Jahn-Teller-like progressions in the absence and presence of Jahn-Teller distortions

Prominent progressions of non-totally symmetric modes may ensue in non-linear molecules in electronic transitions involving degenerate states in the absence of Jahn-Teller distortions. In the presence of Jahn-Teller interactions prominent non-Jahn-Teller progressions may result.     

Numerical and similarity solutions for reversible population balance equations with size-dependent rates

Population balance equations (PBEs) for reversible aggregation-fragmentation processes are important to particle agglomeration and dissolution, polymerization and degradation, liquid droplet coalescence and breakup, and floc coagulation and disintegration. Moment solutions provide convenient solutions to the PBEs, including steady state and similarity solutions, but may not be feasible for complex forms of size-dependent rate coefficients and stoichiometric kernels. Numeric solutions are thus necessary not only for applications, but also for the study of the mathematics of PBEs. Here we propose a numerical method to solve PBEs and compare the results to moment solutions. The numeric results are consistent with known steady state and asymptotic long-time similarity solutions and show how processes can be approximated by self-similar formulations.     

Elucidation of the vicarious nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen mechanism via studies of competition between substitution of hydrogen, deuterium, and fluorine.

Relations of rates of the vicarious nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen (VNS) and S(N)Ar substitution of fluorine in 2-fluoronitrobenzenes with chloroalkyl aryl sulfone carbanions were determined from competitive experiments carried out at various concentrations of base. The observed dependence of the VNS/S(N)Ar rate ratio on the base concentration confirmed the two-step mechanism of the VNS, which consists of reversible formation of sigma(H) adducts of the alpha-chlorocarbanion to nitroarene, followed by base-induced beta-elimination of HCl. It was also evidenced that both of these processes can be the rate-limiting steps: the beta-elimination at low base concentration and the nucleophilic addition at high base concentration. Consistent with that conclusion is the finding that the kinetic isotope effect in the VNS reaction decreases from 4.2 (a value typical of a primary KIE) to 0.8 (a value typical of a secondary KIE) with increasing base concentration. Also reported is our discovery that the S(N)Ar substitution of the 2-fluoronitrobenzenes studied in this work was subject to base catalysis under some of the experimental conditions employed in our competitive experiments.     

Simple method for the determination of rosiglitazone in human plasma using a commercially available internal standard

To the best of our knowledge, bioanalytical methods to determine rosiglitazone in human plasma reported in literature use internal standards that are not commercially available. Our purpose was to develop a simple method for the determination of rosiglitazone in plasma employing a commercially available internal standard (IS). After the addition of celecoxib (IS), plasma (0.25 mL) samples were extracted into ethyl acetate. The residue after evaporation of the organic layer was dissolved in 750 microL of mobile phase and 50 microL was injected on to HPLC. The separation was achieved using a Hichrom KR 100, 250 x 4.6 mm C(18) with a mobile phase composition potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer (0.01 m, pH 6.5):acetonitrile:methanol (40:50:10, v/v/v). The flow-rate of the mobile phase was set at 1 mL/min. The column eluate was monitored by fluorescence detector set at an excitation wavelength of 247 nm and emission wavelength of 367 nm. Linear relationships (r(2) > 0.99) were observed between the peak area ratio rosiglitazone to IS vs rosiglitazone concentrations across the concentration range 5-1000 ng/mL. The intra-run precision (%RSD) and accuracy (%Dev) in the measurement of rosiglitazone were <+/-10.69 and <-12.35%, respectively across the QC levels (50-1000 ng/mL). The extraction efficiency was >80% for both rosiglitazone and IS from human plasma. The lower limit of quantitation of the assay was 5 ng/mL. In summary, the methodology for rosiglitazone measurement in plasma was simple, sensitive and employed a commercially available IS.     

