Shockley surface states on three faces of bcc iron

Strictly localized or resonance Shockley surface states have been found on the (111), (010) and (110) faces of paramagnetic bcc iron for ,¯M and ¯N points in the corresponding surface Brillouin zones. Energy, character of wave function and its damping for these states are reported. Emphasis is laid on implications of surface states in photoemission, field-electron and -ion emission, electron energy-loss or disappearance potential spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, work function, magnetic properties, electric conductivity, as well as chemisorption and catalysis.     

Fluorescence of the single tryptophan of cutinase: temperature and pH effect on protein conformation and dynamics

The cutinase from Fusarium solani pisi is an enzyme with a single L-tryptophan (Trp) involved in a hydrogen bond with an alanine (Ala) residue and located close to a cystine formed by a disulfide bridge between two cysteine (Cys) residues. The Cys strongly quenches the fluorescence of Trp by both static and dynamic quenching mechanisms. The Trp fluorescence intensity increases by about fourfold on protein melting because of the disruption of the Ala-Trp hydrogen bond that releases the Trp from the vicinity of the cystine residue. The Trp forms charge-transfer complexes with the disulfide bridge, which is disrupted by UV light irradiation of the protein. This results in a 10-fold increase of the Trp fluorescence quantum yield because of the suppression of the static quenching by the cystine residue. The Trp fluorescence anisotropy decays are similar to those in other proteins and were interpreted in terms of the wobbling-in-cone model. The long relaxation time is attributed to the Brownian rotational correlation time of the protein as a whole below the protein-melting temperature and to protein-backbone dynamics above it. The short relaxation time is related to the local motion of the Trp, whose mobility increases on protein denaturation.     

A common method for the determination of several calcium channel blockers using an HPLC system with ultraviolet detection

We report a common HPLC method for the single or simultaneous determination of four calcium channel blockers (CCB), namely diltiazem (DTZ), verapamil (VER), nifedipine (NIF) and nitrendipine (NIT) and their active metabolites demetildiltiazem and deacetildiltiazem (MA and M1), norverapamil (NOR), and dehydronifedipine (DHN). DHN was first synthesised in our laboratory and different pH values of the mobil phase were subsequently prepared and tested for chromatographic separation. The detection system and the environmental light conditions were optimised. The best separations of all analytes were obtained using a C₁₈ column and a mobile phase of methanol, 0.04 M ammonium acetate, acetonitrile and triethylamine (2:2:1:0.04 v/v). Quantitation was performed using imipramine (IMI) as the internal standard. For DTZ and its metabolites (M1 and MA), the wavelength chosen was 237 nm; for VER and its metabolite NOR, it was 210 nm; and, finally for NIF and its metabolite DHN and NIT it was 216 nm. When a simultaneous analysis was carried out the wavelength was of 230 nm. The optimum pH were 7.90 and 7.10 when the separation of NIT and DTZ or VER and NIF were carried out, respectively, and 7.90 when a simultaneous separation was carried out. The detection limit of the assay was less than 8 ng ml⁻¹ for all compounds, with coefficients of variation less than 7% (for inter- and intra-day) over the concentration range of 1–1000 ng ml⁻¹. The retention times were less than 11 min. When NIF or NIT were studied, it was necessary to use a sodium vapour lamp in order to avoid the photodegradation which takes place under daylight conditions.     

Therapeutic monitoring of imipramine and desipramine by micellar liquid chromatography with direct injection and electrochemical detection

A micellar liquid chromatographic (MLC) procedure was developed for the clinical monitoring of imipramine and its active metabolite, desipramine. The determination of these highly hydrophobic substances was carried out after direct injection of the serum samples using a mobile phase composed of 0.15 m SDS--6% (v/v) pentanol buffered at pH 7, pumped at 1.5 mL/min into a C(18) column (250 x 4.6 mm), and electrochemical detection at 650 mV. Using this MLC method, calibration was linear (r > 0.995) and the limits of detection (ng/mL) were 0.34 and 0.24 for imipramine and desipramine, respectively. Repeatabilities and intermediate precision were tested at three different concentrations in the calibration range and a CV (%) below 2.2 was obtained. In this MLC procedure, the serum is determined without treatment, thus allowing repeated serial injections without changes in retention factors, and reducing the time and consumables required to carry out the pretreatment process. The assay method can be applied to the routine determination of serum imipramine and its metabolite in therapeutic drug monitoring.     

Optimisation of stir bar sorptive extraction for the analysis of volatile phenols in wines

An easy, fast and reliable analytical method is proposed for the determination of the concentration of volatile phenols (ethyl- and vinylphenols) in wines. The novel stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) technique is employed, following a simple and fast procedure that allows 15 samples to be extracted simultaneously using very small sample volume. Extracts are desorbed in a thermodesorption system (TDS) coupled on-line to a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry system. The SBSE offers better recovery and linear regression coefficient (r2) for the four volatile phenols than solid-phase extraction (SPE). The mass spectrometric detection in selected ion monitoring mode contributes to the lower detection limit and good sensibility obtained with this method.     

Unexpected reactivity of PdCl(2) and PtCl(2) complexes of the unsaturated diphosphine o-Me(2)TTF(PPh(2))(2) toward chloride abstraction with thallium triflate

Attempted thallium triflate abstraction of chloride anions from the MCl(2) complexes of the unsaturated chelating diphosphines o-dimethyl-bis(diphenylphosphino)tetrathiafulvalene (P2) (M = Pd, Pt) and cis-1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethylene (dppen) (M = Pd) affords, surprisingly, a Tl(OTf) adduct in the case of (P2)PdCl(2) and (P2)PtCl(2), with no chloride abstraction, and a dicationic bis(palladium) bis(triflate) salt in the case of (cis-dppen)PdCl(2), in which only one Cl anion was removed. The crystal structures of these complexes were determined by X-ray analysis, which established the formulations (P2)MCl(2).Tl(OTf) (M = Pd, Pt) and [(dppen)PdCl](2)(OTf)(2), respectively. These compounds can be seen as possible intermediates in the general chloride abstraction process between (P-P)MCl(2) (M = Pd, Pt) and thallium triflate.     

