Pyrolysis mass spectrometry for distinguishing potential hoax materials from bioterror agents

Pyrolysis mass spectrometry (PyMS) was investigated as a rapid tool to distinguish potential bioterror hoax materials from samples containing pathogenic bacteria. A pyrolysis time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer equipped with an alternative ionization technique, metastable atom bombardment (MAB), was used to produce sample spectra. These spectra were analyzed by principal component and discriminant analysis for pattern recognition. Materials investigated were two strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, one of which produced the tdh toxin, two Salmonella enterica serotypes, a biological mosquito control product containing spores of Bacillus thuringiensis, and several white to off-white powders (which could be used as hoax materials), such as flour, corn starch, methyl cellulose, and xanthan gum. PyMS distinguished bacterial samples from hoax materials. Furthermore, pattern analysis differentiated Vibrios from Salmonellae, Salmonella enterica Anatum from S. enterica Heidelberg, and the two V. parahaemolyticus strains from each other. The B. thuringiensis mixture was distinguished from other bacteria and powders, suggesting that PyMS with pattern recognition may differentiate samples containing pathogens, including Bacillus spp., from nonbiological agents and that it can be a rapid method for detection of bacteria. MS data acquisition took only 7 min for each sample.     

Derivation of class II force fields. VIII. Derivation of a general quantum mechanical force field for organic compounds

A class II valence force field covering a broad range of organic molecules has been derived employing ab initio quantum mechanical "observables." The procedure includes selecting representative molecules and molecular structures, and systematically sampling their energy surfaces as described by energies and energy first and second derivatives with respect to molecular deformations. In this article the procedure for fitting the force field parameters to these energies and energy derivatives is briefly reviewed. The application of the methodology to the derivation of a class II quantum mechanical force field (QMFF) for 32 organic functional groups is then described. A training set of 400 molecules spanning the 32 functional groups was used to parameterize the force field. The molecular families comprising the functional groups and, within each family, the torsional angles used to sample different conformers, are described. The number of stationary points (equilibria and transition states) for these molecules is given for each functional group. This set contains 1324 stationary structures, with 718 minimum energy structures and 606 transition states. The quality of the fit to the quantum data is gauged based on the deviations between the ab initio and force field energies and energy derivatives. The accuracy with which the QMFF reproduces the ab initio molecular bond lengths, bond angles, torsional angles, vibrational frequencies, and conformational energies is then given for each functional group. Consistently good accuracy is found for these computed properties for the various types of molecules. This demonstrates that the methodology is broadly applicable for the derivation of force field parameters across widely differing types of molecular structures. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 22: 1782-1800, 2001     

The stereochemistry of guggulsterol-1

The steroechemistry of guggulsterol-1, a component of the exudate of $\text{Commiphora}$$\text{mukul}$, is shown to be 20(R), 22(R)($\text{3}$).     

A reinterpretation of the mechanism of the simplest reaction at an sp3-hybridized carbon atom: H + CD4 --> CD3 + HD

A comparison between theory and experiment for the benchmark H + CD4 --> HD + CD3 abstraction reaction yields a reinterpretation of the reaction mechanism and highlights the unexpected contribution of a stripping mechanism. Whereas the best analytic surface fails to reproduce experiment, a first-principles direct-dynamics (on the fly) treatment is in good agreement, showing that the H + CD4 reaction exhibits extreme sensitivity to modest differences in the potential energy surface. We find that bent H-D-C transition state geometries play an important role in the dynamics. A simple model that relates the scattering angle impact parameter and cone of acceptance accounts well for the overall reaction dynamics.     

