Density Functional Theory and Low-Temperature Matrix Investigations of CO-Loss Photochemistry from [(C<Subscript>5</Subscript>R<Subscript>5</Subscript>)Ru(CO)<Subscript>2</Subscript>]<Subscript>2</Subscript> (R = H,Me) Complexes

The photochemical CO-loss products of the diruthenium complexes [CpRu(CO) ₂]₂ (5; Cp = ⁵-C₅H₅), [Cp*Ru(CO)₂]₂ (5*; Cp* = ⁵-C₅(CH₃)₅) and CpCp*[Ru(CO)₂]₂ (5) have been studied experimentally in low-temperature (96 K) matrices in 3-methylpentane by using IR spectroscopy. It is proposed that all three complexes undergo single-CO-loss chemistry but that the products have different structures. The single-CO-loss product from 5 is proposed to have one bridging and two terminal carbonyl ligands, whereas 5* and 5 generate triply bridged CO-loss products similar to that observed from [CpFe(CO)₂]₂ and [Cp*Fe(CO)₂]₂. Double-CO-loss from 5* and 5* 9 is also apparently observed. Relativistic DFT calculations have been carried out on various isomers of the starting materials and on potential CO-loss products from 5. The calculations suggest that the triply bridged product Cp₂Ru₂(-CO)₃ (6) might have a singlet ground state in contrast to the corresponding diiron complex Cp₂Fe₂(-CO)₃ (3), which has a triplet ground state.     

Conformation and Crystal Structure of Dipyrrinones with Oxindole Components

 Pyrrole α-aldehydes (2-formyl-4,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrole and 2-formyl-N-methylpyrrole) condense readily at C(3) of indolin-2-ones to give dipyrrinone analogs, such as (3Z)-[(4,5-dimethylpyrrol-2-yl)-methylidenyl]-indolin-2-one and (3E)-[(1-methylpyrrol-2-yl)-methylidenyl]-indolin-2-one. ¹H-NMR NOE analyses and X-ray crystallography confirm the syn-(Z) configuration for the former and the syn-(E) configuration for the latter. The former is stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonding. Molecular mechanics calculations of the latter indicate no energy difference between the syn and anti conformations.     

A novel diacetylenic bilirubin

An etiobilirubin‐IIβ analog with the central C(10) CH₂ group replaced by a diacetylene unit ( 1 ) was synthesized by base‐catalyzed condensation of bis‐[3‐methyl‐4‐ethyl‐5‐formylpyrrol‐2‐yl]‐diacetylene ( 3 ) with 3‐methyl‐4‐ethyl‐5‐p‐toluenesulfonyl‐2‐pyrrolinone ( 10 ). Diacetylenic rubin 1 is a dark red solid, giving orange solutions with uv‐visible absorption maxima near 460 nm.     

A new class of linear tetrapyrroles: acetylenic 10,10a-didehydro-10a-homobilirubins

Novel bilirubin analogues with dipyrrinones conjoined to an acetylene rather than a methylene group were synthesized and examined spectroscopically. Despite the increased separation of the dipyrrinones forced by replacing a -CH(2)- by a -C(triple bond)C- unit, molecular dynamics calculations show that, like bilirubin, they may still engage in intramolecular hydrogen bonding to carboxylic acid groups when the propionic acid chains are slightly lengthened, e.g., butanoic acids. Unlike bilirubin, however, which is bent in the middle and has a ridge-tile shape, the acetylene orients the attached dipyrrinones along a linear path, and intramolecular hydrogen bonding preserves a twisted linear molecular shape. The extended planes of the dipyrrinones intersect along the -C(triple bond)C- axis at an angle of 136 degrees for the conformation stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonding in the bis-butyric acid rubin (1b). With shorter acid chains (propionic), only one CO(2)H can engage an opposing dipyrrinone in intramolecular hydrogen bonding, and in this energy-minimum conformation of the linear pigment 1a, the intersection of the extended planes of the dipyrrinones has an angle of 171 degrees. Spectroscopic evidence for such linearized and twisted structures was found in the pigments' NMR spectral data and their exciton UV-vis and induced circular dichroism spectra.     

Protein crystal nucleation: is the pair interaction potential the primary determinant of kinetics?

Fundamental understanding of protein crystal nucleation facilitates crystallization of biological macromolecules for structure determination and control of crystal size distribution. In the studies presented here, nucleation kinetics of hen egg-white lysozyme crystals were measured at solution conditions that exhibited equal solubility by adjusting pH, temperature, or sodium chloride concentration. It was observed that solution conditions that lead to equal solubility resulted in equal nucleation rates and hence kinetic parameters. Since the solubility of globular proteins correlates with the osmotic second virial coefficient, B(22), an integral measure of the protein pair interaction potential, this observation indicates that the protein pair interaction plays a key role in determining nucleation kinetic parameters.     

