Complexation and chiral recognition thermodynamics of 6-amino-6-deoxy-beta-cyclodextrin with anionic, cationic, and neutral chiral guests: counterbalance between van der Waals and coulombic interactions

The stability constant (K), standard free energy (Delta G degrees), enthalpy (Delta H degrees), and entropy changes (T Delta S degrees) for the complexation of 6-amino-6-deoxy-beta-cyclodextrin with more than 50 negatively or positively charged as well as neutral guests, including 22 enantiomer pairs, have been determined in aqueous phosphate buffer (pH 6.9) at 298.15 K by titration microcalorimetry. The thermodynamic parameters obtained in this study and the relevant data for native beta-cyclodextrin indicate that the complexation and chiral discrimination behavior of the cationic host with charged guests are governed by the critical counterbalance between the electrostatic interactions of the charged groups in host and guest and the conventional intracavity interactions of the hydrophobic moiety of guest, such as hydrophobic, van der Waals, solvation/desolvation, and hydrogen-bonding interactions.     

Effect of beta-cyclodextrin charge type on the molecular recognition thermodynamics of reactions with (ferrocenylmethyl)dimethylaminium derivatives

Complex stability constants (KS), standard molar enthalpic changes (DeltaH degrees ), and entropic changes (TDeltaS degrees ) for the inclusion complexations of native beta-cyclodextrin (1) and two oppositely charged beta-cyclodextrins, i.e., mono(6-amino-6-deoxy)- beta-cyclodextrin (2) and mono[6-O-6-(4-carboxylphenyl)]- beta-cyclodextrin (3), with two (ferrocenylmethyl)dimethylaminium derivatives, i.e., FC4+Br(-) and FC8+Br(-), were determined at 25 degrees C in aqueous phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.20) by means of isothermal titration microcalorimetry (ITC). Cyclic voltammetry studies showed that the ferrocene groups of the guests were included in the beta-cyclodextrin cavity to form host-guest complexes. As compared with neutral beta-cyclodextrin, the positively charged host 2 showed decreased binding toward (ferrocenylmethyl)dimethylaminium guests. This was attributed to electrostatic repulsion, while the negatively charged host 3 displayed increased binding due to electrostatic attractions. Thermodynamically, the ionization of host CDs affects both enthalpic and entropic changes of host-guest complexations presumably by changing the hydrophobicity and the desolvation effect of hosts upon inclusion complexation. Moreover, the solvent effect was also discussed from the viewpoint of thermodynamics.     

Synthesis of phosphoryl-tethered beta-cyclodextrins and their molecular and chiral recognition thermodynamics

Two novel phosphoryl-bridged bis- and tris(beta-cyclodextrin)s of different tether lengths, i.e., bis[m-(N-(6-cyclodextryl)-2-aminoethylaminosulfonyl)phenyl]-m-(chlorosulfonyl)phenylphosphine oxide (5) and tris[m-(N-(6-cyclodextryl)-8-amino-3,6-diazaoctylaminosulfonyl)phenyl]phosphine oxide (6), have been synthesized by reactions of 6-oligo(ethylenediamino)-6-deoxy-beta-cyclodextrins with tris[m-(chlorosulfonyl)phenyl]phosphine oxide. The complex stability constants (K(S)), standard molar enthalpy (Delta H degrees ), and entropy changes (Delta S degrees ) were determined at 25 degrees C for the inclusion complexation of phosphoryl-modified bis- and tris-cyclodextrins (5 and 6, respectively), mono[6-O-(ethoxyhydroxyphosphoryl)]-beta-cyclodextrin (2), mono[6-O-(diethylamino-ethoxyphosphoryl)]-beta-cyclodextrin (3), and mono[6-O-(diphenoxyphosphoryl)]-beta-cyclodextrin (4) with representative alicyclic and N-Cbz-D/L-alanine guests in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.2 by means of titration microcalorimetry. The thermodynamic parameters obtained indicate that the charge-dipole interaction between the phosphoryl moiety and the negatively charged guests, as well as the conformational difference of modified beta-cyclodextrins in aqueous solution, significantly contribute to the inclusion complexation and the enhanced chiral discrimination. The interactions and binding modes between the hosts and chiral guests were further studied by two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy to elucidate the influence of the structural features of hosts on their increased chiral recognition ability and to establish the correlation between the conformation of the resulting complexes and the thermodynamic parameters obtained.     

