A simple approach to sensor discovery and fabrication on self-assembled monolayers on glass

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on glass were used as a platform to sequentially deposit fluorophores and small molecules for ion sensing. The preorganization provided by the surface avoids the need for complex receptor design, allowing for a combinatorial approach to sensing systems based on small molecules. The resulting libraries are easily measured and show varied responses to a series of both cations and anions. This technology is transferable from the macro- to the microscale both via microcontact printing (microCP), where the fluorophore is printed onto a glass surface, and via direct attachment of the fluorophore to microchannel walls. The ease of miniaturization of this technology may make the generation of a wide variety of simple yet efficient microarrays possible.     

A zero topological entropy map with recurrent points not

We show that there is a continuous map of the unit interval into itself of type which has a trajectory disjoint from the set of recurrent points of , but contained in the closure of . In particular, is not closed. A function of type , with nonclosed set of recurrent points, was found by H. Chu and J. Xiong [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 97 (1986), 361-366]. However, there is no trajectory contained in , since any point in is eventually mapped into . Moreover, our construction is simpler.

We use to show that there is a continuous map of the interval of type for which the set of recurrent points is not an set. This example disproves a conjecture of A. N. Sharkovsky et al., from 1989. We also provide another application of .

     

Low‐bandgap donor–acceptor copolymers with 4,6‐bis(3′‐(2‐ethylhexyl)thien‐2′‐yl)thieno[3,4‐c][1,2,5]thiadiazole: synthesis,optical, electrochemical,and photovoltaic properties

Two new low‐bandgap alternating copolymers (CEHTF and CEHTP) consisting of 4,6‐bis(3′‐(2‐ethylhexyl)thien‐2′‐yl)thieno[3,4‐c][1,2,5] thiadiazole and 9,9‐bis(2‐ethylhexyl)fluorene or 2,5‐bis(isopentyloxy)benzene were synthesized by Suzuki coupling reaction of corresponding comonomers. Their optical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic (PV) properties were studied and are reported. Both the copolymers exhibited long‐wavelength absorption covering the whole visible spectral region, which is in CEHTP thin films extended up to near infrared region, ambipolar redox properties, and electrochromism. High‐electron affinities and low‐optical bandgap values, 1.37 and 1.15 eV, were determined for CEHTF and CEHTP, respectively. PV devices with bulk heterojunction made of blends of copolymers and fullerene derivative [6,6]‐phenyl‐C⁶¹‐butyric acid methyl ester ([60]PCBM) were prepared and characterized. Effects of intramolecular charge transfer strength and side‐chain nature and length on photophysical properties are discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Probing the Hydrogen Bonding Structure in the Rieske Protein

The use of the far‐infrared spectral range presents a novel approach for analysis of the hydrogen bonding in proteins. Here it is presented for the analysis of Fe? S vibrations (500–200 cm^?1) and of the intra‐ and intermolecular hydrogen bonding signature (300–50 cm^?1) in the Rieske protein from Thermus thermophilus as a function of temperature and pH. Three pH values were adequately chosen in order to study all the possible protonation states of the coordinating histidines. The Fe? S vibrations showed pH‐dependent shifts in the FIR spectra in line with the change of protonation state of the histidines coordinating the [2Fe? 2S] cluster. Measurements of the low‐frequency signals between 300 and 30 K demonstrated the presence of a distinct overall hydrogen bonding network and a more rigid structure for a pH higher than 10. To further support the analysis, the redox‐dependent shifts of the secondary structure were investigated by means of an electrochemically induced FTIR difference spectroscopic approach in the mid infrared. The results confirmed a clear pH dependency and an influence of the immediate environment of the cluster on the secondary structure. The results support the hypothesis that structure‐mediated changes in the environment of iron? sulfur centers play a critical role in regulating enzymatic catalysis. The data point towards the role of the overall internal hydrogen bonding organization for the geometry and the electronic properties of the cluster.     

