Experimental and theoretical study of the V → T,R relaxation of CD4 between 300 and 100 K

Rate constants for the vibrational deactivation of CD₄ by the collision partners CD₄, He, Ne, Ar, Kr, D₂ and O₂ have been measured using a laser-fluorescence technique. The results are compared with those for the deactivation of CH₄ by the same collision partners and with a modified SSH type theoretical treatment.     

Photolysis of gamma-(alpha-carboxy-2-nitrobenzyl)-L-glutamic acid investigated in the mcrosecond time scale by time-resolved FTIR

The photolytic release of substrates from caged substrates has proven to be an excellent method to generate concentration jumps for kinetic measurements in the microsecond time scale. In this report we use time-resolved FTIR in the step-scan mode to probe the photolysis mechanism of one such caged compound, namely gamma-(alpha-carboxy-2-nitrobenzyl)glutamate, and to obtain a direct measure of the rate of photorelease of the substrate glutamate. The time-resolved difference FTIR spectra exhibit specific signals that can be assigned to the reactant caged glutamate, photolytically released product glutamate, as well as to the aci-nitro intermediate, the key intermediate of the photolysis reaction. Therefore these signals allow the characterization of the kinetics of formation and decay of the intermediate and products. This is the first such report that provides a direct determination of the rate of formation of the photolysis product from a caged compound in the microsecond time scale. Furthermore, the results presented provide a good basis for further time-resolved FTIR studies of molecular reaction mechanisms, such as ligand protein interactions, in the microsecond time scale through the photolytic release of substrates from caged compounds.     

Direct conversion of N-methoxy-N-methylamides (Weinreb amides) to ketones via a nonclassical Wittig reaction

[reaction: see text] N-Methoxy-N-methylamides (Weinreb amides) are converted efficiently into ketones by reaction with alkylidenetriphenylphosphoranes and in situ hydrolysis of the product.     

Evaluation of Poisson solvation models using a hybrid explicit/implicit solvent method

Implicit solvent methods have become popular tools in the field of protein dynamics simulations, yet evaluation of their validity has been primarily limited to comparisons with experimental and theoretical data for small molecules. In this paper, we use a recently developed hybrid explicit/implicit solvent methodology to evaluate the accuracy of several Poisson-based implicit solvent models. Specifically, we focus on the calculation of electrostatic solvation free energies of various fixed conformations for two proteins. We show that, among various dielectric boundary definitions, the Lee-Richards molecular surface has the best agreement with hybrid solvent results. Furthermore, certain modifications of the molecular surface Poisson protocol provide varied results. For instance, simple modifications of atomic radii on charged residues generally improve absolute errors but do not significantly reduce relative errors among conformations. On the other hand, using a water-probe radius of 1.0 A, as opposed to the standard value of 1.4 A, to generate the molecular surface, moderately improves both absolute and relative results.     

Multireference spin-adapted variant of density functional theory

A new Kohn-Sham formalism is developed for studying the lowest molecular electronic states of given space and spin symmetry whose densities are represented by weighted sums of several reference configurations. Unlike standard spin-density functional theory, the new formalism uses total spin conserving spin-density operators and spin-invariant density matrices so that the method is fully spin-adapted and solves the so-called spin-symmetry dilemma. The formalism permits the use of an arbitrary set of reference (noninteracting) configurations with any number of open shells. It is shown that the requirement of degeneracy of the total noninteracting energies of the reference configurations (or configuration state functions) is equivalent to the stationary condition of the exact energy relative to the weights of the configurations (or configuration state functions). Consequently, at any molecular geometry, the weights can be determined by minimization of the energy, and, for given reference weights, the Kohn-Sham orbitals can be determined. From this viewpoint, the developed theory can be interpreted as an analog of the multiconfiguration self-consistent field approach within density functional theory.     

