Rate coefficient for the reaction of CCl3 radicals with ozone

The rate coefficient for the reaction of CCl₃ radicals with ozone has been measured at 303 ± 2 K. The CCl₃ radicals were generated by the pulsed laser photolysis of carbon tetrachloride at 193 nm. The time profile of CCl₃ concentration was monitored with a photoionization mass spectrometer. Addition of the O₃–O₂ mixture to this system caused a decay of the CCl₃ concentration because of the reactions of CCl₃ + O₃ → products (5) and CCl₃ + O₂ → products (4). The decay of signals from the CCl₃ radical was measured in the presence and absence of ozone. In the absence of ozone, the O₃–O₂ mixture was passed through a heated quartz tube to convert the ozone to molecular oxygen. Since the rate coefficient for the reaction of CCl₃ + O₂ could be determined separately, the absolute rate coefficient for reaction ( 5 ) was obtained from the competition among these reactions. The rate coefficient determined for reaction ( 5 ) was (8.6 ± 0.5) × 10^?13 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 and was also found to be independent of the total pressure (253–880 Pa of N₂). This result shows that the reaction of CCl₃ with O₃ cannot compete with its reaction with O₂ in the ozone layer. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 35: 310–316, 2003     

Ring‐opening grafting polymerization of cyclic monomers onto human hair

Natural human hair was successfully modified by the graft polymerization of trimethylene carbonate, β‐propiolactone, ε‐caprolactone, glycidol, ε‐caprolactam, and 5,5‐dimethyl‐1,3‐dioxane‐2‐thione. In contrast, we could not modify natural human hair by the graft polymerization of oxetane under similar conditions. The model reaction suggested that the main initiating species in these polymerizations were the amino, thiol, and hydroxyl groups in hair, which could induce ring‐opening polymerization. Among the tested monomers, β‐propiolactone was most effective for hair modification with its graft polymer, whose concentration was as high as 0.5 g/g of hair though polymerization under mild conditions. The effects of the hair pretreatment and polymerization temperature on the weight ratio of the grafted polymers were also investigated. Hair modified by grafted polymers was characterized with scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared measurements. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 736–744, 2007     

Anionic grafting polymerization of propylene sulfide onto human hair in water

Natural human hair was modified by the graft polymerization of propylene sulfide in an aqueous medium. The amount of the polymer grafted onto the reduced hair was 0.15–0.19 g on 1.0 g of hair. The grafted polymer was isolated by the hydrolysis of the hair in the polymer‐grafted hair under basic conditions and was confirmed to be poly(propylene sulfide) by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and Fourier transform infrared spectra. The number‐average molecular weights of the isolated polymers from the grafted products were 10,000–12,000. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3778–3786, 2006     

Molecular modeling study of species-selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha agonist; possible mechanism(s) of human PPARalpha selectivity of an alpha-substituted phenylpropanoic acid derivative (KCL)

In order to investigate the reason why phenylpropanoic acid derivative (KCL), a potent, human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha-selective agonist, shows this selectivity, we analyzed the binding modes of KCL and a related compound to the ligand-binding domain of human PPARalpha and rat PPARalpha by means of computer-aided molecular modeling. We concluded that the characteristic specificity of KCL is due to a specific hydrophobic contact between the hydrophobic tail part (the 4-trifluoromethyl group) and the key amino acid Ile272 located on the helix three region of the human PPARalpha ligand binding domain. We propose a possible binding mode of KCL with the ligand-binding domain of human PPARalpha. This binding model should offer important insights for further structural design of subtype-selective PPARalpha agonists for the treatment of altered metabolic homeostasis, such as dyslipidemia, obesity, and diabetes.     

Synthetic Studies on Sialoglycoconjugates 22: Total Synthesis of Tumor-Associated Ganglioside,Sialyl Lewis X1

ABSTRACT

The first total synthesis of tumor-associated glycolipid antigen, sialyl Lewis X is described. Glycosylation of 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl O-(2-acetamido-4,6-O-benzylidene-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-(1→3)-O-(2,4,6-tri-O-benzyl-β-D-galactopyranosyl)-(1→4)-2,3,6-tri-O-benzyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (1) with methyl 2,3,4-tri-O-benzyl-1-thio-β-L-fuco-pyranoside (4) gave the α-glycoside (5), which was converted by reductive ring-opening of the benzylidene acetal into the glycosyl acceptor (6). Dimethyl(methylthio)sulfonium triflate-promoted coupling of 6 with methyl O-(methyl 5-acetamido-4,7,8,9-tetra-O-acetyl-3,5-dideoxy-D-glycero-α-D-galacto-2-nonulopyranosylonate)-(2→3)-2,4,6-tri-O-benzoyl-1-thio-β-D-galactopyranoside (7) afforded the desired hexasaccharide 8 in good yield. Compound 8 was converted into the α-trichloroacetimidate 11, via reductive removal of the benzyl groups, O-acetylation, removal of the 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl group, and treatment with trichloroacetonitrile, which, on coupling with (2S, 3R, 4E)-2-azido-3-O-benzoyl-4-octa-decene-1,3-diol (12), gave the β-glycoside 13. Finally, 13 was transformed, via selective reduction of the azide group, condensation with octadecanoic acid, O-deacylation, and hydrolysis of the methyl ester group, into the title compound 16.     

