Studies of iron(II) and iron(III) complexes with fac-N2O, cis-N2O2 and N2O3 donor ligands: models for the 2-His 1-carboxylate motif of non-heme iron monooxygenases

Enzymes in the oxygen-activating class of mononuclear non-heme iron oxygenases (MNOs) contain a highly conserved iron center facially ligated by two histidine nitrogen atoms and one carboxylate oxygen atom that leave one face of the metal center (three binding sites) open for coordination to cofactor, substrate, and/or dioxygen. A comparative family of [Fe(II/III)(N(2)O(n))(L)(4-n))](±x), n = 1-3, L = solvent or Cl(-), model complexes, based on a ligand series that supports a facially ligated N,N,O core that is then modified to contain either one or two additional carboxylate chelate arms, has been structurally and spectroscopically characterized. EPR studies demonstrate that the high-spin d(5) Fe(III)g = 4.3 signal becomes more symmetrical as the number of carboxylate ligands decreases across the series Fe(N(2)O(3)), Fe(N(2)O(2)), and Fe(N(2)O(1)), reflecting an increase in the E/D strain of these complexes as the number of exchangeable/solvent coordination sites increases, paralleling the enhanced distribution of electronic structures that contribute to the spectral line shape. The observed systematic variations in the Fe(II)-Fe(III) oxidation-reduction potentials illustrate the fundamental influence of differential carboxylate ligation. The trend towards lower reduction potential for the iron center across the [Fe(III)(N(2)O(1))Cl(3)](-), [Fe(III)(N(2)O(2))Cl(2)](-) and [Fe(III)(N(2)O(3))Cl](-) series is consistent with replacement of the chloride anions with the more strongly donating anionic O-donor carboxylate ligands that are expected to stabilize the oxidized ferric state. This electrochemical trend parallels the observed dioxygen sensitivity of the three ferrous complexes (Fe(II)(N(2)O(1)) < Fe(II)(N(2)O(2)) < Fe(II)(N(2)O(3))), which form μ-oxo bridged ferric species upon exposure to air or oxygen atom donor (OAD) molecules. The observed oxygen sensitivity is particularly interesting and discussed in the context of α-ketoglutarate-dependent MNO enzyme mechanisms.     

Synthesis,structural and electrical properties of Ti modified Bi2Sn2O7 pyrochlore

Polycrystalline ceramic samples of Bi₂Sn_2−xTi_xO₇ (x=0.00, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8) have been synthesized by standard high temperature solid state reaction method. The effect of homovalent cation (titanium) substitution on the Sn-site on the structural and electrical properties of the pure Bi₂Sn₂O₇ ceramic have been studied by X-ray diffraction followed by SEM, dielectric and dc conductivity studies. The structural analysis indicates that the increase of titanium contents do not lead to any secondary phase. The frequency and temperature dependent dielectric studies have been carried out. It is found that the Ti doping reduces the material particle size. The size of the particles are strongly influenced by the addition of titanium to the system. The substitution of Ti for Sn ions affected the degree of disorder and modified the dielectric properties leading to more resistive ceramic compounds. The activation energies of all the compounds were calculated using the relation σ=σ₀exp(−Ea/kT).     

Structure of Three Related Diphosphorus Ligands: Highlighting the Significance of the Backbone

Abstract  

The three compounds contained in this report—4,6-bis(diphenylphosphino)-10,10-dimethylphenoxasilin (sixantphos), 1; 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-9-isopropylidenexanthene, (isopropxantphos) 2 and bis-(2-diphenylphosphino)-p-tolyl) ether (PTEphos) 3, all contain a common ether-linked diphenylphosphino backbone. These structures are of interest with respect to the intra-molecular P···P distance which is 3.884(2), 4.104(2) and 5.151(2) ? for 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The differences in the P···P distances are as a result of the variations in the backbones. Structure 1 shows a significant roof-like bending of the backbone along the axis of planarity involving the oxygen and Si donor atoms. Compound 2 is also folded with a larger dihedral angle of 35.85(2)° as compared to 24.14(2)° found in 1. The backbone in structure 3 is significantly bent and twisted with a dihedral angle of 67.34(2)°. These data show the effect on the intra-molecular P···P distance of varying the backbone of three xantphos-type ligands, with respect to the nature of the heterocycle donor 1, the substituent on the donor 2 and total loss of xanthene character 3.     

Synthesis,characterization and antimicrobial activities of new bis-hydrazonothioxothiazolidinone derivatives

New bis-hydrazonothioxothiazolidinone derivatives based on 2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one were synthesized in good yields using a simplified experimental condition. The structure of synthesized compounds was established with the help of common physico-chemical analysis and various spectroscopic techniques like FT-IR, mass and ¹H NMR. The results of characterizations are in good agreement with the proposed structure of all the synthesized compounds. Further, the antimicrobial (antibacterial and antifungal) activities of all the synthesized derivatives were carried out against various species like Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Aspergillous niger and Aspergillous flavus by using agar-cup method. The results of antimicrobial screening showed that all the compounds have mild to moderate activity. However, some of the compounds (3a, 3b, 3d, 3e, 3f, 3g, 3i and 3j) have shown better activity than the other.     

