Solid-phase syntheses of two 14-membered ring peptidomimetics were done to determine whether or not a beta-turn structure can facilitate macrocyclization. NMR methods, together with CD and QMD calculations, do not fully support this assumption. However, cyclizations of more ordered structures like those of compounds 2 were more efficient than those for highly strained ring systems like 1. A small library of 18-membered ring peptidomimetics that accommodate an extra amino acid residue was synthesized on resin. Their syntheses were not complicated by head-to-tail dimer impurity, unlike those for previously synthesized 14-membered systems. These larger macrocycles exhibit beta-turn structures as verified by NMR, CD and QMD techniques. Moreover, two compounds in this series (3a and 3g) were shown to have agonistic properties for TrkC in cell survival assays. Dimerization of monovalent mimics was achieved first by modifying the organic template so that monovalent mimics with requisite functional groups can be synthesized. Second, the monovalent units were dimerized using sequential nucleophilic substitutions on fluorescently labeled dichlorotriazine. Our rationale to make bivalent compounds out of monovalent ones was justified when compound 4 was shown to bind TrkA with a 20 nM affinity. Reactions of amino acids with NH4SCN under acylating conditions produced 2-thiohydantoins in which the nitrogen of the amino acid (N1) was acylated. This was proven by 2-D NMR which showed no cross-peak between the NH signal observed and the Cα±-H of the amino acid. When the compound was deacylated, a new NH signal appeared and the corresponding cross-peak with the Cα±-H was observed. Solution-phase syntheses of non-peptidic mimics were achieved by doing a double substitution on a dihalogenated nitrobenzene scaffold. Sonogashira and SNAr reactions were done to install the required side-chains to give the desired compounds. These non-peptidic compounds can be easily adapted to our DTAF-Inp dimerization protocol since the nitro groups can be easily reduced. Attempts to make a spirotetracyclic peptidomimetic with three side chain mimics were done by synthesizing the spirocyclic diketopiperazine precursor. The synthesis of the DKP was achieved by making the cyclic quaternary amino acid that was coupled to another amino acid via the HOAt-EDC method. This protocol gave dipeptides in high yields. These dipeptides were deprotected and cyclized to the DKP under mildly acidic conditions in toluene.

Solid-phase syntheses of two 14-membered ring peptidomimetics were done to determine whether or not a beta-turn structure can facilitate macrocyclization. NMR methods, together with CD and QMD calculations, do not fully support this assumption. However, cyclizations of more ordered structures like those of compounds 2 were more efficient than those for highly strained ring systems like 1. A small library of 18-membered ring peptidomimetics that accommodate an extra amino acid residue was synthesized on resin. Their syntheses were not complicated by head-to-tail dimer impurity, unlike those for previously synthesized 14-membered systems. These larger macrocycles exhibit beta-turn structures as verified by NMR, CD and QMD techniques. Moreover, two compounds in this series (3a and 3g) were shown to have agonistic properties for TrkC in cell survival assays. Dimerization of monovalent mimics was achieved first by modifying the organic template so that monovalent mimics with requisite functional groups can be synthesized. Second, the monovalent units were dimerized using sequential nucleophilic substitutions on fluorescently labeled dichlorotriazine. Our rationale to make bivalent compounds out of monovalent ones was justified when compound 4 was shown to bind TrkA with a 20 nM affinity. Reactions of amino acids with NH4SCN under acylating conditions produced 2-thiohydantoins in which the nitrogen of the amino acid (N1) was acylated. This was proven by 2-D NMR which showed no cross-peak between the NH signal observed and the Cα±-H of the amino acid. When the compound was deacylated, a new NH signal appeared and the corresponding cross-peak with the Cα±-H was observed. Solution-phase syntheses of non-peptidic mimics were achieved by doing a double substitution on a dihalogenated nitrobenzene scaffold. Sonogashira and SNAr reactions were done to install the required side-chains to give the desired compounds. These non-peptidic compounds can be easily adapted to our DTAF-Inp dimerization protocol since the nitro groups can be easily reduced. Attempts to make a spirotetracyclic peptidomimetic with three side chain mimics were done by synthesizing the spirocyclic diketopiperazine precursor. The synthesis of the DKP was achieved by making the cyclic quaternary amino acid that was coupled to another amino acid via the HOAt-EDC method. This protocol gave dipeptides in high yields. These dipeptides were deprotected and cyclized to the DKP under mildly acidic conditions in toluene.

