Daniel Holmes

Mass spectrometry screening reveals widespread diversity in trichome specialized metabolites of tomato chromosomal substitution lines.

Glandular secreting trichomes of cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and close relatives produce a variety of structurally diverse volatile and non-volatile specialized (‘secondary’) metabolites, including terpenes, flavonoids and acyl sugars. A genetic screen is described here to profile leaf trichome and surface metabolite extracts of nearly isogenic chromosomal substitution lines covering the tomato genome. These lines contain specific regions of the Solanum pennellii LA0716 genome in an otherwise ‘wild-type’ M82 tomato genetic background. Regions that have an impact on the total amount of extractable mono- and sesquiterpenes (IL2-2) or only sesquiterpenes (IL10-3) or specifically influence accumulation of the monoterpene α-thujene (IL1-3 and IL1-4) were identified using GC-MS. A rapid LC-TOF-MS method was developed and used to identify changes in non-volatile metabolites through non-targeted analysis. Metabolite profiles generated using this approach led to the discovery of introgression lines producing different acyl chain substitutions on acyl sugar metabolites (IL1-3/1-4 and IL8-1/8-1-1), as well as two regions that influence the quantity of acyl sugars (IL5-3 and IL11-3). Chromosomal region 1-1/1-1-3 was found to influence the types of glycoalkaloids that are detected in leaf surface extracts. These results show that direct chemical screening is a powerful way to characterize genetic diversity in trichome specialized metabolism.

Structural characterization of alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreated grasses exhibiting diverse lignin phenotypes

BackgroundFor cellulosic biofuels processes, suitable characterization of the lignin remaining within the cell wall and correlation of quantified properties of lignin to cell wall polysaccharide enzymatic deconstruction is underrepresented in the literature. This is particularly true for grasses which represent a number of promising bioenergy feedstocks where quantification of grass lignins is particularly problematic due to the high fraction of p- hydroxycinnamates. The main focus of this work is to use grasses with a diverse range of lignin properties, and applying multiple lignin characterization platforms, attempt to correlate the differences in these lignin properties to the susceptibility to alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) pretreatment and subsequent enzymatic deconstruction.ResultsWe were able to determine that the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose to to glucose (i.e. digestibility) of four grasses with relatively diverse lignin phenotypes could be correlated to total lignin content and the content of p-hydroxycinnamates, while S/G ratios did not appear to contribute to the enzymatic digestibility or delignification. The lignins of the brown midrib corn stovers tested were significantly more condensed than a typical commercial corn stover and a significant finding was that pretreatment with alkaline hydrogen peroxide increases the fraction of lignins involved in condensed linkages from 88–95% to ~99% for all the corn stovers tested, which is much more than has been reported in the literature for other pretreatments. This indicates significant scission of β-O-4 bonds by pretreatment and/or induction of lignin condensation reactions. The S/G ratios in grasses determined by analytical pyrolysis are significantly lower than values obtained using either thioacidolysis or 2DHSQC NMR due to presumed interference by ferulates.ConclusionsIt was found that grass cell wall polysaccharide hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes for grasses exhibiting a diversity of lignin structures and compositions could be linked to quantifiable changes in the composition of the cell wall and properties of the lignin including apparent content of the p-hydroxycinnamates while the limitations of S/G estimation in grasses is highlighted.

Withanolide sulfoxide from Aswagandha roots inhibits nuclear transcription factor-kappa-B, cyclooxygenase and tumor cell proliferation.

