The preparation and structure of 1,4,5,6,7,7-hexachloro-2-endo-ferrocenylhydroxymethyl-3-endo-hydroxymethyl-5-norbornene

The crystal structure of a novel ferrocene derivative with potential flame-retardant/smoke-suppressant activity, 1,4,5,6,7,7-hexachloro-2-endo-ferrocenyl-hydroxymethyl-3-endo-hydroxymethyl-5-norbornene, has been determined. Some of the carbon–carbon bonds within the chlorendic residue are unusually long, and there is no interaction between the hydroxyl groups and the iron atom. There is evidence of intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the two hydroxyl groups.     

Interactions between terminally substituted amino acids in an aqueous and a non-aqueous environment. Enthalpic interaction coefficients in water and in N,N-dimethylformamide at 25°C

Enthalpies of dilution of the N-acetyl amides of glycine, L-alanine, L-valine, L-leucine, and L-phenylalanine, dissolved in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as a solvent have been measured at 25°C. The results obtained have been analyzed to give the enthalpic interaction (or virial) coefficients of the solutes and these are compared with information previously obtained in aqueous systems. There are marked differences in the interaction properties in the two solvents and, while the additivity approach of Savage and Wood is applicable to the solutes in water it is not suitable for representing the interactions in DMF. A correlation is presented between the enthalpic second virial coefficients in DMF and the propensity of side-chains to be in proximity in globular proteins.     

Oxazoline chemistry. Part 12: A metal-mediated synthesis of DMU-212; X-ray diffraction studies of an important anti-cancer agent

An improved synthesis of the anti-cancer agent DMU-212 (trans-3,4,5,4′-tetramethoxystilbene) is described. The methodology involves the use of a Pd-oxazoline catalyst as a mediator of a regio-selective (Heck) C-C bond formation reaction. A simple isolation step is then used to obtain the title material. The compound has been further characterised in the solid-state by X-ray diffraction methods.     

Stability of Emulsions Containing Both Sodium Caseinate and Tween 20

The creaming and rheology of oil-in-water emulsions (30 vol% n-tetradecane, pH 6.8) stabilized by a mixture of commercial sodium caseinate and the non-ionic emulsifier polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20) has been investigated at 21 degrees C. The presence of sufficient Tween 20 to displace most of the protein from the emulsion droplet surface leads to greatly enhanced emulsion creaming (and strongly non-Newtonian rheology) which is indicative of depletion flocculation by nonadsorbed surface-active material (protein and emulsifier). In emulsions containing a constant amount of surface-active material, the replacement of a very small fraction of Tween 20 by caseinate in a stable pure Tween 20 emulsion leads to enhanced creaming for a small fraction of the droplets, and this fraction increases with increasing replacement of emulsifier by protein. This behavior is probably due to depletion flocculation, although an alternative bridging mechanism is also a possibility. The overall stability of these sets of emulsions can be represented in terms of a global stability diagram containing regions of bridging flocculation and coalescence (low content of surface-active material), stability (intermediate content), and depletion flocculation (high content). Copyright 1999 Academic Press.     

Isolation of ammonium-N as 1-sulfonato-iso-indole for measurement of delta15N

The conversion of ammonium (NH(4) (+)) to 1-sulfonato-iso-indole has been examined as a method for natural abundance measurement of delta(15)N of NH(4) (+). The reaction is complete within 2 h and is based on the derivatisation of NH(4) (+) by o-phthaldialdehyde and sodium sulfite at a high pH, 11.2. The product is readily concentrated from dilute solutions by reverse-phase solid-phase extraction (SPE). The method is compound-specific despite partial derivatisation of potentially interfering amino acids, as their derivatives are not extracted by SPE. delta(15)N values of NH(4) (+) in KCL soil extracts can be measured within 48 h by automated continuous-flow IRMS with a precision of 0.23 per thousand (1 SD). Parallel measurements of NH(4) (+) standards of known delta(15)N are made to allow correction for the isotopic dilution by non-sample NH(4) (+). The practicality of this method is demonstrated by measuring the changes in NH(4) (+) concentration and delta(15)N following the addition of urea as a nitrogen source to inorganic N-depleted soil.     

