Dihydroxylation of 2-vinylaziridine: efficient synthesis of D-ribo-phytosphingosine

An efficient and highly stereoselective synthesis of D-ribo-(2S,3S,4R)-phytosphingosine was accomplished in 62% overall yield starting from commercially available (2S)-hydroxymethylaziridine via osmium-catalyzed asymmetric dihydroxylation as a key step.     

On-chip erythrocyte deformability test under optical pressure

This paper presents a novel method for an on-chip erythrocyte deformability test under optical pressure, especially to enhance the level of sensitivity with respect to the detection of cancerous diseases. To demonstrate the performance and sensitivity of the combined method, we introduce the concept of transit velocity, a modified elongation index, and shape recovery time of individual erythrocytes in a strictly confined region (2 microm deep, 4 microm wide, and 100 microm long). Finally, we investigate a synergy or convergence effect due to the combination of these parameters for in situ detection of cancerous diseases under optical pressure.     

Methods of stretching DNA molecules using flow fields

Using fluorescence microscopy, we compare the degree of adsorption and stretching of DNA onto surfaces achieved by published stretching methods that use fluid flow: molecular combing, spin-stretching, and air-blowing. Molecular combing uses a receding meniscus to stretch out and deposit the DNA onto a hydrophobic surface. In spin-stretching, we find that the effect of radial hydrodynamic flow created by the centrifugal force of the rotating disk is minimal and that the DNA is stretched out on a hydrophobic substrate by the moving meniscus. In air-blowing, a jet of gas pushes liquid across a substrate, depositing stretched DNA molecules along the way. In our study, DNA molecules either combed or spin-stretched onto hydrophobic surfaces stretch to a greater degree than those that are air-blown; fewer are deposited at pH 8.0 than at lower pH, apparently because at pH 8.0 DNA adhesion occurs primarily only at the DNA extremities and so avoids trapped regions of incompletely stretched DNA, with the side effect that more molecules avoid adhesion altogether. We find by high-speed video microscopy that there is complex droplet deformation and motion during air-blowing, which complicates the deposition and stretching process, leading to radial alignment. Our results are a first step toward understanding and optimizing the various proposed methods of DNA stretching and anchoring onto surfaces, which is important in studying their interactions with proteins.     

An effective metallohydrolase model with a supramolecular environment: structures, properties, and activities

A supramolecular inclusion complex, [Zn(L1)(H2O)2(beta-CD)](ClO4)2.9.5 H2O (1) was synthesized and characterized structurally and its first-order active species for hydrolysis of esters, [Zn(L1)(H2O)(OH)(beta-CD)](ClO4) (2), was isolated (L1=4-(4'-tert-butylbenzyl)diethylenetriamine; beta-CD=beta-cyclodextrin). The apparent inclusion stability constant of the host and the guest measured in aqueous solution was (5.91+/-0.03)x10(3) for 1. The measured values of the first- and second-order pK(a) values of coordinated water molecules were 8.20+/-0.08 and 10.44+/-0.08, respectively, and were assigned to water molecules occupying the plane and remaining axial positions in a distorted trigonal bipyramid of the [Zn(L1)(H2O)2(beta-CD)]2+ sphere according to the structural analysis of [Zn(L2)(H2O)}2(mu-OH)](ClO4)3 (3) (L2=4-benzyldiethylenetriamine). p-Nitrophenyl acetate (pNA) hydrolysis catalyzed by 1 at pH 7.5-9.1 and 25.0+/-0.1 degrees C exhibited a first-order reaction with various concentrations of pNA and 1, but the pH profile did not indicate saturated kinetic behavior. Second-order rate constants of 0.59 and 24.0 M(-1) s(-1) were calculated for [Zn(L1)(H2O)(OH)(beta-CD)]+ and [Zn(L1)(OH)2(beta-CD)], respectively; the latter exhibited a potent catalytic activity relative to the reported mononuclear and polynuclear Zn(II) species.     

Synthesis of nanosized TiO2/SiO2 particles using microwave processes and their photocatalytic activity on the decomposition of orange II

The nanosized titania and TiO₂/SiO₂ particles were prepared by the microwave-hydrothermal method. The effect of physical properties TTIP/TEOS ratio and calcination temperature has been investigated. The major phase of the pure TiO₂ particle is of the anatase structure, and a rutile peak was observed above 800°C. In TiO₂/SiO₂ particles, however, no significant rutile phase was observed, although the calcination temperature was 900°C. No peaks for the silica crystal phase were observed at either silica/titania ratio. The crystallite size of TiO₂/SiO₂ particles decreases as compared to pure TiO₂ at high calcination temperatures. The TiO₂/SiO₂ particles show higher activity on the photocatalytic decomposition of orange II as compared to pure TiO₂ particles.     

