Multiconfigurational second-order perturbation study of the decomposition of the radical anion of nitromethane

The doublet potential energy surfaces involved in the decomposition of the nitromethane radical anion (CH(3)NO(2) (-)) have been studied by using the multistate extension of the multiconfigurational second-order perturbation method (MS-CASPT2) in conjunction with large atomic natural orbital-type basis sets. A very low energy barrier is found for the decomposition reaction: CH(3)NO(2) (-)-->[CH(3)NO(2)](-)-->CH(3)+NO(2) (-). No evidence has been obtained on the existence of an isomerization channel leading to the initial formation of the methylnitrite anion (CH(3)ONO(-)) which, in a subsequent reaction, would yield nitric oxide (NO). In contrast, it is suggested that NO is formed through the bimolecular reaction: CH(3)+NO(2) (-)-->[CH(3)O-N-O](-)-->CH(3)O(-)+NO. In particular, the CASSCF/MS-CASPT2 results indicate that the methylnitrite radical anion CH(3)ONO(-) does not represent a minimum energy structure, as concluded by using density functional theory (DFT) methodologies. The inverse symmetry breaking effect present in DFT is demonstrated to be responsible for such erroneous prediction.     

Isolation and structure elucidation of parnafungins, antifungal natural products that inhibit mRNA polyadenylation

The Candida albicans Fitness Test, a whole-cell screening platform, was used to profile crude fermentation extracts for novel antifungal natural products with interesting mechanisms of action. An extract with intrinsic antifungal activity from the fungus Fusarium larvarum displayed a Fitness Test profile that strongly implicated mRNA processing as the molecular target responsible for inhibition of fungal growth. Isolation of the active components from this sample identified a novel class of isoxazolidinone-containing natural products, which we have named parnafungins. These natural products were isolated as an interconverting mixture of four structural- and stereoisomers. The isomerization of the parnafungins was due to a retro-Michael ring-opening and subsequent reformation of a xanthone ring system. This interconversion was blocked by methylation of an enol moiety. Structure elucidation of purified parnafungin derivatives was accomplished by X-ray crystallography and NMR analysis. The biochemical target of these natural products has been identified as the fungal polyadenosine polymerase. Parnafungins demonstrated broad spectrum antifungal activity with no observed activity against gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria. The intact isoxazolidinone ring was required for antifungal activity. In addition, the natural products were efficacious in a mouse model of disseminated candidiasis.     

An equivalence for weighted integrals of an analytic function and ist derivative

In this paper we introduce the class of differentiable weights ω in the unit disc ?? such that where L is a positive constant. The main result in this paper asserts that if ω is one of these weights, then the equivalence holds for all 0 < p < ∞, 0 < q ≤ ∞and f an analytic function in ??. Our results improve others due to Aleman, Siskakis, and Stevi?. We also prove two results on harmonic conjugate functions. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Strong geometric-phase effects in the hydrogen-exchange reaction at high collision energies

We report quantum wave packet calculations of state-to-state reaction probabilities and cross sections for the reaction H+H(2)(v(0)=0,j(0)=0)-->H(2)(v,j)+H, at total energies up to 4.5 eV above the ground state potential minimum. The calculations are repeated using (i) the ground electronic state only, (ii) the ground state plus the diagonal non-Born-Oppenheimer correction, (iii) the ground state, diagonal non-Born-Oppenheimer correction and geometric phase (GP), and (iv) both electronic states including all nonadiabatic couplings, using the diabatic potential approach of Mahapatra et al. [J. Phys. Chem. A 105, 2321 (2001)]. The results for calculations (iii) and (iv) are in very close agreement, showing that the upper electronic state makes only a very small contribution to the state-to-state dynamics, even at energies much higher than the conical intersection minimum (at 2.74 eV). At total energies above 3.5 eV, many of the state-to-state reaction probabilities show strong GP effects, indicating that they are dominated by interference between one- and two-transition-state (1-TS and 2-TS) reaction paths. These effects survive the coherent sum over partial waves to produce features in the state-to-state differential cross sections which could be detected in an experiment with an angular resolution of approximately 20 degrees . Efficient dephasing of the interference between the 1-TS and 2-TS contributions causes almost complete cancellation of the GP in the integral cross sections, thus continuing a trend observed at lower energies in earlier work.     

HPLC study of the adsorption from solutions on two silicagels

Summary In this paper, we report and discuss the adsorption isotherms of hydro-organic mixtures and of compounds used as mobile phase in reversed phase and normal phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC and NP-HPLC, respectively). This work is the first attempt to study the solid-liquid interface between two types of chromatographic silica surfaces and pure organic adsorbates from water and from organic eluents by HPLC. Frequently, among the dynamic techniques the method of choice for the measurement of an adsorption isotherm is frontal analysis. We suggest here the combination of the technique based on peak asymmetry calibration and peak profiles, which allows calculations directly from integration data. The group of systems studied permits the analysis of the intermolecular interactions on the silica surface. Particular attention was given to the system methanol-water and the measurement of the adsorption ofn-octanol from methanol on RP-silica was also carried out.     

New para-para stilbenophanes: synthesis by McMurry coupling, conformational analysis and inhibition of tubulin polymerisation

The synthesis of a new family of methoxy-substituted [2.7]- and [2.8]paracyclophanes linked by 3-oxapentamethylene-1,5-dioxy and hexamethylene-1,6-dioxy bridges has been carried out by using the McMurry methodology. Related indole compounds were also synthesised. Olefin-to-diol ratios depended on the bridge length, the structure of the aromatic ring and the reaction conditions. Macrocyclisation, the methoxy substituents and the presence of a rigid indole moiety restricted the conformational equilibria, as observed by NMR spectroscopy and according to theoretical calculations. The synthesised compounds display micromolar tubulin polymerisation inhibitory activity. The conformational implications on the tubulin polymerisation inhibitory activity derived from the macrocyclisation when compared with combretastatins, closely related stilbenes, are also discussed.     

Unified model for the ultrafast decay of pyrimidine nucleobases

Ultrafast decay processes detected after absorption of UV radiation in gas-phase pyrimidine nucleobases uracil, thymine, and cytosine are ascribed to the barrierless character of the pathway along the low-lying 1(pipi*) hypersurface connecting the Franck-Condon region with an out-of-plane distorted ethene-like conical intersection with the ground state. Longer lifetime decays and low quantum yield emission are on the other hand related to the presence of a 1(pipi*) state planar minimum on the S1 surface and the barriers to access other conical intersections. A unified model for the three systems is established on the basis of accurate multiconfigurational CASPT2 calculations, whereas the effect of the different levels of theory on the results is carefully analyzed.