D3h‐Symmetric Porphyrin‐Based Rigid Macrocyclic Ligands for Multicofacial Multinuclear Complexes in a One‐Nanometer‐Sized Cavity

The one‐step synthesis of D_3h‐symmetric cyclic porphyrin trimers 1 composed of three 2,2′‐[4,4′‐bis(methoxycarbonyl)]bipyridyl moieties and three porphyrinatozinc moieties was achieved from a nickel‐mediated reductive coupling of meso‐5,15‐bis(6‐chloro‐4‐methoxycarbonylpyrid‐2‐yl)porphyrinatozinc. Although cyclic trimers 1 were obtained as a mixture that included other cyclic and acyclic porphyrin oligomers, an extremely specific separation was observed only for cyclic trimers 1 when using columns of silica gel modified with pyrenylethyl, cyanopropyl, and other groups. Structural analysis of cyclic trimers 1 was carried out by means of NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray crystallography. Treatment of an η³‐allylpalladium complex with a cyclic trimer gave a tris(palladium) complex containing three η³‐allylpalladium groups inside the space, which indicated that the bipyridyl moieties inside the ring could work as bidentate metalloligands.     

Computational Analysis Reveals a Critical Point Mutation in the N-Terminal Region of the Signaling Lymphocytic Activation Molecule Responsible for the Cross-Species Infection with Canine Distemper Virus

Infection of hosts by morbilliviruses is facilitated by the interaction between viral hemagglutinin (H-protein) and the signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM). Recently, the functional importance of the n-terminal region of human SLAM as a measles virus receptor was demonstrated. However, the functional roles of this region in the infection process by other morbilliviruses and host range determination remain unknown, partly because this region is highly flexible, which has hampered accurate structure determination of this region by X-ray crystallography. In this study, we analyzed the interaction between the H-protein from canine distemper virus (CDV-H) and SLAMs by a computational chemistry approach. Molecular dynamics simulations and fragment molecular orbital analysis demonstrated that the unique His28 in the N-terminal region of SLAM from Macaca is a key determinant that enables the formation of a stable interaction with CDV-H, providing a basis for CDV infection in Macaca. The computational chemistry approach presented should enable the determination of molecular interactions involving regions of proteins that are difficult to predict from crystal structures because of their high flexibility.     

Preparation and characterization of novel polyaryloxydiphenylsilanes with high glass transition temperature by melt polycondensation of dianilinodiphenylsilane with bisphenols

Novel polyaryloxydiphenylsilanes with reduced viscosities of 0.31–0.65 dL/g were obtained by the melt polycondensation of dianilinodiphenylsilane with three bisphenols, 2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane, 3 (4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1,3-trimethyl-5-indanol, and 9,9-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) fluorene, at 200–320°C in vacuo. These polymers are all amorphous and readily soluble in a wide variety of organic solvents such as chlorinated and aromatic hydrocarbons, cyclic ethers, and polar aprotic solvents. Because of their bulky and/or rigid ring structures, polyaryloxydiphenylsilanes containing diphenylhexafluoropropane, phenylindane, and diphenylfluorene units in the main chain have high glass transition temperatures of 106, 112, and 172°C, respectively. They are thermally stable showing almost no weight loss up to 350°C in air. Colorless, transparent, but brittle films are obtained from these polymers by solution casting. Ultraviolet transmission is sharply cut off by these polyaryloxydiphenylsilane films at ca. 300 nm, and the cut-off wavelength depends on the bisphenols used.     

Synthesis of aromatic polythioamide-oxothioxoquinazolines from bis(1,3,4-thiadiazoline-5-thione) and aromatic bis-o-amino esters

Aromatic polythioamide-oxothioxoquinazolines were synthesized by the polycondensation of 2,2′-(m-phenylene)bis-1,3,4-thiadiazoline-5-thione with aromatic bis-o-amino esters. The polymerizations were carried out at 160°C in acidic media such as m-cresol, sulfolane, and polyphosphoric acid to produce polymers with reduced viscosities up to 0.5 dL/g. These polymers were soluble in polar aprotic solvents like N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and some acidic media including m-cresol. The polythioamide-oxothioxoquinazolines showed relatively good thermal stability with 10% weight loss at 344–394°C in air.     

