Fluorescence labeling of oligosaccharides useful in the determination of molecular interactions.

A simple method to label oligosaccharides with a multifunctional fluorescent group was developed. Oligosaccharides were quantitatively labeled at their reducing termini with pyrene butanoic acid hydrazide. The pyrene-labeled oligosaccharides were successfully applied to fluorescence polarization measurements and ELISA at picomole quantity, which was not previously reached by other procedures. This labeling method should prove to be useful in a variety of aspects in glycobiology.     

Third-order nonlinear optical properties of azo dye attached polymers

Third-order nonlinear optical properties of a disazo dye attached polymer (3R) were evaluated and compared with that of a monoazo (Disperse Red 1) dye attached polymer (2R). The third-order nonlinear optical coefficient (ξ⁽³⁾) of the 3R is more than three times higher than that of the 2R over the fundamental wavelengths between 1.5 and 2.0 μm. This is explained by π-conjugation elongation. For both polymers, the ξ⁽³⁾ dependence on the fundamental wavelength corresponds to their absorption spectra. This is attributable to a three-photon resonance effect. At the 1.50 μm resonant wavelength, the maximum ξ⁽³⁾ of 4.8 × 10^-11 esu is obtained for 3R at a dye content of 17 mol%.     

Preparation of Polycrystalline Antimonic Acid Films by Electrophoretic Deposition

Cubic antimonic acid (Sb₂O₅·nH₂O) films were successfully prepared on stainless steel and Si(100) substrates by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) using two types of sols. The sols were prepared by reacting an H₂O₂ aqueous solution with Sb(O-i-C₃H₇)₃ or metallic Sb powder. The resulting films were found to consist of fine particles of cubic Sb₂O₅·nH₂O single crystals with uniform particle sizes of 30 nm and 150 nm. The weight of the Sb₂O₅·nH₂O deposit on the anode Si(100) substrate by EPD increased linearly with the current density in the range of 0–0.67 mA cm^–2, when the sol pH was over 7. The proton conductivity of the polycrystalline Sb₂O₅·nH₂O discs, formed from the two types of sols, was evaluated by an ac impedance method at room temperature under controlled levels of relative humidity.     

Quantum fluctuation of electronic wave-packet dynamics coupled with classical nuclear motions

An ab initio electronic wave-packet dynamics coupled with the simultaneous classical dynamics of nuclear motions in a molecule is studied. We first survey the dynamical equations of motion for the individual components. Reflecting the nonadiabatic dynamics that electrons can respond to nuclear motions only with a finite speed, the equations of motion for nuclei include a force arising from the kinematic (nuclear momentum) coupling from electron cloud. To materialize these quantum effects in the actual ab initio calculations, we study practical implementation of relevant electronic matrix elements that are related to the derivatives with respect to the nuclear coordinates. Applications of the present scheme are performed in terms of the configuration state functions (CSF) using the canonical molecular orbitals as basis functions without transformation to particular diabatic basis. In the CSF representation, the nonadiabatic interaction due to the kinematic coupling is anticipated to be rather small, and instead it should be well taken into account through the off-diagonal elements of the electronic Hamiltonian matrix. Therefore it is expected that the nonadiabatic dynamics based on this CSF basis neglecting the kinematic coupling may work. To verify this anticipation and to quantify the actual effects of the kinematic coupling, we compare the dynamics with and without the kinematic-coupling terms using the same CSF set. Applications up to the fifth electronically excited states in a nonadiabatic collision between H(2) and B(+) shows that the overall behaviors of these two calculations are surprisingly similar to each other in an average sense except for a fast fluctuation reflecting the electronic time scale. However, at the same time, qualitative differences in the collision events are sometimes observed. Therefore it turns out after all that the kinematic-coupling terms cannot be neglected in the CSF-basis representation. The present applications also demonstrate that the nonadiabatic electronic wave-packet dynamics within ab initio quantum chemical calculation is feasible.     

A New Synthesis of 3-Deoxy-D-Manno-Octulosonic Acid (KDO) From D-Mannose Via Condensation of Dioxene

Abstract

The title compound has long been known as an essential component of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and capsular polysaccharides which exist in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. KDO has attracted additional attention as a consequence of some remarkable discoveries; i) mutants unable to produce KDO are non-viable.¹ ii) KDO is not present in mammalian cells,² iii) the 2-deoxy analog of β-KDO represents a new class of synthetic antimicrobial agent.^3,4 Although syntheses of KDO have been reported by many groups,^5–8 a more efficient synthetic method endowed with the potential for synthesis of not only complex glycoconjugates but also biologically significant analogs is required.     

