Pyrolysis of p-benzosemiquinone.

In contrast to the thermolysis of p-benzoquinone, which does not decompose until the temperature is over 800 degrees C, and then primarily yields vinylacetylene, the corresponding anion radical, precipitated from liquid ammonia [Na(+)(NH(3))C(6)H(4)O(2)(*-)], decomposes at 380 degrees C and fragments primarily into phenol, hydroquinone, ammonia, methane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and minor amounts of other simple compounds. When the benzoquinone is replaced with perdeuteriobenzoquinone, deuterium and hydrogen are randomly scrambled into the products, and both ND(3) and CH(4) are formed. When the hot pyrolysis container is completely sealed, preventing the escape of volatile materials, p-aminophenol, as opposed to phenol, is the major liquid product.     

Movement and Separation of Subsets of Points Under Group Actions

Let G be a permutation group on a set , and let m and k be integerswhere 0<m<k. For a subset of , if the cardinalities ofthe sets ^g\, for gG, are finite and bounded, then is said tohave bounded movement, and the movement of is defined as move()=max_gG|^g\|. If there is a k-element subset such that move()m, it is shown that some G-orbit has length at most (k²–m)/(k–m).When combined with a result of P. M. Neumann, this result hasthe following consequence: if some infinite subset has boundedmovement at most m, then either is a G-invariant subset withat most m points added or removed, or nontrivially meets aG-orbit of length at most m²+m+1. Also, if move ()m for allk-element subsets and if G has no fixed points in , then either||k+m (and in this case all permutation groups on have thisproperty), or ||5m–2. These results generalise earlierresults about the separation of finite sets under group actionsby B. J. Birch, R. G. Burns, S. O. Macdonald and P. M. Neumann,and groups in which all subsets have bounded movement (by theauthor).     

Sum frequency generation studies at poly(ethylene terephthalate)/silane interfaces: hydrogen bond formation and molecular conformation determination

To better understand the effects of interfacial molecular orientation on adhesion to plastics, the interfaces between poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and different silane coupling agents were probed using sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. The polymer/air interface was dominated by the ester carbonyl, methylene, and phenyl groups. Upon contacting the PET film with the amino-functional silane 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (ATMS), the ester carbonyl stretch shifted to a lower energy indicating the formation of hydrogen bonds between the polymer surface and the silane molecules. This shift was not observed when silanes that contained no hydrogen bond donors, such as (3-glycidoxypropyl)-trimethoxysilane and n-butyltrimethoxysilane, were placed into contact with the PET surface. Further evidence of silane ordering at the interface was observed as vibrational peaks attributed to the C-H stretching of the silane methoxy headgroups dominated the PET/silane spectra. It was determined that the conformation of the ATMS molecules at the interface was such that the amino endgroups were oriented toward the interface while the methoxy headgroups were directed toward the silane bulk.     

Separation of amino acid and peptide stereoisomers by nonionic micelle-mediated capillary electrophoresis after chiral derivatization

Enantiomers of amino acids and peptides were derivatized with a fluorescent chiral reagent, 4-(3-isothiocyanatopyrrolidin-1-yl)-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole [R-(−)- or S-(+)-NBD-PyNCS] and the resulting diastereomeric derivatives separated by capillary electrophoresis (CE). The CE running buffer consisted of 25 mM acetate buffer (pH 4) and 10 mM of the nonionic surfactant Triton X-100. The excitation maximum of NBD-PyNCS at 480 nm matches the major Ar-ion emission line at 488 nm allowing sensitive laser-induced fluorescence detection with limits of detection around 50 nM.

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-Proline and

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-aspartate spiked (at 10⁻⁴ M and 10⁻⁵ M concentrations, respectively) into complex biological matrices (rabbit serum and homogenate of Aplysia californica buccal ganglion) are detected without matrix interferences. This method has also been applied to the determination of

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- and

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-amino acid residues in peptides after acid hydrolysis. Results from the chiral analysis of the naturally-occurring peptide, gramicidin D, are shown.     

Synthesis of azapolycyclic systems via the intramolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition chemistry of 2-(alkylthio)-5-amidofurans

A series of 2-(methylthio)-5-amidofurans containing tethered unsaturation were prepared via the reaction of dimethyl(methylthio)sulfonium tetrafluoroborate (DMTSF) with beta-alkoxy-gamma-dithiane amides 13-16 and 27-32 in 40-70% yield. Thermolysis of these furans resulted in an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction (IMDAF). With the exception of 45 and 46, the oxa-bridged cycloadducts could not be isolated but immediately underwent a 1,2-methylthio shift to form bicyclic lactams in 60-100% yield. It was determined that incorporation of the amido carbonyl in the tether allowed the IMDAF reaction to proceed at a lower temperature. A dramatic example of this is seen in the IMDAF reaction of furan 35, in which the presence of an amido carbonyl as part of the dienophile tether, as opposed to the annealed ring (66) or the lack of a carbonyl (67), was necessary for the cycloaddition to occur. Furan 37, annealed to an azepine ring, underwent the IMDAF reaction at or below room temperature. To identify structural features that promote the IMDAF reaction, a computational study was undertaken. Ground-state and transition-state energies were calculated for furans 17, 33, 37, and 64 using the Becke 3LYP/6-31G model. The theoretical results were in good agreement with those observed. The results indicate that the incorporation of an amide carbonyl as part of the tether system works to place the dienophile in closer proximity to the furan ring, thereby lowering the activation energy needed to reach the transition state.     

