Dichloroborane-dioxane: an exceptional reagent for the preparation of alkenyl- and alkylboronic acids

Terminal alkynes and alkenes were conveniently hydroborated to the corresponding alkenyl- and alkyldichloroboranes using dichloroborane-dioxane in dichloromethane. These dichloroboranes were hydrolyzed by water to the corresponding alkenyl- and alkylboronic acids in moderate to good yields. With terminal alkenes and alkynes boron was predominantly attached to terminal carbon. Alkynes gave exclusively trans-vinylboronic acids.     

Studies on the substrate specificity of Escherichia coli galactokinase

In vitro glycorandomization (IVG) technology is dependent upon the ability to rapidly synthesize sugar phosphates. Compared with chemical synthesis, enzymatic (kinase) routes to sugar phosphates would be attractive for this application. This work focuses upon the development of a high-throughput colorimetric galactokinase (GalK) assay and its application toward probing the substrate specificity and kinetic parameters of Escherichia coli GalK. The demonstrated dinitrosalicylic assay should also be generally applicable to a variety of sugar-processing enzymes. [reaction: see text]     

The self-organization properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-dodecylammonium α-glutamate/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-C<Subscript>5</Subscript>H<Subscript>11</Subscript>OH/water system

A biocompatible surfactant-n-dodecylammonium α-glutamate (GDA) with biodegradable and biocompatible properties was synthesized, and the phase behavior and the structural properties of GDA/n-pentanol/water system was studied by small-angle X-ray diffraction, electron spin resonance, and freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy (FF-TEM). In the ternary phase diagram of GDA/n-pentanol/water system, there exist three isotropic regions—O/W, bicontinuous, and W/O structures, and two anisotropic regions—hexagonal liquid crystal (HEX), and lamellar liquid crystal (LLC) regions. UV irradiation causes the decrease in the interlayer space, d, of lamellar liquid crystal and in the radius, r, of column aggregates of hexagonal liquid crystal, but it has little effect on the structure of O/W and W/O microemulsions.     

Immobilization and direct electrochemistry of cytochrome <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">c</Emphasis> at a single-walled carbon nanotube-modified electrode

A single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)-modified electrode was fabricated and characterized by SEM and ac impedance techniques. The direct electrochemistry of cytochrome c (Cyt c), which was adsorbed on the surface of the SWNT, was studied by cyclic voltammetry. The results from cyclic voltammetry and infrared spectroscopy indicated that Cyt c remained in its original structure and did not undergo structural change after its immobilization on the SWNT. Further results demonstrated that the SWNT had promotional effects on the direct electron transfer of Cyt c and also indicated that the immobilized Cyt c retained its electrocatalytic activity to the reduction of H₂O₂. This modified electrode might be used in development of new biosensors and the biofuel cells.     

有机-无机纳米复合材料光谱与电子性质研究进展

有机-无机纳米复合材料的研究在当前纳米科学技术的发展中占有重要地位，开创了材料与催化科学研究的新纪元。自从10年前首次合成纳米孔无机材料MCM-41至今，该领域研究不断深入，已展现出广阔的应用前景。当客体有机分子分散于纳米孔道内部时，其分子性质将产生明显变化。本文结合作者近期研究成果，力图从实验与理论两方面阐明在纳米复合体系中客体分子性质变化的原因。     

手性膦氮配体的合成及其钯配合物催化的不对称烯丙基烷基化反应

以价廉的天然产物辛可宁和奎宁为原料,在温和的条件下方便地合成了两个手性膦氮配体.考察了它们与过渡金属钯配合物在不对称烯丙基烷基化反应中的催化活性和不对称诱导作用.在1,3-二苯基-2-烯丙基-1-醇的乙酸酯与丙二酸二甲酯的反应中,两个配体均表现出中等的手性诱导活性(最高为73.5%e.e.).     

Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Polymers from the Polymerisation of Methacrylate-Substituted Oxotantalum Clusters with Methylmethacrylate: A Thermomechanical and Spectroscopic Study

New inorganic-organic hybrid materials were prepared by free-radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with methacrylate-substituted oxotantalum cluster [Ta₄O₄(OEt)₈(OMc)₄] and their properties evaluated. The cluster was prepared by the reaction of the parent alkoxide with methacrylic acid. Samples of the hybrid materials were produced with Ta-cluster to methyl methacrylate in the ratios of 1:50 and 1:100 and were characterized by thermal and spectroscopic techniques. The glass transition temperatures of the hybrid materials are shifted to higher temperatures than pure PMMA as a result of cross-linking of the polymer by the oxotantalum clusters. The increase in T_g is also observed from the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Evidence of crosslinking between the Ta-cluster and PMMA is obtained from infrared spectroscopic study. Surface studies performed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) provide information about the atomic concentrations of the surface and indicate tantalum bonded to oxygen.     

Rapid separation of phenylthiohydantoin amino acids: ambient pressure ion-mobility mass spectrometry (IMMS)

An electrospray ionization (ESI) ambient pressure ion-mobility spectrometer (APIMS) interfaced to an orthogonal reflector time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) was evaluated for the first time as a detector for the identification of phenylthiohydantoin (PTH)-derivatized amino acids, the final products in the Edman sequencing process of peptides and proteins. The drift and flight times of the twenty common PTH amino acids were characterized by a well-defined 2-D mobility/mass spectral pattern. The combination of mobility/mass modes of analysis gave rise to a unique trend-line formation for the series of PTH amino acids. In addition, each PTH amino acid had a unique reduced mobility constant K(o), thus enabling the differentiation of all the amino acid derivatives including the PTH-leucine and PTH-isoleucine isomers. More importantly it was shown that it was possible to resolve a complete reference mixture of PTH amino acids in a single experimental run in less than 1 min. Detection limits for the PTH amino acids were found to range from 1.04 to 3.52 ng; indicating that the limits of detection were less than 17.0 pmol for all of the PTH amino acids.     

Influence of inhibitory compounds and minor sugars on xylitol production by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Debaryomyces hansenii</Emphasis>

To obtain in-depth information on the overall metabolic behavior of the new good xylitol producer Debaryomyces hansenii UFV-170, batch bioconversions were carried out using semisynthetic media with compositions simulating those of typical acidic hemicellulose hydrolysates of sugarcane bagasse. For this purpose, we used media containing glucose (4.3–6.5 g/L), xylose (60.1–92.1 g/L), or arabinose (5.9–9.2 g/L), or binary or ternary mixtures of them in either the presence or absence of typical inhibitors of acidic hydrolysates, such as furfural (1.0–5.0 g/L), hydroxymethylfurfural (0.01–0.30 g/L), acetic acid (0.5–3.0 g/L), and vanillin (0.5–3.0 g/L). D. hansenii exhibited a good tolerance to high sugar concentrations as well as to the presence of inhibiting compounds in the fermentation media. It was able to produce xylitol only from xylose, arabitol from arabinose, and no glucitol from glucose. Arabinose metabolization was incomplete, while ethanol was mainly produced from glucose and, to a lesser less extent, from xylose and arabinose. The results suggest potential application of this strain in xyloseto-xylitol bioconversion from complex xylose media from lignocellulosic materials.     

Mixed ligand palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes of tertiary diphosphines and benz-1,3-imidazoline-2-thione,benz-1,3-oxazoline-2-thione or benz-1,3-thiazoline-2-thione

Palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes containing the mixed ligands tertiary diphosphines Ph₂P(CH₂) _n PPh₂, (n = 1–4) and benz-1,3-imidazoline-2-thione, benz-1,3-oxazoline-2-thione or benz-1,3-thiazoline-2-thione have been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibility, molar conductance and i.r. spectral data. ³¹P–{¹H}-n.m.r. data have been applied to characterize the produced linkage isomers.