Speciation of mercury in salmon egg cell cytoplasm in relation with metallomics research

Speciation of mercury in salmon egg cell cytoplasm was investigated by surfactant-mediated high-performance liquid chromatography/inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC/ICP-MS), where an ODS (octadecylsilica) column coated with a bile acid derivative, CHAPS (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonio]-1-propane sulfonate), was used for species separation. Prior to the speciation analysis, total Hg in the cell cytoplasm was determined by ICP-MS at m/z 202 in a flow injection mode. For the precise measurement, salmon egg cell cytoplasm was diluted five-fold with 0.1 M Tris (Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane)-HNO₃ buffer solution, and the standard addition method was employed. Thus, the total concentration of Hg in cell cytoplasm was estimated to be 12.4 ng g⁻¹ on the wet weight basis. Next, the cell cytoplasm diluted five-fold with 0.1 M Tris-HNO₃ buffer solution was analyzed by surfactant-mediated HPLC with the dual detection system of a UV absorption detector and an ICP-MS instrument. Two peaks corresponding to some proteins and small molecules were mainly observed in those chromatograms. When salmon egg cell cytoplasm was diluted five-fold with 0.01 M Tris buffer solution or pure water, some precipitates appeared probably because of precipitation of hydrophobic proteins in cytoplasm. After the precipitates were eliminated with a membrane filter, the filtrate was subjected to the analysis by surfactant-mediated HPLC/UV/ICP-MS. As a result, the peaks for small molecular species of Hg were clearly observed at the retention time near 4.0 min (corresponding to low-molecular weight zone) in the chromatograms with UV absorption detection as well as with Hg- and S-specific ICP-MS detections. The small molecule bound with Hg was identified as cysteine through the cysteine-spiked experiment. In addition, the protein fraction on the chromatogram obtained by using the CHAPS-coated ODS column was further analyzed by SEC (size exclusion chromatography). Consequently, several protein peaks with molecular weight of 300, 50 and 12 kDa were observed in all the detections of UV absorption, Hg and Se, although two peaks among them were coincident in the case of S. These results indicate that Hg in salmon egg cell cytoplasm binds with proteins containing selenocysteine and/or cysteine residues in proteins.     

Synthesis and properties of new polyesters having tetrahydrofuran rings in their main chains

New polyesters 6a–6c consisting of 2,4-linked tetrahydrofuran rings were synthesized by bulk polycondensation of methyl trans- and cis-4-hydroxytetrahydrofuran-2-carboxylates ( 5a and 5b ) and a stereoisomeric mixture of methyl 4-hydroxy-5-methyltetrahydrofuran-2-carboxylate ( 5c ) at high temperature. These monomers were prepared from methyl glycolate or methyl lactate and diethyl maleate through a four-step reaction sequence. The polycondensation was carried out without solvent at different temperatures ranging from 150 to 220°C. Titanium isopropoxide was most effective among the catalysts examined, giving polyesters with number-average molecular weights up to 2 × 10⁴. Polyester 6a consisting of trans-2,4-linked tetrahydrofuran rings was soluble in trifluoroacetic acid and a mixed solvent of chloroform and methanol (10/1, v/v). Polyester 6b composed of cis-2,4-linked tetrahydrofuran rings was soluble in dimethyl sulfoxide and dimethylformamide in addition to the two solvents for 6a . Polyester 6c with 5-methyl-substituted tetrahydrofuran rings was composed of a mixture of stereoisomeric units and thus was soluble in a variety of solvents including chloroform, tetrahydrofuran, acetonitrile, dimethyl sulfoxide, and dimethylformamide. The glass transition temperatures of 6a, 6b , and 6c determined by DSC were 109, 88, and 66°C. These polyesters were found to be very slowly hydrolyzed in a neutral phosphate buffer solution at ambient temperature. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Contrasteric stereochemical dictation of the cyclobutene ring-opening reaction by a vacant boron p orbital

Cyclobutene, having a pinacolatoboryl group at the 3-position, was prepared by the reaction of trimethyl borate with a cyclobutenyl anion, which was generated by reductive lithiation of 3-(phenylselenyl)cyclobutene. Its thermal ring-opening reaction provided (Z)-1-borylbuta-1,3-diene selectively despite the arising steric congestion. The contrasteric behavior was accounted for by assuming an electron-accepting interaction of the vacant boron p orbital with the distorted breaking sigma orbital in the inward transition state.     

A useful procedure for diiodination of carbazoles and subsequent efficient transformation to novel 3,6-bis(triethoxysilyl)carbazoles giving mesoporous materials

Bis(pyridine)iodonium tetrafluoroborate (IPy₂BF₄) was successfully used as a diiodination reagent for carbazole and its derivatives to give 3,6-diiodocarbazoles in excellent yield. Subsequent rhodium-catalyzed disilylation of 3,6-diiodocarbazoles with triethoxysilane gave the corresponding 3,6-bis(triethoxysilyl)carbazoles, which are precursors for sol-gel polymerization, in good yield.     

