Structures of XH4 + and XH6 + (X = B, Al and Ga) Cations

Structures and energies of XH₄ ⁺ and XH₆ ⁺ (X = B, Al and Ga) have been calculated at the density functional theory (DFT) B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,2pd) level. Calculations indicate that although the structure with a three center two electron (3c-2e) bond is the global minimum for BH₄ ⁺, the global minima of AlH₄ ⁺ and GaH₄ ⁺ are not those with one 3c-2e bond, but those with two 3c-2e bonds. For calibration, both structures of AlH₄ ⁺ were also calculated at the ab initio CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ level and results in agreement with the DFT results were found. Similar calculations also indicate that although the C_2v symmetrical structure with two 3c-2e bonds is the global minimum for BH₆ ⁺, the global minima of AlH₆ ⁺ and GaH₆ ⁺ are not the C_2v symmetrical structures with two 3c-2e bonds but the C₂ symmetrical structures with three 3c-2e bonds.Electronic Supplementary Material available.     

The mechanism of oleic acid nitration by *NO(2)

Fatty acid nitration is a recently discovered process that generates biologically active nitro lipids; however, its mechanism has not been fully characterized. For example, some structural details such as vinyl and allyl isomers of the nitro fatty acids have not been established. To characterize lipids that originated from a biomimetic reaction of *NO(2) with oleic acid, we synthesized several isomers of nitro oleic acids and studied their chromatography and mass spectra by various techniques of mass spectrometry. LC/MS analysis performed on a high resolution micro column detected molecular carboxylic anions of various oleic acid nitro isomers (NO(2)OA). Esterification of NO(2)OA with pentafluorobenzyl bromide and diisopropylethylamine as a catalyst produced a unique isoxazole ester derivative exclusively from allyl NO(2)OA isomers via dehydration of the nitro group at ambient temperatures. This new analytical procedure revealed that *NO(2) generated two vinyl and two allyl isomers of NO(2)OA. The vinyl isomers showed high regioselectivity with the 1.8:1 preference for the 10-NO(2)OA isomer that was absent among allylic isomers. The nitration also generated elaidic acid via cis-trans isomerization and diatereoisomers of vicinal nitro hydroxy, nitro keto and alpha-nitro epoxy stearic acids with high stereo and regioselectivity. Nitration of small unilamelar phospholipid vesicles resulted in several phospholipids containing nitro lipids and elaidic acid amenable to hydrolysis by phospholipase A(2).     

Theoretical study of N<Subscript>4</Subscript>X (X = O,S, Se) systems

A series of N₄X (X = O, S, Se) compounds have been examined with ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) methods. To our knowledge, these compounds, except for the C_2v ring and the C_3v towerlike isomers of N₄O, are first reported here. The ring structures are the most energetically favored for N₄X (X = O and S) systems. For N₄Se, the cagelike structure is the most energetically favored. Several decomposition and isomerization pathways for the N₄X species have been investigated. The dissociation of C_2v ring N₄O and N₄S structures via ring breaking and the barrier height are only 1.1 and −0.2 kcal mol⁻¹ at the CCSD(T)/6-311+G*//MP2/6-311+G* level of theory. The dissociation of the cagelike N₄X species is at a cost of 12.1–16.2 kcal mol⁻¹. As for the towerlike and triangle bipyramidal isomers, their decomposition or isomerization barrier heights are all lower than 10.0 kcal mol⁻¹. Although the C_S cagelike N₄S isomer has a moderate isomerization barrier (18.3–29.1 kcal mol⁻¹), the low dissociation barrier (−1.0 kcal mol⁻¹) indicates that it will disappear when going to the higher CCSD(T) level. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Purification and characterization of a novel poly(butylene succinate)-degrading enzyme from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus</Emphasis> sp. XH0501-a

A poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)-degrading Aspergillus sp. XH0501-a was obtained by ultraviolet light compound LiCl mutagenesis from the Aspergillus sp. XH0501 which was isolated from soil. The enzymatic activity of strain XH0501-a was 38.89% higher than that of the wild-type strain. A novel extracellular PBS-degrading enzyme with a molecular weight of 44.7 kDa was purified to homogeneity from the culture supernatant of XH0501-a strain. The optimum temperature and pH for the enzyme activity was 40°C and pH 8.6, respectively. It was found that Fe²⁺ and Ca²⁺ enhanced the enzyme activity, whereas Cu²⁺ and Hg²⁺ inhibited it. The primary products after enzymatic degradation were identified by mass spectrometric analysis and the results indicated that the enzyme was of the exo-type and cut the chain from the carboxyl end; the affinity for the substrate was relative to the chain length of the carboxylic ester.     

Benzimidazole-based DGAT1 inhibitors with a [3.1.0] bicyclohexane carboxylic acid moiety

Previously disclosed benzimidazole-based DGAT1 inhibitors containing a cyclohexane carboxylic acid moiety suffer from isomerization at the alpha position of the carboxylic acid group, generating active metabolites which exhibit DGAT1 inhibition comparable to the corresponding parent compounds. In this report, we describe the design, synthesis and profiling of benzimidazole-based DGAT1 inhibitors with a [3.1.0] bicyclohexane carboxylic acid moiety. Our results show that single isomer 3A maintains in vitro and in vivo inhibition against DGAT1. In contrast to previous lead compounds, 3A does not undergo isomerization during in vitro hepatocyte incubation study or in vivo mouse study.     

Stability of 100 homo and heterotypic coiled-coil a-a' pairs for ten amino acids (A, L, I, V, N, K, S, T, E, and R)

We present the thermal stability monitored by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy at 222 nm of 100 heterodimers that contain all possible coiled-coil a-a' pairs for 10 amino acids (I, V, L, N, A, K S, T, E, and R). This includes the stability of 36 heterodimers for 6 amino acids (I, V, L, N, A, and K) previously described and 64 new heterodimers including the 4 amino acids (S, T, E, and R). We have calculated a double mutant alanine thermodynamic cycle to determine a-a' pair coupling energies to evaluate which a-a' pairs encourage specific dimerization partners. The four new homotypic a-a' pairs (T-T, S-S, R-R, E-E) are repulsive relative to A-A and have destabilizing coupling energies. Among the 90 heterotypic a-a' pairs, the stabilizing coupling energies contain lysine or arginine paired with either an aliphatic or a polar amino acid. The range in coupling energies for each amino acid reveals its potential to regulate dimerization specificity. The a-a' pairs containing isoleucine and asparagine have the greatest range in coupling energies and thus contribute dramatically to dimerization specificity, which is to encourage homodimerization. In contrast, the a-a' pairs containing charged amino acids (K, R, and E) show the least range in coupling energies and promiscuously encourage heterodimerization.     

Opiate activity of [DAla2, delta zPhe4]-methionine-enkephalinamide.

When deoxygenated chloroform solution of bilirubin IXα (ZZ) was irradiated by blue light, ion-pair reversed-phase high pressure liquid chromatography technique revealed that the pigment was converted to a mixture containing IIIα, IXα, XIIIα (ZZ-configuration), and more polar geometric isomers (E-configuration). All azodipyrroles derived from each peak of Z- or E-configuration resulted in one of the exo- or endo-vinyl isomers, indicating that the bilirubin molecule is not affected by any of the phenomena except for geometric isomerization under this photochemical condition.     

