Radical mediated synthesis of 6-arylphenanthridines via benzotriazole ring-opening

Lithiation of diarylbenzotriazol-1-ylmethanes followed by addition of copper( I ) iodide gave 6-arylphenanthridine derivatives in moderate yields. When the two aryl groups were the same or contained very different electron densities, only one product was obtained. However, when the two aryl groups exhibited electron densities of similar magnitude, two isomers were afforded. According to the substituent effect, we believe that the reactions proceed via radical intermediates formed by copper( I ) iodide.     

Ab initio SCF MO study of the hydrogen-bonded dimers of cyanogen with HF and HCl

Large-scale gaussian orbital SCF MO calculations are presented for the hydrogen-bonded complexes NCCN…HF and NCCN…HCl. Calculated equilibrium geometries, hydrogen-bond dissociation energies and selected one-electron properties are given to supplement available experimental data. Changes of electron distribution on complex formation are discussed in terms of Mulliken population indices.     

Intermolecular packing and alignment in an ordered beta-hairpin antimicrobial peptide aggregate from 2D solid-state NMR

The aggregation and packing of a membrane-disruptive beta-hairpin antimicrobial peptide, protegrin-1 (PG-1), in the solid state are investigated to understand its oligomerization and hydrogen-bonding propensity. Incubation of PG-1 in phosphate buffer saline produced well-ordered nanometer-scale aggregates, as indicated by 13C and 15N NMR line widths, chemical shifts, and electron microscopy. Two-dimensional 13C and 1H spin diffusion experiments using C-terminus strand and N-terminus strand labeled peptides indicate that the beta-hairpin molecules in these ordered aggregates are oriented parallel to each other with like strands lining the intermolecular interface. In comparison, disordered and lyophilized peptide samples are randomly packed with both parallel and antiparallel alignments. The PG-1 aggregates show significant immobilization of the Phe ring near the beta-turn, further supporting the structural ordering. The intermolecular packing of PG-1 found in the solid state is consistent with its oligomerization in lipid bilayers. This solid-state aggregation approach may be useful for determining the quaternary structure of peptides in general and for gaining insights into the oligomerization of antimicrobial peptides in lipid bilayers in particular.     

Application of laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) to investigate trace metal spatial distributions in human tooth enamel and dentine growth layers and pulp

Human tooth enamel provides a nearly permanent and chronological record of an individuals nutritional status and anthropogenic trace metal exposure during development; it might thus provide an excellent bio archive. We investigated the micro-spatial distribution of trace metals (Cu, Fe, Mg, Sr, Pb, and Zn) in 196×339 m² raster pattern areas (6.6×10⁴ m²) in a deciduous tooth using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS). Ablated areas include prenatal and postnatal enamel, the neonatal line, the dentine–enamel junction (DEJ), dentine, and the dentine–pulp junction. Topographic variations in the surface elemental distribution of lead, zinc, strontium, and iron intensities in a deciduous tooth revealed heterogeneous distribution within and among regions. ⁴³Ca normalized elemental intensities showed the following order: Sr>Mg>>Zn>Pb>Fe>Cu. Elevated zinc and lead levels were present in the dental pulp region and at the neonatal line. This study demonstrates the ability of LA–ICP–MS to provide unique elemental distribution information in micro spatial areas of dental hard tissues. Elemental distribution plots could be useful in decoding nutrition and pollution information embedded in their bio apatite structure.Presented in part at the 2002 Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, Scottsdale, AZ, January 6–12, 2002. The poster was selected as an outstanding poster presentation.     

The synthesis of chiral functionalised morpholine N-oxides using a tandem Cope elimination/reverse-Cope elimination protocol

Hydroxylamine derivatives of (S)-prolinol have been generated using a Cope elimination. These undergo reverse-Cope elimination onto a pendant double bond to give morpholine N-oxides containing three contiguous chiral centres.     

An SPE column-teflon sleeve assembly for in-line retention during supercritical fluid extraction of analytes from biological matrices

An in-line collector assembly designed for use in supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) vessels is described. This assembly enables solutes extracted by supercritical fluids (SF) to be retained in-line on standard solid phase extraction (SPE) columns. The assembly consists of a standard 1 mL or 3 mL SPE column fitted into a specially fabricated Teflon© sleeve. The SPE column-Teflon sleeve assembly is inserted into the SFE vessel followed by the sample matrix. This unit forms a leak-tight seal with the vessel's end-cap up to pressures of 680 bar. The choice of sorbents used in the in-line SPE columns is dependent upon the properties of the solute in the supercritical state. After SFE is completed, the SPE column is removed and the solutes are recovered in 1–2 mL of the eluting solvent. No further clean-up is normally required prior to chromatographic analysis of the analyte. A comparison was made of recoveries by in-line and off-line (after SF decompression) techniques for the SFE of three anabolic steroids in fortified chicken liver. The HPLC chromatograms of the steroids from the off-line SPE columns were too complex for quantitation, because of coeluting artifacts, whereas chromatograms obtained from in-line SPE columns were free from UV-absorbing interferences and were easily quantified.     

A Convenient Synthesis of Vinyl Sulfides

tert-Alkyl sulfides, with an α-(1H-benzotriazol-1-yl) group 6 and 13 , are readily prepared from N-[(aryl-thio)methyl]-1H-benzotriazoles 3 and N-( 11 ), respectively, by reaction with BuLi and then with the appropriate electrophile. The tert-alkyl sulfides 6 and 13 are smoothly converted by BF₃. OEt₂ into vinyl sulfides 5, 7 or 12 , respectively, in satisfactory yields.     

A.C. Cyclic voltammetry: A digital simulation study of the slow scan limit condition for a reversible electrode process

Rate laws presented to date for analysis of a.c. cyclic voltammetric data have invoked the so-called “slow scan limit approximation” which requires that ΔEω ? v, where Δ E and ω are the applied a.c. potential amplitude and angular frequency, respectively, and v is the d.c. potential scan rate. To provide a more useful guideline for the experimentalist than this qualitative condition, a pure digital simulation approach has been used to compute the a.c. cyclic time domain waveform for a reversible process under small amplitude conditions. The a.c. content of this waveform is extracted by the digital FFT alogirthm. Results of this study are presented here. Among the conclusions reached are more quantitative limitations for the slow scan limit rate laws describing the fundamental and second harmonic responses (approximately 128 a.c. cycles/d.c. cyclic sweep and 512 a.c. cycles/d.c. cyclic sweep, respectively) and an interesting prediction that the latter limitations can be relaxed further by a current waveform subtraction strategy, to as low as about 16 a.c. cycles/d.c. cyclic sweep for the fundamental and second harmonics. The cycles/sweep values assume one triangular wave potential scan of ±200 mV is encompassed.     

Effect of ion pairing on steady-state voltammetric limiting currents at microelectrodes Part I. Theoretical principles

Voltammetric studies in solutions of high resistivity are facilitated by the use of microelectrodes under steady-state conditions. Such solutions are encountered with solvents of low permittivity because of the very sparing solubility of electrolytes. Moreover, in such media the supporting electrolyte, as well as the electroactive ionic species, is usually extensively ion paired. Here we predict the limiting current that will flow in these circumstances, when a monovalent ion undergoes a one-electron transfer at a hemispherical microelectrode to form a neutral product. The ion pairing equilibria are assumed to be fast but all diffusion coefficients are treated as distinct. An analytical solution is elusive in the general case, but a simple numerical procedure allows the limiting current to be predicted for any combination of the system parameters. Several special cases are also discussed, some of which yield explicit formulae for the limiting current. In a companion paper, experimental data are compared with the theoretical predictions.     

New Monte Carlo method for the self-avoiding walk

We introduce a new Monte Carlo algorithm for the self-avoiding walk (SAW), and show that it is particularly efficient in the critical region (long chains). We also introduce new and more efficient statistical techniques. We employ these methods to extract numerical estimates for the critical parameters of the SAW on the square lattice. We find=2.63820 ± 0.00004 ± 0.00030=1.352 ± 0.006 ± 0.025v=0.7590 ± 0.0062 ± 0.0042 where the first error bar represents systematic error due to corrections to scaling (subjective 95% confidence limits) and the second bar represents statistical error (classical 95% confidence limits). These results are based on SAWs of average length 166, using 340 hours CPU time on a CDC Cyber 170–730. We compare our results to previous work and indicate some directions for future research.