Calculation of some N and C nuclear shielding parameters for some ureas and thioureas

Molecular orbital calculations using CNDO/S parameters are employed to determine bond-orders, charge-densities and the shielding of the ¹⁵N and ¹³C nuclei of a series of ureas and thioureas. For the sterically uncrowded molecules a linear relationship is noticed between the ¹⁵N chemical shifts and C---N bond-orders. When steric crowding occurs this simple relationship is no longer applicable.     

Ultraviolet action spectra for DNA dimer induction, lethality, and mutagenesis in Escherichia coli with emphasis on the UVB region

Abstract —Ultraviolet (UV) action spectra were obtained for lethality and mutagenesis (reversion to tryptophan independence) in Escherichia coli WP2s for wavelengths 254–405 nm with detailed analysis in the UVB region (290–320 nm). Parallel chemical assay yields of pyrimidine dimers in DNA of E. coli RT4 were determined at the same wavelengths. Spectral regions isolated from a Xe arc and resonance lines from a high-pressure Hg-Xe arc lamp were both used for irradiation. In all cases, precise energy distributions throughout the isolated Xe bands regions were defined.
Lethality, mutagenesis, and dimer induction all decreased in efficiency in a similar fashion as the wavelengths of the radiation increased. Between 300 and 320 nm, all characteristics measured showed differences of about two and a half orders of magnitude. Between these wavelengths, the values of the three end points used either coincide with or parallel the absorption spectrum of DNA. The mutagenesis action spectrum coincides closely with the absorption spectrum of DNA. The lethality spectrum is closely parallel to the mutagenicity spectrum; the points, however, consistently occur at about 2 nm longer wavelengths. A calculation derived from the slope of the UVB spectra reveals that a 1-nm shift of the solar UV spectrum to shorter wavelengths would result in a 35% increase in its mutagenic potential. At 325 nm, both biological action spectra show sharp decreases in slope. In addition, above 325 nm the spectra for lethality. mutagenicity, and dimer formation diverge sharply; lethalities at these UVA wavelengths were approximately tenfold greater relative to mutagenicity than at shorter wavelengths. The relative yield of dimer formation by 365 nm radiation is intermediate between the yields for lethality and mutagenesis.     

A theoretical study of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors

Summary INDO molecular orbital calculations are reported for 35 selected angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. QSARs are developed between pI₅₀ data and molecular electronic indices. The QSARs obtained reflect the importance of both charge-charge interactions between inhibitor and receptor and of specific interactions between groups on the inhibitor with points around the molecule which are postulated to correspond to binding sites at the receptor.     

Particle circulation and oxygen mass transfer in an immobilized cell bioreactor

Two important considerations in the design of an aerobic particulate immobilized cell bioreactor are the provision of sufficient oxygen to maintain the desired metabolism of the immobilized organism, and the biomass holdup (which is proportional to the number of immobilized cell particles in the reactor). The Circulating Bed Reactor, a reactor developed for use with those forms of immobilization that result in particles of essentially neutral buoyancy, operates with an expanded bed of circulating particles. The particle number density attainable in such a reactor has been found to be dependent upon the circulation cell aspect ratio, the individual particle properties, the static bed voidage of the particles, and the superficial gas velocity. The oxygen mass transfer characteristics have been found to be dependent upon the circulatory nature of the system, the particle (solids) holdup, the particle porosity, and the superficial gas velocity.     

The nature of marbled Terra Sigillata slips: a combined μXRF and μXRD investigation

