Redox-fixable manipulation of planar chirality in late transition metal sandwich compounds; a 1,1'-diphosphacobaltocene/1,1'-diphosphacobaltocenium salt couple

An electrochemically switched face inversion process for η(5)-coordinated ligands in late transition metal sandwich complexes is demonstrated.     

Palladium-catalyzed stereoconvergent formylation of (E/Z)-β-bromo-β-fluorostyrenes: straightforward access to (Z)-α-fluorocinnamic aldehydes and (Z)-β-fluorocinnamic alcohols

We report here the stereoconvergent formylation of (E/Z)-β-bromo-β-fluorostyrene mixtures with carbon monoxide and sodium formate catalyzed by palladium. Optimization of reaction conditions leads to the corresponding pure (Z)-α-fluorocinnamaldehydes in good yields. The reaction was extended to styrenes bearing electro-attracting or electro-donating groups. The obtained α-fluoroaldehydes were smoothly reduced to the corresponding (Z)-β-fluorocinnamic alcohol by NaBH(4). The reaction could be performed on functionalized substrates as demonstrated by the access to the glucoside of β-fluoroconiferyl alcohol, (Z)-β-fluoroconiferin, a strong inhibitor of lignin polymerization.     

Dictyotadimer A, a new dissymmetric bis-diterpene from a brown alga of the genus Dictyota

A phytochemical investigation of a Mediterranean brown alga (Dictyota sp.) led to the isolation of a novel C₄₀bis-diterpene, named dictyotadimer A. The chemical structure of this unusual dissymmetric dimer, characterized by a C-C linkage between two different xenicane units, was elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR analyses together with HR-ESI mass spectrometry. The relative configuration of the two diterpenoid components was determined by NOESY NMR correlations and molecular modeling. A plausible biogenetic pathway of dictyotadimer A was also proposed.     

Asymmetric synthesis and cytotoxic activity of isomeric phytosphingosine derivatives

New phytosphingosine analogues have been conceived, synthesised and their cytotoxicity in B16 murine melanoma cells tested. These compounds embed an isomeric substitution pattern resulting from a formal permutation of the C-2 and C-4 substituents along the aliphatic skeleton of the original sphingoid base. Five different stereoisomers have been accessed through regio- and stereocontrolled opening of the oxirane of long chain epoxyamine precursors. The corresponding N-hexyl and N-octanoyl derivatives have also been prepared. In cell viability experiments all the primary amines were found to be more active than the natural phytosphingosine with IC(50) in the low μM range for the most potent compounds.     

Sensitivity and amplitude calibration of a Fourier transform 3D quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer

With a three-dimensional (3D) quadrupole ion trap running in a Fourier transform operating mode, the detected signal is an image of the collective motion of the confined ions. Consequently, it is assumed that the image signal is the sum of the axial trajectories of the simultaneously confined ions. The resulting frequency spectrum after Fourier transformation comprises frequency peaks at the axial secular frequencies of the confined species according to their mass/charge ratio. With a singly confined species, the maximal amplitude of the image signal is proportional to the amplitude of the secular axial frequency peak. The matrix method is employed to express the axial trajectory sampled at the confinement field period. In that case, the expression of the image signal, as well as its maximal amplitude, is calculated as a function of the trap operating conditions and initial axial positions and axial velocities of the ions. The initial position and velocity distributions are connected to the injection mode. With the steady ion flow injection mode (SIFIM) and an initial phase of the confinement field equal to kπ, the maximal amplitude of the image signal is proportional to either the sum of the initial axial positions or the number of confined ions and the mean value of the initial axial positions. By simulation, amplitude fluctuation of the frequency peak is then calculated for a number of ions ranging between some tens to some thousands of ions injected by SIFIM. The peak amplitude fluctuations induced by the fluctuations of the number of ions are seven times greater than those induced by the fluctuations of the distribution of the initial axial positions.     

