On the potentialities of nuclear gamma resonance (Mössbauer effect) spectroscopy as a new,low dose approach to cancer radiation therapy

The extension of a new, low dose, Mössbauer spectroscopy approach to cancer radiation therapy to “easy” isotopes other than Iron-57 is outlined. New in vitro studies using a number of cancer cell lines are reported.     

A variational principle for the scattered wave

A Schwinger-type variational principle is presented for the scattered field in the case of scalar wave scattering with an arbitrary field incident on an object of arbitrary shape with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions. The result is variationally invariant at field points ranging from the surface of the scatterer to the farfield and is an important extension of the usual Schwinger variational principle for the scattering amplitude, which is a farfield quantity. Also, a generic procedure, physically motivated by the general principles of boundary conditions and shadowing, is presented for constructing simple trial functions to approximate the fields. The variational principle and the trial function design are tested for the special case of a spherical scatterer and accurate answers are found over the entire frequency range.     

The Farrell–Jones Conjecture for the solvable Baumslag–Solitar groups

In this paper, we prove the Farrell–Jones Conjecture for the solvable Baumslag–Solitar groups with coefficients in an additive category. We also extend our results to groups of the form, Z[1/p] semidirect product with any virtually cyclic group, where p is a prime number.     

A Highly Warped Heptagon‐Containing sp2 Carbon Scaffold via Vinylnaphthyl π‐Extension

A new strategy is demonstrated for the synthesis of warped, negatively curved, all‐sp²‐carbon π‐scaffolds. Multifold C?C coupling reactions are used to transform a polyaromatic borinic acid into a saddle‐shaped polyaromatic hydrocarbon ( 2 ) bearing two heptagonal rings. Notably, this Schwarzite substructure is synthesized in only two steps from an unfunctionalized alkene. A highly warped structure of 2 was revealed by X‐ray crystallographic studies and pronounced flexibility of this π‐scaffold was ascertained by experimental and computational studies. Compound 2 exhibits excellent solubility, visible range absorption and fluorescence, and readily undergoes two reversible one‐electron oxidations at mild potentials.     

Substitution‐Inert Polynuclear Platinum Complexes That Inhibit the Activity of DNA Polymerase in Triplex‐Forming Templates

The formation of triple‐helical DNA is implicated in the regulation of gene expression. The triplexes are, however, unstable under physiological conditions so that effective stabilizers for the triplex formation are needed. Herein, we describe a new strategy for the stabilization of such triplexes that is based on antitumor substitution‐inert polynuclear platinum complexes (SI‐PPCs). These compounds were previously shown to bind to DNA through the phosphate clamp—a discrete mode of DNA–ligand recognition distinct from the canonical intercalation and minor‐groove binding. We have found that SI‐PPCs efficiently inhibit DNA synthesis by DNA polymerase in sequences prone to the formation of pyrimidine‐ and purine‐motif triplex DNAs. Moreover, the results suggest that SI‐PPCs are able to induce the formation of triple‐helical DNA between duplexes and strands that are not completely complementary to each other. Collectively, these data provide evidence that SI‐PPCs are very efficient stabilizers of triple‐stranded DNA that might exert their action by stabilizing higher‐order structures such as triple‐helical DNA.     

Hydrogen‐bonded bilayers in ­piperazinium(2+) bis(mandelate) bis(methanol) solvate

In the title compound, C₄H₁₂N₂²⁺·2C₈H₇O₃^?·2CH₄O, the cations lie across centres of inversion and are disordered over two orientations with equal occupancy; there are equal numbers of (R)‐ and (S)‐mandelate anions present (mandelate is α‐hydroxy­benzene­acetate). The anions and the neutral water mol­ecules are linked by O—H?O hydrogen bonds [O?O 2.658 (3) and 2.682 (3) Å, and O—H?O 176 and 166°] into deeply folded zigzag chains. Each orientation of the cation forms two symmetry‐related two‐centre N—H?O hydrogen bonds [N?O 2.588 (4) and 2.678 (4) Å, and N—H?O 177 and 171°] and two asymmetric, but planar, three‐centre N—H?(O)₂ hydrogen bonds [N?O 2.686 (4)–3.137 (4) Å and N—H?O 137–147°], and by means of these the cations link the anion/water chains into bilayers.     

