CHLOROPHYLL PHOTOCHEMISTRY IN CONDENSED MEDIA—I. TRIPLET STATE QUENCHING AND ELECTRON TRANSFER TO QUINONE IN CELLULOSE ACETATE FILMS*

Chlorophyll-a was incorporated into cellulose acetate films and the triplet state decay kinetics and electron transfer from triplet to p-benzoquinone in aqueous solution was studied using laser flash photolysis and EPR. The triplet was found to decay by first order kinetics with a rate constant which was independent of Chl concentration. The triplet yield, however, was concentration dependent. These properties are due to quenching which occurs only at the singlet state level. In the presence of quinone, the triplet is quenched and, when the quinone is in an aqueous solution in contact with the film, Chl cation radical (C^±) as well as the semiquinone anion radical (Q^±) can be observed. The C decays by second order kinetics with a rate constant of 1.5 × 10⁶M^-1 s^-1. Although triplet conversion to radicals is slightly lower in the films as compared to fluid solutions (? 3 times), the lifetimes of the radicals are greatly increased (? 10³ times).     

Spot overlapping in two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis separations: a statistical study of complex protein maps

A statistical approach able to extract the information contained in a two-dimenisional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) separation is here reported. The method is based on the quantitative theory of peak overlapping, a procedure previously developed by the authors and here extended to 2-D separations. The whole map is divided into many strips in order to obtain 1-D separations on which the statistic procedure is applied: the developed algorithms, on the basis of spot experimental data (intensity and spatial coordinates) permit to estimate the intrinsic number of components and to single out the specific order present in spot positions. The procedure was validated on computer-simulated maps. Its applicability to real samples was tested on maps obtained from literature sources. The following important information on protein mixtures can be extracted: (i) the number of proteins can be accurately estimated, on the basis of the spatial coordinates and intensities of spots detected in the 2-D PAGE map; (ii) the model describing distribution of interdistance between adjacent spots can be identified in both the separation dimensions; (iii) the presence of repeated interdistances in spot positions in the maps can be easily singled out: these regularities suggest specific protein modifications.     

2,5‐Dicarboxy­anilinium chloride monohydrate

The title compound, C₈H₈NO₄⁺·Cl⁻·H₂O, is the chloro­hydrated form of 2‐amino­benzene‐1,4‐dicarboxylic acid, the basic crystal structure of which is still not known. Mol­ecules are linked by classical N—H⋯O, O—H⋯O, N—H⋯Cl and O—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds, mainly along the mol­ecular plane, into sheets built by unusual R₆⁴(26), R₆⁴(22) and R₄³(22) rings. The stacking between layers is stabilized by another N—H⋯Cl hydrogen bond and by π–π inter­actions between aromatic rings facing each other.     

Studies related to cephalosporins. Part 2 . Displacement reactions on 3-bromomethylcephems with salts of carboxylic acids

The reactivity of Δ³- and Δ²-3-bromomethylcephems toward carboxylate nucleophiles has been studied. The Δ³-bromomethylcephem 1 , less reactive than the Δ²-analogue 4 , is converted in high yields into 3-acyl-oxymethyl-3-cephems 2a-d , generally with no isomerization of the double bond, only within a narrow range of conditions. In particular, the Δ³-7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) derivative 2a has been obtained as the only product in 91% yield by treatment of 1 with triethylammonium acetate in acetic acid. The Δ²-bromomethyl-cephem 4 is easily converted into the Δ²-acyloxymethyl-cepheras 5a-d without double bond isomerization, in very high yields.     

Characterisation of River Po particles by sedimentation field-flow fractionation coupled to GFAAS and ICP-MS

A procedure for elemental composition determination of water-borne river particles (Po River) on both size-fractionated and unfractionated submicron particles (0.1–1 μm) by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is reported. Sample fractionation was performed using sedimentation field-flow fractionation (SdFFF). The distribution of relative mass vs. particle size was determined using UV detection. Fractions were collected over a narrow size range for scanning electron microscopy. With this combination of techniques the mass, elemental composition, and shape distributions can be obtained across the size spectrum of the sample.

The size distributions of the major elements (Al, Fe) were determined by coupling both GFAAS and ICP-MS techniques to the SdFFF. The procedure was validated using a reference clay sample. Satisfactory agreement was found between both the GFAAS and ICP-MS aluminium signal and the UV detector signal. Some discrepancies were observed in the Fe/Al ratios when comparing GFAAS and ICP-MS. Thus further investigation is in order to fully assess the role of SdFFF-ICP-MS and SdFFF-GFAAS techniques for elemental characterisation of aquatic colloids. Both GFAAS and ICP-MS signals unambiguously indicate a significantly higher Fe content in the lower size range, which is consistent with previous investigations.

Trace element levels in unfractionated Po River particles, determined by both GFAAS and ICP-MS, show good agreement. The high levels of Cu, Pb, Cr and Cd found associated with the colloidal particles underlines the significance of the environmental role played by the suspended matter in rivers in both highly industrialised and intensively cultivated areas.     

