Determination of D- and L-amino acids in biological samples by two-dimensional column liquid chromatography

Summary A two-dimensional, column liquid chromatographic system is used for the determination of the D- and L-enantiomers of amino acids in biological samples. Separation of the amino acids is first on ion-exchange column by gradient elution with a sodium citratesodium chloride buffer. Enantioseparation is by subsequent injection of 3 l heart-cuts of the individual amino acids onto a second column with a chiral crown ether stationary phase. Finally, fluorescence detection is after post-column labelling of the amino acids using ano-phthalaldehyde-2-mercaptoethanol reagent solution. The high separation power and selectivity of the system allow processing of complex samples with hardly any additional treatment and the determination of small quantities of D-amino acids in the presence of excess L-form. Applicability of the system is illustrated by the determination of D- and L-aspartate, serine, glutamate and alanine in various complex biological samples, such as protein hydrolysates, urine and biotechnological and food samples. Data are given on detectability, repeatability and linearity.     

Quantum-chemical study of manifestations of conjugation in molecules containing conjugated C=C and C=O bonds

Based on the MNDO calculations of the electronic structure of the molecules of acrolein, glyoxal, and butadiene, possible mechanisms of the conjugation in systems containing conjugated C=C and C=O bonds have been analyzed. In the electronic ground state ofs-trans-acrolein, the , -conjugation is very small, whereas in the first excited electronic state, the conjugation is substantial, In the ground state ofs-trans-glyoxal, the ,-conjugation should manifest itself clearly but should be weaker than in butadiene, whereas in the first excited electronic state, this conjugation should be more pronounced, Alternation of double and single bonds in the classic structural formula of a molecule does not ensure that this molecule exhibits the properties of a -conjugated system even in planar conformations.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1648–1652, July, 1996.     

CrIII-Phthalocyaninate: Darstellung,Eigenschaften und Kristallstruktur von l-Bis(triphenylphosphin)iminium-trans-di(nitrito(O))phthalocyaninato(2–)-chromat(III)

Cr^III Phthalocyaninates: Synthesis, Properties, and Crystal Structure of l-Bis(triphenylphosphine)iminium trans-Di(nitrito(O))phthalocyaninato(2–)chromate(III) [Cr(H₂O)₂Pc^2?]I_x reacts with excess (PNP)NO₂ in dimethylformamide to yield less soluble greenblack l-bis(triphenylphosphine)iminium trans-di(nitrito(O))phthalocyaninato(2–)chromate(III), ^l(PNP)^trans[Cr(ONO)₂Pc^2?], which crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1 (No. 2) with Z = 2. The Cr atom is in the center of the Pc^2? ligand and the two nitrite ions are monodentate O-coordinated in a mutually trans arrangement to the Cr atom. The Cr? O and Cr? N_iso bond distances are 1.9898(14) und 1.981(2) Å, respectively. The geometric data of the coordinated nitrite ion are: d(N? O) = 1.307(2) Å; d(N? O) = 1.205(2) Å; ?(O? N? O) = 113.7(2)°; ?(Cr? O? N) = 116.85(12)°. The non-bonding O atoms are trans to the Cr atom. The Pc^2? ligand is slightly saddled. Three weak spin-allowed trip-quartet(TQ) transitions (in 10³ cm^?1): TQ1 (8.20) < TQ2 (11.3) < TQ3 (20.33) and the characteristic π-π* transitions of the Pc^2? ligand: B (14.68) < Q₁ (27.1) < Q₂ (29.0) < N (35.4) are observed in the UV-VIS-NIR spectrum. Prominent luminescence spectra are obtained by excitation within the TQ1 region, in which the spin-forbidden trip-sextet transition at 7376 cm^?1 dominates at low temperatures (T < 50 K). The vibrational spectra are discussed. In coincidence of the excitation lines with TQ3, v_s(Cr? O) at 378 cm^?1 is selectively resonance Raman (RR) enhanced. v_as(Cr? O) is observed in the FIR spectrum at 391 cm^?1. The following internal vibrations (in cm^?1) of the nitrito ligand are in the MIR spectrum: v_as(N? O)/1447 > v_as(N? O)/1018/1029 > δ(O? N? O)/828 and in the RR-spectrum: v_s(N? O)/1410 > v_s(N? O)/952, the last followed by three overtones.     

HPLC and electrophoresis — Competitors or partners

Summary Protein structure analysis is an indispensible tool in modern biological research. However, the isolation of a protein or the separation of peptides in a form suitable for sequence analysis is a considerable technical challenge. The two predominant separation methods in protein biochemistry are chromatography and electrophoresis. In this paper the position, advantaged and disadvantages of both HPLC and electrophoresis for the separation of amino acids, peptides and proteins in protein structure analysis are discussed.     