The involvement of metal-to-CO charge transfer and ligand-field excited states in the spectroscopy and photochemistry of mixed-ligand metal carbonyls. A theoretical and spectroscopic study of [W(CO)(4)(1,2-ethylenediamine)] and [W(CO)(4)(N,N'-bis-alkyl-1,4-diazabutadiene)

A new interpretation of the electronic spectroscopy, photochemistry, and photophysics of group 6 metal cis-tetracarbonyls [M(CO)(4)L(2)] is proposed, that is based on an interplay between M --> L and M --> CO MLCT excited states. TD-DFT and resonance Raman spectroscopy show that the lowest allowed electronic transition of [W(CO)(4)(en)] (en = 1,2-ethylenediamine) has a W(CO(eq))(2) --> CO(ax) charge-transfer character, whereby the electron density is transferred from the equatorial W(CO(eq))(2) moiety to pi orbitals of the axial CO ligands, with a net decrease of electron density on the W atom. The lowest, emissive excited state of [W(CO)(4)(en)] was identified as a spin-triplet W(CO(eq))(2) --> CO(ax) CT excited state both computationally and by picosecond time-resolved IR spectroscopy. This state undergoes 1.5 ps vibrational relaxation/solvation and decays to the ground state with a approximately 160 ps lifetime. The nu(CO) wavenumbers and IR intensity pattern calculated by DFT for the triplet W(CO(eq))(2) --> CO(ax) CT excited state match well the experimental time-resolved spectrum. For [W(CO)(4)(R-DAB)] (R-DAB = N,N'-bis-alkyl-1,4-diazabutadiene), the W(CO(eq))(2) --> CO(ax) CT transition follows in energy the W --> DAB MLCT transition, and the emissive W(CO(eq))(2) --> CO(ax) CT triplet state occurs just above the manifold of triplet W --> DAB MLCT states. No LF electronic transitions were calculated to occur in a relevant energetic range for either complex. Molecular orbitals of both complexes are highly delocalized. The 5d(W) character is distributed over many molecular orbitals, while neither of them contains a predominant metal-ligand sigma 5d(W) component, contrary to predictions of the traditional ligand-field approach. The important spectroscopic, photochemical, and photophysical roles of M(CO(eq))(2) --> CO(ax) CT excited states and the limited validity of ligand field arguments can be generalized to other mixed-ligand carbonyl complexes.     

Chimeric platinum-polyamines and DNA binding. Kinetics of DNA interstrand cross-link formation by dinuclear platinum complexes with polyamine linkers

The first observation of a polyamine-DNA interaction using 2D [(1)H, (15)N] HSQC NMR spectroscopy allows study of the role of the linker in polynuclear platinum-DNA interactions and a novel "anchoring" of the polyamine by Pt-DNA bond formation allows examination of the details of conformational B → Z transitions induced by the polyamine. The kinetics and mechanism of the stepwise formation of 5'-5' 1,4-GG interstrand cross-links (IXLs) by fully (15)N-labeled [{trans-PtCl((15)NH(3))(2)}(2){μ-((15)NH(2)(CH(2))(6)(15)NH(2)(CH(2))(6)(15)NH(2))}](3+) (1,1/t,t-6,6, 1) and [{trans-PtCl((15)NH(3))(2)}(2){μ-((15)NH(2)(CH(2))(6)(15)NH(2)(CH(2))(2)(15)NH(2)(CH(2))(6)(15)NH(2))}](4+) (1,1/t,t-6,2,6, 1') with the self-complementary oligonucleotide 5'-{d(ATATGTACATAT)(2)} (duplex I) are compared to the analogous reaction with 1,0,1/t,t,t (BBR3464) under identical conditions (pH 5.4, 298 K). Initial electrostatic interactions with the DNA are delocalized and followed by aquation to form the monoaqua monochloro species. The rate constant for monofunctional adduct formation, k(MF), for 1 (0.87 M(-1) s(-1)) is 3.5 fold higher than for 1,0,1/t,t,t (0.25 M(-1) s(-1); the value could not be calculated for 1' due to peak overlap). The evidence suggests that several conformers of the bifunctional adduct form, whereas for 1,0,1/t,t,t only two discrete conformers were observed. The combined effect of the conformers observed for 1 and 1' may play a crucial role in the increased potency of these novel complexes compared to 1,0,1/t,t,t. Treated as a single final product, the rate of formation of the 5'-5' 1,4-GG IXL, k(CH), for 1 (k(CH) = 4.37 × 10(-5) s(-1)) is similar to that of 1,0,1/t,t,t, whereas the value for 1' is marginally higher (k(CH) = 5.4 × 10(-5) s(-1)).     

Precipitation of silver/palladium alloy platelets from homogeneous solutions

Dispersed silver/palladium (Ag/Pd) nanoplatelets were prepared by delivering in parallel solutions of mixed metal nitrates and L-ascorbic acid into a nitric acid solution containing Arabic gum. The shape and size of bimetallic nanoparticles varied with the silver/palladium weight ratio and the concentration of nitric acid. The optimum conditions for platelets formation were a palladium content of ~2.0 wt.% and nitric acid concentrations above 1.0 mol dm(-3). The data presented show that both parameters play a critical role in the nucleation and growth of AgPd particles. A mechanism explaining the formation of the bimetallic nanoplatelets is proposed.