Design and synthesis of a near infra-red luminescent hexanuclear Zn-Nd prism

The use of the Schiff-base ligand N,N'-bis(5-bromo-3-methoxysalicylidene)propylene-1,3-diamine (H2L) and 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate (BDC) enables the construction of the hexanuclear luminescent Zn-Nd complex [Zn4Nd2L4(1,4-BDC)2].[Nd(NO3)5(H2O)].Et2O.2EtOH.3H2O.     

Unprecedented formation of an acetamidate-bridged dinuclear platinum(II) terpyridyl complex-correlation of luminescence properties with the crystal forms and dimerization studies in solution

An [corrected] acetamidate-bridged dinuclear platinum(ii) terpyridyl complex has been isolated in two crystal forms, a red form and a dark form, with different luminescence properties; electronic absorption, emission and (1)H NMR studies revealed the presence of a dimerization process in the solution state.     

The diversity challenge in directed protein evolution

Over the past decade, we have witnessed a bloom in the field of evolutive protein engineering which is fueled by advances in molecular biology techniques and high-throughput screening technology. Directed protein evolution is a powerful algorithm using iterative cycles of random mutagenesis and screening for tailoring protein properties to our needs in industrial applications and for elucidating proteins' structure function relationships. This review summarizes, categorizes and discusses advantages and disadvantages of random mutagenesis methods used for generating genetic diversity. These random mutagenesis methods have been classified into four main categories depending on the method employed for nucleotide substitutions: enzyme based methods (Category I), synthetic chemistry based methods (Category II), whole cell methods (Category III) and combined methods (Category I-II, I-III and II-III). The basic principle of each method is discussed and varied mutagenic conditions are summarized in Tables and compared (benchmarked) to each other in terms of: mutational bias, controllable mutation frequency, ability to generate consecutive nucleotide substitutions and subset diversity, dependency on gene length, technical simplicity/robustness and cost-effectiveness. The latter comparison shows how highly-biased and limited current diversity creating methods are. Based on these limitations, strategies for generating diverse mutant libraries are proposed and discussed (RaMuS-Flowchart; KISS principle). We hope that this review provides, especially for researchers just entering the field of directed evolution, a guide for developing successful directed evolution strategies by selecting complementary methods for generating diverse mutant libraries.     

Oxidative amide synthesis and N-terminal alpha-amino group ligation of peptides in aqueous medium

A new method for oxidative synthesis of amides from alkynes and amines in high yields (up to 96%) using [Mn(2,6-Cl2TPP)Cl] 1 as a catalyst and Oxone/H2O2 as an oxidant in aqueous medium has been developed. This method could be used for N-terminal alpha-amino group ligation of unprotected peptides with aryl, aliphatic, and internal alkynes under mild conditions.     

Preparative isolation of hydrolysable tannins chebulagic acid and chebulinic acid from Terminalia chebula by high-speed counter-current chromatography

As a chromatographic column, the high-speed counter-current chromatography system was equipped with a preparative HPLC series, enabling the successful isolation of hydrolysable tannins from the fruits of Terminalia chebula, a traditional Chinese medicine. The two-phase solvent system was composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (1:20:1:20 v/v). As a result, 33.2 mg chebulagic and 15.8 mg chebulinic acids were obtained in one step from 300 mg of crude extract. Their purities were determined by HPLC to be 95.3 and 96.1%, respectively. The chemical structures were identified by their MS and 1H NMR spectra.     

Uniform asymptotics of some q-orthogonal polynomials

Uniform asymptotic formulas are obtained for the Stieltjes-Wigert polynomial, the q⁻¹-Hermite polynomial and the q-Laguerre polynomial as the degree of the polynomial tends to infinity. In these formulas, the q-Airy polynomial, defined by truncating the q-Airy function, plays a significant role. While the standard Airy function, used frequently in the uniform asymptotic formulas for classical orthogonal polynomials, behaves like the exponential function on one side and the trigonometric functions on the other side of an extreme zero, the q-Airy polynomial behaves like the q-Airy function on one side and the q-Theta function on the other side. The last two special functions are involved in the local asymptotic formulas of the q-orthogonal polynomials. It seems therefore reasonable to expect that the q-Airy polynomial will play an important role in the asymptotic theory of the q-orthogonal polynomials.     

Screening of drugs in equine plasma using automated on-line solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS–MS) method was developed for the simultaneous screening of 19 drugs of different classes in equine plasma using automated on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Plasma samples were first protein precipitated using acetonitrile. After centrifugation, the supernatant was directly injected into the on-line SPE system and analysed by a triple quadrupole LC–MS–MS in positive electrospray ionisation (+ESI) mode with selected reaction monitoring (SRM) scan function. On-line extraction and chromatographic separation of the targeted drugs were performed using respectively a polymeric extraction column (2 cm L × 2.1 mm ID, 25 μm particle size) and a reversed-phase C18 LC column (3 cm L × 2.1 mm ID, 3 μm particle size) with gradient elution to provide fast analysis time. The overall instrument turnaround time was 9.5 min, inclusive of post-run and equilibration time. Plasma samples fortified with 19 targeted drugs including narcotic analgesics, local anaesthetics, antipsychotics, bronchodilators, mucolytics, corticosteroids, sedative and tranquillisers at sub-parts per billion (ppb) to low parts per trillion (ppt) levels could be consistently detected. No significant matrix interference was observed at the expected retention times of the targeted ion transitions. Over 70% of the drugs studied gave detection limits at or below 100 pg/mL, with some detection limits reaching down to 19 pg/mL. The method had been validated for extraction recovery, precision and sensitivity, and a blockage study had also been carried out. This method is used regularly in the authors’ laboratory to screen for the presence of targeted drugs in pre-race plasma samples from racehorses.     

One-pot ethynylation and catalytic desilylation in synthesis of mestranol and levonorgestrel

A one-pot ethylnylation and catalytic desilylation reaction was developed for the synthesis of mestranol and levonorgestrel. Addition of trimethylsilylacetylide to the carbonyl group at C-17 of the steroids yielded the C-17α-trimethylsilylacetylenyl adducts, which were desilylated with a catalytic amount of TBAF (0.050 equiv) in one pot to provide the corresponding mestranol and levonorgestrel both in 90% yields. A plausible mechanism was proposed for the catalytic desilylation through the regeneration of the fluoride ion from the reaction of alkoxide on the steroid with Me₃SiF. The one-pot ethynylation and catalytic desilylation methodology provided an alternative route and avoided the traditional use of flammable and explosive acetylene gas toward the synthesis of mestranol and levonorgestrel.