Investigation of the electronic structures of vinyl silicon compounds by the free electron method

The two compounds, Me₄Si₂ (C₂H₃)₂ and Me₈Si₂ (C₂H₃)₂ have been studied by the anti-symmetrized free electron molecular orbital method. Electron delocalisation over the whole chain via the silicon atoms occurs and a satisfactory account of the electronic spectra may be obtained.

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Zusammenfassung Me₄Si₂ (C₂H₃)₂ und Me₈Si₄ (C₂H₃)₂ wurden nach der MO-Methode des freien Elektronengases behandelt. Delokalisierung der Elektronen über die Si-Atome der Kette wird festgestellt. Die berechneten Spektren sind zufriedenstellend.

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Résumé On a étudié par la méthode des orbitales moléculaires d'électrons libres avec antisymétrisation les composés Me₄Si₂(C₂H₃)₂ et Me₈Si₄(C₂H₃)₂. Il se produit une délocalisation électronique le long de toute la chaÎne par l'intermédiaire des atomes de silicium, et l'on peut rendre compte d'une manière satisfaisante des spectres électroniques.

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We wish to thank the S.R.C. for a maintenance grant to one of us (D.R.A.).     

Detection of a flow induced magnetic field eigenmode in the riga dynamo facility

In a closed volume of molten sodium an intense single-vortex-like helical flow has been produced by an outside powered propeller. At a flow rate of 0.67 m(3)/s a slowly growing magnetic field eigenmode was detected. For a slightly lower flow, additional measurements showed a slow decay of this mode. The measured results correspond satisfactorily with numerical predictions for the growth rates and frequencies.     

A short,highly efficient synthesis of coenzyme Q(10)

The most efficient synthesis reported to date of ubiquinone (CoQ10) is described. A sequence consisting of six operations is involved which leads to crystalline material in an overall yield of >64%.     

Properties and applications of precision oligomer materials; where organic and polymer chemistry join forces

Precise oligomeric materials constitute a growing area of research with implications for various applications as well as fundamental studies. Notably, this field of science which can be termed macro-organic chemistry, draws inspiration from both traditional polymer chemistry and organic synthesis, combining the molecular precision of organic chemistry with the materials properties of macromolecules. Discrete oligomers enable access to unprecedented materials properties, for example, in self-assembled structures, crystallization, or optical properties. The degree of control over oligomer structures resembles many biological systems and enables the design of materials with tailored properties and the development of fundamental structure–property relationships. This Review highlights recent developments in macro-organic chemistry from synthetic concepts to materials properties, with a focus on self-assembly and molecular recognition. Finally, an outlook for future research directions is provided.     

Total synthesis of (-)-(6S,7S,8S,9R,10S,2'S)-membrenone-A and (-)-(6S,7S,8S,9R,10S)- membrenone-B and structural assignment of membrenone-C

[reaction: see text] (-)-(6S,7S,8S,9R,10S,2'S)-Membrenone-A and (-)-(6S,7S,8S,9R,10S)-membrenone-B were prepared in 11 steps (3% and 2.4% overall yield, respectively). Key steps included a tin(II)-mediated aldol followed by a syn selective reduction, giving the C7-C9 stereocenters, a second chain extending aldol coupling, and a p-TsOH-promoted cyclization/dehydration giving the common gamma-dihydropyrone precursor. We have thus established that synthetic (-)-(6S,7S,8S,9R,10S,2'S)-membrenone-A, (-)-(6S,7S,8S,9R,10S)-membrenone-B, and (-)-(6S,7S,8S,9R,10S)-membrenone-C are the enantiomers of the natural products.     

Fast, generic gradient high performance liquid chromatography coupled to fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry for the accurate mass analysis of mixtures

Fast gradient high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been combined with a commercially available Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer for the routine and high performance analysis of mixtures. With this combination we were able to separate and detect, under high mass accuracy conditions, a six-component drug mixture in less than 5 minutes. The fast gradients described are now possible due to the development of mechanically robust, ultra pure silica packing materials, which allow relatively high flow rates (ca. 1 mL/min for a 2 mm diameter column). For the six compounds present in the model mixture, relative mass errors of less than 1 ppm were obtained (based on an external calibration) providing sufficient mass accuracy to make unequivocal assignments of empirical formulae. Preliminary results of fast gradient HPLC/FTICR-MS/MS are also shown for the same six-component mixture. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New approach to molecular docking and its application to virtual screening of chemical databases

This paper describes the validation of a molecular docking method and its application to virtual database screening. The code flexibly docks ligand molecules into rigid receptor structures using a tabu search methodology driven by an empirically derived function for estimating the binding affinity of a protein-ligand complex. The docking method has been tested on 70 ligand-receptor complexes for which the experimental binding affinity and binding geometry are known. The lowest energy geometry produced by the docking protocol is within 2.0 A root mean square of the experimental binding mode for 79% of the complexes. The method has been applied to the problem of virtual database screening to identify known ligands for thrombin, factor Xa, and the estrogen receptor. A database of 10,000 randomly chosen "druglike" molecules has been docked into the three receptor structures. In each case known receptor ligands were included in the study. The results showed good separation between the predicted binding affinities of the known ligand set and the database subset.