Measurement of desmosine and isodesmosine by capillary zone electrophoresis

Desmosine (DES) and isodesmosine (IDE) were separated and quantitated by a simple and sensitive capillary zone electrophoretic (CZE) method, using hydrostatic injection and direct UV detection at 254 or 185 nm. Two different electrophoretic mobilities for the two isoforms were observed in 90 mM phosphoric acid pH 2.2. The presence of a mixture of amino acids in the sample did not affect the separation of DES and IDE. The method was successfully used to quantitate the amounts of DES and IDE in elastin hydrolysates.     

Synthesis,Crystal Structure and IR Spectra of Complexes of Mn(II) by Indole-2-Carboxylic or Isoquinoline-1-Carboxylic Acids and 1,10-Phenanthroline

Abstract  

Two ternary complexes of manganese(II) indole-2-carboxylate (2-IC⁻) or isoquinolinecarboxylate (IQC⁻) with 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) in methanol or in dimethylacetamide (DMA) were synthesized and studied by X-ray diffraction and IR spectra. [Mn(C₉H₆NO₂)₂(C₁₂H₈N₂)₂]·CH₄O (1) crystallizes in the triclinic space group P-1 with cell parameters of a = 10.548(2) ?, b = 14.168(3) ?, c = 14.580(3) ?, α = 62.35(2)°, β = 69.16(2)°, γ = 78.61(2)°, V = 1802.4(6) ?³ and Z = 2; [Mn(C₁₀H₆NO₂)₂(C₁₂H₈N₂)].C₄H₉NO (2) crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/a with cell parameters of a = 15.304(5) ?, b = 12.871(5) ?, c = 17.421(5) ?, β = 114.39(1), V = 3125(2) ?³ and Z = 4. In 1, Mn is six-coordinate by two bidentate phen ligands and two 2-IC⁻ ligands and exhibits a very distorted octahedral geometry. This complex is solvated by methanol involved in hydrogen bonding. In 2, Mn atom is surrounded by one bidentate phen ligand and two bidentate IQC⁻ ligands. The complex exhibits a distorted octahedral geometry around the Mn^II atom. The crystal structure is completed by a disordered DMA solvate molecule. The IR spectra of both compounds are slightly different in the range 4000–2400 cm⁻¹ which may be attributed to hydrogen bond lack in 2.     

Effect of polymerization of synthetic glycolipids on their supramolecular assemblies

Sugar-derived surfactants bearing a polymerizable acryloyl moiety on one of the branches of the double-chain hydrophobic tail were prepared. The non–ionic hydrophilic head and the biantennary hydrophobic tail were built on, respectively, an aspartic acid and a tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane core. Ultraviolet irradiation of aqueous dispersions of these surfactants above their transition phase temperature (T_c) was achieved. The morphology of self-assemblies produced in such a way were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. TEM photographs revealed that irradiation leads to the formation of unilamellar vesicles. Neither fibers nor tubules were detected in contrast to what was observed before polymerization.     

Synthesis,Electronic Properties and WOLED Devices of Planar Phosphorus‐Containing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

We describe the synthesis and the physical properties of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) containing a phosphorus atom at the edge. In particular, the impact of the successive addition of aromatic rings on the electronic properties was investigated by experimental (UV/Vis absorption, fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry) and theoretical studies (DFT). The physical properties recorded in solution and in the solid state showed that the P‐containing PAHs exhibit properties expected for an emitter in white organic light‐emitting diodes (WOLEDs).     

The Quest for Polysulfides in Lithium–Sulfur Battery Electrolytes: An Operando Confocal Raman Spectroscopy Study

Confocal Raman spectra of a lithium–sulfur battery electrolyte are recorded operando in a depth‐of‐discharge resolved manner for an electrochemical cell with a realistic electrolyte/sulfur loading ratio. The evolution of various possible polysulfides is unambiguously identified by combining Raman spectroscopy data with DFT simulations.     

