A mass spectrometric investigation of non-covalent interactions between ruthenium complexes and DNA

Electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry was used to investigate reactions between six ruthenium compounds and three different non self-complementary duplex oligonucleotides containing 16 base pairs. Each of the compounds studied formed non-covalent complexes containing between one and five ruthenium molecules bound to DNA. Competition experiments involving duplex 16mers and pairs of ruthenium compounds were used to determine the order of relative binding affinities of the metal compounds. Other competition experiments involving ruthenium compounds, and the organic DNA binding agents daunomycin and distamycin, provided information about the sites and modes of DNA binding of the ruthenium compounds.     

Synthesis of Unsubstituted and 4,4′-Substituted Oligobipyridines as Ligand Strands for Helicate Self-Assembly

A general strategy for the synthesis of oligobipyridine ligands 2 – 5 containing from two to five 2,2′-bipyridine subunits, for helical metal complexes is described (sec Scheme). Both the unsubstituted parent strands ( a series) as well as their derivatives bearing fester or amide functions in the 4,4′-positions of the bipyridine moieties ( b – d series) have been obtained.     

Error estimates in the determination of rigid body displacements in protein crystals

We report the estimation of random errors in the refinement of the rigid body displacements of the -helices of the enzyme 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. Least-squares refinement of the TLS parameters of the helices has been carried out using X-ray reflection data of 2.1 Å resolution, resulting in anR-factor of 19.5%. Standard deviations were estimated from the normal matrix. The results show that the translational mean-square displacements of nearly all the helices are significant at this resolution. However the libration parameters are only significant when the helices have at least four turns. Screw-rotation tensor values cannot be determined at this resolution.     

Relaxed chromatic numbers of graphs

Given any family of graphsP, theP chromatic number _p (G) of a graphG is the smallest number of classes into whichV(G) can be partitioned such that each class induces a subgraph inP. We study this for hereditary familiesP of two broad types: the graphs containing no subgraph of a fixed graphH, and the graphs that are disjoint unions of subgraphs ofH. We generalize results on ordinary chromatic number and we computeP chromatic number for special choices ofP on special classes of graphs.Research supported in part by ONR Grant N00014-85K0570 and by a grant from the University of Illinois Research Board.     

Energetics of protein-cyclodextrin interactions

The energetics of interaction of a range of cyclodextrins with folded and unfolded proteins has been examined by sensitive microcalorimetry techniques. Weak interaction with exposed amino acid residues promotes unfolding and dissociation of proteins. The possibility that such interactions may facilitate the use of cyclodextrins as chaperone-mimics in the refolding of denatured protein has been explored with the enzyme phosphoglycerate kinase. Up to 40% regain of activity can be achieved in some cases.     

Reaction of acetylenes with transition metals: VIII. π-allylpalladium complexes from acetylenes and alkenes

Coupling of diarylacetylenes with alkenes in the presence of dichlorobis(benzonitrile)palladium gives chloro(syn-1-chloro-anti-1-aryl-syn-3-alkyl)-π-allylpalladium complexes.     

Quasiclassical trajectory calculations to evaluate a kinematic constraint on internal energy in suprathreshold collision energy abstraction reactions

Experimentally observed product quantum state distributions across a wide range of abstraction reactions at suprathreshold collision energies have shown a strong bias against product internal energy. Only a fraction, sometimes quite a small fraction, of the energetically accessible product quantum states are populated. Picconatto et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 114, 1663 (2001)] noted a simple mathematical relationship between the highest-energy rovibrational states observed and the kinematics of the reaction system. They proposed a reaction model based on reaction kinematics that quantitatively explains this behavior. The model is in excellent agreement with measured quantum state distributions. The assumptions of the model invoke detailed characteristics of reactive trajectories at suprathreshold collision energies. Here we test those assumptions using quasiclassical trajectory calculations for the abstraction reactions H+HCl-->H2+Cl, D+HCl-->HD+Cl, and H+DCl-->HD+Cl. Trajectories were run on a potential-energy surface calculated with a London-Eyring-Polyani-Sato function with a localized 3-center term (LEPS-3C) previously shown to accurately reproduce experimentally observed product state distributions for the H+HCl abstraction reaction. The trajectories sample collision energies near threshold and also substantially above it. Although the trajectories demonstrate some aspects of the model, they show that it is not valid. However, the inadequacy of the proposed model does not invalidate the apparent kinematic basis of the observed energy constraint. The present results show that there must be some other molecular behavior rooted in the reaction kinematics that is the explanation and the source of the constraint.     

Anion control of isomerism, crystal packing and binding properties in a mononuclear zinc complex

The coordination chemistry of the tetradentate pyridyl N-donor ligand cis-3,5-bis-[2-pyridinyleneamin]-trans-hydroxycyclohexane (DDOP) has been investigated with zinc(II) nitrate and triflate. The resulting complexes, [Zn(DDOP)(H₂O)(NO₃)](NO₃) (1), and [Zn(DDOP)(H₂O)(OTf)](OTf) (2) differ not only in their counterions, but also the arrangement of the axial ligands and their solid state hydrogen bonded networks. Isothermal titration calorimetry was used to assess the difference in binding properties exhibited by the two zinc complexes at physiological pH in an aqueous environment. A series of coordinating amino acids were found to preferentially bind to the mononuclear zinc triflate (1) complex over the corresponding nitrate (2) assembly, with histidine exhibiting a two centre binding mode.     

Aggregation of iron colloids in estuaries: a heterogeneous kinetics study using continuous mixing of river and sea waters

The kinetics of iron colloid aggregation in estuaries have been simulated with a model estuary in which seawater is continuously pumped into a reservoir initially containing river water. Profiles of colloidal Fe concentration versus salinity produced in this apparatus closely resembled field data for actual estuaries. Synthetic Fe colloids prepared by peptising Fe(OH)₃ with humic acid and phosphate showed very similar kinetic behaviour. Aggregation rate was found to be almost independent of velocity shear rate, implying that most aggregations are induced by brownian interparticle collisions. A heterogeneous kinetic model is proposed to explain the kinetic behaviour of Fe colloids during seawater-induced aggregation. This model describes kinetic behaviour in terms of a log-normal distribution of rate constants characterised by a mean value k and a standard deviation γ. Experiments showed that k is linearly related to the rate constant for salinity increase during mixing. This coupling of salinity changes and aggregation rate leads to Fe-salinity profiles that are nearly independent of the rate of salinity change, but which are dependent on γ.