Ett vanligt återkommande problem inom pappersindustrin är fläckar på den färdiga produkten. BillerudKorsnäs Gävle har genom undersökningar kommit fram till att en del fläckar som just nu uppkommer till stor del består av Alkyl keten dimer, AKD. AKD är ett lim som tillsätts i mälden för att öka hydrofobiciteten hos pappret eller kartongen. AKD partikeln skyddas av ett hölje bestående av katjonisk polymer för att partikeln lättare ska fästa på träfibrerna i processen. Om detta hölje blir instabilt ökar risken för bildning av agglomerat och en sämre retention på pappersmaskinen vilket i sin tur kan orsaka fläckar på den färdiga kartongen. Detta arbete för att undersöka stabiliteten hos AKD har därför gjorts.   För att undersöka stabiliteten hos AKD har olika processparametrars inverkan på AKD partikelns stabilitet undersökts. Tester gjordes på två olika AKD och de processparametrar som testats i detta arbete är temperatur, pH och salthalt. Även prover från processen har tagits ut för att undersöka om rena AKD prover kan relateras till processen. Proverna undersöktes i en flödescytometer för att detektera graden av hydrofobicitet hos partiklarna i proverna.   Resultaten visade att det testade temperaturspannet inte påverkade stabiliteten hos AKD partikeln nämnvärt. Försöken där pH förändrades kunde påvisa påverkan hos stabiliteten. Detta innebär att AKD i processen påverkas, och att uppkomsten av fläckar i kartongen delvis kan bero på instabiliteten hos AKD partikeln vid förändring av pH i processen. Stabiliteten hos ett utspätt prov påverkades inte nämnvärt under ett tidsintervall på 60 dagar. / A recurring problem in the paper industry is spots on the finished product. Through previous studies, Billerudkorsnäs Gävle has detected one of the sources of these stains to be Alkyl keten dimer (AKD). AKD is a glue that is added to the ground pulp to increase the hydrophobicity of the paper or cardboard. The AKD particle is protected by a cationic polymer to make it easier for the particle to attach to the fibers in the process. If the polymer becomes instable, the risk of the AKD particles forming agglomerate increases and the retention in the paper machine decrease, which can lead to stains on the finished cardboard. This work with the aim of investigation of the stability of AKD has therefore been done.   To investigate the stability of AKD, the impact of different process parameters on the AKD particle has been studied. Test has been done with two different AKD, and the process parameters tested in this work were temperature, pH and salinity. Samples from the process has also been studied to investigate if the pure AKD samples could be related to the process. All the samples were analyzed in a flow cytometry to detect the degree of hydrophobicity of the particles in the samples.   The result showed that the tested temperature range did not affect the stability of the AKD particles. The experiments where the pH were changed showed that the stability of the particles were affected. This means that AKD in the process is affected, and that the appearance of stains in the carton may partly be due to the instability of the AKD particle in changing the pH of the process. The stability of a diluted sample was not significantly affected over a 60 day time interval.

G proteins regulate various physiological processes by way of transducing a wide variety of signals ranging from hormonal to sensory stimuli. Malfunctions in G protein signaling lead to numerous diseases. G protein signaling begins with binding of a ligand to a G protein-coupled receptor resulting in a conformational change that leads to the exchange of a GDP for a GTP on G α. The GTP bound α subunit dissociates for its stable Gβγ dimer partner. G α-GTP and Gβγ control the activity of effector enzymes and ion channels that ultimately orchestrate the cellular response to stimulus. Current reports have shown phosducin-like protein (PhLP1) as a co-chaperone with the chaperonin-containing tailless complex polypeptide-1 (CCT) in the assembly of Gβγ dimer. However, the studies did not address the role of PhLP1 and CCT in the translation and eventual assembly of Gβγ dimer. The data presented in Chapter 2 shows a co-translational assembly of Gβγ dimer regulated by PhLP1 and CCT. Chapter 3 discusses the role of PhLP2A and PhLP3 in CCT-mediated assembly of actin and tubulin in mammalian cells. PhLP2 and PhLP3 are members of the phosducin gene family that interact with CCT. Several studies in yeast suggest that PhLP2 promotes CCT-dependent β-actin folding while PhLP3 enhances β-tubulin folding. However, human PhLP2 has been shown to inhibit β-actin folding, indicating that PhLP2 and possibly PhLP3 have very different functions in humans than they do in yeast. As a result, this study investigates in depth the role of PhLP2 and PhLP3 in CCT-dependent β-actin and β-tubulin folding in human cells.