Complexation of polyvalent cyclodextrin ions with oppositely charged guests: entropically favorable complexation due to dehydration

Thermodynamic parameters for complexation of polyvalent cyclodextrin (CD) cation and anion with oppositely charged guests have been determined in D2O containing 0.02 M NaCl by means of 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Protonated heptakis(6-amino-6-deoxy)-beta-CD (per-NH3+-beta-CD) forms stable inclusion complexes with monovalent guest anions. The enthalpy (deltaH) and entropy changes (deltaS) for complexation of per-NH3+-beta-CD with p-methylbenzoate anion (p-CH3-Ph-CO2-) are 3.8 +/- 0.7 kJ mol(-1) and 88.6 +/- 2.2 J mol(-1) K(-1), respectively. The deltaH and deltaS values for the native beta-CD-p-CH3-Ph-CO2- system are -8.6 +/- 0.1 kJ mol(-1) and 15.3 +/- 0.7 J mol(-1) K(-1), respectively. The thermodynamic parameters clearly indicate that dehydration from both the host and guest ions accounts for the entropic gain in inclusion process of p-CH3-Ph-CO2- into the per-NH3+-beta-CD cavity. The fact that the neutral guests such as 2,6-dihydroxynaphthalene and p-methylbenzyl alcohol hardly form the complexes with per-NH3+-beta-CD exhibits that van der Waals and/or hydrophobic interactions do not cause the complexation of the polyvalent CD cation with the monovalent anion. The acetate anion is not included into the per-NH3+-beta-CD cavity, while the butanoate and hexanoate anions form the inclusion complexes. The complexation of the alkanoate anions is entropically dominated. Judging from these results, it may be concluded that Coulomb interactions cooperated with inclusion are required for realizing the large entropic gain due to extended dehydration. Entropically favorable complexation was also observed for the anionic CD-cationic guest system. The present study might present a general mechanism for ion pairing in water.     

Complexation of ferrocene derivatives by the cucurbit[7]uril host: a comparative study of the cucurbituril and cyclodextrin host families

The formation of inclusion complexes between cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) and ferrocene and its derivatives has been investigated. The X-ray crystal structure of the 1:1 inclusion complex between ferrocene and CB[7] revealed that the guest molecule resides in the host cavity with two different orientations. Inclusion of a set of five water-soluble ferrocene derivatives in CB[7] was investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy and calorimetric and voltammetric techniques. Our data indicate that all neutral and cationic guests form highly stable inclusion complexes with CB[7], with binding constants in the 10(9)-10(10) M(-)(1) and 10(12)-10(13) M(-1) ranges, respectively. However, the anionic ferrocenecarboxylate, the only negatively charged guest among those surveyed, was not bound by CB[7] at all. These results are in sharp contrast to the known binding behavior of the same guests to beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD), since all the guests form stable inclusion complexes with beta-CD, with binding constants in the range 10(3)-10(4) M(-1). The electrostatic surface potentials of CB[6], CB[7], and CB[8] and their size-equivalent CDs were calculated and compared. The CD portals and cavities exhibit low surface potential values, whereas the regions around the carbonyl oxygens in CBs are significantly negative, which explains the strong affinity of CBs for positively charged guests and also provides a rationalization for the rejection of anionic guests. Taken together, our data suggest that cucurbiturils may form very stable complexes. However, the host-guest interactions are very sensitive to some structural features, such as a negatively charged carboxylate group attached to the ferrocene residue, which may completely disrupt the stability of the complexes.     

