Syntheses, spectroscopic characterization and thermal behavior on novel binuclear transition metal complexes of hydrazones derived from 4,6-diacetylresorcinol and oxalyldihydrazine

4,6-Diacetylresorcinol (DAR) serves as precursor for the formation of different hydrazone ligands, which are di-, tetra- or hexa-basic with two symmetrical sets of O(2)N tridentate, O(2)N(2) tetradentate or O(4)N(2) hexadentate chelating sites. The condensation of 4,6-diacetylresorcinol (DAR) with oxalyldihydrazine (ODH), in the molar ratio 1:1 and 1:2, yields the corresponding hydrazone, H(6)L(a) and H(4)L(b), ligands, respectively. The structures of these ligands were elucidated by elemental analyses and IR, mass, (1)H NMR and UV-vis spectra. Reactions of the hydrazone ligands with cobalt(II), nickel(II), copper(II), zinc(II), cadmium(II), iron(III) and chromium(III) ions in 1:2 molar ratio afforded the corresponding transition metal complexes. A variety of binuclear transition metal complexes were obtained in its di-, tetra- or hexa-deprotonated forms. The structures of the newly prepared complexes were identified by elemental analyses and IR, UV-vis, mass, (1)H NMR and ESR spectra, as well as, magnetic susceptibility measurements and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The bonding sites are the azomethine and CO oxygen atoms in either keto or enol forms and amino nitrogen atoms, and phenolic oxygen atoms. The metal complexes exhibit different geometrical structures such as tetrahedral and octahedral arrangements.     

Reaction of nitrilimines with 2-substituted aza-heterocycles. Synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyridine and pyrimido[2,1-d]1,2,3,5- tetrazine

The reaction of nitrilimine 6a with ethyl pyridine-2-acetate (7) gave the corresponding pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyridine 8, while the reaction of 6b containing an ester moiety afforded the acyclic adduct 9. The reaction of 6a with 2-aminopyrimidine (10) gave the novel unexpected pyrimido[2,1-d]1,2,3,5-tetrazine 11. Acyclic adducts 16 and 17 were obtained from the reaction of 6b with 2-cyanomethylbenzimidazole (14) and 2-aminobenzimidazole (15), respectively.     

C-Furyl glycosides, I: Synthesis and antimicrobial evaluation of C-furyl glycosides and chalcones derived therefrom

New C-furyl glycosides were synthesized in order to increase the number of compounds screened for antimicrobial activity. The antimicrobial activity showed that the bromo as well as the nitro derivatives were the most active compounds. Correspondence: Adel A.-H. Abdel-Rahman, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Koam, Egypt.     

A selective optical sensor for antimony based on hexagonal mesoporous structures

Mesostructured materials show promise in fabricating ordered sensing systems in a reproducible manner. Here, the fabrication of optically selective and sensitive sensors up to subnanomolar concentrations of Sb(III) ions was reported via simple and reproducible techniques in which the hexagonal mesoporous silicas in powder and monolith forms were used as probe carriers. Evidence of successful fabrication of the optical sensors was investigated by extensive characterizations using powder X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms, 29Si NMR spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The mesostructured features allowed high adsorption capacity and accessibility of probe molecules and efficient transport of toxic species via much more direct and easier diffusion to the network sites without significant alteration of their physical characteristics, leading to excellent sensing systems in terms of stability and sensitivity with rapid response time of detection. In addition, the high performance of the hexagonal sensors was dependent on key factors such as the number of support-based sensors, the reaction temperature, and the pH value that led to possible naked-eye detection of Sb(III) ion concentration with a detection limit as low as 3x10(-9) mol/dm3 and a wide detection range of 1 ppb-2 ppm. Of particular interest was that our mesostructured sensor design provided control over the retention of the potential functionality of the naked-eye sensing system of Sb(III) ions upon the storage and even after several regeneration and reuse cycles, indicating large-scale reversibility of sensing systems.     

