Modification of the Cp′ ring in the ferrocifen precursor and its influence on the recognition by the estrogen receptor

A synthetic pathway giving access to diphenyl ethylene organometallic derivatives possessing the ferrocifen precursor skeleton modified in the Cp′ ring is described. It relies on reaction of the (η⁵-propionylcyclopentadienyl) (η⁶-benzene)iron(II) salt 7 with substituted cyclopentadienyl anions or their heteroanalogs followed by the McMurry coupling reaction with 4,4′-dihydroxybenzophenone. Using this approach pentamethylcyclopentadienyl and 3,4-dimethylphospholyl analogs of ferrocifen precursor (10 and 11) have been synthesized. Even with the presence of the bulky and containing phosphorus η⁵-ligands these compounds are still recognized by the two subtypes of estrogen receptor(ERα and ERβ).     

Crystal structure of synthetic Cu3SeO4(OH)4

Summary The crystal structure of synthetic Cu₃SeO₄(OH)₄ was determined by single crystal X-ray methods:a=8.382 (2) Å,b=6.087 (1) Å,c=12.285 (2) Å,V=626.8 ų,Z=4, space group Pnma,R=0.026,R _w =0.021 for 1255 independent reflections (sin / 0.8 Å^–1). The crystal structure is isotypic to that of the mineral antlerite, Cu₃SO₄(OH)₄. The copper atoms are Jahn-Teller distorted with Cu^[4+2]O₆ polyhedra forming triple chains along [010]. These chains are linked via SeO₄ tetrahedra and weak hydrogen bonds to a framework structure.

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Die Kristallstruktur von synthetischem Cu₃SeO₄(OH)₄

Zusammenfassung Die Kristallstruktur von synthetischem Cu₃SeO₄(OH)₄ wurde mittels Einkristall-Röntgenmethoden ermittelt:a=8.382 (2) Å,b=6.087 (1) Å,c=12.285 (2) Å,V=626.8 ų,Z=4, Raumgruppe Pnma,R=0.026,R _w =0.021 für 1255 unabhängige Reflexe (sin / 0.8 Å^–1). Die Kristallstruktur ist isotyp mit der des Minerals Antlerit, Cu₃SO₄(OH)₄. Die Kupferatome sind Jahn-Teller-verzerrt, die Cu^[4+2]O₆ Polyeder bilden Dreierketten entlang [010]. Diese Ketten sind über SeO₄-Tetraeder und schwache Wasserstoffbrücken zu einer Gerüststruktur verbunden.

     

RNA-catalyzed RNA ligation on an external RNA template

Variants of the hc ligase ribozyme, which catalyzes ligation of the 3' end of an RNA substrate to the 5' end of the ribozyme, were utilized to evolve a ribozyme that catalyzes ligation reactions on an external RNA template. The evolved ribozyme catalyzes the joining of an oligonucleotide 3'-hydroxyl to the 5'-triphosphate of an RNA hairpin molecule. The ribozyme can also utilize various substrate sequences, demonstrating a largely sequence-independent mechanism for substrate recognition. The ribozyme also carries out the ligation of two oligonucleotides that are bound at adjacent positions on a complementary template. Finally, it catalyzes addition of mononucleoside 5'-triphosphates onto the 3' end of an oligonucleotide primer in a template-dependent manner. The development of ribozymes that catalyze polymerase-type reactions contributes to the notion that an RNA world could have existed during the early history of life on Earth.     

A total synthesis of phomactin A

A total synthesis of phomactin A (1) based on a Cr(II)/Ni(II) macrocyclisation from the aldehyde vinyl iodide 11, leading to 12, followed by elaboration of the epoxyketone 16, which then undergoes spontaneous pyran-hemiacetal formation on deprotection, is described.     

Fourier transform infrared studies of alternate acid-amine Langmuir-Blodgett films with pyroelectric properties

FTIR-RAIRS and ATR techniques are shown to provide a powerful means of investigating the molecular behaviour responsible for the pyroelectric properties of organic monolayer assemblies on silicon and aluminised glass. Spectral changes, associated with either proton transfer or head group rearrangement, are well correlated with the level of pyroelectric response for two different devices. The technique promises to be extremely important for the elucidation of the microscopic properties of molecular electronic devices.     