In addition to the red terra sigillata production, the largest Gallic workshop (La Graufesenque) made a special type of terra sigillata, called “marbled” by the archaeologists. Produced exclusively at this site, this pottery is characterized by a surface finish made of a mixture of yellow and red slips. Because the two slips are intimately mixed, it is difficult to obtain the precise composition of one of the two constituents without contamination from the other. In order to obtain very precise correlation at the appropriate scale between the color aspect and the elemental and mineralogical phase distributions in the slip, combined electron microprobe, X-ray micro spectroscopies and micro diffraction on cross-sectional samples were performed. The aim of this study is to discover how potters were able to produce this unique type of terra sigillata and especially this particular slip of an intense yellow color. Results show that the yellow component of marbled sigillata was made from a titanium-rich clay preparation. The color is due to the formation of a pseudobrookite (TiFe₂O₅) phase in the yellow part of the slip, the main characteristics of that structure being considered nowadays as essential for the fabrication of stable yellow ceramic pigments. Its physical properties such as high refractive indices and a melting point higher than that of most silicates widely used as ceramic colorants are indeed determinant for this kind of application. Finally, the red parts have a similar composition (elementary and mineralogical) to the one of standard red slip.     

Gas-Phase Intramolecular Protein Crosslinking via Ion/Ion Reactions: Ubiquitin and a Homobifunctional sulfo-NHS Ester

Gas-phase intra-molecular crosslinking of protein ubiquitin cations has been demonstrated via ion/ion reactions with anions of a homobifunctional N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide (sulfo-NHS) ester reagent. The ion/ion reaction between multiply-protonated ubiquitin and crosslinker monoanions produces a stable, charge-reduced complex. Covalent crosslinking is indicated by the consecutive loss of 2 molecules of sulfo-NHS under ion trap collisional activation conditions. Covalent modification is verified by the presence of covalently crosslinked sequence ions produced by ion-trap collision-induced dissociation of the ion generated from the losses of sulfo-NHS. Analysis of the crosslinked sequence fragments allows for the localization of crosslinked primary amines, enabling proximity mapping of the gas-phase 3-D structures. The presence of two unprotonated reactive sites within the distance constraint of the crosslinker is required for successful crosslinking. The ability to covalently crosslink is, therefore, sensitive to protein charge state. As the charge state increases, fewer reactive sites are available and protein structure is more likely to become extended because of intramolecular electrostatic repulsion. At high charge states, the reagent shows little evidence for covalent crosslinking but does show evidence for ‘electrostatic crosslinking’ in that the binding of the sulfonate groups to the protein is sufficiently strong that backbone cleavages are favored over reagent detachment under ion trap collisional activation conditions.      

Energetic and stereochemical effects of the protein environment on substrate: a theoretical study of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase

QM/MM methods were used to study the isomerization step from (2R)-methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA. A pathway via a "fragmentation-recombination" mechanism is ruled out on energetic grounds. For the other radicalic pathway, involving an addition recombination step, geometries and vibrational contributions have been determined, and a barrier height of 11.70 kcal/mol was found. The effect of adjacent hydrogen-donating groups was found to reduce the energy barrier by 1-2 kcal/mol each and thus to provide a significant catalytic effect for this reaction. By means of molecular dynamics studies, the stereochemistry of the methylmalonyl-CoA mutase catalyzed reaction was examined. It is shown that TYR89 is essential for maintaining stereoselectivity of the abstraction of a hydrogen in the backreaction. The subsequent selective formation of one isomer of methylmalonyl-CoA is probably due to the presence of a bulky side chain.     

Rearrangement of epoxynitriles: a convenient homologation of acyclic and cyclic ketones to carboxylic acids

A convenient two-step homologation of both aliphatic and aromatic ketones to the corresponding carboxylic acid has been developed. First ketones were converted to epoxynitriles with the Darzens reaction. Second, a Lewis acid mediated rearrangement of these epoxynitriles with lithium bromide was achieved to give homologated secondary alkanoic acids (as well as aryl-alkanoic) in good yields. The mechanism and the scope of the rearrangement reaction were investigated. This strategy constitutes a two-step homologation of ketones to secondary carboxylic acids.     

Continuous flow homogeneous catalysis using supercritical fluids

The continuous flow hydroformylation of 1-octene catalysed by Rh/[RMIM][Ph(2)PC(6)H(4)SO(3)](R = 1-propyl, 1-pentyl or 1-octyl) dissolved only in the steady state reaction mixture and using scCO(2) as a transport vector for both substrates and products gives rates up to 160-240 catalyst turnovers h(-1) with low rhodium leaching over a 12 h period at a total pressure of 125-140 bar.