Structure of 2,2′-bis(3-allyl-4-cyanatophenyl)isopropylidene

The structure of the title compound (I) was determined by direct methods using MoK diffractometer data, and refined by full-matrix least squares toR=0.066 for 1536 reflections (I3 (I)). The structure shows a central tetrahedral carbon atom surrounded by two methyl and two 3-allyl-4-cyanatophenyl groups. The geometry of the cyanato group in this molecule compares well with those in 2,2-bis(4-cyanatophenyl)isopropylideneII) and 4-chloro-3,5-dimethyl-phenylcyanate (III), the only other examples of organic compounds bearing the cyanato moiety in the Cambridge Crystallographic Database (V.3).     

Synthesis,spectroscopy, and structures of 2-bromo-1-bromoimino-3-oxo-isoindoline(III) and 1-bromoimino-3-oxoisoindoline(IV)

The title compounds have been synthesized, characterized by spectroscopic and analytical methods, and the complete structure of (IV) determined by single-crystal X-ray methods. Compound (IV) is monoclinic:a=13.891(3),b=4.935(2),c=12.499(2)Å,=112.10(1) deg,P2₁/n,Z=4. The structure was determined by the heavy-atom method, and refined by full-matrix least squares onF toR=4.6%, with 1283 reflexions for whichI3 (I). The structure (IV) was confirmed, and the molecule was shown to be planar to within 0.01 Å.     

Ultrasonic analysis of edible fats and oils

Low intensity ultrasound is a powerful analytical technique for investigating the physico-chemical properties of many biological and non-biological materials. In this article its application for the characterization of edible fats and oils is assessed. Ultrasound can be used to determine the dynamic rheology and composition of oils, the oil content and droplet size of emulsions and the solid fat content of partially crystalline emulsions. It is capable of rapid and precise measurements, is non-destructive and non-invasive, can be used on-line or off-line and is relatively inexpensive. Ultrasonic techniques will therefore prove a useful addition to the existing analytical techniques used to characterize fats and oils.     

Novel Semi-Synthetic Cu (II)–Cardamonin Complex Exerts Potent Anticancer Activity against Triple-Negative Breast and Pancreatic Cancer Cells via Inhibition of the Akt Signaling Pathway

Cardamonin is a polyphenolic natural product that has been shown to possess cytotoxic activity against a variety of cancer cell lines. We previously reported the semi-synthesis of a novel Cu (II)–cardamonin complex (19) that demonstrated potent antitumour activity. In this study, we further investigated the bioactivity of 19 against MDA-MB-468 and PANC-1 cancer cells in an attempt to discover an effective treatment for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and pancreatic cancer, respectively. Results revealed that 19 abolished the formation of MDA-MB-468 and PANC-1 colonies, exerted growth-inhibitory activity, and inhibited cancer cell migration. Further mechanistic studies showed that 19 induced DNA damage resulting in gap 2 (G2)/mitosis (M) phase arrest and microtubule network disruption. Moreover, 19 generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) that may contribute to induction of apoptosis, corroborated by activation of caspase-3/7, PARP cleavage, and downregulation of Mcl-1. Complex 19 also decreased the expression levels of p-Akt and p-4EBP1, which indicates that the compound exerts its activity, at least in part, via inhibition of Akt signalling. Furthermore, 19 decreased the expression of c-Myc in PANC-1 cells only, which suggests that it may exert its bioactivity via multiple mechanisms of action. These results demonstrate the potential of 19 as a therapeutic agent for TNBC and pancreatic cancer.     

Comprehensive inter‐laboratory calibration of reference materials for δ18O versus VSMOW using various on‐line high‐temperature conversion techniques

Internationally distributed organic and inorganic oxygen isotopic reference materials have been calibrated by six laboratories carrying out more than 5300 measurements using a variety of high‐temperature conversion techniques (HTC) a in an evaluation sponsored by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). To aid in the calibration of these reference materials, which span more than 125‰, an artificially enriched reference water (δ¹⁸O of +78.91‰) and two barium sulfates (one depleted and one enriched in ¹⁸O) were prepared and calibrated relative to VSMOW2 b and SLAP reference waters. These materials were used to calibrate the other isotopic reference materials in this study, which yielded: