Substituent effects on the photophysical properties of pterin derivatives in acidic and alkaline aqueous solutions

Pterins are heterocyclic compounds with important biological functions, and most of them may exist in two acid-base forms in the pH range between 3 and 13 in aqueous solution. In this work, the photophysical properties of acid and basic forms of six compounds of the pterin family (6-hydroxymethylpterin [HPT], 6-methylpterin [MPT], 6,7-dimethylpterin [DPT], rhamnopterin [RPT], N-methylfolic acid [MFA], and pteroic acid [PA]) have been studied. The effects of the chemical nature of the substituents at position 6 of the pterin moiety and the effects of the pH on the absorption and emission properties are analyzed. The fluorescence characteristics (spectra, quantum yields, lifetimes) of these compounds have been investigated using the single-photon-counting technique. Results obtained for pterin derivatives containing small substituents with 1 carbon atom (HPT, MPT, DPT) and short hydrocarbon chain (4 carbon atoms) (RPT) are different from those found for pterin derivatives containing a p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) moiety in the substituent (MFA and PA). Fluorescence quantum yields (Phi(F)) of the first group of compounds are relatively high (>/=0.4), whereas MFA and PA exhibit very small Phi(F) values (相似文献   

Aged titania nanoparticles: the simultaneous control of local and long-range properties

TiO(2) nanoparticles are obtained by combining a sol-gel preparative route with hydrothermal aging steps, performed in mild conditions, of varying time lengths. Both aged and un-aged samples are thermally treated at 300 and 600 degrees C, for the same length of time. The crystal structures, the phase composition, and crystallite sizes are analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction. Raman spectra of anatase nanocrystals with average sizes of 7-10 nm are reported and the correlation between the Raman band shape of the main feature at 144 cm(-1) and the crystallite size is discussed. Nitrogen physisorption by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method is adopted to evaluate the particles surface area and mesopore size and size distribution. The role played by the hydrothermal step in affecting the physicochemical properties of the powders is discussed also with respect to the H(2)O/TiO(2) interactions as apparent from Raman spectroscopy investigations of the O-H stretching range (3000-3800 cm(-1)).     

TWO WATER-SOLUBLE FLUORESCENCE PROBES FOR CHEMIEXCITATION STUDIES: SODIUM 9,10-DIBROMO- AND 9, 10-DIPHENYLANTHRACENE-2-SULFONATE. SYNTHESIS, PROPERTIES AND APPLICATION TO TRIPLET ACETONE AND TETRAMETHYLDIOXETANE

The syntheses of sodium 9,10-dibromo- and 9,10-diphenylanthracene-2-sulfonate (DBAS and DPAS, respectively) are described and their photophysical properties determined. These two probes were used in aqueous solution studies of the kinetic parameters of tetramethyldioxetane thermolysis, which were found to be the same as in organic solvents. The yields of triplet and singlet acetone generated by the decomposition of this dioxetane in water are also comparable to the literature values in organic medium. The lifetime of triplet acetone in water was determined to be 13 ± 2 u.s by a method based on the measurement of the fluorescence decay of DBAS excited via energy transfer from triplet acetone, by the time-correlated single-photon counting technique. Sorbate ion quenches triplet acetone from tetramethyldioxetane with a rate constant smaller but close to the diffusion-controlled limit.     

Addition of carbon nucleophiles to cyclic N-acyliminium and oxocarbenium ions under solvent-free conditions

The InCl₃-catalyzed addition of carbon nucleophiles to cyclic N-acyliminium and oxocarbenium ions under solvent-free conditions at room temperature is described. The corresponding α-substituted heterocycles were obtained in moderate to excellent yields.     

