Aryl trihydroxyborates: easily isolated discrete species convenient for direct application in coupling reactions

A conceptually and practically simple alternative approach to the use of arylboron species as the organometallic component in cross-coupling processes is described whereby trihydroxyborate salts are isolated and directly employed. The protocol derives practical benefit from the ease and convenience of the isolation and subsequent use of the discrete borate salts, eliminates the need for additional base, and aids the use of correct reaction stoichiometry.     

Rearrangement of 2-aryl-3,3-dichloroazetidines: intermediacy of 2-azetines

An easy synthesis of 2-aryl-3,3-dichloroazetidines, a rather unexplored class of azaheterocycles, is described. The title compounds were easily obtained by reduction of the corresponding 4-aryl-3,3-dichloro-2-azetidinones with monochloroalane, which in turn were synthesized by a ketene-imine [2 + 2] cycloaddition. The reactivity of 3,3-dichloroazetidines with bases was investigated, yielding 2-[dimethoxy(aryl)methyl]aziridines by ring contraction when treated with sodium methoxide. Furthermore, reacting the 3,3-dichloroazetidines with sodium hydride in DMSO, followed by aqueous workup, afforded 1-alkyl-2-aroylaziridines, by hydrolysis of the intermediate 2-azetines and ring closure of the transient 3-amino-2-chloro-1-phenyl-1-propanone derivatives. Monitoring this reaction in an NMR tube, using sodium hydride in DMSO-d(6), allowed the characterization of the intermediate strained heterocyclic enamines, i.e., 2-azetines, by (1)H and (13)C NMR.     

GnRH binding RNA and DNA Spiegelmers: a novel approach toward GnRH antagonism

Mirror-image oligonucleotide ligands (Spiegelmers) that bind to the pharmacologically relevant target gonadotropin-releasing hormone I (GnRH) with high affinity and high specificity have been identified using the Spiegelmer technology. GnRH is a decapeptide that plays an important role in mammalian reproduction and sexual maturation and is associated with several benign and malignant diseases. First, aptamers that bind to D-GnRH with dissociation constants of 50-100 nM were isolated out of RNA and DNA libraries. The respective enantiomers of the DNA and RNA aptamers were synthesized, and their binding to L-GnRH was shown. These Spiegelmers bind to L-GnRH with similar affinity to that of the corresponding aptamers that bind to D-GnRH. We further demonstrated dose-dependent inhibition of GnRH-induced Ca(2+) release in Chinese hamster ovary cells that were stably transfected with the human GnRH receptor.     

Synthesis and catalytic properties of soluble platinum nanoparticles protected by a thiol monolayer

Several new platinum monolayer protected clusters (MPCs) have been synthesized and characterized. Two methods of platinum reduction were used depending on the solubility of the thiol: sodium borohydride for the water-soluble thiols and lithium triethylborohydride for the organic soluble thiols. In general, reactant solutions containing a 1:1 thiol/Pt ratio yielded the best particles in a single-phase reaction. Higher thiol/Pt ratios produced lower yields of MPCs, while much lower ratios produced gray-black precipitates. The Pt MPCs were used as catalysts to hydrogenate allyl alcohol to propanol by reducing the carbon-carbon double bond. The Pt-mercaptoammonium MPCs were also used as catalysts in the hydrogenation of maleic acid to succinic acid. Differences in the catalytic hydrogenation rates among the various monolayer coatings for MPCs are attributed to the variations in ligand chain length, branching, charged functional groups, packing density, and core size.     

Two new marine sediment standard reference materials (SRMs) for the determination of organic contaminants

Two new marine sediment standard reference materials (SRMs), SRM 1941b Organics in Marine Sediment and SRM 1944 New York/New Jersey Waterway Sediment, have been recently issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the determination of organic contaminants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, and chlorinated pesticides. Both sediment SRMs were analyzed using multiple analytical methods including gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) on columns with different selectivity, reversed-phase liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (for PAHs only), and GC with electron capture detection (for PCBs and pesticides only). SRM 1941b has certified concentrations for 24 PAHs, 29 PCB congeners, and 7 pesticides, and SRM 1944 has certified concentrations for 24 PAHs, 29 PCB congeners, and 4 pesticides. Reference concentrations are also provided for an additional 58 (SRM 1941b) and 39 (SRM 1944) PAHs, PCB congeners, and pesticides. SRM 1944, which was collected from multiple sites within New York/New Jersey coastal waterways, has contaminant concentrations that are generally a factor of 10–20 greater than SRM 1941b, which was collected in the Baltimore (Maryland) harbor. These two SRMs represent the most extensively characterized marine sediment certified reference materials available for the determination of organic contaminants.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at . A link in the frame on the left on that page takes you directly to the supplementary material.     

