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SHIP2 (SH2-domain containing inositol 5-phosphatase type 2) is a canonical 5-phosphatase, which, through its catalytic action on PtdInsP3, regulates the PI3K/Akt pathway and metabolic action of insulin. It is a drug target, but there is limited evidence of inhibition of SHIP2 by small molecules in the literature. With the goal to investigate inhibition, we report a homologous family of synthetic, chromophoric benzene phosphate substrates of SHIP2 that display the headgroup regiochemical hallmarks of the physiological inositide substrates that have proved difficult to crystallize with 5-phosphatases. Using time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT), we explore the intrinsic fluorescence of these novel substrates and show how fluorescence can be used to assay enzyme activity. The TD-DFT approach promises to inform rational design of enhanced active site probes for the broadest family of inositide-binding/metabolizing proteins, while maintaining the regiochemical properties ofbona fideinositide substrates.

Rationale: Functional activity of upper respiratory tract and oral microbiota has a high informational potential for diagnostics of infectious disease and for development of preventive measure, which is to be explained by rapid variability and high activity of bacteria in this location. Aim: To determine statistical characteristics of concentrations and ratios of the oropharyngeal short chain fatty acids (SCFA) (i.e., functional activity of oropharyngeal microbiota) depending on age of patients without infectious disorder of upper respiratory tract and oral cavity. Materials and methods: Gas liquid chromatography was used to measure SCFA concentrations in saliva from 683 patients aged from 1 month to 85 years who did not have any infections of respiratory tract and oral cavity. Age intervals with homogenous salivary SCFA levels were determined with constant trends in their means (medians) with one-month accuracy. The resulting parameters for the identified age intervals were compared with Mann-Whitney test at 95% significance level (p < 0.05). Results: There were no significant differences between median total SCFA levels (8.04 [4.85; 14.22] mmol/G) and median acetic acid levels (6.27 [3.79; 11.21] mmol/G) in saliva from patients of all ages from 1 month to 85 years. For all other parameters, from 2 to 3 steps of changes were found that occurred at the age of 4 months and 14 years. After the age of 14, the concentrations of propionic and butyric acid significantly increased, whereas those of valeric and caproic acids, as well as of the branched chain SCFA decreased. Correspondingly, after the age of 14, the mean structural index increased from 0.25 to 0.27 U (p < 0.05). The isoacid index decreased with age in two steps: at the age of 4 months from 1.89 to 1.04 U (p < 0.05) and later at the age of 14 years to 0.74 U (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Salivary SCFA levels become stable at the age of 14. The structural index and the isoacid index are most sensitive to the integral changes in the microbiota composition. Analysis of the results of studies on metabolic functioning of microflora should be based on mathematic modeling and multifactorial statistics in three age intervals: from birth to 4 months of age, from 4 months to 14 years and over 14 years.

Two new cobalt bis-iminopyridines, [Co(DDP)(H2O)2](NO3)2 (1, DDP = cis-[1,3-bis(2-pyridinylenamine)] cyclohexane) and [Co(cis-DDOP)(NO3)](NO3) (2, cis-DDOP = cis-3,5-bis[(2-Pyridinyleneamin]-trans-hydroxycyclohexane) electrocatalyse the 4-proton, 4-electron reduction of acetonitrile to ethylamine. For 1, this reduction occurs in preference to reduction of protons to H2. A coordinating hydroxyl proton relay in 2 reduces the yield of ethylamine and biases the catalytic system back towards H2.

