A study of 1O2 production by immobilized sensitizer outside the solution. Measurement of 1O2 generation

Abstract— Recently, a new technique of ¹O₂ generation has been described by Midden and Wang. The sensitizer is immobilized on silica gel particles which are attached on one surface of a glass plate which is placed, sensitizer-side down, above a solution leaving a small air space between the sensitizer and the solution. Applying the principle of the technique, i.e. generation of ¹O₂ in the gas phase above the solution, we first improved the long-term stability of the dye (rose bengal) by using double stock transparent tape instead of rubber cement. Under these conditions, although the initial rate of production was higher in rubber cement, the rate of production reached a plateau after 30 min, whereas with double stick transparent tape, the rate of generation was linear up to 100 min. This result was explained by the fact that silica glass beads are embedded in the cement which could lead to the bleaching reaction of the dye. Different reactions have been investigated, the bleaching of N,N-dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline (RNO) in the presence of imidazole, destruction of anthracenedipropionic acid, formation of a stable nitroxide from a sterically hindered secondary amine and the influence of pH on the nitroxide yield. The yield was measured to be 5 × 10¹² molecules of singlet oxygen produced per second per cm² from the surface of the plate using the RNO bleaching reaction. This method of generating ¹O₂ also seems promising for studying the killing of mammalian cells by ¹O₂ as the sole damaging species.     

Synthesis and DNA binding properties of pyrrole amino acid-containing peptides

Dimers of the pyrrole amino acid (Paa), 5-(aminomethyl)pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid, and its derivatives having Lys anchored on N- and C-termini bind in the minor groove of DNA with considerable apparent binding affinities. When the Lys unit is attached to the C-terminus, the resulting ligand binds to ds-DNA with twice the affinity, of the order of 10⁵, than the one carrying two positive charges at the same end.     

Phosphoramidite approach for the synthesis of cardiolipin

A phosphoramidite approach was utilized for the first time to synthesize cardiolipin. Optically active 1,2-di-O-acyl-sn-glycerol was coupled with 2-O-protected glycerols utilizing mono- and bifunctional phosphitylating agents to yield, after final removal of protecting groups, the title compound.     

Cellulose synthesis in maize: isolation and expression analysis of the cellulose synthase (CesA) gene family

Stalk lodging in maize results in significant yield losses. We have determined that cellulose per unit length of the stalk is the primary determinant of internodal strength. An increase in cellulose concentration in the wall might allow simultaneous improvements in stalk strength and harvest index. Cellulose formation in plants can be perturbed by mutations in the genes involved in cellulose synthesis, post-synthetic cellulose alteration or deposition, N-glycosylation, and some other genes with as yet unknown functions. We have isolated 12 members of the cellulose synthase (CesA) gene family from maize. The genes involved in primary wall formation appear to have duplicated relatively independently in dicots and monocots. The deduced amino acid sequences of three of the maize genes, ZmCesA10–12, cluster with the Arabidopsis CesA sequences that have been shown to be involved in secondary wall formation. Based on their expression patterns across multiple tissues, these three genes appear to be coordinately expressed. The remaining genes show overlapping expression to varying degrees with ZmCesA1, 7, and 8 forming one group, ZmCesA3 and 5 a second group, and ZmCesA2 and 6 exhibiting independent expression of any other gene. This suggests that the varying levels of coexpression may just be incidental except in the case of ZmCesA10–12, which may interact with each other to form a functional enzyme complex. Isolation of the expressed CesA genes from maize and their association with primary or secondary wall formation has made it possible to test their respective roles in cellulose synthesis through mutational genetics or transgenic approaches. This information would be useful in improving stalk strength.     

Studies on the formation of manganese molybdate

The reaction of MoO₃ with various oxides of manganese (MnO, Mn₂O₃, Mn₃O₄ and MnO₂) and with MnCO₃ has been studied in air and nitrogen atmospheres employing DTA, TG and X-ray diffraction methods, with a view to elucidating the conditions for the formation of MnMoO₄. Thermal decomposition of MnCO₃ has also been studied in air and nitrogen atmospheres to help understand the mechanism of the reaction between MnCO₃ and MoO₃. The studies reveal that, whereas MnO, Mn₂O₃ and MnO₂ react smoothly with MoO₃ to form MnMoO₄, Mn₃O₄ does not react with MoO₃ in the temperature range investigated (48O–6OO°C). An equimolar mixture of MnCO₃ and MoO₃ reacts in air to yield MnMoO₄, while only a mixture of Mn₃O₄ and MoO₃ remains as final product when the same reaction is carried out in nitrogen. Marker studies reveal that manganese ions are the main diffusing species in the reaction between MoO₃ and manganese oxides that result in MnMoO₄.     

Phthalocyanines as oxidation-reduction indicators

Summary Copper phthalocyanine tetrasulphonic acid has been found to work satisfactorily as an inside indicator in the cerimetric titration of hydro-quinone and metol. It has the advantage that the indicator correction in titrations with 0.01 N solutions of ceric sulphate is much less than with the ferroin indicator, amounting to only 0.02 ml for two drops of the indicator solution.Part II: See Z. analyt. Chem. 163, 1 (1958).     

New sphingolipids and a sterol from a lobophytum species of the Indian ocean

Chemical investigation of a soft coral species of the genus Lobophytum has resulted in the isolation of three new sphingolipids--(2S,3S,4R)-2-nonadecanoylamino-octadecane-1,3,4-triol (1), (2S,3R,4E,8E)-[(2'R)-2'-hydroxyheptadecanoylamino]-4,8-octadecadiene-1,3-diol (2), 1-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-(2S,3R,4E,8E)-2-[(2'R)-2'-hydroxynonadecanoylamino]-9-methyl-4,8-octadecadiene-1,3-diol (3) and a sterol--(24S)-ergost-5-en-3beta,7beta-diol (4) along with the known sphingolipid--(2S,3R,4E,8E)-2-hexadecanoylamino-4,8-octadecadien-1,3-diol (5) which showed cytotoxicity against human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).     

Correction: Click activated protodrugs against cancer increase the therapeutic potential of chemotherapy through local capture and activation

Correction for ‘Click activated protodrugs against cancer increase the therapeutic potential of chemotherapy through local capture and activation’ by Kui Wu et al., Chem. Sci., 2021, 12, 1259–1271, DOI: 10.1039/D0SC06099B.

The authors regret that the reference to the bond-breaking bioorthogonal chemistry, termed ‘click-to-release’ was omitted from the original article. In addition, we would like to include a reference describing the synthesis of compound 1, which is an intermediate to the protodrugs described in the original article. These references are listed below as ref. 1 and 2.The Royal Society of Chemistry apologizes for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers.     

Superconvergence error estimates of discontinuous Galerkin time stepping for singularly perturbed parabolic problems

Numerical Algorithms - A parabolic convection-diffusion-reaction problem is discretized by the non-symmetric interior penalty Galerkin (NIPG) method in space and discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method...