Adaption of a fragment analysis technique to an automated high-throughput multicapillary electrophoresis device for the precise qualitative and quantitative characterization of microbial communities

The analysis of microbial communities is of increasing importance in life sciences and bioengineering. Traditional techniques of investigations like culture or cloning methods suffer from many disadvantages. They are unable to give a complete qualitative and quantitative view of the total amount of microorganisms themselves, their interactions among each other and with their environment. Obviously, the determination of static or dynamic balances among microorganisms is of fast growing interest. The generation of species specific and fluorescently labeled 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) fragments by the terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) technique is a suitable tool to overcome the problems other methods have. For the separation of these fragments polyacrylamide gel sequencers are preferred as compared to capillary sequencers using linear polymers until now because of their higher electrophoretic resolution and therefore sizing accuracy. But modern capillary sequencers, especially multicapillary sequencers, offer an advanced grade of automation and an increased throughput necessary for the investigation of complex communities in long-time studies. Therefore, we adapted a T-RFLP technique to an automated high-throughput multicapillary electrophoresis device (ABI 3100 Genetic Analysis) with regard to a precise qualitative and quantitative characterization of microbial communities.     

13 C 183W-Kopplungen als sonde für metall—carbin-, —carbenund—alkyl-bindungen

Carbon-13 NMR data are reported for trimethyltin derivatives containing ER_n groups where E  C, Si, Ge, Sn, N, O and S including a series of cyclic amines with ring sizes from three to seven. Coupling constant values for the homologous series of fourth group derivatives give goood correlations with the electronegativity of E. The observation of the two-bond, ¦ ²J(¹¹⁹SnE¹³C) ¦ couplings only in the derivatives containing bulky R groups is rationalized by a bimolecular exchange of ER_n groups in the concentrated solutions studied.     

Synthesis of a new bidentate ferrocenyl N-heterocyclic carbene ligand precursor and the palladium (II) complex trans-[PdCl2(CfcC)], where (CfcC) = 1,1′-di-tert-butyl-3,3′-(1,1′-dimethyleneferrocenyl)-diimidazol-2-ylidene

A new ferrocenyl-N-heterocyclic carbene ligand precursor 1,1′-bis[(1-tert-butylimidazolium)-3-methyl]ferrocene dichloride has been synthesised and structurally characterised. The imidazolium salt was readily deprotonated in situ with KN(SiMe₃)₂ and reacted with [PdCl₂ (cod)] to afford the structurally characterised palladium (II) complex trans-[PdCl₂(C^∧fc^∧C)], where (cod) = 1,5-cyclooctadiene and (C^∧fc^∧C) = 1,1′-di-tert-butyl-3,3′-(1,1′-dimethyleneferrocenyl)-diimidazol-2-ylidene.     

The enthalpy of formation of magnesium sulfate ion pairs

The enthalpies of dilution of lithium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium chloride and sulfate solutions in the range 0.1 to 1.0 m have been measured at 30°C with a microcalorimeter. The relative apparent enthalpies φ_L of these solutions have been determined with the aid of an extended form of the Debye-Hückel limiting law $$\phi _L = S_H I^{1/2} [1/(1 + I^{1/2} ) - (\sigma /3)] + {\rm B}{\rm I} + CI^{3/2} $$ whereS _H is the limiting-law slope, σ = 3/I^3/2 × [(1+I^1/2 ? 1/(1+I^1/2 ? 2 ln (2+I^1/2)], andB andC are empirical constants. This equation fits the experimental results to within a standard deviation of 2 cal-mole^?1 for all the salts. The measured φ_L for the MgSO₄ solutions were compared to those calculated using the additivity principle, φ_L(MgCl₂) + φ_L(Na₂SO₄) ? 2φ_L(NaCl), and the extended Debye-Hückel equation. The results of this comparison have been used to calculate the ΔH _A ^o for the formation of MgSO ₄ ⁰ . A value of ΔH _A ^o = 1.15 to 1.36 was obtained, depending upon the φ_L estimates for the free ions Mg²⁺ and SO ₄ ^2? . The results are briefly discussed and compared to the results obtained by other workers.     

Metallorganische verbindungen der lanthanoide CVIII. Synthese und strukturaufklärung monomerer organolanthanoidacetate

LnCl₃ reacts with Na(C₅Me₄¹Bu) in THF to form the organolanthanoid chlorides [(C₅Me₄¹Bu)₂LnCl(THF)] (Ln = La (1a), Lu (1b)). Compounds 1a and 1b yield in reaction with NaO₂CCH₃ the monomeric organolanthanoid acetates [(C₅Me₄¹Bu)₂LnO₂CCH₃] (Ln = La (2a), Lu (2b)). The single crystal X-ray structure analysis of 2b as well as the cryoscopic molecular weight investigation of 2a verify the monomeric structure of these complexes.     