Reaction of (η5-(S)-2-(4-methylethyl)oxazolinylcyclopentadienyl)(η4-tetraphenylcyclobutadiene)cobalt with [IrCp*Cl2]2 in acetonitrile with KPF6 and KOt-Bu resulted in S,Sp,SIr and S,Rp,RIr configured acetonitrile and Cp* coordinated cationic iridacycles (d.r. up to 4.8 : 1 – kinetic control), the planar chiral configuration dictating the configuration of the pseudo-tetrahedral iridium-based stereogenic centre. Addition of water to the cycloiridation reaction resulted in an increase in yield (up to 78%) at the cost of diastereoselectivity. Use of the corresponding substrate containing a t-Bu rather than an i-Pr substituted oxazoline gave exclusively the S,Sp,SIr diastereoisomer, and under the same conditions (S)-2-ferrocenyl- 4-(1,1-dimethylethyl)oxazoline cycloiridated to give only the S,Sp,SIr diastereoisomer. Substitution reactions of the title complexes at iridium proceeded with retention of configuration, a computational study revealing the proposed coordinatively unsaturated intermediate of a dissociative mechanism to display a relatively weak Co-Ir interaction, and a pronounced steric effect as the basis of stereocontrol.

We report the first application of fully atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to the prediction of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of spin labelled DNA. Models for two structurally different DNA spin probes with either the rigid or flexible position of the nitroxide group in the base pair, employed in experimental studies previously, have been developed. By the application of the combined MD-EPR simulation methodology we aimed at the following. Firstly, to provide a test bed against a sensitive spectroscopic technique for the recently developed improved version of the parmbsc1 force field for MD modelling of DNA. The predicted EPR spectra show good agreement with the experimental ones available from the literature, thus confirming the accuracy of the currently employed DNA force fields. Secondly, to provide a quantitative interpretation of the motional contributions into the dynamics of spin probes in both duplex and single-strand DNA fragments and to analyse their perturbing effects on the local DNA structure. Finally, a combination of MD and EPR allowed us to test the validity of the application of the Model-Free (M-F) approach coupled with the partial averaging of magnetic tensors to the simulation of EPR spectra of DNA systems by comparing the resultant EPR spectra with those simulated directly from MD trajectories. The advantage of the M-F based EPR simulation approach over the direct propagation techniques is that it requires motional and order parameters that can be calculated from shorter MD trajectories. The reported MD-EPR methodology is transferable to the prediction and interpretation of EPR spectra of higher order DNA structures with novel types of spin labels.

Frustrated Lewis pairs have found many applications in the heterolytic activation of H2 and subsequent hydrogenation of small molecules through delivery of the resulting proton and hydride equivalents. Herein, we describe how H2 can be preactivated using classical frustrated Lewis pair chemistry and combined with in situ nonaqueous electrochemical oxidation of the resulting borohydride. Our approach allows hydrogen to be cleanly converted into two protons and two electrons in situ, and reduces the potential (the required energetic driving force) for nonaqueous H2 oxidation by 610 mV (117.7 kJ mol(-1)). This significant energy reduction opens routes to the development of nonaqueous hydrogen energy technology.

We report the first known examples of triazole-derivatized cymantrene complexes (η5-[4-substituted triazol-1-yl]cyclopentadienyl)tricarbonylmanganese(I), obtained via a “click” chemical synthesis, bearing a phenyl, 3-aminophenyl, or 4-aminophenyl moiety at the 4-position of the triazole ring. Structural characterization data using multinuclear NMR, UV–vis, ATR-IR, and mass spectrometric methods are provided, as well as crystallographic data for (η5-[4-phenyltriazol-1-yl]cyclopentadienyl)tricarbonylmanganese(I) and (η5-[4-(3-aminophenyl)triazol-1-yl]cyclopentadienyl)tricarbonylmanganese(I). Cyclic voltammetric characterization of the redox behavior of each of the three cymantrene–triazole complexes is presented together with digital simulations, in situ infrared spectroelectrochemistry, and DFT calculations to extract the associated kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. The trypanocidal activity of each cymantrene–triazole complex is also examined, and these complexes are found to be more active than cymantrene alone.

Discotics studied by EPR: The application of EPR spectroscopy to columnar discotic liquid crystals using a novel rigid-core nitroxide spin probe (see picture) is possible. EPR spectra measured at different temperatures across three phases of hexakis(n-hexyloxy)triphenylene show a strong sensitivity to the phase composition, molecular rotational dynamics, and columnar order.