The self-assembly of molecules based on π-π-interactions and hydrogen bonding is of significant importance in nature. These processes enable the formation of complex supramolecular structures with diverse functions. For the transfer of the concepts from nature to artificial supramolecular structures, a basic understanding of those processes is needed. For this purpose, π-conjugated aromatic molecules with an easy synthetic access are suitable as their functionalities can be changed effortless. Perylene bisimide (PBIs) dyes are attractive candidates since they fulfill these requirements owing to their tendency to self-assemble in solution due to their large aromatic π-surfaces. Furthermore, the changes of the optical properties (for instance absorption, emission or circular dichroism) of PBI dyes, caused by their self-assembly, are easy to study experimentally. Structural variations of PBI dyes including additional non-covalent interactions, such as hydro-gen bonding, enable to direct their self-assembly process. Thus, the formation of interesting su-pramolecular structures of PBI dyes could be realized, although, often of undefined size. The aim of this thesis was to develop strategies to restrict the aggregate size of PBI dyes. Therefore, de-fined structural features of PBI molecules were combined and a variation of external influences such as solvent and concentration included. Furthermore, DNA was utilized as a template for the limitation of the aggregate size of PBI dyes. Chapters 1 and 2 provide general information and describe examples from literature which are necessary to understand the following experimental work. The first chapter is based on the inter-actions of various molecules with DNA. Therefore, DNA is considered as a supramolecular biom-acromolecule containing specific structural and functional features to interact with small mole-cules. Afterwards, the main interaction modes of small molecules with DNA such as electrostatic interaction, intercalation and groove binding with corresponding examples are discussed. Among all techniques applied to study the interaction of ligands with DNA, UV/Vis absorption, fluores-cence and circular dichroism spectroscopy were described in detail. At the end of this chapter, examples of already pre-associated systems showing interactions with DNA are presented. The second chapter is focused on the determination and mathematic evaluation of the self-assembly processes. The simplest models such as monomer-dimer and isodesmic model are de-scribed and supplemented by examples. Furthermore, the simplest modification of the isodesmic model, the K2-K model, is presented. Additionally, experimental problems, which may arise dur-ing the investigations of the self-assembly processes, are addressed. For the description of the entire self-assembly process, a sufficiently large concentration range and an appropriate measure-ment method that is sensitive in this concentration range is necessary. Furthermore, the full transi-tion from the monomeric to the aggregated species has to be spectroscopically ascertainable. This enables an accurate mathematic evaluation of the self-assembly process and provides meaningful binding constants. The self-assembly pathway can be controlled by the variation of solvent, con-centration or temperature. However, this pathway can also be directed by a rational design of the molecular structure of the considered system. For example, a specific interplay of π-π-interactions and hydrogen bonding may promote isodesmic as well as cooperative growth into large struc-tures. The main focus of this thesis is to develop strategies to control the aggregate size of PBI dyes (Chapter 3). For this purpose, a PBI scaffold was designed which contains hydrogen bonding amide functions at the imide positions derived from the amino acid L-alanine and solubilizing side groups in the periphery (Figure 81). The variations of the residues R/R’ range from didodecylox-yphenyl, didodecylphenyl, dioligo(ethylene glycol)phenyl to branched and linear alkyl chains. The most extensive study of the aggregation behavior was