Excluded volume driven counterion condensation inside nanotubes in a concave electrical double layer model

The physical properties of organic nanotubes attract increasing attention due to their potential benefit in technology, biology and medicine. We study the effect of ion size on the electrical properties of cylindrical nanotubes filled with electrolyte solution within a modified Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) approach. For comparison purposes, small hollow nanospheres filled with electrolyte solution are considered. The finite size of the particles in the inner electrolyte solution is described by the excluded volume effect within a lattice statistics approach. We found that an increased ion size reduces the number of counterions near the charged inner surface of the nanotube, leading to an enlarged electrostatic surface potential. The concentration of counterions close to the inner surface saturates for higher surface charge densities and larger ions. In the case of saturation, the closest counterion packing is achieved, all lattice sites near the surface are occupied and an actual counterion condensation is observed. By contrast, the counterion concentration at the axis of the nanotube steadily increases with increasing surface charge density. This growth is more pronounced for smaller nanotube radii and larger ions. At larger nanotube radii for small ion size counterion condensation may also be observed according to the Tsao criterion, i.e. the counterion concentration at the centre is independent of the number of counterions in the system. With decreasing radius the Tsao condensation effect is shifted towards physiologically unrealistic surface charge densities.     

Phenotyping apolipoprotein E*3-leiden transgenic mice by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometric identification

Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) plays an important role in cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism, being one of the major structural components of chylomicrons and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) remnants. ApoE functions as a ligand in the receptor-mediated uptake of these remnants from the blood by the liver. A variant form of ApoE, apolipoprotein E*3-Leiden, shows reduced affinity for the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor, and results in the dominant expression of type III hyperlipoproteinemia. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) has been used to characterise protein expression in serum samples from control and transgenic mice expressing the human ApoE*3-Leiden mutation, fed a cholesterol-rich diet, and transgenic mice fed a normal diet. For the identification of proteins, single silver-stained spots were excised from the 2-DE gels and subjected to in-gel enzymatic digestion. Extracted peptides were analysed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). This proteomic approach has enabled the ApoE*3-Leiden variant to be positioned in a 2-DE separation of serum proteins, and has identified changes in the expression of haptoglobin, indicating that this protein may provide a marker for the potential onset of atherosclerosis.     

Influence of Cyclodextrin Complexation on the in vitro Human Skin Penetration and Retention of the Sunscreen Agent, Oxybenzone

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of cyclodextrins on the cutaneous availability of the sunscreen oxybenzone. The interaction between oxybenzone and hydrophilic α-, β- and γ-cyclodextrin derivatives was studied in water by phase-solubility analysis. Among the available cyclodextrins, hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) and especially sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD) had the greatest solubilizing activity. Ethanol–water solutions containing oxybenzone free or complexed with HP-β-CD or SBE-β-CD were applied to human skin in Franz diffusion cells and the amount of sunscreen permeated into the different cutaneous compartments was determined by HPLC. As much as 20.5% of the oxybenzone applied dose diffused within the skin tissue after 6 h application. Between 39.4% and 54.9% of the penetrated UV filter was localized in the stratum corneum, with no significant difference between uncomplexed oxybenzone or its complex with HP-β-CD. Conversely, the amount retained in the stratum corneum was markedly decreased (ca. 50%) by complexation with SBE-β-CD. Considerable quantities of oxybenzone accumulated into the viable epidermis (5.7% of the applied dose) and dermis (6.2% of the applied dose) from the preparation containing the free UV filter. The sunscreen penetration to the deeper living layers of the skin was remarkably lower (1.0% and 2.0% of applied dose for epidermis and dermis, respectively) upon application of the sunscreen complexed with SBE-β-CD, whereas HP-β-CD had no effect. In addition, photostability experiments demonstrated that SBE-β-CD complexation did not alter the sunscreen photochemical properties.     

Excess volumes for n-alkanols + n-alkanes I. Binary mixtures of methanol,ethanol, n-propanol,and n-butanol + n-heptane

Excess volumes V^E measured at 298.15 K in a successive-dilution dilatometer are reported for binary mixtures of the n-alkanols C₁ to C₄ + n-heptane. For ethanol +, and n-butanol + n-heptane, the measurements were extended to high dilutions of alkanol. V^E is positive for all of the mixtures but decreases rapidly in magnitude for increasing chain length of the n-alkanol. The results were used to estimate the excess partial molar volumes of the components.     

Catalytic Cyclophanes. Part VIII. Cytochrome P-450 activity of a porphyrin-bridged cyclophane

Following a known synthetic procedure, the porphyrin-cyclophane 1 having a porphyrin attached by two straps to an apolar cyclophane binding site was prepared. Upon metallation, the Zn^II and Fe^III derivatives 2 and 3 , respectively, were obtained in good yields. Treatment of 3 with base yielded the μ-oxo dimer 4 in which the two oxo-bridged porphyrins moieties are both capped by cyclophane binding sites. All compounds 1–4 are freely soluble in protic solvents such as MeOH and CF₃CH₂OH, and the Fe^III derivatives 3 and 4 are active cytochrome P-450 mimics in these protic environments. Strong inclusion complexation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by 1 and 3 in alcoholic solvents was observed and quantified by ¹H-NMR and UV/VIS titrations. Acenaphthylene binds in an ‘equatorial’ orientation which locates its reactive 1,2-double bond near the porphyrin center, whereas phenanthrene binds ‘axially’ with the reactive 9,10-double bond oriented away from the porphyrin. The reduction potential of 3 was not significantly altered by substrate binding. In the unbound form, the Fe^III center in porphyrin 3 was found by ESR and ¹H-NMR to prefer a high-spin state (S = 5.2). In CF₃CH₂OH, using iodosylbenzene as O-transfer agent, the Fe^III derivative 3 catalyzed the oxidation of acenaphthylene to acenaphthen-1-one ( 14 ). Phenanthrene inhibited the reaction, possibly as a result of strong but nonproductive binding. Under similar conditions, isotetralin ( 18 ) was aromatized with high turnover to 1,4-dihydronaphthalene. The μ-oxo dimer 4 also showed high activity in the oxidation of acenaphthylen in MeOH, a result which provides strong evidence for efficent supramolecular catalysis. Due to as yet unknown reaction channels leading to polymeric products, poor mass balances were generally obtained in the oxidations effected in MeOH and CF₃CH₂OH in the presence of PhIO.     

A Ramification Formula for Poincare Series, and a Hyperplane Formula for Modular Invariants

Let (A) be the coefficient of the second term in the Laurentexpansion about T 1 of the Poincare series p(A, t) of a gradedring A. For a finite extension of integrally closed domains,we prove a formula relating if (B), if (A) and the differentialexponent of B over A. As an application, we prove a conjectureof Carlisle and Kropholler which computes for rings of modularinvariants of finite groups in terms of stabilizers of hyperplanes.     

Excess molar enthalpies of the ternary mixtures: (diisopropyl ether or 2-methyltetrahydrofuran) + cyclohexane + n-heptane at 298.15 K

Microcalorimetric measurements of excess molar enthalpies, at 298.15 K, are reported for the two ternary systems formed by mixing either diisopropyl ether or 2-methyltetrahydrofuran with binary mixtures of cyclohexane and n-heptane. Smooth representations of the results are presented and used to construct constant excess molar enthalpy contours on Roozeboom diagrams. It is shown that useful estimates of the ternary enthalpies can be obtained from the Liebermann and Fried model, using only the physical properties of the components and their binary mixtures.