The reaction of protein‐bound iron–sulfur (Fe‐S) clusters with nitric oxide (NO) plays key roles in NO‐mediated toxicity and signaling. Elucidation of the mechanism of the reaction of NO with DNA regulatory proteins that contain Fe‐S clusters has been hampered by a lack of information about the nature of the iron‐nitrosyl products formed. Herein, we report nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations that identify NO reaction products in WhiD and NsrR, regulatory proteins that use a [4Fe‐4S] cluster to sense NO. This work reveals that nitrosylation yields multiple products structurally related to Roussin's Red Ester (RRE, [Fe2(NO)4(Cys)2]) and Roussin's Black Salt (RBS, [Fe4(NO)7S3]. In the latter case, the absence of 32S/34S shifts in the Fe−S region of the NRVS spectra suggest that a new species, Roussin's Black Ester (RBE), may be formed, in which one or more of the sulfide ligands is replaced by Cys thiolates.

EPR studies combined with fully atomistic Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations and an MD-EPR simulation method provide evidence for intrinsic low rotameric mobility of a nitroxyl spin label, Rn, compared to the more widely employed label MTSL (R1). Both experimental and modelling results using two structurally different sites of attachment to Myoglobin show that the EPR spectra of Rn are more sensitive to the local protein environment than that of MTSL. This study reveals the potential of using the Rn spin label as a reporter of protein motions.

Three structural isomers of tris{bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl}borane have been studied as the acidic com- ponent of frustrated Lewis pairs. While the 3,5-substituted isomer is already known to heterolytically cleave H2 to generate a bridging-hydride; ortho-substituents in the 2,4- and 2,5-isomers quench such reactivity through electron donation into the vacant boron pz orbital and steric blocking of the boron centre; as shown by electrochemical, structural and computational studies. Electrochemical studies of the corresponding borohydrides identify that the two-electron oxidation of terminal-hydrides occurs at more positive potentials than observed for [HB(C6F5)3]−, while the bridging-hydride oxidizes at a higher poten- tial still, comparable to that of free H2.

The synthesis of a close structural analogue of the active site of [Fe]-hydrogenase is described (see structure; C gray, H dark blue, Fe green, N light blue, O red, S yellow). Nature most probably constructs the five membered ferracyclic ring to poise the 2-hydroxy pyridine substituent in a position to assist the heterolytic cleavage of dihydrogen, and the accessibility of the analogue should now provide opportunities for probing this.

We report the first crystallographically characterized dimethylaniline complex of a group 4 metallocene. [(IPCF)ZrMe(NMe2Ph)][B(C6F5)4] shows strongly coordinated NMe2Ph which does not interchange in solution. DFT calculations suggest that the Zr-N bond is 23 kJ mol-1 stronger than the Zr-Me-Zr bond in [{(IPCF)ZrMe}2(µ-Me)][MeB(C6F5)3], the structure of which is also reported (IPCF = Me2C(C5H4)(fluorenyl)).

The transfer rate of a probe molecule across the interfacial layer of a water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsion was investigated using a combination of transverse field muon spin rotation (TF-μSR), avoided level crossing muon spin resonance (ALC-μSR), and Monte Carlo simulations. Reverse microemulsions consist of nanometer-sized water droplets dispersed in an apolar solvent separated by a surfactant monolayer. Although the thermodynamic, static model of these systems has been well described, our understanding of their dynamics is currently incomplete. For example, what is the rate of solute transfer between the aqueous and apolar solvents, and how this is influenced by the structure of the interface? With an appropriate choice of system and probe molecule, μSR offers a unique opportunity to directly probe these interfacial transfer dynamics. Here, we have employed a well characterized w/o microemulsion stabilized by bis(2-ethylhexyl) sodium sulfosuccinate (Aerosol OT), with allyl alcohol (CH2═CH-CH2-OH, AA) as the probe. Resonances due to both muoniated radicals, CMuH2-C*H-CH2-OH and C*H2-CHMu-CH2-OH, were observed with the former being the dominant species. All resonances displayed solvent dependence, with those in the microemulsion observed as a single resonance located at intermediate magnetic fields to those present in either of the pure solvents. Observation of a single resonance is strong evidence for interfacial transfer being in the fast exchange limit. Monte Carlo calculations of the ΔM = 0 ALC resonances are consistent with the experimental data, indicating exchange rates greater than 10(9) s(-1), placing the rate of interfacial transfer at the diffusion limit.

