Bromination by means of sodium monobromoisocyanurate (SMBI)

A variety of aromatic compounds with both activating and deactivating substituents were brominated with sodium monobromoisocyanurate (SMBI) 1, diethyl ether, diethyl ether-methanesulfonic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, or sulfuric acid were employed as solvents. Thus nitrobenzene was conveniently brominated in sulfuric acid, benzene was readily monobrominated in diethyl ether-methanesulfonic acid, and phenol was selectively brominated at the ortho position under mild conditions in refluxing diethyl ether. With substituents that are easily protonated, trifluoroacetic acid may be employed as solvent in the reaction with 1, in contrast NBS was ineffective in trifluoroacetic acid. This renders 1 a superior reagent relative to NBS. In addition to aromatics, alkenes, ketones and esters were also brominated with 1. Diethyl malonate was brominated with 1 and then subjected to a Bingel reaction with NaH to afford the desired methanofullerene in reasonable yield.     

Estimation of isoelectric points of human plasma proteins employing capillary isoelectric focusing and peptide isoelectric point markers

Synthetic UV-detectable peptide pI markers were used to estimate isoelectric point (pI) values of proteins separated by capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF) followed by cathodic mobilization in the absence of denaturing agents. The pI calculation and quantitative analysis of purified proteins showed the feasibility of these peptides as pI markers and internal standards in CIEF separation of proteins. Estimation of pI values of major proteins in human plasma was performed using the peptide pI markers, and the values were compared with those previously obtained by gel isoelectric focusing (IEF). Sera of immunoglobulin G (IgG) myeloma patients, which showed characteristic peaks of myeloma IgG in their CIEF patterns, were also subjected to the analysis and the pI values of the myeloma proteins have been estimated.     

Application of ion-exchange cartridge clean-up in food analysis IV. Confirmatory assay of benzylpenicillin, phenoxymethylpenicillin, oxacillin, cloxacillin, nafcillin and dicloxacillin, in bovine tissues by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A multiresidue analytical method was developed for the confirmation of benzylpenicillin (PCG), phenoxymethylpenicillin (PCV), oxacillin (MPIPC), cloxacillin (MCIPC), nafcillin (NFPC) and dicloxacillin (MDIPC) in bovine tissues using electrospray ionization liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS-MS) with a product ion scan mode. All penicillins gave [M-H]-, [M-H-CO2]- and [M-H-141]- as the product ion, when [M-H]- was selected as the precursor ion. Combination of an ion-exchange cartridge clean-up and the LC-ESI-MS-MS method can reliably identify all of these penicillins fortified at a concentration of 0.05 mg/kg in bovine tissues, including liver, kidney and muscle. The limits of confirmation satisfy the maximum residue limits for each of the penicillins established by the World Health Organization, US Food and Drug Administration, European Union and Japan.     

An oxazaphospholidine approach for the stereocontrolled synthesis of oligonucleoside phosphorothioates

The stereocontrolled synthesis of oligodeoxyribonucleoside phosphorothioates (PS-ODNs) using nucleoside 3'-O-oxazaphospholidine derivatives as monomer units is described. 2-Chloro-1,3,2-oxazaphospholidine derivatives were prepared from six kinds of enantiopure 1,2-amino alcohols and used for the phosphitylation reactions of 5'-O-protected nucleosides. A detailed study of these reactions revealed that the diastereoselectivity of the reaction depended on the structure of the enantiopure 1,2-amino alcohol, the reaction temperature, and the amine used as a scavenger of HCl. In addition, ab initio molecular orbital calculations for the 2-chlorooxazaphospholidine derivatives were carried out to elucidate the mechanism of these diastereoselective phosphitylation reactions. The LUMO of the 2-chloro-5-phenyloxazaphospholidine derivatives on the phosphorus atom was found to be almost orthogonal to the P-Cl bond. This LUMO may be involved in the phosphitylation reactions with predominant retention of the P-configuration. A series of dialkyl(cyanomethyl)ammonium salts were developed and used as activators for the condensation reactions of the diastereopure nucleoside 3'-O-oxazaphospholidines with 3'-O-protected nucleosides. In the presence of the new activators, the reactions proceeded rapidly to give the corresponding dinucleoside phosphite triesters. The diastereoselectivity of the condensation reaction did not depend on the counteranion but on the structure of the dialkyl(cyanomethyl)amine. In the presence of the activator, which consists of a relatively small dialkyl(cyanomethyl)amine, the condensation proceeded with excellent diastereoselectivity. After sulfurization and deprotection, diastereopure (R(p))- and (S(p))-dinucleoside phosphorothioates were obtained in excellent yields. The present methodology was also applied to the solid-phase synthesis of stereoregulated PS-ODNs. all-(R(p))-[T(PS)](3)T, all-(S(p))-[T(PS)](3)T, all-(R(p))-d[G(PS)A(PS)C(PS)]T, and all-(R(p))-[T(PS)](9)T were synthesized on a highly cross-linked polystyrene resin.     

