Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry of reaction products between C3O2 and stabilized phosphorus ylides

A fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometric study on the open-chain compound 1,3-bis(cyanomethylenetriphenylphosphorane)propane-1,3-dione and on the cyclic zwitterionic compounds 4-oxy-5-triphenylphosphonium-6-methyl-2-pyrone and 4-oxy-5-triphenylphosphonium-6-phenyl-2-pyrone, obtained by reaction of carbon suboxide, C₃O₂, with stabilized phosphorus ylides, Ph₃PCHX (X?CN, COMe, COPh), is described. The FAB mass spectrometric behaviour of these compounds is compared with that shown by tri-phenylphosphoranilideneketene, Ph₃P ? C ? C ? O, and by 4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2-pyrone, with the aid of metastable ion data and collision spectroscopy.     

Comparative Study of Antioxidant and Pro-Oxidant Properties of Homoleptic and Heteroleptic Copper Complexes with Amino Acids,Dipeptides and 1,10-Phenanthroline: The Quest for Antitumor Compounds

In a search for new antitumoral agents, a series of homoleptic copper(II) complexes with amino acids and dipeptides, as well as heteroleptic complexes containing both dipeptides and 1,10-phenanthroline, were studied. Furthermore, a single-crystal structure containing alanyl-leucinato ([Cu₃(AlaLeu)₃(H₂O)₃(CO₃)]·PF₆·H₂O), which is the first homotrinuclear carbonato-bridged copper(II) complex with a dipeptide moiety, is presented. To assess possible antitumor action mechanisms, we focused on the comparative analysis of pro- and antioxidant behaviors. Pro-oxidant activity, in which the reactive oxygen species (ROS) formed by the reaction of the complexes with H₂O₂ produce oxidative damage to 2-deoxy-d-ribose, was evaluated using the TBARS method. Additionally, the antioxidant action was quantified through the superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity, using a protocol based on the inhibitory effect of SOD on the reduction of nitrobluetetrazolium (NBT) by the superoxide anion generated by the xanthine/xanthine oxidase system. Our findings show that Cu–amino acid complexes are strong ROS producers and moderate SOD mimics. Conversely, Cu–dipeptide–phen complexes are good SOD mimics but poor ROS producers. The activity of Cu–dipeptide complexes was strongly dependent on the dipeptide. A DFT computational analysis revealed that complexes with high SOD-like activity tend to display a large dipole moment and condensed-to-copper charge, softness and LUMO contribution. Moreover, good ROS producers have higher global hardness and copper electrophilicity, lower copper softness and flexible and freely accessible coordination polyhedra.     

Weak exchange interaction supported by a biologically relevant long chemical bridge in a Cu-peptide model compound

The copper complex of the dipeptide L-alanyl-L-phenylalanine, catena-(L-alaninate-L-phenylalaninate-copper(II) monohydrate), identified as Cu(II)Ala-Phe, provides a convenient system to study a weak exchange interaction between unpaired spins transmitted through a biologically relevant long chemical bridge (18.34 A). In this complex, the copper ions are arranged in two symmetry-related anisotropic layers parallel to the ab plane at 13.17 A, separated by a double layer of water molecules. The equatorial-equatorial bridge considered as the most relevant path for exchange interactions between copper ions in neighbor layers contains 11 diamagnetic atoms (including three hydrogens), with two covalent amidate bridges plus three weak and moderate H bonds that go across the water layer. This interaction was studied using electron paramagnetic resonance in single-crystal samples, at 9.5 and 34.5 GHz. The measured magnitude of the interlayer interaction, |J3|/kB = 1.7(2) x 10(-3) K, is discussed in terms of values obtained for similar paths in other model compounds and in proteins. These results in model systems provide information that may be important in understanding biological functions at the molecular level.     

Mass spectrometric studies of platinum(II) complexes of carbonyl-stabilized arsonium ylides

A fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometric study was carried out on the two O-coordinated carbonyl-stabilized arsonium ylide Pt(II) complexes {(dppe)PtCI[OC(R)C(H)AsPh₃]}BF₄ ((dppe) = Ph₂PCH₂CH₂Ph₂; R = CH₃ (1), OCH₃ (3)) and on the two corresponding C-coordinated isomers {(dppe)PtCl[Ph₃AsC(H)COR]}BF₄ (R = CH₃ (2), OCH₃ (4)). The mass spectral analysis of complexes 1 and 2 reveals that it is possible to distinguish the two isomeric forms mainly on the basis of the relative abundance of the protonated triphenylarsine oxide at m/z 323 while the different coordination modes of the ylide in complexes 3 and 4 are evidenced by the different fragmentation pathways of these two derivative;. Further, the reaction between [(dppe)PtCl]₂(BF₄)₂ and the appropriate ylide performed under FAB conditions indicates that in both cases the first complex formed is the C-coordinated isomer, in agreement with that observed in the condensed phase.     

