Synthesis and characterisation of helical beta-peptide architectures that contain (S)-beta3-HDOPA(Crown Ether) derivatives

A new set of beta-amino acids that carry various crown ether receptors on their side chains of the general formula (S)-beta(3)-HDOPA(crown ether) (HDOPA: homo-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine; (crown ether): [15]crown-5 ([15-C-5]), [18]crown-6 ([18-C-6]), [21]crown-7 ([21-C-7]), 1,2-Benzo-[24]crown-8 ([Benzo-24-C-8]) and (R)-Binol-[20]crown-6 ([(R)-Binol-20-C-6])) was prepared. Peptides that are based on these new crowned beta-amino acids combined with (1S,2S)-ACHC (2-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid), which is known to be a potent 3(14)-helix inducer, to the hexamer level, with two crowned residues at the i and i+3 positions of the main-chain, were synthesized in solution by stepwise coupling using Boc-N(alpha)-protection (Boc: tert-butoxycarbonyl) and the EDC/HOAt C-activation method. Their conformational analysis was performed by using FTIR absorption, NMR and CD spectroscopy techniques. Our results are in full agreement with a 3(14)-helix conformation.     

Putative palytoxin and its new analogue,ovatoxin-a,in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ostreopsis ovata</Emphasis> collected along the ligurian coasts during the 2006 toxic outbreak

In this article we report on the liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) investigation of plankton samples collected in the summer of 2006 along the Ligurian coasts, coinciding with a massive bloom of the tropical microalga Ostreopsis ovata. LC-MS analyses indicated the occurrence of putative palytoxin along with a much more abundant palytoxin-like compound never reported so far, which we named ovatoxin-a. On the basis of molecular formula, fragmentation pattern, and chromatographic behavior, the structure of ovatoxin-a appeared to be strictly related to that of palytoxin. We report also on the analysis of cultured O. ovata, which was necessary to unequivocally demonstrate that putative palytoxin and ovatoxin-a contained in field samples were actually produced by O. ovata itself.     

Photoinduced energy and electron-transfer processes in porphyrin-perylene bisimide symmetric triads

The photophysics of two symmetric triads, (ZnP)2PBI and (H2P)2PBI, made of two zinc or free-base porphyrins covalently attached to a central perylene bisimide unit has been investigated in dichloromethane and in toluene. The solvent has been shown to affect not only quantitatively but also qualitatively the photophysical behavior. A variety of intercomponent processes (singlet energy transfer, triplet energy transfer, photoinduced charge separation, and recombination) have been time-resolved using a combination of emission spectroscopy and femtosecond and nanosecond time-resolved absorption techniques yielding a very detailed picture of the photophysics of these systems. The singlet excited state of the lowest energy chromophore (perylene bisimide in the case of (ZnP)2PBI, porphyrin in the case of (H2P)2PBI) is always quantitatively populated, besides by direct light absorption, by ultrafast singlet energy transfer (few picosecond time constant) from the higher energy chromophore. In dichloromethane, the lowest excited singlet state is efficiently quenched by electron transfer leading to a charge-separated state where the porphyrin is oxidized and the perylene bisimide is reduced. The systems then go back to the ground state by charge recombination. The four charge separation and recombination processes observed for (ZnP)2PBI and (H2P)2PBI in dichloromethane take place in the sub-nanosecond time scale. They obey standard free-energy correlations with charge separation lying in the normal regime and charge recombination in the Marcus inverted region. In less polar solvents, such as toluene, the energy of the charge-separated states is substantially lifted leading to sharp changes in photophysical mechanism. With (ZnP)2PBI, the electron-transfer quenching is still fast, but charge recombination takes place now in the nanosecond time scale and to triplet state products rather than to the ground state. Triplet-triplet energy transfer from the porphyrin to the perylene bisimide is also involved in the subsequent deactivation of the triplet manifold to the ground state. With (H2P)2PBI, on the other hand, the driving force for charge separation is too small for electron-transfer quenching, and the deactivation of the porphyrin excited singlet takes place via intersystem crossing to the triplet followed by triplet energy transfer to the perylene bisimide and final decay to the ground state.     