performed for the PBI dye 5. Concen-tration-dependent 1H NMR and UV/Vis absorption measurements clearly revealed the formation of dimers in chloroform. Further investigations by means of 2D NMR, VPO and ITC confirmed the exclusive presence of dimer aggregates of PBI 5 in the investigated concentration range. Mo-lecular modelling studies, supported by NMR and FT-IR experiments, provided structural reasons for the absence of further growth into larger aggregates. The specific combination of π-π interac-tions and hydrogen bonds between the NH groups of the amide groups and the carbonyl oxygen atoms of the PBI core are decisive for the formation of the discrete dimer stack (see Figure 82). The investigations of the aggregation behavior of PBIs 6-9 were less extensive but consistent with the results obtained for PBI 5. However, the determined binding constants vary over a considera-ble range of 1.1 x 102 M-1 (PBI 8) to 1.4 x 104 M-1 (PBI 5). These differences could be attributed to structural variations of the dyes. The electron-rich phenyl substituent promoted the aggregation tendency of PBIs 5-7 compared with 8 and 9 that carry only alkyl side chains. Thus, the π-π in-teractions of bay-unsubstituted PBI cores in combination with hydrogen bonding of the amide functions control the formation of discrete dimers of these PBI dyes. The variation of conditions, such as solvent, change the aggregation behavior of PBI dyes. In the solvents toluene and/or methylcyclohexane, anti-cooperative growth into larger aggregates of PBI 5 was observed (Chapter 4). The important feature of this self-assembly process is the absence of isosbestic points over the whole concentration range in the UV/Vis absorption measurements. The preference for the dimeric species of PBI 5 remained in both solvents as well as in mixtures of them, but upon increasing the concentration these dimers self-assemble into larger aggregates. An important feature of the self-assembly process is the preferred formation of even-numbered aggregates compared to the odd-numbered ones (see Figure 83). Although, the conventional K2-K model provides plausible binding constants, it is not capable to describe the aggregation behavior adequately, since it considers a continuous size distribution. The gradual aggregation process over dimers, tetramers, hexamers, etc. was therefore analyzed with a newly developed K2-K model for anti-cooperative supramolecular polymerization. By the global analysis of the UV/Vis absorption spectra a very good agreement between the experimental and simulated spectra, which were based on the new K2-K model, was obtained. Furthermore, the calculated UV/Vis absorption spectra of a dimer and an aggregate highlighted the most important structural differences. The absorption spectrum of the dimer still has a pronounced vibronic structure which gets lost in the spectrum of the aggregate. In another part of this work, a series of water soluble PBI dyes were described which contain similar PBI scaffolds as PBIs 5-8 (Chapter 5). These PBI dyes self-assemble into similar dimer aggregates in water due to their positively charged side chains causing electrostatic repulsion be-tween the molecules (see Figure 84). Here, however, the self-assembly behavior has not been studied thoroughly in water due to the similarities of already reported PBI dyes. Instead, the focus here is on the characterization of the interactions of these dyes with DNA/RNA. The comprehensive studies using thermal denaturation experiments showed the high stability of these PBI/polynucleotide complexes. The spermine-functionalized PBI dyes having six positive charges showed strong interactions with DNA/RNA which was expressed in a signif-icant increase of the melting temperatures of DNA/RNA (ΔTm values between 7 and > 35 ° C). The dioxa analogues containing only two positive charges had lower enhancement of the melting temperature of DNA/RNA (ΔTm values between 3 and 30 ° C). A similar trend has been observed in the fluorimetric titrations. The spermine-functionalized PBI dyes showed high binding con-stants (log Ks = 9.2 - 9.8), independently