Multiwell Assay for the Analysis of Sugar Gut Permeability Markers: Discrimination of Sugar Alcohols with a Fluorescent Probe Array Based on Boronic Acid Appended Viologens.

With the aim of discerning between different sugar and sugar alcohols of biomedical relevance, such as gut permeability, arrays of 2-component probes were assembled with up to six boronic acid-appended viologens (BBVs): 4,4'-o-BBV, 3,3'-o-BBV, 3,4'-o-BBV, 4,4'-o,m-BBV, 4,7'-o-PBBV, and pBoB, each coupled to the fluorophore 8-hydroxypyrene, 1,3,6-trisulfonic acid trisodium salt (HPTS). These probes were screened for their ability to discriminate between lactulose, l-rhamnose, 3-O-methyl-d-glucose, and xylose. Binding studies of sugar alcohols mannitol, sorbitol, erythritol, adonitol, arabitol, galactitol, and xylitol revealed that diols containing threo-1,2-diol units have higher affinity for BBVs relative diols containing erythro-1,2 units.

Evolution of superhalogen properties in PtCl(n) clusters.

We have systematically calculated the ground state geometries, relative stability, electronic structure, and spectroscopic properties of PtCl(n) (n = 1-7) clusters. The bonding in these clusters is dominated by covalent interaction. In neutral clusters, chlorine atoms are chemically bound to Pt up to n = 5.

Mechanism of gallic acid biosynthesis in bacteria (Escherichia coli) and walnut (Juglans regia).

Gallic acid (GA), a key intermediate in the synthesis of plant hydrolysable tannins, is also a primary anti-inflammatory, cardio-protective agent found in wine, tea, and cocoa. In this publication, we reveal the identity of a gene and encoded protein essential for GA synthesis. Although it has long been recognized that plants, bacteria, and fungi synthesize and accumulate GA, the pathway leading to its synthesis was largely unknown.

A Theoretical Investigation of the Ni(II)-Catalyzed Hydrovinylation of Styrene.

We report a detailed and full computational investigation on the hydrovinylation reaction of styrene with the Ni(II)-phospholane catalytic system, which was originally presumed to proceed through a cationic mechanism involving a nickel hydride intermediate. The following general features emerge from this study on a specific catalyst complex that was found to give quantitative yield and moderate selectivity: (a) the activation barrier for the initiation (18.8 kcal/mol) is higher than that for the reaction due to a low-lying square-planar pentenyl chelate intermediate originating from a Ni(II)-allyl catalyst precursor.

Red-, blue-, or no-shift in hydrogen bonds: a unified explanation.

We provide a simple explanation for X-H bond contraction and the associated blue shift and decrease of intensity in IR spectrum of the so-called improper hydrogen bonds. This explanation organizes hydrogen bonds (HBs) with a seemingly random relationship between the X-H bond length (and IR frequency and its intensity) to its interaction energy. The factors which affect the X-H bond in all X-H.

Electrostatic repulsion as an additional selectivity factor in asymmetric proline catalysis.

The metal free, single amino acid-catalyzed asymmetric desymmetrization (ADS) of meso-compounds with nitrosobenzene has been investigated using DFT. In this communication, we describe the role of electrostatic and dipole-dipole interactions in amino acid-catalyzed reactions, which has not previously been invoked in discussions of these important reactions.