Separation of oligonucleotides and DNA fragments by capillary electrophoresis in dynamically and permanently coated capillaries,using a copolymer of acrylamide and β-D-glucopyranoside as a new low viscosity matrix with high sieving capacity

New copolymers of acrylamide and β-D -glucopyranoside were synthesized and characterized. The different reactivity of the two monomers towards radical polymerization meant we could control the growth of the polymer chains whose length was inversely related to the number of glucose residues incorporated in the copolymers. The properties of these polymers were investigated in the separation of oligonucleotides and double-stranded DNA by capillary electrophoresis (CE) in coated and uncoated capillaries. The new copolymers were a suitable matrix for CE due to their high-resolving capacity and low viscosity. We also looked into the advantages of a new method of dynamic suppression of electroosmotic flow based on the addition of small amounts (0.03–0.05%) of dimethylacrylamide to the sieving and to the running buffer. A complete test was run on the reproducibility and efficiency of separations carried out in a permanently and dynamically coated capillary, and the advantages and disadvantages of the two methods were compared.     

Experimental and theoretical study of the adsorption of fumaramide [2]rotaxane on Au(111) and Ag(111) surfaces

Thin films of fumaramide [2]rotaxane, a mechanically interlocked molecule composed of a macrocycle and a thread in a "bead and thread" configuration, were prepared by vapor deposition on both Ag(111) and Au(111) substrates. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and high-resolution electron-energy-loss spectroscopy were used to characterize monolayer and bulklike multilayer films. XPS determination of the relative amounts of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen indicates that the molecule adsorbs intact. On both metal surfaces, molecules in the first adsorbed layer show an additional component in the C 1s XPS line attributed to chemisorption via amide groups. Molecular-dynamics simulation indicates that the molecule orients two of its eight phenyl rings, one from the macrocycle and one from the thread, in a parallel bonding geometry with respect to the metal surfaces, leaving three amide groups very close to the substrate. In the case of fumaramide [2]rotaxane adsorption on Au(111), the presence of certain out-of-plane phenyl ring and Au-O vibrational modes points to such bonding and a preferential molecular orientation. The theoretical and experimental results imply that the three-dimensional intermolecular configuration permits chemisorption at low coverage to be driven by interactions between the three amide functions of fumaramide [2]rotaxane and the Ag(111) or Au(111) surface.     

Probing molecular wires: synthesis, structural, and electronic study of donor-acceptor assemblies exhibiting long-range electron transfer

A series of donor-acceptor arrays (C60-oligo-PPV-exTTF; 16-20) incorporating pi-conjugated oligo(phenylenevinylene) wires (oligo-PPV) of different length between pi-extended tetrathiafulvalene (exTTF) as electron donor and C60 as electron acceptor has been prepared by multistep convergent synthetic approaches. The electronic interactions between the three electroactive species present in 16-20 were investigated by UV-visible spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Our studies clearly show that, although the C60 units are connected to the exTTF donors through a pi-conjugated oligo-PPV framework, no significant electronic interactions are observed in the ground state. Interestingly, photoinduced electron-transfer processes over distances of up to 50 Angstroms afford highly stabilized radical ion pairs. The measured lifetimes for the photogenerated charge-separated states are in the range of hundreds of nanoseconds (approximately 500 ns) in benzonitrile, regardless of the oligomer length (i.e., from the monomer to the pentamer). A different lifetime (4.35 micros) is observed for the heptamer-containing array. This difference in lifetime has been accounted for by the loss of planarity of the oPPV moiety that increases with the wire length, as established by semi-empirical (PM3) theoretical calculations carried out with 19 and 20. The charge recombination dynamics reveal a very low attenuation factor (beta = 0.01 +/- 0.005 Angstroms(-1)). This beta value, as well as the strong electron coupling (V approximately 5.5 cm(-1)) between the donor and the acceptor units, clearly reveals a nanowire behavior for the pi-conjugated oligomer, which paves the way for applications in nanotechnology.     

Tuning the anion binding properties of calixpyrroles by means of p-nitrophenyl substituents at their meso-positions

Extended cavity calix[4]pyrroles and a calix[6]pyrrole were synthesized by cyclization of 5-methyl-5-(4-nitrophenyl)dipyrromethane with acetone in the presence of acid. The solid-state structures of the novel macrocycles were determined by X-ray crystallography. The host-guest chemistry of these receptors towards halide ions was investigated in solution by ¹H NMR titration techniques and compared with those of the meso-octamethylcalix[4]pyrrole and meso-dodecamethylcalix[6]pyrrole. The binding of chloride anions was observed to occur with different affinities on the two faces of the novel calix[6]pyrrole derivative described here.     

Within the Ischemic Penumbra,Sub-Cellular Compartmentalization of Heat Shock Protein 70 Overlaps with Autophagy Proteins and Fails to Merge with Lysosomes

The brain area which surrounds the frankly ischemic region is named the area penumbra. In this area, most cells are spared although their oxidative metabolism is impaired. area penumbra is routinely detected by immunostaining of a molecule named Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70). Within the area penumbra, autophagy-related proteins also increase. Therefore, in the present study, the autophagy-related microtubule-associated protein I/II-Light Chain 3 (LC3) was investigated within the area penumbra along with HSP70. In C57 black mice, ischemia was induced by permanent occlusion of the distal part of the middle cerebral artery. Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy show that LC3 and HSP70 are overexpressed and co-localize within the area penumbra in the same cells and within similar subcellular compartments. In the area penumbra, marked loss of co-localization of HSP70 and LC3-positive autophagy vacuoles, with lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP1) or cathepsin-D-positive lysosome vacuoles occurs. This study indicates that, within the area penumbra, a failure of autophagolysosomes depends on defective compartmentalization of LC3, LAMP1 and cathepsin-D and a defect in merging between autophagosomes and lysosomes. Such a deleterious effect is likely to induce a depletion of autophagolysosomes and cell clearing systems, which needs to be rescued in the process of improving neuronal survival.