Metal chalcogenide nanomaterials are interesting due to their size dependent properties and potential use in numerous types of devices or applications. The synthetic methods of binary phase metal chalcogenide nanoparticles are well established, but finding simple ways to make even more complex nanostructures is important. To this end, two techniques were studied: the cation exchange of metal chalcogenide nanocrystals, CdE → MxEy (E = S, Se, Te; M = Pd, Pt) and the solution phase synthesis of ternary chalcogenide nanoparticles. The effects of cation solvation and the volume change (Delta V) of reaction on the equilibrium and the morphology change in the cation-exchange reactions of CdE → MxEy were investigated. A two-phase solvent environment was particularly efficient in increasing the thermodynamic driving force. The effect of Delta V of reaction on the morphology of the product nanocrystals was also investigated. Depending on the stress developed in the lattice during the reaction, product nanocrystals underwent varying degrees of morphological changes, such as void formation and fragmentation, in addition to the preservation of the original morphology of the reactant nanocrystals. The knowledge of the effect of ion solvation and Delta V of reaction on the equilibrium and product morphology provides a new strategy and useful guide to the application of cation-exchange reactions for the synthesis of a broader range of inorganic nanocrystals. Using a solution phase method, the morphology of CuInSe2 nanoparticles could be tuned from small 10 nm spheres to micron length nanowires by varying the relative amount of strong and weak surfactants passivating the surface. Oleylamine and trioctylphosphine oxide were chosen as the strong and weak surfactants, respectively. Small isotropic structures were formed when the oleylamine was the only surfactant with the size of the nanospheres increasing as the amount of oleylamine decreased. For the CuInSe2 nanowires, weakly-binding dioctylphosphine oxide (DOPO), an impurity in the TOPO, was found to be the key surfactant that enables the anisotropic one-dimensional growth. Detailed analysis of the structure of the nanowires indicated that they grow perpendicular to (112) planes, with twinning around the growth axis by ~60 degree rotation. The nanowires exhibit a saw-tooth surface morphology resembling a stack of truncated tetrahedral.

abstract: The use of nanoparticle-in-matrix composites is a common motif among a broad range of nanoscience applications and is of particular interest to the thermal sciences community. To explore this morphological theme, crystalline inorganic composites were synthesized by mixing colloidal CdSe nanocrystals and In2Se3 metal chalcogenide complex (MCC) precursor in hydrazine solvent and then thermally transform the MCC precursor into a crystalline In2Se3 matrix. The volume fraction of CdSe nanocrystals was varied from 0 to ~100% .Rich structural and chemical interactions between the CdSe nanocrystals and the In2Se3 matrix were observed. The average thermal conductivities of the 100% In2Se3 and ~100% CdSe composites are 0.32 and 0.53 W/m-K, respectively, which are remarkably low for inorganic crystalline materials. With the exception of the ~100% CdSe samples, the thermal conductivities of these nanocomposites are insensitive to CdSe volume fraction.This insensitivity is attributed to competing effects rise from structural morphology changes during composite formation. Next, thermoelectric properties of metal chalcogenide thin films deposited from precursors using thiol-amine solvent mixtures were first reported. Cu2-xSeyS1-y and Ag-doped Cu2-xSeyS1-y thin films were synthesized, and the interrelationship between structure, composition, and room temperature thermoelectric properties was studied. The precursor annealing temperature affects the metal:chalcogen ratio, and leads to charge carrier concentration changes that affect Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity. Incorporating Ag into the Cu2-xSeyS1-y film leads to appreciable improvements in thermoelectric performance. Overall, the room temperature thermoelectric properties of these solution-processed materials are comparable to measurements on Cu2-xSe alloys made via conventional thermoelectric material processing methods. Finally, a new route to make soluble metal chalcogenide precursors by reacting organic dichalcogenides with metal in different solvents was reported. By this method, SnSe, PbSe, SnTe and PbSexTe1-x precursors were successfully synthesized, and phase-pure and impurity-free metal chalcogenides were recovered after precursor decomposition. Compared to the hydrazine and diamine-dithiol route, the new approach uses safe solvent, and avoids introducing unwanted sulfur into the precursor. SnSe and PbSexTe1-x thin films, both of which are interesting thermoelectric materials, were also successfully made by solution deposition. The thermoelectric property measurements on those thin films show a great potential for future improvements. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Materials Science and Engineering 2016