Stabilization of very rare tautomers of 1-methylcytosine by an excess electron

We characterized valence anionic states of 1-methylcytosine using various electronic structure methods. We found that the most stable valence anion is related to neither the canonical amino-oxo nor a rare imino-oxo tautomer, in which a proton is transferred from the N4 to N3 atom. Instead, it is related to an imino-oxo tautomer, in which the C5 atom is protonated. This anion is characterized by an electron vertical detachment energy (VDE) of 2.12 eV and it is more stable than the anion based on the canonical tautomer by 1.0 kcal/mol. The latter is characterized by a VDE of 0.31 eV. Another unusual low-lying imino-oxo tautomer with a VDE of 3.60 eV has the C6 atom protonated and is 3.6 kcal/mol less stable than the anion of the canonical tautomer. All these anionic states are adiabatically unbound with respect to the canonical amino-oxo neutral, with the instability of 5.8 kcal/mol for the most stable valence anion. The mechanism of formation of anionic tautomers with carbon atoms protonated may involve intermolecular proton transfer or dissociative electron attachment to the canonical neutral tautomer followed by a barrier-free attachment of a hydrogen atom to the C5 or C6 atom. The six-member ring structure of anionic tautomers with carbon atoms protonated is unstable upon an excess electron detachment. Indeed the neutral systems collapse without a barrier to a linear or a bicyclo structure, which might be viewed as lesions to DNA or RNA. Within the PCM hydration model, the anions become adiabatically bound with respect to the corresponding neutrals, and the two most stable tautomers have a carbon atom protonated.     

Marine Metabolites and Metal Ion Chelation: The Facts and the Fantasies

The marine environment is a seemingly inexhaustible treasury of organisms whose secondary metabolites bear witness to the lavishness and inventiveness with which nature is able to manipulate molecular architecture. But to what purpose are these diverse and often grotesque compounds produced? This review is founded on the premise that some of them may be involved in the uptake and transport of metal ions present in the aquatic milieu. Many metabolites produced by terrestrial organisms are known to act as ionophores, but the case for similar behavior by their marine counterparts is far hazier. Notwithstanding the relative abundance of certain metal ions in the oceans, and of metabolite structures possessing features that should facilitate the chelation of metal ions, few attempts to establish a connection between these two phenomena have been reported. We have whittled down the voluminous literature of natural products derived from marine sources to expose a core of observations and speculations germane to our premise. These facts and fantasies are evaluated in this review. A mere handful of metal-containing complexes has actually been isolated; furthermore, attempts to prepare such complexes in vitro are rare, and spectroscopic evidence for metal–metabolite interactions, whether in vivo or in vitro, is not common. Only with the vanadium-sequestering tunichromes does a logical (but by no means complete) picture begin to emerge. In several other cases, the plausibility of metal chelation, though mooted by authors, remains unsupported by experimental evidence. However, continuing efforts to obtain structural, and particularly conformational, information on the metabolites by means of X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and molecular mechanics calculations would seem to provide the key to a rational approach to this neglected topic. On the basis of recent studies dealing with such structural aspects, we present a selection of candidate compounds, some of which are the targets of our own synthetic attentions, whose potential for binding to metal cations merits further research.     

Crystal structure of Li2Cu3(SeO3)2(SeO4)2

Summary Single crystal X-ray data of the hydrothermally grown new phase Li₂Cu₃(SeO₃)₂(SeO₄)₂ were measured with a four-circle diffractometer up to sin /=0.81 Å^–1 [I2/a,Z=4,V=1175.5 ų,a=16.293(6),b=5.007(2),c=14.448(6) Å, = 94.21(1)°]. The structure was determined by direct and Fourier methods and refined toR=0.034,R _w =0.027 for 2 086 independent reflections.Cu(1)^[4+1]O₅ forms a tetragonal pyramid, Cu(2)^{[4 + 2]}O₆ is a strongly elongated octahedron. The Li atom is surrounded by four O atoms forming a distorted tetrahedron. Se(IV)O₃ and Se(VI)O₄ groups are in accordance to literature, mean Se-O bond lengths are 1.714 and 1.644 Å.