A criterion to demarcate the dual Diels-Alder and σ-complex behaviour of aromatic and heteroaromatic superelectrophiles

A frontier demarcating superelectrophilic compounds that undergo both Diels-Alder reactivity and σ-complexation reactions, from traditional electrophiles, is afforded through the thermodynamic tendency for σ-complexation as defined by the pK_a values for H₂O addition to electron-deficient aromatic and heteroaromatic substrates.     

Ultrasensitive small molecule fluorogenic probe for human heparanase

Heparanase (HPA) is a critical enzyme involved in the remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM), and its elevated expression has been linked with diseases such as various types of cancer and inflammation. The detection of heparanase enzymatic activity holds tremendous value in the study of the cellular microenvironment, and search of molecular therapeutics targeting heparanase, however, no structurally defined probes are available for the detection of heparanase activity. Here we present the development of the first ultrasensitive fluorogenic small-molecule probe for heparanase enzymatic activity via tuning the electronic effect of the substrate. The probe exhibits a 756-fold fluorescence turn-on response in the presence of human heparanase, allowing one-step detection of heparanase activity in real-time with a picomolar detection limit. The high sensitivity and robustness of the probe are exemplified in a high-throughput screening assay for heparanase inhibitors.

Heparanase, a critical enzyme involved in the remodeling of the extracellular matrix, activates a disaccharide probe HADP to give a strong fluorescence signal.     

Novel spectroscopic effects in molecular transitions involving degenerate electronic states

We discuss the intricate Jahn—Teller-like and non-Jahn—Teller spectroscopic patterns which result via the recently revealed cross-quadratic terms involves modes of different symmetry which arise in the nuclear potential of degenerate electronic states of non-linear molecules.     

Symmetry numbers and chemical reaction rates

This article shows how to evaluate rotational symmetry numbers for different molecular configurations and how to apply them to transition state theory. In general, the symmetry number is given by the ratio of the reactant and transition state rotational symmetry numbers. However, special care is advised in the evaluation of symmetry numbers in the following situations: (i) if the reaction is symmetric, (ii) if reactants and/or transition states are chiral, (iii) if the reaction has multiple conformers for reactants and/or transition states and, (iv) if there is an internal rotation of part of the molecular system. All these four situations are treated systematically and analyzed in detail in the present article. We also include a large number of examples to clarify some complicated situations, and in the last section we discuss an example involving an achiral diasteroisomer.     

A molecular-dynamics study of a model S(N)1 dissociation reaction at the water liquid/vapor interface

The thermodynamics and dynamics of a model S(N)1 reaction: t-BuCl --> t-Bu+ + Cl- is studied at the water liquid/vapor interface using molecular-dynamics computer simulations. The empirical valence bond approach is used to couple two diabatic states, covalent and ionic, in the electronically adiabatic limit. Umbrella sampling calculations are used to calculate the potential of mean force along the reaction coordinate (defined as the t-Bu to Cl distance) in bulk water and in several locations at the interface. We find a significant increase of the dissociation barrier height and of the reaction free energy at the interface relative to the bulk. This is shown to be due to the reduced polarity of the interface. Reactive flux correlation function calculations show significant deviation of the rate constant from the transition-state theory: The transmission coefficients range from 0.49 in the bulk to 0.05 above the Gibbs surface. The low transmission coefficient at the interface despite the lower friction is shown to be due to slow vibrational relaxation.     

Nitrogen bridgehead compounds. Part 76 Synthesis and stereochemistry of ethyl 9-benzylidene-6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-2-oxo-2H- and 4-oxo-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine-3-carboxylates and their homologues

Ethyl 4-oxo-6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine-3-carboxylates 1–4 , their piperidine ring homologues 5–6 and their 2-oxo isomers 7–9 were reacted with benzaldehyde. At low temperature, kinetically stable addition products were formed. Thermodynamically stable condensation products were obtained at higher temperature, which were also formed when the addition products were refluxed in benzene. The 9-benzyl derivatives were prepared by the hydrogenation of the condensation products over Pd/C. The stereochemical features of the new compounds were determined via ¹H and ¹³C nmr chemical shift and coupling constant analysis and NOE measurements.