A density functional theory test study on the N2··· He dimer

 In the present contribution we report a study of the weakly bound van der Waals N₂–He molecule in the framework of the supermolecule approach by means of the PWPW and mPW1PW exchange–correlation functionals, using density functional theory local-spin-optimized atom-centered basis sets complemented with bond functions optimized at the mPW1PW level of theory. Calculations show that the mPW1PW functional using bond functions gives a realistic representation of the interaction-energy potentials for this van der Waals dimer, comparable to reference M?ller–Plesset perturbation theory calculations. In contrast, the PWPW functional is unable to describe the bonding properties of this system and all values of the bonding properties obtained at different geometries with this functional are considered out-of-scale compared with the rest of the calculations presented in this study. Received: 30 October 2000 / Accepted: 3 January 2001 / Published online: 3 April 2001     

Activity coefficients and coion exclusion in charged polymeric membranes with macroscopic inhomogeneities

 We consider a simple model to evaluate mean activity coefficients in charged polymeric membranes with an inhomogeneous distribution of the fixed charge concentration on the macroscopic spatial scale, and apply the results obtained to the coion exclusion characteristic of the Donnan equilibrium. Model calcula-tions with two fixed charge distributions of experimental interest (the asymmetric and the skin-core distributions) show that the inhomogeneity effects can be important when M28.8n the external salt solution concentration is lower than the membrane-fixed charge concen-tration, especially if spatial regions of low charge concentration exist within the membrane. The results obtained appear to be in qualitative agreement with previous experiments. Received 1 October 1996 Accepted 5 February 1997     

Electrochemical study of interfacial composite nanostructures: polyelectrolyte/gold nanoparticle multilayers assembled on phospholipid/dextran sulfate monolayers at a liquid-liquid interface

The build up and electrochemical characterization of interfacial composite nanostructures containing a cationic polyelectrolyte and negatively charged mercaptosuccinic acid stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is reported. The nanostructures were formed at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions in which the organic phase is an immobilized 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether/PVC gel. The growth of the multilayer was verified with UV-vis spectra, and approximately a linear increase in UV-vis absorbance with increasing number of layers was observed. The interfacial capacitance of the multilayers was measured as a function of the potential and a theoretical model was developed to explain the results. The excellent agreement between theoretical and experimental capacitance curves allows us to conclude that nanocomposites behave similarly to polyelectrolyte multilayers, with the outmost layer determining the alternating sign of the outer surface charge density. Cyclic voltammograms were used to evaluate the transfer rate constant across the multilayers of a model drug, metoprolol, and the standard probe tetraethylammonium cation. The apparent rate constants were slightly larger than in other studies in the literature and decrease with the increasing number of layers.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of tamandarin B analogues

[structure: see text]. The synthesis of two tamandarin B analogues in which the N,O-Me2Tyr5 unit was replaced by N-Me-phenylalanine (N-MePhe5) and (S)-2-(methylamino)-3-(naphthalen-2-yl)propanoic acid (N-MeNaphth5) is described. The choice of the macrocyclization site was crucial to achieve satisfactory macrolactamization. Coupling between norstatine (Nst1) and threonine (Thr6) afforded only a 15% yield, while lactamization between proline (Pro4) and the aromatic moiety could be achieved in 65% yield.     

Effect of cyclodextrins on the electrochemical behaviour of ascorbic acid on platinum electrodes in acidic and neutral solutions

The effect of β-CD and α-CD on the electrochemical behaviour of H₂A and HA⁻ on platinum is studied. The adsorption of β-CD on this electrode is demonstrated and proved to be dependent on the base electrolyte composition. The maximum adsorption coverage was reached in phosphate solution at pH 6.95. The homogeneous H₂A---β-CD complex formation produced a decrease in the oxidation current and a positive shift in the oxidation peak potential. These effects are predominant in acid solutions. In neutral solutions the opposite behaviour is observed, i.e. an increase in the oxidation current at lower oxidation potentials. The presence of a parallel oxidation route for the vitamin involving strongly adsorbed CO residues is considered, and evidence for a decrease in CO_ad in the presence of β-CD was given by variations in hydrogen adsorption charges. This fact, more important in neutral solutions, must be responsible for the catalytic effect observed. α-CD was not adsorbed, neither did it modify the electro-oxidation behaviour of H₂A and HA⁻.     

