Titanium-manganese compound with a chiral Mn3Ti center

We have shown here for the first time a facile route to the molecular compound [Mn3Ti(mu3-OCH2CH2OCH3)2(mu-OCH2CH2OCH3)3(mu-Cl)Cl2(OiPr)2] with a Mn3Ti motif, where the Ti atom is in the chiral position and the Mn atoms occupy nonchiral sites.     

Theoretical modeling of the O-H stretching IR bands of hydrogen-bonded dimers of benzoic acid in S(0) and S(1) electronic states

Theoretical model for vibrational interactions in the hydrogen-bonded dimer of benzoic acid is presented. The model takes into account anharmonic-type couplings between the high-frequency O-H and the low-frequency O[cdots, three dots, centered]O stretching vibrations in two hydrogen bonds, resonance interactions (Davydov coupling) between two hydrogen bonds in the dimer, and Fermi resonance between the O-H stretching fundamental and the first overtone of the O-H in-plane bending vibrations. The vibrational Hamiltonians and selection rules for the C(2h) geometry in the S(0) state and for the C(s) in-plane bent geometry in the S(1) state of the dimer are derived. The model is used for theoretical simulation of the O-H stretching IR absorption bands of benzoic acid dimers in the gas phase in the electronic ground and first excited singlet states. Ab initio CIS and CIS(D)6-311++G(d,p) calculations have been performed to determine geometry, frequencies, and excited state energies of benzoic acid dimer in the S(1) state.     

Sulfono‐γ‐AApeptides as a New Class of Nonnatural Helical Foldamer

Foldamers offer an attractive opportunity for the design of novel molecules that mimic the structures and functions of proteins and enzymes including biocatalysis and biomolecular recognition. Herein we report a new class of nonnatural helical sulfono‐γ‐AApeptide foldamers of varying lengths. The crystal structure of the sulfono‐γ‐AApeptide monomer S6 illustrates the intrinsic folding propensity of sulfono‐γ‐AApeptides, which likely originates from the bulkiness of tertiary sulfonamide moiety. The two‐dimensional solution NMR spectroscopy data for the longest sequence S1 demonstrates a 10/16 right‐handed helical structure. Optical analysis using circular dichroism further supports well‐ defined helical conformation of sulfono‐γ‐AApeptides in solution containing as few as five building blocks. Future development of sulfono‐γ‐AApeptides may lead to new foldamers with discrete functions, enabling expanded application in chemical biology and biomedical sciences.     

Electron binding energies of hydrated H3O+ and OH-: photoelectron spectroscopy of aqueous acid and base solutions combined with electronic structure calculations

The electronic structure of hydrated H3O+ and OH- is probed in a water jet by photoelectron spectroscopy employing 100 eV photons. The first ionization potential for OH- at 9.2 eV and the second ionization potential for H3O+ at 20 eV are resolved, corresponding to the removal of an electron from the 2ppi highest occupied molecular orbital and from the 1e orbital, respectively. These assignments are supported by present computational results based on a combination of molecular dynamics and ab initio calculations.     

An inhibitor of human asparagine synthetase suppresses proliferation of an L-asparaginase-resistant leukemia cell line

Drug resistance in lymphoblastic and myeloblastic leukemia cells is poorly understood, with several lines of evidence suggesting that resistance can be correlated with upregulation of human asparagine synthetase (hASNS) expression, although this hypothesis is controversial. New tools are needed to investigate this clinically important question, including potent hASNS inhibitors. In vitro experiments show an adenylated sulfoximine to be a slow-onset, tight-binding inhibitor of hASNS with nanomolar affinity. This binding affinity represents a 10-fold improvement over that reported for the only other well-characterized hASNS inhibitor. The adenylated sulfoximine has a cytostatic effect on L-asparaginase-resistant MOLT-4 cells cultured in the presence of L-asparaginase, an enzyme that depletes L-asparagine in the growth medium. These observations represent direct evidence that potent hASNS inhibitors may prove to be effective agents for the clinical treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.     

The Mg2+ binding sites of the 5S rRNA loop E motif as investigated by molecular dynamics simulations

Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to investigate the binding of Mg(2+) ions to the deep groove of the eubacterial 5S rRNA loop E. The simulations suggest that long-lived and specific water-mediated interactions established between the hydrated ions and the RNA atoms lining up the binding sites contribute to the stabilization of this motif. The Mg(2+) binding specificity is modulated by two factors: (i) a required electrostatic complementarity and (ii) a structural correspondence between the hydrated ion and its binding pocket that can be estimated by its degree of dehydration and the resulting number and lifetime of the intervening water-mediated contacts. Two distinct binding modes for pentahydrated Mg(2+) ions that result in a significant freezing of the tumbling motions of the ions are described, and mechanistic details related to the stabilization of nucleic acids by divalent ions are provided.     

Highly selective carbon dioxide uptake by [Cu(bpy-n)2(SiF6)] (bpy-1 = 4,4'-bipyridine; bpy-2 = 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethene)

A previously known class of porous coordination polymer (PCP) of formula [Cu(bpy-n)(2)(SiF(6))] (bpy-1 = 4,4'-bipyridine; bpy-2 = 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethene) has been studied to assess its selectivity toward CO(2), CH(4), N(2), and H(2)O. Gas sorption measurements reveal that [Cu(bpy-1)(2)(SiF(6))] exhibits the highest uptake for CO(2) yet seen at 298 K and 1 atm by a PCP that does not contain open metal sites. Significantly, [Cu(bpy-1)(2)(SiF(6))] does not exhibit particularly high uptake under the same conditions for CH(4), N(2), and, H(2)O, presumably because of its lack of open metal sites. Consequently, at 298 K and 1 atm [Cu(bpy-1)(2)(SiF(6))] exhibits a relative uptake of CO(2) over CH(4) of ca. 10.5:1, the highest value experimentally observed in a compound without open metal sites. [Cu(bpy-2)(2)(SiF(6))] exhibits larger pores and surface area than [Cu(bpy-1)(2)(SiF(6))] but retains a high CO(2)/CH(4) relative uptake of ca. 8:1.     

Thermal Degradation of Adsorbed Bottle-Brush Macromolecules: When Do Strong Covalent Bonds Break Easily?

The scission kinetics of bottle-brush molecules in solution and on an adhesive substrate is modeled by means of Molecular Dynamics simulation with Langevin thermostat. Our macromolecules comprise a long flexible polymer backbone with L segments, consisting of breakable bonds, along with two side chains of length N, tethered to segments of the backbone with grafting density σ_g. In agreement with recent experiments and theoretical predictions, we find that bond cleavage is significantly enhanced on a strongly attractive substrate even though the chemical nature of the bonds remains thereby unchanged. Our simulation results indicate that the mean life time of covalent bonds decreases by more than an order of magnitude upon adsorption even for brush molecules with comparatively short side chains . The distribution of scission probability along the bonds of the backbone is found to change significantly when the length and/or the grafting density of the side chains are varied. The tension, experienced by the covalent bonds is found to grow steadily with increasing σ_g. The mean life time declines with growing contour length L as , and also with growing side chain length N. The probability distribution of fragment lengths at different times is compatible with experimental observations and reveals a two-stage (initially fast, then slow) process with different rates. The variation of the mean length L(t) of the fragments with elapsed time characterizes the thermal degradation process as a first order reaction.     

Selective Reduction of the N-O Bond in Heteroaromatic N-Oxides by TiCl4/SnCl2

Heteroaromatic N-oxides bearing various functionalities are readily and selectively converted under mild conditions into the corresponding bases using TiCl₄/SnCl₂.