Structural Changes at the Zinc Active Site of ACE2 on Binding the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Receptor Binding Domain.

The causative agent of Covid-19 is the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Initiation of cell entry by SARS-CoV-2 is critically dependent upon binding of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2, EC 3.4.

Re-examination of the Claimed Isolation of Stable Noncyclic 1,2-Disulfoxides.

Re-examination of the claimed isolation and X-ray characterization of di--tolyl and dimesityl 1,2-disulfoxides from thermolysis of the corresponding aryl sulfinimines and thiosulfinates showed that the isolated disulfide dioxides are instead the well-known isomeric thiosulfonates, as confirmed by XAS, DART-MS, X-ray, IR and NMR methods. Concerns with the original X-ray structures are addressed. Our results agree with the DFT prediction of very weak diaryl 1,2-disulfoxide S-S bond dissociation enthalpies.

Synchrotron speciation of umbilical cord mercury and selenium after environmental exposure in Niigata.

The insidious and deadly nature of mercury's organometallic compounds is informed by two large scale poisonings due to industrial mercury pollution that occurred decades ago in Minamata and Niigata, Japan. The present study examined chemical speciation for both mercury and selenium in a historic umbilical cord sample from a child born to a mother who lived near the Agano River in Niigata. The mother had experienced mercury exposure leading to more than 50 ppm mercury measured in her hair and was symptomatic 9 years prior to the birth.

Sulfur X-ray Absorption and Emission Spectroscopy of Organic Sulfones.

The sulfones are a widespread group of organo-sulfur compounds, which contain the sulfonyl SO group attached to two carbons and have a formal sulfur oxidation state of +2. We have examined the sulfur K near-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) of a range of different sulfones and find substantial spectroscopic variability depending upon the nature of the coordination to the sulfonyl group. We have also examined the sulfur Kβ X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) of selected representative sulfones.

Oxygen K-edge X-ray absorption spectra of liquids with minimization of window contamination.

Oxygen K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy is used routinely to study a range of solid materials. However, liquid samples are studied less frequently at the oxygen K-edge due to the combined challenges of high-vacuum conditions and oxygen contamination of window materials. A modular sample holder design with a twist-seal sample containment system that provides a simple method to encapsulate liquid samples under high-vacuum conditions is presented.

Sulfur Kβ X-ray emission spectroscopy: comparison with sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy for speciation of organosulfur compounds.

Until recently, sulfur was known as a "spectroscopically silent" element because of a paucity of convenient spectroscopic probes suitable for in situ chemical speciation. In recent years the technique of sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) has been used extensively in sulfur speciation in a variety of different fields. With an initial focus on reduced forms of organic sulfur, we have explored a complementary X-ray based spectroscopy - sulfur Kβ X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) - as a potential analytical tool for sulfur speciation in complex samples.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy of organic sulfoxides.

Organic sulfoxides, a group of compounds containing the sulfinyl S[double bond, length as m-dash]O group, are widespread in nature, important in health and disease, and used in a variety of applications in the pharmaceutical industry. We have examined the sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge spectra of a range of different sulfoxides and find that their spectra are remarkably similar. Spectra show an intense absorption peak that is comprised of two transitions; a S 1s → (S-O)σ* and a S 1s → [(S-O)π* + (S-C)σ*] transition.

Sulfur K-Edge X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy of Aryl and Aryl-Alkyl Sulfides.

Aryl and mixed aryl-alkyl organic sulfides are important species in a variety of fields, including the drug and food industries. They also are present in fossil fuels, where they contribute to the range of sulfur compounds that must be removed by the fuel industry. We have used sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy, in combination with density functional theory calculations, to study the aryl sulfide diphenyl sulfide and two different aryl-alkyl sulfides.

Ajothiolanes: 3,4-Dimethylthiolane Natural Products from Garlic ( Allium sativum).

Stereoisomers of 5-(2-allylsulfinyl)-3,4-dimethylthiolane-2-ol, a family of 3,4-dimethylthiolanes of formula CHOS we name ajothiolanes, were isolated from garlic ( Allium sativum) macerates and characterized by a variety of analytical and spectroscopic techniques, including ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC), direct analysis in real time-mass spectrometry (DART-MS), and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Ajothiolanes were found to be spectroscopically identical to a family of previously described compounds named garlicnins B (CHOS), whose structures we demonstrate have been misassigned. 2D C-C NMR incredible natural abundance double quantum transfer experiments (INADEQUATE) were used to disprove the claim of nine contiguous carbons in these compounds, while X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) along with computational modeling was used to disprove the claim that these compounds were thiolanesulfenic acids.

X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy of Aliphatic Organic Sulfides.

Organic sulfides, sometimes called thioethers, are important in a variety of materials with diverse roles in biology and the environment. They also contribute a significant proportion of the sulfur in fossil fuels. We have studied a range of aliphatic sulfides using a combination of sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations.

Chemical Sensitivity of the Sulfur K-Edge X-ray Absorption Spectra of Organic Disulfides.

Sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy increasingly is used as a tool to provide speciation information about the sulfur chemical form in complex samples, with applications ranging from fossil fuels to soil science to health research. As part of an ongoing program of systematic investigations of the factors that affect the variability of sulfur K near-edge spectra, we have examined the X-ray absorption spectra of a series of organic symmetric disulfide compounds. We have used polarized sulfur K-edge spectra of single crystals of dibenzyl disulfide to confirm the assignments of the major transitions in the spectrum as 1s → (S-S)σ* and 1s → (S-C)σ*.

Insights into the Nature of the Chemical Bonding in Thiophene-2-thiol from X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy.

Thiophenes are the simplest aromatic sulfur-containing compounds; they are widespread in fossil fuels and a variety of natural products, and they have vital roles in determining characteristic aromas that are important in food chemistry. We used a combination of sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory to investigate the chemical bonding in the novel sulfur-containing heterocycle thiophene-2-thiol. We show that solutions of thiophene-2-thiol contain significant quantities of the thione tautomer, which may be the energetically preferred 5H-thiophene-2-thione or the more accessible 3H-thiophene-2-thione.

Purification, crystallization and room-temperature X-ray diffraction of inositol dehydrogenase LcIDH2 from Lactobacillus casei BL23.

Lactobacillus casei BL23 contains two genes, iolG1 and iolG2, homologous with inositol dehydrogenase encoding genes from many bacteria. Inositol dehydrogenase catalyzes the oxidation of inositol with concomitant reduction of NAD+. The protein encoded by iolG2, LcIDH2, has been purified to homogeneity, crystallized and cryoprotected for diffraction at 77 K.