Socrates in Love (Herodicus Suppl. Hell. 495)

This paper considers two surviving extracts from a hexameter poem in which Socrates apparently narrated the story of his love for Alcibiades and Aspasia’s role in the pursuit of the young man. The author of the poem was very likely Herodicus (second century BC), known for other anti-Platonic writings. The paper considers some of the linguistic and textual problems of the fragments, the probable structure of the poem as a whole, the debt of the work to Plato and Aeschines, and the importance of Socratic literature more generally to the development of erotodidactic themes in later poetry.

Ti Group Metallocene-Catalyzed Synthesis of 1-Hexene Dimers and Tetramers

1-Hexene transformations in the catalytic systems L2MCl2–XAlBui2 (L = Cp, M = Ti, Zr, Hf; L = Ind, rac-H4C2[THInd]2, M = Zr; X = H, Bu i) and [Cp2ZrH2]2-ClAlR2 activated by MMAO-12, B(C6F5)3, or (Ph3C)[B(C6F5)4] in chlorinated solvents (CH2Cl2, CHCl3, o-Cl2C6H4, ClCH2CH2Cl) were studied. The systems [Cp2ZrH2]2-MMAO-12, [Cp2ZrH2]2-ClAlBui2-MMAO-12, or Cp2ZrCl2-HAlBui2-MMAO-12 (B(C6F5)3) in CH2Cl2 showed the highest activity and selectivity towards the formation of vinylidene head-to-tail alkene dimers. The use of chloroform as a solvent provides further in situ dimer dimerization to give a tetramer yield of up to 89%. A study of the reaction of [Cp2ZrH2]2 or Cp2ZrCl2 with organoaluminum compounds and MMAO-12 by NMR spectroscopy confirmed the formation of Zr,Zr-hydride clusters as key intermediates of the alkene dimerization. The probable structure of the Zr,Zr-hydride clusters and ways of their generation in the catalytic systems were analyzed using a quantum chemical approach (DFT).

Structure of silicon nitride obtained by plasma-chemical synthesis..

X-ray diffraction results of short-range order in nanoscale powders of silicon nitride obtained by plasma-chemical synthesis are presented. It is shown that the most probable structure of nanopowder silicon nitride can be characterized by a model of a disordered network of SiN4tetrahedra.

The Synthesis of Nitrogen-Containing Phenol Formaldehyde Oligomers Grafted with Vegetable Oils

The synthesis of nitrogen-containing alkyl(C8–C12)phenol formaldehyde oligomers grafted with vegetable oils was investigated with the aim of creating new materials with the properties of protective coatings. Soybean and linseed oils were used as the vegetable oils. The interaction between phenol formaldehyde oligomers and vegetable oils probably occurs through the functional groups formed as a result of oxidative processes at the carbon atoms in the a-position to double bonds. The probable structure was established using infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and the physicochemical properties of the synthesised products were studied.

Synthesis and Anticancer Activity of Gold(I)-Chloroquine Complexes

Two new gold(I) -chloroquine complexes, Au(CQ)(Cl) (<strong>1</strong>) and Au(CQ)(tgta) (<strong>2</strong>), were prepared and their most probable structure were established through a combination of different spectroscopic and analytical techniques. Their interaction with two important targets of action, DNA and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), were nvestigated. These studies showed that complexes <strong>1</strong> and <strong>2</strong> displayed two types of interaction with DNA, covalent binding through the metal center, and additionally a non-covalent interaction that is electrostatic in the case of complex <strong>1</strong>, but intercalative for complex <strong>2</strong>, which is similar to that displayed by free CQ. The experimental data indicated that these gold-CQ complexes also possess the ability to inhibit TrxR. These results led us to test their cytotoxicity against 6 tumor cell lines. The complexes displayed cytotoxic activity against the PC-3, SKBR-3, HT-29, LoVo and B16/BL6 lines. These finding suggest that gold(I)-CQ compounds, particularly [Au(CQ)(PPh₃)]PF₆, are promising chemotherapeutic alternatives in the search of anticancer agents.

Thermochelin, a Hydroxamate Siderophore from Thermocrispum agreste DSM 44070

Siderophores are produced by microorganisms in iron-deficient environments. They are classified by structure as hydroxamate, catecholate, carboxylate or mixed type siderophores. These differences are also reflected in the selectivity for other valuable elements than iron, which allows designating them as “metallophores”, and makes them of interest for several industrial and medical applications. Thus, it is essential to understand the biosynthesis of these molecules to increase the set of available metallophores that are stable and suited for the respective applications. The probable structure of the metallophore from T. agreste DSM 44070 was predicted by similarity search and gene annotation. An N-hydroxylating monooxygenase (NMO: TheA) of T. agreste DSM 44070 that catalyzes an initial step was synthesized and characterized in detail. The respective metallophore was synthesized, purified and studied. The structure prediction suggested a hydroxamate-type (Erythrochelin-like) metallophore that contains L-N5-hydroxyornithine. This precursor is synthesized by TheA. The siderophore designated as “Thermochelin” is produced, extracted and purified successfully. Complexation was confirmed by CAS-assay. In this study, we expanded the scope of siderophores and the knowledge towards their biosynthetic pathways. Thermochelin is the second siderophore, which was purified from a thermophilic organism, and TheA is the first NMO, which was characterized from an extremophile.

GC-MS Studies on the Steam-distillate of the Medicinally Important Plant Cleome gynandra L.

The steam distillate of the medicinally important plant Cleome gynandra has been investigated through the Hyphenated technique of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS). The distillate incorporated seven major volatile components. Probable structure of one of the major components has been elucidated.

Synthesis of nitrogen-containing phenol formaldehyde oligomers,grafted with vegetable oils

Synthesis of nitrogen-containing phenolformaldehyde oligomers (phfo), grafted with vegetable oils is aimed at the acquisition of new range coating materials. Oil has been used as an example of soybean and linseed oils. The interaction between phfo and vegetable oil is carried out by means of functional groups as result of the oxidation prosesses on carbon atoms adjacent to the double bond and the functional groups,including oligomer macromolecules. Physical-chemical properties of nitrogen-containing as result of modification by means of benzoguanamine (bga) monoalkyl (C8-C12)phfo, grafted with soybean oil is reflected. The probable structure of the nitrogen-containing monoalkyl(C8-C12)phfo, grafted with soybean oil has been studied by means of NMR- and IR-spectroscopy methods. The mechanism of the occurrence of first and second stages of the process are described.