Pentacoordinate nickel(II) complexes double bridged by phosphate ester or phosphinate ligands: spectroscopic, structural, kinetic, and magnetic studies

The bis(phosphatediester)-bridged complexes [[Ni([12]aneN(3))(mu-O(2)P(OR)(2))](2)](PF(6))(2) [[12]aneN(3)=Me(3)[12]aneN(3), 2,4,4-trimethyl-1,5,9-triazacyclododec-1-ene; R=Me (1), Bu (2), Ph (3), Ph-4-NO(2) (4); [12]aneN(3)=Me(4)[12]aneN(3), 2,4,4,9-tetramethyl-1,5,9-triazacyclododec-1-ene; R=Me (5), Bu (6), Ph (7), Ph-4-NO(2) (8)] were prepared by hydrolysis of the phosphate triester with the hydroxo complex [[Ni([12]aneN(3))(mu-OH)](2)](PF(6))(2) or by acid-base reaction of the dialkyl or diaryl phosphoric acid and the above hydroxo complex. The acid-base reaction was also used to synthesise the phosphinate-bridged complexes [[Ni([12]aneN(3))(mu-O(2)PR(2))](2)](PF(6))(2) [[12]aneN(3)=Me(3)[12]aneN(3), R=Me (9), Ph (10); [12]aneN(3)=Me(4)[12]aneN(3), R=Me (11), Ph (12)]. The molecular structures of complexes 2, 3 and 12 were established by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The eight-membered rings defined by the nickel atoms and the bridging ligands show distorted twist-boat, chair and boat-boat conformations in 2, 3 and 12, respectively. The experimental susceptibility data for compounds 2, 3 and 12 were fitted by least-squares methods to the analytical expression given by Ginsberg. The best fit was obtained with values of J=-0.11 cm(-1), D=-9.5 cm(-1) and g=2.20 for 2; J=-0.97 cm(-1), D=-9.3 cm(-1) and g=2.21 for 3; and J=-0.14 cm(-1), D=-11.9 cm(-1) and g=2.195 for 12. The magnetic-exchange pathways must involve the phosphate/phosphinate bridges, because these favour antiferromagnetic interactions. The observation of a higher exchange parameter for compound 3 is a consequence of a favourable disposition of the O-P-O bridges. The kinetics for the hydrolysis of TNP (tris(4-nitrophenyl)phosphate) with the dinuclear nickel(II) hydroxo complex [[Ni(Me(3)[12]aneN(3))(mu-OH)](2)](PF(6))(2) was studied by UV-visible spectroscopy. The proposed mechanism for TNP-promoted hydrolysis can be described as one-substrate/two-product, and can be fitted to a Michaelis-Menten equation.     

Accurate intermolecular ground state potential of the Ne-HCl van der Waals complex

From an accurate ground state intermolecular potential energy surface we evaluate the rovibrational spectrum of the Ne-HCl van der Waals complex. The intermolecular potential is obtained by fitting a considerable number of interaction energies obtained at the coupled cluster singles and doubles including connected triple excitations level and with the augmented correlation consistent polarized valence quintuple zeta basis set extended with a set of 3s3p2d1f1g midbond functions. This basis set is selected after a systematic basis set study carried out at geometries close to those of the three main surface stationary points. The surface is characterized by two linear minima, i.e. Ne-ClH and Ne-HCl, with distances from the Ne atom to the HCl center of mass of 3.398 and 3.833 angstroms, respectively; and binding energies of -65.10 and -66.85 cm(-1), respectively. These results agree well with the experimental data available in contrast to previous theoretical results. The rovibrational spectra calculated for the different isotopic species are also compared to the experiments.     

The solubilization of alcohols in micellar solutions

The specific conductivities of dodecyldimethylbenzylammonium bromide (C12BBr) have been determined in aqueous butanol and aqueous benzyl alcohol solutions in the temperature range of 5-40°C. From these data the temperature dependent critical micelle concentration (cmc) was determined. The molar fraction of alcohol in the micelle was estimated using the theory suggested by Motomura et al. for surfactant binary mixtures. The thermal properties such as standard Gibbs free energy, enthalpy and entropy of solubilization of alcohols in the micelles were estimated for the phase separation model. The change in heat capacity upon solubilization of alcohol in the micelle has been estimated form the above properties. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Synthesis of cationic carbonyl complexes of manganese(I) with bidentate ligands

Summary Bidentate ligands can readily replace acetone in thefac-[Mn(CO)₃(chel)(OCMe₂)]⁺ complexes or the perchlorate group fromfac-[Mn(CO)₃(chel)(OClO₃)] yieldingfac-[Mn(CO)₃(chel)(L-L)]⁺ or [{fac-Mn(CO)₃(chel)}₂(L-L)]²⁺ [chel = 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), 2,2-bipyridine (bipy), 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphine)ethane (dpe); L-L = bis(diphenylphosphine)methane (dpm), dpe, 1,4-bis(diphenylphosphine)butane (dpb), succinonitrile (suc), and glutaronitrile (glu)]. Some of these mononuclear complexes are precursors for binuclear complexes which are linked by bridging phosphines or nitriles.