Crystal structures and topochemical polymerizations of 7,7,8,8-tetrakis(alkoxycarbonyl)quinodimethanes

Highly conjugated monomers, 7,7,8,8-tetrakis(alkoxycarbonyl)quinodimethanes (methoxy (1a), ethoxy (1b), isopropoxy (1c), benzyloxy (1d), chloroethoxy (1e), and bromoethoxy (1f)), were synthesized. Recrystallizations of 1a, 1c, 1e, and 1f yielded two crystal forms (prisms (1a-A) and needles (1a-B), needles (1c-A) and plates (1c-B), prisms (1e-A) and plates (1e-B), and prisms (1f-A) and needles (1f-B)), which have different molecular packing modes by X-ray crystal structure analysis, indicating that the crystals are polymorphic. In the photopolymerizations of these monomer crystals in the solid state, 1a-A, 1e-A, and 1f-A polymerized topochemically to give crystalline polymers. For their thermal polymerizations in the solid state, in addition to 1a-A, 1e-A, and 1f-A, 1e-B and 1f-B polymerized, but polymers formed from the 1e-B and 1f-B were amorphous. The packing of quinodimethane molecules in the crystals was defined by four kinds of parameters, stacking distance (d(s)), the distance between the reacting exomethylene carbon atoms (d(cc)), the angles formed between the stacking axis and longer axis of the monomer molecule (theta(1)), and the shorter axis of the monomer molecule (theta(2)), and then the polymerization reactivity of these quinodimethanes in the solid state was discussed on the basis of these parameters.     

Co-hydrolysis products of tetraethoxysilane and methyltriethoxysilane in the presence of tetramethylammonium ions: Part 2 [1]

²⁹Si NMR peaks due to species with the double four-membered ring siloxane backbone composed of both Si(O^–)_4/2 and CH₃Si(O^–)_3/2 units, (CH₃) _n Si₈O _{20 – n} ^{/(8 – n) –} (n=1–3), formed by co-hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane and methyltriethoxysilane in the presence of tetramethylammonium ions in methanol have been assigned. It has been found that ²⁹Si NMR peaks due to Si(OSi)₃(O^–) units shift to lower frequencies by replacement of the adjacent Si(O^–)_4/2 units by CH₃Si(O^–)_3/2 units, in other words, with increasing m value in Si[OSi(O^–)₃]_{3 – m} [OSi(CH₃) (O^–)₂] _m (O^–) (m=0–2). Peaks from CH₃ Si(OSi)₃ units in the species have also appeared as separated due to the kind of neighbor structural units. On the basis of the assignments, positions of CH₃Si(O^–)_3/2 units in the cubic octameric siloxane framework of (CH₃) _n Si₈O _{20 – n} ^{/(8 – n) –} (n=2, 3), for both of which three isomers are present, have been estimated.     

A ruthenium-catalyzed reaction of aromatic ketones with arylboronates: a new method for the arylation of aromatic compounds via C-H bond cleavage

The ruthenium-catalyzed reaction of aromatic ketones with arylboronic acid esters (arylboronates) gave the ortho arylation product. For this coupling reaction, a RuH2(CO)(PPh3)3 complex exhibited the highest catalytic activity among the complexes screened. Several aromatic ketones, for example, acetophenones, acetonaphthone, alpha-tetralone, and benzosuberone, can be used in this coupling reaction. A variety of arylboronates containing electron-donating (OMe and NMe2) and -withdrawing (F and CF3) groups were found to react with aromatic ketones to give the corresponding aylation products. The corresponding arylboronic acids could be used in this coupling reaction, but the yields were slightly lower, as compared to those of the reaction using the corresponding arylboronates.     

Effect of lipid composition on phospholipase A2-catalyzed membrane leakage in immobilized liposomes: sensitization for polychlorinated biphenyls detection with antibody affinity column tandem with fluorescent liposome column

Phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2))-catalyzed membrane leakage can be detected by immobilized liposomes containing a self-quenching fluorescent dye, calcein, on an open column using off-line analysis with a fluorescent spectrophotometer. The calcein release was found to be affected by the pH value, incubation time, and liposome compositions. The fluorescent signal from the negatively charged liposomes hydrolyzed by PLA(2) was 5 times higher than that from neutral liposomes. We utilized this enzymatic reaction to amplify signal to detect polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). To achieve this goal, we conjugated an analogue of PCB, 3,4-dichloroaniline, to PLA(2). The competitive immunoreaction between the 3,4-dichloroaniline-PLA(2) conjugate and PCB samples on the anti-PCB antibody column caused the release of the bound PLA(2) conjugates in proportion to the PCB concentration. The released PLA(2) conjugates was then passed through the tandem fluorescent liposome column causing release of fluorescent dye from the liposomes. Therefore, the signal of immunocompetitive assay was amplified on the fluorescent liposome column. The tandem column system achieves a high sensitivity by detecting the PCB concentration as low as 0.5 ng/mL in less than 20 min. It has great potential in detecting other pollutants, and has been used for sensitive immunoassays.     

Photocatalytic Reduction of NO with C2H6 on a Hollandite-Type Catalyst

The photocatalytic reduction of nitrogen monoxide (NO) with ethane on the hollandite type catalyst (K₂Ga₂Sn₆O₁₆KGSO) was investigated. Using a closed-gas circulating system equipped with a Q-MASS detector and in-situ diffuse reflectance FT-IR spectroscopy. The reactant gases of NO and ¹³C₂H₆ decreased with the increasing irradiation time. In contrast, the N₂ yield increased proportionally to the conversion of ¹³C₂H₆. Nitrogen oxides such as N₂O did not reach their detectable levels. The NO adsorbed on KGSO was found to change to its activated species by UV irradiation. The oxidized products of C₂H₆ such as CH₃CHO increased in proportion to the reaction time. The present results strongly suggest that KGSO has remarkable photocatalytic activity for the reduction of NO with C₂H₆.     

Additive Pummerer reaction of heteroaromatic sulfilimines with carbon nucleophiles

The additive Pummerer reaction of several heteroaromatic sulfilimines has been investigated. The overall process involves the reaction of the sulfilimine with TFAA to produce a transient N-tosyl-N-trifluoroacetyl sulfonium ion. Nucleophilic attack at the adjacent vinyl carbon results in the ejection of the sulfonamide group and the resulting thionium ion loses a proton to give the observed product.