Convenient Asymmetric Syntheses of anti-beta-Amino Alcohols

Condensation of allylborane reagents 9 and 12 with aldehydes gave anti-3-[(diphenylmethylene)amino]-1-alken-4-ols 10 and 13 with high relative and absolute stereocontrol. Subsequent deprotection gave the corresponding free anti-3-amino-1-alken-4-ols 11 and 14. Alternatively, reaction of imines 13a, 13f, and 13g with trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride and acidic methanol gave, via rearrangement, double inversion, and hydrolysis, the isomeric anti-4-amino-1-alken-3-ols 22, 38a, and 38b in good yield. The stereochemistry of the rearrangement products has been established by a single crystal X-ray study of compound 37 and by chemical correlation.     

In vivo optical analysis of quantitative changes in collagen and elastin during arterial remodeling

Altered collagen and elastin content correlates closely with remodeling of the arterial wall after injury. Optical analytical approaches have been shown to detect qualitative changes in plaque composition, but the capacity for detection of quantitative changes in arterial collagen and elastin content in vivo is not known. We have assessed fluorescence spectroscopy for detection of quantitative changes in arterial composition in situ, in rabbit models of angioplasty and stent implant. Fluorescence emission intensity (FEI) recorded at sites remote from the primary implant site was correlated with immunohistochemical (IH) analysis and extracted elastin and collagen. FEI was significantly decreased (P<0.05) after treatment with anti-inflammatory agents, and plaque area decreased on comparison with saline-treated rabbits after stent implant or angioplasty (Por=0.961) analysis were detected by multiple regression (MR) analysis. Good correlations also were found for FEI with elastin and collagen measured by high-performance liquid chromatography; MR analysis provided highly predictive values for collagen and elastin (R2>or=0.994). Fluorescence spectroscopic analysis detects quantitative compositional changes in arterial connective tissue in vivo, demonstrating changes at sites remote from primary angioplasty and stent implant sites.     

Covalent and non-covalent albumin binding of Au(i) bis-NHCs via post-synthetic amide modification

Recent decades have witnessed the emergence of Au(i) bis-N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) as potential anticancer agents. However, these systems exhibit little interaction with serum proteins (e.g., human serum albumin), which presumably impacts their pharmacokinetic profile and tumor exposure. Anticancer drugs bound to human serum albumin (HSA) often benefit from significant advantages, including longer circulatory half-lives, tumor targeted delivery, and easier administration relative to the drug alone. In this work, we present Au(i) bis-NHCs complexes, 7 and 9, capable of binding to HSA. Complex 7 contains a reactive maleimide moiety for covalent protein conjugation, whereas its congener 9 contains a naphthalimide fluorophore for non-covalent binding. A similar drug motif was used in both cases. Complexes 7 and 9 were prepared from a carboxylic acid functionalized Au(i) bis-NHC (complex 2) using a newly developed post-synthetic amide functionalization protocol that allows coupling to both aliphatic and aromatic amines. Analytical, and in vitro techniques were used to confirm protein binding, as well as cellular uptake and antiproliferative activity in A549 human lung cancer cells. The present findings highlight a hitherto unexplored approach to modifying Au(i) bis-NHC drug candidates for protein ligation and serve to showcase the relative benefits of covalent and non-covalent HSA binding.

Au(i) bis-N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) functionalized using an amide linker were found to bind to human serum albumin (HSA) in covalent and non-covalent fashion. The solubility and in vitro anti-cancer activity of these new conjugates were studied.     

Rotaxanated conjugated sensory polymers

Two highly emissive conjugated polymers with tethered rotaxane repeat units are reported. Hydrogen bonding between acidic alcohols and the N-heteroaromatic groups in the rotaxanes attenuates polymer fluorescence. In addition, the rotaxane groups create precise three-dimensional pockets for metal binding, which results in fluorescence quenching. Exposing thin films of Zn-doped polymers to alcohol vapors reverses the quenching by up to 25%.     

A convenient synthesis of diaminoglyoxime and diaminofurazan: Useful precursors for the synthesis of high density energetic materials

The reaction of glyoxime ( 4 ) and hydroxylamine hydrochloride in aqueous sodium hydroxide was found to be a safe and inexpensive method for the preparation of multigram quantities of diaminoglyoxime ( 5 ). Potassium hydroxide mediated dehydration of 5 furnished diaminofurazan ( 1 ) in good yield of exceptional purity. The ready availability of 1 and 5 has facilitated the synthesis of new energetic furazan derivative 8 .