M2X (M= Li,Na; X= F,Cl): the smallest superalkali clusters with significant NLO responses and electride characteristics

Hypervalent M₂X (M = Li, Na; X = F, Cl) clusters are prototype species possessing lower ionisation potentials than Li, therefore classified as superalkalis. This study reveals some interesting properties of these small clusters using ab initio MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ and QCISD/aug-cc-pVTZ methods. These clusters are shown as an ionic species, composed of positively charged cage of alkali metals (M₂⁺) and halogen anion (X^?). Therefore, the stability of M₂X is governed by both ionic and covalent interactions. We show that the excess valence electron of (M₂⁺) is pushed out by anionic X^?, which allows M₂X clusters to possess ‘electride’ characteristics. It is also due to this excess electron that M₂X clusters exhibit significant non-linear optical (NLO) properties. The dipole moment, mean polarisability and hyperpolarisability suggest their significant NLO responses, which are explained on the basis of electronic transitions in crucial excited states using TD-B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ method. The first static hyperpolarisabilities of Li₂F and Na₂F take the values of order of 10⁴ a.u. due to their lower transition energies. This study should provide new insights into the design of novel materials with significant NLO responses useful for electro-optical applications.     

Theory of one-dimension rotational isomerization: A study of thecis-trans isomerization of HS-NS compared to that of HO-NO

A theoretical approach, in which the potential functions representing rotational isomerization processes are expressed in terms of linear combinations of local potentials, is presented. Partitioning the torsional potential allows identification of specific contributions that are at the origin of the shape of potential curves at different regions along the torsional variable. Key properties, such as barrier heights, may then be expressed parametrically in terms of properties associated to the stable conformations. Simple analytical expressions intended to explore, quantitatively and qualitatively, the main characteristics of the transition states connecting stable isomers are formulated. As a first step towards the study of complex systems, we use this procedure to analyseab initio results concerning thecis-trans isomerization reaction of two simple prototype molecules: HSNS and HONO. We determine the relative stabilities of the different isomers and molecular structures and evaluate the associated potential barriers. It is shown that the mathematical procedure used to get potential functions is quite convenient and may be applied to the study of more complex isomerization reactions. Numerical results concerning molecular structures, potential barriers, ionization potentials and dipole moments are discussed. Comparing the values for barrier heights suggests that S(O)-S(O) bonding through the mechanism of hyperconjugation may be present, to some extent, especially in HSNS.     

Theoretical study of the interaction between X (H,F) and graphene

This study investigates the interaction between X (X = H and F) and graphene C₅₄H₁₈ (D_6 h), and the potential energy surface of the graphene radical. The calculations on the structures and energies are further discussed thermodynamically and kinetically using the density function theory method at the B3LYP/6-31G (d) level. Our findings show that there are four distinct isomers of C₅₄H₁₈–X. C₅₄H₁₈–H² and C₅₄H₁₈–F⁴ are the most stable isomers in their own systems. In addition, the transition states, as well as reaction pathways of H transferring between different key points on representative patch, are given to explore the possible reaction mechanism. Finally, the stability of C₅₄H₁₈–X₂ is discussed through the density functional theory.     

Formation and isomerization of dicyclopenta[de,mn]anthracene. Electronic Structure Study

The formation of dicyclopenta[de,mn]anthracene (P1) and its isomerization into dicyclopenta[jk,mn]phenanthrene (P3) was investigated using density functional theory. It was shown that P1 is formed from 1,4-diethynilanthracene, but due to its instability, it undergoes further transformation. This transformation involves rearrangements of some hydrogen atoms and ring contraction/ring expansion process, yielding as a final product the isomer P3. The energies of activation for the P1→P3 intraconversion show that this reaction is competitive to the other, previously investigated isomerization of P1 into dicyclopenta[de,kl]anthracene (P2). In addition, our investigation shows that the formation of P3 from P1 is energetically more favorable than the formation of P3 from P2. Thus, the presence of the isomer P3 in the reaction mixtures could also be caused by the isomerization of the very unstable isomer P1. Figure Isomerization of 1,4-diethynilanthracene to dicyclopenta[jk,mn]phenanthrene via dicyclopenta[de,mn]anthracene Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

TADH,the thermostable alcohol dehydrogenase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thermus</Emphasis> sp. ATN1: a versatile new biocatalyst for organic synthesis