Substitutional carbon defects in silicon: A quantum mechanical characterization through the infrared and Raman spectra

The infrared (IR) and Raman spectra of eight substitutional carbon defects in silicon are computed at the quantum mechanical level by using a periodic supercell approach based on hybrid functionals, an all electron Gaussian type basis set and the CRYSTAL code. The single substitutional C _s case and its combination with a vacancy (C _sV and C _sSiV) are considered first. The progressive saturation of the four bonds of a Si atom with C is then examined. The last set of defects consists of a chain of adjacent carbon atoms C, with i = 1–3. The simple substitutional case, C _s, is the common first member of the three sets. All these defects show important, very characteristic features in their IR spectrum. One or two C related peaks dominate the spectra: at 596 cm⁻¹ for C _s (and C _sSiV, the second neighbor vacancy is not shifting the C _s peak), at 705 and 716 cm⁻¹ for C _sV, at 537 cm⁻¹ for C and C (with additional peaks at 522, 655 and 689 for the latter only), at 607 and 624 cm⁻¹, 601 and 643 cm⁻¹, and 629 cm⁻¹ for SiC, SiC, and SiC, respectively. Comparison with experiment allows to attribute many observed peaks to one of the C substitutional defects. Observed peaks above 720 cm⁻¹ must be attributed to interstitial C or more complicated defects.     

Performance of Pt/SnO2 catalyst in the gas phase hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde

Selective hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde was performed on 5% Pt/SnO₂ catalysts, in gaseous phase, at atmospheric pressure, at 353 K. Two types of catalyst were prepared using H₂PtCl₆ and Pt(NH₃)₄(NO₃)₂ as metallic precursors. Their performances were compared as a function of the reduction temperature and both catalysts were characterised by X-ray diffraction after different reduction treatments. Using the ex-chloride catalyst, the selectivity values to the unsaturated alcohol (UOL) resulted into a maximum of 45% while a selectivity as high as 70–77%, in 0–25% conversion range, was achieved by using ex-nitrate catalyst reduced at 443 K. The formation of Pt–Sn alloy on the metal particles of platinum was thought to be necessary to improve the activity and the selectivity on these catalysts. In the contrast, a presence of PtSn₂ formed at a reduction temperature higher than 473 K led to a decrease of activity and selectivity.     

Radical addition reactions: factors determining the transition-state geometry

Interatomic distances in the reaction centers of the addition reactions of (i) H^· to the C=C, C=O, N≡C, and C≡C bonds, (ii) ^·CH₃ radical to the C=C, C=O, and C≡C bonds, and (iii) alkyl, aminyl, and alkoxyl radicals to olefin C=C bonds were determined using a new semiempirical method for calculating transition-state geometries of radical reactions. For all reactions of the type X^· + Y=Z → X— Y—Z^· the r ^# _X...Y distance in the transition state is a linear function of the enthalpy of reaction. Parameters of this dependence were determined for seventeen classes of radical addition reactions. The bond elongation, Δr ^# _X...Y, in the transition state decreases as the triplet repulsion, electronegativity difference between the atoms X and Y in the reaction center, and the force constant of the attacked multiple bond increase. __________ Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 894–902, April, 2005.     

Two-dimensional Blue Native/sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis for analysis of multimeric proteins in platelets

Two-dimensional (2-D) Blue Native/SDS gel electrophoresis combines a first-dimensional separation of monomeric and multimeric proteins in their native state with a second denaturing dimension. These high-resolution 2-D gels aim at identifying multiprotein complexes with respect to their subunit composition. We applied this method for the first time to analyze two human platelet subproteomes: the cytosolic and the microsomal membrane protein fraction. Solubilization of platelet membrane proteins was achieved with the nondenaturing detergent n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside. To validate native solubilization conditions, we demonstrated the correct assembly of the Na,K-ATPase, a functional multimeric transmembrane protein, when expressed in Xenopus oocytes. We identified 63 platelet proteins after in-gel tryptic digestion of 58 selected protein spots and liquid chromatography-coupled tandem mass spectrometry. Nine proteins were detected for the first time in platelets by a proteomic approach. We also show that this technology efficiently resolves several known membrane and cytosolic multiprotein complexes. Blue Native/SDS gel electrophoresis is thus a valuable procedure to analyze specific platelet subproteomes, like the membrane(-bound) protein fraction, by mass spectrometry and immunoblotting and could be relevant for the study of protein-protein interactions generated following platelet activation.     

NMR determination of enantiomeric composition of 1-substituted 3-amino-1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaboranes using Eu(hfc)3

Experimental conditions for determination of enantiomeric composition of 1-substituted 3-aminocarboranes by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy using chiral shift reagent Eu(hfc)₃ have been found.     

Catalytic olefination of carbonyl compounds. A new versatile method for the synthesis of alkenes

The review is devoted to a new catalytic olefination reaction (COR) discovered by the authors. This is the reaction between N-unsubstituted hydrazones of carbonyl compounds with dihalides CHal₂XY in the presence of copper(i) chloride to give substituted alkenes. Catalytic olefination is versatile. Variation of the carbonyl and olefinating components opens up the way for the synthesis of various classes of unsaturated compounds including those containing functional groups. The reaction mechanism is discussed and a catalytic cycle describing the process is proposed. A model for estimating and predicting the reactivity of halogen-containing compounds in the COR is developed. The relationship between the structure of the carbonyl substrates and their behavior in the title reaction is elucidated.