Near-infrared resonant photoacoustic gas measurement using simultaneous dual-frequency excitation

The simultaneous dual-frequency operation of a resonant photoacoustic gas sensor based on the differential mode excitation photoacoustic (DME-PA) technique is presented. The DME-PA method uses the excitation of two different modes in a resonant photoacoustic cell and the gas concentration is derived from the amplitude ratio of these acoustic modes. With the simultaneous dual-frequency excitation, the amplitude ratio needed by the DME-PA technique is obtained instantaneously, in contrast to the sequential modulation scheme where additional time delays are introduced by changing the modulation frequency. For a given excitation power reaching the photoacoustic cell, and a total acquisition time longer than 7 s, the simultaneous modulation scheme provides an improved measurement uncertainty compared to the sequential scheme. The proposed sensor allows measuring water vapour with a ±150 ppmV uncertainty using current-modulated near-infrared LEDs and a 15 s total acquisition time.     

The Staudinger reaction of platinum(II)- and palladium(II)-coordinated 2-(azidomethyl)phenyl isocyanide. X-ray structure of trans-[PtCl{(H)}(PPh3)2][BF4] · CDCl3 · H2O

2-(Azidomethyl)phenyl isocyanide, 2-(CH₂N₃)C₆H₄NC (AziNC), coordinates to some cationic Pt(II) and Pd(II) species to afford isocyanide complexes of the type trans-[MCl(AziNC)(PPh₃)₂][BF₄] (M=Pt, l; Pd, 2). AziNC is coordinated also in some neutral Pt(II) and Pd(II) species such as [MCl₂(AziNC)₂] (M=Pt, 3; Pd, 4) derived from the reactions of 2 equiv. of AziNC with [PtCl₂(COD)] and [PdCl₂(MeCN)₂], respectively. Complexes 1 and 2 react with 1 equiv. of PPh₃ affording the heterocyclic carbene complexes trans-[MCl{(H)}(PPh₃)₂][BF₄] (M=Pt, 5; Pd, 6). Complexes 3 and 4 react with 1 equiv. of PPh₃ displacing the isocyanide with the formation of the complexes cis-[MCl₂(AziNC)(PPh₃)] (M=Pt, 7; Pd, 8). These latter ones react with 2 equiv. of PPh₃ affording as the final products the cationic carbene species trans-[MCl{(H)}(PPh₃)₂][Cl] (M=Pt, 9; Pd, 10). Complex 5 was also characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The carbene complex is square-planar and the angle formed between the platinum square plane and the heterocyclic carbene ligand is 87.9(2)°. The C(1)-N(1) and C(1)-N(2) bond distances in the latter of 1.32(2) and 1.30(2) Å, respectively, are short for a single bond and indicate extensive π-bonding between the nitrogen atoms and the carbene carbon.     

On local characterizations of Hamiltonian tournaments

We characterize the hamiltonian tournaments that admits exactly one spanning cycle and the hamiltonian tournaments with the least number of 3-cycles by their hamiltonian subtournaments which have the same properties respectively. AMS(MOS) Subject Classification (1980)-05C20. Work performed under the auspices of the Gruppo Nazionale di Topologia (Fondi MURST 40%). This paper is in its final form and no version of it will be submitted for publication elsewhere     

Percept-related activity in the human somatosensory system: functional magnetic resonance imaging studies

In this paper, we review blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies addressing the neural correlates of touch, thermosensation, pain and the mechanisms of their cognitive modulation in healthy human subjects. There is evidence that fMRI signal changes can be elicited in the parietal cortex by stimulation of single mechanoceptive afferent fibers at suprathreshold intensities for conscious perception. Positive linear relationships between the amplitude or the spatial extents of BOLD fMRI signal changes, stimulus intensity and the perceived touch or pain intensity have been described in different brain areas. Some recent fMRI studies addressed the role of cortical areas in somatosensory perception by comparing the time course of cortical activity evoked by different kinds of stimuli with the temporal features of touch, heat or pain perception. Moreover, parametric single-trial functional MRI designs have been adopted in order to disentangle subprocesses within the nociceptive system.

Available evidence suggest that studies that combine fMRI with psychophysical methods may provide a valuable approach for understanding complex perceptual mechanisms and top-down modulation of the somatosensory system by cognitive factors specifically related to selective attention and to anticipation. The brain networks underlying somatosensory perception are complex and highly distributed. A deeper understanding of perceptual-related brain mechanisms therefore requires new approaches suited to investigate the spatial and temporal dynamics of activation in different brain regions and their functional interaction.