New phosphorescent polynuclear Cu(I) compounds based on linear and star-shaped 2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazolyl derivatives: syntheses, structures, luminescence, and electroluminescence

Four dinuclear and trinuclear Cu(I) complexes that contain 2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazolyl derivative ligands including 1,4-bis[2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazolyl]benzene (1,4-bmb), 1,3-bis[2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazolyl]benzene (1,3-bmb), 1,3,5-tris[2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazolyl]benzene (tmb), and 4,4'-bis[2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazolyl]biphenyl (bmbp) have been synthesized. The formulas of these complexes are [Cu(2)(1,4-bmb)(PPh(3))(4)][BF(4)](2) (1), [Cu(2)(1,3-bmb)(PPh(3))(4)][BF(4)](2) (2), [Cu(3)(tmb)(PPh(3))(6)][BF(4)](3) (3), and [Cu(2)(bmbp)(PPh(3))(4)][BF(4)](2) (4), respectively. The crystal structures of 2-4 have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. The Cu(I) ions in the complexes have a distorted tetrahedral geometry. For 3, two structural isomers (syn and anti) resulted from two different orientations of the three 2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazolyl chelating units were observed in the crystal lattice. Variable-temperature (1)H NMR experiments established the presence of syn and anti isomers for 1-3 in solution which interconvert at ambient temperature. Complexes 1-4 have a weak MLCT absorption band in the 350-450 nm region and display a yellow-orange emission when irradiated by UV light. One unexpected finding is that the yellow-orange emission of complexes 1-4 has a very long decay lifetime (approximately 200 micros) at 77 K. An electroluminescent (EL) device using 4 as the emitter and PVK as the host was fabricated. However, the long decay lifetime of the copper complexes may limit their applications as phosphorescent emitters in EL devices.     

Delta-secretase cleavage of Tau mediates its pathology and propagation in Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with age as a major risk factor. AD is the most common dementia with abnormal structures, including extracellular senile plaques and intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles, as key neuropathologic hallmarks. The early feature of AD pathology is degeneration of the locus coeruleus (LC), which is the main source of norepinephrine (NE) supplying various cortical and subcortical areas that are affected in AD. The spread of Tau deposits is first initiated in the LC and is transported in a stepwise manner from the entorhinal cortex to the hippocampus and then to associative regions of the neocortex as the disease progresses. Most recently, we reported that the NE metabolite DOPEGAL activates delta-secretase (AEP, asparagine endopeptidase) and triggers pathological Tau aggregation in the LC, providing molecular insight into why LC neurons are selectively vulnerable to developing early Tau pathology and degenerating later in the disease and how δ-secretase mediates the spread of Tau pathology to the rest of the brain. This review summarizes our current understanding of the crucial role of δ-secretase in driving and spreading AD pathologies by cleaving multiple critical players, including APP and Tau, supporting that blockade of δ-secretase may provide an innovative disease-modifying therapeutic strategy for treating AD.Subject terms: Neurodegeneration, Alzheimer''s disease     

交联1,4—顺式聚丁二烯的取向结晶

用ＷＡＸＤ和ＳＡＸＳ研究交联１，４－顺式聚丁二烯的取向结晶。结果表明：该试样在拉伸状态时，形成折叠链片晶，而不是伸直链纤维晶。片晶之间断产生新的片晶，使长周期减小，并且片晶的横向尺寸不断增大，由此导致结晶度增大。     

“NMR invisible” aluminum species in dealuminated mordenite zeolite: a1H/27 AI TRAPDOR NMR study

Various kinds of aluminum species in dealuminated mordenite were investigated in detail, and the quadrupole coupling constants (QCCs) for aluminum atoms associated with these species were obtained by means of the newly introduced¹H/²⁷ AI TRAPWR method as well as²⁷Al magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). QCC values of 11.3, 15.3, 13.3 and (14.0± 0.6) MHz were determined from the TRAPDOR profiles for Lewis acid sites, Bronsted acid sites (SiOHAl) and two kinds of non-framework aluminum species Al(OH) _n , respectively. The source of the “invisible Al” is discussed on the basis of the NMR experimental results.     

Self-assembled biotinylated disulfide derivative monolayer on gold electrode for immobilizing enzymes

Based on self-assembled biotinylated disulfide derivative monolayer on gold electrode, the sensors immobilized monolayer or multilayer membranes composed of avidin and biotinlabeled glucose oxidase (B.GOD) or of avidin-B.GOD complex (ABC) and B.COD were prepared. The present technique may be useful for controlling the enzyme content of the sensors in molecular level by repeating the deposition of enzyme layers. The sensors have the characteristics of shorter response time, higher sensitivity. The linear range is from 6.0 x 10(-6) - 5.0 x 10(-3) M. The sensor can be used for more than 1 month and can be reactivated. The sensor was used to determine glucose in human blood serum, and the results are satisfactory.     

