Flow-injection determination of L-histidine with an immobilized histidine oxidase from Brevibacillus borstelensis KAIT-B-022 and chemiluminescence detection.

A chemiluminometric flow injection analytical system for the quantitation of L-histidine is described. Histidine oxidase (EC 1.4.3.-) from Brevibacillus borstelensis KAIT-B-022 was immobilized on tresylated poly(vinyl alcohol) beads and packed into a stainless-steel column. The hydrogen peroxide produced was detected chemiluminometrically by a flowthrough sensor containing immobilized peroxidase (EC 1.1 1.1.7). The maximum sample throughput was 10 h(-1). The calibration graph was linear from 0.05 to 5 mM; the detection limit (signal to noise ratio = 3) was 0.01 mM. The activity of immobilized histidine oxidase reduced to 65% of the initial value after 350 injections. The system was applied to the determination of L-histidine in fish meat, such as salmon, tunny, bonito, and mackerel.     

Radical reactions initiated by the photochemical cleavage of carbon-indium bonds of organoindium compounds

Intra- and intermolecular reactions of carbon-centered radicals generated by photolysis of organoindium compounds were examined. The photolysis of vinylindium compounds and indium acetylides provided vinyl and alkynyl radicals, respectively, which were trapped with ethyl iodoacetate giving the corresponding β,γ-unsaturated esters. Allylic indium compounds, prepared from 8-bromo- or 8-iodooct-1,6-dienes and powdered indium metal, underwent an intramolecular radical cyclization to afford the 5-exo-trig product.     

Shaping Carbon Nanotubes with Chemistry

As-grown, string-shaped single-walled carbon nanotubes were transformed into other shapes by applications of organic chemistry. Cutting carbon nanotubes in strong acids affords oxygen-containing groups at both ends of the open tubes. These groups were utilized for ring-closure reactions in very dilute conditions. Atomic force microscopy reveals ring-shaped nanotubes with a mean diameter of 540 nm as products. Also, the end groups were used to react with the surface amine groups of PAMAM dendrimer. It gave star-shaped structures in which straight nanotubes are radiating from dendrimer centers. These experiments clearly demonstrate that covalent chemistry is useful for construction of super-structured carbon nanotubes.     

Competition between micro-segregation and anti-parallel alignment of an amphiphilic rod-like liquid crystal

Recently, we reported that a rod-like molecule, 4-[4-(7-hydroxyheptyloxy)phenyl]-1-(4-hexylphenyl)-2,3-difluorobenzene, exhibited a nematic phase with a layered structure and smectic C phases consisting of three states. We prepared a homologous series of the rod-like molecules in which a 2,3-difluoro-1,4-diphenylbenzene unit and a hydroxyl unit are connected via a flexible methylene spacer. We investigated their physical properties using polarised optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Although they showed nematic, smectic A and smectic C phases, the phase structures were found to depend on the flexible spacer length. Those compounds possessing a shorter spacer length than a heptyl unit exhibited bilayered smectic A and smectic C phases, whereas those possessing a longer spacer length than a heptyl unit showed conventional monolayered smectic A and smectic C phases. A nematic phase with a smectic-like layer ordering was observed for the compound possessing an octyl unit. The structure–property relations of the amphiphilic compounds are discussed.     

Advances in Artificial Cell Membrane Systems as a Platform for Reconstituting Ion Channels

An artificial cell membrane that is composed of bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) with transmembrane proteins incorporated within them represents a well‐defined system for the analysis of membrane proteins, especially ion channel proteins that are major targets for drug design. Because the BLM system has a high compatibility with recently developed cell‐free expression systems, it has attracted attention as a next‐generation drug screening system. However, three issues associated with BLM systems, i. e., their instability, the need for non‐volatile organic solvents and a low efficiency of ion channel incorporation, have limited their use as a drug screening platform. In this personal account, we discuss our recent approaches to address these issues based on microfabrication. We also discuss the potential for using the BLM system combined with cell‐free expression systems as a drug screening system for future personalized medicine.     

Artificial photosynthesis by using chloroplasts from spinach adsorbed on a nanocrystalline TiO2 electrode for photovoltaic conversion

Photovoltaic conversion has been achieved by use of chloroplasts (photosynthetic organs) from spinach adsorbed on a nanocrystalline TiO₂ film on an indium tin oxide (ITO) glass electrode (chloroplast/TiO₂ electrode). The shape of the absorption spectrum of the chloroplast/TiO₂ electrode is almost the same that of a dispersion of the chloroplasts. Absorption maxima of the chloroplast/TiO₂ electrode observed at 430, 475, and 670 nm were attributed to carotenoid and chlorophyll molecules, suggesting that chloroplasts have been adsorbed by the nanocrystalline TiO₂ film on the ITO electrode. The photocurrent responses of chloroplast/TiO₂ electrodes were measured by using a solution of 0.1 M tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate in acetonitrile as redox electrolyte in the presence or absence of water and 100 mW cm^?2 irradiation. The photocurrent of the chloroplast/TiO₂ electrode was increased by adding water to the redox electrolyte. The photocurrent responses of chloroplast/TiO₂ electrodes irradiated with monochromatic light (680 nm, the absorption band of photosystem II complexed with evolved oxygen) were measured by use of a solution of 0.1 M tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate in acetonitrile as redox electrolyte in the presence or absence of water. A chloroplast/TiO₂ electrode photocurrent was observed only when the redox electrolyte containing water was used, indicating that the oxygen evolved from water by photosystem II in chloroplasts adsorbed by a nanocrystalline TiO₂ film on an ITO electrode irradiated at 680 nm is reduced to water by the catalytic activity of the platinum electrode. The maximum incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) was 0.8 % on irradiation at 670 nm.     

Synthesis of 2‐Aryl‐2,3‐dihydro‐1,8‐naphthyridin‐4(1H)‐ones by Deprotective Cyclization of N‐{3‐[(2E)‐3‐Arylprop‐2‐enoyl]pyridin‐2‐yl}‐2,2‐dimethylpropanamides in Water

A new and convenient method for the preparation of 2‐aryl‐2,3‐dihydro‐1,8‐naphthyridin‐4(1H)‐ones 4 has been developed. Thus, N‐{3‐[(2E)‐3‐arylprop‐2‐enoyl]pyridin‐2‐yl}‐2,2‐dimethylpropanamides 3 are synthesized from commercially available pyridin‐2‐amine using an easily performed three‐step sequence and are subjected to cyclization with deprotection under acidic conditions in H₂O to give the desired products. Similarly, 2‐aryl‐2,3‐dihydro‐1,7‐naphthyridin‐4(1H)‐ones 8 and 2‐aryl‐2,3‐dihydro‐1,6‐naphthyridin‐4(1H)‐ones 12 can be prepared from pyridin‐3‐amine and pyridin‐4‐amine, respectively.