The novel compound, [Rh2(N-{2,4,6-CH3}C6H2)COCH3)4] was synthesized. Crystal structures of [Rh2(N-{2,4,6-CH3}C6H2)COCH3)4]·2NCC6H5 and Ba1.5[Fe(C10H13N2O7)][Co(CN)6]·9H2O were determined employing a Rigaku Mercury375R/M CCD (XtaLAB mini) diffractometer with graphite monochromated Mo-Kα radiation. For [Rh2(N-{2,4,6-CH3}C6H2)COCH3)4]·2NCC6H5, the space group was P-421c(#114) with unit cell dimensions: a =11.0169(14)Å, c =21.499(3)Å, V = 2609.4(6)Å3. Each rhodium had approximately octahedral coordination and was bound to another rhodium atom, two nitrogens (trans to each other), two oxygens (trans to each other), and one benzonitrile nitrogen (trans to rhodium). For Ba1.5[Fe(C10H13N2O7)][Co(CN)6]·9H2O the space group was: P-1(#2) with unit cell dimensions: a=13.634Å, b=13.768Å, c=17.254Å and α=84.795°, β=87.863°, γ=78.908°, V=3164.5Å3. The iron atom (nearly octahedral) was coordinated to one chelating ligand (derived from ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) and the nitrogen of a cyanide ligand. The carbon of the cyanide ligand was bound to cobalt (octahedral). Thus, the cyanide ligand serves as a bridge between the two metals.

The crystal structures of two thermostable carboxylesterase Est30 and Est55 from Geobacillus stearothermophilus were determined to help understand their functions and applications in industry or medicine. The crystal structure of Est30 was determined at 1.63 Å resolution by the multiple anomalous dispersion method. The two-domain Est30 structure showed a large domain with a modified alpha/beta hydrolase core including a seven, rather than an eight-stranded beta sheet, and a smaller cap domain comprising three alpha helices. A 100 Da tetrahedral ligand, propyl acetate, was observed to be covalently bound to the side chain of Ser94 in the catalytic triad. This ligand complex represents the first tetrahedral intermediate in the reaction mechanism. Therefore, this Est30 crystal structure will help understand the mode of action of all enzymes in the serine hydrolase superfamily. Est55 is a bacterial homologue of the mammalian carboxylesterases involved in hydrolysis and detoxification of numerous peptides and drugs and in prodrug activation. Est55 crystals were grown at pH 6.2 and pH 6.8 and the structures were determined at resolutions of 2.0 and 1.58 Å respectively. Est55 folds into three domains, a catalytic domain, an α/β domain and a regulatory domain. This structure is in an inactive form; the side chain of His409, one of the catalytic triad residues, is pointing away from the active site. Moreover, the adjacent Cys408 is triply oxidized and lies in the oxyanion hole, which would block the entry of substrate to its binding site. This structure suggested a self-inactivation mechanism, however, Cys408 is not essential for enzyme activity. Mutation of Cys408 showed that hydrophobic side chains at this position were favorable, while polar serine was unfavorable for enzyme activity. Both Est30 and Est55 were shown to hydrolyze the prodrug CPT-11 into the active form SN-38. Therefore, Est30 and Est55 are potential candidates for use with irinotecan in cancer therapy. The catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) of Est30 is about 10-fold lower than that of Est55. The effects of the Cys408 substitutions on Est55 activity differed for the two substrates, p-NP butyrate and CPT-11. Mutant C408V may provide a more stable form of Est55.