Retaining positive definiteness in thresholded matrices

Positive definite (p.d.) matrices arise naturally in many areas within mathematics and also feature extensively in scientific applications. In modern high-dimensional applications, a common approach to finding sparse positive definite matrices is to threshold their small off-diagonal elements. This thresholding, sometimes referred to as hard-thresholding, sets small elements to zero. Thresholding has the attractive property that the resulting matrices are sparse, and are thus easier to interpret and work with. In many applications, it is often required, and thus implicitly assumed, that thresholded matrices retain positive definiteness. In this paper we formally investigate the algebraic properties of p.d. matrices which are thresholded. We demonstrate that for positive definiteness to be preserved, the pattern of elements to be set to zero has to necessarily correspond to a graph which is a union of complete components. This result rigorously demonstrates that, except in special cases, positive definiteness can be easily lost. We then proceed to demonstrate that the class of diagonally dominant matrices is not maximal in terms of retaining positive definiteness when thresholded. Consequently, we derive characterizations of matrices which retain positive definiteness when thresholded with respect to important classes of graphs. In particular, we demonstrate that retaining positive definiteness upon thresholding is governed by complex algebraic conditions.     

Biosurfactants from potato process effluents

High-solids (HS) and low-solids (LS) potato process effluents were tested as substrates for surfactin production. Tests used effluents diluted 1∶10, unamended and amended with trace minerals or corn steep liquor. Heat pretreatment was necessary for surfactin production from effluents due to indigenous bacteria, whose spores remained after autoclaving. Surfactin production from LS surpassed HS in all cases. Surfactin yields from LS were 66% lower than from a pure culture in an optimized potatostarch medium. LS could potentially be used without sterilization for surfactin production for low-value applications such as environmental remediation or oil recovery.     

The effect of dendritic pendants on the folding of amphiphilic copolymers via supramolecular interactions

The supramolecular folding of amphiphilic heterograft copolymers equipped with dendritic pendants is investigated using a combination of proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy, small‐angle X‐ray scattering, and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Hereto, the linear poly(ethylene glycol) pendants normally used to convey water compatibility are partially substituted with branched analogues. For one set of copolymers, second‐generation polyglycerol dendrons are directly attached to the polymer backbone, while for the other a hydrophilic linker is placed in between. The results show that the branching of the hydrophilic pendants affects the local structure of the folded copolymer but does not influence the overall conformation and single‐chain character of the folded copolymers in solution. All copolymers fold into 4–5 nm single‐chain polymeric nanoparticles with a very compact spherical morphology, independent of the dendritic content of the copolymer. Intriguingly, the incorporation of the dendritic pendants affects the formation of a structured interior even at low incorporation ratios. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 411–421     

Relationship among glottal area, static supraglottic compression, and laryngeal function studies in unilateral vocal fold paresis and paralysis

In this study, we evaluated the relationship between laryngeal function measures and glottal gap ratio and normalized measures of supraglottic behaviors in patients with unilateral vocal fold paresis (UVFP). Thirty-one patients were found to have unilateral vocal fold paresis by videoendoscopy and laryngeal electromyography, and 13 controls participated in this study. Patients with UVFP demonstrated significantly larger glottal gap ratios (p = 0.016) than control subjects. The nonparalyzed or contralateral vocal fold was associated with significantly more static false vocal fold compression (p = 0.03) compared with the paralyzed vocal fold or with the controls. Patients with unilateral vocal fold paresis were divided into subgroups: those with normal or abnormal maximum phonation time, flow, or pressure measures. Smaller glottal gap ratios were identified in patients with normal maximum phonation times and flow measures. Greater false vocal fold activity was identified in unilateral vocal fold paresis patients with normal laryngeal function measures than in unilateral vocal fold paresis patients with abnormal measures. These findings suggest that some patients with documented unilateral paresis and glottal incompetence can compensate for vocal fold weakness such that their acoustic and aerodynamic measures are normal.     

Positron scattering from alkaline-earth elements

The total (elastic + inelastic) cross sections fore ⁺ impact on alkaline-earth elements from Be to Ra are calculated by employing a complex spherical optical potential. This potential has static, polarization and absorption components. The positron energy range is from a few eV to several thousand eV. We have compared our elastic cross sections for Mg and Ca with the other available results and the agreement is good for energies above 100eV. We have also compared our absorption cross sections withe ⁻ ionization cross sections at high energies where our absorption cross sections are in good accord. We have made Bethe plots fore ⁺ scattering on these elements.