Diastereocontrolled synthesis of dinucleoside phosphorothioates using a novel class of activators, dialkyl(cyanomethyl)ammonium tetrafluoroborates

A novel class of activators, dialkyl(cyanomethyl)ammonium tetrafluoroborates 1a-c, has been developed and applied to the condensations of diastereopure 5'-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilylthymidine 3'-cyclic phosphoramidites 3a-d with 3'-O-tert-butyldimethylsilylthymidine (4a). Among them, the condensation of 3a with 4a in the presence of 1a completed within 5 min and gave only one diastereoisomer of the corresponding phosphite 5a. After sulfurization and deprtection, almost diastereopure (Rp)-TpsT 7 was obtained (d.r. = 99:1). Next the 5'-O-(DMTr)nucleoside 3'-phosphoramidites 8a-d containing thymine, N6-benzoyladenine, N4-benzoylcytosine, and N2-phenylacetylguanine have been synthesized and allowed to condense with 3'-O-protected thymidine and 2'-deoxyadenosine. The 5'-O-DMTr group and the N-acyl groups of the nucleobases were compatible with the reaction conditions and the condensations completed quickly with excellent diastereoselectivity.     

Side chain-directed assembly of triangular molecular panels into a tetrahedron vs. open cone

Despite their structural similarity, triangular tetradentate ligands 2b and 2c experience different assembly pathways on complexation with (en)Pd(NO3)2 to give M8L4 tetrahedral (3) and open cone (4) structures, respectively, due to steric restriction by side chains at the corner or on the edge of the ligands.     

Highly sensitive assay for tyrosine hydroxylase activity by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A highly sensitive assay for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with amperometric detection was devised based on the rapid isolation of enzymatically formed DOPA by a double-column procedure, the columns fitted together sequentially (the top column of Amberlite CG-50 and the bottom column of aluminium oxide). DOPA was adsorbed on the second aluminium oxide column, then eluted with 0.5 M hydrochloric acid, and assayed by HPLC with amperometric detection. D-Tyrosine was used for the control. alpha-Methyldopa was added to the incubation mixture as an internal standard after incubation. This assay was more sensitive than radioassays and 5 pmol of DOPA formed enzymatically could be measured in the presence of saturating concentrations of tyrosine and 6-methyltetrahydropterin. The TH activity in 2 mg of human putamen could be easily measured, and this method was found to be particularly suitable for the assay of TH activity in a small number of nuclei from animal and human brain.     

Rational design of CH/pi interaction sites in a basic resolving agent

A novel synthetic basic resolving agent, cis-1-aminobenz[f]indan-2-ol (ABI), was rationally designed by introducing effective CH/pi interaction sites to cis-1-aminoindan-2-ol (AI), whose chiral recognition ability has been reported from our laboratory. ABI was applicable to a wide variety of racemic arylalkanoic acids and showed moderate to excellent chiral recognition ability, which was obviously higher than that of AI. The fundamental and important role of CH/pi interactions, such as tunable CH(sp(2))/pi and CH(sp(3))/pi interactions, in the chiral recognition by ABI was revealed by X-ray crystallographic study.     

Vacancy ion-exclusion chromatography of aromatic carboxylic acids on a weakly acidic cation-exchange resin

Determination of aromatic carboxylic acids by conventional ion-exclusion chromatography is relatively difficult and methods generally rely on hydrophobic interaction between the solute and the resin. To overcome the difficulties in determining aromatic carboxylic acids a new approach is presented, termed vacancy ion-exclusion chromatography, which is based on use of the sample as mobile phase and an injection of aqueous 10% methanol onto a weakly acidic cation-exchange column (TSKgel OApak-A). Highly sensitive conductivity detection occurred with sharp and well-shaped peaks, leading to very efficient separations. The effects of sulfuric acid concentration added to the mobile phase, flow-rate, and column temperature on the retention volume of tested aromatic carboxylic acids was investigated. Retention times were found to be affected by the concentration of the analytes in the mobile phase and to some extent also by the addition of an organic modifier such as methanol to the injected water sample. Separation of sulfuric acid (SA), naphthalenetetracarboxylic acid (NTCA), phthalic acid (PA) and benzoic acid (BA) was satisfactory using this new approach. Detection limits were 0.66, 0.67, 0.42 and 0.86 microM and detector responses were linear in the range 1-100, 1-80, 2.5-100 and 10-40 microM, for SA, NTCA, PA and BA, respectively. Precision for retention times was 0.36% and for peak areas was 1.5%.     

NAD(P)+-NAD(P)H model. 38. Reduction of aldehyde by 1,4-dihydroquinolin derivative

Benzaldehyde are reduced to benzyl alcohol by a model compound of NAD(P)H almost quantitatively. Reductions of some other aldehydes are also mentioned.