Synthesis and biological activity of novel N-substituted 4-amino-6,7,8-trimethoxyquinazoline compounds

A series of N-substituted 4-amino-6,7,8-trimethoxyquinazoline derivatives has been synthesized from 4-chloro-6,7,8-trimethoxyquinazoline and aryl (or benzyl) amines using 2-propanol as a solvent. The starting material 4-chloro-6,7,8-trimethoxyquinazoline has been synthesized from natural gallic acid by a novel route. Their structures have been verified by elemental analysis and IR, ¹H, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The title compounds have been evaluated for their in vitro antiproliferative activities against some cancer cells by the MTT method. Unfortunately, most of the compounds tested have exhibited a weaker anticancer activity than the reference standard drug PD153035. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 10, 1521–1531, September, 2007.     

Photocatalytic decomposition of orange II over TiO2-loaded on SBA-15 prepared using a microwave process

SBA-15 mesoporous material was prepared by microwave-hydrothermal method and was used as support in TiO₂-loaded SBA-15 photocatalysts. The physical properties of these particles were investigated. We also examined the activity of these samples as photocatalysts for the decomposition of orange II. Titania loaded on a silica matrix decreases the surface area of the support as expected for TiO₂ incorporation. For TiO₂-loaded SBA-15 photocatalysts, the IR absorption at ∼960 cm⁻¹ commonly accepted as the characteristic vibration of the Ti-O-Si bond. The photocatalytic activity increases with an increase of the TiO₂ loading.     

Intercalation of 1,2-Alkanediols into α-Zirconium Hydrogenphosphate

Intercalation compounds of α-Zr(HPO₄)₂ · H₂O with 1,2-alkanediols (from C3 to C16) have been prepared by replacing 1-propanol in α-Zr(HPO₄)₂ · 2C₃H₇OH with the desired 1,2-alkanediols by a treatment in a microwave field. It was found that the intercalates contain 1.5 molecules of diol per formula unit. The diol molecules are placed between the host layers in a bimolecular way with their aliphatic chains tilted at an angle of 51°. The diol molecules are anchored in the interlayer space by H-bonds. A mixed intercalate, containing 1,2-butanediol and 1,2-decanediol in a roughly equimolar ratio, is formed when the α-Zr(HPO₄)₂ · 2C₃H₇OH intercalate, suspended in a mixture of 1,2-butanediol and 1,2-decanediol, is exposed to microwave radiation. No new phase containing both types of the guest molecules was observed when the 1-propanol intercalate, suspended in a mixture of 1-propanol and 1,2-octanediol, is exposed to microwave radiation.     

Norvancomycin-capped silver nanoparticles: Synthesis and antibacterial activities against E. coli

The synthesis of norvancomycin (NVan)-capped silver nanoparticles (Ag@NVan) and their notable in vitro antibacterial activities against E. coli, a Gram-negative bacterial strain (GNB), are reported here. Mercaptoacetic acid-stabilized spherical silver nanoparticles with a diameter of 16±4 nm are prepared by a simple chemical reaction. The formation process of the silver nanoparticles is investigated by UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). NVan is then grafted to the terminal carboxyl of the mercaptoacetic acid in the presence of N-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDAC). The TEM images of single bacteria treated with Ag@NVan show that plenty of Ag@NVan aggregate in the cell wall of E. coli. A possible antibacterial mechanism is proposed that silver nanoparticles may help destroy the stability of the outer membrane of E. coli, which makes NVan easier to bind to the nether part of the peptidoglycan structure. The antibacterial activities of silver nanoparticles on their own, together with the rigid polyvalent interaction between Ag@NVan and cell wall, enables Ag@NVan to be an effective inhibitor of GNB. This kind of bionanocomposites might be used as novel bactericidal materials and we also provide an effective synthesis method for preparing functional bioconjugated nanoparticles here. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50373036) and Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation (Grant No. J20040212)     

Arsine and selenium hydride trapping in a novel quartz device for atomic-absorption spectrometry

A novel quartz device has been designed to trap arsine and selenium hydride and subsequently to volatilize the collected analyte and atomize it for atomic-absorption spectrometric detection. The device is actually the multiple microflame quartz-tube atomizer (multiatomizer) with inlet arm modified to serve as the trap and to accommodate the oxygen-delivery capillary used to combust hydrogen during the trapping step. The effect of relevant experimental conditions (trap temperature during trapping and hydrogen flow rate and trap temperature during volatilization) on collection and volatilization efficiency was investigated. Under the optimum conditions collection and volatilization efficiency for arsenic and selenium were 50 and 70%, respectively.