MO Study of flavin–protein interactions in flavodoxin catalysis

MINDO /3 calculations have been performed on the Clostridium MP flavodoxin active site (a complex of the redox active coenzyme flavin mononucleotide sandwiched between the side chains of methionine and tryptophan) at various redox levels using coordinates derived from x-ray diffraction studies of the holoenzyme. Frontier orbital indices were calculated and indicate that reduction of the flavin is accompanied by induced polar states in the amino acid side chains. This stabilization of charge by the amino acid side chains could account for the reaction rate enhancement of flavin reduction catalyzed by flavodoxin. Frontier orbitals for free flavin, for the flavodoxin bound flavin without the amino acid side chains, and for the oxidized Desulfovibrio vulgaris flavodoxin active site were computed for comparison.     

Salting-out chromatography : Aliphatic and polyglycol ethers,carboxylic acids by roger sargent and wm. rieman

Distribution ratios of 15 ethers were determined with various ammonium sulfate eluents and were used to determine the conditions necessary for the separation of five-and seven-component mixtures by salting-out chromatography. The application of this technique was found to be less successful than ion-exchange chromatography for the separation of carboxylic acids.     

Synthesis of 2-amino-4-pyrimidinones from resin-bound guanidines prepared using bis(allyloxycarbonyl)-protected triflylguanidine

We have synthesized novel heterocyclic compounds from resin-bound guanidines. For this purpose, an amine immobilized on a solid support was acylated with protected amino acids. Following the deprotection, the liberated amines were guanidinylated utilizing a new member of the family of diurethane-protected triflyl guanidine reagents, N,N'-bis(allyloxycarbonyl)-N' '-triflylguanidine. The deprotected guanidines were subsequently regioselectively cyclized with beta-keto esters yielding novel compounds containing heterocyclic structures in high purities.     

Particle velocity measurements in induction plasma spraying

Laser Dopple anemometry (LDA) measurements of the particle velocity are carried out during an induction plasma spraying operation. The velocity of nickel alloy particles, or molten droplets, at the exit of an induction plasma torch prior to impact on the substrate is shown to vary with the plasma and powder injection conditions. Plasma spraying under soft vacuum (150–450 Torr) gives rise to substantially higher particle velocities (40–60 m/sec) compared to those attained at atmospheric pressure (10–20 m/sec).     

CdSe and CdSe/CdS nanorod solids

We demonstrate the self-organization of CdSe nanorods into nematic, smectic, and crystalline solids. Layered colloidal crystals of CdSe nanorods grow by slow destabilization of a nanocrystal solution upon allowing the diffusion of a nonsolvent into the colloidal solution of nanocrystals. The colloidal crystals of nanorods show characteristic birefringence, which we assign to specific spherulite-like texture of each nanorod assembly. To demonstrate the general character of nanorod self-assembly technique, CdSe/CdS heterostructure nanorods were organized into highly luminescent superlattices.     

Infrared studies of chromones—II Isotopically substituted 5-hydroxychromones

By deuteration of the OH group, it has been shown that two bands, at 1665 and 1630 cm⁻¹ (CCl₄), in the IR spectra of 5-hydroxychromones are associated with the H-bonded CO stretching vibration. Nuclear deuteration of 5-hydroxy-2-methylchromone (1) under acidic conditions gave a tri- and a hexadeutero derivative; the latter, isotopically substituted at C-3, shows a single CO band at 1649 cm⁻¹. Hydrolysis of 3-acetyl-5-hydroxy-2-methylchromone with sodium carbonate in deuterium oxide furnished 5-hydroxy-2-trideuteromethylchromone-3-d which also exhibits a single CO absorption. Partial incorporation of O¹⁸ into the CO group of 1 results in a single ν_C=O¹⁸ at 1593 cm⁻¹. It is suggested that the doublet CO absorption of 5-hydroxychromones arises from a Fermi resonance involving a low-energy vibrational mode of the vinyl proton on the nuclear C-3 position.     

Reaction of triphenylphosphine with phenylethanethiolate-protected Au38 nanoparticles

The replacement of phenylethanethiolate (SC2Ph) ligands on 1.1 nm (core diameter) Au38(SC2Ph)24 monolayer-protected clusters (MPCs) with varied amounts of triphenylphosphine (PPh3) is investigated in methylene chloride. UV-vis spectra suggest that changes in the MPC Au core size occur when large amounts (> 10 equiv moles per cluster) of PPh3 are reacted with Au38(SC2Ph)24. 1H and 31P NMR spectra following the addition of smaller amounts (< 5 equiv moles) of PPh3 indicate that the reaction liberates a AuISC2Ph complex, as opposed to a SC2Ph thiol, disulfide, or anion. A 1H NMR kinetic study shows that the exchange is surprisingly rapid, even faster than exchanges of thiolates with other thiolates, at room temperature and in air. The reaction is slowed when cooled or conducted under Ar. The difference in potentials of the initial one-electron voltammetric reduction and oxidation of Au38(SC2Ph)24 decreases slightly upon reaction with small amounts of PPh3.     

Steric interactions mediated by multiblock polymers and biopolymers: role of block size and addition of hydrophilic side chains

To a first approximation, the primary structure of many food proteins maybe thought of as a sequence of short hydrophobic and hydrophilic blocks. The influence of this type of structure on the steric-stabilising properties of such proteins has been considered here. In line with previous studies, using Self-Consistent-Field calculations, it has been shown that the presence of such protein molecules can lead to attraction and consequently bridging flocculation of colloidal particles. In the low adsorption energy limit for the hydrophobic groups (−1k_BT), it is found that the steric potential is significantly influenced by the changes in the number of adsorbed segments, as two surfaces are brought together. This is in contrast to the well-known results in the literature for the high adsorption limiting cases, where the number of such segments remains constant. In particular, the changes in the number of adsorbed hydrophobic units are observed not to be a monotonic function of the separation distance, but increase or decrease in reasonable accord with the oscillatory nature of the steric interactions, observed for various block sizes. Effects of the addition of a moderately sized hydrophilic side chain to the above molecules have also been studied. It is found that, in principle, such a modification can lead to a purely repulsive steric potential in solutions of these hybrid biopolymers. At the hydrophilic side chain sizes considered here, the surface affinity of the molecules is observed not to be drastically different compared to those of unmodified proteins.     

Stereoselective synthesis of 4-hydroxy-2-phenylproline framework

Highly diastereoselective (>20:1) bromo-lactonization of N-sulfonyl-2-allyl-2-phenylglycine methyl ester (11) was observed. Successive treatment of the chiral lactone with MeONa gave the desired (2S,4R)-4-hydroxy-2-phenylproline derivative in high yield without erosion of the diastereoselectivity. The starting chiral non-racemic compound (5) was prepared from the racemic 2-phenylglycine using a classical kinetic resolution (crystallization), an asymmetric phase transfer alkylation, and an enzyme-catalyzed kinetic resolution.     

Determination of Interparticle Forces by Colloidal Particle Scattering: A Simulation Study

Preflocculated ferric hydroxide flocs were subjected to either a simple shear flow or a two-dimensional straining flow, and their motion was optically observed. Digital image analysis was applied to extract information on orientation and deformation from the digitized frames. It was found that the simple shear flow led to a rotation of the flocs whose motion can be understood from the behavior of a solid ellipsoid. In the extensional flow, no continuous rotation occurred and flocs were broken apart along the axis of straining. The rupture forces estimated from an ellipsoid model were found to be in the range of 0.1 N/m(2). Copyright 2000 Academic Press.