Norbornane as the novel pseudoglycone moiety in nucleosides

Novel nucleoside analogues based on bicyclo[2.2.1]heptene/heptane were prepared by linear synthesis starting from commercially available 1,2,3,4-tetrachloro-5,5-dimethoxycyclopentadiene 1. The crucial step of the synthesis was insertion of the amino group to the position 7 of the substituted bicyclo[2.2.1]heptene with anti-configuration by a Ritter reaction (H₂SO₄, AcOH, CH₃CN). All nucleobases were constructed at this amino function. The prepared family of the target nucleosides was tested for cytostatic and antiviral activity.     

Theoretical investigation on 1H and 13C NMR chemical shifts of small alkanes and chloroalkanes

Using density functional theory (DFT) with the B3LYP, PBE, and PBE0 exchange-correlation functionals as well as the Moller-Plesset second-order perturbation theory (MP2) combined with a series of rather extended basis sets, 1H and 13C chemical shifts of small alkanes and chloroalkanes (with different numbers of chlorine atoms on specific positions) have been simulated and compared to experimental data. For the 1H chemical shifts, theory tends to reproduce experiment within the limits of the experimental errors. In the case of 13C chemical shift, the differences between theory and experiment increase monotonically with the number of chlorine atoms and exhibit a deviation from additivity. This behavior is related to the saturation of the experimental 13C chemical shifts with the number of chlorine atoms, whereas the evolution is mostly linear at both DFT and MP2 levels of approximation. This difference has been traced back to the relativistic spin-orbit coupling effects, which are exalted as a result of the enhancement of the s character of the C atom when increasing the number of linked Cl atoms. Thus, it was demonstrated that not only electron correlation but also relativistic effects have to be considered for estimating the 13C chemical shifts when several Cl atoms are directly attached to the C atom. Linear (theory/experiment) regressions have then been performed for the different types of C atoms, i.e., bearing one, two, and three Cl atoms, with excellent correlation coefficients. The linear correlation relationships so obtained can then serve to predict and facilitate the interpretation of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of more complex compounds. Furthermore, by investigating the basis set effects, the correlation between the chemical shifts calculated using the 6-311 + G(2d,p) basis set and the more extended 6-311 + G(2df,p) and aug-cc-pvtz basis sets is excellent, demonstrating that the choice of the 6-311 + G(2d,p) basis set for calculating the 1H and 13C chemical shifts is relevant.     

pH-Dependent Behavior of Hydrophobically Modified Polyelectrolyte Shells of Polymeric Nanoparticles

Summary: The self-assembled core-shell nanoparticles based on fluorescently double-tagged high-molar-mass polystyrene-block-poly(methacrylic acid), PS-PMA, were prepared in aqueous buffers by dialysis from 1,4-dioxane – water mixtures. The conformations of shell-forming PMA chains were studied using nonradiative excitation energy transfer measurements. The study shows that two populations of distinctly different conformations (collapsed and stretched) coexist in the shell and their ratio depends on pH.     

Control of a photoswitching chelator by metal ions: DFT,NBO, and QTAIM analysis

Ability of aroylhydrazones to change conformation upon interaction with light makes them promising candidates for molecular switches. Isomerization can be controlled through complexation with selected metal ions which bind with different affinity. N′‐[1‐(2‐hydroxyphenyl)ethyliden]iso‐nicotinoylhydrazide (HAPI) is an example of a dual‐wavelenght photoswitching molecule, whose complexation with metal ions was recently experimentally investigated (Franks et al. J. Inorg. Chem. 2014, 53, 1397). In this contribution, complexes between HAPI and K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, Cu⁺, Cu²⁺, and Zn²⁺ ions were investigated using Density Functional Theory, Natural Bond Order analysis, and Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules. The most important parameters that determine complex stability are found to be ion radius and charge transferred from ligands to the ion: smaller ion radii and larger CT values characterize formation of more stable complexes. Our results explain experimentally observed effect of different metal ions on photoisomerization through determination of metal ion affinity (MIA): photoisomerization is inhibited if MIA exceeds 100 kcal/mol; for MIA between 50 and 100 kcal/mol excess of metal ions prevents isomerization, whereas in case of MIA below 50 kcal/mol metal ions have no influence on light–HAPI interaction. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Confocal Microscopy of the Mycotoxin Citrinin in Condensed Phase and Hydrogel Films