EPR spectroscopy and theoretical data show that the slow heterogeneous electron-transfer kinetics associated with the reduction of an 18-electron Mo(iv) acetato dihydride are a consequence of an η2–η1 rearrangement of the carboxylate ligand which gives a unique paramagnetic 17-electron Mo(iii) dihydride.

Despite the vast amount of experimental and theoretical studies on the binding affinity of cations - especially the biologically relevant Na(+) and Ca(2+) - for phospholipid bilayers, there is no consensus in the literature. Here we show that by interpreting changes in the choline headgroup order parameters according to the 'molecular electrometer' concept [Seelig et al., Biochemistry, 1987, 26, 7535], one can directly compare the ion binding affinities between simulations and experiments. Our findings strongly support the view that in contrast to Ca(2+) and other multivalent ions, Na(+) and other monovalent ions (except Li(+)) do not specifically bind to phosphatidylcholine lipid bilayers at sub-molar concentrations. However, the Na(+) binding affinity was overestimated by several molecular dynamics simulation models, resulting in artificially positively charged bilayers and exaggerated structural effects in the lipid headgroups. While qualitatively correct headgroup order parameter response was observed with Ca(2+) binding in all the tested models, no model had sufficient quantitative accuracy to interpret the Ca(2+):lipid stoichiometry or the induced atomistic resolution structural changes. All scientific contributions to this open collaboration work were made publicly, using nmrlipids.blogspot.fi as the main communication platform. acceptedVersion

Cytochromes cd1 are dimeric bacterial nitrite reductases, which contain two hemes per monomer. On reduction of both hemes, the distal ligand of heme d1 dissociates, creating a vacant coordination site accessible to substrate. Heme c, which transfers electrons from donor proteins into the active site, has histidine/methionine ligands except in the oxidized enzyme from Paracoccus pantotrophus where both ligands are histidine. During reduction of this enzyme, Tyr25 dissociates from the distal side of heme d1, and one heme c ligand is replaced by methionine. Activity is associated with histidine/methionine coordination at heme c, and it is believed that P. pantotrophus cytochrome cd1 is unreactive toward substrate without reductive activation. However, we report here that the oxidized enzyme will react with nitrite to yield a novel species in which heme d1 is EPR-silent. Magnetic circular dichroism studies indicate that heme d1 is low-spin FeIII but EPR-silent as a result of spin coupling to a radical species formed during the reaction with nitrite. This reaction drives the switch to histidine/methionine ligation at FeIII heme c. Thus the enzyme is activated by exposure to its physiological substrate without the necessity of passing through the reduced state. This reactivity toward nitrite is also observed for oxidized cytochrome cd1 from Pseudomonas stutzeri suggesting a more general involvement of the EPR-silent FeIII heme d1 species in nitrite reduction.

