Symmetry-breaking in the H2@C60endofullerene revealed by inelastic neutron scattering at low temperature

The fine structure of the rotational ground state of molecular ortho-hydrogen confined inside the fullerene cage C60 is investigated by inelastic neutron scattering (INS). The INS line corresponding to transitions between the three sub-levels comprising the ortho ground state to the non-degenerate para ground state was studied as a function of temperature down to 60 mK in neutron energy gain. The experiments show that at ambient pressure the three ortho sub-levels are split into a low energy non-degenerate level and a high energy doubly degenerate level separated by 0.135 ± 0.010 meV. This observation is consistent with hydrogen molecules being located at sites with axial symmetry superseding the icosahedral symmetry of isolated rigid C60 cages in the solid phase. To gain insight into the role of inter-cage interactions in determining the symmetry breaking potential, the effects of hydrostatic pressure on the fine structure of the line was also investigated. The analysis of the INS spectra shows that the potential and the energy levels of H2 are sensitive to the orientation of neighbouring cages, consistent with the low-temperature crystalline phase of C60

Warm, but not hypoxic acclimation, prolongs ventricular diastole and decreases the protein level of Na+/Ca2+exchanger to enhance cardiac thermal tolerance in European sea bass

One of the physiological mechanisms that can limit the fish's ability to face hypoxia or elevated temperature, is maximal cardiac performance. Yet, few studies have measured how cardiac electrical activity and associated calcium cycling proteins change with acclimation to those environmental stressors. To examine this, we acclimated European sea bass for 6 weeks to three experimental conditions: a seasonal average temperature in normoxia (16 °C; 100% air sat.), an elevated temperature in normoxia (25 °C; 100% air sat.) and a seasonal average temperature in hypoxia (16 °C; 50% air sat.). Following each acclimation, the electrocardiogram was measured to assess how acclimation affected the different phases of cardiac cycle, the maximal heart rate (fHmax) and cardiac thermal performance during an acute increase of temperature. Whereas warm acclimation prolonged especially the diastolic phase of the ventricular contraction, reduced the fHmax and increased the cardiac arrhythmia temperature (TARR), hypoxic acclimation was without effect on these functional indices. We measured the level of two key proteins involved with cellular relaxation of cardiomyocytes, i.e. sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) and Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX). Warm acclimation reduced protein level of both NCX and SERCA and hypoxic acclimation reduced SERCA protein levels without affecting NCX. The changes in ventricular NCX level correlated with the observed changes in diastole duration and fHmax as well as TARR. Our results shed new light on mechanisms of cardiac plasticity to environmental stressors and suggest that NCX might be involved with the observed functional changes, yet future studies should also measure its electrophysiological activity.</p

Symmetry-breaking in the endofullerene H2O@C60 revealed in the quantum dynamics of ortho and para-water: a neutron scattering investigation

Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) has been employed to investigate the quantum dynamics of water molecules permanently entrapped inside the cages of C60 fullerene molecules. This study of the supramolecular complex, H2O@C60, provides the unique opportunity to study isolated water molecules in a highly symmetric environment. Free from strong interactions, the water molecule has a high degree of rotational freedom enabling its nuclear spin isomers, ortho-H2O and para-H2O to be separately identified and studied. The INS technique mediates transitions between the ortho and para spin isomers and using three INS spectrometers, the rotational levels of H2O have been investigated, correlating well with the known levels in gaseous water. The slow process of nuclear spin conversion between ortho-H2O and para-H2O is revealed in the time dependence of the INS peak intensities over periods of many hours. Of particular interest to this study is the observed splitting of the ground state of ortho-H2O, raising the three-fold degeneracy into two states with degeneracy 2 and 1 respectively. This is attributed to a symmetry-breaking interaction of the water environment

