Dissolving Hydroxyolite: A DNA Molecule into Its Hydroxyapatite Mold

In spite of the clinical importance of hydroxyapatite (HAp), the mechanism that controls its dissolution in acidic environments remains unclear. Knowledge of such a process is highly desirable to provide better understanding of different pathologies, as for example osteoporosis, and of the HAp potential as vehicle for gene delivery to replace damaged DNA. In this work, the mechanism of dissolution in acid conditions of HAp nanoparticles encapsulating double‐stranded DNA has been investigated at the atomistic level using computer simulations. For this purpose, four consecutive (multi‐step) molecular dynamics simulations, involving different temperatures and proton transfer processes, have been carried out. Results are consistent with a polynuclear decalcification mechanism in which proton transfer processes, from the surface to the internal regions of the particle, play a crucial role. In addition, the DNA remains protected by the mineral mold and transferred proton from both temperature and chemicals. These results, which indicate that biomineralization imparts very effective protection to DNA, also have important implications in other biomedical fields, as for example in the design of artificial bones or in the fight against osteoporosis by promoting the fixation of Ca²⁺ ions.     

Influence of pH on the binding of diphenylmethylenepiperidines by 5-HT2B receptors in rat stomach fundus

Cyproheptadine is one of the compounds exhibiting the highest activity at 5-HT2B receptors. In a previous work we analysed the relevance of the amino group in diphenylmethylenepiperidines (DPMP), which are open cyproheptadine analogues. Only compounds containing N-H or N-methyl motifs, showed significant 5-HT2B activity. Surprisingly, the corresponding quaternary ammonium salt demonstrated a total lack of activity. Therefore, the question arises whether protonation favours the interaction of these compounds with 5-HT2B receptors. Consequently, we studied the protonation influence (by varying the pH of the medium) on the antagonism of serotonin by some cyproheptadine analogues in rat stomach fundus. The main results were: 1) N-protonation increases the activity of DPMPs. 2) Alkaline pH facilitates the occurrence of a non-surmountable antagonism. 3) The contrast between the activity of protonated DPMPs and the lack of activity of the corresponding quaternary ammonium cation, suggests either that the latter is prevented from acting by steric hindrance, or that the mechanism by which protonation may increase the activity depends not only on the charge of the proton, but also on its ability to form hydrogen bonds.     

A solid-phase synthetic route to unnatural amino acids with diverse side-chain substitutions

Reacting imine derivatives of resin-bound amino acids with alpha,omega-dihaloalkanes provides highly versatile intermediates to racemic alpha,alpha-disubstituted amino acids with a wide variety of side-chain functionality. Two strategies were developed to convert the intermediate omega-chloro or omega-bromo derivatives to the desired products. Together, they allow the creation of amino acids with diverse functionalities (omega-chlorides, nitriles, azides, acetates, thioacetates, thioethers, secondary and tertiary aliphatic amines, and anilines) placed at varying chain lengths (2-5) from the alpha-center of the amino acid.     

Theory of oscillatory oxidation of carbon monoxide over platinum

It is shown that the finite rate of decay for temperature fluctuations of the catalytic surface in the Langmuir-Hinshelwood reaction: 2 CO + O₂ → 2 CO₂ over Pt can give rise to a self-sustained oscillatory regime. The waveforms and periods are in good qualitative agreement with experiments by Dauchot and Van Cakenberghe.     

2-Methoxy-6-oxo-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridine-3-carbonitriles: versatile starting materials for the synthesis of libraries with diverse heterocyclic scaffolds

Heterocyclic demonstration libraries for agrochemical screening were prepared from the common intermediates 2-methoxy-6-oxo-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridine-3-carbonitriles (1), using standard solution-phase techniques. A total of 18 screening libraries were prepared in good to excellent yields. Several members of these libraries were active in the first level of agrochemical screening, especially in the fungicide screen.     

Structural and morphological investigation of ceria-promoted Al(2)O(3) under severe reducing/oxidizing conditions

A series of CeO(2)/Al(2)O(3) samples with different ceria loadings in the range 0-25 wt % (0, 2, 5, 7.5, 15, and 25%) were prepared by incipient wetness and studied using several complementary techniques such as Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), Raman, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). The aim of the investigation was to understand the behavior of ceria when deposited on alumina and treated under oxidizing and reducing conditions at high temperature (T >/= 1273 K). It is shown that ceria can partially stabilize alumina toward the formation of low-surface-area phases up to 1373 K under oxidizing conditions, while enhanced stabilization is observed under reducing conditions, being effective up to 1473 K. A detailed quantitative temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) analysis made at different loadings and calcination temperatures allowed us to identify three characteristic regions where the reduction of small and large ceria crystallites occurs with the formation of CeAlO(3) crystallites at high temperature. These are likely responsible for surface-area stabilization. For dispersed ceria samples, reduction takes place almost exclusively at low temperature (<700 K), while a shift to higher temperatures is observed upon increasing the ceria particle size. A fraction of Ce, in samples at low loadings, is stable in the lower oxidation state, even if subjected to strongly oxidizing conditions.     

Interaction of fullerenes with the concave surfaces of perchloroazatriquinacene

[reaction: see text] Crystal structures of the one-to-one co-crystals of C(60).perchloroazatriquinacene and C(70).perchloroazatriquinacene show that the rigid, chalice-like azatriquinacene packs between completely ordered fullerene molecules with multiple, close Cl...fullerene contacts.