Nepali chemists discovered two new compounds from Simal (Bombax ceiba L.)

Nepali chemists have discovered two new compounds from the stem bark of a plant popularly known in Nepal as Simal. The discovery of the new compounds (Simalin A and Simalin B) has recently been published in a journal Phytochemistry Letters. The plant material was collected from Darchula, Nepal and the research was carried out in Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.

Simal is a deciduous tree found in Nepal, India, West China and Malaysia.  Bark of this plant is used in wound healing; flowers and fruits are used in revitalizing sexual impotency and gum is used as remedy of diarrhea, dysentery, influenza and menorrhagia. 

Joshi et al., obtained Simalin A (molecular formula determined: C20H28O14) as a colorless gum with positive optical rotation, whereas Simalin B (molecular formula determined: C26H40O17) was obtained as colorless gum with negative optical rotation First author of the paper is pursuing PhD at
Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan with funding from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan. He is an assistant professor of chemistry at Pokhara University, Pokhara, Nepal.

Fig. 1. Structure of newly discovered compounds 1. Simalin A and 2. Simalin B

According to a expert in natural product chemistry, further characterization and biological assays of these new compounds are necessary to understand the medicinal role of these compounds.  

Further reading: K.R. Joshi et al., Phytochemistry Letters 7 (2014) 26–29

 

Scientists discovered a simpler way to synthesize Aziridines

Dr. Mahesh Paudyal, co-author of the science paper

Chemists at University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center have discovered a simpler route to synthesize aziridine, a three-membered nitrogen analogs of epoxide rings. Aziridines are present in a number of biologically active natural products and are very important synthetic building blocks because they are extensively used to introduce nitrogen atom into complex molecules, including medicinal drugs. The current aziridination methods always need a protecting group on the nitrogen atom. The protecting group groups provide stability to the molecule but the removal of such protecting group needs harsh conditions, and hence is problematic.

Jat et al. have developed a direct and simple one-step method for preparing N–H and N–Me aziridines from alkenes under mild conditions that avoids the need for an N-protecting group (Science,2014, 343, 61). This aziridination method involves the reaction of an alkene with the aminating agents DPH (dinitrophenyl-hydroxylamine) or N–Me–DPH in the presence of a rhodium catalyst, which produces N–H or N–Me aziridines at ambient temperature.

The simple route to aziridines can will help medicinal and natural products chemists © Science/AAAS

“The major challenge now is to develop an asymmetric version of this reaction that will selectively provide a single mirror-image form (enantiomer). This is extremely important in synthesizing drug molecules because two enantiomers of a molecule show different biological activities,” says Mahesh Paudyal, a co-author of the paper at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

[For detailed understanding and coverage: Please see “This week in Science (page 5) and Perspective (page 34)” of the same issue of Science, Chemistry World – January 9, 2014 (online), C&EN News- January 6, 2014 (online)]

ACS Fall Meeting Indianapolis 2013: Photos

photo: from Harish's facebook

Slide show of some of the photos taken during the meeting. Click on the slideshow and then to the google+ album to see original photos.

Nepali Chemists/Scientists present their findings at American Chemical Society National Meeting

I am attending ACS Fall National meeting 2013 at Indianapolis. It started on Sunday and will conclude on Thursday. This is an important event to share research findings and to network with your potential employers and collaborators. There are ~12000 participants, and among them are some Nepali chemists and scientist working in different Universities and companies. I have put together the titles of these presentations in this post. click on the title of presentation to know more about that research.

Basant Giri

• Quantitation of low concentration of TNF-α using solution phase pre-concentration in a microfluidic device

• Microfluidic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a new kind of substrate for the enzyme-label

Dipak Giri

• Synthesis, characterizations, and fluorescence, DNA-binding, and cytotoxic properties of fac-(CO)₃(α-diimine)Re(naphthalene-1-sulfonate) complexes

Dr. Beni Dangi

• Toluene formation under single collision conditions

Hem Raj Khatri

•  Studies towards the synthesis of urdamycin A aglyconz

Hari Raj Khatri

• Synthesis of heparin-like compounds using a diversity-oriented approach

Badrinath Dhakal

• Synthesis and characterization of Re(bipy)L(CO)₂Cl compounds containing σ-donor ligands

• Electrochemical investigation of organometallic manganese CO₂ reduction electrocatalysts

Bishnu H. Dhakal

• Novel multiring synthesis of highly substituted benzene rings

Ramesh C. Dhakal

• Regioselective 1,4-conjugate addition reactions of organozincate reagents to nitrodienes