Methylated β-cyclodextrins: influence of degree and pattern of substitution on the thermodynamics of complexation with tauro- and glyco-conjugated bile salts

The complexation of 6 bile salts with various methylated β-cyclodextrins was studied to elucidate how the degree and pattern of substitution affects the binding. The structures of the CDs were determined by mass spectrometry and NMR techniques, and the structures of the inclusion complexes were characterized from the complexation-induced shifts of (13)C nuclei as well as by 2D ROESY NMR. Thermodynamic data were generated using isothermal titration calorimetry. The structure-properties analysis showed that methylation at O3 hinders complexation by partially blocking the cavity entrance, while methyl groups at O2 promote complexation by extending the hydrophobic cavity. Like in the case of 2-hydroxypropylated cyclodextrins, the methyl substituents cause an increased release of ordered water from the hydration shell of the bile salts, resulting in a strong increase in both the enthalpy and the entropy of complexation with increased number of methyl substituents. Due to enthalpy-entropy compensation the effect on the stability constant is relatively limited. However, when all hydroxyl groups are methylated, the rigid structure of the free cyclodextrin is lost and the complexes are severely destabilized due to very unfavorable entropies.     

Interplay between hydration and electrostatic attraction in ligand binding: direct observation of hydration barrier at reverse micellar interface

The recognition of a charged biomolecular surface by an oppositely charged ligand is governed by electrostatic attraction and surface hydration. In the present study, the interplay between electrostatic attraction and hydration at the interface of a negatively charged reverse micelle (RM) at different temperatures has been addressed. Temperature-dependent solvation dynamics of a probe H33258 (H258) at the reverse micellar interface explores the nature of hydration at the interface. Up to 45 degrees C, the environmental dynamics reported by the interface-binding probe H258 becomes progressively faster with increasing temperature and follows the Arrhenius model. Above 45 degrees C, the observed dynamics slows down with increasing temperature, thus deviating from the Arrhenius model. The slower dynamics at higher temperatures is interpreted to be due to increasing contributions from the motions of the surfactant head groups, indicating the proximity of the probe to the interface at higher temperatures. This suggests an increased electrostatic attraction between the ligand and interface at higher temperatures and is attributed to the change in hydration. Densimetric and acoustic studies, indeed, show a drastic increase in the apparent specific adiabatic compressibility of the water molecules present in RMs after 45 degrees C, revealing the existence of a softer hydration shell at higher temperatures. Our study indicates that the hydration layer at a charged interface acts both as physical and energetic barrier to electrostatic interactions of small ligands at the interface.     

Solubilization of Polycyclic Aromatics in Water by γ‐Cyclodextrin Derivatives

A series of hydrophilic per‐6‐thio‐6‐deoxy‐γ‐cyclodextrins (CDs) were synthesized from per‐6‐iodo‐6‐deoxy‐γ‐CD. These new hosts are able to solubilize polycyclic aromatic guests in aqueous solution to much higher extents than native CDs. Phase‐solubility diagrams were mostly linear in accordance with both 1:1 and 1:2 CD–guest complexes in aqueous solution. The stoichiometry of the inclusion complexes was further investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy, which revealed very pronounced Stokes shifts typical for 1:2 complexes. This finding was further consolidated by quantum mechanical calculations of dimer formation of the guests and space‐filling considerations by using the cross‐sectional areas of the CDs and guests. The calculated dimerization energies correlated well with the binding free energies measured for the 1:2 complexes, and provided the main contribution to the driving force of complexation in the γ‐CD cavity.     

Synthesis and structure of the bilayer hydrate Na0.3NiO2.1.3D2O

The metal oxide bilayer deuterate (hydrate) Na(0.3)NiO2.1.3D2O (Na(0.3)NiO2.1.3H2O) were prepared from NaxNiO2 by extracting Na+ cations and simultaneously intercalating fully and nondeuterated water. High-resolution neutron powder diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy were used to show that a Na(0.3)(D2O)(1.3) network separates layers of edge-sharing NiO6 octahedra.     

