Formation of small single-layer and nested BN cages under electron irradiation of nanotubes and bulk material

12 N₁₂, B₁₆N₁₆ and B₂₈N₂₈ octahedra which were predicted to be magic clusters for the BN system from electronic structure calculations. Received: 2 March 1998     

Thin boron nitride nanotubes with unusual large inner diameters

BN nanotubes, displaying the characteristics of few concentric layers (2–6 layers) but unusual large inner diameters (ranging from 8 to more than 10 nm), are synthesized by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method on -Al₂O₃ micrometer-range particles. The inner diameters are at least 5 nm larger than the previously reported BN nanotubes of similar layers. Some BN nanotubes are observed to be filled with B–N–O-based amorphous materials. Crystalline core fillings (in the form of boron carbide nanorods) were also discovered. The discussions suggested that the CVD growth behavior of BN nanotubes may be closely dependent on the underlying substrates, which may be helpful to the possible rational synthesis of BN nanotubes.     

Unconventional zigzag indium phosphide single-crystalline and twinned nanowires

Unconventional zigzag indium phosphide (InP) single-crystalline and twinned nanowires were produced via thermal evaporation of indium phosphide in the presence of zinc selenide. The structure and morphology of the as-synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Studies found that two type of nanowires exist in the products, namely, the periodic-rhombus-decorated single-crystalline InP (type I) nanowires and jagged twinned InP (type II) nanowires. Both of them have preferential 111 growth directions. The optical properties were also investigated at room temperature, and they show that the nanowires display a strong emission at approximately 750 nm, which is quite different from that observed in all previous reports related to the InP nanostructures.     

Glochidionionosides A-D: megastigmane glucosides from leaves of Glochidion zeylanicum (Gaertn.) A. Juss

Five megastigmane glucosides were isolated from the leaves of Glochidion zeylanicum. One of them was a known compound, blumenol C O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1), and the structures of the four new compounds, glochidionionosides A-D (2-5), were mainly elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including a modified Mosher's method. The absolute configurations of the six-membered ring of glochidionionoside D (5) were deduced by beta-D-glucopyranosylation-induced shift trends in the (13)C-NMR spectra and confirmed by X-ray analysis as its p-bromobenzoate (5b), and the axis chirality of C-7 was determined to be R.     

C-H to N substitution dramatically alters the sequence-specific DNA alkylation, cytotoxicity, and expression of human cancer cell lines

We designed and synthesized sequence-specific alkylating conjugates 1 and 2, which selectively alkylate matched sequences at nanomolar concentrations. Conjugates 1 and 2 differ only in that the C-H is substituted by an N in the second ring, which precisely recognizes and effectively alkylates DNA according to the recognition rule of Py-Im polyamides. We investigated sequence-specific DNA alkylation, cytotoxicity in 39 human cancer cell lines, and the effect on expression levels in cancer cell lines by Py-Im conjugates 1 and 2. The COMPARE analysis of the mean graphs showed that conjugates 1 and 2 did not correlate well with each other (r = 0.65) despite having a common DNA alkylating mechanism (purine N3 alkylation). Array-based gene expression analysis demonstrated that there are several oppositely regulated genes. The results suggest the intriguing possibility that DNA alkylating agents recognizing longer base-pair sequences may provide a promising approach for developing new types of antigene agents.     

Chirality Induction by Formation of Assembled Structures Based on Anion‐Responsive π‐Conjugated Molecules

Anion‐responsive π‐conjugated compounds having chiral alkyl chains were synthesized. Circular dichroism (CD) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) were observed in the solution‐state assemblies of the chiral anion receptors and those of their anion complexes as salts of a planar triazatriangulenium cation. The CD and CPL spectral patterns of the ion‐pair‐based assemblies were completely opposite to those of the anion‐free assemblies, and this suggests that anion binding and subsequent ion pairing change the chirality of the assembly modes.