of the used polynucleotides. In contrast, the dioxa ana-logues displayed smaller binding constants (log Ks = 6.5 - 7.9) without any correlation between binding affinity and binding strength of the PBI dyes and the applied polynucleotides. The CD-spectroscopic measurements revealed significant differences in the binding properties of the dyes with DNA/RNA. They were dependent on the steric hindrance of the amino acid residues at the imide position and their configuration on one side and the grooves properties of ds-DNA/RNA on the other side. The spectroscopic results confirmed the formation of excitonically coupled PBI dimers in the minor groove of ds-DNA and the major groove of ds-RNA. Depending on the se-quence, the grooves of the polynucleotides provide different amount of space for embedding molecules. The guanine amino groups protrude into the minor groove of the polynucleotide poly(dG-dC)2 increasing the steric hindrance, which is not the case for poly(dA-dT)2. Molecular modeling studies showed that the PBI dimers penetrate deeper into the groove of poly(dA-dT)2 due to the absence of the steric hindrance, in comparison to the groove of poly(dG-dC)2 (see Figure 85). / Die Selbstassemblierung von Molekülen, die auf π-π-Wechselwirkungen und Wasenstoffbrücken-bindungen basiert, ist von entscheidender Bedeutung in der Natur. Selbstassemblierungsprozesse ermöglichen den Aufbau von komplexen supramolekularen Strukturen mit vielfältigen Funktio-nen. Um Konzepte aus der Natur für künstliche supramolekulare Systeme nutzen zu können, müs-sen die wesentlichen Abläufe der Selbstassemblierungsprozesse verstanden werden. Dazu eignen sich π-konjugierte aromatische Moleküle, die einen relativ einfachen synthetischen Zugang bieten und vielfältig funktionalisiert werden können. Perylenbisimid-Farbstoffe (PBI) stellen für diesen Zweck eine attraktive Substanzklasse dar, da sie aufgrund von großen aromatischen π-Flächen zur Selbstassemblierung tendieren. Zusätzlich können durch die Selbstassemblierung einhergehenden Änderungen der optischen Eigenschaften (beispielsweise Absorption, Emission oder Circulardich-roismus) von PBI-Farbstoffen einfach experimentell studiert werden. Die vielen strukturellen Va-riationsmöglichkeiten von PBI-Farbstoffen erlauben das Einbeziehen von weiteren nichtkovalen-ten Wechselwirkungen zwischen den Molekülen, beispielsweise Wasserstoffbrückenbindungen, sodass der Selbstassemblierungsprozess dirigiert werden kann. Mit diesem Ansatz gelang es bis-her interessante supramolekulare Strukturen von PBI-Farbstoffen aufzubauen, allerdings waren diese oft von undefinierter Größe. Daher war das Ziel dieser Arbeit die Entwicklung von Kon-zepten um die Aggregatgröße von PBI-Farbstoffen zu begrenzen. Hierzu wurden definierte Strukturmerkmale von PBI Molekülen kombiniert, der äußere Einfluss wie Lösungsmittel und Konzentration variiert und DNA als Templat für die größenlimitierte Aggregatstruktur der PBI-Farbstoffe eingesetzt. Die Kapitel 1 und 2 geben allgemeine Informationen und diskutieren Beispiele aus der Literatur, die nötig sind, um die nachfolgend diskutierten experimentellen Arbeiten zu verstehen. Das erste Kapitel diskutiert die Wechselwirkungen verschiedener Molekülen mit DNA. Hierbei wird DNA als ein supramolekulares Biomakromolekül betrachtet und seine spezifischen strukturellen und funktionalen Eigenschaften beschrieben, die für die Interaktionen mit kleinen Molekülen aus-schlaggebend sind. Die wichtigsten Interaktionsformen wie elektrostatische Wechselwirkungen mit dem Phosphatrückgrat, Interkalation durch π-π-Wechselwirkungen mit den Basenpaaren und Furchenbindung durch Wasserstoffbrückenbindungen und van der Waals-Wechselwirkungen werden anhand ausgewählter Beispiele diskutiert. Von der Vielzahl möglicher Techniken, die angewendet werden, um Wechselwirkungen zwischen Liganden und DNA zu untersuchen, wer-den UV/Vis-, Fluoreszenz- und Circulardichroismus-Spektroskopie in Detail erläutert. Am Ende des Kapitels werden Beispiele von Wechselwirkungen von bereits prä-assoziierten supramolekula-ren Systemen mit DNA vorgestellt. Das zweite Kapitel