Asymmetric reduction of 2-substituted 2-butenolides with reductase from Marchantia polymorpha

A p68 reductase participating in the asymmetric reduction of the C–C double bond of 2-substituted 2-butenolides was isolated from Marchantia polymorpha. The enzyme reduced 2-substituted 2-butenolides to give (R)-butanolides, and the reduction of citraconic anhydride afforded (R)-methylsuccinic anhydride.     

High-performance liquid chromatography of gentian violet, its demethylated metabolites, leucogentian violet and methylene blue with electrochemical detection

High-performance liquid chromatographic conditions are reported for the electrochemical detection (ED) of Gentian Violet, its demethylated metabolites, Leucogentian Violet and Methylene Blue. Gentian Violet, its demethylated metabolites and Leucogentian Violet were separated within 14 min on a cyano column eluted isocratically with methanol-buffer (60:40) as the mobile phase. ED responses for Gentian Violet, Leucogentian Violet and Methylene Blue were linear over the ranges 0.54-6.75, 0.50-25.2, and 5.7-285 ng, respectively. Under these conditions, the compounds were eluted in the following order: Leucogentian Violet, N"-2-tetra-methylparaosaniline chloride, N'-1-tetramethylpararosaniline chloride, pentamethylpararosaniline chloride and Gentian Violet. Methylene Blue and Gentian Violet had essentially the same retention time under these parameters. The detection limit for Gentian Violet, its demethylated metabolites and Leucogentian Violet was determined to be 0.1 pmol. A detection limit of 3 pmol was established for Methylene Blue. Detector response, elution, separation, linearity and sensitivity of detection are discussed.     

Snowballs of radioactive ions — nuclear spin polarization of core ions

Short-lived ions¹²B (beta-radioactive, T_1/2=20.3 ms) sustaining nuclear spin polarization were introduced into superfluid helium at 1.7 K. It was found that the¹²B ions were transported as charged entities under a static electric field and that the nuclear polarization was maintained throughout the lifetime of¹²B nuclei. Polarization of¹²B was determined through beta-NMR method. Snowball, a singly charged microcluster of helium atoms formed around an impurity ion, is responsible for the behaviour and thus constitutes a suitable environment for preserving nuclear polarization of the core ions¹²B. In a separate experiment snowballs were produced by implanting⁸Li (T_1/2=830 ms) into liquid helium and detected by means of alpha particles from the core ions to guarantee that the snowballs survive longer than the lifetime of¹²B.     

Temperature and Oxygen Partial Pressure Dependences of the Surface Tension of Liquid Sn–Ag and Sn–Cu Lead-free Solder Alloys

Temperature dependence of the surface tension of liquid Sn–Ag and Sn–Cu base lead-free solder alloys and oxygen partial pressure dependence of liquid Sn–Ag alloy were evaluated using the experimental data obtained, respectively, by the constrained drop method and the sessile drop method in the previous studies [1, 2]. The temperature dependences of the surface tension have maximum positive values when the mol fraction of Ag and Cu is about 0.7, while those for pure liquid Sn, Ag, and Cu have negative values. The calculated values based on Butler’s equations were found to be in reasonable agreement with those of the experimental data. The oxygen partial pressure dependences of the surface tension of liquid Sn–Ag alloys at 1253 K have a minimum value when the mol fraction of Ag is about 0.9 and the oxygen partial pressure is less than about 10⁻¹³ atm. From this, it is considered that the oxygen adsorption increased by adding Ag to Sn when the mol fraction of Ag is less than 0.9.     

Multiple Ca(2+) environments in silicate glasses by high-resolution (43)Ca MQMAS NMR technique at high and ultra-high (21.8 T) magnetic fields

We here show the (43)Ca 5QMAS NMR spectra at high field (16.4 T) and the first 7QMAS spectrum at ultra-high field (21.8 T) for geologically important Ca-containing glasses. The high-resolution MQMAS spectra present a clear evidence of multiple Ca sites in the amorphous structures that have never been identified by other analytical methods. The present study suggests that the Ca(2+) ions are mainly in 7- and 8-fold coordination sites. This will offer valuable insights for dynamic properties of magmatic liquids. The MQMAS NMR technique at high magnetic field is a unique tool to understand the detailed structural information on a specific element in solids including organic and inorganic compounds.     

A survey of metabolic changes in potato leaves by NMR‐based metabolic profiling in relation to resistance to late blight disease under field conditions

Non‐targeted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)‐based metabolic profiling was applied to potato leaves to survey metabolic changes associated with late blight resistance under field conditions. Potato plants were grown in an experimental field, and the compound leaves with no visible symptoms were collected from 20 cultivars/lines at two sampling time points: (i) the time of initial presentation of symptoms in susceptible cultivars and (ii) 12 days before this initiation. ¹H NMR spectra of the foliar metabolites soluble in deuterium oxide‐ or methanol‐d₄‐based buffers were measured and used for multivariate analysis. Principal component analysis for six cultivars at symptom initiation showed a class separation corresponding to their levels of late blight resistance. This separation was primarily explained by higher levels of malic acid, methanol, and rutin and a lower level of sucrose in the resistant cultivars than in the susceptible ones. Partial least squares regression revealed that the levels of these metabolites were strongly associated with the disease severity measured in this study under field conditions. These associations were observed only for the leaves harvested at the symptom initiation stage, but not for those collected 12 days beforehand. Subsequently, a simple, alternative enzymatic assay for l ‐malic acid was used to estimate late blight resistance, as a model for applying the potential metabolic marker obtained. This study demonstrated the potential of metabolomics for field‐grown plants in combination with targeted methods for quantifying marker levels, moving towards marker‐assisted screening of new cultivars with durable late blight resistance. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Infrared-microwave double resonance of propynal by using the 3.51 μm HeXe laser

The 3.51 μm HeXe laser is magnetically tuned over a wavenumber of 0.2 cm^?1 and used for infrared absorption and double resonance spectroscopy. Eight rotation-vibration lines of propynal in the ν₂ band are assigned by the Stark effect. Eleven microwave transitions in the v₂ = 1 vibrational state are observed by the method of infrared-microwave double resonance. The rotational constants of the excited state and the band origin of the vibration ν₂ are determined from the observed spectra.     

Observation of Ramsey resonance absorption in three separated laser fields produced by a corner reflector

Experimental observation of optical Ramsey interference in saturated absorption of methane in a low-pressure gas cell with three spacially separated laser beams at 3.39 μm is reported.