A search for conformational changes at the cytosolic entrance to the proton channels of the heme-copper quinol oxidase (QO), cytochrome bo3, E. coli, has been carried out using site directed nitroxide spin labeling (SDSL) of cysteine residues. These were positioned at R134 and R309, on loops that link helices II and III and VI and VII at the entrances to the D and K proton channels, respectively. The motional characteristics of both labels have been determined using X- and W-band EPR spectroscopy at room temperature in selected redox levels in the reaction sequence of QO with oxygen, namely, the mixed valence carbon monoxide form (COMV), the oxidized (O) and super-oxidized (PM) states. The O to PM step is accompanied by the uptake of protons through the K pathway. We find no evidence for changes in the motional characteristics of either label that are expected to be associated with helical motions at the entrances to the channels. Because kinetic studies of mutants show that the redox gating of protons occurs deep within the D channel close to the heme-copper site, the present study implies that no motion is transmitted to the ends of the helices.

A model-free analysis of the longitudinal muon spin relaxation of muons implanted into single- and double-stranded DNA samples is reported. These samples show distinctly different responses to implanted muons with discontinuities of the integrated asymmetries at temperatures where these molecules are likely to have onset of molecular and electron dynamics.

Avoided level crossing muon spectra (ALC-μSR) of the free radicals formed by muonium addition to nucleic acid bases adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine, and uracil are reported and assigned by using ab initio DFT calculations. The following radicals and their hyperfine constants, Aμ, were identified: adenine, C8 (the radical formed by adding Mu to the C8 carbon of adenine) = 424.1 MHz; cytosine, C5 = 406.1 MHz and C6 = 593.0 MHz; guanine, C5 = 657.1 MHz and C8 = 407.5 MHz; thymine, C5 = 494.3 MHz and O2 = 409.7 MHz; and uracil, C5 = 381.7 MHz, C6 = 553.6 MHz, O2 = 418.1 MHz, and O4 = 149.7 MHz. No ALC-μSR resonances were observed from polycrystalline samples of the sugar ribose or potassium phosphate at 300 K. Preliminary ALC-μSR spectra of a double stranded (ds) DNA sample are reported and found to show additional resonances to those of the nucleic acid bases, indicating the behavior of implanted muons in dsDNA to be more complex than a simple sum of the behaviors found with the bases. The reported data...

Muon spin relaxation studies with DNA and related materials have shown distinct differences in the behaviour of double stranded DNA compared to single stranded DNA and the free bases. Studies are now in progress to completely characterise the muonium adducts of all the bases of relevance to DNA and RNA. In order to assist in the assignments and to gain an insight into the electronic structures and physical properties of the bases, ab initio DFT calculations have been performed. The hyperfine frequencies exhibited by the Mu adducts of adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine and uracil were found to span a sufficiently wide range to allow the opportunity for distinction between addition sites within each base and between these bases when incorporated in the DNA strand. The results are presented and discussed.

Cytochrome c oxidase catalyzes the reduction of oxygen to water with a concomitant conservation of energy in the form of a transmembrane proton gradient. The enzyme has a catalytic site consisting of a binuclear center of a copper ion and a heme group. The spectroscopic parameters of this center are unusual. The origin of broad electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signals in the oxidized state at rather low resonant field, the so-called g' = 12 signal, has been a matter of debate for over 30 years. We have studied the angular dependence of this resonance in both parallel and perpendicular mode X-band EPR in oriented multilayers containing cytochrome c oxidase to resolve the assignment. The "slow" form and compounds formed by the addition of formate and fluoride to the oxidized enzyme display these resonances, which result from transitions between states of an integer-spin multiplet arising from magnetic exchange coupling between the five unpaired electrons of high spin Fe(III) heme a(3) and the single unpaired electron of Cu(B). The first successful simulation of similar signals observed in both perpendicular and parallel mode X-band EPR spectra in frozen aqueous solution of the fluoride compound of the closely related enzyme, quinol oxidase or cytochrome bo(3), has been reported recently (Oganesyan et al., 1998, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 120:4232-4233). This suggested that the exchange interaction between the two metal ions of the binuclear center is very weak (|J| approximately 1 cm(-1)), with the axial zero-field splitting (D approximately 5 cm(-1)) of the high-spin heme dominating the form of the ground state. We show that this model accounts well for the angular dependences of the X-band EPR spectra in both perpendicular and parallel modes of oriented multilayers of cytochrome c oxidase derivatives and that the experimental results are inconsistent with earlier schemes that use exchange coupling parameters of several hundred wavenumbers.