Thiostrepton (TS: TS; C72H85N19O18S5) is a thiazoline antibiotic that is effective against Gram-positive bacteria and the malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Tight binding of TS to the bacterial L11-23S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) complex of the large 50S ribosomal unit inhibits protein biosynthesis. The TS producing organism, Streptomyces azureus, biosynthesizes thiostrepton-resistance methyltransferase (TSR), an enzyme that uses S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet) as a methyl donor, to modify the TS target site. Methylation of A1067 (Escherichia coli ribosome numbering) by TSR circumvents TS binding. The S. azureus tsr gene was overexpressed in E. coli and the protein purified for biochemical characterization. Although the recombinant protein was produced in a soluble form, its tendency to aggregate made handling a challenge during the initial stages of establishing a purification protocol. Different purification conditions were screened to generate an isolation protocol that yields milligram quantities of protein with little aggregation and sufficient purity for crystallographic studies. Enzymological characterization of TSR was carried out using an assay to monitor AdoMet-dependent ([methyl-3H]-AdoMet) methylation of the rRNA substrate by liquid scintillation counting. During the optimization of assay, it was found that, although this method is frequently employed, it is very time and labour intensive. A scintillation proximity assay was investigated to evaluate whether it could be a method for collecting kinetic data, and was found that further optimization is required. Comparative sequence analysis of TSR has shown it to be a member of the novel Class IV SpoUT family of AdoMet-dependent MTases. Members of this class possess a non-canonical AdoMet binding site containing a deep trefoil knot. Selected SpoUT family proteins were used as templates to develop a TSR homology model for monomeric and dimeric forms. Validation of the homology models was performed with structural validation servers and the model was then used as the basis of ongoing mutagenesis experiments. The X-ray crystal structure of TSR bound with AdoMet (2.45 Å) was elucidated by our collaborators, Drs. Mark Dunstan and Graeme Conn (University of Manchester). This structure confirms TSR MTase’s membership in the SpoUT MTase family with a deep trefoil knot in the catalytic domain. The AdoMet bound in the crystal structure is in an extended conformation not previously observed in SpoUT MTases. RNA docking simulations revealed some features that may be relevant to binding and recognition of TSR to the L11 binding domain of the RNA substrate. Two structure-activity studies were conducted to investigate the TS-rRNA interaction and TS solubility. Computational analyses of TS conformations, molecular orbitals and dynamics provided insight into the possible modes of TS binding to rRNA. Single-site modification of TS was attempted, targeting the dehydroalanine and dehydrobutyrine residues of the antibiotic. These moieties were modified using the polar thiol, 2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid (2-MESNA). Similar modifications had been previously used to improve solubility and bioavailability of antibiotics. The resulting analogue was structurally characterized (NMR and mass spectrometry) and showed antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus.

No description available.

Thiostrepton (TS: TS; C72H85N19O18S5) is a thiazoline antibiotic that is effective against Gram-positive bacteria and the malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Tight binding of TS to the bacterial L11-23S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) complex of the large 50S ribosomal unit inhibits protein biosynthesis. The TS producing organism, Streptomyces azureus, biosynthesizes thiostrepton-resistance methyltransferase (TSR), an enzyme that uses S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet) as a methyl donor, to modify the TS target site. Methylation of A1067 (Escherichia coli ribosome numbering) by TSR circumvents TS binding. The S. azureus tsr gene was overexpressed in E. coli and the protein purified for biochemical characterization. Although the recombinant protein was produced in a soluble form, its tendency to aggregate made handling a challenge during the initial stages of establishing a purification protocol. Different purification conditions were screened to generate an isolation protocol that yields milligram quantities of protein with little aggregation and sufficient purity for crystallographic studies. Enzymological characterization of TSR was carried out using an assay to monitor AdoMet-dependent ([methyl-3H]-AdoMet) methylation of the rRNA substrate by liquid scintillation counting. During the optimization of assay, it was found that, although this method is frequently employed, it is very time and labour intensive. A scintillation proximity assay was investigated to evaluate whether it could be a method for collecting kinetic data, and was found that further optimization is required. Comparative sequence analysis of TSR has shown it to be a member of the novel Class IV SpoUT family of AdoMet-dependent MTases. Members of this class possess a non-canonical AdoMet binding site containing a deep trefoil knot. Selected SpoUT family proteins were used as templates to develop a TSR homology model for monomeric and dimeric forms. Validation of the homology models was performed with structural validation servers and the model was then used as the basis of ongoing mutagenesis experiments. The X-ray crystal structure of TSR bound with AdoMet (2.45 Å) was elucidated by our collaborators, Drs. Mark Dunstan and Graeme Conn (University of Manchester). This structure confirms TSR MTase’s membership in the SpoUT MTase family with a deep trefoil knot in the catalytic domain. The AdoMet bound in the crystal structure is in an extended conformation not previously observed in SpoUT MTases. RNA docking simulations revealed some features that may be relevant to binding and recognition of TSR to the L11 binding domain of the RNA substrate. Two structure-activity studies were conducted to investigate the TS-rRNA interaction and TS solubility. Computational analyses of TS conformations, molecular orbitals and dynamics provided insight into the possible modes of TS binding to rRNA. Single-site modification of TS was attempted, targeting the dehydroalanine and dehydrobutyrine residues of the antibiotic. These moieties were modified using the polar thiol, 2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid (2-MESNA). Similar modifications had been previously used to improve solubility and bioavailability of antibiotics. The resulting analogue was structurally characterized (NMR and mass spectrometry) and showed antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus.

