Maleimido-functionalized NOTA derivatives as bifunctional chelators for site-specific radiolabeling

Two basic and simple synthetic routes for mono- and bis-maleimide bearing 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-N,N',N'-triacetic acid (NOTA) chelators as new bifunctional chelators are described. The syntheses are characterized by their simplicity and short reaction times, as well as practical purification methods and acceptable to very good chemical yields. The usefulness of these two synthetic pathways is demonstrated by the preparation of a set of mono- and bis-maleimide functionalized NOTA derivatives. In conclusion, these two methods can easily be expanded to the syntheses of further tailored maleimide-NOTA chelators for diverse applications.     

Amorphization of nanocrystalline monoclinic ZrO(2) by swift heavy ion irradiation

Bulk ZrO(2) polymorphs generally have an extremely high amorphization tolerance upon low energy ion and swift heavy ion irradiation in which ballistic interaction and ionization radiation dominate the ion-solid interaction, respectively. However, under very high-energy irradiation by 1.33 GeV U-238, nanocrystalline (40-50 nm) monoclinic ZrO(2) can be amorphized. A computational simulation based on a thermal spike model reveals that the strong ionizing radiation from swift heavy ions with a very high electronic energy loss of 52.2 keV nm(-1) can induce transient zones with temperatures well above the ZrO(2) melting point. The extreme electronic energy loss, coupled with the high energy state of the nanostructured materials and a high thermal confinement due to the less effective heat transport within the transient hot zone, may eventually be responsible for the ionizing radiation-induced amorphization without transforming to the tetragonal polymorph. The amorphization of nanocrystalline zirconia was also confirmed by 1.69 GeV Au ion irradiation with the electronic energy loss of 40 keV nm(-1). These results suggest that highly radiation tolerant materials in bulk forms, such as ZrO(2), may be radiation sensitive with the reduced length scale down to the nano-metered regime upon irradiation above a threshold value of electronic energy loss.     

Zinc-catalyzed depolymerization of artificial polyethers

Recycling polymers: In the present study, the efficient zinc-catalyzed depolymerization of a variety of artificial polyethers has been investigated. Chloroesters were obtained as the depolymerization products, which are suitable precursors for new polymers. By using straightforward zinc salts, extraordinary catalyst activities and selectivities were feasible (see scheme).     

Current challenges in compound-specific stable isotope analysis of environmental organic contaminants

Compound-specific stable-isotope analysis (CSIA) has greatly facilitated assessment of sources and transformation processes of organic pollutants. Multielement isotope analysis is one of the most promising applications of CSIA because it even enables distinction of different transformation pathways. This review introduces the essential features of continuous-flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and highlights current challenges in environmental analysis as exemplified for the isotopes of nitrogen, hydrogen, chlorine, and oxygen. Strategies and recent advances to enable isotopic measurements of polar contaminants, for example pesticides or pharmaceuticals, are discussed with special emphasis on possible solutions for analysis of low concentrations of contaminants in environmental matrices. Finally, we discuss different levels of calibration and referencing and point out the urgent need for compound-specific isotope standards for gas chromatography-isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS) of organic pollutants.     

Accuracy and convergence of free energy differences calculated from nonequilibrium switching processes

The molecular-dynamics-based calculation of accurate free energy differences for biomolecular systems is a challenging task. Accordingly, convergence and accuracy of established equilibrium methods has been subject of many studies, often focusing at small test systems. In contrast, the potential of more recently proposed nonequilibrium methods, derived from the Jarzynski and Crooks equalities, has not yet fully been explored. Here, we compare the performance of these methods by calculating free energy differences for test systems at different levels of complexity and varying extent of the involved perturbations. We consider the interconversion of ethane into methanol, the switching of a tryptophane-sidechain in a tripeptide, and the binding of two different ligands to the globular protein snurportin 1. On the basis of our results, we suggest and assess a new nonequilibrium free energy method, Crooks Gaussian Intersection (CGI), which combines the advantages of existing methods. CGI is highly parallelizable and, for the test systems considered here, is shown to outperform the other studied equilibrium and nonequilibrium methods.     

A comprehensive picture of the one-electron oxidation chemistry of enols, enolates and α-carbonyl radicals: oxidation potentials and characterization of radical intermediates

Oxidation potentials of 40 enols, enolates and some selected α-carbonyl radicals are presented along with their characterization by various techniques as applicable (X-ray, EPR, ENDOR, general TRIPLE, magnetic susceptibility measurements, UV-vis, fast scan cyclic voltammetry, isotope effects). The model compounds comprise representatives of stable simple enols linked to a multitude of substituents (alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, propargyl alcohols) and of stable simple enols of amides. The results allow to clarify the primary reaction pathway of enol radical cations as a rapid deprotonation and—if warranted by the redox potential and the strength of the oxidant—a follow-up oxidation of the resultant α-carbonyl radical to the α-carbonyl cation. Moreover, the experimental oxidation potentials were linearly correlated with AM1 computed ionization potentials after correction for solvation. The correlation allows a reliable prediction of oxidation potentials of radicals including α-carbonyl radicals. After computing redox potentials of relevant radicals, the possibility of one-electron transfer between enolates and flavin and the involvement of various radicals of ascorbic acid in oxidation processes were assessed.     

Anionic Gold(I) Complexes—Twelve‐ and Ten‐Vertex Monocarba‐closo‐borate Anions with Carbon–Gold σ Bonds

The anionic gold(I) complexes [1‐(Ph₃PAu)‐closo‐1‐CB₁₁H₁₁]^? ( 1 ), [1‐(Ph₃PAu)‐closo‐1‐CB₉H₉]^? ( 2 ), and [2‐(Ph₃PAu)‐closo‐2‐CB₉H₉]^? ( 3 ) with gold–carbon 2c–2e σ bonds have been prepared from [AuCl(PPh₃)] and the respective carba‐closo‐borate dianion. The anions have been isolated as their Cs⁺ salts and the corresponding [Et₄N]⁺ salts were obtained by salt metathesis reactions. The salt Cs‐ 3 isomerizes in the solid state and in solution at elevated temperatures to Cs‐ 2 with ΔH_iso=(?75±5) kJ mol^?1 (solid state) and ΔH^≠=(118±10) kJ mol^?1 (solution). The compounds were characterized by vibrational and multi‐NMR spectroscopies, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. The crystal structures of [Et₄N]‐ 1 , [Et₄N]‐ 2 , and [Et₄N]‐ 3 were determined. The bonding parameters, NMR chemical shifts, and the isomerization enthalpy of Cs‐ 3 to Cs‐ 2 are compared to theoretical data.