Photogeneration and quenching of reactive oxygen species by urocanic acid

Urocanic acid, UCA, is characterized by two electronic transitions in the UV-B (280-320 nm) which comprise its broad absorption spectrum and give rise to wavelength-dependent isomerization quantum yields. The absorption spectrum of UCA extends into the UV-A (320-400 nm). Given the UV-A component of sunlight is significantly greater than the UV-B component it is hypothesized even weak UV-A photochemistry of UCA could be important for in vivo responses to UV radiation. Degenerate pump-probe experiments performed on t-UCA at several wavelengths in the UV-A reveal an excited-state absorption that undergoes a rapid, approximately 1 ps decay. Photoacoustic experiments performed on both the cis and trans isomers reveal the formation of a long-lived intermediate following UV-A excitation. The efficiency and action spectra for this latter photoactive process are presented and are similar for both isomers of UCA. Cholesterol hydroperoxide assays designed to investigate the nature of the UV-A photoreactivity of t-UCA confirm the production of reactive oxygen species. The bimolecular rate constant for the quenching of singlet oxygen by t-UCA is determined to be 3.5 x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1). Taking into consideration recent theoretical calculations and jet expansion studies of the electronic structure of gas-phase t-UCA, a model is proposed to explain the isomerization and photoreactivity of t-UCA in solution over the UV-A region.     

Protein-Loop Mimetics: A Diketopiperazine-Based Template to Stabilize Loop Conformations in Cyclic Peptides Containing the NPNA and RGD Motifs

We explore here an approach to mimic the structures and biological functions of protein loops in small synthetic molecules, by grafting the loop of interest onto an organic template comprising a bicyclic diketopiperazine, prepared by the formal coupling of (2S,4S)-4-aminoproline (Pro(NH₂)) and aspartic acid (Asp). The Fmoc-protected template 4 is used to prepare cyclo(-Ala¹-Asn²-Pro³-Asn⁴-Ala⁵- Ala⁶-Temp-) ( 5 ) and cyclo(-Ala¹-Arg²-Gly³-Asp⁴-Temp-) ( 6 ) (where Temp = template derived from 4 ), containing the Asn-Pro-Asn-Ala (NPNA) and Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motifs. The conformational properties of these molecules are studied in aqueous solution by NMR and simulated-annealing methods. The NPNA motif, an immunodominant epitope on the circumsporozoite surface protein of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, is shown to adopt a stable type-I β-turn in 5 . The template in 5 adopts a preferred conformation with Pro(NH₂)χ₁ ≈? ?35° and the Asp moiety χ₁ ≈? 70°. A different template conformation is inferred for 6 , with Pro(NH₂)χ₁ ≈? 0°, but the ARGD loop appears by NMR to undergo rapid conformational averaging. Solid-phase binding assays reveal that 6 displays modest antagonist activity towards both the integrin α_IIbβ₃ and α_vβ₃ receptors.     

Tetramethylammonium-calcium-triazid. Darstellung und Kristallstruktur

[N(CH₃)₄]Ca(N₃)₃,M=240.29, was prepared from aqueous solutions of tetramethylammoniumazide with calciumazide at 298 K. The crystals are tetragonala=936.6(7) pm,c=694.7(5)pm, space group P4/nmm,Z=2, (x)=1.31Mgm^–3. The crystal structure was determined by single crystal x-ray diffraction (234 Mo-K-reflections, =0.469 mm^–1,R=0.064). Calcium is octahedrally coordinated to six azide groups. The octahedra are connected via azide groups to a threedimensional array with the complex ammonium ions between. The terminal nitrogen atoms of the azide groups and the methyl groups are considerably disordered.

     

Substituenteneffekte auf die C–C-Bindungsstärke, 8. Standardbildungsenthalpien und Spannungsenthalpien von 1,1,2,2-Tetraethylethylenglykol-dimethylether und D,L-1,2-Dimethyl-1,2-diphenylethylenglykol-dimethylether

Effects of Substituents on the Strength of C - C Bonds, 8¹. - Heats of Formation and Strain of 1,1,2,2-Tetraethylethylene Glycol Dimethyl Ether and D,L .-1,2-Dimethyl-l,2-diphenylethylene Glycol Dimethyl Ether The heats of combustion of the title compounds 1 and 2 were measured calorimetrically with the result (kcal mol ^-1, s. d. in parentheses) ΔH°_c = − 1880.1 (± 0.6) and − 2373.3 (± 1.4). The heat of vaporisation of 1 ΔH^v = 14.3 (± 0.3) and the heat of sublimation of 2 ΔH^sub = 27.2 (± 0.5) were derived from their temperature dependance of the vapor pressure. The latter were determined between 30 and 80°C using a flow method. The resulting standard heats of formation ΔH°_t(g) = −122.4 (± 0.7) and −43.8 (±1.5) for 1 and 2 correspond to a strain enthalpy (_s) of 15.9 and 8.0 kcal mol^-1, respectively. The steric strain of the dimethoxyethanes 1 and 2 is about one fourth lower than the strain of the corresponding dimethylethanes 3 and 4 bearing the same substituents. Thus, a methoxy group causes less steric stress than a methyl group.     

Thermodynamic Properties and Melting Behavior of Bi–Sn–Zn Alloys

Summary. The partial and integral enthalpies of mixing of liquid Bi–Sn–Zn alloys were determined at 500°C by a drop calorimetric technique using a Calvet-type microcalorimeter. The ternary interaction parameters in the Bi–Sn–Zn system were fitted using the Redlich-Kister-Muggianu model for substitutional solutions, and isoenthalpy curves of the integral molar enthalpy of mixing at 500°C were constructed. Furthermore, a DSC technique was used to determine the liquidus temperatures in three sections (3, 5, and 7 at.% Zn) as well as the invariant reaction temperature of the ternary eutectic L ⇄ (Bi) + (Sn) + (Zn). The ternary eutectic reaction was found at 135°C.     