The phase diagram of the Mg-Pd system was redetermined in the range from 50 at. % Mg to 100 at. % Mg. It contains several intermediate phases with some of them being complex metallic alloy phases (CMAs), i.e., characterized by (i) giant unit cells with more than hundred atoms, (ii) inherent disorder, (iii) the presence of a cluster substructure. Phase fields and heterogeneous equilibria of the intermediate phases β- Mg6Pd, γ-Mg57Pd13, δ-Mg56.4Pd13.6, ε-Mg306Pd77, ζ-Mg64Pd17, η-Mg3Pd, θ-Mg5Pd2, ι- Mg2Pd and κ-MgPd were determined. The first five phases are CMAs with Mackay clusters as fundamental structural units. The crystal structure of the most magnesium-rich compound β-Mg6Pd was redetermined. It was found to be more complicated than previously thought due to correlated disorder of only two atom sites in the cubic unit cell. The γ-, ε- and ζ-phases form in a small window of temperature (50 oC) and composition (3 at. %) close to 80 at. % Mg. A new structure type was assigned to Mg3Pd (Cu3P, P63cm). The single phase field of the θ-phase is caused by constitutional vacancies. The new ι-phase crystallizes with NiTi2 structure-type. / Das Phasendiagramm des Systems Mg–Pd wurde im Bereich von 50 bis 100 At.-% Mg neu bestimmt. In diesem Phasendiagramm finden sich mehrere intermediäre Phasen, darunter auch komplexe intermetallische Verbindungen (engl.: complex intermetallic alloys, CMAs). CMAs sind charakterisiert durch (i) große Elementarzellen mit mehr als einhundert Atomen, (ii) intrinsischer Fehlordnung und (iii) dem Vorhandensein einer Cluster- Substruktur. Die Phasenfelder und heterogenen Gleichgewichte der intermediären Phasen β-Mg6Pd, γ- Mg57Pd13, δ-Mg56.4Pd13.6, ε-Mg306Pd77, ζ-Mg64Pd17, η-Mg3Pd, θ-Mg5Pd2, ι-Mg2Pd und κ- MgPd wurden bestimmt. Die ersten fünf der eben genannten Phasen sind CMAs mit Mackay Clustern als fundamentales strukturelles Einheit. Alle übrigen Phasen besitzen einen einfacheren kristallografischen Aufbau. Die Kristallstruktur der Mg-reichsten Verbindung β-Mg6Pd wurde neu bestimmt und ist weitaus sich als komplizierter als bisher angenommen. Die Ausdehnung des Einphasenfeldes von β-Mg6Pd lässt sich jedoch sehr einfach mit korrelierter Fehlordnung von lediglich zwei Atomen in der kubischen Elementarzelle verstehen. Die γ-, ε-, und ζ-Phasen bilden sich in einem schmalen Temperatur- (50 °C) und Zusammensetzungsbereich (3 at. %) nahe 80 at. % Mg. Der Verbindung Mg3Pd (Cu3P, P63cm) wurde ein neuer Strukturtyp zugewiesen. Die Ausdehnung des Einphasenfeldes der θ-Phase lässt sich mit dem Einbau konstitutioneller Leerstellen erklären. Die neue ι-Phase kristallisiert im NiTi2 Strukturtyp.