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Die Kristallstruktur von Li₂Cu₃(SeO₃)₂(SeO₄)₂

Zusammenfassung Einkristall-Röntgendaten der hydrothermal gezüchteten neuen Phase Li₂Cu₃(SeO₃)₂(SeO₄)₂ wurden mit einem Vierkreisdiffraktometer im Bereich bis zu sin /=0.81 Å^–1 gemessen [I2/a,Z=4,V=1175.5 ų,a=16.293(6),b=5.007(2),c=14.448(6) Å, =94.21(1)°]. Die Kristallstruktur wurde mittels direkter und Fourier-Methoden bestimmt und für 2 086 unabhängige Reflexe zuR=0.034,R _w =0.027 verfeinert.Cu(1)^[4+1]O₅ bildet eine tetragonale Pyramide, Cu(2)^[4+2]O₆ ist ein stark verlängertes Oktaeder. Das Li-Atom ist von vier O-Atomen in Gestalt eines verzerrten Tetraeders umgeben. Die Se(IV)O₃-und Se(VI)O₄-Gruppen entsprechen der Literatur, die mittleren Se-O-Abstände betragen 1.714 und 1.644 Å.

     

Barrier-free intermolecular proton transfer induced by excess electron attachment to the complex of alanine with uracil

The photoelectron spectrum of the uracil-alanine anionic complex (UA)(-) has been recorded with 2.540 eV photons. This spectrum reveals a broad feature with a maximum between 1.6 and 2.1 eV. The vertical electron detachment energy is too large to be attributed to an (UA)(-) anionic complex in which an intact uracil anion is solvated by alanine, or vice versa. The neutral and anionic complexes of uracil and alanine were studied at the B3LYP and second-order M?ller-Plesset level of theory with 6-31++G(*) (*) basis sets. The neutral complexes form cyclic hydrogen bonds and the three most stable neutral complexes are bound by 0.72, 0.61, and 0.57 eV. The electron hole in complexes of uracil with alanine is localized on uracil, but the formation of a complex with alanine strongly modulates the vertical ionization energy of uracil. The theoretical results indicate that the excess electron in (UA)(-) occupies a pi(*) orbital localized on uracil. The excess electron attachment to the complex can induce a barrier-free proton transfer (BFPT) from the carboxylic group of alanine to the O8 atom of uracil. As a result, the four most stable structures of the uracil-alanine anionic complex can be characterized as a neutral radical of hydrogenated uracil solvated by a deprotonated alanine. Our current results for the anionic complex of uracil with alanine are similar to our previous results for the anion of uracil with glycine, and together they indicate that the BFPT process is not very sensitive to the nature of the amino acid's hydrophobic residual group. The BFPT to the O8 atom of uracil may be relevant to the damage suffered by nucleic acid bases due to exposure to low energy electrons.     

Novel coated-graphite membrane sensor based on N,N′-dimethylcyanodiaza-18-crown-6 for the determination of ultra-trace amounts of lead

A novel selective membrane electrode for determination of ultra-trace amount of lead was prepared. The PVC membrane containing N,N′-dimethylcyanodiaza-18-cown-6 (DMCDA18C6) directly coated on a graphite electrode, exhibits a Nernstian response for Pb²⁺ ions over a very wide concentration range (from 1.0×10⁻² to 1.0×10⁻⁷ M) with a limit of detection of 7.0×10⁻⁸ M (∼14.5 ppb). It has a fast response time of ∼10 s and can be used for at least 2 months without any major deviation in potential. The electrode revealed very good selectivity with respect to all common alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal ions. The proposed sensor was used as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of lead ions and in determination of lead in edible oil, human hair and water samples. The proposed sensor was found to be superior to the best Pb²⁺-selective electrodes reported in terms of detection limit and selectivity coefficient.