Thin-layer chromatography combined with diode laser desorption/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry

The desorption of an analyte by a continuous wave diode laser from a porous surface of a thin-layer plate covered with a graphite suspension is presented. The thermally desorbed analyte molecules are ionized in the gas phase by a corona discharge at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, both essential processes--the desorption and the ionization of analyte molecules, which are often performed in one step--are separated. The target preparation is easy and fast since no additional extraction process is required. The mass spectrometric background signal was mostly limited to the low mass range showing no interference with typical compounds of interest. In this study, the calmative and antihypertensive drug reserpine was chosen as model analyte, which is often used for specification of mass spectrometers. No fragmentation was observed because of efficient collisional cooling under atmospheric pressure. The influence of diode laser power and the composition of the graphite suspension were investigated, and a primary optimization was performed.     

Hierarchical dynamics in allostery following ATP hydrolysis monitored by single molecule FRET measurements and MD simulations

We report on a study that combines advanced fluorescence methods with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to cover timescales from nanoseconds to milliseconds for a large protein. This allows us to delineate how ATP hydrolysis in a protein causes allosteric changes at a distant protein binding site, using the chaperone Hsp90 as test system. The allosteric process occurs via hierarchical dynamics involving timescales from nano- to milliseconds and length scales from Ångstroms to several nanometers. We find that hydrolysis of one ATP is coupled to a conformational change of Arg380, which in turn passes structural information via the large M-domain α-helix to the whole protein. The resulting structural asymmetry in Hsp90 leads to the collapse of a central folding substrate binding site, causing the formation of a novel collapsed state (closed state B) that we characterise structurally. We presume that similar hierarchical mechanisms are fundamental for information transfer induced by ATP hydrolysis through many other proteins.

We report on a study that combines advanced fluorescence methods with molecular dynamics simulations to cover timescales from nanoseconds to milliseconds for a large protein, the chaperone Hsp90.     

Eliashberg theory for disordered superconductors. II. Tunneling into disordered two-dimensional Pb films

A series ofc-axis oriented YBa₂Cu₃O _x -films with different oxygen content were prepared by laser deposition. The oxygen contentx was determined by X-ray diffraction and by resonant Rutherford-back-scattering (RRBS) measurements. Thec-axis length in these films of YBa₂Cu₃O _x is about 0.5% larger compared to bulk values. We describe transport measurements in magnetic fields up to 7 Tesla between room temperature andT _c in samples with an oxygen content between the orthorhombic-to-tetragonal transition (x6.4) and full oxygenation (x7). The ratio /R _H was investigated with respect to the two-dimensional Luttinger liquid theory and the model of the two-dimensional ionic metal. We report on deviations from the expected quadratic temperature behaviour of /R _H , especially in films with high oxygen content.     

Prediction of aqueous solubility of drugs and pesticides with COSMO-RS

The COSMO-RS method, originally developed for the prediction of liquid-liquid and liquid-vapor equilibrium constants based on quantum chemical calculations, has been extended to solid compounds by addition of a heuristic expression for the Gibbs free energy of fusion. By this addition, COSMO-RS is now capable of a priori prediction of aqueous solubilities of a wide range of typical neutral drug and pesticide compounds. Only three parameters in the heuristic expression have been fitted on a data set of 150 drug-like compounds. On these data an rms deviation of 0.66 log-units was achieved. Later, the model was tested on a set of 107 pesticides, which have been critically selected based on two experimental data sources and by a crosscheck with an independent HQSAR model. On this data set an rms of 0.61 log-units was achieved, without any adjustments to the structurally extremely diverse pesticides. This result verifies the ability of this extended COSMO-RS to predict aqueous solubilities of drugs and pesticides of almost arbitrary structural classes. The new method is COSMO-RSol.     

First structural characterization of binary AsIII and SbIII azides

The highly explosive molecules As(N(3))(3) and Sb(N(3))(3) were obtained in pure form by the reactions of the corresponding fluorides with (CH(3))(3)SiN(3) in SO(2) and purification by sublimation. The crystal structures and (14)N NMR, infrared, and Raman spectra were determined, and the results compared to ab initio second-order perturbation theory calculations. Whereas Sb(N(3))(3) possesses a propeller-shaped, pyramidal structure with perfect C(3) symmetry, the As(N(3))(3) molecule is significantly distorted from C(3) symmetry due to crystal packing effects.