Conformational analysis of 1,2-dimethoxyethane and 1,2-diphenyloxyethane incorporated in nematic liquid crystals

The conformations of flexible chain molecules incorporated in a nematic environment have been investigated. The phase behaviours and orientational characteristics of 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) dissolved in 4'-methoxybenzylidene-4-n-butylaniline at low solute mol fraction have been reported in our previous paper. In this work, proton-proton and carbon-carbon dipolar coupling constant measurements were attempted in addition to ²H NMR observations of quadrupolar splittings. These conformation-dependent properties were analysed according to the rotational isometric state (RIS) simulation scheme previously proposed. Our treatment rests on the assumption that the molecular axis of the chain should tend to align along the nematic field. Studies were further extended to a mixture of 1,2-diphenyloxyethane (DPE) with a nematic liquid crystal, 4,4'-azoxyanisole. Replacement of the terminal methyl groups in DME by phenyl groups leads to DPE. The results of the analysis indicate that the fraction of elongated conformers such as ttt tends to increase significantly on going from the isotropic to the liquid crystalline solution: DME; 9·4 to 15·6 per cent and DPE; 12·3 to 20·0 per cent. The tgt form (tg⁺ t or tg^-t) is the lowest-energy arrangement of these molecules. The fraction of this conformer also increases in DPE (26·8 to 40·0 per cent), while it decreases in DME (25·7 to 18·8 per cent). The conformational distributions of chain molecules were found to remain invariant over the range of concentration (0·5-6·0 mol per cent) and temperature (22·0-44·5°C) studied. It has been concluded that the observed variation of proton dipolar and deuterium quadrupolar couplings with concentration and temperature mainly arises from the orientational order of the molecular axis, which varies sensitively with the alignment of the surrounding solvent molecules. These results suggest that flexible chains are also participating in the nematic interaction by adjusting their configurations so as to enhance favourable interactions and suppress unfavourable steric repulsions when accommodated in an anisotropic potential field.     

Self-assembly of active IrO2 colloid catalyst on an ITO electrode for efficient electrochemical water oxidation

Active catalysts for water oxidation to evolve O(2) are required for the construction of artificial photosynthetic devices that are expected to be promising energy-providing systems in the future. The citrate-stabilized IrO(2) colloid was self-assembled onto an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode to form a monolayer of the colloidal IrO(2) particles when it was dipped in the colloid solution. The self-assembly could be achieved by a chemical interaction between carboxylate groups on the citrate stabilizer and hydroxyl groups on the ITO surface to form ester bonds. Efficient electrocatalysis for water oxidation was demonstrated using the electrode modified by the self-assembled IrO(2) colloid to yield the highest turnover frequency ((2.3-2.5) x 10(4) h(-1)) of IrO(2) in the hitherto-reported catalysts for electrochemical water oxidation.     

Radio-liquid chromatogrphy for tritium labelled organic compounds using CaF2/Eu/ scintillator

The radio-liquid chromatography for the tritium labelled compoounds was constructed with a CaF₂/Eu/ scintillator and applied successfully to analyze the products of recoil tritium reactions with trans-stilbene. The detection efficiency of tritium of 0.8% and the lowest detectable activity of 60 nCi were obtained for a 100–150 mesh CaF₂/Eu/ scintillator.     

13C-NMR Study of Anomalous Linkages in Polyurethane

Several kinds of model compounds for anomalous linkages in polyurethanes (branching or crosslinking; allophanate and biuret) were prepared. The phenylisocyanate (PHI) based models were identified by IR and NMR. The ¹³C-NMR chemical shifts effects due to the anomalous linkages were determined. The 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) based models were purified incompletely but the characteristic signals of the aromatic carbons were nevertheless found in their spectra. Two types of segmented polyurethane (SPU) were prepared and the anomalous linkages were investigated by ¹³C-NMR. The signals due to the allophanate (Al) and the triphenylbiuret (TB) linkages were observed in the spectra of the SPU prepared at high temperature (>80°C) or prepolymer gels yielded by abnormal reaction. A small signal due to a phenyl carbon of biuret (Bi) linkage was observed even in a normally prepared SPU (polyetherurethane-urea). Employing the phenyl carbon signals was advantageous for the determination of anomalous linkages because of their larger intensities.     

