Chromone and phenanthrene alkaloids from Dennettia tripetala

Dennettine, a new 2,6-dimethoxychromone and three known phenanthrene alkaloids (uvariopsine, stephenanthrine and argentinine) in addition to the phenolic and known compound vanillin were isolated from the roots of Dennettia tripetala. Their structures were determined by physical and spectroscopical one dimensional (1D) and 2D-NMR analysis, including heteronuclear multiple bond correlation and nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy.     

Cellular fluorescent indicators and voltage/ion probe reader (VIPR) tools for ion channel and receptor drug discovery

High throughput functional assays are increasingly relied upon to generate early and novel discovery leads for drug development. Ion transport proteins including channels, transporters, and pumps play central roles in cellular bioenergetics, excitability, and a multitude of other biological functions. Facile, robust methods for detecting ion transport activity in both native and heterologous systems is desirable for rapid functional analysis and drug discovery for these difficult but important targets. Here we discuss cell-compatible fluorescent probes, functional assays, and VIPR instrumentation that are used to monitor real-time target activity and screen large chemical libraries for potent and selective modulators. Advances and issues for both exogenously applied and fluorescent protein probes of cellular membrane potential, Ca2+, Cl-, and pH are addressed. High throughput screening (HTS) compatible, rapid kinetic and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assays are emphasized, in particular the use of voltage-sensitive FRET probes to assay ion channel activity in single cells and 96/384-well formats.     

Evidence for nearby supernova explosions

Supernova (SN) explosions are one of the most energetic---and potentially lethal---phenomena in the Universe. We show that the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association, a group of young stars currently located at approximately 130 pc from the Sun, has generated 20 SN explosions during the last 11 Myr, some of them probably as close as 40 pc to our planet. The deposition on Earth of (60)Fe atoms produced by these explosions can explain the recent measurements of an excess of this isotope in deep ocean crust samples. We propose that approximately 2 Myr ago, one of the SNe exploded close enough to Earth to seriously damage the ozone layer, provoking or contributing to the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary marine extinction.     

Spectrophotometric Methods for the Simultaneous Determination of Metals in University Laboratories

Spectrophotometry is an analytical technique that is studied at the university level because of its ease of operation and low expense. Three different experimental methods of gradual difficulty are proposed for the application of this technique to the simultaneous determination of two metals. The techniques are applicable to the practice of all subdisciplines of experimental chemistry. These techniques are (1) absorption spectrophotometry, the determination of cobalt (II) and copper (II); (2) first-derivative spectrophotometry, the determination of chromium (III) and copper (II); and (3) first-derivative spectrophotometry using the zero-crossing method, the determination of copper (II) and mercury (II).     

Dissipative-Hamiltonian decomposition of smooth vector fields based on symmetries

We propose a method to decompose a smooth vector field into conservative and dissipative components. The procedure is based on the identification of the kernel of a linear operator associated with a given Hamiltonian combined with the use of Lie transformations for vector fields. Moreover, under certain conditions the nonconservative part of the splitting can be dropped at a given order of the transformation, obtaining after truncation, a Hamilton vector field. The technique is illustrated through the application to the motion of a particle subject to the potential of a champagne bottle plus a small friction.     

Polarity effects on ZnO films grown along the nonpolar [1120] direction

The surface electrical properties of ZnO thin films grown along the nonpolar [1120] direction have been investigated by Kelvin probe microscopy on a nanometer scale. Two different charge domains, with a 75 meV work function difference, coexist within the ZnO surface, which is covered by rhombohedral pyramids whose sidewalls are shown to be {1011}-type planes. The presence and relative orientation of the two kinds of charge domains are explained in terms of the atomic arrangement at the {1011} polar surfaces.     

Short-time dynamics in quasi-two-dimensional colloidal suspensions

The short-time dynamic properties of colloidal particles in quasi-two-dimensional geometries are studied by digital video microscopy. We demonstrate experimentally that the effective-two-dimensional physical quantities such as the dynamic structure factor, the hydrodynamic function, and the hydrodynamic diffusion coefficients are related in exactly the same manner as their three-dimensional counterparts.     

From labdanes to drimanes. Degradation of the side chain of dihydrozamoranic acid

A new route for the degradation of the saturated side chain of dihydrozamoranic acid has been devised, giving an advanced intermediate, compound 14, useful for the synthesis of insect antifeedants such as warburganal and polygodial.     

Formation of trinuclear palladium orthometalated complexes with unprecedented asymmetrical (mu 3-S)(mu 3-X) bridges (X = OH, SR, O2CR) from mu 2-hydroxo dimeric complexes and CS2

Complexes [Pd(3)(mu(3)-S)(mu(3)-X)(L)(3)] (L = orthometalated imine), obtained by an unusual reaction of mu(2)-OH dimeric complexes and CS(2), are an unprecedented type of asymmetrical bridges between metallatriangles, which force an all-cis arrangement of the three orthometalated ligands relative to the metallatriangle.