Synthesis, structure, and inclusion capabilities of trehalose-based cyclodextrin analogues (cyclotrehalans)

Concise and efficient strategies toward the synthesis of D2h- and D3h-symmetric cyclodextrin analogues alternating alpha,alpha'-trehalose disaccharide subunits and pseudoamide segments (cyclotrehalans, CTs) are reported. The conformational properties of these cyclooligosaccharides are governed by the rigidity of the alpha,alpha'-trehalose disaccharide repeating unit and the partial double-bond character of the N-(C=X) linkages. In contrast to the typical concave-shaped cavity of cyclodextrins (CDs), CTs feature a convex-shaped hydrophobic cavity in which the beta-face of the monosaccharide subunits is oriented toward the inner side, as supported by NMR and modeling (molecular mechanics and dynamics) studies. In the case of cyclodimeric CTs (CT2s), the existence of intramolecular hydrogen bonds results in collapsed cavities, too small to allow the formation of inclusion complexes with organic molecules. Cyclotrimeric CTs (CT3s) display cavity sizes that are intermediate between those of alphaCD and betaCD, ideally suited for the complexation of complementary guests with ternary symmetry such as adamantane 1-carboxylate (AC). The higher flexibility of the pseudoamide bridges as compared with classical glycosidic linkages endow these glyconanocavities with some conformational adaptability properties, making them better suited than CDs for complexation of angular guests, as seen from comparative inclusion capability experiments against the fluorescent probes 6-p-toluidinonaphthalene-2-sulfonate (TNS; linear) and 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonate (ANS; angular).     

Gallium(III) adsorption on carbonates and oxides: X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy study and surface complexation modeling

Adsorption of Ga on calcite, magnesite, amorphous silica, and manganese oxide as a function of pH and gallium concentration in solution was studied using a batch adsorption technique. Adsorbed complexes of Ga on calcite, magnesite, and delta-MnO2 were further characterized using XAFS spectroscopy. At high surface loadings from supersaturated solutions, Ga is likely to form a polymeric network at the surface (edge- and corner-sharing octahedra). At low surface loadings, Ga presents as isolated octahedra, probably attached to the Me-O sites on the surface, and coordinated by water molecules and hydroxide groups at 1.90-1.94 A. At pH>6, Ga therefore changes its coordination from 4 to 6 when adsorbing from solution (Ga(OH)(-)4(aq)) onto metal surface sites (MeOGa(OH)n(H2O)2-n(5-n), Me = Ca, Mg, or Mn, and n=1 and 2 for carbonate minerals and MnO2, respectively). Because the EXAFS is not capable of seeing hydrogen atoms, the protonation of surface complexes was determined by fitting the experimental pH-dependent Ga adsorption edge. A surface complexation model which assumes the constant capacitance of the electric double layer (CCM) and postulates the formation of positively charged, neutral and negatively charged surface complexes for carbonates, manganese oxide and silica, respectively, was used to describe the dependence of adsorption equilibria on aqueous solution composition in a wide range of pH and Ga concentration.     

A combined treatment of hydration and dynamical effects for the modeling of host–guest binding thermodynamics: the SAMPL5 blinded challenge

As part of the SAMPL5 blinded experiment, we computed the absolute binding free energies of 22 host–guest complexes employing a novel approach based on the BEDAM single-decoupling alchemical free energy protocol with parallel replica exchange conformational sampling and the AGBNP2 implicit solvation model specifically customized to treat the effect of water displacement as modeled by the Hydration Site Analysis method with explicit solvation. Initial predictions were affected by the lack of treatment of ionic charge screening, which is very significant for these highly charged hosts, and resulted in poor relative ranking of negatively versus positively charged guests. Binding free energies obtained with Debye–Hückel treatment of salt effects were in good agreement with experimental measurements. Water displacement effects contributed favorably and very significantly to the observed binding affinities; without it, the modeling predictions would have grossly underestimated binding. The work validates the implicit/explicit solvation approach employed here and it shows that comprehensive physical models can be effective at predicting binding affinities of molecular complexes requiring accurate treatment of conformational dynamics and hydration.     

