Near-Ultraviolet Circular Dichroism and Two-Dimensional Spectroscopy of Polypeptides

A fully quantitative theory of the relationship between protein conformation and optical spectroscopy would facilitate deeper insights into biophysical and simulation studies of protein dynamics and folding. In contrast to intense bands in the far-ultraviolet, near-UV bands are much weaker and have been challenging to compute theoretically. We report some advances in the accuracy of calculations in the near-UV, which were realised through the consideration of the vibrational structure of the electronic transitions of aromatic side chains.     

Preparation and properties of dinitrogen complexes of molybdenum and tungsten with trimethylphosphine as coligand : III. Synthesis and properties of cis-[W(N2)2(PMe3)4], trans-[W(C2H4)2(PMe3)4] and [M(N2)(PMe3)5] (M = Mo,W). The crystal and molecular structure of [Mo(N2)(PMe3)5]

The reduction of [WCl₄(PMe₃)₃] with dispersed sodium, under dinitrogen, gives cis-[W(N₂)₂(PMe₃)₄], while under ethylene trans-[W(C₂H₄)₂(PMe₃)₄] is obtained. The ethylene complex can also be prepared by displacement of the dinitrogen molecules in cis-[W(N₂)₂(PMe₃)₄] by ethylene at room temperature and pressure. Interaction of cis-[M(N₂)₂(PMe₃)₄] complexes (M = Mo, W), with PMe₃, under helium or argon, yields [M(N₂)(PMe₃)₅]. The molybdenum complex crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pnma, with a 22.063(6), b 12.106(4), c 9.745(4) Å. The Mo—P distance trans to the dinitrogen ligand (2.483(7) Å) is slightly longer than the average of the other four Mo—P bonds (2.460(5) Å).     

The formation and molecular structure of acetylcyclopentadienylsodium-tetrahydrofuranate

Acetylcyclopentadienylsodium has been isolated in crystalline form as a THF adduct from a reaction between cyclopentadienylsodium and methyl acetate in THF solution. The product has been characterized by means of a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. {[C₅H₄CMeO]Na·THF}_n crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c with unit cell parameters a 6.698(3), b 16.095(4), c 10.661(3) Å, β 92.93(3)° and D_c 1.17 g cm^?3 for Z = 4. Least-squares refinement led to a final R value of 0.080 based on 661 independent observed reflections. The coordination sphere around each sodium atom consists of the oxygen atoms from two C₅H₄CMeO ligands, the oxygen atom of the THF molecule, and an ion contact pair between the sodium and the five ring carbon atoms of the C₅H₄CMeO ligand.     

The charge-charge flux-overlap model for the interpretation of atomic polar tensors and infrared intensities

The interpretation of infrared intensities using the concepts of atomic polar tensors divided according to contributions from charge-charge flux-overlap (CCFO) terms appears in general to be quite useful. Here we shall illustrate this analysis for the F and H atoms in chemically related molecules to show how their properties vary for CF, CH, OF and OH bonds as R varies in RCF, RCH and ROH molecules.     

Fastest Coupling of Random Walks

A new coupling of one-dimensional random walks is describedwhich tries to control the coupling by keeping the separationof the two random walks of constant sign. It turns out thatamong such monotone couplings there is an optimal one-step couplingwhich maximises the second moment of the difference (assumingthis is finite), and this coupling is ‘fast’ inthe sense that for a random walk with a unimodal step distributionthe coupling time achieved by using the new coupling at eachstep is stochastically no larger than any other coupling. Thisis applied to the case of symmetric unimodal distributions.     

Diffusion and solubility of methane in polyisobutylene

Diffusion coefficients and solubilities of methane in polyisobutylene have been measured at four temperatures between 102 and 188°C. in the pressure range 23–341 atm. Diffusion coefficients extrapolated to atmospheric pressure range from 1.72 × 10^?6 cm.²/sec. at 102°C. to 1.5 × 10^?5 cm.²/sec. at 188°C. corresponding to an activation energy for diffusion of 8.7 ± 0.4 kcal./mole. Solubilities are small, about one molecule of methane for every forty carbon atoms in the polyisobutylene at 300 atm. partial pressure of methane. Solubilities vary little with temperature, but show an apparent minimum between 127 and 188°C. With improved methods of data analysis, diffusion coefficients and solubilities have been recalculated from previously reported studies on nitrogen in branched polyethylene and methane in branched polyethylene, linear polyethylene, and polystyrene. Recalculated diffusion coefficients are essentially the same as those reported previously, but the recalculated solubilities are decreased from 2 to 30%. The solubilities of all five systems show strong deviations from Henry's law, i.e., increases in partial pressure of methane and nitrogen with respect to solubility exceed linearity. The partial pressure (or fugacity)—solubility data may be interpreted in terms of a sorption model in which sorbed molecules are accommodated in widely dispersed, unoccupied volumes or sites in the polymer. An almost equivalent, solution model in which the first sorbed molecules to enter the polymer are accommodated to a large extent in existing volumes in the polymer, with successively sorbed molecules swelling the polymer to a greater extent (i.e., partial molal volume of sorbed molecules, V ₁, increasing with concentration) can also account for these data.     

The estimation of leucine aminopeptidase produced by molting nematodes with labeled leucinamide as substrate

Leucine aminopeptidase activity was measured using l-[U-¹⁴C]leucinamide as substrate. The leucine freed by hydrolysis was separated by high voltage electrophoresis and estimated in a scintillation counter. The method was especially useful for studying the production of LAP during the molting of infective juveniles of the nematodes, H. contortus, because activity could be measured without purifying or concentrating the enzyme.