Requirements for the formation of a chiral template

The chemisorptive enantioselectivity of propylene oxide is examined on Pd(111) surfaces templated by chiral 2-methylbutanoate and 2-aminobutanoate species. It has been found previously that chiral propylene oxide is chemisorbed enantiospecifically onto Pd(111) surfaces modified by either (R)- or (S)-2-butoxide. The enantiomeric excess (ee) varied with template coverage, reaching a maximum of approximately 31%. Templating the surface using 2-methylbutanoate, where the chiral center is identical to that in the 2-butoxide species, but is now anchored to the surface by a carboxylate rather than an alkoxide linkage, shows no enantiospecificity. The enantioselectivity is restored when the methyl group is replaced by an amine group, where a maximum ee value of approximately 27% is found. DFT calculations and infrared measurements suggest that the structures of the butyl group on the surface are similar for both 2-butoxide and 2-methylbutanoate species, implying that gross conformational changes are not responsible for differences in chemisorptive enantioselectivity. There is no clear correlation between the location of the chiral center and enantioselectivity, suggesting that differences in the template adsorption site are also not responsible for the lack of enantioselectivity. It is proposed that the 2-butyl group in 2-methylbutanoate species is less rigidly bonded to the surface than that in 2-butoxides, allowing the chiral center to rotate azimuthally. It is postulated that the role of the amino group in 2-aminobutanoate species is to anchor the chiral group to the surface to inhibit azimuthal rotation.     

New chemistry for the study of multiprotein complexes: the six-histidine tag as a receptor for a protein crosslinking reagent

Background: To study very large macromolecular complexes, it would be useful to be able to incorporate probe molecules, such as fluorescent tags or photoactivatable crosslinkers, into specific sites on proteins. Current methods for doing this use relatively large amounts of highly purified protein, limiting the general utility of these approaches. The need for covalent posttranslational chemistry also makes it extremely difficult to use modified proteins in studies of native complexes in crude lysates or in living cells. We set out to develop a protein tag that would circumvent these problems.Results: A very simple type of molecular recognition, metal-ligand complexation, can be used to deliver a nickel-based crosslinking reagent to proteins containing a six-histidine (His₆) tag. When activated with a peracid, the His₆-Ni complex mediates oxidative crosslinking of nearby proteins. The crosslinking reaction does not involve freely diffusible intermediates, and thus only those proteins in close proximity to the His₆-tagged polypeptide are crosslinked.Conclusions: The His₆ tag, commonly used as an affinity handle for the purification of recombinant proteins, can also be used as an internal receptor for an oxidative protein-crosslinking reagent. No covalent protein modifications are necessary, since the Hiss tag is introduced at the DNA level. The crosslinking reaction is fast, efficient in most cases, and provides products that are easily separated from most other proteins present. This methodology should find widespread use in the study of multiprotein complexes.     

Evaluation of the activation energy for the oligomerization of ethylene using a microreactor in a DTA

The theoretical considerations and the experimental data to calculate the activation energy of the ethylene oligomerization using a microreactor in a differential thermal analyzer are presented.     

Use of a desk programmable computer for calculating the calibration curve of a photographic emulsion for spectrographic analysis

A computer method for calculating the calibration curve for emulsion-covered glass plates used to interpret densities of lines for quantitative spectrographic work is reported. It follows a slightly modified ASTM graphical method, which is also described, to establish preliminary and emulsion calibration curves. Once the curves are established, the relative intensities are obtained from transmission data pairs for concentration lines and an internal standard line. The program is written in BASIC.     

Theory for a general system of increments for the properties of polycyclic hydrocarbons

A general non-empirical system of increments for the calculation of molecular properties of polycyclic, conjugated hydrocarbons is proposed. It is based on identifying the conjugation circuits in all Kekulé structures and assuming an increment from each circuit comparable to the magnitude of the property in the associated annulene. These increments are calculated by a simple free-electron theory with a Kuhn-type harmonic potential. No adjustable parameters are used to fit the property being calculated. The relation between this method and a very simplistic VB formalism is considered. The reason why the non-empirical parametrization of such crudely approximated formalism may lead to rather improved results is discussed in some detail. This novel system of increments is tested for two properties, resonance energy and magnetic ring-currents. The results obtained by this method correlate well with those of standard techniques. This system of increments for estimating local properties of molecules gave particularly gratifying results when used to predict ring-current intensities. It is hoped that this method, being equally applicable to other properties, will prove to be a valuable instrument for the rapid estimation of a wide range of properties of polycyclic, conjugated hydrocarbons. A preliminary account of this work was presented at the International Symposium on Aromaticity held at Dubrovnik, Croatia, Yugoslavia, September 3–5, 1979     

Strategies for increasing the efficiency of a genetic algorithm for the structural optimization of nanoalloy clusters

An improved genetic algorithm (GA) is described that has been developed to increase the efficiency of finding the global minimum energy isomers for nanoalloy clusters. The GA is optimized for the example Pt12Pd12, with specific investigation of: the effect of biasing the initial population by seeding; the effect of removing specified clusters from the population ("predation"); and the effect of varying the type of mutation operator applied. These changes are found to significantly enhance the efficiency of the GA, which is subsequently demonstrated by the application of the best strategy to a new cluster, namely Pt19Pd19.     