Understanding microscopic binding of human microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 with substrates and inhibitors by molecular modeling and dynamics simulation

Microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) is a promising target for development of next-generation anti-inflammatory drugs. It is crucial for rational design of the next-generation anti-inflammatory drugs to know the three-dimensional (3D) structure of mPGES-1 trimer and to understand how mPGES-1 binds with substrates and inhibitors. In the current work, a 3D structural model of human mPGES-1 trimer has been developed, for the first time, by performing combined homology modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation. The 3D structural model enables us to understand how mPGES-1 binds with its substrates/inhibitors, and the key amino acid residues for the mPGES-1 binding with ligands have been identified. The detailed 3D structures and calculated binding free energies for mPGES-1's binding with substrates and inhibitors are all consistent with available experimental data, suggesting that the 3D model of the mPGES-1 trimer and the enzyme-ligand binding modes are reasonable. The new structural insights obtained from this study should be valuable for rational design of next-generation anti-inflammatory drugs.     

Heavy metal removal using SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> binary oxide: experimental design approach

Sorption of Ni²⁺ and Cd²⁺ as heavy metals ions at the interface of the binary oxide TiO₂-SiO₂ was investigated. In addition, physical properties of TiO₂-SiO₂ matrices such as BET surface area, X-ray diffraction, and point of zero charge (pH_PZC) were measured. Statistical design of experiments was applied to find the conditions of sorption at which the maximum heavy metal removal was achieved. A second order polynomial function was used to correlate the independent variables (pH, metal ion concentration, and shaking time) and response (heavy metal removal). Values of regression parameters were determined by the computer program, Design expert^® (Stat-Ease Inc.). The quality of fit of the polynomial model equation was expressed by the regression coefficient R ². The sorption results showed that the pH is the most significant factor. In turn, the sorbed percentage reached 100% at high initial concentration and long shaking times due to formation of hydroxyl compounds between the ions and TiO₂-SiO₂ matrices. The results show that there is a Gaussian (normal) distribution of residuals (squared differences between experimentally observed and predicted values from the model), and also that the differences between observed and predicted values are in the range of ±5%. These indicate that experiments were well-conducted and the results have no significant error.     

Synthesis of Morphlinotetrahydrothieno[2,3‐c]Isoquinolines

1‐Morpholin‐4‐yl‐5,6,7,8‐tetrahydroisoquinoline‐4‐carbonitrile ( 2 ) was synthesized from 3‐amino‐1‐thioxo‐5,6,7,8‐tetrahydro‐1H‐isothiochromene‐4‐carbonitrile ( 1 ) and used as starting material to synthesize many thienotetrahydroisoquinolines ( 4 ), which in turn were used in the synthesis of many pyrimidothienotetrahydroisoquinolines.     

Preconditioning techniques for an image deblurring problem

In this paper, we consider the solution of a large linear system of equations, which is obtained from discretizing the Euler–Lagrange equations associated with the image deblurring problem. The coefficient matrix of this system is of the generalized saddle point form with high condition number. One of the blocks of this matrix has the block Toeplitz with Toeplitz block structure. This system can be efficiently solved using the minimal residual iteration method with preconditioners based on the fast Fourier transform. Eigenvalue bounds for the preconditioner matrix are obtained. Numerical results are presented. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Computational Design,Synthesis and Application of a New Selective Molecularly Imprinted Polymer for Electrochemical Detection

A computational approach was developed to find a suitable functional monomer to design a new molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), based on which methacyrlic acid (MAA) was selected as a functional monomer to synthesize the molecular imprinted and non‐imprinted polymers. All calculations were carried out using Gaussian 03 software based on the application of Hartree?Fock (HF) method with 6‐31G (d) basis set. The performance of the MIPs prepared with different ratios of MAA was then evaluated using equilibrium rebinding assays. The MIP with the highest binding capacity was chosen as recognition material for the fabrication of new PVC sensors and their responses were compared with each other and with previously reported modifiers in literature. The addition of the ionic surfactant (TFPB) was found to have a synergistic effect on the response mechanism of the electrodes. The results of the MIP modified sensors show that they provide an improved electrode slope, wider pH range and a highly extended life time reaching 7 months compared to 2–4 weeks in case of traditional ion‐exchangers reported in literature, besides, being successfully applied for measurements in biological samples.     

Modern pathology: protein mis-folding and mis-processing in complex disease

Electrostatic and electrochemical properties of bio-molecules, such as proteins, are governed by energy parameters that are, in part dependent on its folding. Disruption of this process can lead to the development of complex, multisystem diseases whose presentation may be organ-dependent. Examples include cystic fibrosis, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and Alzheimer disease. In addition to explaining exotic pathologic syndromes, an understanding of protein folding mechanisms may facilitate the understanding of less complex diseases and allow the development of novel therapeutic approaches.