The emission spectra, quantum yields and fluorescence lifetimes of citrinin in organic solvents and hydrogel films have been determined. Citrinin shows complex fluorescence decays due to the presence of two tautomers in solution and interconversion from excited-state double proton transfer (ESDPT) process. The fluorescence decay times associated with the two tautomers have values near 1 and 5 ns depending on the medium. In hydrogel films of agarose and alginate, fluorescence imaging showed that citrinin is not homogeneously dispersed and highly emissive micrometer spots may be formed. Fluorescence spectrum and decay analysis are used to recognize the presence of citrinin in hydrogel films using confocal fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy.     

Formation of membranes based on polyacrylonitrile and butadiene-acrylonitrile elastomer in the presence of copper ions

The presented study provides a possibility to create ultrafiltration (UF), polyacrylonitrile(PAN)/butadiene-acrylonitrile elastomer (BNR)/N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) membranes. Influence of different concentrations of the elastomer on the formation of a more porous structure was studied and compared with that observed using membranes made of polyacrylonitrile. Specific influence of copper ions in a solution of polymers on the formation of an asymmetric selective layer was also monitored. The study was conducted to prepare membranes with high efficiency in emulsion and colloidal systems separation.     

Efficient γ-amino-proline-derived cell penetrating peptide-superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle conjugates via aniline-catalyzed oxime chemistry as bimodal imaging nanoagents

Aniline-catalyzed oxime chemistry was employed to conjugate a γ-amino-proline-derived cell penetrating peptide to superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs). Internalization of the novel nanoconjugate into HeLa cells was found to be remarkably higher compared to the analogous TAT-SPION conjugate.     

Localization and Propagation in Random Lattices

We analyze the motion of a particle on random lattices. Scatterers of two different types are independently distributed among the vertices of such a lattice. A particle hops from a vertex to one of its neighboring vertices. The choice of neighbor is completely determined by the type of scatterer at the current vertex. It is shown that on Poisson and vectorizable random triangular lattices the particle will either propagate along some unbounded strip or be trapped inside a closed strip. We also characterize the structure of a localization zone contained within a closed strip. Another result shows that for a general class of random lattices the orbit of a particle will be bounded with probability one.     

The effect of functionalization on structure and electrical conductivity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Nanosized powders of Ti-Nb oxide core-shell nanocrystals with atomic ratios of Nb/Ti = 0.11, 0.25, and 0.38 have been prepared by two preparation routes. The first route was co-precipitation, followed by␣annealing, using NbCl₅ as a source of Nb. The second route was coating of pure TiO₂ nanocrystals by Nb-isopropoxide in liquid medium, followed by impregnation of the Nb into the nanoparticles by annealing. Both methods yielded anatase nanocrystals with a Nb-rich shell and a core, which had much lower Nb loadings. The anatase structure solid solution (with Nb incorporated) was stable under annealing up to 760°C. The particle size remained within the nanometric scale (<50 nm) under heat-treatment up to 760°C. It has been shown that the fabricated powders can be redispersed in aqueous media by simple ultrasound treatment, resulting in nanosized dispersions. Using a variety of analytical techniques, including depth profiling of single nanocrystallites by AES combined with sputtering by Ar ions, the mechanism of the core-shell structure creation was studied. It is proposed that the formation of the core-shell structure is governed by solubility limitations in the co-precipitation route and by solubility and diffusion limitations in the coating-incorporation route.