Search results for "colloid"
showing 10 items of 1288 documents
A Germanium Isocyanide Complex Featuring (n -> π*) Back-Bonding and Its Conversion to a Hydride/Cyanide Product via C–H Bond Activation under Mild Co…
2012
Reaction of the diarylgermylene Ge(Ar(Me(6)))(2) [Ar(Me(6)) = C(6)H(3)-2,6-(C(6)H(2)-2,4,6-(CH(3))(3))(2)] with tert-butyl isocyanide gave the Lewis adduct species (Ar(Me(6)))(2)GeCNBu(t), in which the isocyanide ligand displays a decreased C-N stretching frequency consistent with an n → π* back-bonding interaction. Density functional theory confirmed that the HOMO is a Ge-C bonding combination between the lone pair of electrons on the germanium atom and the C-N π* orbital of the isocyanide ligand. The complex undergoes facile C-H bond activation to produce a new diarylgermanium hydride/cyanide species and isobutene via heterolytic cleavage of the N-Bu(t) bond.
Fluorescent Small Molecule Probe to Modulate and Explore α2β1 Integrin Function
2011
Collagen binding integrins are an important family of cell surface receptors that mediate bidirectionally signals between the interior of the cell and the extracellular matrix. The protein-protein interactions between cells and collagen are necessary for many physiological functions, but also promote diseases. For example, the interaction of α2β1 integrin and collagen has been shown to have an important role in thrombus formation and cancer spread. The fact that the discovery of small molecules that can block such protein-protein interactions is highly challenging has significantly hindered the discovery of pharmaceutical agents to treat these diseases. Here, we present a rationally designe…
Protein NMR Structures Refined with Rosetta Have Higher Accuracy Relative to Corresponding X-ray Crystal Structures
2014
We have found that refinement of protein NMR structures using Rosetta with experimental NMR restraints yields more accurate protein NMR structures than those that have been deposited in the PDB using standard refinement protocols. Using 40 pairs of NMR and X-ray crystal structures determined by the Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium, for proteins ranging in size from 5-22 kDa, restrained Rosetta refined structures fit better to the raw experimental data, are in better agreement with their X-ray counterparts, and have better phasing power compared to conventionally determined NMR structures. For 37 proteins for which NMR ensembles were available and which had similar structures in solu…
Au-40(SR)(24) Cluster as a Chiral Dimer of 8-Electron Superatoms: Structure and Optical Properties
2012
We predict and analyze density-functional theory (DFT)-based structures for the recently isolated Au(40)(SR)(24) cluster. Combining structural information extracted from ligand-exchange reactions, circular dichroism and transmission electron microscopy leads us to propose two families of low-energy structures that have a chiral Au-S framework on the surface. These families have a common geometrical motif where a nonchiral Au(26) bi-icosahedral cluster core is protected by 6 RS-Au-SR and 4 RS-Au-SR-Au-SR oligomeric units, analogously to the "Divide and Protect" motif of known clusters Au(25)(SR)(18)(-/0), Au(38)(SR)(24) and Au(102)(SR)(44). The strongly prolate shape of the proposed Au(26) c…
Modulation of DNA binding by reversible metal-controlled molecular reorganizations of scorpiand-like ligands.
2012
DNA interaction with scorpiand azamacrocycles has been achieved through modulation of their binding affinities. Studies performed with different experimental techniques provided evidence that pH or metal-driven molecular reorganizations of these ligands regulate their ability to interact with calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) through an intercalative mode. Interestingly enough, metal-driven molecular reorganizations serve to increase or decrease the biological activities of these compounds significantly.
Critical Role of Substrate Conformational Change in the Proton Transfer Process Catalyzed by 4-Oxalocrotonate Tautomerase
2009
4-Oxalocrotonate tautomerase enzyme (4-OT) catalyzes the isomerization of 2-oxo-4-hexenedioate to 2-oxo-3-hexenedioate. The chemical process involves two proton transfers, one from a carbon of the substrate to the nitrogen of Pro1 and another from this nitrogen atom to a different carbon of the substrate. In this paper the isomerization has been studied using the combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) method with a dual-level treatment of the quantum subsystem employing the MPW1BK density functional as the higher level. Exploration of the potential energy surface shows that the process is stepwise, with a stable intermediate state corresponding to the deprotonated subs…
Simple chiral urea gelators, (R)- and (S)-2-heptylurea: their gelling ability enhanced by chirality.
2011
Abstract We present the first report on the synthesis of chiral ureas, ( R )- and ( S )-2-heptylurea, and their gelling behaviors. The ureas were prepared by the reactions of chiral amines and phenyl carbamate in the presence of triethylamine. On cooling from homogeneous solutions, the chiral ureas form gels in water and various nonpolar organic solvents, such as cyclohexane, toluene, and tetrachloromethane, while the racemate gelatinize only toluene and tetrachloromethane among the solvents we examined. The gelling ability of the enantiomeric urea is higher than the racemate, as the critical gelling concentrations in toluene, for example, were 0.2% and 0.7% (wt/wt), respectively. The enhan…
Reversibility and Diffusion in Mandelythiamin Decarboxylation. Searching Dynamical Effects in Decarboxylation Reactions
2012
Decarboxylation of mandelylthiamin in aqueous solution is analyzed by means of quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations including solvent effects. The free energy profile for the decarboxylation reaction was traced, assuming equilibrium solvation, while reaction trajectories allowed us to incorporate nonequilibrium effects due to the solvent degrees of freedom as well as to evaluate the rate of the diffusion process in competition with the backward reaction. Our calculations that reproduce the experimental rate constant show that decarboxylation takes place with a non-negligible free energy barrier for the backward reaction and that diffusion of carbon dioxide is very fast compared…
Relaxed but highly compact diansa metallacyclophanes.
2011
A series of monoansa [μ-1,1′-PR-3,3′-Co(1,2-C2B9H10)2]− and diansa [8,8′-μ-(1″,2″-benzene)-μ-1,1′-PR-3,3′-Co(1,2-C2B9H9)2]− (R = Ph, tBu) cobaltabisdicarbollidephanes have been synthesized, characterized and studied by NMR, MALDI-TOF-MS, UV-visible spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and DFT calculations. Single crystal X-ray diffraction revealed a highly relaxed structure characterized by the title angle α of 3.8° ([7]−), this being the smallest angle α for a metallacyclophane. In such compounds, the metal-to-phosphorus distance is less than the sum of their van der Waals radii. The availability of a phosphorus lone pair causes an electron delocalization through the metal, as shown by the ab…
Role of Solvent on Nonenzymatic Peptide Bond Formation Mechanisms and Kinetic Isotope Effects
2013
Based on the hypothesis that similar mechanisms are involved in the peptide bond formation in aqueous solution and in the ribosome, the aminolysis of esters in aqueous solution has been the subject of numerous studies as the reference reaction for the catalyzed process. The mechanisms proposed in the literature have been explored in the present paper by hybrid QM/MM molecular dynamics simulations. The free energy profiles have been computed with the QM region of the system described at semiempirical AM1 level and by DFT within the M06-2X functional. According to the results, the formation of adduct zwitterion species is a preliminary step required for all possible mechanisms. Then, from dif…