Magnetic configurations of hybrid ferromagnetic dot–superconductor systems

In-plane single domain and vortex magnetization configurations of the magnetic dot in the hybrid superconductor–ferromagnet system are considered. Single domain configuration energy shift due to the presence of superconductor is calculated. The change of the phase curve of the ferromagnetic dot magnetization due to the repulsion of the magnetic field by the superconductor is obtained. Up to the two-fold decrease of the ferromagnetic dot critical radius due to the presence of the superconductor is predicted.     

Intrinsic Fluorescence of Actin

In this work actin is used to illustrate connection of protein fluorescence characteristics with its structure. On one hand, it has been demonstrated what kind of information about the contribution of each tryptophan residues to the bulk fluorescence spectrum can be obtained from the special analysis of protein three-dimensional structure. On the other hand, potentials of intrinsic fluorescence for elucidation of proteins structure, dynamics and processes of folding-unfolding are shown. In particular, using this method a new essentially unfolded kinetic intermediate state of actin was detected and characterized, and the place of inactivated actin and its kinetic predecessor in the process of folding-unfolding was determined. It has been revealed that inactivated actin is not intermediate state between the native and completely unfolded states, as it has been accepted before, but a result of protein misfolding. On the basis of the obtained data a new model of actin folding-unfolding pathway has been proposed.     

2-Phosphinophenolate complexes: formation and crystal structure of a novel trinuclear mu-O nickel(II)-tris(P(intersection)O-chelate)

A novel linear trinuclear mu-O-bridging 2-phosphinophenolate nickel(II) complex with fac-tris(P(intersection)O- chelates) in the terminal positions and the three oxygen atoms each facing the central nickel(II) cation was synthesized and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of an octahedral Ni(II) tris(P(intersection)O- chelate).     

Mechanism of the cyclization of dimethyl diethynyl silane with selenium tetrabromide: Computational and structural studies, and monitoring

The structure of 2,4-dibromo-2-dibromomethyl-3,3-dimethyl-1-selena-3-silacyclopentene-4, formed by regioselective electrophilic addition of SeBr₄ to dimethyl diethynyl silane, has been determined using X-ray analysis technique. Quantum chemistry methods were used to study elementary stages of the reaction. It was found that the first stage consisted of SeBr₄ conversion into bimolecular complex Br₂?SeBr₂, initiated by dimethyl diethynyl silane. Possible formation of five-membered and six-membered heterocycles involves different cyclization mechanisms. The formation of only five-membered heterocycle is explained by kinetically preferable ring closure through four-center transition state. The conclusions obtained by calculations were confirmed by monitoring of the reaction using ¹H NMR method.     

Mixed nitrosyl/phosphinidene and nitrene/phosphinidene clusters of ruthenium

Reaction of the aminophosphinidene complex [Ru5(CO)15(mu 4-PNPri2)] 1 with [PPN][NO2] (PPN = Ph3P=N=PPh3) led to the mixed nitrosyl/phosphinidene cluster complex [PPN][Ru5(CO)13(mu-NO)(mu 4-PNPri2)] 2 which is transformed into the novel nitrene/phosphinidene cluster [Ru5(CO)10(mu-CO)2(mu 3-CO)(mu 4-NH)(mu 3-PNPri2)] 3 via treatment with triflic acid.     

Unusual heme-histidine bond in the active site of a chaperone

The heme chaperone CcmE is essential for the delivery of heme to c-type cytochromes. It forms an unusual transient, yet covalent, bond between an essential histidine, H130, and heme. We report on the discovery of the chemical structure of this bond solved by NMR, where the heme vinyl is cross-linked at the beta carbon to the Ndelta1 of H130. As this type of heme linkage has not been described previously in any cytochrome or hemoprotein, it represents a novel type of heme-histidine complex.