An assignment of the near-infrared bands in the 600–800 nm spectral region observed in magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra of high-spin ferrous haemoproteins is presented. The assignment is based on a relative energy level scheme for iron d-electrons, a comparison of predicted and measured temperature dependences of MCD intensity, a sign of MCD bands and a group theoretical analysis of allowed transitions. The proposed assignment is consistent with the ∼15-nm red shift of the ∼760 nm band on breakage of the Fe-His bond in deoxy-myoglobin at low pH, with low-temperature photolysis experiments available for CO complexes of several haemoproteins. In accordance with the observations, the intensity of the MCD bands for proteins with a sulphur anion of cysteine as proximal haemligand (cytochrome P450 and chloroperoxidase) is predicted to be diminished by at least one order of magnitude compared to that for proteins with an imidazole of a histidine as a protein-derived haemligand (i.e. myoglobin, haemoglobin and horseradish peroxidase).

We report a kinetic and mechanistic study into the one-electron reduction of the archetypal Lewis acid tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, B(C(6)F(5))(3), in dichloromethane and 1,2-difluorobenzene. Electrochemical experiments, combined with digital simulations, DFT computational studies and multinuclear NMR analysis allow us to obtain thermodynamic, kinetic and mechanistic information relating to the redox activity of B(C(6)F(5))(3). We show that tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane undergoes a quasi-reversible one-electron reduction followed by rapid chemical decomposition of the B(C(6)F(5))(3)˙(-) radical anion intermediate via a solvolytic radical pathway. The reaction products form various four-coordinate borates of which [B(C(6)F(5))(4)](-) is a very minor product. The rate of the follow-up chemical step has a pseudo-first order rate constant of the order of 6 s(-1). This value is three orders of magnitude larger than that found in previous studies performed in the donor solvent, tetrahydrofuran. The standard reduction potential of B(C(6)F(5))(3) is reported for the first time as -1.79 ± 0.1 V and -1.65 ± 0.1 V vs. ferrocene/ferrocenium in dichloromethane and 1,2-difluorobenzene respectively.

A general approach for the prediction of EPR spectra directly and completely from single dynamical trajectories generated from Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations is described. The approach is applicable to an arbitrary system of electron and nuclear spins described by a general form of the spin-Hamiltonian for the entire motional range. It is shown that for a reliable simulation of motional EPR spectra only a single truncated dynamical trajectory generated until the point when correlation functions of rotational dynamics are completely relaxed is required. The simulation algorithm is based on a combination of the propagation of the spin density matrix in the Liouville space for this initial time interval and the use of well defined parameters calculated entirely from the dynamical trajectory for prediction of the evolution of the spin density matrix at longer times. A new approach is illustrated with the application to a nitroxide spin label MTSL attached to the protein sperm whale myoglobin. It is shown that simulation of the EPR spectrum, which is in excellent agreement with experiment, can be achieved from a single MD trajectory. Calculations reveal the complex nature of the dynamics of a spin label which is a superposition of the fast librational motions within dihedral states, of slow rotameric dynamics among different conformational states of the nitroxide tether and of the slow rotational diffusion of the protein itself. The significance of the slow rotameric dynamics of the nitroxide tether on the overall shape of the EPR spectrum is analysed and discussed.

General methods have been elaborated for the synthesis of O (or S)-phosphorylated vinylcholines, including the corresponding betaines of mono-, bis- and polymer structures, 5-membered heterocycles with P, O, S, N atoms in the cycle and exo- CHX= (X=H, C1) bond. The key substances, O-phos- phorylated allylchlorides, were obtained either by the well known Perkov reaction or according to scheme (I), worked out by us. The scheme is based on the reactions of 3- or 4-coordinated phosphorus with substituted ketones in the presence of triethylamine (B:).

