The dissociation quotients of formic acid in sodium chloride solutions to 200°C

The dissociation quotients of formic acid were measured potentiometrically from 25 to 200°C in NaCl solutions at ionic strengths of 0.1, 0.3 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 mol-kg^–1. The experiments were carried out in a concentration cell with hydrogen electrodes. The resulting molal acid dissociation quotients for formic acid, as well as a set of infinite dilution literature values and a calorimetrically-determined enthalpy of reaction, were fitted by an empirical equation involving an extended Debye Hückel term and seven adjustable parameters involving functions of temperature and ionic strength. This regressional analysis yielded the following thermodynamic quantities for 25°C: logK=–3.755±0.002, H^o=–0.09±0.15 kJ-mol^–1, S^o=–72.2±0.5 J-K^–1-mol^–1, and C _p ^o =–147±4 J-K^–1-mol^–1. The isocoulombic form of the equilibrium constant is recommended for extrapolation to higher temperatures.     

Synthesis of S(+) and R(-)-3-(2-aminopropyl)indole from ethyl-D- and L-tryptophanate

A stereospecific requirement for hallucinogenesis applies to certain molecules containing an asymmetric center. Thus, only the R-isomers of substituted phenylisopropylamines and lysergic acid diethylamide are psychotomimetic. The enantiomers of a minor hallucinogen, S(+)- and R(-)-3-(2-aminopropyl)indole (α-methyltryptamine) ( 6a and 6b ) were synthesized via a 5-step manipulation from D - and L -tryptophan ethyl ester hydrochloride, respectively. Optical purity of these two isomers was determined by pmr spectroscopy of their complexes with a europium chiral shift reagent using the indole C₂ H signal.     

Aqueous Solution Chemistry of the Mo(3)PdS(4) Cube: Substitution Reactions and the Double to Single Cube Interconversion Induced by CO, Two Phosphines, Cl(-), Br(-), and NCS(-)

The kinetics of conversion of an edge-linked double cube, in this case [{Mo(3)PdS(4)(H(2)O)(9)}(2)](8+), to the corresponding single cube [Mo(3)(PdX)S(4)(H(2)O)(9)](4+), has been studied for the first time. Reaction is induced by six reagents X = CO, two water-soluble phosphines, Cl(-), Br(-), and NCS(-), which complex at the tetrahedral Pd. The first stage of reaction is fast and is accompanied by color changes, e.g. purple to dark blue in the case of Cl(-), assigned as double to single cube conversion. With X = CO and the two phosphines, when absorbance changes are intense enough for stopped-flow monitoring with reactants at Pd-SCN. On removal of e.g. Cl(-) by chromatography or addition of Ag(+), the double cube re-forms.     

High-throughput cytochrome p450 inhibition assays by ultrafast gradient liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry using monolithic columns

A generic method employing ultrafast liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed and employed for routine screening of drug candidates for inhibition of five major human cytochrome p450 (CYP) isozymes, CYP3A4, CYP2D6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP1A2. The method utilized a monolithic silica rod column to allow fast flow rates to significantly reduce chromatographic run time. The major metabolites of six CYP-specific probe substrates for the five p450 isoforms were monitored and quantified to determine IC(50) values of five drug compounds against each p450 isozyme. Human liver microsomal incubation samples at each test compound concentration were combined and analyzed simultaneously by the LC/MS/MS method. Each pooled sample containing six substrates and an internal standard was separated and detected in only 24 seconds. The combination of ultrafast chromatography and sample pooling techniques has significantly increased sample throughput and shortened assay turnaround time, allowing a large number of compounds to be screened rapidly for potential p450 inhibitory activity, to aid in compound selection and optimization in drug discovery.     

Synthesis of alpha-kainic acid from a 7-azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptadiene by tandem radical addition-homoallylic radical rearrangement

Reductive radical addition of 2-iodoethanol to N-Boc 2-tosyl-7-azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptadiene gives N-Boc syn-7-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-tosyl-2-azabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene, which is converted into the neuroexcitants 3-(carboxymethyl)pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid and alpha-kainic acid. [structure: see text]     

The PEST sequence does not contribute to the stability of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator.

Background  

Endoplasmic reticulum retention of misfolded cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutants and their rapid degradation is the major cause of cystic fibrosis (CF). An important goal is to understand the mechanism of how the misfolded proteins are recognized, retained, and targeted for degradation.     

Polarization of coherent synchrotron radiation from an electron beam rotating in a plasma

After eliminating reflections from the walls of the plasma container, we observed polarization of the coherent synchrotron radiation from a relativistic electron beam rotating in a plasma. Several features of the polarization agree well with calculations based on the single particle synchrotron radiation theory. A particular polarization ratio (Fig. 3) does not, however. We deduce from this direct diffraction of the radiation by the beam electrons. This is strong evidence for beam-particle bunches of size cm. Also, there must be some absorption of the extraordinary wave to account for the observations. We suggest a way to apply these results to measure the pitch angle of the beam.Work supported by Army Research Office.     

