Enzyme association with lipidic Langmuir-Blodgett films: interests and applications in nanobioscience

This review presents the recent advances in the achievement of organized proteo-lipidic nanostructures based on Langmuir-Blodgett technology and their potential applications in the nanobioscience area. By using the self-assembled properties of amphiphilic biomolecules at the air-water interface, the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique offers the possibility to prepare ultrathin layers suitable for biomolecule immobilization at the molecular level. This review will provide a general overview of the enzyme association with preformed Langmuir-Blodgett films in connection with their potential applications in biosensing device developments, and then introduce the design of a new functionalised biomimetic nanostructure with oriented recognition site. The potential applications of such an organized proteo-lipidic nanostructure for biocatalysis investigations of an immobilised enzyme in a biomimetic situation and for the development of bioelectronic devices are finally discussed.     

Self-assembly via ionic interactions of calix[6]arene-based receptors displaying remarkable host-guest properties toward neutral guests

The association of a C_3v-symmetrical calix[6]tris-amine with different concave tris-carboxylic acids of various degrees of flexibility has been explored by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. In all cases, self-assembled structures directed by the selective inclusion of a neutral guest molecule were obtained, the more preorganized being stable in protic solvents. With a rigid C₃-symmetrical cap, chiral guest recognition in the calixarene cavity resulted. A large tris-acidic partner gave a unique molecular ditopic receptor that is able to simultaneously accommodate two neutral molecules in two distinct hydrophobic cavities with different binding processes.     

UV/Vis-spektroskopische Untersuchungen an Cyclosilanderivaten

UV/Vis-spectra of Cyclosilanes (SiX ₂) _n withX=Cl, Br, I, OMe andn=4, 5, 6 are recorded and interpreted qualitatively. The spectra exhibit increasing influence of the substituents on the Si-Si-bond system within the rings in the order Cl OMe Br I. At the low energy side of the spectra weak absorption bands, possibly due to intramolecular charge transfer transitions, appear. The strong inductive effect of the electronegative substituents is documented by a marked increase of the first IP's compared to permethylcyclosilanes.

     

7-Benz[c] acridinemethanols as tetracyclic analogs of the 2-phenyl-4-quinolinemethanol antimalarials

A series of new 7-benz[c]acridinemethanols and 5,6-dihydro-7-benz[c]acridinemethanols was prepared as rigid, tetracyclic analogs of the antimalarial 2-phenyl-4-quinolinemethanols. Condensation of 5,7-dichloroisatin with 6-chloro-, 7-chloro-, and 6,7-dichloro-1-tetralone furnished halogenated 5,6-dihydro-7-benz[c]acridinecarboxylic acids, which were transformed into the corresponding acid chlorides, acyl malonates, α-bromomethyl ketones, and epoxides. Fully aromatic members of the series obtained via dehydrogenation of the 5,6-dihydro acids were likewise converted into epoxides via the acylmalonate route. Although all the epoxides studied proved to be exceptionally resistant to ring-opening by di-n-butylamine, probably on account of steric effects, they could be cleaved readily with piperidine or morpholine. Nmr spectra of the resulting amino alcohols suggest that these compounds exist in a single preferred conformation stabilized by internal O-H····N hydrogen bonding, and that free rotation about the side chain C-C bond does not occur at room temperature.     

Towards novel difluorinated sugar mimetics; syntheses and conformational analyses of highly-functionalised difluorinated cyclooctenones

Highly-functionalised difluorinated cyclooctenones were synthesised from trifluoroethanol using either metallated difluoroenol acetal or carbamate chemistry, followed by a [2,3]-Wittig rearrangement or aldol reaction. Efficient RCM reactions afforded the title compounds which showed rather restricted fluxional behaviour by VT (19)F NMR. Topological characterisation by molecular modelling and NOESY/ROESY experiments offered a number of challenges, but allowed the identification of two favoured boat-chair conformers which interconverted by pseudorotation with relatively large activation barriers.     