Total synthesis of miraziridine A and identification of its major reaction site for cathepsin B

The synthesis of miraziridine A, a pentapeptide derivative isolated from marine sponge, and its truncated analogs has been achieved. To construct the backbone of miraziridine A, a side-chain-unprotected vinylogous arginine was condensed with an aziridine-containing fragment prepared by a conventional solid-phase procedure. An analog lacking the vinylogous arginine site showed comparable inhibitory activity with miraziridine A, whereas an analog lacking the aziridine site showed remarkably weak inhibitory activity for cathepsin B.     

Ligand fishing as a tool to screen natural products with anticancer potential

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world and its incidence is expected to increase with the aging of the world's population and globalization of risk factors. Natural products and their derivatives have provided a significant number of approved anticancer drugs and the development of robust and selective screening assays for the identification of lead anticancer natural products are essential in the challenge of developing personalized targeted therapies tailored to the genetic and molecular characteristics of tumors. To this end, a ligand fishing assay is a remarkable tool to rapidly and rigorously screen complex matrices, such as plant extracts, for the isolation and identification of specific ligands that bind to relevant pharmacological targets. In this paper, we review the application of ligand fishing with cancer-related targets to screen natural product extracts for the isolation and identification of selective ligands. We provide critical analysis of the system configurations, targets, and key phytochemical classes related to the field of anticancer research. Based on the data collected, ligand fishing emerges as a robust and powerful screening system for the rapid discovery of new anticancer drugs from natural resources. It is currently an underexplored strategy according to its considerable potential.     

Potent Th2 Cytokine Bias of Natural Killer T Cell by CD1d Glycolipid Ligands: Anchoring Effect of Polar Groups in the Lipid Component

Th2‐biasing CD1d ligands are attractive potential candidates for adjuvants and therapeutic drugs. However, the number of potent ligands is limited, and their biasing mechanism remain unclear. Herein, a series of novel Th2‐biasing CD1d glycolipid ligands, based on modification of their lipid part, have been identified. These have shown high binding affinities and efficient Th2 cytokine production. Importantly, the truncated acyl chain containing variants still retain their binding affinities and agonistic activities, which can be associated with an “anchoring effect,” that is, formation of a buried hydrogen bond between a polar group on the acyl chain and the CD1d lipid‐binding pocket. The analysis indicated that the appearance rates of ligand–CD1d complexes on the cell surface were involved in Th2‐biasing responses. The designed ligands, having the anchor in the shorter lipid part, are one of the most potent Th2‐biasing ligands among the known ligands.     

Embedding of individual ferritin molecules in large, self-supporting silica nanofilms

We report herein the fabrication of ferritin-embedded self-supporting silica nanofilms via a simple spin-coating process. Ferritin was employed as a template molecule, and solutions of ferritin and silica were spread on a polymer-coated silicon substrate, in this order. After dissolving the polymer underlayer by simply immersing ethanol, a centimeter-sized self-supporting nanofilm of ferritin/silica composite with a thickness of 15 nm was successfully transferred onto an alumina membrane without the film breaking. Ozone and hydrochloric acid solution treatment removed the template ferritin molecules from the composite film to produce corresponding transmembrane nanoholes. The reported method is very simple, and the fabrication of a protein-embedded self-supporting nanofilm enables the design of biomembrane-mimetic devices.     

Unexpectedly selective formation and reactions of epoxycyclooctenones under microwave-mediated conditions

Topologically mobile difluorinated cyclooctenones undergo rapid, high-yielding, and completely stereoselective epoxidations with methyl(trifluoromethyl)dioxirane. The epoxides resist conventional hydrolysis but react smoothly in basic media under microwave irradiation to afford unique hemiacetals and hemiaminals in good yield. [reaction: see text]