The principal aim of this thesis is to characterise quantitatively the influence of high temperature creep upon the structure of ß-NiAl and ß-NiAl(Fe) single crystals. A non-destructive procedure is established following the classic line of X-ray structure analysis, namely controlling the chemical composition with the electron probe microanalysis, determining the unit cell contents from the combined lattice parameter and mass density measurements, and refining the structure parameters according to the X-ray reflection intensity. Specifically, two special single crystal X-ray diffraction methods, namely the back reflection Kossel technique and the back reflection Laue method, are applied for the determination of lattice parameter and for the collection of intensity data. All experimental measurements can be performed in non-destructive manner, which allows a direct comparison to be made between the crystal structure determined prior to and after a creep test.

Im Mittelpunkt dieser Arbeit standen die Darstellung und Charakterisierung ternärer Bismutsubchloride unter Einbau von Übergangsmetallen der 8., 9. und 10. Gruppe. Durch Vorlage eines hohen Chloranteils in der Synthese wurde die "chemische Schere" der Oxidation so stark wirksam, dass in den Verbindungen die gewünschten voneinander isolierten Cluster aus Metallatomen vorlagen. Die Verbindungen Bi12PtCl12, Bi12-xRhCl13-x, Bi12-xIrCl13-x (x < 1) und Bi6,67PtCl12 wurden als Pulver und als Kristalle durch Festkörperreaktionen bei 1273 K in Quarzglasampullen hergestellt. Die schwarz glänzenden, würfelförmigen Kristalle sind luftstabil, in verdünnten Mineralsäuren und in organischen Lösungsmitteln beständig. Die Zusammensetzungen wurden mit EDX-Analysen und Röntgenbeugung am Einkristall bestimmt. Zur weiteren Charakterisierung wurden quantenchemische Rechnungen, ramanspektroskopische Untersuchungen, Messungen der magnetischen Suszeptibilität und der elektrischen Leitfähigkeit durchgeführt. Kristalle der Verbindung Bi12PtCl12 täuschen ein rhomboedrisches Kristallsystem vor, die Struktur konnte in der Raumgruppe P 1 als nahezu perfekter Inversionszwilling eines Achsendrillings gelöst werden. Auf den Eckplätzen der pseudorhomboedrischen Elementarzelle befinden sich [PtBi6Cl12]2- -Cluster und in der Mitte ein (Bi6)2+ -Polykation. Dieses (Bi6)2+ -Polykation in Form eines geöffneten Oktaeders bestätigt experimentell Vorhersagen von Kuznetsov et al. Nach den Regeln von Wade ist das Polykation mit 2 x 6 + 4 = 16 Gerüstelektronen als nido-Cluster zu verstehen. Die Schwerpunkte der Anionen und Kationen fügen sich zu einer dem CsCl-Typ analogen Anordnung zusammen. Mit einer vollständigen Besetzung aller Bismutlagen in der Mitte der Elementarzelle kann Bi12PtCl12 eine Schlüsselrolle zugeordnet werden, die sozusagen den Prototyp für diesen Strukturtyp darstellt. Die weiteren Verbindungen stellen unterbesetzte Varianten dar und können von Bi12PtCl12 abgeleitet werden. Im Verlauf der Untersuchungen zu den ternären Subchloriden in den Systemen wurden wenige Kristalle der binären Verbindung Bi7Cl10 erhalten. Die Tatsache, dass es sich um eine neue binäre Phase im recht stark untersuchten Gebiet Bismut-Chlor handelte führte zu einer neuerlichen, systematischen Überprüfung des Systems Bi/Cl. Mittels thermischer Analysen wurde das Zustandsdiagramm Bi/BiCl3 präzisiert. Bi7Cl10 zersetzt sich bereits bei 190 °C peritektoid in Bi6Cl7 und BiCl3 Bi7Cl10(s) = Bi6Cl7(s) + BiCl3(g). Das Zustandsbarogramm des binären Systems wurde über