Exciton localization behaviour in different well width undoped GaN/Al0.07Ga0.93N nanostructures

We report results from optical spectroscopy such as photoluminescence (PL) and time resolved photo-luminescence (TRPL) techniques from different well width MOCVD grown GaN/Al_0.07Ga_0.93N MQW samples. There is evidence of localization at low temperature in all samples. The decay time of all samples becomes non-exponential when the detection energy is increased with respect to the peak of the emission. Localization of carriers (excitons) is demonstrated by the “S-shape” dependences of the PL peak energies on the temperature. The time-resolved PL spectra of the 3-nm well multi quantum wells reveal that the spectral peak position shifts toward lower energies as the decay time increases and becomes red-shifted at longer decay times. There is a gradient in the PL decay time across the emission peak profile, so that the PL process at low temperatures is a free electron-localized hole transition.     

New Identification of the Visible Bands of the C2 Swan System

The well known Swan system (d³Π_g-a³Π_u) of C₂ has been observed in absorption in a hollow cathode discharge in a mixture of C₂H₂ and helium. Three bands, (v′, v″)=(5, 7), (6, 8), and (7, 9), of the Swan system have been identified and rotationally analyzed. However, the transition wavenumbers are found not to be quite consistent with the literature values compiled by Phillips and Davis. The (7, 9) band has been observed and identified for the first time. New identifications of the (5, 7) and (6, 8) bands are presented. The observed wavenumbers are fit to the effective Hamiltonian derived by Brown and Merer for ³Π states. The molecular constants for both the upper and lower electronic states have been determined from the least squares fitting.     

The role of the Mg2+ cation in ATPsynthase studied by electron paramagnetic resonance using VO2+ and Mn2+ paramagnetic probes

The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) and hyperfine sublevel correlation (HYSCORE) spectra of Mg2+-depleted chloroplast F1-ATPase substituted with stoichiometric VO2+ are reported. The ESEEM and HYSCORE spectra of the complex are dominated by the hyperfine and quadrupole interactions between the VO2+ paramagnet and two different nitrogen ligands with isotropic hyperfine couplings /A1/ = 4.11 MHz and /A2/ = 6.46 MHz and nuclear quadrupole couplings e2qQ1 approximately 3.89-4.49 MHz and e2qQ2 approximately 1.91-2.20 MHz, respectively. Aminoacid functional groups compatible with these magnetic couplings include a histidine imidazole, the epsilon-NH2 of a lysine residue, and the guanidinium group of an arginine. Consistent with this interpretation, very characteristic correlations are detected in the HYSCORE spectra between the 14N deltaM1 = 2 transitions in the negative quadrant, and also between some of the deltaM1 = 1 transitions in the positive quadrant. The interaction of the substrate and product ADP and ATP nucleotides with the enzyme has been studied in protein complexes where Mg2+ is substituted for Mn2+. Stoichiometric complexes of Mn x ADP and Mn x ATP with the whole enzyme show distinct and specific hyperfine couplings with the 31P atoms of the bonding phosphates in the HYSCORE (ADP, A(31Pbeta) = 5.20 MHz: ATP, A(31Pbeta) = 4.60 MHz and A(31Pgamma) = 5.90 MHz) demonstrating the role of the enzyme active site in positioning the di- or triphosphate chain of the nucleotide for efficient catalysis. When the complexes are formed with the isolated alpha or beta subunits of the enzyme, the HYSCORE spectra are substantially modified, suggesting that in these cases the nucleotide binding site is only partially structured.     

Redox regulation of helical structures in short peptides with an intramolecular ferrocenyl cross-linking agent

We redox-regulated alpha-helicity of short peptides intramolecularly cross-linked with a ferrocenyl linker between amino acid side chains. The helical content of the cross-linked peptide was estimated to be 56% in the neutral state of the ferrocene core at 25 degrees C. The addition of an oxidant to the solution of the cross-linked peptide enhanced the helicity up to 75%. The increased helical content returned to the same level as that in the previous ferrocene state by further addition of a reductant.