An electronic signature of hydrolysation in the X-ray absorption spectrum of aqueous formaldehyde

Formaldehyde in aqueous solution is hydrolysed and forms methanediol. Using X-ray absorption spectroscopy we show that the hydrolysation product can be identified by a distinct electronic signature in the spectra. This is manifested by the disappearance of the oxygen 1s → π* absorption line. The X-ray absorption spectrum of aqueous formaldehyde is compared with those of the structurally similar formamide and urea, which are in contrast not hydrolysed in aqueous solution. We thereby demonstrate the exceptional sensitivity and simplicity of the technique to monitor this fundamental process in the aqueous phase.     

Surface Functionalization at Atmospheric Pressure by DBD-Based Pulsed Plasma Polymerization

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD)-based plasma deposition at atmospheric pressure, using glycidyl methacrylate (GMA, methacrylic acid-[2,3-epoxy-propyl ester]) as a prototype precursor was investigated in order to evaluate the applicability of dielectric barrier discharges to obtain plasma polymers with a high degree of structural retention of the starting precursor. Using pulsed excitation of the discharge, up to about 90% of the epoxy groups of GMA can be retained in plasma polymers obtainableat deposition rates in the order of 3–5nm/s. Preliminary investigations of the mechanism of film formation under pulsed plasma conditions indicate that the reaction of intact monomer molecules withsurface radicals generated during the pulses play a prominent role.     

Some a priori estimates of solutions to the Maxwell equations

In this paper, we present a collection of a priori estimates of the electromagnetic field scattered by a general bounded domain. The constitutive relations of the scatterer are in general anisotropic. Surface averages are investigated, and several results on the decay of these averages are presented. The norm of the exterior Calderón operator for a sphere is investigated and depicted as a function of the frequency. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Incorporation of 2,3-Disubstituted-1,4-Naphthoquinones into the A1 Binding Site of Photosystem I Studied by EPR and ENDOR Spectroscopy

Transient electron paramagnetic resonance and pulsed electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectra of the state $ P_{700}^{ \cdot + } A_{1}^{ \cdot - } $ in photosystem I containing a series of non-native naphthoquinones (NQs) are presented. Previous studies have shown that quinones bind to the A₁ site with only one of their carbonyl groups H-bonded to the protein and that the asymmetric H-bond produces an odd alternant distribution of the spin density within the quinone. It is known that the native phylloquinone binds with its methyl group meta and its phytyl tail ortho to the H-bonded carbonyl. Monosubstituted NQs with short alkyl chains have been found to bind preferentially with their alkyl side groups meta to the H-bonded carbonyl. The selectivity of the binding site toward methyl and short chain substituents is studied by incorporating disubstituted NQs that have a methyl group at the 2-position and a short chain at the 3-position of the quinone ring. The hyperfine couplings (hfcs) of the methyl group protons are sensitive to the spin density distribution on the quinone and are used to deduce the position of the methyl group relative to the H-bonded carbonyl. The measured methyl proton hfcs indicate that the disubstituted quinones bind exclusively with their methyl group in the meta position relative to the H-bonded carbonyl and no evidence for binding with the methyl group in the ortho position is found. The disubstituted quinones have also been chosen to study the effect of electron withdrawing substituents on the spin density distribution. When the short chain contains electronegative atoms such as sulfur or chlorine, the methyl proton hfcs of the quinone in the A₁ binding site are found to be significantly larger than those of 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone and phylloquinone in the same environment. Solution ENDOR measurements of the quinone radical anions in isopropanol and density functional theory (DFT) calculations in vacuo show that this increase in the hfcs is mostly intrinsic to the quinones due to the electron-withdrawing ability of the short chain and is not a result of differences in the binding to the protein. The DFT calculations suggest that the main reason for the increased methyl proton hfcs is delocalization of the singly occupied molecular orbital onto the side chain, which leads to an increase of the spin density on the neighboring carbon, which carries methyl group.     

Fluorescence and ultraviolet absorption spectra and structure of coumaran and its ring-puckering potential energy function in the S1(pi,pi*) excited state

The fluorescence excitation (jet cooled), single vibrational level fluorescence, and the ultraviolet absorption spectra of coumaran associated with its S1(pi,pi*) electronic excited state have been recorded and analyzed. The assignment of more than 70 transitions has allowed a detailed energy map of both the S0 and S1 states of the ring-puckering (nu45) vibration to be determined in the excited states of nine other vibrations, including the ring-flapping (nu43) and ring-twisting (nu44) vibrations. Despite some interaction with nu43 and nu44, a one-dimensional potential energy function for the ring puckering very nicely predicts the experimentally determined energy level spacings. In the S1(pi,pi*) state coumaran is quasiplanar with a barrier to planarity of 34 cm(-1) and with energy minima at puckering angles of +/-14 degrees. The corresponding ground state (S0) values are 154 cm(-1) and +/-25 degrees . As is the case with the related molecules indan, phthalan, and 1,3-benzodioxole, the angle strain in the five-membered ring increases upon the pi-->pi* transition within the benzene ring and this increases the rigidity of the attached ring. Theoretical calculations predict the expected increases of the carbon-carbon bond lengths of the benzene ring in S1, and they predict a barrier of 21 cm(-1) for this state. The bond length increases at the bridgehead carbon-carbon bond upon electron excitation to the S1(pi,pi*) state give rise to angle changes which result in greater angle strain and a nearly planar molecule.     

Multifingerprint based similarity searches for targeted class compound selection

Molecular fingerprints are widely used for similarity-based virtual screening in drug discovery projects. In this paper we discuss the performance and the complementarity of nine two-dimensional fingerprints (Daylight, Unity, AlFi, Hologram, CATS, TRUST, Molprint 2D, ChemGPS, and ALOGP) in retrieving active molecules by similarity searching against a set of query compounds. For this purpose, we used biological data from HTS screening campaigns of four protein families (GPCRs, kinases, ion channels, and proteases). We have established threshold values for the similarity index (Tanimoto index) to be used as starting points for similarity searches. Based on the complementarities between the selections made by using different fingerprints we propose a multifingerprint approach as an efficient tool to balance the strengths and weaknesses of various fingerprints.     

Jumping Platonic Solids on a Vibrating Plate

The mechanical excitation of solid bodies by a vibrating plate is not only an interesting fundamental problem, but also has relevance in many mechanical systems, for example, in the preparation of granular gases in microgravity. Herein, the energy input by an oscillating plate is numerically investigated as a function of the excitation parameters for selected Platonic solids and their behavior compared to that of a jumping sphere. The most important additional features, not relevant for spheres, are the excitation of body rotations and a permanent energy exchange between the rotational and translational degrees of freedom during the collisions with the plate. The distribution of kinetic energies is analyzed by a numerical simulation of the dynamics, using structures which emulate the mechanical behavior of regular polyhedra.