Complex Formation of Ferric Protoporphyrin IX From the Reaction of Hemin with Ammonia and Small Aliphatic Amines

Complexes of Fe^III protoporphyrin IX (Fe^IIIPPIX) with the amido anion were obtained from the reaction of Fe^IIIPPIX chloride (hemin) with ammonia and small aliphatic amines under solvent free conditions. The reaction of hemin with gaseous ammonia leads to a pentacoordinated complex at the iron site, PPIX–Fe–NH₂, plus NH₄Cl, while at the peripheral propionic acidic groups ammonium carboxylate is formed. The corresponding stoichiometry (1:4 molar ratio of hemin to ammonia) was confirmed by the adsorption isotherm. Analogous reactions and complex formation were observed with EtNH₂ and Et₂NH. These reactions were monitored using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and i.r. and Mössbauer spectroscopies. The isomer shift and quadrupole splitting values of the resulting complexes are in correspondence with the strong -donor character of the amido anion linked to the iron atom. For comparison, the Mössbauer parameters for hemin complexes with arginine and 2-aminoguanidine, which also have pure interaction with the porphyrin iron, were included and discussed.     

Metallonitrosyl fragment as electron acceptor: intramolecular charge transfer, long range electronic coupling, and electrophilic reactivity in the trans-[NCRu(py)(4)(CN)Ru(py)(4)NO](3+) ion

The new complex trans-[NCRu(py)(4)(CN)Ru(py)(4)NO](PF(6))(3) (I) was synthesized. In acetonitrile solution, I shows an intense visible band (555 nm, epsilon = 5800 M(-1) cm(-1)) and other absorptions below 350 nm, associated with d(pi) --> pi(py) and pi(py) --> pi(py) transitions. The visible band is presently assigned as a donor-acceptor charge transfer (DACT) transition from the remote Ru(II) to the delocalized [Ru(II)-NO(+)] moiety. Photoinduced release of NO is observed upon irradiation at the DACT band. Application of the Hush model reveals strong electronic coupling, with H(DA) = approximately 2000 cm(-1). The difference between the optical absorption energy and redox potentials for the donor and acceptor sites (Ru(III,II), 1.40 V, and NO(+)/NO, 0.50 V, vs Ag/AgCl, 3 M KCl, respectively) (hnu - DeltaE(red)) is 1.33 eV, a large value which probably relates to the significant changes in distances and angles for the Ru-N-O moiety upon reduction. UV-vis absorptions, IR frequencies, and redox potentials are solvent-dependent. Controlled potential reduction (of NO(+)) and oxidation (of Ru(II) associated with the dicyano-chromophore) of I afford stable species, [NCRu(II)(py)(4)(CN)Ru(py)(4)NO](2+) (I(red)) and [NCRu(III)(py)(4)(CN)Ru(py)(4)NO](4+) (I(ox)), respectively, which are characterized by UV-vis and IR spectroscopies. I(red) shows an EPR spectrum characteristic of [Ru(II)-NO(*)] complexes. Compound I is electrophilically reactive in aqueous solution above pH 5: values of the equilibrium constant for the reaction [NCRu(py)(4)(CN)Ru(py)(4)NO](3+)+ 2 OH(-) <--> [NCRu(py)(4)(CN)Ru(py)(4)NO(2)](+) + H(2)O, K = 3.2 +/- 1.4 x 10(15) M(-2), and of the rate constant for the nucleophilic addition of OH(-), k = 9.2 +/- 0.2 x 10(3) M(-1) s(-1)(25 degrees C, I = 1 M), are obtained, with DeltaH = 90.7 +/- 3.8 kJ mol(-1) and DeltaS = 135 +/- 13 J K(-1) mol(-1). The oxidized complex, I(ox), shows an enhanced electrophilic reactivity toward OH(-). This addition reaction is followed by irreversible processes, which most probably lead to disproportionation of bound nitrite and other products.     

USE OF SENSITIZED FLUORESCENCE FOR THE STUDY OF THE EXCHANGE OF SUBUNITS IN PROTEIN AGGREGATES*

The exchange of subunits between oligomer protein particles depends upon a cycle of dissociations and associations. To examine the dynamics of these cycles we have employed two methods based on the transfer of excitation energy between fluorochromes attached to different subunits of protein oligomers, at various temperatures and pressures. In the heterotransfer method, identical solutions independently labeled with two different fluorophores, donor D and acceptor A, are mixed. The fluorescence spectrum permits the determination of the subunit exchange by the increase in A and decrease in D fluorescence as mixed AD oligomers are formed. In the homotransfer method the aggregates are labeled with fluorescein to the extent that, ideally, each subunit carries a fluorophore. The emission is strongly depolarized because sufficiently often it takes place after a transfer to a fluorophore oriented differently from the one originally excited. Both dissociation and subunit exchange with unlabeled material result in an increase in polarization and can be independently determined by the homotransfer method. Both homo- and heterotransfer have been employed in the study of the effect of temperature on the stability of the aggregates and the relation between the rate of dissociation and the rate of exchange when dissociation of oligomers is induced by hydrostatic pressure.     

