Cellular logic with orthogonal ribosomes

The creation and use of unnatural molecules to control cellular function is a long standing goal of the chemical community, but in general, these efforts have been directed at finding molecules to inhibit or activate a particular molecular target or function, or to elicit a particular phenotype. Here we show that multiple unnatural molecules (orthogonal ribosomes) can be used combinatorially, in a single cell, to program Boolean logic functions. These experiments show how attention to the molecular specificity of noncovalent interactions between unnatural macromolecules allows the synthesis of complex function from the "bottom-up" in living matter.     

Practical and highly selective oxazolidinethione-based asymmetric acetate aldol reactions with aliphatic aldehydes

[reaction: see text] The utility of a valine-derived oxazolidinethione for auxiliary-based asymmetric acetate aldol reactions is reported. Titanium(IV) chloride, along with (-)-sparteine and N-methylpyrrolidinone, is employed for enolization. Subsequent aldol reaction with aliphatic aldehydes occurs with high diastereoselectivity (from 92:8 to 99:1 dr).     

A first synthesis of thiophene dendrimers

[structure: see text] Thiophene dendrons and dendrimers were designed and synthesized using a convergent approach. Metal-mediated coupling reactions were used in the synthesis. A rational approach allowed the formation of alphaalpha, betabeta, and alphabeta linkages between the dendrons and thiophene units.     

Studies towards the total synthesis of palau'amine. Formation of 4,5-dihydropyrrole-2-carboxylate intermediates by alkene-enamide ring-closing metathesis

A highly functionalized 4,5-dihydropyrrole-2-carboxylate is assembled by alkene-enamide ring-closing metathesis. Subsequent intramolecular azomethine imine dipolar cycloaddition provides a triazacyclopenta[cd]pentalene intermediate of potential use in a total synthesis of palau'amine.     

Heterogeneous binding of lipoteichoic acid to the surface of titanium dioxide as determined with 31P solid-state NMR spectroscopy

The adsorption of lipoteichoic acid onto the surface of titanium dioxide is shown to be heterogeneous. 31P CPMAS solid-state NMR reveals two distinct phosphate species. The chemical shift anisotropy, asymmetry parameter, and rotating-frame spin-lattice relaxation suggest that 50% of the phosphates are bound to the surface. The remaining phosphates also exhibit restricted molecular motion, but do not have a direct surface bond.     

Chemical analysis of ceramic materials, containing uranium and plutonium, arising from the development of nuclear fuels

A comprehensive and critical review of analytical methods used in nuclear fuel technology.     

The photo- and electroinitiated polymerization of N-vinyl phthalimide

To elucidate mechanisms in electroinitiated polymerization reactions a comparison was conducted between ultraviolet (UV) photoinitiation and electroinitiation of N-vinyl phthalimide with zinc chloride as a catalyst. Both methods give low yields of a complex polymer product. A detailed analysis, infrared (IR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), elemental, and molecular weight, conducted on the polymeric products, indicated that phthalimide ring opening was occurring and that complex mixtures of poly(N-vinyl phthalimide) derivatives were formed. Both initiation methods gave comparable results, which further indicated mechanistic similarity between photo-and electroinitiation in these donor–acceptor charge transfer polymerizations.     

Gas Hydrate Formation in Reversed Micelles

We describe a technique to modify protein solubility and optimize enzyme activity in reversed micellar solutions. The technique is based on the ability of hydrates of natural gas to form in the micro-aqueous phase. Clathrate hydrates are crystalline inclusions of water and gas, and their formation in bulk water has traditionally been studied with relevance to natural gas recovery. We have found that hydrates can form in the environment of the microaqueous pools of reversed micelles, and that their extent of formation can be well controlled through the thermodynamic variables of temperature and pressure. Additionally, formation of hydrates affects the size and aggregation number of the micelles, and thus influences the solubility and conformation of encapsulated proteins. We demonstrate how the concept can be used in two applications: (i) protein extraction into reversed micelles and subsequent recovery, and (ii) optimization of enzyme activity in reversed micelles.     

Clar valence bond representation of pi-bonding in carbon nanotubes

The application of the Clar aromatic sextet valence bond (VB) model to extended, defect-free single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with roll-up vectors (m, n) provides a real space model of their electronic structure. If m - n = 3k, where k is an integer, then all pi-electrons can be represented by aromatic sextets, and the CNT is fully benzenoid; the converse is also true. Since m - n = 3k is known to be a necessary criterion for conductivity in CNTs, only fully benzenoid CNTs are metallic, and only potentially metallic CNTs are fully benzenoid. This behavior contrasts with that of planar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, in which the fully benzenoid structures are known to have large HOMO-LUMO gaps. For CNTs that are not fully benzenoid, e.g., m - n = 3k + l, where l = 1 or 2 and k is an integer, a seam of double bonds wraps about an otherwise benzenoid CNT at the chiral angle - 60 degrees or the chiral angle, respectively. Nucleus-independent chemical shift calculations on hydrogen-terminated CNT segments support this, and show that the magnetic manifestation of aromatic sextets is not due to electron correlation. The resonance hybrid of the Clar VB structures corresponds to patterns occasionally observed in scanning tunneling microscopy images of CNTs.     

Structural characterization of plasmenylcholine photooxidation products

Oxidative damage to plasmenyl-type lipids contributes to decreased membrane barrier function, loss of membrane structure and formation of nonlamellar defects in membrane bilayers. Previous results from this laboratory have shown that membrane-soluble sensitizers (e.g. zinc phthalocyanine and bacteriochlorophyll a) mediate the photooxidation of palmitoyl plasmenylcholine (1-O-alk-1'-Z-enyl-2-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; PPlsC) vesicles with the subsequent creation of lamellar defect structures, vesicle contents leakage and membrane-membrane fusion. Because plasmalogen lipids are significant components of sarcoplasma and myelin membranes, we sought to characterize the products of their photooxidation. This study focuses on the photooxidation of PPlsC vesicles in the presence of the water-soluble sensitizer, aluminum phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate (AlPcS4(4-)). Attack of photogenerated singlet oxygen on the 1-O-alkenyl ether linkage of PPlsC lipids was expected to generate dioxetane- and ene-type photoproducts. The products formed during continuous aerobic irradiation (28 mW/cm2, (610 nm) of PPlsC vesicles in the presence of AlPcS4(4-) were separated via reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection (ECD) or evaporative light-scattering detection (ELSD). Photooxidized dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol vesicles (control) were used to optimize the HPLC-ECD conditions, using 7 alpha-hydroperoxy-cholesterol as standard. HPLC-ECD was found to be most sensitive for PPlsC hydroperoxides, whereas HPLC-ELSD was more sensitive for nonhydroperoxide photoproducts. The three major photoproducts formed during vesicle irradiation were isolated via preparative HPLC and then characterized by 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. 1-Formyl-2-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1-hydroxy-2-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine were identified as dioxetane cleavage products that coeluted at approximately 3 min. The second fraction (retention time [RT] = 48 min) was identified as a PPlsC allylic hydroperoxide. The third photoproduct, eluting at RT = 64 min, is tentatively identified as an oxidation product arising from allylic hydroperoxide degradation via Hock rearrangement or free radical decomposition.