A model for short alpha-neurotoxin bound to nicotinic acetylcholine receptor from Torpedo californica: comparison with long-chain alpha-neurotoxins and alpha-conotoxins

Short-chain alpha-neurotoxins from snakes are highly selective antagonists of the muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR). Although their spatial structures are known and abundant information on topology of binding to nAChR is obtained by labeling and mutagenesis studies, the accurate structure of the complex is not yet known. Here, we present a model for a short alpha-neurotoxin, neurotoxin II from Naja oxiana (NTII), bound to Torpedo californica nAChR. It was built by comparative modeling, docking and molecular dynamics using 1H NMR structure of NTII, cross-linking and mutagenesis data, cryoelectron microscopy structure of Torpedo marmorata nAChR [Unwin, N., 2005. Refined structure of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor at 4A resolution. J. Mol. Biol. 346, 967-989] and X-ray structures of acetylcholine-binding protein (AChBP) with agonists [Celie, P.H., van Rossum-Fikkert, S.E., van Dijk, W.J., Brejc, K., Smit, A.B., Sixma, T.K., 2004. Nicotine and carbamylcholine binding to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors as studied in AChBP crystal structures. Neuron 41 (6), 907-914] and antagonists: alpha-cobratoxin, a long-chain alpha-neurotoxin [Bourne, Y., Talley, T.T., Hansen, S.B., Taylor, P., Marchot, P., 2005. Crystal structure of Cbtx-AChBP complex reveals essential interactions between snake alpha-neurotoxins and nicotinic receptors. EMBO J. 24 (8), 1512-1522] and alpha-conotoxin [Celie, P.H., Kasheverov, I.E., Mordvintsev, D.Y., Hogg, R.C., van Nierop, P., van Elk, R., van Rossum-Fikkert, S.E., Zhmak, M.N., Bertrand, D., Tsetlin, V., Sixma, T.K., Smit, A.B., 2005. Crystal structure of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor homolog AChBP in complex with an alpha-conotoxin PnIA variant. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 12 (7), 582-588]. In complex with the receptor, NTII was located at about 30 A from the membrane surface, the tip of its loop II plunges into the ligand-binding pocket between the alpha/gamma or alpha/delta nAChR subunits, while the loops I and III contact nAChR by their tips only in a 'surface-touch' manner. The toxin structure undergoes some changes during the final complex formation (for 1.45 rmsd in 15-25 ps according to AMBER'99 molecular dynamics simulation), which correlates with NMR data. The data on the mobility and accessibility of spin- and fluorescence labels in free and bound NTII were used in MD simulations. The binding process is dependent on spontaneous outward movement of the C-loop earlier found in the AChBP complexes with alpha-cobratoxin and alpha-conotoxin. Among common features in binding of short- and long alpha-neurotoxins is the rearrangement of aromatic residues in the binding pocket not observed for alpha-conotoxin binding. Being in general very similar, the binding modes of short- and long alpha-neurotoxins differ in the ways of loop II entry into nAChR.     

Stability of neutral and charged Si50 cage and stacked structure and in comparison with Si60 structures

We have performed calculations on the fullerene cage and stacked structures of neutral and ionic Si₅₀ cluster by full-potential linear-muffin-tin-orbital molecular-dynamics (FP-LMTO-MD) method. It is found that the neutral and charged fullerene cages relax into distorted structures resembling puckered balls. Their electronic structures are remarkably similar besides their geometrical structures. However, the relaxed cages are still not so stable as the stacked structure built from tricapped trigonal prism. By comparison, for the fullerene cages and stacked structures of neutral and ionic Si₆₀ cluster, similar characteristics are found.     

The first bis(orotato–N,O) complex: Synthesis,crystal structure,spectroscopic and thermal characterization of (chaH)2[Cu(HOr–N,O)2(cha)] · 2H2O (cha = cyclohexylamine and HOr = orotate(2−))

The novel bis(cyclohexylaminium) cyclohexylaminebis(orotate–N,O)cuprate(II) dihydrate, (C₆H₁₅N)₂[Cu(C₅H₂N₂O₄)₂(C₆H₁₄N)] · 2H₂O, has been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, magnetic measurements, FT-IR and UV–Vis spectroscopy, thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction. The Cu(II) complex crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c. The copper atom in the five-coordinated (chaH)₂[Cu(HOr–N,O)₂(cha)] · 2H₂O is chelated by a deprotonated pyrimidine nitrogen atom and carboxylate oxygen atom as a bis(bidentate) ligand and the cyclohexylamine ligand completes the square-pyramidal coordination. The thermal decomposition of the complex has been predicted by the help of thermal analysis (TG, DTG and DTA).     

用双表面活性剂为共模板合成中孔分子筛MCM-48

利用水热法以非离子表面活性剂聚乙二醇辛基苯基醚和阳离子表面活性剂十六烷基三甲基溴化铵为共模板合成了中孔分子筛MCM-48.实验中发现利用较强的范德华力和氢键,聚乙二醇辛基苯基醚可在很大程度上降低合成MCM-48所需阳离子表面活性剂的用量,且利于制备有序性好、骨架聚合度高、稳定性好的MCM-48.通过调节聚乙二醇辛基苯基醚与十六烷基三甲基溴化铵的比例,可得到不同物相结构的分子筛.     

苯在Pluronic F127和P123胶束水溶液中的增溶动力学

发展了不分离胶束的增溶动力学数据分析模型,以此考察苯在F127和P123胶束水溶液中的增溶动力学行为.实验发现,这二种胶束增溶苯的速度较快,温度升高进一步促进了增溶.