Density functional theory study of the binding capability of tris(pyrazol-1-yl)methane toward Cu(I) and Ag(I) cations

Density functional theory (DFT) has been used to look into the electronic structure of [M(tpm)]+ molecular ion conformers (M = Cu, Ag; tpm = tris(pyrazol-1-yl)methane) and to study the energetics of their interconversion. Theoretical data pertaining to the free tpm state the intrinsic instability of its kappa3-like conformation, thus indicating that, even though frequently observed, the kappa3-tripodal coordinative mode is unlikely to be directly achieved through the interaction of M(I) with the kappa3-like tpm conformer. It is also found that the energy barrier for the kappa2-[M(tpm)]+ --> kappa3-[M(tpm)]+ conversion is negligible. As far as the bonding scheme is concerned, the tpm --> M(I) donation, both sigma and pi in character, is the main source of the M(I)-tpm bonding, whereas back-donation from completely occupied M(I) d orbitals into tpm-based pi* levels plays a negligible role.     

Complexation of morin with three kinds of cyclodextrin. A thermodynamic and reactivity study

Properties of inclusion complexes between morin (M) and beta-cyclodextrin (betaCD), 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPbetaCD) and Heptakis (2,6-O-di methyl) beta-cyclodextrin (DMbetaCD) such as aqueous solubility and the association constants of this complex have been determined. The water solubility of morin was increased by inclusion with cyclodextrins. The phase-solubility diagrams drawn from UV spectral measurements are of the A(L)-type. Also ORAC(FL) studies were done. An increase in the antioxidant reactivity is observed when morin form inclusion complex with the three cyclodextrin studied. Finally, thermodynamics studies of cyclodextrin complexes indicated that for DMbetaCD the inclusion is primarily enthalpy-driven process meanwhile betaCD and HPbetaCD are entropy-driven processes. This is corroborated by the different inclusion geometries obtained by 2D-NMR.     

Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectra, and AB initio calculations for cadmium(II)-cysteinate glycinate complex [Cd(Cys)(Gly)

The cysteinate glycinate cadmium(II) complex was synthesized and structural analysis was carried out using the following methods: determination of the C, H, N, S and O contents, thermogravimetry, infrared and Raman spectra. The most probable structure for the complex at a minimum of energy was calculated by the density functional theory (DFT):B3LYP/3-21G quantum mechanical method. The infrared and Raman spectra were analyzed and bands assigned through the DFT procedures, the stabilization energy being equal to: E(RB+HF-LYP)= -6442.67784a.u. Features of the infrared and Raman spectra confirm theoretical structural prediction with respect to the metal-ligand bonds: Cd-O, Cd-S and Cd-N. Full assignment of the vibrational spectra was also supported by a carefully analysis of the distorted geometries generated by the normal modes.     

A Remark on Characterizations of Projective Spaces among Singular Varieties

Let X be a projective variety of dimension n ≥ 2 with at worst log-terminal singularities and let be an ample vector bundle of rank r. By partially extending previous results due to Andreatta and Wiśniewski in the smooth case, we prove that if r = n then , while if r = n − 1 and X has only isolated singularities, then either or n = 2 and X is the quadric cone Q ₂. Received: April 20, 2006. Revised: April 5, 2007.     

Evaluation of flavonoids and furanocoumarins from Citrus bergamia (Bergamot) juice and identification of new compounds

Bergamot juice (BJ) contains different classes of flavonoids (e.g. flavanones and flavones) that can exert beneficial effects on human health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the qualitative and quantitative composition of a BJ obtained from fruits harvested in Southern Italy (Calabria) at the end of their maturation period. The identity of several flavonoids and furanocoumarins was assessed by co-chromatography, UV spectra and molecular weight comparison. The unknown compounds were dissociated by induced collision (CID-MS) and their identity established through the characteristic ions product. By this approach a complete profile of about twenty compounds (furano-coumarins, flavonoids C- and O-glycosides) present in BJ was obtained. Furthermore, three acylated flavanones, present in amounts of 20.1+/-1.1, 89.3+/-2.2 and 190.1+/-3.1 mg/L, respectively, and which seem to correspond to di-oxalate derivatives of neoeriocitrin, naringin and neohesperidin, were identified for the first time in BJ. The other main flavanones were naringin, neohesperidin and neoeriocitrin, and their content was 167.5+/-1.8, 123.9+/-1.7 and 73.3+/-1.6 mg/L, respectively. Concerning flavones, the total amount in BJ was about 160 mg/L and the main ones were vicenin-2, stellarin-2, rhoifolin and neodiosmin. Bergapten and bergamottin were the primary furanocoumarins in BJ and their amounts were 9.0+/-0.4 and 18.2+/-0.5 mg/L, respectively.