Force-momentum-based self-guided Langevin dynamics: a rapid sampling method that approaches the canonical ensemble

The self-guided Langevin dynamics (SGLD) is a method to accelerate conformational searching. This method is unique in the way that it selectively enhances and suppresses molecular motions based on their frequency to accelerate conformational searching without modifying energy surfaces or raising temperatures. It has been applied to studies of many long time scale events, such as protein folding. Recent progress in the understanding of the conformational distribution in SGLD simulations makes SGLD also an accurate method for quantitative studies. The SGLD partition function provides a way to convert the SGLD conformational distribution to the canonical ensemble distribution and to calculate ensemble average properties through reweighting. Based on the SGLD partition function, this work presents a force-momentum-based self-guided Langevin dynamics (SGLDfp) simulation method to directly sample the canonical ensemble. This method includes interaction forces in its guiding force to compensate the perturbation caused by the momentum-based guiding force so that it can approximately sample the canonical ensemble. Using several example systems, we demonstrate that SGLDfp simulations can approximately maintain the canonical ensemble distribution and significantly accelerate conformational searching. With optimal parameters, SGLDfp and SGLD simulations can cross energy barriers of more than 15 kT and 20 kT, respectively, at similar rates for LD simulations to cross energy barriers of 10 kT. The SGLDfp method is size extensive and works well for large systems. For studies where preserving accessible conformational space is critical, such as free energy calculations and protein folding studies, SGLDfp is an efficient approach to search and sample the conformational space.     

Configuration of bovine serum albumin adsorbed on polymer particles with grafted dextran corona

The configuration of BSA macromolecules adsorbed on the surfaces of poly(alkylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles has been determined using small angle neutron scattering (SANS). The nanoparticles were made by anionic emulsion polymerization (AEP) and self-assembly of dextran–poly(isobutylcyanoacrylate) (PICBA) copolymers. They have a hydrophobic PICBA core and a hydrophilic dextran corona. In vivo, they are recognized by the macrophages of the mononuclear phagocyte system. The amount of BSA bound to the particles, at adsorption equilibrium, has been determined through immunodiffusion, immunoelectrophoresis, and SANS. For particles with a radius of 25.3 nm, the adsorption was found to saturate at 64 adsorbed BSA molecules per particle. The configuration of the adsorbed BSA molecules was determined from the SANS scattering curves, first at full contrast, and then at contrast match. Both experiments indicate that the BSA molecules are adsorbed on the PICBA core, in a flat configuration. This result may be important for understanding the in vivo opsonization mechanisms of nanoparticles and their resulting biodistribution.     

Concise synthesis of anhydrovinblastine from leurosine

[reaction: see text] The Cp(2)TiCl-mediated deoxygenation of leurosine (1) afforded anhydrovinblastine (4) in good yield. Furthermore, as the reaction proceeded via a carbon-centered radical intermediate, this transient was also trapped by a hydrogen-atom donor to afford selectively reduced alkaloid 10.     

Analysis of paramagnetic NMR spectra of triple-helical lanthanide complexes with 2,6-dipicolinic acid revisited: a new assignment of structural changes and crystal-field effects 25 years later

Variable-temperature (1)H and (13)C NMR measurements of the D(3)-symmetrical triple-helical complexes [Ln(L1-2H)(3)](3)(-) (L1 = pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid; Ln = La-Lu) show evidence of dynamic intermolecular ligand-exchange processes whose activation energies depend on the size of the metal ion. At 298 K, the use of diastereotopic probes in [Ln(L3-2H)(3)](3)(-) (L3 = 4-ethyl-pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid) shows that fast intramolecular P <==> M interconversion between the helical enantiomers occurs on the NMR time scale. Detailed analyses of the paramagnetic NMR hyperfine shifts according to crystal-field independent techniques demonstrate the existence of two different helical structures, one for large lanthanides (Ln = La-Eu) and one for small lanthanides (Ln = Tb-Lu), in complete contrast with the isostructurality proposed 25 years ago. A careful reconsideration of the original crystal-field-dependent analysis shows that an abrupt variation of the axial crystal-field parameter A(0)2 parallels the structural change leading to some accidental compensation effects that prevent the detection of structural variations according to the classical one-nucleus method. Crystal structures in the solid state and density functional theory calculations in the gas phase provide structural models that rationalize the paramagnetic NMR data. A regular triple-helical structure is found for small lanthanides (Ln = Tb-Lu) in which the terdentate chelating ligands are rigidly tricoordinated to the metals. A flexible and distorted structure is evidenced for Ln = La-Eu in which the central pyridine rings interact poorly with the metal ion. The origin of the simultaneous variation of structural parameters and crystal-field and hyperfine constants near the middle of the lanthanide series is discussed together with the use of crystal-field-independent techniques for the interpretation of paramagnetic NMR spectra in axial lanthanide complexes.