Ion pairing in fast-exchange host-guest systems: concentration dependence of apparent association constants for complexes of neutral hosts and divalent guest salts with monovalent counterions

An equilibrium treatment of complexation of neutral hosts with dicationic guests having univalent counterions includes two possible modes: (1) dissociation of the ion pair prior to interaction of the free dication with the host to produce a complex that is not ion paired and (2) direct complexation of the ion pair to produce an ion paired complex. This treatment is easily modified for complexation of neutral guests by dianionic hosts, or divalent hosts by neutral guests. The treatment was tested by a study of fast-exchange host-guest systems based on paraquats or viologens (G(2+)2X(-)) and crown ethers (H). The bis(hexafluorophosphate) salts of viologens are predominantly ion paired in acetone; the value of the dissociation constant of paraquat bis(hexafluorophosphate) was determined to be 4.64 (+/- 1.86) x 10(-4) M(2). The complex based on dibenzo-24-crown-8 and paraquat bis(hexafluorophosphate) is not ion paired in solution, resulting in concentration dependence of the apparent association constant K(a,exp), (= [complex]/[H][G(2+)2X(-)]) which is well fit by the treatment, according to mode (1), yielding K(ap) = 106 (+/-42) M(-1). However, the four complexes of two different bis(m-phenylene)-32-crown-10 derivatives and bis(p-phenylene)-34-crown-10 with paraquat derivatives are all ion paired in solution and therefore K(a,exp) is not concentration dependent for these systems, mode (2). X-ray crystal structures support these solution-based assessments in that there is clearly ion pairing of the cationic guest with its PF(6)(-) counterions in the solid states of the latter four examples in which access of the counterions to the guests is granted by the relatively large cavities of the hosts and dispositions of the guest species within them.     

Enantioseparation of dihydropyridine derivatives by means of neutral and negatively charged beta-cyclodextrin derivatives using capillary electrophoresis

Employing capillary electrophoresis, the racemates of 29 acidic, neutral and basic dihydropyridines (DHPs) were separated by means of neutral and negatively charged cyclodextrins (CDs). Whereas the enantiomers of the acidic DHPs could be resolved with neutral CDs, mostly alpha- and beta-CD, the enantiomers of the neutral DHPs were only baseline-separated using the sulfobutyl ether-substituted beta-CD. Working in reversed polarity mode (detector at the anode) improved the peak shape and the resolution of the enantiomers. The racemates of the DHP bearing a secondary or tertiary amine function in the side chain at position 3 could be separated by using either the neutral gamma-CD or negatively charged CDs. The poor peak shape found with anionic CDs could be improved by the addition of methanol. The combination of gamma-CD and sulfated beta-CD allowed the detection of the minor enantiomer of lercanidipine (24) at less than 1% w/w.     

pH-dependent cyclodextrin capillary electrophoresis resolution of atropisomers

Five noncommercial and four commercially available cyclodextrin (CD) derivatives were tested as chiral auxiliaries for the capillary electrophoretic (CE) resolution of racemic 1,1'-bi-(2-naphthol) (BN), 1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diyl hydrogenphosphate (BNHP), and 1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diamine (BNA) at pH 4.0, 6.5, and 8.6. The noncommercial CDs were ethyloxycarbonyl-gamma-CD (ethylcarbonate-gamma-CD), dimethylamino ethyloxycarbonyl-beta-CD, a mercaptosuccinic acid derivative of beta-CD, a maleic acid derivative of beta-CD and heptakis(6-deoxy-6-amino)-beta-CD derivative with one amino group on the C-6 carbon of each glucose unit. Except for the latter, the remaining derivatives were synthesized for this work. Also commercially available methyl-beta-CD, hydroxypropyl-beta-CD and the native beta- and gamma-CDs were examined. Among the nine CDs tested, the maleic acid derivative of beta-CD gave the most interesting performances, since it resolved the atropisomers of BNA and BNHP in the same electrophoretic run at pH 4.0. It resolved the BNA racemate also at pH 6.5. Both the negatively charged CD tested were found to resolve anionic BNHP enantiomers, while positively charged CDs did not with cationic BNA. Several of the CDs investigated in this work were found to resolve the BNHP racemate, although at nonoptimal concentration. None of the experimented CDs was found to resolve the electrically neutral BN atropisomers pair at the three pHs considered, while some among these nine, experimented in a previous work, did so at higher pH.     