Investigation of the methanol extract of Aswagandha (Withania somnifera) roots for bioactive constituents yielded a novel withanolide sulfoxide compound (1) along with a known withanolide dimer ashwagandhanolide (2) with an S‐linkage. The structure of compound 1 was established by extensive NMR and MS experiments. Compound 1 was highly selective in inhibiting cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) enzyme by 60% at 100 µm with no activity against COX‐1 enzyme. The IC50 values of compound 1 against human gastric (AGS), breast (MCF‐7), central nervous system (SF‐268) and colon (HCT‐116) cancer cell lines were in the range 0.74–3.63 µm. Both S‐containing dimeric withanolides, 1 and 2, completely suppressed TNF‐induced NF‐κB activation when tested at 100 µm. The isolation of a withanolide sulfoxide from W. somnifera roots and its ability to inhibit COX‐2 enzyme and to suppress human tumor cell proliferation are reported here for the first time. In addition, this is the first report on the abrogation of TNF‐induced NF‐κB activation for compounds 1 and 2. Copyright

A New Tool To Guide Halofunctionalization Reactions: The Halenium Affinity (HalA) Scale

We introduce a previously unexplored parameter—halenium affinity (HalA)– as a quantitative descriptor of the bond strengths of various functional groups to halenium ions. The HalA scale ranks potential halenium ion acceptors based on their ability to stabilize a “free halenium ion”. Alkenes in particular but other Lewis bases as well, such as amines, amides, carbonyls, and ether oxygen atoms, etc., have been classified on the HalA scale. This indirect approach enables a rapid and straightforward prediction of chemoselectivity for systems involved in halofunctionalization reactions that have multiple nucleophilic sites. The influences of subtle electronic and steric variations, as well as the less predictable anchimeric and stereoelectronic effects, are intrinsically accounted for by HalA computations, providing quantitative assessments beyond simple “chemical intuition”. This combined theoretical–experimental approach offers an expeditious means of predicting and identifying unprecedented reactions.

Reversible Borylene Formation from Ring Opening of Pinacolborane and Other Intermediates Generated from Five-Coordinate Tris-Boryl Complexes: Implications for Catalytic C–H Borylation

Catalytic C-H borylation using the five-coordinate tris-boryl complex (dippe)Ir(Bpin)3 (5a, dippe = 1,2-bis(diisopropylphosphino)ethane) has been examined using 31P{1H} and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Compound 5a was shown to react rapidly and reversibly with HBpin to generate a six-coordinate borylene complex, (dippe)Ir(H)-(Bpin)2(BOCMe2CMe2OBpin) (6), whose structure was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Under catalytic conditions, the H2 generated from C-H borylation converted compound 6 to a series of intermediates. The first is tentatively assigned from 31P{1H} and 1H NMR spectra as (dippe)Ir(H2B3pin3) (7), which is the product of formal H2 addition to compound 5a. As catalysis progressed, compound 7 was converted to a new species with the formula (dippe)Ir(H3B2pin2) (8), which arose from H2 addition to compound 7 with loss of HBpin. Compound 8 was characterized by 31P{1H} and 1H NMR spectroscopy, and its structure was confirmed by X-ray crystallography, where two molecules with different ligand orientations were found in the unit cell. DFT calculations support the formulation of compound 8 as an IrIII agostic borane complex, (dippe)IrH2(Bpin)(η2-HBpin). Compound 8 was gradually converted to (dippe)Ir(H4Bpin) (9), which was characterized by 31P{1H} and 1H NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. DFT calculations favor its formulation as an agostic borane complex of IrIII with the formula (dippe)IrH3(η2-HBpin). Compound 9 reacted further with H2 to afford the dimeric structure [(dippe)IrH2(μ2-H)]2 (10), which was characterized by 1H NMR and X-ray crystallography. Compounds 7-10 are in equilibrium when H2 and HBpin are present.

Identification and quantification of cis and trans isomers in aminophenyl double-decker silsesquioxanes using 1H–29Si gHMBC NMR

Cis and trans isomers of a series of double‐decker silsesquioxanes (DDSQ) were characterized by two‐dimensional NMR techniques. The 1H NMR spectra of these species have not previously been assigned to a degree that allows for quantification. Thus, 1H–29Si HMBC correlations were applied to facilitate 1H spectral assignment and also to confirm previous 29Si assignments for this class of silsesquioxanes. With the ability to identify all the pertinent resonances of the 1H NMR spectrum, 29Si NMR is no longer required for quantification and required only for characterization. This not only saves time and material but also provides a more accurate quantification, thus allowing for the ratio of cis and trans isomers present in each compound to be determined. A more accurate measure of the cis/trans ratio enables the investigation of its influence on the physical and chemical properties of DDSQ nanostructured materials. Copyright