Gesamtdruckmessungen im Membran-Nullmanometer erstmalig bestimmt. Aus den Druckfunktionen der Bismutchloride sowie aus Messungen der Molwärme von Bi6Cl7 wurden die thermodynamischen Standarddaten abgeleitet. Unter Verwendung dieser Daten wurden thermodynamische Modellierungen der Festkörper-Gasphasen-Gleichgewichte durchgeführt, mit deren Hilfe die Synthese von Bi7Cl10 optimiert werden konnte. Die phasenreine Gasphasenabscheidung von Bi7Cl10 ist aufgrund der Kondensation der dominierenden Gasphasenspezies BiCl und BiCl3 im Existenzbereich der Verbindung oberhalb des Zersetzungspunktes (190 °C) nicht möglich. Im Existenzgebiet von Bi7Cl10 kommt der Transport dann wegen der resultierenden Partialdrücke unmittelbar zum Erliegen. Aus Röntgenbeugungsuntersuchungen an Einkristallen geht hervor, dass Bi7Cl10 bei Raumtemperatur in der tetragonalen Raumgruppe I 41/a c d mit a = 28,235(3) und c = 39,950(4) Å kristallisiert (Z = 64). Analog zu Bi6Cl7 = ((Bi9)5+)[(Bi3Cl14)5-] kann Bi7Cl10 unter Verdopplung der Summenformel als ((Bi9)5+)[(Bi5Cl20)5-] formuliert werden. In der Kristallstruktur sind Polykationen (Bi9)5+, welche die Gestalt zweifach überkappter trigonaler Prismen haben, in ein Chlorobismutat(III)-Raumnetzwerk [(Bi5Cl20)5-] eingebettet. Die Polykationen und das Anionennetzwerk sind deutlich voneinander separiert.

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden Verbindungen untersucht, die reguläre oder verzerrte planar-quadratische Chalkogenschichten als ein wesentliches Strukturelement enthalten. Neben der Darstellung neuer Verbindungen und der Identifizierung des Phasenbestandes in den binären Zustandsdiagrammen Ln – Se lag das Hauptaugenmerk der Untersuchungen auf der Aufklärung der z. T. komplexen Überstrukturen und deren kristallchemischen Einordnung sowie auf den elektronischen Eigenschaften der Verbindungen. Methodisch kamen zur Strukturlösung und -beschreibung dabei sowohl Röntgen- und Elektronenbeugung, als auch hochauflösende Transmissionselektronenmikroskopie und Elektronenholographie zum Einsatz. Bei Strukturverfeinerungen der kommensurabel und inkommensurabel modulierten Strukturen wurde in vielen Fällen das Superraumkonzept angewandt, das eine einheitlichere Beschreibung verwandter Strukturen in höherdimensionalen Superraumgruppen ermöglicht. Im einzelnen wurden die Polyselenide PrSe2 und NdSe2 (beide kristallisieren im CeSe2-Typ) und SmSe1.9 (CeSe1.9-Typ) sowie die selenärmeren Verbindungen Ln8Se15 mit Ln = Y, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho und Er (alle: Gd8Se15-Typ) hergestellt und erstmals strukturell charakterisiert. Diese Verbindungen kristallisieren als kommensurable Überstrukturen eines hochsymmetrischen Aristotyps, des ZrSSi-Typs. Die ebenfalls neu aufgefundenen Selenide Nd0.6Gd0.4Se1.85 und PrSe1.85 bilden dagegen inkommensurabel modulierte Strukturen aus und werden mit Hilfe des Superraumformalismus beschrieben. Die untersuchten Polyselenide weisen halbleitendes Verhalten auf und enthalten dreiwertige Lanthanoidmetalle. Die ebenfalls neu aufgefundenen Substanzklasse der Lanthanoidselenidditelluride LnSeTe2 (Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm) sind als ternäre Ordnungsvarianten des NdTe3-Typs zu beschreiben. Die Verbindungen LaSeTe2, CeSeTe2, PrSeTe2 und NdSeTe2 durchlaufen reversible, temperaturabhängige Phasentransformationen von einer nicht modulierten Hochtemperaturphase in eine inkommensurabel modulierte Tieftemperaturphase, die mit einem Metall-Halbmetall-Übergang korreliert.

