The Photochemical Synthesis of Fine Chemicals with Sunlight

The light of the sun can be used directly for changing chemical structures photochemically. Any industrial application must conform to the limitations imposed by the spectral distribution of the photons from the sun, the interruptions to the radiation due to the day/night rhythm, and the weather. In this review, we describe the photochemical potential of the sun, give a fundamental treatment of the concept of photoreactors driven by sunlight (abbreviated to solar photoreactors), and give an account of the realization of this concept in the first pilot plant on the “Plataforma Solar de Almeria” in southern Spain and in other activities in this field. Based on experimental data from photochemical investigations on the pilot plant scale, possibilities, limitations, and the potential growth of solar photochemistry are described. Solar photochemistry, in our opinion, is a technique which could make a contribution to the chemistry of the future because of its photochemical synthesis potential, the avoidance of waste products, and the direct utilization of the sun, not only as a primary energy source, but also as a reaction partner.     

Synthesis and Odor of Chiral Partial Structures of Khusimone. Part 1

Khusimone (1), one of the main odor-donating compounds of vetiver oil is subject of the following study on structure/odor relationship. The omittance of the ethano bridge of the tricyclic khusimone leads to a bicyclic system. The stereoselective approach to this degraded structure is described, and the olfactory properties are studied. The key step of the synthesis of the hydrindane nucleus is based on a highly diastereoselective conjugate addition to a chiral oxo-cyclopentene-2-carboxylate.     

Untersuchungen an Metallkatalysatoren. XXXII. Zur Legierungsbildung und Dispersität von Nickel-Rhenium-Katalysatoren

Investigations on Metal Catalysts. XXXII. On Alloying and Dispersion of Nickel-Rhenium Catalysts Unsupported Ni? Re catalysts were prepared by reduction of mixtures from NiO and NH₄ReO₄ at 400°C with hydrogen (1^st series), followed by a heat treatment at 650°C in flowing hydrogen (2^nd series). The bimetallic powders were characterized by DTA investigations, X-ray measurements, N₂ adsorption, and CO chemisorption. The degree of alloying and the changes in dispersion as a result of adding a second metal to a basic one is discussed.     

Preparation and structure of fluorite-type (Sr,Y)Cl2.05

Anion excess colorless fluorite-type strontium-yttrium chloride has been prepared. Single crystals of the SrY compound exhibit a primitive cubic lattice with a = 6.967(1)Å. Two mutually exclusive structural models for solutions, neither of which is exact, are discussed. The first is a vacancy model in which the extra charge which results from substitution of Y³⁺ for Sr²⁺ is balanced by the simultaneous removal of a Sr²⁺Cl^? ion pair. This model requires individual ion sites to be partially occupied and nonequivalent and is strongly suggestive of vacancy ordering. Refinement in space group P1, with sites refined independenty, led to R = 0.1096. The second model describes the structure in terms of a Willis cluster of defects and includes both anion vacancies and interstitial anions. Full-matrix least squares refinement in space group Fm3m, with positions analogous to those in UO_2.12 and (Ca,Y)F_2.10, converged at R = 0.0633 for the 114 face-centered parent structure reflections whose |F|;² > σ(F²). This second model is discussed in relation to a probable true solution which involves longrange order.     

A novel technique to specifically analyze the secretome of cells and tissues

The secretome of cells and tissues may reflect a broad variety of pathological conditions and thus represents a rich source of biomarkers. The identity of secreted proteins, usually isolated from cell supernatants or body fluids, is hardly accessible by direct proteome analysis, because these proteins are often masked by high amounts of proteins actually not secreted by the investigated cells. Here, we present a novel method for the specific detection of proteins secreted by human tissue specimen as well as cultured cells and chose liver as a model. The method is based on the metabolic labelling of proteins synthesized during a limited incubation period. Then, the cell supernatant is filtered, precipitated, and subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Whereas fluorography detected a large number of proteins derived from residual plasma and dead cells, the autoradiographs selectively displayed genuinely secreted proteins. We demonstrate the feasibility of this approach by means of the secretomes of the hepatocellular carcinoma-derived cell line HepG2 and human liver slices. The selective identification of cell- and tissue-specific protein secretion profiles may help to identify novel sets of biomarkers for wide clinical applications.     

Concerning the Thermal Diastereomerization of the Green Fluorescent Protein Chromophore

Summary. Two model compounds for the green fluorescent protein chromophore were prepared. One of them incorporates the natural 4-hydroxybenzylidene group of the natural tyrosin derived chromophore, the other one bears a methyl group instead of the hydroxy group. Whereas the photochemically prepared (E)-diastereomer of the first compound very effectively reverted thermally (room temperature) to the thermodynamically stable (Z)-diastereomer, the (E)-diastereomer of the second derivative proved to be stable even at elevated temperatures for more than a day. This finding can be rationalized by constructing the appropriate resonance structures showing that only in the first case an effective delocalization enables partial single bond character of the benzylidene double bond. From the standpoint of chemical etiology, only Nature’s choice of the tyrosin derived chromophore of the green fluorescent protein provides an efficient radiationless thermal relaxation channel for the unwanted photo-diastereomerization product formed after excitation besides the dominating fluorescence channel of its chromophore.     

Miscibility of zinc sulfide and zinc phosphide

Solid solutions in the system zinc sulfide/zinc phosphide (Zn(2+)(x)S(2-2xP(2x)) were investigated using the cyclic cluster model within the semiempirical MSINDO method. Results of cyclic cluster calculations for binding energies of the perfect ZnS and Zn(3)P(2) are presented and compared with the experimental data. The miscibility of ZnS and Zn(3)P(2) over the whole composition range of 0 < x < 1 was investigated by calculating the Gibbs free energy of mixing Delta(M)G for different values of x. A miscibility gap was found at both ends of the composition range and compared with experimental data.     

Phase relationships in the system SrBr2SrCl2

Strontium bromide-chloride phases (SrBr_xCl_2?x) in the composition region 2.00 > x > 0 were prepared and examined by the Guinier powder X-ray diffraction technique. Observed and calculated powder intensities for the compositions x = 1.60, 1.40, and 0.30 are presented. The anions assume an ordered arrangement at the first two compositions and a random arrangement at the third. Two previously unreported intermediate phases at the composition about x = 1.50 and x = 0.60, both of unknown structure, were identified and their d values are reported. SrBr₂ is found to be insoluble in SrCl₂.     

Advanced approaches for the characterization of a de novo designed antiparallel coiled coil peptide

We report here an advanced approach for the characterization of the folding pattern of a de novo designed antiparallel coiled coil peptide by high-resolution methods. Incorporation of two fluorescence labels at the C- and N-terminus of the peptide chain as well as modification of two hydrophobic core positions by Phe/[15N,13C]Leu enable the study of the folding characteristics and of distinct amino acid side chain interactions by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and NMR spectroscopy. Results of both experiments reveal the antiparallel alignment of the helices and thus prove the design concept. This finding is also supported by molecular dynamics simulations. Electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICR-MS) in combination with NMR experiments was used for verification of the oligomerization equilibria of the coiled coil peptide.