The protein-protein interactions (PPIs) occur when two or more proteins are bound together. Also, this protein-protein interactions (PPIs) cause the various biological processes in the body. Due to this reason, abilities of controlling or inhibiting PPIs can give us promising advantages like (1) better understanding of biological systems, (2) development of new diagnostic approaches for health or disease, and (3) establishment of novel molecular therapeutics. Many proteins adopt the secondary structures, where most of protein-protein interactions take place. -Helices and -sheets are the prevalent secondary conformations, but there are extended secondary structures such as -hairpins, -turns, 310 helix, and so on. As a result, construction of molecules mimicking these protein secondary structures is tractable target for drug design. Moreover, in drug discovery, designing peptidomimetics or non-peptidic mimetics is a popular strategy instead using peptides or truncated peptides because peptides or truncated peptides are prone to proteolysis and degraded in the body. Also, peptidomimetics and non-peptidic mimetics have not only the similar topology as peptides but also resistance to proteolysis. Due to these advantages, in this study, peptidomimetics or non-peptidic mimetics were synthesized and tested for different targets: (1) synthesis of non-peptidic -helical mimetics for p53-MDM2 inhibition, (2) solution-phase synthesis of -hairpin peptide for the inhibition of multiple myeloma cells (MM) adhesion, and (3) synthesis of -hairpin peptoid-peptide hybrids. The synthesis in all three different studies was succeeded, but they still need some improvements. For instance, non-peptidic -helical mimetics, terpyrimidyl derivatives, were synthesized successfully, but they did not show any bioactivity against p53-MDM2. Also, they have a solubility problem. Based on these results, it is necessary to improve the pharmacokinetic properties and bioactivity by changing the substituents on the rings or structures. The -hairpin peptide for the second case already showed good bioactivity against multiple myeloma (MM). For the next level of bio-study, the considerable amount of a -hairpin peptide was demanded. In order to make the substantial -hairpin peptide, the solution phase peptide synthesis was chosen instead of the solid phase peptide synthesis because of the cost-effect. Two methodology were tried for the solution-phase peptide synthesis: (1) segment ligation and (2) continuous synthesis. In the former case, the -hairpin peptide synthesis was successful, but, in the latter case, it is necessary to investigate the appropriate coupling reagents for each step. Peptoid-peptide hybrids has been one of the popular peptidomimetics in the last two decades. Also, mimicking the peptide secondary structure in peptoids has been studied extensively these days. The combination of these two factors was the goal for the third case. Because peptoid-peptide hybrids with a secondary structure can be recognizable by native proteins and resistant to proteolysis. So far, three sets of peptoid-peptide hybrids were synthesize and checked the secondary structure formation by using NMR. However, there was no indication of the secondary structure formation in the three sets of peptoid-peptide hybrids. This result suggests that it is necessary to introduce the more constrained components in peptoid-peptide hybrids. In the above three chapters, it has been tried to find the new drug candidates by synthesizing peptidomimetics or non-peptidic mimetics. Even though the synthesis was successful, some intended results such as the bioactivity or the secondary structure formation were not obtained. However, these results can give us the inspirations to improve properties of peptidomimetics or non-peptidic mimetics for a certain purpose, which leads to earn the intended results and eventually find new drug candidates.

No description available.

No description available.