A chemical survey of exoplanets with ARIEL

Thousands of exoplanets have now been discovered with a huge range of masses, sizes and orbits: from rocky Earth-like planets to large gas giants grazing the surface of their host star. However, the essential nature of these exoplanets remains largely mysterious: there is no known, discernible pattern linking the presence, size, or orbital parameters of a planet to the nature of its parent star. We have little idea whether the chemistry of a planet is linked to its formation environment, or whether the type of host star drives the physics and chemistry of the planet’s birth, and evolution. ARIEL was conceived to observe a large number (~1000) of transiting planets for statistical understanding, including gas giants, Neptunes, super-Earths and Earth-size planets around a range of host star types using transit spectroscopy in the 1.25–7.8 μm spectral range and multiple narrow-band photometry in the optical. ARIEL will focus on warm and hot planets to take advantage of their well-mixed atmospheres which should show minimal condensation and sequestration of high-Z materials compared to their colder Solar System siblings. Said warm and hot atmospheres are expected to be more representative of the planetary bulk composition. Observations of these warm/hot exoplanets, and in particular of their elemental composition (especially C, O, N, S, Si), will allow the understanding of the early stages of planetary and atmospheric formation during the nebular phase and the following few million years. ARIEL will thus provide a representative picture of the chemical nature of the exoplanets and relate this directly to the type and chemical environment of the host star. ARIEL is designed as a dedicated survey mission for combined-light spectroscopy, capable of observing a large and well-defined planet sample within its 4-year mission lifetime. Transit, eclipse and phase-curve spectroscopy methods, whereby the signal from the star and planet are differentiated using knowledge of the planetary ephemerides, allow us to measure atmospheric signals from the planet at levels of 10–100 part per million (ppm) relative to the star and, given the bright nature of targets, also allows more sophisticated techniques, such as eclipse mapping, to give a deeper insight into the nature of the atmosphere. These types of observations require a stable payload and satellite platform with broad, instantaneous wavelength coverage to detect many molecular species, probe the thermal structure, identify clouds and monitor the stellar activity. The wavelength range proposed covers all the expected major atmospheric gases from e.g. H2O, CO2, CH4 NH3, HCN, H2S through to the more exotic metallic compounds, such as TiO, VO, and condensed species. Simulations of ARIEL performance in conducting exoplanet surveys have been performed – using conservative estimates of mission performance and a full model of all significant noise sources in the measurement – using a list of potential ARIEL targets that incorporates the latest available exoplanet statistics. The conclusion at the end of the Phase A study, is that ARIEL – in line with the stated mission objectives – will be able to observe about 1000 exoplanets depending on the details of the adopted survey strategy, thus confirming the feasibility of the main science objectives.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Synthèses de spiroaminals et spiroacétals : application à la préparation d'inhibiteurs potentiels de glycosidases

Thèse de doctora

Synthèse asymétrique de spiroacétals : vers la broussonétine H

Spiroketal pattern appears in the skeleton of many natural products exhibiting various biological activities, and several synthetic routes to it have been reporting. Contrarily, spiroaminal moiety, its nitrogen analogue, has been less studied. The first of our objectives consisted to develop the most general enantioselective synthetic pathway to this framework. The adopted strategy is based on a key step acid-catalysed spirocyclisation of aminohydroxyketones, resulting from the sequential alkylation of acetone N,N-dimethylhydrazone by various iodide derivatives. If targeted spiroaminals could not be obtained, these polyfunctionalized ketones permit an efficient access to original spiroketals skeletons like 1,6-dioxaspiro [4.6] undecanes and 1,7-dioxaspiro [5.6] dodecanes. In a second part, we focused on the total synthesis of broussonetine H, a natural spiroketal possessing powerful inhibitory activities against β-glycosidases. Its elaboration was envisaged through the coupling between two key fragments : the 2-ethynyl-1,7-dioxaspiro [5.5] undecane and an iminocyclitol substitued by an epoxide. The synthesis of these two compounds was realized in few steps with good overall yelds.Their coupling led to a protected form of broussonetine H. The final deprotection step remains to be optimized to allow the final isolation of the natural product.Le motif spiroacétal est une structure présente dans le squelette de nombreuses molécules naturelles possédant des activités biologiques variées et pour laquelle il existe de nombreuses voies de synthèse. En revanche, son analogue azoté, le motif spiroaminal a été beaucoup moins étudié. Le premier de nos objectifs a consisté à développer une voie de synthèse énantiosélective, la plus générale possible, de ce motif. La stratégie retenue repose sur une étape clé de spirocyclisation acido-catalysée d’aminohydroxycétones issues de l’alkylation séquentielle de l’acétone N,N-diméthylhydrazone par divers synthons iodés. Si les spiroaminals attendus n’ont pas pu être obtenus, ces cétones polyfonctionnalisées ont permis d’accéder efficacement à des spiroacétals originaux : les 1,6-dioxaspiro [4.6] undécanes et les 1,7-dioxaspiro [5.6] dodécanes. Dans une deuxième partie de notre travail, nous nous sommes intéressés à la synthèse totale de la broussonétine H, spiroacétal naturel possédant une très forte activité inhibitrice vis-à-vis de β-glycosidases. Son élaboration a été envisagée par couplage entre deux fragments clé : le 2-éthynyl-1,7-dioxaspiro [5.5] undécane et un iminocyclitol porteur d’un époxyde. La synthèse de ces deux composés a été réalisée en peu d’étapes et avec d’excellents rendements. Leur couplage a permis l’obtention d’un précurseur directe de la broussonétine H. L’étape finale de déprotection reste à optimiser afin de permettre l’isolement du produit naturel

