Comprehensive separation of secondary metabolites in natural products by high-speed counter-current chromatography using a three-phase solvent system

High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) using the three-phase solvent system n-hexane-methyl acetate-acetonitrile-water at a volume ratio of 4:4:3:4 was applied to the comprehensive separation of secondary metabolites in several natural product extracts. A wide variety of secondary metabolites in each natural product was effectively extracted with the three-phase solvent system, and the filtered extract was directly submitted to the HSCCC separation using the same three-phase system. In the HSCCC profiles of crude natural drugs listed in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia, several physiologically active compounds were clearly separated from other components in the extracts. The HSCCC profiles of several tea products, each manufactured by a different process, clearly showed their compositional difference in main compounds such as catechins, caffeine, and pigments. These HSCCC profiles also provide useful information about hydrophobic diversity of whole components present in each natural product.     

Photoswitching of conductance of diarylethene-Au nanoparticle network

A network composed of gold nanoparticles covered with diarylethene dithiophenols was prepared on an interdigitated nanogapped gold electrode to show the reversible photoswitching of the conductance due to the photochromism of the diarylethene molecules induced by UV and visible light.     

Ion mobility spectrometric analysis of vaporous chemical warfare agents by the instrument with corona discharge ionization ammonia dopant ambient temperature operation

The ion mobility behavior of nineteen chemical warfare agents (7 nerve gases, 5 blister agents, 2 lachrymators, 2 blood agents, 3 choking agents) and related compounds including simulants (8 agents) and organic solvents (39) was comparably investigated by the ion mobility spectrometry instrument utilizing weak electric field linear drift tube with corona discharge ionization, ammonia doping, purified inner air drift flow circulation operated at ambient temperature and pressure. Three alkyl methylphosphonofluoridates, tabun, and four organophosphorus simulants gave the intense characteristic positive monomer-derived ion peaks and small dimer-derived ion peaks, and the later ion peaks were increased with the vapor concentrations. VX, RVX and tabun gave both characteristic positive monomer-derived ions and degradation product ions. Nitrogen mustards gave the intense characteristic positive ion peaks, and in addition distinctive negative ion peak appeared from HN3. Mustard gas, lewisite 1, o-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile and 2-mercaptoethanol gave the characteristic negative ion peaks. Methylphosphonyl difluoride, 2-chloroacetophenone and 1,4-thioxane gave the characteristic ion peaks both in the positive and negative ion mode. 2-Chloroethylethylsulfide and allylisothiocyanate gave weak ion peaks. The marker ion peaks derived from two blood agents and three choking agents were very close to the reactant ion peak in negative ion mode and the respective reduced ion mobility was fluctuated. The reduced ion mobility of the CWA monomer-derived peaks were positively correlated with molecular masses among structurally similar agents such as G-type nerve gases and organophosphorus simulants; V-type nerve gases and nitrogen mustards. The slope values of the calibration plots of the peak heights of the characteristic marker ions versus the vapor concentrations are related to the detection sensitivity, and within chemical warfare agents examined the slope values for sarin, soman, tabun and nitrogen mustards were higher. Some CWA simulants and organic solvents gave the ion peaks eluting at the similar positions of the CWAs, resulting in false positive alarms.     

Micelle formation of nonionic surfactants in a room temperature ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate: surfactant chain length dependence of the critical micelle concentration

Micellization behavior was investigated for polyoxyethylene-type nonionic surfactants with varying chain length (C(n)E(m)) in a room temperature ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (bmimBF(4)). Critical micelle concentration (cmc) was determined from the variation of (1)H NMR chemical shift with the surfactant concentration. The logarithmic value of cmc decreased linearly with the number of carbon atoms in the surfactant hydrocarbon chain, similarly to the case observed in aqueous surfactant solutions. However, the slope of the straight line is much smaller in bmimBF(4) than in aqueous solution. Thermodynamic parameters for micelle formation estimated from the temperature dependence of cmc showed that the micellization in bmimBF(4) is an entropy-driven process around room temperature. This behavior is also similar to the case in aqueous solution. However, the magnitude of the entropic contribution to the overall micellization free energy in bmimBF(4) is much smaller compared with that in aqueous solution. These results suggest that the micellization in bmimBF(4) proceeds through a mechanism similar to the hydrophobic interaction in aqueous surfactant solutions, although the solvophobic effect in bmimBF(4) is much weaker than the hydrophobic effect.     