The alcohol dehydrogenase from Thermus sp. ATN1 (TADH) was characterized biochemically with respect to its potential as a biocatalyst for organic synthesis. TADH is a NAD(H)-dependent enzyme and shows a very broad substrate spectrum producing exclusively the (S)-enantiomer in high enantiomeric excess (>99%) during asymmetric reduction of ketones. TADH is active in the presence of 10% (v/v) water-miscible solvents like 2-propanol or acetone, which permits the use of these solvents as sacrificial substrates in substrate-coupled cofactor regeneration approaches. Furthermore, the presence of a second phase of a water-insoluble solvent like hexane or octane had only minor effects on the enzyme, which retained 80% of its activity, allowing the use of these solvents in aqueous/organic mixtures to increase the availability of low-water soluble substrates. A further activity of TADH, the production of carboxylic acids by dismutation of aldehydes, was investigated. This reaction usually proceeds without net change of the NAD⁺/NADH concentration, leading to equimolar amounts of alcohol and carboxylic acid. When applying cofactor regeneration at high pH, however, the ratio of acid to alcohol could be changed, and full conversion to the carboxylic acid was achieved.     

Purification and properties of a high-affinity L-2-haloacid dehalogenase from Azotabacter sp. strain RC26

A monomeric 29 kDa protein showing dehalogenase activity on several halogenated carboxylic acids has been purified from Azotobacter sp. strain RC26. The purified enzyme is specific for the L isomer of optically active 2-haloacids leading to the inversion of the product configuration. The dehalogenase is active at temperatures ranging from 30 to 60C and shows a relatively high affinity for the substrate. The combined thermal stability, high substrate affinity and resistance to enzyme inhibitors found for the RC26 dehalogenase may be relevant for its use as catalyst in biotransformation processes.     

Synthesis and some pharmacological properties of [I-β-mercaptopropionic acid, 2-(3,5-dibromo- -tyrosine)]-8-lysine-vasopressin

The title compound, [1-β-mercaptopropionic acid, 2-(3,5-dibromo- -tyrosine)]-8-lysine-vasopressin (X), was synthesized by condensation of Pro-Lys(Boc)-Gly-NH₂ with the cyclic peptide [1-β-mercaptopropionic acid, 2-(3,5-dibromo- -tyrosine)]-pressinoic acid. X has no oxytocic, avian vasodepressor, pressor, or antipressor activities, but is a weak inhibitor of the responses to oxytocin in the oxytocic and avian vasodepressor assays. Its pharmacological properties are qualitatively identical to those of the corresponding analog of oxytocin, although it is a less potent antagonist than the latter compound.     

Synthesis and some pharmacological properties of [I-β-mercaptopropionic acid, 2-(3,5-dibromo-l-tyrosine)]-8-lysine-vasopressin

The title compound, [1-β-mercaptopropionic acid, 2-(3,5-dibromo-l-tyrosine)]-8-lysine-vasopressin (X), was synthesized by condensation of Pro-Lys(Boc)-Gly-NH₂ with the cyclic peptide [1-β-mercaptopropionic acid, 2-(3,5-dibromo-l-tyrosine)]-pressinoic acid. X has no oxytocic, avian vasodepressor, pressor, or antipressor activities, but is a weak inhibitor of the responses to oxytocin in the oxytocic and avian vasodepressor assays. Its pharmacological properties are qualitatively identical to those of the corresponding analog of oxytocin, although it is a less potent antagonist than the latter compound.     