Determination of copper in medicinal plants used as dietary supplements by atomic absorption spectrometry with direct flame solid analysis

An alternative device for the direct solid analysis (DSA) for copper determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) is proposed. Copper was directly determined in commercial medicinal plants used as dietary supplements. The determination of copper in solid samples by DSA–FAAS was made by using a conventional air–acetylene flame. Between 0.05 and 1.5 mg of each test, sample was weighed directly into a small polyethylene vial connected to the device used for solid introduction into the flame. Test samples were introduced into the flame as a dry aerosol using a T-quartz cell set between the burner and the optical path. The T-quartz cell has a slit in the superior part by which the solid aerosol passes to the flame. A transient signal, evaluated as integrated absorbance, is produced and it is totally integrated in 2 s. Background signals always presented absorbance values less than 0.1. It was found a characteristic mass of 0.8 ng Cu and absolute limit of detection of 1.2 ng (3 s), or 1.2 μg g⁻¹ if a sample mass of 1 mg was used. Optimized conditions for air flow rate, flame stoichiometry, and so on were established as well. No excessive grinding of the samples was needed and samples with particle of size less than 80 μm were used throughout. No statistical difference between the results from the proposed system and those obtained by sample digestion and determination by conventional FAAS was observed. With the proposed procedure, more than 50 test samples can be analyzed in 1 h and it can be easily adapted to conventional spectrometers for FAAS.     

A new tripodal receptor for molecular recognition of monosaccharides. A paradigm for assessing glycoside binding affinities and selectivities by 1H NMR spectroscopy

A new tripodal receptor for the recognition of monosaccharides is described. The prototypical host 1 features a 1,3,5-substituted 2,4,6-triethylbenzene scaffold bearing three convergent H-bonding units. The binding ability of the t-octyl derivative 1a toward a set of octylglycosides of biologically relevant monosaccharides, including Glc, Gal, Man, and GlcNAc, was investigated by 1H NMR in CDCl3. A protocol for the correct evaluation of binding affinities was established, which can be generally applied for the recognition of monosaccharides by 1H NMR spectroscopy. A three-constant equilibrium model, including 1:1 and 2:1 host-guest association and dimerization of the receptor, was ascertained for the interaction of 1a with all the investigated glycosides. An affinity index, which we defined median binding concentration BC50 in analogy to the IC50 parameter, intended to address the general issue of comparing dimensionally heterogeneous binding data, and a limiting BC0(50)quantity describing intrinsic binding affinities were developed for evaluating the results. BC0(50) values for 1a range from 1 to 6 mM, indicating an intrinsic binding affinity in the millimolar range and a selectivity factor of 5 toward the investigated glycosides. The treatment has been extended to include any generic host-guest system involved in single or multiple binding equilibria.     

Prostaglandin D2 synthase and its post-translational modifications in neurological disorders

Prostaglandin D2 synthase (PGDS) (beta-trace protein) is a highly abundant cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glycoprotein. A number of studies have been performed to determine the potential value of this protein for the diagnosis of various neurological disorders. The measurement of total PGDS levels in CSF has proved marginally useful for this purpose, but promising results were obtained while investigating changes in the posttranslational modifications (PTM) pattern. Using 2-DE analysis, we previously showed that PGDS is differentially expressed in ante- and post mortem CSF samples. In the present study, we examined whether the PGDS isoforms may help to distinguish stroke and neurodegenerative disease patients from healthy subjects. The pattern of PGDS PTM was analyzed in CSF from patients with various neurological disorders (n = 44) using IEF/immunoblotting techniques. Strong alterations of this pattern were detected in patients with different forms of degenerative dementia. These findings are consistent with PGDS being altered in some neurological diseases and provide new opportunities for clinical applications.     

UV index experimental values during the years 2000 and 2001 from the Spanish broadband UV-B radiometric network

An analysis is made of experimental ultraviolet erythemal solar radiation data measured during the years 2000 and 2001 by the Spanish UV-B radiation evaluation and prediction network. This network consists of 16 Robertson-Berger type pyranometers for evaluating solar erythemal radiation and five Brewer spectroradiometers for evaluating the stratospheric ozone. On the basis of these data the Ultraviolet Index (UVI) was evaluated for the measuring stations that are located either in coastal regions or in the more densely populated regions inland on the Iberian Peninsula. It has been checked that in most cases the maximum irradiance values corresponded to solar noon, although there were exceptions that could be explained by cloudiness. The maximum experimental values of the UVI were around 9 during the summer, though frequently passing this value at the inland measurement stations. The annual accumulated dose of irradiation on a horizontal plane has also been studied, as well as the evolution through the year in units of energy, standard erythemal doses and minimum erythemal doses, according to different phototypes.