Collision-induced absorption of infrared radiation by N2, O2 and CO2

The collision-induced absorption of the symmetric vibration of CO₂ has been observed in the pure gas at densities from 20.0 to 40.0 amagat and at temperatures of 273, 298, and 323 K using infrared techniques. From the integrated intensities of the bands and using the (exp ?4) model of van Kranendonk, it is possible to deduce a value for the first derivative of the quadrupole moment with respect to the vibrational coordinate. For CO₂ the contribution from quadrupole distortion to the binary absorption coefficient is reported for several temperatures. The (exp ?4) model of van Kranendonk is used to calculate the binary absorption coefficients for the fundamental vibrational bands of N₂ and O₂ at temperatures from 70 to 340 K. The parameters λ and p/σ describing the magnitude and range of the short-range collision-induced dipole moments were determined using the known experimental absorption coefficients. The contributions from atomic distortion and quadrupole distortion to the binary absorption coefficient are calculated for N₂ and O₂.     

Study of the effect of the membrane composition on ion transfer across a supported liquid membrane

The rate of ion transfer across the supported liquid membrane (SLM) is studied in the rotating diffusion cell (RDC), varying the chemical composition of the SLM from net-cloth supported gel membranes to radiation-grafted polymer membranes. Steady-state current–voltage curves are measured as a function of the rotation rate, and values for the standard rate constant, k⁰, are determined for a series of tetraalkylammonium cations from the analysis of the initial slopes and the diffusion limiting currents. The analysis gives values for k⁰ of the order of 10⁻²–10⁻⁴ cm s⁻¹, which is in rather good agreement with the values found in the literature for this type of the system. As controlled delivery of ionic drugs can be achieved by control of the electric current, whereby the SLM acts as a drug reservoir, the study is extended to the release of the anti-Alzheimer drug Tacrine, where ion-exchange fibers are embedded in the membrane as the drug carrier. Our previous transient experiments are also discussed, and it is suggested that their interpretation is seriously hampered by the non-uniform potential distribution, which brings about high capacitive currents.     

Low temperature cavity ring down spectroscopy with off-axis alignment: application to the A- and γ-bands of O2 in the visible at 90 K

The cavity ring down (CRD) technique presented here involves an optical cavity attached to a cryostat. The static cell and mirrors of the optical cavity are all inside a vacuum chamber at the same temperature of the cryostat. The temperature of the cell can be changed between 77 K and 298 K. An off-axis alignment of the laser beam into the cavity is used to increase the number of resonant modes inside the cavity and improve the signal to noise ratio of the absorption bands. To demonstrate the capabilities of the low temperature CRD cell, the absorption spectra of O₂ are recorded at 90 K for the A (υ′=0←υ″=0) and γ (υ′=2←υ″=0) bands of the b¹?_g ⁺? X³?_g ^-b^{1}\sum_{g}^{ +}\leftarrow X^{3}\sum_{g}^{ -} transition using cavity ring down spectroscopy. The optical cavity performance was tested using two variations of the CRD technique. The A-band is measured using the phase-shift cavity ring down method and the γ-band using the pulsed-laser exponential-decay method. A comparison between experimental and simulated spectra of the O₂ bands at 90 K confirms the molecular temperature measured by a sensor localized in the cell. Quantitative measurements of the individual rotational line intensities are made for the oxygen γ-band to confirm the temperature of the cell and calculate the vibrational band intensity. The application of this technique for laboratory studies of planetary atmospheres and the spectroscopy of molecular complexes is emphasized.