Purine analog inhibitors of xanthine oxidase - structure activity relationships and proposed binding of the molybdenum cofactor

A number of new hypoxanthine analogs have been prepared as substrate inhibitors of xanthine oxidase. Most noteworthy inhibitory new hypoxanthine analogs are 3-(m-tolyl)pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-7-one ( 47 ), ID₅₀ 0.06 μM and 3-phenylpyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-7-one ( 46 ), ID₅₀ 0.40 μM. 5-(p-Chlorophenyl)pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-7-one ( 63 ) and the corresponding 5-nitrophenyl derivative 64 exhibited an ID₅₀ of 0.21 and 0.23 μM, respectively. 7-Phenylpyrazolo[1,5-a]-s-triazin-4-one ( 40 ) is shown to exhibit an ID₅₀ of 0.047 μM. The structure-activity relationships of these new phenyl substituted hypoxanthine analogs are discussed and compared with the xanthine analogs 3-m-tolyl- and 3-phenyl-7-hydroxypyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-5-ones ( 90 ) and ( 91 ), previously reported from our laboratory to have ID₅₀ of 0.025 and 0.038 μM, respectively. The presence of the phenyl and substitutedphenyl groups contribute directly to the substrate binding of these potent inhibitors. This work presents an updated study of structure-activity relationships and binding to xanthine oxidase. In view of the recent elucidation of the pterin cofactor and the proposed binding of this factor to the molybdenum ion in xanthine oxidase, a detailed mechanism of xanthine oxidase oxidation of hypoxanthine and xanthine is proposed. Three types of substrate binding are viewed for xanthine oxidase. The binding of xanthine to xanthine oxidase is termed Type I binding. The binding of hypoxanthine is termed Type II binding and the specific binding of alloxanthine is assigned as Type III binding. These three types of substrate binding are analyzed relative to the most potent compounds known to inhibit xanthine oxidase and these inhibitors have been classified as to the type of inhibitor binding most likely to be associated with specific enzyme inhibition. The structural requirements for each type of binding can be clearly seen to correlate with the inhibitory activity observed. The chemical syntheses of the new 3-phenyl- and 3-substituted phenylpyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines with various substituents are reported. The syntheses of various 8-phenyl-2-substituted pyrazolo-[1,5-a]-s-triazines, certain s-triazolo[1,5-a]-s-triazines and s-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine derivatives prepared in connection with the present study are also described.     

Berkeleydione and berkeleytrione, new bioactive metabolites from an acid mine organism

[structure: see text] Two novel hybrid polyketide-terpenoid metabolites were isolated from a Penicillium sp. growing in the Berkeley Pit Lake of Butte, Montana. Their structures were deduced by spectroscopic analysis and confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis on berkeleydione (1). Both compounds inhibited matrix metalloproteinase-3 and caspase-1, and berkeleydione showed activity toward non-small-cell lung cancer in NCI's human cell line antitumor screen.     

A further study of the cytotoxic constituents of a milnamide-producing sponge

A reinvestigation of Auletta sp. yielded the novel compound milnamide C (3) plus the known compounds milnamide A (1), milnamide B (hemiasterlin) (2), jasplakinolide (5), and geodiamolides A (6), D (7), E (8), and G (9). The isolation work was guided by cytoskeletal bioactivity data. Compounds 2 and 3 were shown to cause microtubule depolymerization, and 6-9 were shown to cause microfilament disruption. This biological activity and the structural elucidation of 3, including X-ray analysis, are reported here. [structure: see text]     

Assessment of 4-nitrogenated benzyloxymethyl groups for 2'-hydroxyl protection in solid-phase RNA synthesis

The search for a 2'-OH protecting group that would impart ribonucleoside phosphoramidites with coupling kinetics and coupling efficiencies comparable to those of deoxyribonucleoside phosphoramidites led to an assessment of 2'-O-(4-nitrogenated benzyloxy)methyl groups through solid-phase RNA synthesis using phosphoramidites 2a-d, 12a, and 14a. These phosphoramidites exhibited rapid and efficient coupling properties. Particularly noteworthy is the cleavage of the 2'-O-[4-(N-methylamino)benzyloxy]methyl groups in 0.1 M AcOH, which led to U19dT within 15 min at 90 degrees C. [reaction: see text]