Particle-size distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urban air in southern Spain

The size distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) was determined for airborne particles from a large city with high vehicular traffic. The analytical method was optimised and validated using NIST standard reference material (SRM 1649a Urban Dust). The 16 priority PAH listed in the US-EPA were Soxhlet-extracted from filtered particulate matter and then fractionated using on-column chromatography. The aromatic fraction was quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Real samples of particles collected in Seville (Spain) were analysed using the validated method. Values for the total concentration of PAH in the air, as well as the concentrations of each PAH in six particle-size ranges were obtained. Values of the PAH in TSP, PM₁₀, PM_2.5 and PM₁ were assessed.     

Symmetry numbers and chemical reaction rates

This article shows how to evaluate rotational symmetry numbers for different molecular configurations and how to apply them to transition state theory. In general, the symmetry number is given by the ratio of the reactant and transition state rotational symmetry numbers. However, special care is advised in the evaluation of symmetry numbers in the following situations: (i) if the reaction is symmetric, (ii) if reactants and/or transition states are chiral, (iii) if the reaction has multiple conformers for reactants and/or transition states and, (iv) if there is an internal rotation of part of the molecular system. All these four situations are treated systematically and analyzed in detail in the present article. We also include a large number of examples to clarify some complicated situations, and in the last section we discuss an example involving an achiral diasteroisomer.     

Computational strategies for a four-component Dirac-Kohn-Sham program: implementation and first applications

An implementation of the generalized gradient approximation within the four-component formulation of relativistic density-functional theory using G-spinor basis sets is presented. This approach is based on the direct evaluation of the relativistic density and its gradient from the G-spinor amplitudes and gradients without explicit reference to the total density matrix. This proves to be a particularly efficient scheme, with an intrinsic computational cost that scales linearly with the number of G-spinor basis functions. In order to validate this new implementation, incorporated in the parallel version of the program BERTHA, a detailed study of the diatomic system CsAu is also reported. The spectroscopic constants D(e),r(e),omega(e), and x(e)omega(e) and the dipole moment mu have been calculated and compared with the best available theoretical and experimental data. The sensitivity of our results to the details of the numerical schemes used to evaluate the matrix elements is analyzed in detail. Also presented is a comparative study of molecular properties in the alkali auride series which have been obtained using several standard non-relativistic density functionals.     

Colloidal aggregation induced by long range attractions

The structure of colloidal clusters formed by long-range attractive interactions under diluted conditions is studied by means of Monte Carlo simulations. For a not-too-long attraction range, clusters show self-similar internal structure with lower density than that typical for diffusive aggregation. For long-range interactions, low kappa, nonfractal clusters are formed (dense at short scales but open at long ones). The dependence on the volume fraction shows that more-compact clusters are grown the higher the colloidal density for diffusive aggregation and attraction-driven aggregation in the fractal regime. The whole trend is explained in terms of the interpenetration among aggregates. In attraction-driven aggregations, the interpenetration of clusters competes with aggregation in the tips of the clusters, causing low-density clusters.     

Semiempirical study of electronic and bonding properties of cobalt silicide clusters

The electronic structure of cobalt silicide clusters Co₇Si₇ and Si₇Co₇ was studied in comparison to that of Co₁₉ and Si₁₇ clusters under the scope of the MINDO/SR method. Clusters Co₇Si₇ and Si₇Co₇ represent the environment of a cobalt atom and that of a silicon atom in the cobalt monosilicide bulk, respectively. It is found that the Co? Si bond is essentially sp in character with an indirect participation (by electrostatic interaction) of the cobalt d orbitals. Our calculations show a charge transfer from silicon to the d orbitals of cobalt via sp–sp interaction with an internal sp–d hybridization. The theoretical density of states for cobalt silicide clusters are reported and compared with experimental results of surface spectroscopies. © 1992 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Kováts' coefficients for predicting polarities in silicone stationary phases and their mixtures

Summary A correlation between the retention polarity and the Kováts' coefficient has been found for a number of commercial stationary phases used in gas chromatography. The correlation has been used to predict the polarity of a few mixed stationary phase columns prepared as binary mixtures of OV-101 with OV-25, DC-550 or Carbowax 20M, and also mixtures of OV-225 with SP-2340. A linear relationship was found between polarity and mixture composition. The temperature dependence of the Kováts' coefficient was investigated and found to increase linearly with temperature, the rate of increase depending on the polarity of the stationary phase, with greater increases for more polar stationary phases.