Communication: Synthetic Studies on Sialoglycoconjugates 110: Efficient Assembly of α-Linked Tetrameric Sialoglycosides Coupled with Galactose and Lactose

Polysialoglycoconjugates, such as polysialylated ganglio-series gangliosides and N-CAM (neural cell adhesion molecule), are of interest because of their important physiological functions in association with neural cell development, differentiation, neuron network formation, and so on.^2-4 Chemical synthesis of these glycoconjugates provides an effective method to elucidate their biological significance in nature at the molecular level, providing not only genuine original glycoconjugates but also their derivatives and analogs designed for biological investigation. We have established⁵ an efficient method to construct dimeric and trimeric sialoglycosides by using the lactonated sialic acid derivatives as building blocks, and succeeded in the systematic synthesis of various polysialogangliosides such as GD3, GQ1b, GQlbα and, very recently, GT3.⁶ In this paper, as a part of our continuous synthetic approach directed toward the polysialoglycoconjugates, we report the first synthesis of α-linked tetrameric sialoglycosides coupled with a galactose and lactose residue.     

Synthesis of a biodegradable polymeric supramolecular assembly for drug delivery

A novel design of a biodegradable carrier for drug delivery was established by constructing a supramolecular assembly of drugs and polymer backbones without any covalent bonds. A biodegradable polyrotaxane was synthesized in which α-cyclodextrins (α-CDs) as drug carriers were threaded onto poly(ethylene glycol) chains which then were capped at each chain end by L -phenylalanine via peptide linkages. The release of α-CDs was observed only when the terminal peptide linkages were degraded.     

A compact permanent‐magnet system for measuring magnetic circular dichroism in resonant inelastic soft X‐ray scattering

A compact and portable magnet system for measuring magnetic dichroism in resonant inelastic soft X‐ray scattering (SX‐RIXS) has been developed at the beamline BL07LSU in SPring‐8. A magnetic circuit composed of Nd–Fe–B permanent magnets, which realised ～0.25 T at the center of an 11 mm gap, was rotatable around the axis perpendicular to the X‐ray scattering plane. Using the system, a SX‐RIXS spectrum was obtained under the application of the magnetic field at an angle parallel, nearly 45° or perpendicular to the incident X‐rays. A dedicated sample stage was also designed to be as compact as possible, making it possible to perform SX‐RIXS measurements at arbitrary incident angles by rotating the sample stage in the gap between the magnetic poles. This system enables facile studies of magnetic dichroism in SX‐RIXS for various experimental geometries of the sample and the magnetic field. A brief demonstration of the application is presented.     

Polymerization-induced self-assembly of amino-acid-based nano-objects by reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer dispersion polymerization

A series of amino-acid-based amphiphilic diblock copolymer nano-objects having different morphologies were developed by reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) dispersion polymerization of styrene (St) in methanol. This was mediated by six different hydrophilic poly(N-acryloyl amino acid) macro-chain transfer agents (CTAs), including three carboxylic-acid-containing ones, poly(N-acryloyl-l -proline) (PAProOH), poly(N-acryloyl-4-trans-hydroxy-l -proline) (PAHypOH), and poly(N-acryloyl-l -threonine) (PAThrOH) prepared by RAFT polymerization, and their methyl ester forms, PAProOMe, PAHypOMe, and PAThrOMe. The effects of polymerization conditions on RAFT dispersion polymerization of St using a dithiocarbamate-terminated PAProOH was investigated. A systematic study of the effects of monomer conversion and concentration afforded the formation of various morphologies (i.e., spheres, worms, and vesicles). The effects of hydrogen-bonding and ionic interactions of the macro-CTAs on the assembled structures of the nano-objects were evaluated using six different macro-CTAs. Transforming the products from methanol to water via dialysis produced amino-acid-based block copolymer nano-objects, exhibiting pH-responsive morphological change, in aqueous solution.     

Syntheses of Novel Nonreducing-Sugar Subunit Analogs of Lipid a Carrying 2-Acyloxytetradecanoyl and 2-Hydroxyacyl Groups of Different Carbon Chain Length

Abstract

To investigate the biological influence of the 2-(acyloxy)tetradecanoyl and 2-hydroxyacyl groups in the nonreducing-sugar subunit analogs of lipid A, a novel series of 3-(O-[(2RS)-2-acyloxytetradecanoyl]-2-deoxy-2-[(2RS)-2-hydroxytetradecanamido]-4-O-phosphono-d-glucoses (10a-d), 3-O-[(2RS)-2-acyloxytetradecanoyl]-2-deoxy-2-[(3R)-3-hydroxytetradecanamido]-4-O-phosphono-d-glucoses (19a-d), and 2-deoxy-2-[(2RS)-2-hydroxyacyl]amino-4-O-phosphono-3-O-[(3R)-3-tetradecanoyloxytetradecanoyl]-d-glucoses (23e-h) were systematically synthesized.