Ab initio studies of a water layer at transition metal surfaces

This paper presents a detailed study of a water adlayer adsorbed on Pt(111) and Rh(111) surfaces using periodic density functional theory methods. The interaction between the metal surface and the water molecules is assessed from molecular dynamics simulation data and single point electronic structure calculations of selected configurations. It is argued that the electron bands around the Fermi level of the metal substrate extend over the water adlayer. As a consequence in the presence of the water layer the surface as a whole still maintains its metallic conductivity-a result of a crucial importance for understanding the process of electron transfer through the water/metal interface and electrochemical reactions in particular. Our results also indicate that there exists a weak bond between the hydrogen of the water and the Rh metal atoms as opposed to the widespread (classical) models based on purely repulsive interaction. This suggests that the commonly used classical interactions potentials adopted for large scale molecular dynamics simulations of water/metal interfaces may need revision. Two adsorption models of water on transition metals with the OH bonds pointing towards or away of the surface are also examined. It is shown that due to the very close values of their adsorption energies one should consider the real structure of water on the surface as a mixture of these simple "up" and "down" models. A model for the structure of the adsorbed water layer on Rh(111) is proposed in terms of statistical averages from molecular dynamics simulations.     

Metabonomics: the use of electrospray mass spectrometry coupled to reversed-phase liquid chromatography shows potential for the screening of rat urine in drug development

The application of liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) followed by principal components analysis (PCA) has been successfully applied to the screening of rat urine following the administration of three candidate pharmaceuticals. With this methodology it was possible to differentiate the control samples from the dosed samples and to identify the components of the mass spectrum responsible for the separation. These data clearly show that LC/MS is a viable alternative, or complementary, technique to proton NMR for metabonomics applications in drug discovery and development.     

Amidinoethylation—a new reaction—IV : The amidinoethylation of alcohols: a facile synthesis of 3-alkoxy-N,N'-substituted-propanamidines

The amidinoethylation of alcohols takes place by the addition of sodium alkoxides 2 (R¹ = Me, Et) to the CC double bond of a variety of N,N'-substituted-propenamidines 1 (Method A). This illustrates the activation of the CC double bond by the conjugated amidine function and provides a new class of Michael acceptors for alcohols. However, this activation is poorer than with other nucleophiles or Michael acceptors. The amidinoethylation makes available 3-alkoxy-N,N'-substituted-amidines not easily accessible by other classical methods. However, it is demonstrated that the general N,N'-substituted-amidine synthesis via the nitrilium salts can also apply to nitrile compounds having an alkoxygroup present on the molecule (method B). Since the cyanoethylation of alcohols (4) is a very fast and facile reaction the method B is the preferred strategy for the synthesis of 3-alkoxy-N,N'-substituted-propanamidines 3.     

Unraveling Water Structure Inside and Between Nanocapsules

Among Achim Müller's prolific crystal structure database, we have selected two crystalline phases in order to perform a whole and complete characterization of water structure at the nanometer scale. The first chosen example involves the Na₃(NH₄)₁₂[Mo₅₇Fe₆(NO)₆O₁₇₄(OH)₃(H₂O)₂₄] 76H₂O compound synthesized and characterized in 1994. Some very interesting yet unnoticed water clusters may be evidenced in the voids generated by the stacking of the polyanionic units. Among them, we have been able to characterized a pure water crown (H₂O)₁₈, a loose association of three strongly solvated ammonium ions [H₃N–HOH₂]⁺ mediated by two water dimers and one water molecule, a perfectly planar alternating six-member ring [(NH₄)₃(H₂O)₃]³⁺, a puckered chair-shaped hexagonal ring [(NH₄)₂(H₂O)₄]³⁺ and two triangular pyramidal water tetramers (H₂O)₄. It was also shown that the crown and the chair ring was involved through further hydrogen bonding into the formation of a quite novel supramolecular layer modeling the structure of water in contact with a polyelectrolyte. The second example involves the (gua)₃₂[Mo₁₃₂O₃₇₂(H₂O)₇₂(SO₄)₁₀(H₂PO₂)₂₀(gua)₂₀]nH₂O compound synthesized and characterized in 2002. Here, we provide for the first time a complete structural analysis of all the various hydrogen bond patterns encountered in this system. Among them we may cite, an intramolecular web covering the internal cavity, an intramolecular finite system involving the guanidinium cations and the nine-member ring pores of the Mo₁₃₂ shell and a central pure water cluster of one hundred water molecules. In this last case, the evolution of the hydrogen bond strengths on a per H-bond basis or within supramolecular aggregates ([H₂O]₂₀, [H₂O]₄₀, and [H₂O]₁₀₀) is quantitatively studied from standpoints involving both geometry (H–OO bond angles distribution) and energy (partition functions). A survey of other crystalline phases involving water clusters is also presented. It is hoped that the study of these new clusters in a very next future will allow us to solve the well-known water puzzling behaviors.     

Rapidly self-deoxygenating controlled radical polymerization in water via in situ disproportionation of Cu(i)

Rapidly self-deoxygenating Cu-RDRP in aqueous media is investigated. The disproportionation of Cu(i)/Me₆Tren in water towards Cu(ii) and highly reactive Cu(0) leads to O₂-free reaction environments within the first seconds of the reaction, even when the reaction takes place in the open-air. By leveraging this significantly fast O₂-reducing activity of the disproportionation reaction, a range of well-defined water-soluble polymers with narrow dispersity are attained in a few minutes or less. This methodology provides the ability to prepare block copolymers via sequential monomer addition with little evidence for chain termination over the lifetime of the polymerization and allows for the synthesis of star-shaped polymers with the use of multi-functional initiators. The mechanism of self-deoxygenation is elucidated with the use of various characterization tools, and the species that participate in the rapid oxygen consumption is identified and discussed in detail.

