Novel RhCp*/GaCp* and RhCp*/InCp* cluster complexes

The reaction of 6 equivalents of GaCp*(Cp*= pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) with [{Cp*RhCl2}2] yields the complex [Cp*Rh(GaCp*)3(Cl)2] (1) exhibting a cage-like intermetallic RhGa3 center with Ga-Cl-Ga bridges. Treatment of this complex with GaCl3 gives the Lewis acid-base adduct [Cp*Rh(GaCp*)2(GaCl3)]. (2) Reaction of [{Cp*RhCl2}2] with understoichiometric amounts of E(I)Cp*(E = Al, Ga, In) leads to a variety of products strongly dependent on the molecular ratio of the reactants. Thus, the reduction of [{Cp*RhCl2}2] with one equivalent of E(I)Cp*(E = Al, Ga, In) gives the RhII dimer [{Cp*RhCl}2]. The insertion of 3 equivalents of InCp* into the Rh-Cl bonds of [{Cp*RhCl2}2] yields the salt [Cp*2Rh]+[Cp*Rh(InCp*){In2Cl4(mu2-Cp*)}]- (3), the anion exhibiting an intermetallic RhIn(3) center with an intramolecularly bridging Cp* ring. The reaction of [{Cp*RhCl}2] with Cp*Ga yields various insertion products. In trace amount the "all hydrocarbon" cluster complex [(RhCp*)2(GaCp*)3] (6) is obtained. The corresponding ethylene containing cluster complex [{RhCp(GaCp*)(C2H4)}2] (7) can be prepared by treatment of [RhCp*(CH3CN)(C2H4)] with GaCp*.     

Claisen rearrangement of allyl phenyl ether and its sulfur and selenium analogues on electron impact

The electron impact (EI) mass spectrum of allyl phenyl ether (1) includes an ion at m/z 106 that is formed mainly by the loss of CO from the molecular ion, as supported by high resolution and MS/MS data. The formation of the [M - CO](+) ion from 1 can be explained in terms of the Claisen rearrangement of 1 after ionization in the ion source of the mass spectrometer. Similarly, allyl phenyl sulfide (2) and allyl phenyl selenide (3) showed characteristic ions corresponding to [M - CH(3)](+), [M - XH](+) (X = S or Se) and [M - C(2)H(4)](+.), and the formation of these ions are explained via Claisen rearrangement of 2 and 3 in the ion source of the mass spectrometer resulting in a mixture of rearrangement products. The formation of molecular ions of 2-allyl thiophenol and 2-allyl selenophenol as intermediates, that cannot be isolated as the neutrals from the solution phase Claisen rearrangement of 2 and 3, respectively, is clearly indicated in the gas phase. The mass spectra of the rearrangement products obtained from the solution phase reaction were also consistent with the proposal of formation of these products in the ion source of the mass spectrometer. The formation of characteristic fragment ions attributed to the Claisen rearrangement products are also evident in the collision induced dissociation spectra of the corresponding molecular ions. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Collision induced decomposition of peptides. Choice of collision parameters

Collision-induced dissociation product ion spectra of a series of doubly charged tryptic peptide ions produced by electrospray ionization were obtained by triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry. The sequence information content of the product ion spectra was explored as a function of collision energy and collision-cell gas pressure for parent ions with molecular masses ranging from 300 to 2000 u. The energy range (at a given pressure) in which the degree of fragmentation is acceptable was found to be narrow for parent ions of a given mass, and the optimal collision energy was observed to exhibit a strong linear correlation with parent ion mass. This observed correlation opens the way for on-line software-controled selection of optimal mass spectrometric conditions in the enzymatic digestion-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric strategy of amino acid sequencing of proteins.     

Characterization of partially transesterified poly(beta-hydroxyalkanoate)s using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) was used for the characterization of a partially transesterified poly(beta-hydroxyalkanoate), PHA, polymer produced by the bacterial strain Alcaligenes eutrophus using saponified vegetable oils as the sole carbon sources. The transesterification was carried out separately under acidic and basic conditions to obtain PHA oligomers weighing less than 10 kDa. The intact oligomers were detected in their cationized [M + Na](+) and [M + K](+) forms by MALDI-TOFMS. A composition analysis, using the MALDI-TOF spectra, indicate that the oligomers obtained via acid catalysis were terminated with a methyl 3-hydroxybutyrate end group, and those obtained by base catalysis had a methyl crotonate (olefinic) termination. In addition to HB (hydroxy butyrate), the oligomers were found to contain a small percentage of HV (hydroxy valerate). This was independently confirmed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In comparison, the analysis of a commercial PHA polymer, transesterified under identical conditions, only showed the presence of HB, i.e. a pure PHB homopolymer. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fine-structure measurements of two-photon transitions in atomic cesium with a tunable dye laser