Atomic force microscopy demonstrates that disulfide bridges are required for clustering of the yeast cell wall integrity sensor Wsc1

In yeasts, cell surface stresses are detected by a family of plasma membrane sensors. Among these, Wsc1 contains an extracellular cysteine-rich domain (CRD), which mediates sensor clustering and is believed to anchor the sensor in the cell wall. Although the formation of Wsc1 clusters and their interaction with the intracellular pathway components are important for proper stress signaling, the molecular mechanisms underlying clustering remain poorly understood. Here, we used the combination of single-molecule atomic force microscopy (AFM) with genetic manipulations to demonstrate that Wsc1 clustering involves disulfide bridges of the CRD. Using AFM tips carrying nitrilotriacetate groups, we mapped the distribution of individual His-tagged sensors on living yeast cells. While Wsc1 formed nanoscale clusters on native cells, clustering was no longer observed after treatment with the reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT), indicating that intra- or intermolecular disulfide bridges are required for clustering. Moreover, DTT treatment resulted in a significant increase in cell surface roughness, suggesting that disulfide bridges between other cell-wall proteins are crucial for proper cell surface topology. The remarkable sensor properties unravelled here may well apply to other sensors and receptors with cysteine-rich domains throughout biology. Our combined method of AFM with genetic manipulations offers great prospects to explore the mechanisms underlying the clustering of cell surface proteins.     

A generic platform for the addressable functionalisation of electrode surfaces through self-induced "electroclick"

A novel and general strategy for the immobilisation of functional objects onto electrodes is described. The concept is based on the addition of two pendant ethynyl groups onto a bis(pyridyl)amine derivative, which acts as a molecular platform. This platform is pre-functionalised with an N(3)-tagged object of interest by Huisgen cycloaddition to one of the ethynyl groups in biphasic conditions. Hence, when complexed by Cu(II) , this molecular-object holder can be immobilised, by a "self-induced electroclick", through the second ethynyl group onto N(3)-alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers on a gold electrode. Two different functional groups, a redox innocent ((CH(2))(3)-Ph) and an electrochemical probe (ferrocene), were immobilised by following this strategy. The in situ electrochemical grafting showed, for both systems, that the kinetics of immobilisation is fast. The voltammetric characterisation of the surface-tagged functionalised copper complexes indicated that a good surface coverage was achieved and that a moderately fast electron-transfer reaction occurs. Remarkably, in the case of the redox-active ferrocenyl-immobilised system, the electrochemical response highlighted the involvement of the copper ion of the platform in the kinetics of the electron transfer to the ferrocene moiety. This platform is a promising candidate for applications in surface addressing in areas as diverse as biology and materials.     

Crystal‐Packing Trends for a Series of 6,9,12,15,18‐Pentaaryl‐1‐hydro[60]fullerenes

The relationship between the size of the substituents of aryl groups in a series of fifteen 6,9,12,15,18‐pentaaryl‐1‐hydro[60]fullerenes and the solid‐state structures and packing motifs of these compounds has been analyzed. Pentaarylfullerenes have a characteristic “badminton shuttlecock” shape that causes several derivatives to crystallize into columnar stacks. However, many pentaarylfullerenes form non‐stacked structures with, for example, dimeric, layered, diamondoid, or feather‐in‐cavity relationships between molecules. Computational modeling gave a qualitative estimate of the best shape match between the ball and socket surfaces of each pentaarylfullerene. The best match was for pentaarylfullerenes with large, spherically shaped para‐substituents on the aryl groups. The series of pentaarylfullerenes was characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. A total of 34 crystal structures were obtained as various solvates and were categorized by their packing motifs.     

Uniform metal nanoparticles produced at high yield in dense microemulsions

This article demonstrates that bicontinuous microemulsions are optimal templates for high yield production of metal nanoparticles. We have verified this for a variety of microemulsion systems having AOT (sodium bis (2-ethyhexyl) sulphosuccinate) or a fluorocarbon (perfluoro (4-methyl-3,6-dioxaoctane)sulphonate) as surfactant mixed with water and oils like n-heptane or n-dodecane. Several types of metal nanoparticles, including platinum, gold and iron, were produced in these microemulsions having a size range spanning 1.8-17 nm with a very narrow size distribution of ±1 nm. Remarkably high mass concentrations up to 3% were reached. Size and concentration of the nanoparticles could be varied with the stoichiometries of the reagents that constituted them. The optimization towards high yield while maintaining low size polydispersity is due to the decoupling of the time scales for the precipitation reaction and for coarsening. In actual fact, coalescence is essentially prevented by the immobilization of nanoparticles within the bicontinuous microemulsion structure.     

A FRET-based probe with a chemically deactivatable quencher

A new concept of a chemically deactivatable quencher is proposed for a FRET-based probe that turns-on its fluorescence by either an enzymatic cleavage or a chemical reagent (sodium dithionite). This concept allowed us to quantify the caspase-3 cleavage activity in solution and to reveal unreacted probes in cell experiments.