Dependence of the catalytic activity of organoaluminum compounds and some of their complexes on their composition

The influence of the acidity of organoaluminum compounds and their complexes on the catalytic activity in polymerization of trioxane has been studied. It is found that the catalytic activity of organoaluminum compounds of the type R_nALX_3?n depends on n as well as the nature of R or X. Catalytic activity of the complexes also depends on the type of cocatalyst used. The change of electroconductivity in the course of formation of some initiator complexes has been studied and an attempt has been made to determine the relation between conductivity and polymerization activity.     

Inhibitory effects of glycyrrhetic acid derivatives on 11 beta- and 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases of rat liver.

Glycyrrhetic acid (GA), an aglycone of glycyrrhizin (GL), is a potent inhibitor of 11 beta- and 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases. 11 beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity of rat liver microsomes was potently inhibited by GA, 3-deoxyglycyrrhetic acid (3-deoxyGA), 3-ketoglycyrrhetic acid (3-ketoGA), 3-epiglycyrrhetic acid (3-epiGA) and 11-deoxoglycyrrhetic acid (11-deoxoGA), with I50 values of 2-4 x 10(-7) M. However, 18 alpha-stereoisomers (I50 = 3-7 x 10(-6) M) of GA, 3-deoxyGA and 11-deoxoGA were one tenth less inhibitory on the enzyme activity than the corresponding 18 beta-isomers. On the other hand, 18 alpha-stereoisomers of GA, 3-deoxyGA and 11-deoxoGA inhibited 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity of rat liver cytosol more potently than the corresponding 18 beta-isomers. I50 values of 18 alpha- and 18 beta-isomers were 2 and 7 x 10(-6) M, respectively, in the case of GA, 8 and 20 x 10(-6) M in 3-deoxyGA, 3 and 20 x 10(-6) M in 11-deoxoGA. These results indicate that the 18 beta-conformation of oleanane is important for the inhibition of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase but on the contrary the 18 alpha-conformation is important for the inhibition of 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase.     

The phosphorescence of Fe ions in oxide host lattices. Zero-phonon transitions in Fe/LiAl5O8

Phosphorescence and excitation spectra have been measured of Fe³⁺-doped LiAl₅O₈, β-NaAlO₂, Na-silicate glass and crystalline alumino-silicates. All excitation spectra fit quite well the Tanabe-Sugano diagram for a high spin d⁵ configuration. The expected tetrahedral site symmetry of Fe³⁺ in the host lattices and the value of the crystalline field parameter are strong evidence for phosphorescence of Fe³⁺ ions in tetrahedral oxygen coordination.     

Total synthesis of himandravine

[reaction: see text] The first total synthesis of (+)-himandravine (1) is described, starting from (2S,6S)-cis-2-formyl-6-methyl-N-Boc-piperidine (8) in 11 linear steps and 17% overall yield. The key step involves a highly diastereoselective intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of the key intermediate 5 that contains the entire latent carbon framework and functional group substitution of himandravine.     

Transmembrane ion conductance by an acyclic bolaamphiphile

[reaction in text] An acyclic bolaamphiphile forms ion channels in vesicles and planar bilayer membranes that are closely similar to the channels formed by related bismacrocyclic compounds. Thus the function of these ion channels does not depend on synthetically difficult macrocyclic subunits.     

The Effects of Beating,Web Forming and Sizing on the Surface Energy of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus globulus</Emphasis> Kraft Fibres Evaluated by Inverse Gas Chromatography

In this work attention has been focused on the effects of papermaking beating, web forming and sizing operations on the physical/chemical surface properties of bleached Eucalyptus globulus kraft fibres. Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) was used to determine the dispersive component of surface tension (γ_s^d) as well as the acidic/basic character (according to the Lewis concept) of the solid surfaces (pulp fibres and pulp handsheets). The results have shown that the main effect of beating is to increase the fibre's Lewis acidic character. Web forming caused a strong decrease in γ_s^d and significant increments in the adhesion works of both acidic and basic probes, lowering the ratio between the two. Nevertheless, the surface of handsheets still exhibited a dominant acidic character. The sizing operation did not change the dispersive component of the surface tension significantly but decreased the difference between the adhesion works of the acidic and basic probes, rendering the handsheet surface less Lewis acidic and more Lewis basic. Thus, although internal sizing is expected to strongly influence liquid spreading at the paper surface and liquid penetration of the fibre's network, it is concluded that beating and web forming lead to important changes in the surface energetic properties of the Eucalyptus globulus kraft fibres.     

Kottamide E, the first example of a natural product bearing the amino acid 4-amino-1,2-dithiolane-4-carboxylic acid (Adt)

Kottamide E, a novel alkaloid containing dibrominated indole enamide, oxalic acid diamide and 4-amino-1,2-dithiolane-4-carboxamide moieties, has been isolated from the New Zealand ascidian Pycnoclavella kottae. Characterisation was achieved by interpretation of spectroscopic data.     

Chromatographic studies of corrosion sites in metallic materials

Many types of corrosion phenomena are controlled by the ionic composition of a small volume of solution at the surface. Localized corrosion and atmospheric corrosion are two examples in which < 1 μl of solution can cause dramatic damage. Ion chromatographic (IC) techniques have been used to analyze these solutions in order to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms which govern them. Two examples are presented. The presence of minor alloying elements at localized corrosion sites in two aluminum alloys has been demonstrated, indicating non-stoichiometric dissolution of the alloy during localized corrosion. In addition, IC analysis allowed the determination of the species responsible for the atmospheric corrosion failure of electrical connectors, including their likely origin.     

High-performance size-exclusion chromatographic determination of the potency of biosynthetic human growth hormone products

A new high-performance size-exclusion chromatography method has been developed for the determination of potency of human growth hormone products. This method has been extensively validated and shown to correlate well with the hypophysectomized rat bioassay which has been used traditionally. The method is much more precise than the traditional bioassay and thus provides more reliable means of producing consistent biosynthetic human growth hormone batches.