In the course of these investigations altogether 18 different compounds have been synthesized and their chemical, structural and physical properties were characterized (XRD, XANES, IR, Raman spectrum, magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, low temperature and TG/DTA). Up to now only nitridonickelates and nitridocuprates were known to exhibit exclusively low oxidation states of the transition metals between 0 and +2. In this work it has been presented that also nitridocobaltates belong to this group. We have proved that “Ca3CoIIIN3” do not exist and the real chemical formula can be regarded as Ca5[CoIN2]2. In the thesis another seven new nitridocobaltates(I) have been described, these add to four already known structures. Among novel phases only Ba9Ca[Co2N3]3 may indicate higher valency state for cobalt with the [Co2N3]5- complexes. The XANES data supporting CoII state by comparison with other compounds possess this oxidation state. The crystal structure of Ba9Ca[Co2N3]3 is related to the perovskite type structure. The remarkable structural features of Sr2[CoN2]0.72[CN2]0.28 ≈ Sr6[CoN2]2[CN2] nitridocobaltates [CoIN2]5- ions partially substituted by carbodiimides [N=C=N]2- ions. Up to now in the crystal structure no indications for a homogeneity range could be observed. Both crystal structures of (Sr6N)[CoN2][CN2]2 and Sr6[CoN2]2[CN2] encompass nitridocobaltate [CoN2]5- and carbodiimide [N=C=N]2- ions. In the structures distorted rocksalt motif based on Sr-N partial structure can be distinguished. Up to now in the system AE-Fe-N-(C) only four crystal structures were reported and in the thesis three new were refined Sr8[FeIIIN3]2[FeIIN2], Sr3[FeN3] and (Sr6N)[FeN2][CN2]2 and their physical properties were characterized. The system AE-Mn-N-(C) via this work was extended by Sr8[MnN3]3 and Sr4[MnN3][CN2]. Up to date the only nitridometalate containing different transition elements is Ba[Ni1-xCuxN]. In this work one more mixed nitridometalate has been described Sr8[MnIIIN3]2[FeIIN2]. The crystal structure of Sr4[MnN3][CN2] revealed some weak diffuse scattering lines. The general formula of Sr4[MnN3][CN2] can be written as Sr4[Mn0.96N2.90][C0.96N2] to emphasize possible homogeneity range. Any explanation of the phenomena and establishment of possible homogeneity range are still a challenge. The structures of Sr8[MIIIN3]2[FeIIN2] (M = Mn, Fe) are related to Sr8[MnIVN3]2[MnIIIN3]. All these compounds are first mixed-valency compounds for respective systems and exhibit close relation to crystal structures of Sr3[MN3] (M = Mn, Fe). From the XANES data alike behaviour of all structures containing Mn was observed. Due to some possible degree of Mn/Fe mixing in the crystal structure of Sr8[MIIIN3]2[FeIIN2] the chemical formula might be written as Sr8[MnN3]2-x[FeN3]x[FeN2]. This needs to be investigate in details. Up to now in the literature the only crystallographic data of nitridometalates contain [NCN]2- ions include two compounds. In this work four novel nitridometalate carbodiimides and cyanamides Sr4[MnN3][CN2], (Sr6N)[MN2][CN2]2 (M = Co, Fe) and Sr6[CoN2]2[CN2] have been synthesized. Predominant magnetic properties in the investigated nitridometalates are connected to some antiferromagnetic M-M interactions supported by AFM ordering. The electrical resistivity often shows at some semi-conducting character of these compounds. XANES spectroscopy provided many useful data about valency states of the transition elements, coordination environment around absorbing atoms and electronic structure. The influence of different parameters on the transition metals K-edges was studied in details. IR and Raman give general data about [NCN]2- ions.