Asymmetric synthesis of spiroacetals : towards the broussonetin H

Le motif spiroacétal est une structure présente dans le squelette de nombreuses molécules naturelles possédant des activités biologiques variées et pour laquelle il existe de nombreuses voies de synthèse. En revanche, son analogue azoté, le motif spiroaminal a été beaucoup moins étudié. Le premier de nos objectifs a consisté à développer une voie de synthèse énantiosélective, la plus générale possible, de ce motif. La stratégie retenue repose sur une étape clé de spirocyclisation acido-catalysée d’aminohydroxycétones issues de l’alkylation séquentielle de l’acétone N,N-diméthylhydrazone par divers synthons iodés. Si les spiroaminals attendus n’ont pas pu être obtenus, ces cétones polyfonctionnalisées ont permis d’accéder efficacement à des spiroacétals originaux : les 1,6-dioxaspiro [4.6] undécanes et les 1,7-dioxaspiro [5.6] dodécanes. Dans une deuxième partie de notre travail, nous nous sommes intéressés à la synthèse totale de la broussonétine H, spiroacétal naturel possédant une très forte activité inhibitrice vis-à-vis de β-glycosidases. Son élaboration a été envisagée par couplage entre deux fragments clé : le 2-éthynyl-1,7-dioxaspiro [5.5] undécane et un iminocyclitol porteur d’un époxyde. La synthèse de ces deux composés a été réalisée en peu d’étapes et avec d’excellents rendements. Leur couplage a permis l’obtention d’un précurseur directe de la broussonétine H. L’étape finale de déprotection reste à optimiser afin de permettre l’isolement du produit naturel.Spiroketal pattern appears in the skeleton of many natural products exhibiting various biological activities, and several synthetic routes to it have been reporting. Contrarily, spiroaminal moiety, its nitrogen analogue, has been less studied. The first of our objectives consisted to develop the most general enantioselective synthetic pathway to this framework. The adopted strategy is based on a key step acid-catalysed spirocyclisation of aminohydroxyketones, resulting from the sequential alkylation of acetone N,N-dimethylhydrazone by various iodide derivatives. If targeted spiroaminals could not be obtained, these polyfunctionalized ketones permit an efficient access to original spiroketals skeletons like 1,6-dioxaspiro [4.6] undecanes and 1,7-dioxaspiro [5.6] dodecanes. In a second part, we focused on the total synthesis of broussonetine H, a natural spiroketal possessing powerful inhibitory activities against β-glycosidases. Its elaboration was envisaged through the coupling between two key fragments : the 2-ethynyl-1,7-dioxaspiro [5.5] undecane and an iminocyclitol substitued by an epoxide. The synthesis of these two compounds was realized in few steps with good overall yelds.Their coupling led to a protected form of broussonetine H. The final deprotection step remains to be optimized to allow the final isolation of the natural product

Convergent approach to spiroaminals

Poste

Vers la synthèse des broussonetines G et H

Communication oral