Synthesis of the β-lactam antibiotic (+)- thienamycin via an intermediate π-allyltricarbonyliron lactone complex

The π-allyltricarbonyliron lactone complex (7), formed by reaction of E-1,2-epoxy-2-methyl-6,6-dimethoxyhex-3-ene(5) with co-ordinatively unsaturated iron carbonyl species, was reacted with benzylamine to give a lactam complex (8) by an S_N'-like mechanism. This complex upon oxidation with Ce(IV) afforded cis-3-isopropenyl-4-[(2',2'-dim (9) which was chemically modified into trans-3-(1'-hydroxyethyl)-4-[(2',2-dimethoxy)ethyl] azetidin-2-one (13), a key intermediate previously used in the synthesis of the antibiotic thienamycin. Similar reaction with (S)-(-)--methylbenzylamine afforded a separable mixture of diastereoisomeric iron lactam complexes (16 and 17). These complexes could be individually converted to the corresponding optically active β-lactam derivatives (27 and 28) and, hence, are precursors for the synthesis of either natural (+)-thienamycin or unnatural (-)-thienamycin.     

Dendrimeric organochalcogen catalysts for the activation of hydrogen peroxide: origins of the "dendrimer effect" with catalysts terminating in phenylseleno groups

Several scenarios were evaluated to explain the large "dendrimer effect" observed in the bromination of cyclohexene with H(2)O(2) and NaBr catalyzed by the addition of Frechét-type dendrimers terminating in -O(CH(2))(3)SePh groups. Although phenylseleninic acid was an efficient catalyst for the oxidation of NaBr with H(2)O(2), first-order rate constants for the selenoxide elimination were too small to produce PhSeO(2)H at a rate sufficient to explain the rates of catalysis and no dendrimer effect was observed in the rates of selenoxide elimination. An induction period was observed using 1-SePh as a catalyst for the oxidation of Br(-) with H(2)O(2). The addition of preformed selenoxide 1-Se(=O)Ph gave immediate catalysis with no induction period. However, rates of oxidation of the selenides with H(2)O(2) under homogeneous or biphasic conditions or with t-BuOOH under homogeneous conditions were too slow to account for the rates of catalysis, and no dendrimer effect was observed in the rates of oxidation. The primary oxidant for converting selenides to selenoxides was "Br(+)" produced initially by the uncatalyzed background reaction of H(2)O(2) with NaBr and then produced catalytically following formation of selenoxide groups. Autocatalysis is observed, and the rate of oxidation increases with the number of SePh groups. Autocatalysis is the source of the large dendrimer effect observed with the SePh series of catalysts.     

Solid-phase synthesis of lipidated peptides

Characteristic partial structures of lipidated proteins embodying different lipid groups as well as additional fluorescent tags or a maleimide for coupling to proteins can be synthesized readily by means of a new solid-phase technique employing the oxidative cleavage of the hydrazide linker as well as on-resin farnesylation and palmitoylation after appropriate deprotection of cysteine thiol groups as the key steps.     

Interpretation of contact angle measurements on two different fluoropolymers for the determination of solid surface tension

Contact angle measurements with a large number of liquids on the semi-fluorinated acryl polymer EGC-1700 films are reported. The surface tension was determined to be gammasv=13.84 mJ/m2 from contact angles of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS) and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (DMCPS). Inertness of these two liquids makes them ideal for determination of surface tension of low-energy fluoropolymers. On the other hand, contact angles of many other liquids deviated somewhat from a smooth contact angle pattern that represents the EGC-1700 surface tension. It is argued that noninertness of the molecules of these liquids gives rise to specific interactions with the polymer film, causing the deviations. Furthermore, contact angles of a series of n-alkanes (n-hexane to n-hexadecane) showed systematic deviations from this curve, similar to the trend observed for n-alkanes/Teflon AF 1600 systems studied earlier. Adsorption of vapor of short-chain liquids onto the polymer film caused their contact angles to fall above the gammasv=13.84 mJ/m2 curve, and a parallel alignment of molecules of the long-chain n-alkanes in the vicinity of the solid was the explanation for the deviation of their contact angles below it. It is found that vapor adsorption effect is more significant in the case of Teflon AF 1600, while the alignment of liquid molecules close to the surface is more pronounced for EGC-1700.     

Synthesis of phenylated phthalimides. The diels-alder reaction of tetraphenylcyclopentadienone with maleimides

A series of phenylated dihydrophthalimides has been synthesized by the Diels-Alder reaction of tetraphenylcyclopentadienone with maleimide, N-phenylmaleimide, and N,N'-o-, -m-, and -p-phenylenedimaleimide. Subsequent dehydrogenation of these compounds yielded the corresponding phenylated phthalimides. These phthalimides were also obtained in one step when the initial reactions were carried out in refluxing nitrobenzene.