beschäftigt sich mit der Bestimmung und mathematischen Beschreibung von Selbstassemblierungsprozessen. Die einfachsten Modelle, wie das Monomer-Dimer und das iso-desmische Modell, werden beschrieben und mit Beispielen ergänzt. Des Weiteren wird die ein-fachste Modifikation des isodesmischen Modells, das K2-K Modell vorgestellt. Anschließend wird auf experimentelle Probleme eingegangen, die bei der Untersuchung von Selbstassemblie-rungsprozessen auftreten können. Um den Assemblierungsprozess vollständig beschreiben zu können, wird ein ausreichend großer Konzentrationsbereich und eine entsprechende Messtechnik, die für diesen Konzentrationsbereich empfindlich genug ist, benötigt. Des Weiteren sollte der vollständige Übergang vom Monomer zum assemblierten System spektroskopisch erfassbar sein. Dies ermöglicht eine akkurate mathematische Auswertung des Selbstassemblierungsprozesses und liefert sinnvolle Bindungskonstanten. Der Selbstassemblierungspfad kann oft durch Variation des Lösungsmittels, Konzentration und Temperatur kontrolliert werden. Darüber hinaus besteht die Möglichkeit, den Selbstassemblierungspfad mit Hilfe eines spezifischen Designs der molekularen Struktur von dem untersuchten System zu dirigieren. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass ein beson-deres Zusammenspiel von π-π-Wechselwirkungen und Wasserstoffbrückenbindungen sowohl zum isodesmischen als auch kooperativen Wachstum von großen Strukturen führen kann. Der Hauptfokus dieser Arbeit liegt in der Entwicklung von Strategien für die Kontrolle der Aggregatgröße von PBI Farbstoffen. (Kapitel 3). Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, wurde ein PBI Gerüst entworfen, das Amidfunktionen in den Imidpositionen für die Ausbildung von Wasser-stoffbrückenbindungen enthält, die von der Aminosäure L-Alanin abgeleitet wurden. Zusätzlich wurden in der Peripherie des Farbstoffgerüsts jeweils löslichkeitsfördernde Seitengruppen R/R‘ wie Didodecyloxyphenyl, Didodecylphenyl, Dioligo(ethyleneglykol)phenyl sowie verzweigte oder lineare Alkylketten eingeführt (siehe Abbildung 81). Der PBI-Farbstoff 5 wurde ausführlich im Hinblick auf sein Aggregationsverhalten untersucht. Konzentrationsabhängige 1H NMR- und UV/Vis Absorptionsmessungen haben klar gezeigt, dass im Lösungsmittel Chloroform dimere Strukturen ausgebildet werden. Begleitende Untersuchungen (2D NMR, VPO und ITC) bestätigten die ausschließliche Präsenz von Dimeren von 5 im experimentell zugänglichen Konzentrationsbereich. Molekulare Modellie-rungs-Studien, die durch NMR und FT-IR Untersuchungen unterstützt werden, illustrieren sehr gut die Ursachen für das Ausbleiben einer weiteren Aggregation zu größeren Strukturen. Die be-sondere Kombination aus den π-π-Wechselwirkungen und den Wasserstoffbrückenbindungen zwischen den NH-Gruppen der Amidfunktionen und den Carbonylsauerstoffen des PBI-Kerns sind demzufolge entscheidend für die Bildung des diskreten Dimer-Stapels (siehe Abbildung 82). Die Untersuchungen zum Aggregationsverhalten der PBI-Farbstoffe 6-9 waren weniger ausführ-lich, stehen aber im Einklang mit den für PBI 5 gefundenen Ergebnissen. Die ermittelten Bin-dungskonstanten variieren jedoch über einen beachtlichen Bereich von 1.1 x 102 M-1 (PBI 8) bis 1.4 x 104 M-1 (PBI 5). Diese Unterschiede konnten auf strukturelle Variationen der Farbstoffe zurückgeführt werden. Der elektronenreiche Phenylsubstituent förderte die Assemblierungsten-denz von PBIs 5-7 im Vergleich zu 8 und 9, die nur Alkylseitenkennten tragen. Die π-π-Wechselwirkungen der in den Buchpositionen unsubstituierten PBI-Kerne in Kombination mit wasserstoffbrückenbildenden Amidfunktionen steuern somit die Ausbildung diskreter Dimere dieser PBI-Farbstoffe. Durch die Variation der Bedingungen, beispielsweise des Lösungsmittels, ändert sich das Aggre-gationsverhalten der PBI-Farbstoffe. In den Lösungsmitteln Toluol und/oder Methylcyclohexan wurde für das PBI 5 anti-kooperatives Wachstum zu größeren Aggregaten beobachtet (Kapitel 4). Das entscheidende Merkmal dieses Selbstassemblierungsprozesses ist das Fehlen von isosbesti-schen Punkten über den kompletten