Synthetic, structural and spectroscopic studies of (pseudo)halo(1,3-di-tert-butylimidazol-2-ylidine)gold complexes

A series of (pseudo)halo(1,3-di-tert-butylimidazol-2-ylidine)gold complexes [(But2Im)AuX](X = Cl, Br, I, CN, N3, NCO, SCN, SeCN, ONO2, OCOCH3, CH3) have been synthesized and characterised spectroscopically and structurally. 13C NMR chemical shifts for the carbene carbon vary widely with differing ancillary anion, correlating well with the sigma-donor ability of the latter and with the M-C(carbene) bond distance. These results reinforce the notion that N-heterocyclic carbene ligands are primarily sigma-donor ligands with little pi-acceptor ability.     

HPLC isolation and NMR structure elucidation of the most prominent octabromo isomer in technical octabromo diphenyl ether

The major octabromo isomer of technical octabromo diphenyl ether mixture (technical octaBDE) DE-79 was isolated by RP-HPLC. Three serially coupled columns (each 250 mm long) enabled a good separation of the target compound from other congeners using 100% ACN as eluent. Approximately 100 microg of the target compound was isolated with a purity of >90% and investigated by MS for confirmation of the degree of bromination. 1H-NMR and 2-D 1H-13C correlation NMR spectra unequivocally clarified that the octaBDE in question is 2,2',3,3',4,4',6,6'-octabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 197). Based on annual production rates of technical BDE products (1999/2001), approximately 380 tons of BDE 197 were annually produced which, on the long term, may enter the environment. Compared with other individual BDE congeners, BDE 197 has the seventh highest application rate. Reductive debromination of BDE 197 can lead to four hepta-, 15 hexa-, 23 penta-, and 28 tetra-BDE isomers, respectively. This variety includes all known major BDEs of environmental concern (BDE 47, 85, 99, 100, 153, 154, and 183). The identification of BDE 197 in technical octaBDE DE-79 strongly suggests that research on the environmental fate of BDEs should include this key-BDE congener.     

Behavior of molecular potential energy curves for large nuclear separations

We prove by elementary geometric methods and within the Born–Oppenheimer approximation that as the nuclei of a molecule are dissociated into spatially separated clusters, the discrete molecular energies approach sums of the energies of isolated subsystems. Our methods also show that the spectral projections associated with the discrete molecular spectrum asymptotically approach direct sums of suitable spectral projections for the isolated subsystems. These results apply to any system of particles interacting by asymptotically vanishing pair potentials. We prove that the 1/R expansion for discrete molecular potential curves is asymptotic as R → ∞, and we discuss the behavior of the coefficients of the 1/R expansion for the ground state of H₂⁺.     

Reaction of early transition metal complexes with macrocycles. II. Synthesis and structure of TiCl3(H2O) · 18-crown-6, a compound with a unique bidentate bonding mode for the 18-crown-6 molecule

18-crown-6 reacts with TiCl₃ in CH₂Cl₂ to form a complex in which the crown ether functions as a tridentate ligand. Addition of moist hexane affords a molecular complex in which the crown ether functions as a bidentate ligand. A water molecule is bonded directly to the titanium atom and is further hydrogen bonded to three of the oxygen atoms of the crown. The deep blue crystals of the CH₂Cl₂ adduct belong to the monoclinic space groupP2₁/n witha=13.481(8),b=8.021(5),c=21.425(9) Å, =97.32(5)°, and _calc = 1.51 g cm^–3 forZ=4. Refinement led to a conventionalR value of 0.040 based on 873 observed reflections. The Ti–O bond distances for the crown oxygen atoms are 2.123(8) and 2.154(9) Å, while the oxygen atom of the water molecule is bonded at 2.072(8) Å. The octahedral coordination sphere of the titanium atom is completed by the three chlorine atoms at distances of 2.340(5), 2.352(4), and 2.373(4) Å. Supplementary Data relating to this article are deposited with the British Library as Supplementary Publication No. SUP 82034 (10 pages).     

Chemoenzymatic approach to enantiopure streptogramin B variants: characterization of stereoselective pristinamycin I cyclase from Streptomyces pristinaespiralis

Streptogramin B antibiotics are cyclic peptide natural products produced by Streptomyces species.In combination with the synergistic group A component, they are "last line of defense" antimicrobial agents against multiresistant cocci. The racemization sensitivity of the phenylglycine (Phg(7)) ester is a complex challenge in total chemical synthesis of streptogramin B molecules. To provide fast and easy access to novel streptogramin antibiotics, we introduce a novel chemoenzymatic strategy in which diversity is generated by standard solid phase protocols and stereoselectivity by subsequent enzymatic cyclization. For this approach, we cloned, overproduced, and biochemically characterized the recombinant thioesterase domain SnbDE TE of the pristinamycin I nonribosomal peptide synthetase from Streptomyces pristinaespiralis. SnbDE TE catalyzes regioselective ring closure of linear peptide thioester analogues of pristinamycin I as well as stereoselective cyclization out of complex in situ racemizing substrate mixtures, enabling synthesis of Streptogramin B variants via a dynamic kinetic resolution assay. A remarkable substrate tolerance was detected for the enzymatic cyclization including all the seven positions of the peptide backbone. Interestingly, SnbDE TE was observed to be the first cyclase from a macrolactone forming NRPS which is additionally able to catalyze macrolactamization of peptide thioester substrates. An N-methylated peptide bond between positions 4 and 5 is mandatory for a high substrate turnover. The presented strategy is potent to screen for analogues with improved activity and guides our understanding of structure--activity relationships in the important class of streptogramin antibiotics.