Near-Ultraviolet Circular Dichroism and Two-Dimensional Spectroscopy of Polypeptides

A fully quantitative theory of the relationship between protein conformation and optical spectroscopy would facilitate deeper insights into biophysical and simulation studies of protein dynamics and folding. In contrast to intense bands in the far-ultraviolet, near-UV bands are much weaker and have been challenging to compute theoretically. We report some advances in the accuracy of calculations in the near-UV, which were realised through the consideration of the vibrational structure of the electronic transitions of aromatic side chains.     

Characterization of supercommuting matrices

For a given n-by-n matrix A, we consider the set of matrices which commute with A and all of whose principal submatrices commute with the corresponding principal submatrices of A. The properties of this set are examined, with particular attention to its dimension.     

Mesomorphic properties of orthopalladated complexes of laterally substituted azobenzene derivatives, 2-alkoxycarbonyl-4-(4-ethoxyphenylazo)phenyl 4-methoxybenzoates

Homologous series of 2-alkoxycarbonyl-4-(4-ethoxyphenylazo)phenyl 4-methoxybenzoates (L) and their orthopalladated μ-chloro dimers (Pd₂Cl₂L₂) have been synthesized and their thermotropic phase transition behaviour has been characterized. The ligands, L, are three-ring nematogens with their central rings substituted in the 2-position by n-alkyl chains of varied length. The thermal stability of the nematic phases decreases rapidly with increasing side chain length and then levels off as the series is ascended. In every case the mesomorphic phase appears only over a small temperature range (less than 20° C). The orthopalladated species also proved to be nematogenic. Melting and clearing points rise on the average by 87° C and 126° C, respectively, and thus the temperature ranges of the nematic phases are enlarged considerably upon metallation. In relation to the observed stabilization of the nematic phases, particularly of higher homologues, a lath-like molecular structure, in which the side chains of the ligands fill up the clefts of the core part, has been deduced for a Pd2Cl2L2 homologue from its solution ¹H-NMR spectrum.     

The evaluation of Cauchy principal value integrals involving unknown poles

A method is described for the evaluation of a Cauchy principal value integral of the formf ₀ ^p f(t)dt, wheref is analytic in the interval [0,p] except at a simple pole at an unknown point in (0,p), with an unknown residue. The method is based on the trapezoidal rule.     

N-α-Benzyloxyacetyl derivatives of (S)-4-benzyl-5,5-dimethyloxazolidin-2-one for the asymmetric synthesis of differentially protected α,β-dihydroxyaldehydes

α-Dibenzylamino- and α-benzyloxy- derivatives of N-acetyl-(S)-4-benzyl-5,5-dimethyloxazolidin-2-one readily undergo highly stereoselective boron mediated syn-aldol reactions with a range of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes, generating the syn-aldol products in good to excellent yields as single diastereoisomers after purification. In the α-dibenzylamino series, deprotection of the functionalised aldol fragments to the corresponding α-amino-β-hydroxy methyl ester or α-amino-β-hydroxyaldehyde proved problematic, with a range of N- and O-protecting groups giving mixtures of products arising from endocyclic and exocyclic cleavage pathways. However, in the α-benzyloxy series, O-silyl protection of the aldol products, and subsequent DIBAL reduction gives stereoselectively the corresponding N-1′-hydroxyalkyloxazolidin-2-ones, which undergo base promoted fragmentation to the desired highly functionalised and differentially protected α,β-dihydroxyaldehydes in good yields and without loss of stereochemical integrity.