were examined for their potential antimicrobial activities. Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 6, pp. 561–563, November–December, 2006.     

Ultrasound assisted syntheses of a nano-structured two-dimensional mixed-ligand cadmium(II) coordination polymer and direct thermolyses for the preparation of cadmium(II) oxide nanoparticles

A nano-sized mixed-ligand Cd(II) coordination polymer, {[Cd(bpa)(4,4′-bipy)₂(H₂O)₂](ClO₄)₂}_n (1); bpa = trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane and 4,4′-bipy = 4,4′-bipyridine, has been synthesized by a sonochemical method and characterized by IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Compound 1 grows in one dimension by two different bridging ligands, 4,4′-bipy and bpa. The thermal stability of compound 1 in the bulk form and nano-sized was studied by thermogravimetric (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The crystallinity of this compound was studied by X-ray powder diffraction and compared with an XRD simulation of the single crystal data. CdO nanoparticles were obtained by direct calcination at 500 °C and decomposition in oleic acid at 200 °C of the nano-sized compound 1. The obtained cadmium(II) oxide nano-particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).     

Simple and Highly Efficient Procedure for Conversion of Aldoximes to Nitriles Using N-(p-Toluenesulfonyl) Imidazole

A facile and efficient method for dehydration of aldoximes into nitriles using N-(p-toluenesulfonyl) imidazole (TsIm) is described. In this method, aldoximes were refluxed with TsIm in the presence of 1,8-diazabicyclo-[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) in dimethylformamide (DMF) to afford the corresponding nitriles in good yields. This methodology is highly efficient for various structurally diverse aldoximes including aromatic, heteroaromatic, and aliphatic oximes. A plausible mechanism for the conversion of aldoxime into nitriles using TsIm/DBU is explained.