The new type of α-alkenyl esters of phosphorus acids containing ammonium or phosphonium groups in unsaturated radicals as well as carbonyl or other complexes of Mo, Cr, W, Mn, or Pt with such organophosphorus ligands have been described. The alkenyl phosphates undergo dealkylation upon heating to give betaines. This conversion results in a substantial decrease of an anticholinesterase activity of the compounds and in a sharp rise of their hydrolytic stability. The prototropic rearrangement is observed for the phosphonium betaines.

In nitrite-treated cytochrome cd1 nitrite reductase, heme d1 is electron paramagnetic resonance silent but paramagnetic. Analysis of the unusual temperature dependence of the magnetic circular dichroism spectra unambiguously demonstrates that the heme d1 is not in the oxoferryl (FeIV=O) state but is low-spin FeIII weakly coupled to a radical species. This species could be either a protein-bound radical generated by a nitrite ion reacting with a heme group resulting in a one-electron oxidation of an amino acid residue, possibly tyrosine or tryptophan, adjacent to heme d1, or a heme d1 FeIIINO complex.

Intensification of lipid peroxidation against the background of exhaustion of the antioxidant protective system was demonstrated in 70 rats with experimental bile peritonitis. Free radical oxidation primarily concerned free lipids and fatty acids in the plasma and to a lesser extent erythrocyte membrane lipids.

Fully oxidized cytochrome bo3 from Escherichia coli has been studied in its oxidized and several ligand-bound forms using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopies. In each form, the spin-coupled high-spin Fe(III) heme o3 and CuB(II) ion at the active site give rise to similar fast-relaxing broad features in the dual-mode X-band EPR spectra. Simulations of dual-mode spectra are presented which show that this EPR can arise only from a dinuclear site in which the metal ions are weakly coupled by an anisotropic exchange interaction of J 1 cm-1. A variable-temperature and magnetic field (VTVF) MCD study is also presented for the cytochrome bo3 fluoride and azide derivatives. New methods are used to extract the contribution to the MCD of the spin-coupled active site in the presence of strong transitions from low-spin Fe(III) heme b. Analysis of the MCD data, independent of the EPR study, also shows that the spin-coupling within the active site is weak with J approximately 1 cm-1. These conclusions overturn a long-held view that such EPR signals in bovine cytochrome c oxidase arise from an S' = 2 ground state resulting from strong exchange coupling (J10(2) cm-1) within the active site.

The potential of NIS spectroscopy to study the iron-sulfur clusters in metalloproteins is illustrated using model compounds. The origin of the intense low energy transfer bands is discussed.

Theoretical expressions for magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) of the porphyrin pi--pi*, spin-allowed charge transfer (CT) and spin-forbidden d-d or CT transitions in high-spin ferric heme are derived. The transitions can be discriminated by their MCD to absorption ratio and/or temperature dependence of MCD intensity. An analysis of the Soret MCD of fluoride complexes of myoglobin (Mb), hemoglobin (Hb) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP), recorded at temperatures from 290 down to 2 K, is given. It is shown that the Soret MCD of HRPF can be well described by overlapping of the pi--pi* transition with one spin-forbidden CT transition of an 6A1--4E type. In the case of MbF and HbF it is necessary to assume the presence in the Soret region of the second spin-forbidden CT transition, most probably of an 6A1--4A1 type. The parameters of transitions have been extracted from a non-linear least-squares fitting procedure. The best fit values of parameter D of the zero-field splitting of the ground manifold for HbF (6.1 cm(-1)) and MbF (6.4 cm(-1)) agree well with those obtained by other methods. The D value for HRPF (8.3 cm(-1)) is obtained for the first time.

