A stimulus-responsive shape-persistent micelle bearing a calix[4]arene building block: reversible pH-dependent transition between spherical and cylindrical forms

A series of cationic calix[4]arene-based lipids with alkyl chains of varying length were newly synthesized, and the ones with propyl and hexyl tails, denoted by CaL[4]C3 and C6, respectively, were found to form spherical micelles at low pH (protonated state of the amine headgroup). Upon deprotonation with increasing pH, CaL[4]C3 showed a sphere-to-cylinder transition, while CaL[4]C6 changed from sphere, to cylinder, to monolayer vesicle. Synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) patterns from both spherical and cylindrical CaL[4]C3 micelles exhibited a sharp intensity minimum, indicating shape monodispersity. The monodispersity of the CaL[4]C3 spherical micelles was further confirmed by analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC). SAXS, AUC, and static light scattering agreeingly indicated an aggregation number of 6. In contrast, CaL[4]C6 exhibited polydispersity with an average aggregation number of 12. When the number of carbons of the alkyl chain was increased to 9 (CaL[4]C9), cylinder formed at low pH, while at high pH, no clear morphology could be observed. The present results indicate that a very precise combination of tail length, head volume, and rigidity of the building block is required to produce shape-persistent micelles and that the shape-persistence can be maintained upon a structural transition. An attempt to reconstruct a molecular model for the spherical CaL[4]C3 micelle was made with an ab initio shape determining program.     

Simultaneous quantitation of sphingoid bases and their phosphates in biological samples by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

We developed a liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous quantitative determination of C18 sphingosine (Sph), C18 dihydrosphingosine (dhSph), C18 phytosphingosine (pSph), C18 sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), C18 dihydrosphingosine-1-phosphate (dhS1P), and C18 phytosphingosine-1-phosphate (pS1P). Samples were prepared by simple methanol deproteinization and analyzed in selected reaction monitoring modes. No peak tailing was observed on the chromatograms using a Capcell Pak ACR column (1.5 mm i.d. × 250 mm, 3 μm, Shiseido). The calibration curves of the sphingoids showed good linearity (r > 0.996) over the range of 0.050-5.00 pmol per injection. The accuracy and precision of this method were demonstrated using four representative biological samples (serum, brain, liver, and spleen) from mice that contained known amounts of the sphingoids. Samples of mice tissue such as plasma, brain, eye, testis, liver, kidney, lung, spleen, lymph node, and thymus were examined for their Sph, dhSph, pSph, S1P, dhS1P, and pS1P composition. The results confirmed the usefulness of this method for the physiological and pathological analysis of the composition of important sphingoids.     

Surface-alkalinization-induced enhancement of photocatalytic H2 evolution over SrTiO3-based photocatalysts

A strategy of reaction-environment modulation was employed to change the surface property of a semiconductor photocatalyst to enhance its photocatalytic performance. Surface alkalinization induced by a high alkalinity of the solution environment significantly shifted the surface energy band of a SrTiO(3) photocatalyst to a more negative level, supplying a strong potential for H(2)O reduction and consequently promoting the photocatalytic efficiency of H(2) evolution. This mechanism is also applicable for visible-light-sensitive La,Cr-codoped SrTiO(3) photocatalyst, which hence, could achieve a high apparent quantum efficiency of 25.6% for H(2) evolution in CH(3)OH aqueous solution containing 5 M NaOH at an incident wavelength of 425 ± 12 nm.     

Full configuration interaction calculations of the second hyperpolarizabilities of the H4 model compound: summation-over-states analysis and interplay with diradical characters

The second hyperpolarizability (γ) of the one-dimensional H(4) model compound has been calculated at the full configuration interaction level to describe its relationships with the diradical characters y(i) [the occupation numbers of the lowest unoccupied natural orbital (LUNO) + i] and the geometry. It is found that the system with intermediate y(0) ( = 0.527) and small y(1) ( = 0.178) exhibits the largest γ value [enhanced by a factor of 9 compared to that of a nearly closed-shell H(4) analog (y(0) = 0.099, y(1) = 0.029)], where both the outer H-H distances are slightly larger than the inner one. These results provide a molecular design guideline for enhancing and controlling the third-order nonlinear optical properties of singlet multiradical linear molecular systems such as multiradical organic aggregates, supermolecular systems, and extended metal atom chains.     

Skeletal reorganization of enynes catalyzed by InCl3

[reaction: see text] The skeletal reorganization of enynes is achieved by the presence of InCl(3) as the catalyst. The reaction of enynes having a terminal acetylenic moiety proceeds in a stereospecific manner to give 1-vinylcycloalkenes. The reaction of enynes containing an alkyl group on the acetylenic terminal carbon resulted in a new type of skeletal reorganization to give 1-allylcycloalkenes, formation of which involves a double cleavage of the C-C double bond and the triple bond.     

Stereochemistry of sagittamide A: prediction and confirmation

[structure: see text] The C5-C10 relative stereochemistry of sagittamide A was predicted, with the use of the 3JH,H profiles assembled from the spin-coupling constants reported in the literature. The predicted relative stereochemistry was then confirmed by a total synthesis of two relevant remote diastereomers. The absolute configuration of sagittamide A was established through a detailed 1H NMR analysis of the two remote diastereomers, followed by doping experiments of them with the authentic natural product.     