Stereoselective esterification of halogen-containing carboxylic acids by lipase in organic solvent: effects of alcohol chain length

Summary Optical resolution of racemic carboxylic acids containing a halogen atom was attempted with stereoselective esterificatiob by Celite-adsorbed hydrolases in organic solvents. As lipase OF 360 from Candida cylindracea was found to stereoselectively esterify 2-(4-chlorophenoxy)propanoic acid, the (R)-enantiomer (d-isomer) of which is an important herbicide, the effects of alcohol chain length on stereoselectivity as well as reaction rate were investigated. The results revealed that the alcohol chain length markedly affected the stereoselective esterification of 2-(4-chlorophenoxy)propanoic acid: longer-chain alcohols, such as tetradecanol, served as excellent substrates for optical resolution of the acid, although the reaction rate was moderate. Offprint requests to: A. Tanaka     

Synthesis and conformation of the cyclic octapeptides cyclo(Phe-Pro)4, cyclo(Leu-Pro)4, and cyclo[Lys(Z)-Pro]4

Cyclic octapeptides, cyclo(X-Pro)₄, where X represents Phe, Leu, or Lys(Z), were synthesized and their conformations investigated. A C₂-symmetric conformer containing two cis peptide bonds was found in all of these cyclic octapeptides. The numbers of available conformations due to the cis–trans isomerization of Pro peptide bonds depended on the nature of the solvent and X residue: they decreased in the following order: cyclo[Lys(Z)-Pro]₄ > cyclo(Leu-Pro)₄ > cyclo(Phe-Pro)₄ in CDCl₃. ¹³C spin-lattice relaxation times (T₁) of these cyclic octapeptides were measured, and the contribution of segmental mobility to T₁ was found to vary with the nature of the X residue.     

Isolation and partial characterization of catechol-type siderophore fromPseudomonas stutzeri RC 7

Pseudomonas stutzeri RC 7 grown under iron-deficient conditions produced catecholtype siderophore, which was identified to be arginine conjugate of 2,3-dihydroxy-benzoic acid. Hydroxamic acids were not detected. The concentration of siderophore in the culture supernatant was maximal after 24 h of growth. Addition of iron to the medium increased bacterial growth but repressed the production of siderophore.     

Displacement of DL-[3H]-2-amino-4-phosphonobutanoic acid ( [3H]APB) binding with methyl-substituted APB analogues and glutamate agonists

The binding of the excitatory amino acid antagonist DL-2-amino-4-phosphonobutanoic acid (DL-APB) to rat brain synaptic plasma membranes was characterized. As determined by Scatchard analysis, the binding was saturable and homogeneous with a Kd = 6.0 microM and Bmax = 380 pmol/mg of protein. The binding was dependent on the presence of Ca2+ and Cl- ions and was diminished upon freezing. The association rate constant was 6.8 X 10(-3) microM-1 min-1, and the dissociation rate constant was 2.0 X 10(-2) min-1. The L isomers of APB, glutamate, and aspartate were more potent as displacers of APB binding than the D isomers. Previously determined inhibition data obtained for APB-sensitive inputs to hippocampal granule cells are compared to the present displacement data in an attempt to identify this binding protein as the recognition site of the receptor mediating the APB-induced inhibition of synaptic transmission. With the exception of kynurenic acid, all compounds examined in both systems were more potent as displacers of APB binding than as inhibitors of synaptic transmission. This difference in potency was most pronounced for agonists at dentate granule cells. L-Glutamate, D-glutamate, and L-glutamate tetrazole were between 140- and 7500-fold more potent as displacers of DL-APB binding than as inhibitors of synaptic transmission. D-2-Amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid and alpha-methyl-APB were between 10- and 20-fold more potent as displacers of binding.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Lipid Peroxidation by the [Peroxidase/H2O2/Phenolic] System

Linoleic acid was oxygenated by horseradish peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7 [EC] )in the presence of phenolics. The phenolics effective for thissystem had substituents at the P-position. The peroxidase-dependentlipid peroxidation produced reaction products similar to thoseproduced by lipoxygenase (EC 1.13.1.13 [EC] ) under the same conditions.Positional isomers of the reaction products were identifiedas 13-hydroperoxy-9, lloctadecadienoic acid and 9-hydroperoxy-10,12-octadecadienoicacid. (Received November 15, 1986; Accepted March 19, 1987)