Redox,transmetalation, and stacking properties of tetrathiafulvalene-2,3,6,7-tetrathiolate bridged tin,nickel, and palladium compounds

Here we report that capping the molecule TTFtt (TTFtt = tetrathiafulvalene-2,3,6,7-tetrathiolate) with dialkyl tin groups enables the isolation of a stable series of redox congeners and facile transmetalation to Ni and Pd. TTFtt has been proposed as an attractive building block for molecular materials for two decades as it combines the redox chemistry of TTF and dithiolene units. TTFttH₄, however, is inherently unstable and the incorporation of TTFtt units into complexes or materials typically proceeds through the in situ generation of the tetraanion TTFtt⁴⁻. Capping of TTFtt⁴⁻ with Bu₂Sn²⁺ units dramatically improves the stability of the TTFtt moiety and furthermore enables the isolation of a redox series where the TTF core carries the formal charges of 0, +1, and +2. All of these redox congeners show efficient and clean transmetalation to Ni and Pd resulting in an analogous series of bimetallic complexes capped by 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane (dppe) ligands. Furthermore, by using the same transmetalation method, we synthesized analogous palladium complexes capped by 1,1′-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene (dppf) which had been previously reported. All of these species have been thoroughly characterized through a systematic survey of chemical and electronic properties by techniques including cyclic voltammetry (CV), ultraviolet-visible-near infrared spectroscopy (UV-vis-NIR), electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). These detailed synthetic and spectroscopic studies highlight important differences between the transmetalation strategy presented here and previously reported synthetic methods for the installation of TTFtt. In addition, the utility of this stabilization strategy can be illustrated by the observation of unusual TTF radical–radical packing in the solid state and dimerization in the solution state. Theoretical calculations based on variational 2-electron reduced density matrix methods have been used to investigate these unusual interactions and illustrate fundamentally different levels of covalency and overlap depending on the orientations of the TTF cores. Taken together, this work demonstrates that tin-capped TTFtt units are ideal reagents for the installation of redox-tunable TTFtt ligands enabling the generation of entirely new geometric and electronic structures.

Capping TTFtt enables facile transmetalation in three different oxidation states.     

Comparison of uncoated, pyro-coated and totally pyrolytic graphite tubes for the HGA-500 electrothermal atomiser

The analytical performance of three uncoated electrographite tubes, three pyro-coated electrographite tubes, one tantalum carbide (TaC) coated electrographite tube, and three totally pyrolytic graphite (TPG) tubes has been evaluated and compared. A test programme was devised to determine the useful operational lifetime of each tube, and assess the influence of tube age on the sensitivity of lead, manganese and vanadium measurements by atomic absorption spectrometry. The TPG tubes were found to be more durable than the other types studied, but the lifetime advantage depended on the thickness of the pyrolytic graphite. The best TPG tube, of 720 μm wall-thickness, lasted 2.5 times longer than the pyro-coated tubes, and 5 times longer than the uncoated electrographite tubes.The TPG tubes gave slightly poorer AAS sensitivity for lead, equivalent sensitivity for manganese, and 4 times better sensitivity for vanadium than the pyro-coated electrographite tubes. Also, with TPG, signal magnitude was more consistent throughout the lifetime of a tube. For each of the test elements studied, poorest sensitivity was encountered with the TaC-coated electrographite tube.     

Validation of the CALUX bioassay for the screening of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in retail fish

The chemical-activated luciferase expression (CALUX) assay is a reporter gene assay that detects dioxin-like compounds based on their ability to activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and thus expression of the reporter gene. In this paper, the CALUX assay was examined for its application in the screening of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dioxin-like PCBs) in retail fish. The sample extracts were cleaned up on a sulfuric acid-silica gel column followed by an activated carbon column, and the AhR activity of the separated PCDD/F and dioxin-like PCB fractions was determined using the assay. The quantitative limit for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) was 0.98 pg ml(-1) (0.19 pg assay(-1) in the standard curve, corresponding to 0.16 pg g(-1) of CALUX-based toxic equivalency (2,3,7,8-TCDD equivalents) in the tested sample. Recovery tests in which dioxins were added to fish samples resulted in acceptable recoveries (77-117%). The CALUX assay performed well in the analysis of dioxins in fish samples and a comparative study revealed a strong correlation between the CALUX assay and high-resolution gas chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis for the determination of PCDD/Fs (r = 0.89) and dioxin-like PCBs (r = 0.91) in retail fish (n = 22). These data revealed that the CALUX assay would be a useful screening method for PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in retail fish.