Conjugated macrocycles: concepts and applications

One of the most important objectives in materials, chemical, and physical sciences is the creation of large conjugated macrocycles with well-defined shapes, since such molecules are not only theoretically and experimentally interesting but also have potential applications in nanotechnology. Fully unsaturated macrocycles are regarded as models for infinitely conjugated π systems with inner cavities, and exhibit unusual optical and magnetic behavior. Macrocycles have interior and exterior sites, and site-specific substitution at both or either site can afford attractive structures, such as 1D, 2D, and 3D supramolecular nanostructures. These nanostructures could be controlled through the use of π-extended large macrocycles by a bottom-up strategy. Numerous shape-persistent π-conjugated macrocycles have been synthesized, but only a few are on the nanoscale. This Review focuses on nanosized π-conjugated macrocycles (>1 nm diameter) and giant macrocycles (>2 nm diameter), and summarizes their syntheses and properties.     

Hydrogel particles as a particulate stabilizer for dispersion polymerization

Hydrogel particles composed of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) were used as a particulate steric stabilizer for the dispersion polymerization of styrene for the first time. The effects of the size and concentration of the hydrogel particles on the resultant polystyrene particles were investigated. As expected, the hydrogel particles indeed play the role of steric stabilizer for dispersion polymerization. Moreover, some of the resultant polystyrene particles were covered with hydrogel particles, which was confirmed by electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.     

Synthesis of arylglycine and mandelic acid derivatives through carboxylations of α-amido and α-acetoxy stannanes with carbon dioxide

Incorporation reactions of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) with N-Boc-α-amido and α-acetoxy stannanes were developed using CsF as a mild tin activator. Monoprotected α-amido stannanes could be used, and the corresponding arylglycine derivatives were obtained in moderate-to-high yields under 1 MPa (10 atm) of CO(2) pressure. α-Acetoxy stannanes also underwent carboxylation to afford mandelic acid derivatives in excellent yields under ambient CO(2) pressure. Both transformations enabled the synthesis of α-tertiary and α-quaternary carboxylic acid derivatives. In addition, the chirality of (S)-N-tert-butylsulfonyl-α-amido stannanes was transferred with up to 90% inversion of configuration at 100 °C.     

Heterodinuclear metal arrangement in a flat macrocycle with two chemically-equivalent metal chelating sites

A phenanthroline-based macrocycle 1 has been newly developed which has two chemically equivalent metal chelating sites within the spatially restricted cavity for dinuclear metal arrangement. The macrocycle 1 reacts with Zn(CF(3)CO(2))(2) or ZnCl(2) to form homodinuclear Zn(II)-complexes. A single-crystal X-ray structural analysis of the resulting Zn(2)1(CF(3)CO(2))(4) determined the complex structure in which two Zn(II) ions are bound by two phenanthroline sites and two CF(3)CO(2)(-) ions bind to each Zn(II) ion in a tetrahedral geometry. Similarly, a homodinuclear Cu(I)-macrocycle was formed from 1 and Cu(CH(3)CN)(4)BF(4). Notably, from 1 and an equimolar mixture of Cu(CH(3)CN)(4)BF(4) and Zn(CF(3)CO(2))(2), a heterodinuclear Cu(I)-Zn(II)-macrocycle was exclusively formed in high yield (>90%) because of the relatively low stability of the dinuclear Cu(I)-macrocycle. A heterodinuclear Ag(I)-Zn(II)-macrocycle was similarly formed with fairly high selectivity from a mixture of Ag(I) and Zn(II) ions. Such selective heterodinuclear metal arrangement was not observed with other combinations of M-Zn(II) (M = Li(I), Mg(II), Pd(II), Hg(II), La(III), and Tb(III)).     

Isolation, structure determination, and synthesis of allo-RA-V and neo-RA-V, RA-series bicyclic peptides from Rubia cordifolia L

Two bicyclic hexapeptides, allo-RA-V (4) and neo-RA-V (5), and one cyclic hexapeptide, O-seco-RA-V (6), were isolated from the roots of Rubia cordifolia?L. Their gross structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and X-ray crystallography of compound 5. The absolute stereochemistry of compounds 4 and 5 were established by their total syntheses, and the absolute stereochemistry of compound 6 by chemical correlation with deoxybouvardin (3). Comparison of the 3D structures of highly active RA-VII (1) with less-active compounds 4 and 5 suggests that the orientation of the Tyr-5 and/or Tyr-6 phenyl rings plays a significant role in their biological activity. The isolation of peptides 4-6, along with compound 3, and the comparison of their structures seem to indicate that peptide 6 may be the common precursor to bicyclic peptides 3-5 in the plant.     

A comparison of electromigration failure of metal lines with fracture mechanics

Atoms constructing an interconnecting metal linein a semiconductor device are transported by electron flowin high density.This phenomenon is called electromigration,which may cause the line failure.In order to characterize theelectromigration failure,a comparison study is carried outwith some typical phenomena treated by fracture mechanicsfor thin and large structures.An example of thin structures,which have been treated by fracture mechanics,is silica optical fibers for communication systems.The damage growth ina metal line by electromigration is characterized in comparison with the crack growth in a silica optical fiber subjectedto static fatigue.Also a brief comparison is made betweenthe electromigration failure and some fracture phenomena inlarge structures.