Micelles of imidazolium-functionalized polystyrene diblock copolymers investigated with neutron and light scattering

We synthesize a series of block copolymers comprising a polystyrene (PS) block and an imidazolium-functionalized PS (IL) block and characterize their assembly properties. We use small-angle neutron scattering and dynamic light scattering to determine the micelle size and shape in dilute solutions and to assess the micelle interactions in concentrated solutions. By studying a series of copolymers with fixed PS block length, we find that the length of the IL block governs the micelle dimensions. Our data suggest that these copolymers form elongated micelle structures where the IL block is extended in the micelle core. We find that these micelles can sequester water and that interactions between the micelles lead to structure factor peaks at elevated concentrations.     

The cyclooctatriene-eta2-ynyl potassium zwitterionic radical: evidence for a potassium organometallic

Low-temperature (-120 degrees C) dehydrohalogenation of bromocyclooctatetraene (BrC8H7) with either sodium or potassium tert-butoxide followed by alkali metal reduction was used to generate the anion radical of [8]annulyne (C8H6*-) in tetrahydrofuran. EPR analysis at -120 degrees C reveals an extraordinarily large metal splitting when K or Cs (aK of 0.214 G and aCs of 3.26 G) serves as the reducing agent. The large aM is due to the metal cation interacting with the p-orbitals, within the alkyne moiety, that are in the plane of the ring system. The ionic radius of K+ is 1.33 A, which is larger than the B3LYP predicted distance between carbons 1 and 2 (1.23 A). However, the ionic radius of Na+ is only 0.95 A, and it is too small to simultaneously interact with both p-orbitals. Hence, no aM is observed when Na (ordinarily aNa > aK) or Li serves as the reducing agent. After the addition of 18-crown-6 to either the K or the Cs reduced system, two anion radicals are present. One is the system where the 18-crown-6 encapsulated metal complex is normally ion paired over the face of the ring system and aM = 0. The other is the cyclooctatriene-eta2-ynyl 18-crown-6 encapsulated metal zwitterion radical exhibiting a large aM. The ion pair to organometallic equilibrium constant is 1.6 +/- 0.1 and 3.5 +/- 0.1 for the K and Cs systems, respectively.     

Experimental electron density distribution of dopamine hydrochloride

Careful high-resolution x-ray diffraction measurements at 90 K have been used to map the electron density distribution in a single crystal of dopamine hydrochloride, a neurotransmitter. A least-squares refinement procedure has been used in which multipole parameters are added to describe the distortions of the atomic electron distributions from spherical symmetry. The refinement also yields improved estimates of the x-ray phases, which have been used to plot maps of the electron distribution. The most electron-rich areas of the molecule are the hydroxyl groups that show large buildups of electron density at the position of the nonbonded lone pairs. The sum of the net atomic charges for the ammonium group is +0.2(2). The net atomic charge for the chloride ion is –0.1(1).     

Studies with dithizone : Part 26. The interaction of thallium(III) with solutions of dithizone in organic solvents

The strong oxidising capacity of thallium(III) dominates its reaction with solutions of dithizone (H₂Dz) in organic solvents. When carbon tetrachloride is used as solvent, the unstable thallium(III) complex Tl(HDz)³ is found in the organic phase but it very quickly disproportionates to the thallium(I) complex [Tl(HDz)], and bis-1,5-diphenylformazan-3-yl-disulphide. This reaction is notably faster in chloroform, in which thallium(I) dithizonate is the first identifiable product. In contact with an acidic aqueous phase, thallium(I) dithizonate is reverted to regenerate dithizone in the organic phase and Tl⁺ ions appear in the aqueous phase. Organic solutions of the disulphide disproportionate spontaneously by first-order kinetics to give an equimolar mixture of dithizone and the mesoionic compound, 2,3-diphenyl-2,3-dihydrotetrazolium-5-thiolate: this change is much slower in carbon tetrachloride than in the more polar chloroform and is catalysed by both Tl⁺ and Tl³⁺. If thallium(III) is present in excess, the mesoionic compound is the principal oxidation product of the dithizone although a dication may also be formed. The mesoionic compound does not react with thallium(I) but forms a water-soluble 2:1 complex with thallium(III); partition of this complex into the organic phase is uninfluenced by chloride ions. Because of the large number of competing reactions, the composition of the reaction mixture at any stage of the reaction between thallium(III) and dithizone depends on the relative concentrations of the components, the order in which they are brought together, the time elapsed after mixing, the pH of the aqueous phase, and the nature of the organic solvent.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhodobacter capsulatus</Emphasis> porphobilinogen synthase,a high activity metal ion independent hexamer

Background  

The enzyme porphobilinogen synthase (PBGS), which is central to the biosynthesis of heme, chlorophyll and cobalamins, has long been known to use a variety of metal ions and has recently been shown able to exist in two very different quaternary forms that are related to metal ion usage. This paper reports new information on the metal ion independence and quaternary structure of PBGS from the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus.