Freezing temperatures and densities of solutions of some hydrocarbons and sodium oleate inN-methylacetamide. Evidence for a solvophobic interaction

The freezing temperatures and densities (at 31°C) of solutions of octane, nonane, decane, 3,3-diethylpentane, and sodium oleate inN-methylacetamide (NMA) have been measured. The molality of the freezing solution was calculated from the density. The solubilities of octane, nonane, and decane inN-methylacetamide are also reported. Apparent molal volumes calculated from the densities are close to the values in the pure hydrocarbons and are not strong functions of the concentration. This indicates the absence of any unusual packing effect. The calculated free energies of transfer of the hydrocarbons from pure hydrocarbon to NMA solution are much less negative than the corresponding values for water, showing that the bulk solvophobic interaction inN-methylacetamide is smaller than in water. This is consistent with the freezing temperatures of sodium oleate which show that micelles do not form below 0.1 mole-kg^–1. The osmotic coefficients of the hydrocarbons calculated from the freezing temperatures showed negative deviations from ideality that were larger for the hydrocarbons with the higher molecular weights. Two estimates of the pairwise solvophobic interaction inN-methylacetamide indicate that it is also smaller than in water. The solvophobic effect in this solvent does not include the large entropy and enthalpy effects found in aqueous solutions.     

Potential Mechanisms of Photodynamic Inactivation of Virus by Methylene BlueI. RNA–Protein Crosslinks and Other Oxidative Lesions in Qβ Bacteriophage

A spectrum of oxidative lesions was observed in a bacteriophage-based model system that is very sensitive to the photodynamic activity of selected dyes. When suspensions of the intact bacteriophage Qβ were exposed to methylene blue plus light (MB+L), inactivating events, or "hits" occurred that were oxygen-dependent and that were associated with the formation of several specific lesions: (1) carbonyl moieties on proteins, (2) 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoGua), and (3) single-strand breaks (ssb) in the RNA genome and (4) RNA-protein crosslinks. Formation of carbonyl groups associated with protein in the Qβ phage preparation correlated positively with photoinactivation of the phage with increasing doses of either of the sensitizers MB or rose bengal. Strand breaks in the Qβ genomic RNA were observable at high MB concentrations but appeared not to be significant at the lower concentrations of MB, as full-length Qβ RNA was observable well beyond the 99% inactivation point in MB dosage. It was shown that the number of 8-oxoGua lesions were unlikely to be sufficient to account for the number of lethal events. Following exposure to MB+L, crosslink formation between Qβ RNA and protein was observed by virtue of the location of RNA at the interface of phenol-aqueous extractions of phage suspensions. A significant increase over background of RNA-protein complexes (including full-length Qβ RNA) was observed at the lowest concentration of MB tested (0.5 μ M ), which corresponded roughly to an average of 2 lethal hits per phage or approximately 13% survival compared to the zero MB control (100% survival). Due to its close correlation with Qβ inactivation and its expected lethality, RNA-protein crosslink formation may be important as an inactivating lesion in bacteriophage Qβ following MB+L exposure.     

Beitr?ge zur Untersuchung des Torfes im Hinblick auf seine balneotherapeutische Verwendung

Zusammenfassung Für die balneologische Beurteilung des Torfes werden die am Balneologischen Institut bei der Universität München und an der Deutschen Forschungsanstalt für Lebensmittelchemie München ausgearbeiteten und gebräuchlichen Methoden der chemischen und physikalischen Untersuchung beschrieben.Der Kleinen Badetorfanalyse, die für die überwiegende Mehrzahl der Badetorfe Deutsehlands in Frage kommt, wird ein Verfahren der abgekürzten organischen Gruppenanalyse zugrunde gelegt, das auf den früher von W. BENADE sowie von S. W. Souci u. Mitarb. ausgearbeiteten Torf-Analysengängen aufgebaut ist und die quantitative Ermittelung der wichtigsten Stoffgruppen (gekennzeichnet durch den vorwiegenden Gehalt an Huminsäuren, Bitumen, wasserlöslichen Kohlenhydraten, Hemicellulosen und Cellulose, Lignin und Huminen) ermöglicht. Die angegebenen Methoden gestatten einen weiteren Ausbau zur Groen Badetorfanalyse.Ein Berechnungsschema und eine tabellarische Übersicht zum Zwecke der einheitlichen Darstellung der Untersuchungsergebnisse werden angegeben.Frl. Anneliese Hartmann, Technische Assistentin, sei für ihre sorgfältige Mitarbeit auch an dieser Stelle bestens gedankt.     

Screening an In-House Isoquinoline Alkaloids Library for New Blockers of Voltage-Gated Na+ Channels Using Voltage Sensor Fluorescent Probes: Hits and Biases

Voltage-gated Na⁺ (Na_V) channels are significant therapeutic targets for the treatment of cardiac and neurological disorders, thus promoting the search for novel Na_V channel ligands. With the objective of discovering new blockers of Na_V channel ligands, we screened an In-House vegetal alkaloid library using fluorescence cell-based assays. We screened 62 isoquinoline alkaloids (IA) for their ability to decrease the FRET signal of voltage sensor probes (VSP), which were induced by the activation of Na_V channels with batrachotoxin (BTX) in GH3b6 cells. This led to the selection of five IA: liriodenine, oxostephanine, thalmiculine, protopine, and bebeerine, inhibiting the BTX-induced VSP signal with micromolar IC₅₀. These five alkaloids were then assayed using the Na⁺ fluorescent probe ANG-2 and the patch-clamp technique. Only oxostephanine and liriodenine were able to inhibit the BTX-induced ANG-2 signal in HEK293-hNa_V1.3 cells. Indeed, liriodenine and oxostephanine decreased the effects of BTX on Na⁺ currents elicited by the hNa_V1.3 channel, suggesting that conformation change induced by BTX binding could induce a bias in fluorescent assays. However, among the five IA selected in the VSP assay, only bebeerine exhibited strong inhibitory effects against Na⁺ currents elicited by the hNav1.2 and hNav1.6 channels, with IC₅₀ values below 10 µM. So far, bebeerine is the first BBIQ to have been reported to block Na_V channels, with promising therapeutical applications.     

Programmed Multiple C-H Bond Functionalization of the Privileged 4-hydroxyquinoline Template

The introduction of substituents on bare heterocyclic scaffolds can selectively be achieved by directed C−H functionalization. However, such methods have only occasionally been used, in an iterative manner, to decorate various positions of a medicinal scaffold to build chemical libraries. We herein report the multiple, site selective, metal-catalyzed C−H functionalization of a “programmed” 4-hydroxyquinoline. This medicinally privileged template indeed possesses multiple reactive sites for diversity-oriented functionalization, of which four were targeted. The C-2 and C-8 decorations were directed by an N-oxide, before taking benefit of an O-carbamoyl protection at C-4 to perform a Fries rearrangement and install a carboxamide at C-3. This also released the carbonyl group of 4-quinolones, the ultimate directing group to functionalize position 5. Our study highlights the power of multiple C−H functionalization to generate diversity in a biologically relevant library, after showing its strong antimalarial potential.     

Transition Metal Free Cycloamination of Prenyl Carbamates and Ureas Promoted by Aryldiazonium Salts

Upon treatment with aryldiazonium salts, prenyl carbamates and ureas undergo redox‐neutral azocycloamination. In general, N‐aryl O‐prenyl carbamates cyclize in a photocatalytic reaction with visible light and an organic dye. With electron‐deficient diazonium salts, electronic matching with an electron‐rich N‐aryl substituent results in a reaction proceeding in the ground state, without either light or photocatalyst. Cyclic voltammetry suggests that this radical reaction is initiated by hydrogen‐atom abstraction mediated by an aryl radical, followed by a radical addition cascade and proton‐coupled hole propagation. The reaction proceeds at room temperature in short reaction times, and a range of functional groups is tolerated.     

Atroposelective arylation of biaryls by C-H activation

Axial chirality of biaryls is found in natural products, bioactive molecules, ligands and catalysts and their synthesis is therefore highly appealing. Thus, the atroposelective palladium-catalyzed C-H functionalization of chiral biaryl sulfoxides was extended to a direct arylation reaction, affording ortho-terphenyls bearing one atropisomeric axis. The high stereoselectivities, good yields and operational simplicity, along with the traceless character of the sulfoxide moiety allows access to a wide range of optically active o-terphenyls.     

Tailoring of carboxyl‐decorated magnetic latex particles using seeded emulsion polymerization

In this research, submicron and carboxyl‐functionalized magnetic latex particles were elaborated by using seeded emulsion polymerization technique in presence of oil‐in‐water (o/w) magnetic emulsion as seed. The polymerization conditions were optimized in order to get well‐defined latex particles with magnetic core and polymer shell bearing carboxylic (–COOH) functionality. Starting from (o/w) magnetic emulsion as seed, synthesis process was performed by copolymerization of styrene (St) monomer with the cross‐linker divinylbenzene (DVB) in presence of 4,4′‐azobis(4‐cyanopentanoic acid) (ACPA) as a carboxyl‐bearing initiator. The prepared magnetic latex particles were first characterized in terms of particle size, chemical composition, morphology, magnetic properties, magnetic content, and colloidal stability using various techniques, e.g. particle size analyzer using dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique, Fourier transform infrared, transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, thermogravimetric analysis, and zeta potential measurements as a function of pH of the dispersion media, respectively. The prepared magnetic latex particles were then used as second seed for further functionalization with methacrylic acid (MAA) in order to enhance carboxylic groups on the magnetic particle's surface. The results showed that final magnetic latex particles possessed spherical morphology with core‐shell structure and enriched carboxylic acid functionality. More importantly, they exhibited superparamagnetism with high magnetic content (58.42 wt%) and high colloidal stability, which considered as the main requirements for their application in the biomedical diagnostic domains. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.