Polymerization of tetrahydrofuran by AlEt3–H2O promoter system: Rate of propagation reaction

Kinetic studies were carried out on the polymerization of tetrahydrofuran with catalyst systems of aluminum alkyl–epichlorohydrin. As aluminium alkyl species AlEt₃, AlEt₃–H₂O (1:0.1 to 1:1.0), and “oxyaluminum ethyl” were employed. The polymerizations with these catalysts are characterized by a mechanism of stepwise addition without chain transfer or termination, which is expressed by the kinetic relation R_p = K_p[P*] ([M]–[M]_e), where [M] and [M]_e are the instantaneous and equilibrium concentrations of monomer and [P*] is the concentration of propagating species calculated from the amount and molecular weight of the product polymer. The determination of the rate constant k_p for these catalysts has shown that the polymerization rate varied considerably with the change of aluminum alkyl species, i.e., with the water-to-aluminum ratio, but the propagation rate constant itself varied very little. The variation of polymerization rate was, therefore, attributed primarily to the differences in concentration of the propagating species, i.e. the efficiency of the catalyst in forming propagating species. The catalyst efficiency was closely related to the acid strength of the aluminum alkyl species, which was estimated from the magnitude of shift of the xanthone carbonyl band in the infrared spectrum of its coordination complex with aluminum alkyl. The maximal catalyst efficiency was attained at about [H₂O]/[AlEt₃] = 0.75.     

Metal Oxide Thin Films Containing Au Nano-Particles Prepared with Gas Diffusion Method

Au particles dispersed thin metal oxide films were prepared from precursor films containing HAuCl₄ with H₂S gas diffusion method. HAuCl₄ was uniformly dissolved in the films as promoted by hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC). The mechanism of the Au particle formation was studied. It was found that HAuCl₄ was converted directly to Au metal particles upon contacting with H₂S gas. Au particles generated by this method were characterized with small particle size, sharp size distribution and high volume fraction in the films. The surface plasma resonance absorption of Au particles shifted to longer wavelength when TiO₂ component was introduced in the matrix.     

Gamma-ray spectra of 201Tl-radiopharmaceuticals with a scintillation camera--crosstalk of contaminating nuclides of 200Tl and/or 202Tl onto 201Tl-photopeaks

In cardiac imaging with 201Tl, the collimator for low energy high resolution is generally used, and also the energy window, which is set on the spectral display of a pulse height analyzer of a scintillation camera, is chosen 70 +/- 12.5 keV. The purpose of this study is to discuss those conditions in 201Tl imaging with the scintillation camera. Two types of collimators for HR (high resolution) and ME (medium energy) were used in this experiment, and we measured the pulse height spectra of 201TlCl radiopharmaceuticals in air and in a cuboid phantom, connecting a multi-channel pulse height analyzer to the scintillation camera. As a result of measuring of the pulse height spectra, two different energies of gamma rays which are not supposed to emit from 201Tl nuclide were observed, and we also identified the presence of a small amount of 202Tl (with 439 keV) and/or 200Tl (with 368 keV) from their half-life measurements. Thus, the use of the HR-collimator with 201Tl imaging is not suitable, because the shielding effects of its septa is poor to 439 keV gamma-rays, and the scattered radiation produced by the Compton interaction contributes to the principal photopeak on the pulse height spectrum. Here, we recommend the use ME-collimator instead of the HR-one, and of the window width of 76 +/- 25 keV for increasing the count rate.     

Reaction of carboxamide with Cu2Oisonitrile complex; formation of a new chelated copper(I) complex

Reaction of carboxamides with Cu₂O in the presence of t-butyl isocyanide gave new chelated copper(I) complexes, which probably are formed by the insertion of t-butyl isocyanide into the coppernitrogen bond of copper(I) amide isonitrile complexes, which were initially produced from the carboxamides and Cu₂Ot-butyl isocyanide complex. The same chelated copper(I) complexes were prepared more readily by the reaction of the corresponding N-trimethylsilyl-carboxamides with Cu₂Ot-butyl isocyanide complex. Reactions of the copper(I) complexes thus obtained with alkylating agents, such as alkyl halides, alkyl tosylates and triethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate, also were described.     

A new synthesis of enantiomerically pure α- and β-amino acid derivatives using aziridinyl anions

Optically active sulfinylaziridines having a 4-methoxyphenyl group on their nitrogen atom were synthesized from optically active 1-chloroalkyl p-tolyl sulfoxide and an imine derived from benzaldehyde and p-anisidine stereoselectively in good overall yields. The sulfinylaziridines were treated with ethylmagnesium bromide or tert-butyllithium to afford aziridinylmagnesiums or aziridinyllithiums, respectively, in quantitative yields. Cross-coupling of the aziridinylmagnesiums with iodoalkanes in the presence of Cu(I) iodide gave tri-substituted aziridines in high yields from which enantiomerically pure β,β-disubstituted β-amino acid derivatives were synthesized. A β-amino acid derivative having deuterium at the stereogenic center was also realized by this method. On the other hand, from the aziridinyllithium, enantiomerically pure quaternary phenylalanine and quaternary aspartic acid derivatives were synthesized.