[P3Se7]3―: A Phosphorus-Rich Square-Ring Selenophosphate

The new compound Cs(10)P(8)Se(20) features the heterotetracyclic [P(3)Se(7)](3-) anion, a phosphorus-rich four-membered-ring species that possesses a P-P-P unit and formally P(3+) and P(4+) centers. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pnnm with a = 26.5456(7) A, b = 8.0254(2) A, c = 11.9031(4) A, and Z = 2 at 100(2) K. The cyclic anion is cocrystallized with a [P(2)Se(6)](4-) anion. Electronic absorption, Raman, Fourier transform infrared, and solid-state (31)P NMR spectroscopy studies of Cs(10)P(8)Se(20) are reported.

Monitoring of Sulfate Attack in Concrete by ²⁷Al and ²⁹Si MAS NMR Spectroscopy

AbstractSi29 and Al27 magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy techniques were employed towards evaluation of hydrated cement paste and concrete subjected to accelerated sulfate attack. Quantitative analyses of the Si29 NMR spectra of specimens subjected to different periods of sulfate attack indicated that the chain length CL of SiO4/AlO4 tetrahedra was lowered by sulfate attack. Al27 NMR spectra indicated that sulfate attack produced a significant rise in the intensity of ettringite and a sharp drop in the concentration of monosulfate hydrate, which are some primary indications of sulfate attack on concrete. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy method was employed in order to verify the result of NMR spectroscopy.

Predicting lignin depolymerization yields from quantifiable properties using fractionated biorefinery lignins

Lignin depolymerization to aromatic monomers with high yields and selectivity is essential for the economic feasibility of many lignin-valorization strategies within integrated biorefining processes. Importantly, the quality and properties of the lignin source play an essential role in impacting the conversion chemistry, yet this relationship between lignin properties and lignin susceptibility to depolymerization is not well established. In this study, we quantitatively demonstrate how the detrimental effect of a pretreatment process on the properties of lignins, particularly β-O-4 content, limit high yields of aromatic monomers using three lignin depolymerization approaches: thioacidolysis, hydrogenolysis, and oxidation. Through pH-based fractionation of alkali-solubilized lignin from hybrid poplar, this study demonstrates that the properties of lignin, namely β-O-4 linkages, phenolic hydroxyl groups, molecular weight, and S/G ratios exhibit strong correlations with each other even after pretreatment. Furthermore, the differences in these properties lead to discernible trends in aromatic monomer yields using the three depolymerization techniques. Based on the interdependency of alkali lignin properties and its susceptibility to depolymerization, a model for the prediction of monomer yields was developed and validated for depolymerization by quantitative thioacidolysis. These results highlight the importance of the lignin properties for their suitability for an ether-cleaving depolymerization process, since the theoretical monomer yields grows as a second order function of the β-O-4 content. Therefore, this research encourages and provides a reference tool for future studies to identify new methods for lignin-first biomass pretreatment and lignin valorization that emphasize preservation of lignin qualities, apart from focusing on optimization of reaction conditions and catalyst selection.

A One-Pot Allylation−Hydrostannation Sequence with Recycling of the Intermediate Tin Waste

A one-pot allylation and hydrostannation of alkynals where the tin byproduct formed in the first step of the reaction is recycled and used in the second step of the sequence is presented. Specifically, a BF3·OEt2-promoted allylstannation of the aldehyde moiety in the alkynal is followed by the introduction of polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) and catalytic B(C6F5)3, which convert the tin byproduct of the allylation into Bu3SnH, which then hydrostannates the alkyne in the molecule. (119)Sn and (11)B NMR data suggest an organotin fluoride species is formed during the allylation step and involved in the tin recycling step.