Factors controlling the complex architecture of native and modified cyclodextrins with dipeptide (Z-Glu-Tyr) studied by microcalorimetry and NMR spectroscopy: critical effects of peripheral bis-trimethylamination and cavity size

Complex stability constant (K), standard free energy (DeltaG degrees ), reaction enthalpy (DeltaH degrees ), and entropy change (TDeltaS degrees ) for 1:1 inclusion complexation of the diastereomeric dipeptides Z-d/l-Glu-l-Tyr (Z = benzyloxycarbonyl) and its component amino acids (Z-d/l-Glu and N-Ac-Tyr) with native alpha-, beta-, and gamma-cyclodextrins (CDs) and A,X-modified bis(6-trimethylammonio-6-deoxy)-beta-CDs (AX-TMA(2)-beta-CDs) were determined in buffer solution (pH 6.9) at T = 298.15 K by isothermal titration microcalorimetry. Concurrent NMR spectral examinations revealed that the penetration mode and the resulting complex architecture are dramatically altered by the peripheral modification and also by the CD's cavity size. Upon complexation of the ditopic Z-Glu-Tyr guest, native alpha- and beta-CDs preferentially bind the Z's phenyl group, whereas AX-TMA(2)-beta-CDs predominantly include the Tyr's phenol moiety. In contrast, native gamma-CD includes both of the aromatic moieties simultaneously in the same cavity. Furthermore, for isomeric AB-, AC, and AD-TMA(2)-beta-CDs, an inversion of enantioselectivity and a switching of the penetration mode were observed, critically depending on the position of TMA substituents.     

Spectrofluorimetric determination of benzoimidazolic pesticides: effect of p-sulfonatocalix[6]arene and cyclodextrins

The effect of the addition of a macrocyclic host (H) such as p-sulfonatocalix[6]arene (C6S), native and modified cyclodextrins (CDs), on the fluorescence of benzoimidazolic fungicides (P), like Benomyl (BY) and Carbendazim (CZ), has been studied. The fluorescence of BY in water at pH 1.000 and 25.0 degrees C was increased in the presence of C6S, alphaCD and hydroxypropyl-beta-CD (HPCD). The association constants determined by fluorescence enhancement showed weak interactions (K(A) approximately 10(1) to 10(2) M(-1)) between the fungicide with both CDs, whereas they were stronger with C6S (K(A) approximately 10(5) M(-1)). Molecular recognition of BY for C6S was mainly attributed to electrostatic interactions, and for CDs to the hydrophobic effect and hydrogen bond formation. On the other hand, the fluorescent behaviour of CZ in the presence of C6S at pH 6.994 was interpreted as the formation of two complexes with 1:1 (P:H) and 1:2 (P:H(2)) stoichiometry, the latter being less fluorescent than the free analyte. Relative fluorescence quantum yield ratios between the complexed and free BY (phi(P:H)/phi(P)) were 2.00+/-0.05, 1.40+/-0.03 and 2.8+/-0.4 for C6S, alphaCD and HPCD, respectively. The analytical parameters improved in the presence of C6S and CDs. The best limit of detection (L(D), ng mL(-1)) was 17.4+/-0.8 with HPCD. The proposed method with C6S and HPCD was successfully applied to fortified samples of tap water and orange flesh extract with good recoveries (91-106%) and R.S.D. (< or = 2%) by triplicate analysis. The method is rapid, direct and simple and needs no previous degradation or derivatization reaction.     

