String structures and the index of the Dirac-Ramond operator on orbifolds

We discuss the relationship between string structures and the topological class H ⁴(M,Z) on non-simply connected manifolds. We also investigate to what extent the index formula for the Dirac-Ramond operator detects the class, .Supported by the NSF Grant #84-07109 and by the U.S. Department of Energy (D.O.E.) under contract #DE-AC02-76ER03069On leave from the University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland     

Synthesis and Odor of Chiral Partial Structures of Khusimone. Part 1

Khusimone (1), one of the main odor-donating compounds of vetiver oil is subject of the following study on structure/odor relationship. The omittance of the ethano bridge of the tricyclic khusimone leads to a bicyclic system. The stereoselective approach to this degraded structure is described, and the olfactory properties are studied. The key step of the synthesis of the hydrindane nucleus is based on a highly diastereoselective conjugate addition to a chiral oxo-cyclopentene-2-carboxylate.     

Concerning the Thermal Diastereomerization of the Green Fluorescent Protein Chromophore

Summary. Two model compounds for the green fluorescent protein chromophore were prepared. One of them incorporates the natural 4-hydroxybenzylidene group of the natural tyrosin derived chromophore, the other one bears a methyl group instead of the hydroxy group. Whereas the photochemically prepared (E)-diastereomer of the first compound very effectively reverted thermally (room temperature) to the thermodynamically stable (Z)-diastereomer, the (E)-diastereomer of the second derivative proved to be stable even at elevated temperatures for more than a day. This finding can be rationalized by constructing the appropriate resonance structures showing that only in the first case an effective delocalization enables partial single bond character of the benzylidene double bond. From the standpoint of chemical etiology, only Nature’s choice of the tyrosin derived chromophore of the green fluorescent protein provides an efficient radiationless thermal relaxation channel for the unwanted photo-diastereomerization product formed after excitation besides the dominating fluorescence channel of its chromophore.     

De Sitter superalgebras and supergravity

A general analysis of all possible super-extensions of anti-de Sitter and de Sitter algebrasO(3, 2) andO(4, 1) is presented. It is shown that actions with de Sitter local supersymmetry exist, but contain vector-ghosts.Supported in part by the NSF under grant PHY 81-09110 A-01On leave from the Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Wrocaw, Wrocaw, Poland     

Neue ternäre Käfigverbindungen aus den Systemen Barium–Indium/Zink/Cadmium–Germanium: Zintl-Verbindungen mit Phasenbreite?

New Ternary Clathrate Compounds in the Systems Barium–Indium/Zinc/Cadmium–Germanium: Zintl Compounds with Phase Width? By systematic investigations in the systems barium–indium/zinc/cadmium–germanium we found a couple of new electrovalent ternary compounds with A₈X₄₆ clathrate (I) type structures. They crystallize cubically in space-group Pm3n. For Ba₈In₁₆Ge₃₀ (a = 1 075.8 pm), Ba₈Zn₈Ge₃₈ (a = 1 082.0 pm) and Ba₈Cd₈Ge₃₈ (a = 1 096.0 pm) the structures were verified by X-ray single crystal diffraction data. According to valence and bounding distances the new clathrates should be Zintl compounds. Measurements of the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity proved, that they are indeed semiconductors. A part of the 2B/3B metal atoms can be substituted by germanium. Charge balance will be retained by creation of vacancies in the A₈X₄₆ type structures. By phase analysis the limits of the composition range were determined as Ba₈In₄Ge₉[]₃Ge₃₀ (a = 1 084.9 pm), Ba₈Zn₄Ge₁₀[]₂Ge₃₀ (a = 1 073.6 pm) and Ba₈Cd₄Ge₁₀[]₂Ge₃₀ (a = 1 082.0 pm).     

