Supersonic jet fluorescence spectrometry of perylene and benzo[a]pyrene

A supersonic jet instrument for fluorescence spectrometry is described. It consists of a high-temperature free expansion nozzle for continuous sample introduction and a vacuum chamber equipped with a high-speed pumping system. Rotationally cooled spectra obtained with the supersonic jet are compared with gas-phase spectra measured at high temperature for perylene and benzo[a]pyrene molecules. Each component of the unresolved band structure in the high-temperature spectra was found to be composed of a rotational congestion of several vibrational bands. For a 1:1 mixture of perylene and benzo[a]pyrene, selective detection is possible by using supersonic jet spectrometry. The detection limit for perylene is 100 ng. The advantage of this technique over other low-temperature spectrometric methods based on Shpol'skii and matrix isolation effects are discussed.     

Synthesis of alanine and leucine by reductive amination of 2-oxoic acid with combination of hydrogenase and dehydrogenase

Alanine synthesis by reductive amination of pyruvate was performed by the combination of NADH regeneration system and alanine dehydrogenase (AlaDH). The conversion of pyruvate to alanine was 99% after 1 h. Leucine synthesis was also carried out by the combination of NADH regeneration system and leucine dehydrogenase (LeuDH). The conversion of 4-methyl-2-oxovalerate to leucine was 60% after 1.5 h.     

Phototriggered self-assembly of hydrogen-bonded rosette

Azobenzene-appended melamine M2 and barbiturate B2, both possessing bulky tridodecyloxyphenyl (TDP) wedge(s), were designed and synthesized to establish a photoresponsive hydrogen-bonded supramolecular assembly. The geometrical isomer EE-M2 bearing two E-azobenzene moieties easily complexed with B2, affording a remarkably stable cyclic hexamer EE-M2(3).B2(3) (rosette) in chloroform, toluene, and methylcyclohexane, as confirmed by size exclusion chromatography, dynamic light scattering, (1)H NMR, and UV-vis studies. The E --> Z photoisomerization of the azobenzene moieties upon irradiation with UV light was significantly suppressed in the rosette because of the steric crowding of the TDP wedges (total of nine TDP wedges in a rosette), whereas irradiation of the monomeric EE-M2 resulted in facile transformation into ZZ-M2 bearing two Z-azobenzene moieties. (1)H NMR studies of the complexation of the initially photogenerated ZZ-M2 with B2 revealed that it is hard for ZZ-M2 to form a rosette with B2 because of the intermolecular steric interaction between the TDP wedges. The photoregulatable complexation efficiency of M2 allowed us to accomplish the phototriggered formation of the rosette by irradiation of a monomeric mixture of ZZ-M2 and B2 using visible light.     

Total synthesis of (+)-cylindricine C

A stereoselective total synthesis of (+)-cylindricine C has been achieved starting with (S)-N-Boc-2-pyrrolidinone. The key elements of this synthesis involve the sequence of reactions including BF₃-mediated addition of the allyl Grignard reagent to the cyclic imine, spirocyclization via enamine formation, and intramolecular Michael addition to form the tricyclic core.     

Synthesis of stable and cell-type selective analogues of cyclic ADP-ribose, a Ca(2+)-mobilizing second messenger. Structure--activity relationship of the N1-ribose moiety

We previously developed cyclic ADP-carbocyclic ribose (cADPcR, 2) as a stable mimic of cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR, 1), a Ca(2+)-mobilizing second messenger. A series of the N1-ribose modified cADPcR analogues, designed as novel stable mimics of cADPR, which were the 2"-deoxy analogue 3, the 3"-deoxy analogue 4, the 3"-deoxy-2"-O-(methoxymethyl) analogue 5, the 3"-O-methyl analogue 6, the 2",3"-dideoxy analogue 7, and the 2",3"-dideoxydidehydro analogue 8, were successfully synthesized using the key intramolecular condensation reaction with phenylthiophosphate-type substrates. We investigated the conformations of these analogues and of cADPR and found that steric repulsion between both the adenine and N9-ribose moieties and between the adenine and N1-ribose moieties was a determinant of the conformation. The Ca(2+)-mobilizing effects were evaluated systematically using three different biological systems, i.e., sea urchin eggs, NG108-15 neuronal cells, and Jurkat T-lymphocytes. The relative potency of Ca(2+)-mobilization by these cADPR analogues varies depending on the cell-type used: e.g., 3"-deoxy-cADPcR (4) > cADPcR (2) > cADPR (1) in sea urchin eggs; cADPR (1) > cADPcR (2) approximately 3"-deoxy-cADPcR (4) in T-cells; and cADPcR (2) > cADPR (1) > 3"-deoxy-cADPcR (4) in neuronal cells, respectively. These indicated that the target proteins and/or the mechanism of action of cADPR in sea urchin eggs, T-cells, and neuronal cells are different. Thus, this study represents an entry to cell-type selective cADPR analogues, which can be used as biological tools and/or novel drug leads.     

Gas permeation of porous organic/inorganic hybrid membranes

Selective gas permeation of porous organic/inorganic hybrid membranes via sol-gel route and its thermal stability are described. Separation performance of the hybrid membrane was improved compared with porous membranes governed by the Knudsen flow, and gas permeability was still much higher than that through nonporous membranes. Additionally, it was shown that these membranes were applicable at higher temperatures than organic membranes.SEM observation demonstrated that the thin membrane was crack-free. Nitrogen physisorption isotherms showed the pore size was in the range of nanometers. Gas permeability through this membrane including phenyl group was in the range of 10^–8 [cc(STP) cm/(cm² s cmHg)] at 25°C. The ratios of O₂/N₂ and CO₂/N₂ were 1.5 and 6.0, respectively, showing the permeation was not governed by the Knudsen flow. The permeability decreased as the temperature increased. Furthermore, the specific affinity between gas molecules and surface was observed not only in the permeation data of the hybrid membranes but in the physisorption data. These results suggested that the gas permeation through the hybrid membrane was governed by the surface flow mechanism.Thermal analysis indicated that these functional groups were still stable at higher temperatures. The phenyl group especially remained undamaged even at 400°C.     

Preparation and characterization of polypropylene/mesoporous silica nanocomposites with confined polypropylene

Polypropylene (PP)/Ti-MCM-41 nanocomposites were prepared by isospecific propylene polymerization with Ti-MCM-41/Al(i-C₄H₉)₃ catalyst. The cross polarization/magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) ¹³C NMR spectrum of the composite was similar to that of the conventional isotactic PP, and the decrease in the pore volume of Ti-MCM-41 in the nanocomposites, as measured by N₂ adsorption, was consistent with the value calculated from the weight loss in the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) curve; both these facts attest to propylene polymerization within the mesopores of Ti-MCM-41. Alkali treatment followed by extraction with o-dichlorobenzene allows us to extract the confined PP out of the Ti-MCM-41 mesopores. Although the PP/Ti-MCM-41 nanocomposites do not exhibit a crystalline melting point, the same PP when extracted from the mesopores showed a clear melting point at 154.7 °C; this indicates that the crystallization of PP confined in mesopores is strongly hindered. For the PP polymerized within the confinement, the molecular weight (M_w) and molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n) were 84,000 and 4.3, respectively; these values were considerably smaller than those of the PP polymerized concurrently outside the Ti-MCM-41 mesopores (M_w = 200,000–450,000, M_w/M_n = 40–75). Therefore, the confinement also has a marked effect on the molecular weight of the PP. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 3324–3332, 2003