We have carried out analysis of the electronic level scheme of the high-spin ferrous hemoproteins by simultaneous fit of the adjustable parameters of a 4-term theoretical model to low-temperature magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), room temperature absorption spectra and available magnetic susceptibility and/or Mossbauer data of myoglobin, horseradish peroxidase and cytochrome P450. The high reliability of the ligand field parameter values obtained for deoxymyoglobin is confirmed by good agreement between the predicted and observed magnetic field dependences of MCD and magnetization not used in the fit procedure. In addition, an energy gap between the ground and first excited singlets, estimated to be 4.2 cm −1 , agrees well with the value of ∼ 4 cm −1 derived from the far-infrared magnetic resonance. Our computer and explicit theoretical analyses give strong evidence that large distinctions in the shape, intensity and temperature behaviour of the MCD of Mb and HRP from those of cytochrome P450 can be described only if the ground manifold in these proteins is 5 E n and 5 B 2 , respectively. The changes in relative energies of the one-electron 3d-orbitals on substitution of an imidazole of histidine for a sulphur anion of cysteine as a protein-derived heme iron ligand are rationalized by the lower ionization potential of the negatively charged sulphur ligand and the higher π-orbital overlap of its lone pair orbitals with the iron d π -orbitals compared to the imidazole ligand.

The new type of α-alkenyl esters of phosphorus acids containing ammonium or phosphonium groups in unsaturated radicals as well as carbonyl or other complexes of Mo, Cr, W, Mn, or Pt with such organophosphorus ligands have been described. The alkenyl phosphates undergo dealkylation upon heating to give betaines. This conversion results in a substantial decrease of an anticholinesterase activity of the compounds and in a sharp rise of their hydrolytic stability. The prototropic rearrangement is observed for the phosphonium betaines.

Phosphorus-containing vinylcholine bis- and polybetaines were obtained upon the alkylation of tetramethylethylenediamine and triethylenediamine by O-phosphorylated allyl chlorides with subsequent thermal dealkylation.

Pyrimidine mit einer Ketogruppe werden durch Phosphorchloride in Gegenwart einer organischen Base leicht am Sauerstoffatom phosphoryliert.

Phosphorus-containing vinylcholine bis- and polybetaines were obtained upon the alkylation of tetramethylethylenediamine and triethylenediamine by O-phosphorylated allyl chlorides with subsequent thermal dealkylation.

Reaction of [IrCp*Cl2 ]2 with ferrocenylimines (Fc=NAr, Ar=Ph, p-MeOC6 H4 ) results in ferrocene C-H activation and the diastereoselective synthesis of half-sandwich iridacycles of relative configuration Sp *,RIr *. Extension to (S)-2-ferrocenyl-4-(1-methylethyl)oxazoline gave highly diastereoselective control over the new elements of planar chirality and metal-based pseudo-tetrahedral chirality, to give both neutral and cationic half-sandwich iridacycles of absolute configuration Sc ,Sp ,RIr . Substitution reactions proceed with retention of configuration, with the planar chirality controlling the metal-centred chirality through an iron-iridium interaction in the coordinatively unsaturated cationic intermediate.

The study of the effect of prostaglandin E1 (PG-E1) on catecholamine uptake by homogenates of albino rat myocardium showed that in concentrations of 2×10−6M PG-E1 considerably inhibits the uptake of adrenalin and causes some decrease in the uptake of noradrenalin by the heart muscle. Neither PG-E1 nor PG-A1 (in concentrations of between 2×10−10 and 2×10−6M) had any effect on interaction between troponin and noradrenalin: The intensity of luminescence of troponin in the presence of noradrenalin was unchanged on the addition of PG-E1 and PG-A1. The ability of PG to reduce catecholamine uptake by the myocardium is not due to its effect on the interaction between troponin and catecholamines, but depends on different mechanisms.

The alkylation of trimethylamine by O-phosphorylated allyl chloride gave a new type of choline phosphate, namely, a vinylcholine phosphate. The thermal dealkylation of this product gave a phosphorus-containing betaine.