The three major biopolymers, proteins, nucleic acids and glycoconjugates are mainly responsible for the information transfer, which is a fundamental process of life. The biological importance of proteins and nucleic acids are well explored and oligosaccharides in the form of glycoconjugates have gained importance recently. The β-(1→4) linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) moiety is a frequently occurring structural unit in various naturally and biologically important oligosaccharides and related conjugates. Chitin which is the most abundant polymer of GlcNAc is widely distributed in nature whereas the related polysaccharide chitosan (polymer of GlcN and GlcNAc) occurs in certain fungi. Chitooligosaccharides of mixed acetylation patterns are of interest for the determination of the substrate specificities and mechanism of chitinases. In this report, we describe the chemical synthesis of three chitotetraoses namely GlcNAc-GlcN-GlcNAc-GlcN, GlcN-GlcNAc-GlcNAc-GlcN and GlcN-GlcN-GlcNAc-GlcNAc. Benzyloxycarbonyl (Z) and p-nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl (PNZ) were used for the amino functionality due to their ability to form the β-linkage during the glycosylation reactions through neighboring group participation and the trichloroacetimidate approach was utilized for the donor. Monomeric, dimeric acceptors and donors have been prepared by utilizing the Z and PNZ groups and coupling between the appropriate donor and acceptors in the presence of Lewis acid yielded the protected tetrasaccharides. Finally cleavage of PNZ followed by reacetylation and the deblocking of other protecting groups afforded the N,N’-diacetyl chitotetraoses in good yield. Successful syntheses for the protected diacetyl chitotetraoses by solid phase synthesis have also been described. / Die drei wichtigsten Biopolymere sind Proteine, Nukleinsäuren und Glykokonjugate. Sie sind von fundamentaler Bedeutung für lebenswichtige Prozesse, wie z.B. den Informationstransfer. Die biologische Bedeutung von Proteinen und Nukleinsäuren ist eingehend erforscht, während Oligosaccharide in Form von Glykokonjugaten erst in neuerer Zeit an Bedeutung gewonnen haben. Die β-(1→4) verknüpfte N-Acetylglucosamin (GlcNAc) Einheit kommt häufig als in vielen natürlichen und biologisch wichtigen Oligosacchariden und ihren Konjugaten vor. Chitin, ein Polymer von GlcNAc, ist in der Natur weit verbreitet, während das verwandte Polysaccharid Chitosan (Polymer of GlcN und GlcNAc) in gewissen Pilzen auftritt. Chitooligosaccharide gemischter Acetylierungsmuster sind von Bedeutung für die Bestimmung von Substratwirkungen und für den Mechanismus von Chitinasen. In dieser Arbeit beschreiben wir die chemische Synthese von drei Chitotetraosen, nämlich GlcNAc-GlcN-GlcNAc-GlcN, GlcN-GlcNAc-GlcNAc-GlcN and GlcN-GlcN-GlcNAc-GlcNAc. Benzyloxycarbonyl (Z) und p-Nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl (PNZ) wurden aufgrund ihrer Fähigkeit, die β-Verknüpfung während der Glykosylierung durch die Nachbargruppenbeteiligung zu steuern, als Aminoschutzgruppen verwendet. Zur Aktivierung der Donoren wurde die Trichloracetamidat Methode angewendet. Monomere und dimere Akzeptoren und Donoren wurden unter Verwendung von Z und PNZ Gruppen hergestellt. Die Kupplung von geeigneten Donoren und Akzeptoren in Gegenwart einer Lewis Säure ergaben die Tetrasaccharide. Schließlich ergab die Entschützung von PNZ, gefolgt von der Reacetylierung der Aminogruppe und Abspalten der übrigen Schutzgruppen die N,N’-Diacetylchitotetraosen in guten Ausbeuten. Weiterhin wird die erfolgreiche Synthese der geschützten Diacetylchitotetraosen durch Festphasensynthese beschrieben.

Les dendrimères sont une famille de macromolécules utilisées dans de nombreux domaines d’applications. Parmi ceux-ci, le domaine biomédical concentre une grande partie de l’intérêt de recherche. En effet, la structure tridimensionnelle parfaitement définie et monodispersée des dendrimères en font de parfaits candidats pour une application en médecine. Initialement utilisés en tant que mimes de protéines comme cela fût le cas lors du développement de la première famille de dendrimères, les poly(amidoamines) (PAMAM), de nombreuses études sur la capacité de transfection de ces molécules ont été réalisées, avec des résultats extrêmement encourageants. Afin d’améliorer l’efficacité et la biocompatibilité de ces vecteurs non viraux, nous avons orienté nos recherches sur le développement de nouveaux dendrimères poly(aminoesters) potentiellement biodégradables par hydrolyse enzymatique ou par variation de pH.Compte tenu des résultats précédemment obtenus au laboratoire, concernant la synthèse en solution de ces dendrimères, nous avons envisagé de les synthétiser en deux parties, à savoir un coeur central fonctionnalisé et des dendrons comportant la fonctionnalité appropriée. Notre choix s’est plus particulièrement porté sur la chimie « Click », en l’occurrence la cycloaddition 1,3-dipolaire de Huisgen entre un azoture et un alcyne catalysée par du cuivre. D’autre part, nous avons également envisagé de créer de nouveaux dendrons à l’aide de la chimie supportée. En effet, cette méthodologie de synthèse basée sur deux étapes répétitives d’addition de Michael et d’estérification, semble très prometteuse pour obtenir des dendrons de plus hautes générations. / Dendrimers are a special family of synthetic macromolecules with myriad applications, in particular biomedical implementation. The tridimensional, monodispersed and well defined structure of dendrimers give to them a unique position in medicine applications. Initially used as a mimic of proteins, poly(amidoamine) dendrimers (PAMAM) are also very efficient for nucleic acid delivery. With the aim to improve the biocompatibility and delivery efficiency of these non viral vectors, we designed and synthesized new poly(aminoester) dendrimers as potential biodegradable dendrimers sensitive to enzymatic hydrolysis or pH variations.On the basis of our previous results for the solution-phase synthesis of poly(aminoester) dendrimers, we decided to construct our dendrimers using a multi functionalized core and dendrons with complementary functions. These building units will be connected together at the end of the synthesis by a Huisgen dipolar cycloaddition through a copper-catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) well known as « Click » reaction. In order to obtain higher generation dendrimers, we explore the supported chemistry using both soluble and solid supports. The solid-phase synthesis based on two iterative steps, Michael addition and esterification, seems to be very promising.