DNA interchain cross-links formed by acrolein and crotonaldehyde

Acrolein and higher alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes are bifunctional genotoxins. The deoxyguanosine adduct of acrolein, 3-(2-deoxy-beta-d-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-8-hydroxypyrimido[1,2-a]purin-10(3H)-one (8-hydroxy-1,N(2)-propanodeoxyguanosine, 2a), is a major DNA adduct formed by acrolein. The potential for oligodeoxynucleotide duplexes containing 2a to form interchain cross-links was evaluated by HPLC, CZE, MALDI-TOF, and melting phenomena. Interchain cross-links represent one of the most serious types of damage in DNA since they are absolute blocks to replication. In oligodeoxynucleotides containing the sequence 5'-dC-2a, cross-linking occurred in a slow, reversible manner to the extent of approximately 50%. Enzymatic digestion to form 3-(2-deoxy-beta-d-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-8-(N(2)-2'-deoxyguanosinyl)pyrimido[1,2-a]purin-10(3H)one (5a) and reduction with NaCNBH(3) followed by enzymatic digestion to give 1,3-bis(2'-deoxyguanosin-N(2)-yl)propane (6a) established that cross-linking had occurred with the exocyclic amino group of deoxyguanosine. It is concluded that the cross-link is a mixture of imine and carbinolamine structures. With oligodeoxynucleotide duplexes containing the sequence 5'-2a-dC, cross-links were not detected by the techniques enumerated above. In addition, (15)N-(1)H HSQC and HSQC-filtered NOESY spectra carried out with a duplex having (15)N-labeling of the target amino group established unambiguously that a carbinolamine cross-link was not formed. The potential for interchain cross-link formation by the analogous crotonaldehyde adduct (2b) was evaluated in a 5'-dC-2b sequence. Cross-link formation was strongly dependent on the configuration of the methyl group at C6 of 2b. The 6R diastereomer of 2b formed a cross-link to the extent of 38%, whereas the 6S diastereomer cross-linked only 5%.     

Synthesis of bilin-1,19-diones and biladiene-ac-1,19-diones with c(10) adamantyl and tert-butyl groups

Bilirubin and biliverdin analogs bearing bulky adamantyl and tert-butyl groups at the central C(10) position were synthesized and their structures were analyzed by nmr and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and by molecular mechanics calculations, all of which collectively indicated a preference for helical conformations.     

Synthesis,photooxidation and Z ⇌ E photoisomerization of benzalpyrrolinones

In contrast to oxodipyrromethenes and bilirubin, benzalpyrrolinones (H, P-OCH₃, p-Cl, p-N(CH₃)₂ and o-CH₃) and α-pyridalpyrrolinones appear not to undergo dye-sensitized photo-oxygenation. They do, however, undergo an unsensitized E ? Z photoisomerization reminiscent of stilbene photoisomerization, and the photostationary state varies with substituent. Intramolecular H-bonding is implicated in the α-pyridalpyrrolinone isomerization. In each case, the Z isomers are the therrnodynamically more stable ones, but the corresponding E isomers have been isolated and characterized following photoirradialion.     

The Measurement of Time: Children's Construction of Transitivity,Unit Iteration,and Conservation of Speed

One hundred twenty children in kindergarten and grades 2, 4, and 6 were individually interviewed with five Piagetian tasks to determine the grade level at which most have constructed transitive reasoning, unit iteration, and the conservation of speed. The responses were categorized as “successful,”“unsuccessful,” or “transitional.” By combining the “successful” and “transitional” categories, it was found that the children reasoned transitively by second grade (70.0%) and demonstrated unit iteration and conservation of speed by sixth grade (70.0% and 83.3%, respectively). It was concluded that the construction of the logic necessary to make sense of the measurement of time is generally not complete before sixth grade.     

Diffusion-weighted MRI: influence of intravoxel fat signal and breast density on breast tumor conspicuity and apparent diffusion coefficient measurements

Promising recent investigations have shown that breast malignancies exhibit restricted diffusion on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and may be distinguished from normal tissue and benign lesions in the breast based on differences in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. In this study, we assessed the influence of intravoxel fat signal on breast diffusion measures by comparing ADC values obtained using a diffusion-weighted single shot fast spin-echo sequence with and without fat suppression. The influence of breast density on ADC measures was also evaluated. ADC values were calculated for both tumor and normal fibroglandular tissue in a group of 21 women with diagnosed breast cancer. There were systematic underestimations of ADC for both tumor and normal breast tissue due to intravoxel contribution from fat signal on non–fat-suppressed DWI. This ADC underestimation was more pronounced for normal tissue values (mean difference=40%) than for tumors (mean difference=27%, P<.001) and was worse in women with low breast tissue density vs. those with extremely dense breasts (P<.05 for both tumor and normal tissue). Tumor conspicuity measured by contrast-to-noise ratio was significantly higher on ADC maps created with fat suppression and was not significantly associated with breast density. In summary, robust fat suppression is important for accurate breast ADC measures and optimal lesion conspicuity on DWI.