Poly(lactic acid) composites with poly(lactic acid)‐modified carbon nanotubes

This work reports the study of the effect of chemical functionalization of carbon nanotubes on their dispersion in poly(lactic acid). The nanotubes were functionalized by the 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction, generating pyrrolidine groups at the nanotube surface. Further reaction of the pyrrolidine groups with poly(lactic acid) was studied in solution and in the polymer melt. The former involved refluxing the nanotubes in a dimethylformamide/polymer solution; the latter was carried out by direct melt mixing in a microcompounder. The carbon nanotubes collected after each process were characterized by thermogravimetry and by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, showing evidence of polymer bonded to the nanotube surface only when the reaction was carried out in the polymer melt. The composites with polymer modified nanotubes present smaller average agglomerate area and a narrower agglomerate area distribution. In addition, they show improved tensile properties at low CNT concentration and present lower electrical resistivity. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3740–3750     

Structures of the Reactive Intermediates in Organocatalysis with Diarylprolinol Ethers

Structures of the reactive intermediates (enamines and iminium ions) of organocatalysis with diarylprolinol derivatives have been determined. To this end, diarylprolinol methyl and silyl ethers, 1 , and aldehydes, Ph? CH₂? CHO, ^tBu? CH₂? CHO, Ph? CH=CH? CHO, are condensed to the corresponding enamines, A and 3 (Scheme 2), and cinnamoylidene iminium salts, B and 4 (Scheme 3). These are isolated and fully characterized by melting/decomposition points, [α]_D, elemental analysis, IR and NMR spectroscopy, and high‐resolution mass spectrometry (HR‐MS). Salts with BF₄, PF₆, SbF₆, and the weakly coordinating Al[OC(CF₃)₃]₄ anion were prepared. X‐Ray crystal structures of an enamine and of six iminium salts have been obtained and are described herein (Figs. 2 and 4–8, and Tables 2 and 7) and in a previous preliminary communication (Helv. Chim. Acta 2008 , 91, 1999). According to the NMR spectra (in CDCl₃, (D₆)DMSO, (D₆)acetone, or CD₃OD; Table 1), the major isomers 4 of the iminium salts have (E)‐configuration of the exocyclic N?C(1′) bond, but there are up to 11% of the (Z)‐isomer present in these solutions (Fig. 1). In all crystal structures, the iminium ions have (E)‐configuration, and the conformation around the exocyclic N‐C? C‐O bond is synclinal‐exo (cf. C and L ), with one of the phenyl groups over the pyrrolidine ring, and the RO group over the π‐system. One of the meta‐substituents (Me in 4b , CF₃ in 4c and 4e ) on a 3,5‐disubstituted phenyl group is also located in the space above the π‐system. DFT Calculations at various levels of theory (Tables 3–6) confirm that the experimentally determined structures (cf. Fig. 10) are by far (up to 8.3 kcal/mol) the most stable ones. Implications of the results with respect to the mechanism of organocatalysis by diarylprolinol derivatives are discussed.     

Development and Validation of an LC–ESI-MS Ion-Trap Method for Analysis of Impurities in Transkarbam 12, a Novel Transdermal Accelerant

A new, sensitive LC–MS method for evaluation of the purity of Transkarbam 12 (T12), a novel and highly effective accelerant of transdermal penetration, has been developed and validated. T12 and its impurities (6-aminohexanoic acid, AH, ε-caprolactam, CA, and dodecyl 6-(6-aminohexanamido)hexanoate, DAH) were characterized by MS and MS–MS analysis. Separation was achieved on a 150 mm × 3 mm, 5-μm particle, phenyl–hexyl column. The mobile phase was a gradient prepared from water, formic acid, and acetonitrile. The method was validated within the concentration range 50–250 ng mL^?1; correlation coefficients were >0.998. The accuracy of the method was from 98.6–105.0% for AH, 102.6–104.8% for CA, and 97.9–100.9% for DAH. Precision was in the range 3.19–4.42% for AH, 3.22–5.81% for CA, and 4.8–8.78% for DAH. The selectivity of the method and sample stability were also confirmed. The practical applicability of the method was proven by analysis of T12 bulk substance.