Photoresistors for ultraviolet radiation

The UV is converted to visible light with a phosphor (magnesium arsenate, halophosphate, or magnesium fluorosilicate), which works into a CdS photoresistor. This gives large currents with erythemal and bactericidal lamps, which provides the basis for convenient and portable equipment.We are indebted to F. Pekerman and R. Andreichin for assistance in this work.     

Effects of Trifluoromethyl and Alkoxycarbonyl Groups on the Structure and Reactivity of Acrylates

Ab initio calculations with full geometry optimization have been performed for -CF₃-substituted cis- and trans-methyl crotonates, methyl-,-bis(trifluoromethyl) acrylate, and dimethylhexafluoroisopropylidene malonate using the restricted Hartree-Fock (RHF) method (6-31G* basis set). The effects of substituents at the multiple bond on the geometrical and electronic structure, dipole moments, polarizability and first molecular hyperpolarizability tensors, normal vibration frequencies, one-electron levels, electrostatic potentials, and local electron density at the C=C bond have been studied. Two substituents in the acrylic system prevent the conjugation of C=C and C=O bonds. The major effect on the structure and properties of the title compounds is produced by - interactions of the CF₃ group with the multiple bond and by incoherent exchange interactions of substituents at the C=C bond.     

Pathways of formation of xenobiotics of the dioxin type: Quantum-chemical consideration. 2. 1,2-Ketocarbenes as intermediates in the conversions of polychlorophenols to dioxin

The AM1 method was used to calculate the enthalpies of formation of polychlorinated 1,2-ketocarbenes (PCKC) from polychlorophenols (PCP) according to a two-step scheme — deprotonation with the formation of polychlorophenolate anions (PCPA, H₁) and dechlorination to PCKC (H₂). It was shown that the biradical state of PCKC has a lower energy than the singlet state. The influence of the solvent on H₁ and H₂ was estimated within the framework of the solvation model. It was shown that H₁ decreases with increasing number of Cl atoms in PCP, which is evidence of an increase in the acidity, whereas H₂ increases, which is due to an increase in the relative stability of PCPA with increasing number of Cl atoms. A calculation of the dimerization of PCKC in the singlet state showed that this process occurs with virtually no activation energy. The electronic state of 1,2-ketocarbene and its analogs in the singlet state was studied by a nonempirical MO LCAO SCF method. A comparison with 1,2-thioketocarbene and its analogs was performed.For previous communication, see [1].A. N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Heteroorganic Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117813 Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1740–1745, August, 1992.     

Reactions of methyl trifluoropyruvate with five-membered electron-rich heterocycles

A study was carried out on the reactions of methyl trifluoropyruvate with Nmethylpyrrole, furan, and thiophene. Conditions were found for the selective monoalkylation and dialkylation of these heterocycles. The sites of substitution of the heterocycle in the monoalkylation and dialkylation reactions were determined.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 2369–2371, October, 1989.     

Collison nebulizer as a new soft ionization source for mass spectrometry

We have proposed that a Collison-type nebulizer be used as an ionization source for mass spectrometry with ionization under atmospheric pressure. This source does not require the use of electric voltage, radioactive sources, heaters, or liquid pumps. It has been shown that the number of ions produced by the ⁶³Ni radioactive source is three to four times larger than the number of ions produced by acoustic ionization sources. We have considered the possibility of using a Collison-type nebulizer in combination with a vortex focusing system as an ion source for extractive ionization of compounds under atmospheric pressure. The ionization of volatile substances in crossflows of a charged aerosol and an analyte (for model compounds of the amine class, viz., diethylaniline, triamylamine, and cocaine) has been investigated. It has been shown that the limit of detecting cocaine vapor by this method is on the level of 4.6 × 10^–14 g/cm³.     

Hydrodynamic and electrooptical properties of star-shaped heteroarm fullerene (C60)-containing polymers in solutions

Star-shaped heteroarm polymers with a C₆₀ branching center and polystyrene and poly(2-vinylpyridine) arms of equal molecular masses have been studied by the methods of molecular hydrodynamics (translational diffusion and viscometry) and electrooptics (the Kerr effect). The experimental hydrodynamic data are interpreted in terms of the regular star model. The molecular masses and hydrodynamic sizes of star-shaped heteroarm polymers in solutions are estimated. A comparison of these values with the corresponding parameters of linear polymer-analogs (polystyrene and poly(2-vinylpyridine)) makes it possible to characterize the branching degree of macromolecules. The study of the electrooptical properties of the heteroarm polymer in benzene demonstrates the tendency of macromolecules toward aggregation.     

Plasma Exosomes of Patients with Breast and Ovarian Tumors Contain an Inactive 20S Proteasome

Exosomes are directly involved in governing of physiological and pathological conditions of an organism through the transfer of information from producing to receiving cells. It can be assumed that exosomes are one of the key players of tumor dissemination since they are very stable and small enough to penetrate from various tissues into biological fluids and then back, thus interacting with tissue target cells. We evaluated the enzymatic activity and the level of 20S proteasome in tissue and exosomes of healthy females (n = 39) and patients with ovarian (n = 50) and breast (n = 108) tumors to reveal the critical role of exosomal cargo in the mediation of different types of metastases. Exosomes from plasma and ascites were isolated and characterized in according to International Society for Extracellular Vesicles guidelines. The level of 20S proteasome in tissue and exosomes was determined using Western blot analysis. Chymotrypsin- and caspase-like (ChTL and CL, respectively) peptidase activities of the proteasomes were determined using fluorogenic Suc-LLVY-AMC and Cbz-LLG-AMC substrates, respectively. We observed increased levels of 20S proteasome in ovarian cancer tissue and luminal B subtype breast cancer tissue as well as in plasma exosomes from cancer patients. Moreover, the level of the 20S proteasome in plasma exosomes and ascites exosomes in patients with ovarian tumors is comparable and higher in ovarian cancer patients with low volume ascites than in patients with moderate and high-volume ascites. We also found increased ChTL and CL activities in breast cancer and ovarian cancer tissues, as well as in peritoneal metastases in ovarian cancer, while proteasomal activity in exosomes from plasma of healthy females and all patients, as well as from ascites of ovarian tumor patients were lower than detection limit of assay. Thus, regardless of the type of tumor metastasis (lymphogenous or peritoneal), the exosomes of cancer patients were characterized by an increased level of 20S proteasome, which do not exhibit enzymatic activity.     

Peculiarities of the effects of trifluoromethyl and alkoxycarbonyl groups on the structure and reactivity of acrylates

Ab initio quantum-chemical calculations of molecules of CF₃-substituted acrylates and their non-fluorinated analogs were carried out by the restricted Hartree-Fock (RHF) method and at the second-order Møller-Plesset (MP2) level of perturbation theory using the 6–31G^* basis set with full geometry optimization. Peculiarities of their molecular and electronic structure were revealed and the dipole moments, the polarizability and first molecular hyperpolarizability tensors, harmonic vibrational frequencies, electrostatic potentials, and local electron densities in the vicinity of the carbon atoms of the C=C bond were calculated. It was shown that CF₃-substituted acrylates are conjugated systems similar to their nonfluorinated analogs. Peculiarities of the structure and properties of CF₃-substituted acrylates are explained by p-π-interaction between the CF₃ group and the conjugated system.