Topography of the potential energy hypersurface and criteria for fast-ion conduction in perovskite-related A2B2O5 oxides

We discuss the importance of the topography of the potential energy hypersurface for the ionic conductivity of perovskite-related A(2)B(2)O(5) oxides. A correlation between the energetic preference of the cations for different coordination geometries and the ionic conductivity is proposed based on a first principles periodic density functional theory study of selected possible structures for Ba(2)In(2)O(5), Sr(2)Fe(2)O(5), Sr(2)Mn(2)O(5), and La(2)Ni(2)O(5). There are a large number of low-energy local minima on the potential energy hypersurfaces of the two first compounds due to an energetic preference for BO(4) tetrahedra. Tetrahedral environments are energetically unfavorable for Mn(III) in Sr(2)Mn(2)O(5) and for Ni(II) in La(2)Ni(2)O(5), and the number of low-energy configurations is relatively low in these two cases. Consistent with our findings, in contrast to Sr(2)Fe(2)O(5) and Ba(2)In(2)O(5), Sr(2)Mn(2)O(5) and La(2)Ni(2)O(5) do not exhibit transitions to disordered phases on heating, and there appear to be no reports of enhanced ionic conductivity for these compounds. Thus we suggest that the possibility of many different oxygen orderings associated with a variety of low-energy connectivity schemes within tetrahedral layers such as in the brownmillerite-based structures of Sr(2)Fe(2)O(5) and Ba(2)In(2)O(5) is a prerequisite for high ionic conductivity in perovskite-related A(2)B(2)O(5) oxides.     

Synthesis,vibrational, and conformational properties of novel polyazadioxime chain molecules

Novel large polyazadioxime molecules 4,5,8,9-tetraaza-3,6,7,10-tetramethyl -3,5,7,9-dodecatetraene-2, 11-dione-2, 11-dioxime (H₂doxN₄) and 4,5,8,9,12, 13-hexaaza-3,6,7,10,11,14-hexamethyl-3, 5,7,9,11,13-hexadecahexane-2,15-dione-2, 15-dioxime (H₂doxN₆) were synthesized. The molecular geometries of these molecules as well as smaller dioxime molecules, H₂dox and H₂doxN₂ were optimized by using modified intermediate neglect of differential overlap (MNDO) calculations. The optimized conformations for all the molecules under study are close to the all-E, all-s trans conformation of C_2h symmetry group. However, the energy barriers of internal rotation around the N-N single bonds were found to be low. Therefore some distortions of the polyazabackbone through internal rotation the N-N bonds have been evidenced. By infrared and Raman spectroscopies in the solid state as well as in solution. From the MNDO calculations and vibrational spectroscopy, the polyaza chain molecules under study appear as a poorly conjugated system and can be represented as a sequence of single and double bond alternation.     

Fast 3D shape screening of large chemical databases through alignment-recycling

Background  

Large chemical databases require fast, efficient, and simple ways of looking for similar structures. Although such tasks are now fairly well resolved for graph-based similarity queries, they remain an issue for 3D approaches, particularly for those based on 3D shape overlays. Inspired by a recent technique developed to compare molecular shapes, we designed a hybrid methodology, alignment-recycling, that enables efficient retrieval and alignment of structures with similar 3D shapes.     

Detection of Amadori compounds by capillary electrophoresis coupled to tandem mass spectrometry

Capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry (CE-MS) is reported for the first time as an alternative and powerful analytical method for the characterization and monitoring of N-substituted 1-amino-1-deoxyketoses (Amadori compounds). It allows rapid separation and identification of Amadori compounds, while benefiting from the well-known advantages of MS, such as specificity and sensitivity. Amadori compounds of several amino acids, such as glycine, valine, isoleucine, methionine, proline, and phenylalanine, as well as a cysteine-derived compound, were separated and/or discriminated using CE-MS/MS under standard conditions. The technique may also be useful to study the stability and degradation kinetics of other labile charged Maillard intermediates that play an important role in food and medical science.     

Synthesis of corroles bearing up to three different meso substituents

[reaction: see text] We have developed a new method that affords regioisomerically pure corroles possessing up to three different substituents at the meso positions. The corrole formation reaction involves the acid-catalyzed condensation of a dipyrromethane-dicarbinol with pyrrole followed by oxidation with DDQ. ABC-Type corroles were synthesized for the first time according to this procedure.