Two-photon transitions have been observed from the 6²S ground state of atomic cesium to selected higher lying n²D levels up to n = 19. The transitions were excited by a narrowband dye laser pumped by a nitrogen laser and detected by a space charge limited cesium vapor photodiode. The fine structure intervals of the n²D levels for n = 15, 17 and 19 were measured by direct comparison with the ground-state hyperfine interval, and the line strength ratios of the fine-structure components were measured and compared with the predictions of a simple theoretical model.     

Magnetic,spectroscopic and biological properties of copper(II) complexes of the tridentate ligand, α-N-methyl-S-methyl-β-N-(2-pyridyl)methylenedithiocarbazate(NNS) and the X-ray crystal structure of the [Cu(NNS)I2] complex

Copper(II) complexes of general formula, Cu(NNS)X ₂ · nH₂O (NNS = the 2-formylpyridine Schiff base of N-methyl-S-methyldithiocarbazate; X = Cl^–, Br^–, I^–, NCS^–; n = 0, 2) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and by magnetic and spectroscopic techniques. Based on magnetic and spectroscopic data, a monomeric five-coordinate square-pyramidal structure is assigned to these complexes. The crystal and molecular structure of [Cu(NNS)I₂] has been determined by X-ray diffraction. The complex has a monomeric square-pyramidal structure with the ligand coordinated to the copper(II) ion via the pyridine nitrogen atom, the azomethine nitrogen atom and the thione sulfur atom. The fourth and fifth coordination sites are occupied by the iodide ligands. Antimicrobial tests indicate that Schiff base is inactive against the bacteria, Bacillus subtilis (mutant defective DNA repair), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis (wild type) and weakly active against the fungi, Candida albicans, Candida lypolytica, Saccharomyces cereviseae and Aspergillus ochraceous but its copper(II) complexes, Cu(NNS)X ₂ are strongly active against these organisms. A cytotoxicity study of the compounds against leukemic and cervical cancer cells showed that the Schiff base is inactive, but the complexes, [Cu(NNS)I₂] and [Cu(NNS)(NCS)₂] · 2H₂O exhibit significant activity against cervical cancer cells with CD₅₀ values of 4.8 and 4.2 g, respectively.     

Estimation of proton affinity of proline and tryptophan under electrospray ionization conditions using the extended kinetic method

The relative order of the proton affinity (PA) of 20 naturally occurring amino acids has been determined under electrospray ionization conditions and compared with earlier studies of different research workers. The order we obtained is similar to that reported by other groups except in three cases viz., valine--aspartic acid, asparagine--glutamic acid and tryptophan--proline. The PA values of proline and tryptophan are determined by the extended kinetic method using amino acids themselves as reference bases. The PA values we thus obtained for proline and tryptophan are 219.9 and 221.6 kcal/mol, respectively.     

The Klein-Gordon and the Dirac Oscillators in a Noncommutative Space

We study the Dirac and the Klein-Gordon oscillators in a noncommutative space. It is shown that the Klein-Gordon oscillator in a noncommutative space has a similar behaviour to the dynamics of a particle in a commutative space and in a constant magnetic field. The Dirac oscillator in a noncommutative space has a similar equation to the equation of motion for a relativistic fermion in a commutative space and in a magnetic field, however a new exotic term appears, which implies that a charged fermion in a noncommutative space has an electric dipole moment.     

Bis­(aceto­nitrile‐N)(o‐benzoquinone di­imine‐N,N′)‐trans‐bis­(tri­phenyl­phosphine‐P)­ruthenium(II) bis(hexa­fluoro­phosphate) methanol solvate

The title complex, [Ru(C₂H₃N)₂(C₆H₆N₂)(C₁₈H₁₅P)₂](PF₆)₂.CH₄O, is the third of a series of ruthenium complexes containing two tri­phenyl­phosphine groups in a trans arrangement, o‐benzoquinone di­imine and two other non‐redox active ligands to been characterized. The effect of electron donor–acceptor properties of the two non‐redox active ligands does not change the quinone arrangement for the o‐benzoquinone di­imine ligand, as can be seen from the bond distances of the quinone ring. The asymmetric unit contains half a mol­ecule of complex cation (on a twofold rotation axis), one hexa­fluoro­phosphate anion and half a mol­ecule of methanol in a general position close to a twofold rotation axis.