Surya Adhikari

• Gold-catalyzed glycosylation using S-But-3-ynyl thioglycoside donors

Kedar N Baryal

• Umpolung reactivity in stereoselective synthesis of S-linked 2-deoxy glycosidesz

• Gold-catalyzed glycosylation using S-But-3-ynyl thioglycoside donors

• Stereoselective synthesis of 2-deoxy β-glycosides

• Stereoselective synthesis of S- and C-linked α-glycosides

Dr. Uttam R Pokharel

• Metallosupramolecular assembly of “click” ligands with copper(II) and their interactions with bidentate guests

• Interfacial surface modification of photoanodes at molecular level for chemically stable dye-sensitized solar cells

Dr. Bill Pandit and Tulashi Luitel

• Spectroscopic investigation of photoinduced charge transfer processes in dye sensitized solar cell materials

Tulashi Luitel Dr. Bill Pandit

• Interfacial surface modification of photoanodes at molecular level for chemically stable dye-sensitized solar cells

Birendra Dhungana

• Analysis of slow-pyrolysis bio-oils generated from plant biomass by negative electrospray ionization-high resolution mass spectrometry

Laxman Devkota

• Synthesis and biological evaluation of combretastatin water-soluble amino acid prodrugs

Harishchandra Subedi

• Mechanistic studies on the reaction of nitroxylcobalamin with dioxygen: Evidence for formation of a N-peroxynitritocob(III)alamin intermediate

Srijana Ghimire

•  Synthesis and DNA-binding studies of a cationic tetra-alkyl substituted porphyrin

Jay K Bhattarai

• Nanostructured gold film based localized surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy for the study of carbohydrate-protein interactions

NAST organizing 6th National Conference on Science and Technology in Nepal

NAST is going to organize 6th National Conference on Science and Technology on June 6-8, 2012 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Few details are listed below.

Conference Theme: “Economic Growth through Science, Technology and Innovation".


SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM: The scientific program of the conference will include invited key note addresses, plenary lectures, oral and poster presentations. Sectional sessions will be held for paper presentations as categorized in the following disciplinary areas.

   Physical Sciences (including Earth Science and Astronomy)
· Chemical Sciences
· Biological Sciences
· Mathematical Sciences (including Statistics)
· Agriculture and Animal Sciences
· Engineering and Technology/Energy
· Medicine and Health Sciences
· Biotechnology and Food Technology
· Forestry, Environment and Climate Change
· Information and Communication Technology
· Science Education and Public Understanding
REGISTRATION:

Nepali Participants

Institutional: NPR 3000.00/- person
Individual: NPR 1500.00/- person

Foreign Participants

SAARC Countries: US$ 200.00/ person
Other Countries: US$ 500.00/ person
The fees can be paid by bank transfer (T/T or M/T), bank
draft/voucher or money order (D/D) payable to the NAST.
Bank: Nepal Rastra Bank, Thapathali
A/C No. B.O. 610146


CALL FOR PAPERS
by April 12, 2012 (Chaitra 30, 2068).

FOR DETAILS

Life's Trek Brings Scientist to U.S. from Nepal

There were fewer than 1,000 people in the tiny Nepalese village of Tanahun district when Jefferson Lab SRF Scientist Pashupati Dhakal grew up there. He was the son of the village's school principal. And at that time, the local school only went through middle school. Had he stayed there, it would have been a two-hour trek by foot to the nearest high school. Instead, he moved in with his grandfather in Pokhara, a popular tourist destination in Nepal.

                             

"This," he said with a sweep of his hand toward a stunning computer screen shot of the Himalayas, "is the view I woke up to every morning."

Impressive, indeed. Almost as impressive as Dhakal's abilities in math, which came to him early and were nurtured throughout his education. His first physics teacher at Tribhuvan University, where he did his undergraduate work, was, in Dhakal's words, "brilliant" and lured him into the field.

Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) 2011 Awards Announced

NAST has announced following awards to following personals. Congratulations to all of you.

NAST_Awardees_FY_ 2067_68

Nepali scholar makes breakthrough in TB

An exciting news published in www.ekantipur.com. Congratulations Prof Lamichhane!!!

KATHMANDU, OCT 03 -2011.

Gyanu Lamichhane, a 35-year-old Nepali researcher at John Hopkins University School of Medicine, has drawn the world several steps closer in finding a better, faster and reliable cure for tuberculosis (TB), which kills over two million people across the globe each year.