Superconductivity in copper, silver, and gold compounds

High-temperature superconductivity exists in layered, square-planar cuprates, but is almost absent in most other Cu(II) compounds and in most Ag(II) and Au(II) compounds. Valence state II is quite unusual in silver and gold and often disproportionates to valence states I and III ("negative-U compounds"). The two-electron difference in oxidation state is suggestive of electron pairing, a prerequisite for superconductivity. In the present paper the connection between disproportionation and geometrical structure on one hand and superconductivity on the other is discussed by using the accepted theory for mixed valence complexes. It is concluded that absence of superconductivity in gold and silver compounds can be connected to the instability of oxidation state II and the large difference in equilibrium geometry between oxidation states I and III.     

Thermodynamic analysis of lysozyme adsorbed to silica

The structural stability of hen egg white lysozyme in solution and adsorbed to small colloidal silica particles at various surface concentrations was investigated using hydrogen-deuterium (H/D) exchange in combination with mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The combination of HDX-MS and DSC allows a full thermodynamic analysis of the lysozyme structure as both the enthalpy and the Gibbs free energy can be derived from the various measurements. Moreover, both HDX-MS and DSC provide information on the relative structural heterogeneity of lysozyme in the adsorbed state compared to that in solution. Results demonstrated that at high surface coverage, the structural stability of lysozyme was only marginally affected by adsorption to silica particles whereas the unfolding enthalpy decreased by more than 10%, meaning that the entropy of lysozyme increased with a similar value upon adsorption. Furthermore, the structural heterogeneity increased considerably. At lower surface concentrations, the structural heterogeneity increased further whereas the enthalpy of unfolding decreased. Further analyses of the HDX-MS experiments clearly indicated that folding/unfolding of lysozyme occurs through a two-domain process. These two domains had a similar amount of structural elements and a difference in stabilization energy of 8 kJ/mol, regardless if lysozyme was in solution or adsorbed to silica.     

Double Yielding in a Styrene/Butadiene Star Block Copolymer

Summary: The morphology and tensile deformation behaviour of a highly asymmetric styrene/butadiene star block copolymer (polystyrene (PS) content = 74%) containing random PS‐co‐PB (polybutadiene) copolymer as a rubbery phase were investigated. The existence of double yielding, similar to that observed in some semicrystalline polymers, was detected in this nanostructured amorphous polymer. The observed phenomenon may be correlated with two different micromechanical processes taking place at the initial stage of deformation.

The stress‐strain curve of the star block copolymer prepared here (each curve represents a different method). The two yield points are clearly visible (labelled I and II).     

Fibre optic fluorometric enzyme sensors for hydrogen peroxide and lactate,based on horseradish peroxidase and lactate oxidase

An optical biosensor for the determination of hydrogen peroxide based on immobilized horseradish peroxidase is described. The fluorescence of the dimeric product of the enzyme catalysed oxidation of homovanillic acid is utilized to determine the concentration of H₂O₂. The membrane-bound enzyme is attached to a bifurcated fibre bundle permitting excitation and detection of the fluorescence by a fluorometer. The response of the sensor is linear from 1 to 130 M hydrogen peroxide; the coefficient of variation is 3%. The sensor is stable for more than 10 weeks. The operating pH for maximal sensor response is 8.15. This allows the sensor to be used in combination with oxidase reactions producing hydrogen peroxide, as is demonstrated with a co-immobilized lactate oxidase-horseradish peroxidase optode for the determination of L-lactate. The fluorescence intensity of this sensor depends linearly on the concentration of lactate between 3 and 200 M and a throughput of 10 samples per hour is possible. The precision is in the same range as that of the monoenzyme optode. The lifetime of the bienzyme sensor for lactate is considerably shorter than that of the peroxidase sensor; it is limited by the stability of the immobilized lactate oxidase enzyme. The sensor has been applied to the determination of lactate in control serum.