Salep as a biological source for the synthesis of biochar with utility for the catalysis

Hydrothermal carbonization of salep as a domestic biosource was carried out to afford a biochar, BC, with exceptional catalytic activity. BC can be further magnetized by incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles to furnish a magnetic catalyst, BC‐Fe, with improved recovery and recyclability for the hydrogenation of nitroarenes in the absence of any precious metal. BC‐Fe was also applied as a catalyst support for the immobilization of Pd nanoparticles and development of an efficient, biocompatible and cost‐effective catalyst, Pd@BC‐Fe, with utility for the oxidation of benzyl alcohols under mild reaction condition in a selective manner to afford corresponding acids in high yields. The study of the recyclability of the catalyst confirmed high recyclability of Pd@BC‐Fe.     

Direct observation for the cyclization of a diarylcarbonyl oxide

Trapping and laser flash spectroscopic experiments showed that the cyclization of diphenylcarbonyl oxide is turned into a very facile process by introducing p-methoxyl substituent, the lifetime of which is as short as 10⁻⁸ s. The trapping with diphenylsulfide and -sulfoxide suggested the intervention of a dioxirane intermediate.     

Transformation diagrams for the collapse of a phospholipid monolayer

The kinetics of phase transitions in three-dimensional bulk materials are commonly presented in transformation diagrams. Time-temperature transformation (TTT) and continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) diagrams plot the time required to transform specific fractions of the material to the new phase by cooling below a transition temperature. Transformation occurs isothermally for the TTT diagrams and during continuous cooling through a range of temperatures for CCT curves. Here we present analogous transformation diagrams for two-dimensional monolayers, which collapse at the equilibrium spreading pressure (pi e) to form a three-dimensional bulk phase. Time-surface pressure-transformation (TpiT) diagrams give the time required for specific fractions of the film to collapse when surface pressure is constant, and continuous-compression-transformation diagrams give the same information when surface pressure varies continuously. The diagrams, constructed here from previously reported data for 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl phosphatidylcholine, provide insights into the behavior of the films. The TpiT diagrams successfully predict the existence and approximate magnitude of a threshold rate for compressing the films to high surface pressures above pi e and the approximate shape of isotherms obtained with different rates of interfacial compression. The diagrams also caution that the behavior of mixed monolayers, explained previously in terms of compositional changes, can instead result from collapse that varies with surface pressure. Finally, the similarity between the shapes of the TTT and TpiT diagrams, with the time for transformation passing through a minimum and then increasing as the systems deviate further from equilibrium, suggests that analogous mechanisms determine the behavior of both systems.     

Theoretical model for the wetting of a rough surface

Many applications would benefit from an understanding of the physical mechanism behind fluid movement on rough surfaces, including the movement of water or contaminants within an unsaturated rock fracture. Presented is a theoretical investigation of the effect of surface roughness on fluid spreading. It is known that surface roughness enhances the effects of hydrophobic or hydrophilic behavior, as well as allowing for faster spreading of a hydrophilic fluid. A model is presented based on the classification of the regimes of spreading that occur when fluid encounters a rough surface: microscopic precursor film, mesoscopic invasion of roughness and macroscopic reaction to external forces. A theoretical relationship is developed for the physical mechanisms that drive mesoscopic invasion, which is used to guide a discussion of the implications of the theory on spreading conditions. Development of the analytical equation is based on a balance between capillary forces and frictional resistive forces. Chemical heterogeneity is ignored. The effect of various methods for estimating viscous dissipation is compared to available data from fluid rise on roughness experiments. Methods that account more accurately for roughness shape better explain the data as they account for more surface friction; the best fit was found for a hydraulic diameter approximation. The analytical solution implies the existence of a critical contact angle that is a function of roughness geometry, below which fluid will spread and above which fluid will resist spreading. The resulting equation predicts movement of a liquid invasion front with a square root of time dependence, mathematically resembling a diffusive process.     

A modification of the onsager theory for a dielectric

Onsager's theory of dipole moments is modified for radially inhomogeneous permittivity [form ?(r)=?_Bexp(—κ/r)] arising at the cavit Calculations show more consistent agreement between gaseous and liquid dipole moments with the modified theory.     

Development of a manufacturing process for the drug fenleuton

A new strategy for a large scale synthesis is developed and evaluated by the improvement of the current synthesis for fenleuton, a drug with important applications in leukotriene-mediated inflammatory diseases that acts through inhibition of the 5-lipoxygenase enzyme.