His latest findings have paved the way for a much faster approach of weakening the TB causing bacterium, Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, which could potentially shorten TB treatment that now takes at least six months.

In recognition of his achievement, the US government’s National Institute of Health honoured Lamichhane with the coveted New Innovator Award-2011 on September 19 along with a direct funding of $ 1.5 million (Rs 117 million) for his research to be carried out at the university within five years. A statement issued by the Institute on September 19 stated that the award was conferred on Lamichhane and 48 other young scientists for various promising researches in health sciences. 

During his research at Johns Hopkins Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Lamichhane, the assistant professor at the university, discovered what exactly the cell wall of TB causing bacteria is made of. He revealed that the protective cell wall of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis is held together by an enzyme named L,D-transpeptidase. The revelation is said to have come as a breakthrough in the effort to develop medicine that could break the protective wall of the bacterium and thus weaken it and cure the disease altogether.

His research has a key finding that if L,D-transpeptidase is unable to function, Mycobacterium Tuberculosis will have its cell wall weakened and the remaining chemical linkages in the bacterial wall will be an easy target for drugs used in the treatment of TB. Lamichhane now intends to pursue his research on what effect antibiotics will have on L,D-transpeptidase and the possible cure for tuberculosis as well as other bacterial infections.

“My primary interest is the study of genes essential to the growth of mycrobacteria. In future I intend to study the cell division and regulation of cell cycle in mycrobacteria,” Lamichhane told the John Hopkins University publication after receiving the award. He had harboured the dream of finding a cure for TB since 1993, when he was a high school student in Chitwan. In an interview with the Post in 2009, he had stated that his grandfather's death from TB pushed him to find a cure for it.

"My team was doing research with the aim to identify how mycobacterium tuberculosis  grows. We found that an unusual enzyme is required for the bacteria to grow properly and cause disease," he told the Post over telephone from the US on Sunday.

“We have demonstrated what needs to be done to make new drugs. Now the challenge is to work on making drugs and testing them,” he added.

About one third of the world’s population is believed to be infected with M Tuberculosis with 10 million new cases each year.

Tuberculosis is a leading cause of death among those who are infected with both HIV virus and M Tuberculosis, causing for the death of nearly 500,000 people with infections of both.

The complete treatment of tuberculosis requires at least six months for a “short” course treatment. Lamichhane hopes that the findings  will help shorten the treatment duration to mere two weeks.

Lamichhane, who himself suffered from latent tuberculosis, had received a grant worth $ 100,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation in 2009 for the research on tuberculosis. He was also featured as one of the 36 best and brightest in America by Esquire magazine in 2007.

Key findings

•Lamichhane found what exactly the cell wall of TB causing bacteria is made of

•He discovered that the protective cell wall of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis is held together by an enzyme named L,D-transpeptidase

•Findings to shorten TB treatment duration considerably

Nepali Scientist Receives $539,737 NSF Grant to Study Decision Making

A Nepali Physics professor (Dr. Mukesh Dhamala) working at Georgia State University has received a $539,737 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF)-NSF CAREER award, to pursue research that may lead to a better understanding of neurological disorders. This will allow Prof Dhamala to study how the brain puts information together from the senses to help make decisions.

To know about his research visit his website (click on his name above).

He did his BSc and MSc from Tribhuvan University, Nepal and PhD from University of Kansas, USA.

Nepalese Chemists community would like to congratulate Prof Dhamala for his success. We are proud of him.

This news can be read in detail here.

The NSF CAREER award is the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization. Such activities should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of integrated contributions to research and education. 

Send Your CV for Nepal Government's "National Science Mapping" Program

Ministry of Science and Technology (Government of Nepal) is collecting information about Nepali researchers (M. Sc. and above in pure science and Bachelor's degree and above in technical fields). For details visit http://planeta-observatory.gov.np/science.mapping.php?. 

They already have data of hundreds of Nepali Researchers and a 'profile' is being prepared. The info is going to be edited soon and will publish the profile.

National Science Mapping program has requested you to send your info.


Deadline: June 2010.

You can send your CURRICULUM VITAE as early as possible to plasmanepal@hotmail.com or to planetarium@most.gov.np

Also, you can submit online form at: http://planeta-observatory.gov.np/form.submit.php?

or you can download PDF version of the form, fill it and send. PDF version can be downloaded here.