Unified total synthesis of pteriatoxins and their diastereomers

A unified total synthesis is reported to access all of the possible diastereomers of pteriatoxins A-C, with the use of an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction as the key step to form the carbo-macrocyclic core structure. The C34/C35-diol protecting groups were found to have significant effects on both the exo/endo-selectivity and the exo-facial selectivity of the intramolecular Diels-Alder process.     

Luminescent amidate-bridged one-dimensional platinum(II)-thallium(I) coordination polymers assembled via metallophilic attraction

The neutral square-planar complexes [Pt(RNH2)2(NHCO(t)Bu)2] (R = H, 1; Et, 2) and [Pt(DACH)(NHCO(t)Bu)2] (DACH = 1,2-diaminocyclohexane, 3) act as metalloligands and make bonds to closed-shell Tl(I) ions to afford one- and two-dimensional platinum-thallium oligomers or polymers based on heterobimetallic backbones. A series of heteronuclear platinum(II)-thallium(I) complexes have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The structures of the Pt-Tl compounds resulted from [Pt(RNH2)2(NHCO(t)Bu)2] and TlX [X = NO3(-), ClO4(-), PF6(-), and Cp2Fe(CO2)2(2-)] are dependent on both counteranions and the amine substituents. The compounds [Pt(NH3)2(NHCO(t)Bu)2Tl]X (X = NO3(-), 8; ClO4(-), 9) adopt one-dimensional zigzag chain structures consisting of repeatedly stacked [Pt(NH3)2(NHCO(t)Bu)2Tl]+ units, whereas [{Pt(NH3)2(NHCO(t)Bu)2}2Tl2]X2 (X = PF6(-), 10) consists of a helical chain. Compound 3 reacts with Tl+ to give [{Pt(DACH)(NHCO(t)Bu)2}2Tl](NO3) x [Pt(DACH)(NHCO(t)Bu)2] x 3 H2O (14) and one-dimensional polymeric [{Pt(DACH)(NHCO(t)Bu)2}2Tl2]X2 (X = ClO4(-), 15; PF6(-), 16). Reactions of [Pt(DACH)(NHCOCH3)2] with Tl+ ions afford one-dimensional coordination polymers [{Pt(DACH)(NHCOCH3)2}2Tl2]X2 (X = NO3(-), 17; ClO4(-), 18; PF6(-), 19). The polymeric [{Pt(DACH)(NHCOR')2}2Tl2]2+ (R = CH3, (t)Bu) complexes adopt helical structures, which are generated around the crystallographic 2(1) screw axis. The distance between the coils corresponds to the unit cell length, which ranges from 22.58 to 22.68 A. The platinum-thallium bond distances fall in a narrow range around 3.0 A. The complexes derived from [Pt(NH3)2(NHCO(t)Bu)2] are luminescent at 77 K. The trinuclear complexes [{Pt(RNH2)(NHCO(t)Bu)2}2Tl]+ do not emit at room temperature but are emissive at 77 K, whereas the polymeric platinum-thallium complexes containing 1,2-diaminocyclohexane are intensively luminescent at both room temperature and 77 K. The color variations are interesting; 15 exhibits intense yellow-green, 16 exhibits green, and 17-19 exhibit blue luminescence. The presence of bonding between platinum and thallium is supported by the short metal-metal separations and the strong low-energy luminescence of these compounds in their solid states.     

An approach for decontamination of beta-lactam antibiotic residues or contaminants in the pharmaceutical manufacturing environment

An effective procedure for decontamination of beta-lactam antibiotic residues or contaminants in the pharmaceutical manufacturing environment was investigated. Decontamination with solutions of hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxylamine as agents for degradation was assessed. According to the results, the beta-lactam antibiotics were significantly degraded with sodium hydroxide and hydroxylamine. From the structural analysis of the degradation products of a cephem antibiotic, cefpodoxime proxetil, it was found that hydroxylamine degraded the beta-lactam structure under mild conditions, while sodium hydroxide did not. Therefore, hydroxylamine was considered an appropriate decontamination agent for beta-lactam antibiotics.     

Exciton recurrence motion in aggregate systems in the presence of quantized optical fields

The exciton dynamics of model aggregate systems, dimer, trimer, and pentamer, composed of two-state monomers is computationally investigated in the presence of three types of quantized optical fields, i.e., coherent, amplitude-squeezed, and phase-squeezed fields, in comparison with the case of classical laser fields. The constituent monomers are assumed to interact with each other by the dipole-dipole interaction, and the two-exciton model, which takes into account both the one- and two-exciton generations, is employed. As shown in previous studies, near-degenerate exciton states in the presence of a (near) resonant classical laser field create quantum superposition states and thus cause the spatial exciton recurrence motion after cutting the applied field. In contrast, continuously applied quantized optical fields turn out to induce similar exciton recurrence motions in the quiescent region between the collapse and revival behaviors of Rabi oscillation. The spatial features of exciton recurrence motions are shown to depend on the architecture of aggregates. It is also found that the coherent and amplitude-squeezed fields tend to induce longer-term exciton recurrence behavior than the phase-squeezed field. These features have a possibility for opening up a novel creation and control scheme of exciton recurrence motions in aggregate systems under the quantized optical fields.