Silver(I) chloride-polypyrrole composite: electrochemical preparation,characterization, and application as a SERS platform

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - A new electrochemical-chemical-electrochemical synthetic route to silver(I) chloride nanoparticle-polypyrrole composites is presented. The chemical...     

Template-Directed Copying of RNA by Non-enzymatic Ligation

The non-enzymatic replication of the primordial genetic material is thought to have enabled the evolution of early forms of RNA-based life. However, the replication of oligonucleotides long enough to encode catalytic functions is problematic due to the low efficiency of template copying with mononucleotides. We show that template-directed ligation can assemble long RNAs from shorter oligonucleotides, which would be easier to replicate. The rate of ligation can be greatly enhanced by employing a 3′-amino group at the 3′-end of each oligonucleotide, in combination with an N-alkyl imidazole organocatalyst. These modifications enable the copying of RNA templates by the multistep ligation of tetranucleotide building blocks, as well as the assembly of long oligonucleotides using short splint oligonucleotides. We also demonstrate the formation of long oligonucleotides inside model prebiotic vesicles, which suggests a potential route to the assembly of artificial cells capable of evolution.     

Helical superstructure and charged polarons contributions to optical nonlinearity of 2-methyl-4-nitroaniline crystals studied by resonance Raman, electron paramagnetic resonance, circular dichroism spectroscopies, and quantum chemical calculations

The Raman excitation profiles of solid 2-methyl-4-nitroaniline (MNA) reveal several band enhancements by intermolecular and intramolecular charge transfer states. Calculated excited- and ground-state molecular geometries and excited state distortions qualitatively determined from Raman spectra indicate multiple vibrations leading to MNA dissociation. Also, overtones and combination tones can generate charged polarons, as detected by electron paramagnetic resonance after the exposure to 980 and 1550 nm laser diodes. The MNA space group Ia (C(s)(4)) is nonchiral; however, the electronic circular dichroism (CD) spectra of solution, KBr pellet, and single crystal were recorded. The crystal chirality is elucidated by room-temperature dynamic disorder, possible helical superstructure along the [102] polar axis, and charged polarons presence. The CD spectra ab initio calculations for MNA neutral and negatively charged monomers, dimers, and trimers, lying along the helix, confirmed the chirality. The role of these findings toward efficient optical nonlinearity and electric conductivity failure is discussed.     

Artificial lantipeptides from in vitro translations

We have devised a protocol for enzyme-free insertion of dehydroalanine, dehydrobutyrine and thioether crosslinks into translated peptides. In vitro translation using 4-selenalysine and 4-selenoisoleucine as substitutes for lysine and isoleucine yields peptides that can be converted to polycyclic structures using mild chemistry in water. This methodology presents a gateway for exploring the potential of artificial lantipeptides as scaffolds for drug development.     

Electron transfer reduction of unactivated esters using SmI2-H2O

The reduction of unactivated esters using samarium diiodide is reported for the first time. The optimised protocol allows for the reduction of primary, secondary and tertiary alkyl esters in excellent yields and is competitive with reductions mediated by metal hydrides and alkali metals.     

Comparison of infrared attenuated total reflection and Raman spectroscopy in the quantitative analysis of diclofenac sodium in tablets

The quantification of diclofenac sodium (DS) in tablets was performed using partial least squares (PLS) models based on FTIR ATR (Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflection) and FT-Raman spectra. Separate calibration models were built for two groups of tablets, standard and sustained release, containing different excipients. To compare the predictive ability of these models the relative standard errors of prediction (RSEP) were calculated. In the case of DS determination from the Raman data, RSEP error values in the range of 2.4-2.8% (2.7-2.9%) for the calibration (validation) data sets were obtained. For ATR models constructed using spectra registered three times for each sample, RSEP errors in the range of 3.6-3.7% (4.2-4.3%) were found. These errors decreased to 2.8% (3.0%) when spectra collected six times were applied. Five commercial products containing 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg of DS per tablet were quantified. Concentrations derived from the elaborated models correlated strongly with the results of reference analyses and gave recoveries of 99.1-101.3% and 99.1-101.7% for the ATR and Raman data, respectively. Although both spectroscopic techniques can be used as fast and convenient alternatives to the standard pharmacopeial methods of DS quantification in solid dosage forms, in the case of the ATR technique, it is necessary to repeat measurements at least a few times to obtain acceptable quantification errors.     

Preparation of samarium(II) iodide: quantitative evaluation of the effect of water, oxygen, and peroxide content, preparative methods, and the activation of samarium metal

Samarium(II) iodide (SmI(2)) is one of the most important reducing agents in organic synthesis. Synthetic chemistry promoted by SmI(2) depends on the efficient and reliable preparation of the reagent. Unfortunately, users can experience difficulties preparing the reagent, and this has prevented realization of the full synthetic potential of SmI(2). To provide synthetic chemists with general and reliable methods for the preparation of SmI(2), a systematic evaluation of the factors involved in its synthesis has been carried out. Our studies confirm that SmI(2) is a user-friendly reagent. Factors such as water, oxygen, and peroxide content in THF have little influence on the synthesis of SmI(2). In addition, the use of specialized glovebox equipment or Schlenk techniques is not required for the preparation of SmI(2). However, our studies suggest that the quality of samarium metal is an important factor and that the use of low quality metal is the main cause of failed preparations of the reagent. Accordingly, we report a straightforward method for activation of "inactive" samarium metal and demonstrate the broad utility of this protocol through the electron transfer reductions of a range of substrates using SmI(2) prepared from otherwise "inactive" metal. An investigation into the stability of SmI(2) solutions and an evaluation of commercially available solutions of the reagent is also reported.     

In vitro selection of functional lantipeptides

In this report we present a method to identify functional artificial lantipeptides. In vitro translation coupled with an enzyme-free protocol for posttranslational modification allows preparation of more than 10(11) different lanthionine containing peptides. This diversity can be searched for functional molecules using mRNA-lantipeptide display. We validated this approach by isolating binders toward Sortase A, a transamidase which is required for virulence of Staphylococcus aureus. The interaction of selected lantipeptides with Sortase A is highly dependent on the presence of a (2S,6R)-lanthionine in the peptide and an active conformation of the protein.     

Multicomponent assembly of proposed DNA precursors in water

We propose a novel pathway for the prebiotic synthesis of 2'-deoxynucleotides. Consideration of the constitutional chemical relationships between glycolaldehyde and β-mercapto-acetaldehyde, and the corresponding proteinogenic amino acids, serine and cysteine, led us to explore the consequences of the corresponding sulfur substitution for our previously proposed pathways leading to the canonical ribonucleotides. We demonstrate that just as 2-aminooxazole-an important prebiotic ribonucleotide precursor-is readily formed from glycolaldehyde and cyanamide, so is 2-aminothiazole formed from β-mercapto-acetaldehyde and cyanamide in water at neutral pH. Indeed, both the oxazole and the thiazole can be formed together in a one-pot reaction, and can be co-purified by crystallization or sublimation. We then show that 2-aminothiazole can take part in a 3-component carbon-carbon bond-forming reaction in water that leads to the diastereoselective synthesis of masked 2'-thiosugars regiospecifically tethered to purine precursors, which would lead to 2'-deoxynucleotides upon desulfurization. The possibility of an abiotic route to the 2'-deoxynucleotides provides a new perspective on the evolutionary origins of DNA. We also show that 2-aminothiazole is able to sequester, through reversible aminal formation, the important nucleotide precursors glycolaldehyde and glyceraldehyde in a stable, crystalline form.     

System size and centrality dependence of charged hadron transverse momentum spectra in Au + Au and Cu + Cu collisions at square root of SNN = 62.4 and 200 GeV

We present transverse momentum distributions of charged hadrons produced in Cu + Cu collisions at square root of SNN = 62.4 and 200 GeV. The spectra are measured for transverse momenta of 0.25 < pT < 5.0 GeV/c at square root of SNN = 62.4 GeV and 0.25 < pT < 7.0 GeV/c at square root of SNN = 200 GeV, in a pseudorapidity range of 0.2 < eta < 1.4. The nuclear modification factor R(AA) is calculated relative to p + p data at both collision energies as a function of collision centrality. At a given collision energy and fractional cross section, R(AA) is observed to be systematically larger in Cu + Cu collisions compared to Au + Au. However, for the same number of participating nucleons, R(AA) is essentially the same in both systems over the measured range of pT, in spite of the significantly different geometries of the Cu + Cu and Au + Au systems.