Geometrical meaning of the Poincaré group gauge theory

We find a condition (6) under which a gauge theory of the Poincaré group is equivalent to the Einstein-Cartan theory of gravitation.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of cyclopropane amino acids using diazo compounds generated in situ

A simple and high-yielding method for the preparation of cyclopropane amino acids is described. The novel method involves the one-pot cyclopropanation of readily available dehydroamino acids using aryl and unsaturated diazo compounds generated in situ from the corresponding tosylhydrazone salts. It was found that thermal 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition followed by nitrogen extrusion gave the cyclopropane amino acid derivatives with good E selectivity, while reactions in the presence of meso-tetraphenylporphyrin iron chloride gave predominantly the corresponding Z isomers. The synthetic utility of this process was demonstrated in the synthesis of (+/-)-(Z)-2,3-methanophenylalanine [(+/-)-(Z)-1], the anti-Parkinson (+/-)-(E)-2,3-methano-m-tyrosine [(+/-)-(E)-2], and the natural product (+/-)-coronamic acid [(+/-)-3].     

Characterization of the thermally induced topochemical solid-state transformation of NH4[N(CN)2] into NCN[double bond]C(NH2)2 by means of X-ray and neutron diffraction as well as Raman and solid-state NMR spectroscopy

The mechanism of the solid-solid transformation of NH(4)[N(CN)(2)] into NCN[double bond]C(NH(2))(2), which represents the isolobal analogue of W?hler's historic conversion of ammonium cyanate into urea, has been investigated by temperature-dependent single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, neutron powder diffraction, and Raman and solid-state NMR spectroscopy as well as thermoanalytical measurements. The transformation of the ionic dicyanamide into its molecular isomer upon controlled thermal treatment was found to proceed topochemically in the solid state with little molecular motion, giving rise to a single-crystal to single-crystal transformation which manifests itself by a defined metric relation between the unit cells of the two isomers. The exothermic phase transition is thermally activated and was observed to commence at temperatures > or =80 degrees C. The pronounced temperature dependence of the onset of the transformation may be assessed as an indication for the metastability of ammonium dicyanamide at elevated temperatures. Thermal analyses reveal a decrease in the reaction enthalpy (56-13 kJ mol(-1)) at higher heating rates and an average mass loss of 10% gaseous ammonia. Evidence was found for crucial mechanistic steps of the transformation, which is likely to proceed via proton transfer from the ammonium ion to one of the terminal nitrogen atoms of the anion. The protonation is followed by nucleophilic attack of the in situ generated ammonia at the electrophilic nitrile carbon. The proposed mechanistic pathway is based on the results of combined Raman and solid-state NMR spectroscopic as well as neutron powder diffraction measurements.     

New Organosiloxanes Containing Silacycles

Abstract

The synthesis of carbon substituted 1, 1-dichloro- and l, l-bis(diethylamino)silacyclobutanes and butenes and their polycondensation reactions with bisphenol A, 1,2-ethanediol and 1,6-hexanediol is described. The monomer silacycles and the organosiloxane polymers are characterized by NMR (¹H-, ¹³C-, ²⁹Si-), GPC, DSC and elemental analysis.     

Identification of lipophilic bioproduct portfolio from bioreactor samples of extreme halophilic archaea with HPLC-MS/MS

Extreme halophilic archaea are a yet unexploited source of natural carotenoids. At elevated salinities, however, material corrosivity issues occur and the performance of analytical methods is strongly affected. The goal of this study was to develop a method for identification and downstream processing of potentially valuable bioproducts produced by archaea. To circumvent extreme salinities during analysis, a direct sample preparation method was established to selectively extract both the polar and the nonpolar lipid contents of extreme halophiles with hexane, acetone and the mixture of MeOH/MTBE/water, respectively. Halogenated solvents, as used in conventional extraction methods, were omitted because of environmental considerations and potential process scale-up. The HPLC-MS/MS method using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization was developed and tuned with three commercially available C₄₀ carotenoid standards, covering the wide polarity range of natural carotenoids, containing different number of OH-groups. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a C₃₀ RP-HPLC column with a MeOH/MTBE/water gradient. Polar lipids, the geometric isomers of the C₅₀ carotenoid bacterioruberin, and vitamin MK-8 were the most valuable products found in bioreactor samples. In contrast to literature on shake flask cultivations, no anhydrous analogues of bacterioruberin, as by-products of the carotenoid biosynthesis, were detected in bioreactor samples. This study demonstrates the importance of sample preparation and the applicability of HPLC-MS/MS methods on real samples from extreme halophilic strains. Furthermore, from a biotechnological point-of-view, this study would like to reveal the relevance of using controlled and defined bioreactor cultivations instead of shake flask cultures in the early stage of potential bioproduct profiling.