Distorted hexagonal phase studied by neutron diffraction: lipid components demixed in a bent monolayer

The recent discovery of a distorted hexagonal phase in 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylethanolamine/1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DOPE/DOPC) mixtures raised the intriguing question as to whether lipid mixtures demix in a bent monolayer. We performed neutron diffraction on a mixture of headgroup deuterated DOPC-d(13) and nondeuterated DOPE to study the lipid distribution in the distorted hexagonal phase. The 1:1 lipid mixture in full hydration and 25 degrees C was in a homogeneous lamellar phase. Upon dehydration the mixture transformed to a rhombohedral phase, then to a distorted inverted hexagonal phase, and finally to a regular inverted hexagonal phase. In the distorted hexagonal phase, the diffraction pattern showed a two-dimensional monoclinic lattice with two reciprocal vectors of equal length (1.5 nm(-)(1)) forming an angle 53 degrees between them. Diffraction intensities measured while varying the D(2)O/H(2)O ratio in the humidity was used to solve the phase problem. The neutron scattering length density distribution of the distorted hexagonal phase was constructed. The constant density contours are approximately elliptical. The difference in the eccentricities of the contours between the water and lipid distributions indicates that the DOPE/DOPC ratio is not uniform around the elliptical lipid tube in the unit cell. DOPE is preferentially distributed at the vertex regions where the curvature is the highest. Thus for the first time it is shown that when a monolayer of a homogeneous lipid mixture is bent, the lipid components are partially demixed in reaching the free energy minimum.     

Revisiting the crystal structure and thermal properties of NaMgAl(oxalate)3 x 9 H2O/Cr(III): an extraordinary spectral hole-burning material

We have reinvestigated the crystal structure and thermal properties of NaMgAl(oxalate)(3).9H(2)O. In the thermal gravimetric analysis the steps of dehydration and decomposition/oxidation yield a mass change that is commensurate with 9 water molecules of hydration. Dehydration steps occur at 127, 171, and 201 degrees C whereas the oxalate ligand decomposes in steps at 403 and 424 degrees C with a final oxidation step at 692 degrees C. A refinement of the single crystal X-ray diffraction data taken at 200 K affirms the P3c1 space group with nine water molecules of hydration and unit cell parameters a = b = 16.7349(2) A and c = 12.6338(1) A with Z = 6. The structures can be described in terms of modulations of an idealised Z = 1 structure in P3[combining macron]lm. T-Cycle experiments of spectral holes in the R(1)-line yield a single Gaussian barrier with T(0) +/- sigma(T) of 46 +/- 21 K and three barriers with 40 +/- 12, 70 +/- 10, 107 +/- 5 K for perprotonated and partially deuterated (46%) NaMgAl(oxalate)(3).9H(2)O/Cr(iii) 0.5%, respectively.     

Native and methylated cyclodextrins with positive and negative solubility coefficients in water studied by SAXS and SANS

While the solubility of native alpha-, beta-, gamma-cyclodextrins (CDs) in water rises with temperature, the opposite is true for their methylated derivatives (mCDs; per-dimethylated beta-CD and per-trimethylated gamma-CD). The mCDs are well-soluble in cold water and crystallize upon heating, which we associate with the hydrophobic effect. To study the hydrophobic effect and hydration of CDs and mCDs dissolved in water (D 2O), we performed small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS and SANS) measurements. The experimental scattering curves were put on absolute scale and compared to scattering curves calculated from crystal structures using the cube method. The results of the comparison indicate that (i) in solution, CDs and mCDs are in monomeric form, (ii) van der Waals and solute excluded volumes can be related by introducing a shell of a thickness that correlates with the solute's structure and solute-water interactions, and (iii) the SAXS curves calculated under the assumption of a uniform distribution of electron density in the solute molecules agree with experimental ones for CDs, but not for mCDs. The temperature and concentration dependence of SAXS curves is significant for mCDs and weak for CDs and is discussed in terms of solute-solute interactions. Specifically, these interactions become more attractive in solutions of mCDs with increasing temperature, concentration, or both, in accord with mCDs' negative temperature coefficient of solubility in water.