Konzentrationsbereich in den UV/Vis Absorptionsmessun-gen. Die Bevorzugung der dimeren Struktur von PBI 5 blieb in beiden Lösungsmitteln bzw. de-ren Mischungen erhalten, allerdings assemblierten diese Dimere durch den Anstieg der Konzent-ration in größere Aggregate. Ein wichtiger Schritt im Selbstassemblierungsprozesses ist die bevor-zugte Bildung von geradzahligen Aggregaten gegenüber den ungeradzahligen Aggregaten (siehe Abbildung 83). Das konventionelle K2-K Modell liefert zwar plausible Bindungskonstanten, kann dieses Aggre-gationsverhalten aber nur ungenügend beschreiben, da hier von kontinuierlicher Größenverteilung ausgegangen wird. Der schrittweise Aggregationsprozess über Dimere, Tetramere, Hexamere usw. wurde daher im Folgenden mit einem neu entwickelten K2-K-Modell für anti-kooperatives supra-molekulares Wachstum analysiert. Durch die globale Analyse von UV/Vis Absorptionsspektren konnte eine sehr gute Übereinstimmung zwischen den experimentellen und den auf das neue K2-K Modell basierenden, simulierten Spektren erhalten werden. Des Weiteren zeigten berechnete UV/Vis Absorptionsspektren eines Dimer- und Aggregatspektrums die wichtigsten strukturellen Unterschiede. Das Absorptionsspektrum des Dimers weist immer noch eine ausgeprägte vibroni-sche Struktur auf, welche im Spektrum des Aggregats verloren geht. In einem weiteren Teil dieser Arbeit wird eine Serie von wasserlöslichen PBI-Farbstoffen be-schrieben, die ein ähnliches durch Aminosäuren funktionalisiertes PBI-Gerüst wie PBIs 5-8 auf-weisen (Kapitel 5). Aufgrund der positiv geladenen Seitenketten, die für die elektrostatische Ab-stoßung zwischen den Molekülen sorgen, aggregieren diese Farbstoffe in Wasser zu ähnlichen Dimerstrukturen (siehe Abbildung 84). Hier wurde allerdings das Selbstassemblierungsverhalten in Wasser aufgrund der strukturellen Ähnlichkeit zu bereits publizierten PBI-Farbstoffen nicht eingehend untersucht. Stattdessen lag der Fokus hier auf der Charakterisierung der Wechselwirkungen dieser Farbstoffe mit DNA/RNA. Die umfassenden Studien mit Hilfe von thermischen Denaturierungsstudien zeigten eine hohe Stabilität der PBI/Polynukleotid-Komplexe. Die Spermin-funktionalisierten PBI-Farbstoffe, welche sechs positive Ladungen aufweisen, zeigten starke Wechselwirkungen mit DNA/RNA, was sich durch deutliche Schmelzpunkterhöhung der DNA/RNA (ΔTm-Werte zwischen 7 und > 35 °C) äußerte. Die analogen Dioxa-Verbindungen mit nur zwei positiven La-dungen wiesen geringere Schmelztemperaturerhöhungen der jeweiligen DNA/RNA (ΔTm-Werte zwischen 3 und 30 °C) auf. Dieser Trend wurde auch in den fluorimetrischen Titrationsstudien beobachtet. Die Spermin-funktionalisierten PBI-Farbstoffe zeigten hohe Bindungskostanten (log Ks = 9.2 – 9.8), unabhängig von den verwendeten Polynukleotiden. Im Gegensatz dazu wie-sen die Dioxa-Analoge kleinere Bindungskonstanten (log Ks = 6.5 – 7.9) auf, wobei kein Zusam-menhang zwischen Bindungsaffinität und Bindungsstärke zwischen den PBI-Molekülen und den verwendeten Polynukleotiden hergestellt werden konnte. Die CD-spektroskopischen Messungen verdeutlichten die signifikanten Unterschiede in den Bindungseigenschaften der Farbstoffe mit DNA/RNA. Entscheidend waren die sterische Hinderung der Aminosäurereste in den Imidposi-tion und deren Konfiguration auf der einen Seite und die Furcheneigenschaften von ds-DNA/RNA auf der anderen Seite. Die spektroskopischen Ergebnisse belegten die Bildung von exzitonisch gekoppelten PBI-Dimeren in der kleinen Furche von ds-DNA und der großen Furche von ds-RNA. Die Furchen der Polynukleotide bieten unterschiedlich viel Raum für das Einbetten von Molekülen, was von der jeweiligen Sequenz abhängt. Die Guanin-Aminogruppen ragen in die kleine Furche des Polynukleotids poly(dG-dC)2, wodurch die sterische Hinderung im Vergleich mit dem Polynukleotid poly(dA-dT)2 zunimmt. Molekulare Modellierungsstudien belegten, dass die PBI-Dimere tiefer in die Furche von poly(dA-dT)2, als in die Furche von poly(dG-dC)2 einge-schlossen werden, was auf die eben genannte sterische Hinderung zurückgeführt werden kann (siehe Abbildung 85).

No description available.