The rapidly self-deoxygenating Cu-RDRP in aqueous media is investigated.     

Synthesis and properties of fluorous arenes and triaryl phosphorus compounds with branched fluoroalkyl moieties (“split pony tails”)

Most compounds designed for immobilization in fluorous media feature linear pony tails of the formula (CH₂)_m(CF₂)_n−1CF₃ [(CH₂)_mR_fn]. This paper presents a first-generation approach to compounds with branched or “split” pony tails of the formula (CH₂)_lCH[(CH₂)_mR_fn]₂. Allyl tri(n-butyl)tin is reacted twice with perfluorooctyl iodide (R_f8I; first, photochemical, 78-81%; second, thermal with radical initiator, 71%; 13-18 g scales) to give the secondary alkyl iodide ICH(CH₂R_f8)₂ (3). A subsequent Ni(Cl)₂(PPh₃)₂-catalyzed reaction with allyl tri(n-butyl)tin yields the branched alkene H₂CCHCH₂CH(CH₂R_f8)₂ (74%). A palladium-catalyzed Heck coupling with OP(p-C₆H₄Br)₃ gives the fluorous phosphine oxide OP(p-C₆H₄CHCHCH₂CH(CH₂R_f8)₂)₃ (84%), and Pd/C-catalyzed hydrogenation affords OP(p-C₆H₄(CH₂)₃CH(CH₂R_f8)₂)₃ (>99%). Reduction with SiHCl₃ gives P(p-C₆H₄(CH₂)₃CH(CH₂R_f8)₂)₃, which is protected as the air-stable borane adduct H₃B·P(p-C₆H₄(CH₂)₃CH(CH₂R_f8)₂)₃ (9, 64%). The CF₃C₆F₁₁/toluene partition coefficient of 9 is much higher than that of the analog with p-(CH₂)₃R_f8 groups (96.6:3.4 versus 37.3:62.7). The iodide 3 is unreactive towards PAr₃ at 175-250 °C. However, a CuBr-catalyzed reaction with C₆H₅MgBr gives C₆H₅CH(CH₂R_f8)₂, which also exhibits a high partition coefficient (97.9:2.1).     

Oxidation reactions of an anionic gallium(I) N-heterocyclic carbene analogue with group 16 compounds

The reactivity of an anionic gallium(I) heterocycle, [K(tmeda)][:Ga([N(Ar)C(H)]2)], Ar = C6H3Pr(i)2-2,6, towards sources of elemental chalcogens and diorgano-dichalcogenides has been investigated and comparisons drawn with the reactivity of the valence isoelectronic N-heterocyclic carbene class of ligand. The reactions of the heterocycle with N2O or (Te)PEt3 yielded the dimeric, dianionic gallium(III) complexes, [K(L)]2[(mu-E)Ga([N(Ar)C(H)]2)]2, E = O, L = tmeda; E = Te, L = THF. Treatment of [K(tmeda)][:Ga([N(Ar)C(H)]2)] with the diphenyl dichalcogenides, PhEEPh, E = Se or Te, gave the one dimensional polymer, [K[(PhSe)2Ga([N(Ar)C(H)]2)]]infinity and the monomeric complex, [K(OEt2)3][(PhTe)2Ga([N(Ar)C(H)]2)], respectively. The X-ray crystal structures of the four complexes are reported.     

Determination of manganese in brain samples by slurry sampling graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple procedure for the determination of manganese in different sections of human brain samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry has been developed. Brain sections included cerebellum, hypothalamus, frontal cortex, vermix and encephalic trunk. Two sample preparation procedures were evaluated, namely, slurry sampling and microwave-assisted acid digestion. Brain slurries (2% w/v) could be prepared in distilled, de-ionized water, with good stability for up to 30 min. Brain samples were also digested in a domestic microwave oven using 5 ml of concentrated HNO₃. A mixed palladium+magnesium nitrate chemical modifier was used for thermal stabilization of the analyte in the electrothermal atomizer up to pyrolysis temperatures of 1300 °C, irrespective of the matrix. Quantitation of manganese was conducted in both cases by means of aqueous standards calibration. The detection limits were 0.3 and 0.4 ng ml⁻¹ for the slurry and the digested samples, respectively. The accuracy of the procedure was checked by comparing the results obtained in the analysis of slurries and digested brain samples, and by analysis of the NIST Bovine Liver standard reference material (SRM 1577a). The ease of slurry preparation, together with the conventional set of analytical and instrumental conditions selected for the determination of manganese make such methodology suitable for routine clinical applications.     

Determination of clindamycin in animal plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography combined with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

A method for the quantification of clindamycin in animal plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography combined with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) is presented. Lincomycin is used as the internal standard. The sample preparation includes a simple deproteinization step with trichloroacetic acid. Chromatographic separation is achieved on an RP-18 Hypersil column using gradient elution with 0.01 M ammonium acetate and acetonitrile as mobile phase. Good linearity was observed in the range 0-10 microg ml(-1). The limit of quantification of the method is 50 ng ml(-1) and the limit of detection is 1.3 ng ml(-1). The method was shown out to be of use for pharmacokinetic studies of clindamycin formulations in dogs.