Primary Steps (primary + step)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Primary Steps of pH-Dependent Insulin Aggregation Kinetics are Governed by Conformational Flexibility

CHEMBIOCHEM, Issue 11 2009
Jürgen Haas Dr.
Abstract Insulin aggregation critically depends on pH. The underlying energetic and structural determinants are, however, unknown. Here, we measure the kinetics of the primary aggregation steps of the insulin monomer in vitro and relate it to its conformational flexibility. To assess these primary steps the monomer concentration was monitored by mass spectrometry at various pH values and aggregation products were imaged by atomic force microscopy. Lowering the pH from 3 to 1.6 markedly accelerated the observed aggregation kinetics. The influence of pH on the monomer structure and dynamics in solution was studied by molecular dynamics simulations, with the protonation states of the titrable groups obtained from electrostatic calculations. Reduced flexibility was observed for low pH values, mainly in the C terminus and in the helix of the B chain; these corresponded to an estimated entropy loss of 150 J,mol,1,K,1. The striking correlation between entropy loss and pH value is consistent with the observed kinetic traces. In analogy to the well-known , value analysis, this result allows the extraction of structural information about the rate determining transition state of the primary aggregation steps. In particular, we suggest that the residues in the helix of the B chain are involved in this transition state. [source]


Theoretical studies on four-membered ring compounds with NF2, ONO2, N3, and NO2 groups

JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2008
Xiao-Wei Fan
Abstract Density functional theory (DFT) method has been employed to study the geometric and electronic structures of a series of four-membered ring compounds at the B3LYP/6-311G** and the B3P86/6-311G** levels. In the isodesmic reactions designed for the computation of heats of formation (HOFs), 3,3-dimethyl-oxetane, azetidine, and cyclobutane were chosen as reference compounds. The HOFs for N3 substituted derivations are larger than those of oxetane compounds with ONO2 and/or NF2 substituent groups. The HOFs for oxetane with ONO2 and/or NF2 substituent groups are negative, while the HOFs for N3 substituted derivations are positive. For azetidine compounds, the substituent groups within the azetidine ring affect the HOFs, which increase as the difluoroamino group being replaced by the nitro group. The magnitudes of intramolecular group interactions were predicted through the disproportionation energies. The strain energy (SE) for the title compounds has been calculated using homodesmotic reactions. For azetidine compounds, the NF2 group connecting N atom in the ring decrease the SE of title compounds. Thermal stability were evaluated via bond dissociation energies (BDE) at the UB3LYP/6-311G** level. For the oxetane compounds, the ONO2 bond is easier to break than that of the ring CC bond. For the azetidine and cyclobutane compounds, the homolysises of CNX2 and/or NNX2 (X = O, F) bonds are primary step for bond dissociation. Detonation properties of the title compounds were evaluated by using the Kamlet,Jacobs equation based on the calculated densities and HOFs. It is found that 1,1-dinitro-3,3-bis(difluoroamino)-cyclobutane, with predicted density of ca. 1.9 g/cm3, detonation velocity (D) over 9 km/s, and detonation pressure (P) of 41 GPa that are lager than those of TNAZ, is expected to be a novel candidate of high energy density materials (HEDMs). The detonation data of nitro-BDFAA and TNCB are also close to the requirements for HEDMs. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2008 [source]


Exploitation of the complex chemistry of hindered amine stabilizers in effective plastics stabilization,

JOURNAL OF VINYL & ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2007
J. Pospí
Hindered amine stabilizers (HAS) remain a prominent class of stabilizers having a fortunate development with continuous interest in shaping the future properties of plastics: increase in polymer durability, application extension, reaching new effects. Commercial tests provided much information. Insufficient mechanistic interpretations of the complex effects of environmental factors (harshness of testing, penetration of radiation and oxygen, superposition of temperature, atmospheric impurities) and those of the microenvironment (morphology of the polymer matrix, physical relations of HAS,polymer, interference between HAS and other additives) are a drawback. Model experiments complement commercial studies and explain some phenomena. A careful transfer of information from model experiments must be done to avoid misinterpretation of mechanisms, particularly of the HAS regenerative cycle. A critical analysis of primary steps of the HAS activity mechanism in the polymer matrix based on HAS-related primary nitroxides, formation of their stationary concentration and concentration gradients influenced by polymer morphology, spatial competition between autoreactions, and oxidation of polymer-developed alkyl radicals and their scavenging by nitroxides (the key process of HAS efficiency) is outlined. Cyclic regeneration of nitroxides affected by the structure of the amino moiety in the HAS molecule, influence of acid environment, atmospheric ozone or singlet oxygen, cooperative mixtures of HAS with UV absorbers, combinations with additives increasing the thermal stabilization effect and improving color retention, assessment of the heat stabilization performance of HAS by proper testing, and influence of the molecular weight of HAS are mentioned together with examples of the chemical consumption of HAS in the final phases of their lifetime. lifetime. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 13:119,132, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers [source]


Primary Steps of pH-Dependent Insulin Aggregation Kinetics are Governed by Conformational Flexibility

CHEMBIOCHEM, Issue 11 2009
Jürgen Haas Dr.
Abstract Insulin aggregation critically depends on pH. The underlying energetic and structural determinants are, however, unknown. Here, we measure the kinetics of the primary aggregation steps of the insulin monomer in vitro and relate it to its conformational flexibility. To assess these primary steps the monomer concentration was monitored by mass spectrometry at various pH values and aggregation products were imaged by atomic force microscopy. Lowering the pH from 3 to 1.6 markedly accelerated the observed aggregation kinetics. The influence of pH on the monomer structure and dynamics in solution was studied by molecular dynamics simulations, with the protonation states of the titrable groups obtained from electrostatic calculations. Reduced flexibility was observed for low pH values, mainly in the C terminus and in the helix of the B chain; these corresponded to an estimated entropy loss of 150 J,mol,1,K,1. The striking correlation between entropy loss and pH value is consistent with the observed kinetic traces. In analogy to the well-known , value analysis, this result allows the extraction of structural information about the rate determining transition state of the primary aggregation steps. In particular, we suggest that the residues in the helix of the B chain are involved in this transition state. [source]