Ultraviolet light damages genomic material by inducing the formation of covalent bonds between adjacent pyrimidines. Cis-syn cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD)constitute the most abundant primary lesion in DNA. Photolyase, a light-activated enzyme, catalytically repairs these lesions. Although many steps in the photolyase-mediated repair process have been mapped, details of the mechanism remain cryptic. Difference FT-IR spectroscopy was employed to obtain new mechanistic information about photorepair. Purified oligonucleotides, containing a central diuracil, dithymidine, or cyclobutane thymidine dimer, were monitored using vibrational methods. Construction of difference infrared data between undamaged and damaged DNA permitted examination of nucleic acid changes upon formation of the CPD lesion; these experiments indicated that C=O and C-H frequencies can be used as markers for DNA damage. Furthermore, in purified photolyase containing isotopically-labeled aromatic amino acids, we observed that tryptophan residues in photolyase underwent structural changes during photorepair. These data indicate that electron transfer during DNA repair occurs through-bond, and that redox-active, aromatic residues form the pathway for electron transfer. / Master of Science

The present work describes the design and synthesis of a series of dimers [(η5 - ring)MCl]2(μ2 -Cl)2, (where (η5 -ring)MCl = (η5 -Me4C5R)Rh(III)Cl or (η5 -Me4C5R)Ir(III)Cl). Iridium and rhodium dimeric complexes were synthesized via a microwave reaction and directly compared through single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Finally, the dimeric complexes were evaluated as potential oxidation catalysts. The modified HCp*R (R = isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, n-pentyl, n-hexyl, nheptyl, n-octyl, phenyl, benzyl, phenethyl, cyclohexyl, and cyclopentyl) type ligands were synthesized by reaction of 2,3,4,5-tetramethylcyclopent-2-en-1-one with the respective Grignard reagent (RMgX), followed by elimination of water under acidic conditions to produce the tetramethyl(alkyl or aryl)cyclopentadienes in moderate to excellent yields (39 - 98%). Reaction of the HCp*R ligands with [M(COD)](μ2 -Cl)2 (M = Rh, Ir; COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) gave the dimeric complexes [Cp*RMCl]2(μ2 -Cl)2 in yields ranging from 16 - 96%. The dimers were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) (supplemented by powder XRD), high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), and elemental analysis. Complexes studied by XRD were analyzed to understand the bond lengths and bond angles throughout each complex. The dimeric complexes synthesized, will facilitate a complete study on how the R group influences catalytic activity. / Master of Science

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This diploma thesis deals with use of lactic acid esters for preparation of lactides and PLA. In the theoretical part, it has been processed literature review focus on manufacturing technologies and properties of lactic acid and its esters (especially ethyl ester and lactides). In the experimental part, it has been designed and realized functional laboratory apparatus for preparation of cyclic dimer of lactic acid – lactides. On this apparatus, there were carried out principal laboratory experiments leading to optimization of lactides yields using various catalysts.

Insensitive munition compounds (IMC) are an emerging class of explosives that are less susceptible to accidental explosions compared to the conventional explosives they will be replacing. An IMC that has been incorporated in several explosives formulations is 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN). As the manufacture, storage, and use of these compounds increases, the expected releases in natural and engineered systems might pose an environmental hazard to public health and ecosystems. To date there is little information on the environmental fate and toxicology of DNAN. However, nitroaromatic compounds are known to be toxic, mutagenic and difficult to completely biodegrade. In order to study the fate and (bio)transformation of DNAN, microcosm studies with soils and anaerobic wastewater sludge were performed to determine (bio)transformation pathways and key factors influencing (bio)conversion. Transformation was enhanced in anaerobic conditions, in particular when exogenous electron donor was added. Abiotic transformation (in heat-killed soil) was also significant and dominated transformation reactions in soils that were not amended with exogenous electron donor. The organic carbon content of soils was a key factor that correlated to the anaerobic biotransformation rate. Having identified (bio)transformation products using liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, an overall pathway of (bio)transformation was devised and consistent with nitro-group reduction to form aromatic amines. During the nitro-group reduction, reactive products (e.g. nitroso-intermediates) coupled with amines to form azo-dimers and oligomers. Subsequent transformation pathways included N-alkylation, N-acetylation, and stepwise demethoxylation of these oligomers. The assessment of the toxicity of DNAN and its (bio)transformation products was performed utilizing microbial toxicity assays and ecotoxicity evaluation with zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos. Overall DNAN severely inhibited methanogens (IC₅₀ = 41 μM ), the bioluminescent marine bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri utilized in the Microtox test (IC₅₀ = 57 μM), and nitrifiers (IC₅₀ = 49 μM). Reduced aromatic amine products in general were less toxic than DNAN with the exception of 2-methoxy-5-nitroaniline and 3-nitro-4-methoxyaniline, which were similar in toxicity to some of the test organisms as DNAN. Azo-oligomer surrogates were as toxic or more toxic than DNAN, although at trace levels they significantly stimulated activity. N-acetylated amines were found to have by far the lowest toxicity to microorganisms. In zebrafish embryos, the (bio)transformation product or surrogates 3-nitro-4-methoxyaniline and 2,2'-dimethoxy-4,4'-azodianiline caused developmental abnormalities (each with lowest observable effect level of 6.4 μM). An integrated approach which monitored (bio)transformation product mixture profile in parallel with their toxicity to microbial and zebrafish toxicity was used to characterize toxicity during the time course of the anaerobic (bio)transformation of DNAN. Enhanced inhibition of methanogenic activity and zebrafish mortality were associated with the onset of dimer formation indicating they were being mostly impacted by reactive intermediates formed early in the biotransformation of DNAN. Further accumulation of oligomers was associated with a decrease toxicity. On the other hand, A. fischeri bioluminescence became more and more inhibited as the oligomers formed, indicating different responses depending on target organism. Taken globally, the results indicate that DNAN can be readily transformed in soils and wastewater sludge forming both highly toxic (e.g. azo-oligomers) and non-toxic intermediates (e.g. N-acetylated 2,4-diaminoanisole). Depending on target organism, the prolonged formation of oligomer mixtures either resulted in detoxification or recovery of activity.

Over recent years significant progress has been made in the design and development of late transition metal cationic catalysts for olefin polymerisation. Never-the-less, the activation of catalyst precursors and generation of active species still remains a challenge. In this respect, zwitterionic catalysts could offer a range of advantages over the traditional two component catalytic systems. For example, stable zwitterions are well-defined, single component catalysts which do not require Lewis acid co-catalysts for activation. Therefore, this eliminates the possibility of anions coordinating to the active site and could provide highly active catalysts. Moreover, this could reduce the production costs. In this thesis the 6-aminofulvene-2-aldiminate (AFA) ligand system has been employed to develop zwitterionic, charge-neutral complexes, analogues of Brookhart-type cationic alkene polymerisation catalyst containing 1,2-diimine ligand. Chapter 1 of the thesis provides a comprehensive literature review of the late transition metal (Group 10) α-diimine catalytic systems and the zwitterionic early and late transition metal alkene polymerisation catalysts. Chapter 2 describes the synthesis and characterisation of some novel zwitterionic complexes [(Ph2AFA)Pd(Me)(DMAP)], [(Ph2AFA)(N,N-dimethylbenzylamine-2-C,N)- Pd(II)] and [(Ph2AFA)Ni(η 3-C3H5)] and their possible application as catalyst precursors in alkene polymerisation. In principle, upon activation these complexes should exhibit higher catalytic activity. The ideal catalyst precursor for a highly active palladium based system would be a halide-bridged dimer of the form [(Ph2AFA)Pd(μ-X)]2. Chapter 2 describes several efforts towards the synthesis of such complexes using a range of R2AFA ligands. Even with the introduction of bulky N-substituents such as cyclohexyl or tert-butyl, the halidebridged dimers could not be synthesised. Instead, the reaction between the deprotonated ligand and [PdCl2(NCPh)2] provides bis-chelated complexes [(R2AFA)2Pd]. In order to introduce more steric bulk into the AFAH ligand which might lead to a halide-bridged dimer, two more ligands N,N’-bis(2,6-diisopropyl)phenyl-6-aminofulvene-2-aldimine and N,N’-di-(2,4,6-trimethyl)phenyl-6-aminofulvene-2-aldimine have been synthesised and characterised. It has been found that the presence of the 2,6-diisopropylphenyl substituents in N,N'-bis(2,6-diisopropyl)phenyl-6-aminofulvene-2-aldimine not only prevents the coordination of two ligands to the same metal, but precludes complexation all together. Chapter 2 also describes several efforts to develop a hemi-labile complex for alkene polymerisation. Chapter 3 describes the synthesis of metalloligands of aminofulvene-aldimine (AFA) and corresponding bimetallic complexes. The AFA ligand affords transition metal complexes via both η 5- as well as κ 2-coordination modes. A new synthetic methodology has been developed to synthesise metalloligands [Cp*RuII(Ph2AFA)H][BF4], [Cp*RhIII(Cy2AFA)H][BF4]2 and [Cp*RhIII(Cy2AFA)]- [BF4]. The basicity of the monocationic Rh metalloligand is found to be significantly lower than that of its Ru analogues. This is significant as it opens a potentially easy synthetic route to bimetallic complexes. The bimetallic complex [Cp*RhIII(Cy2AFAPdCl2)][BF4] has been developed for alkene polymerisation in an attempt to investigate the charge effect in alkene polymerisation catalysis. Upon activation this monocationic Rh/Pd bimetallic complex would provide a dicationic active species which would in principle be a more highly active catalyst than the Brookhart mono cationic diimine catalysts. Chapter 4 describes all the experimental procedure and polymerisation tests in this thesis.