Clicked Isoreticular Metal–Organic Frameworks and Their High Performance in the Selective Capture and Separation of Large Organic Molecules

Three highly porous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with a uniform rht‐type topological network but hierarchical pores were successfully constructed by the assembly of triazole‐containing dendritic hexacarboxylate ligands with Zn^II ions. These transparent MOF crystals present gradually increasing pore sizes upon extension of the length of the organic backbone, as clearly identified by structural analysis and gas‐adsorption experiments. The inherent accessibility of the pores to large molecules endows these materials with unique properties for the uptake of large guest molecules. The visible selective adsorption of dye molecules makes these MOFs highly promising porous materials for pore‐size‐dependent large‐molecule capture and separation.     

The Transition States for CO2 Capture by Substituted Ethanolamines

Quantum chemical studies are used to understand the electronic and steric effects on the mechanisms of the reaction of substituted ethanolamines with CO₂. SCS‐MP2/6‐311+G(2d,2p) calculations are used to obtain the activation energy barriers and reaction energies for both the carbamate and bicarbonate formation. Implicit solvent effects are included with the universal solvation model SMD. Carbamate formation is more favorable than bicarbonate formation for monoethanolamine (MEA) both kinetically and thermodynamically. Increase of the steric hindrance on the C atoms around the N atom in substituted ethanolamines favors bicarbonate formation over carbamate formation with lower activation barriers and thereby higher reaction rates. In contrast, substitution by an N‐methyl or N‐ethyl group on MEA leads to a lower activation barrier for both carbamate formation and bicarbonate formation. As a result, higher reaction rates are expected as compared to MEA, and therefore these compounds have significant potential as industrial CO₂ capturing solvents.     

Unusual Ultra‐Hydrophilic,Porous Carbon Cuboids for Atmospheric‐Water Capture

There is significant interest in high‐performance materials that can directly and efficiently capture water vapor, particularly from air. Herein, we report a class of novel porous carbon cuboids with unusual ultra‐hydrophilic properties, over which the synergistic effects between surface heterogeneity and micropore architecture is maximized, leading to the best atmospheric water‐capture performance among porous carbons to date, with a water capacity of up to 9.82 mmol g^?1 at P/P₀=0.2 and 25 °C (20 % relative humidity or 6000 ppm). Benefiting from properties, such as defined morphology, narrow pore size distribution, and high heterogeneity, this series of functional carbons may serve as model materials for fundamental research on carbon chemistry and the advance of new types of materials for water‐vapor capture as well as other applications requiring combined highly hydrophilic surface chemistry, developed hierarchical porosity, and excellent stability.     

Pesticide residues analysis in honey using ethyl acetate extraction method: validation and pilot survey in real samples

This paper presents a cost-effective and validated multi residue confirmatory method for the determination of 167 chemically different pesticides and a survey study on Cyprus honey samples. This method uses ethyl acetate for the extraction of pesticides from honey and the determination is performed with liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) operating in tandem mode (MS/MS) and with GC–ECD (gas chromatography with electron capture detector) analysis. The LC-MS/MS analytical system is especially important in the analysis of polar and non-volatile pesticides. For the validation of the method, blank honey samples were spiked with 146 pesticides (organophosphorous, carbamates, triazoles, amides, neonicodinoids, strobilurines, phenylureas, bendimidazoles and others) for the LC-MS/MS analysis at three levels: 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 mg kg^?1 and with 21 pesticides for the GC-ECD analysis at two levels: 0.01 and 0.05 mg kg^?1for organochlorines and 0.05 and 0.2 mg kg^?1for the pyrethroids. As blank sample, a sample of honey which did not contain detectable levels of the analytes sought was used. The validation study was in accordance to the DG SANCO guidelines. The scope of validation included recovery, linearity, limits of quantification and precision. Linearity is demonstrated all along the range of concentration that was investigated with correlation coefficients ≥0.98. Recoveries of the majority of compounds were in the 70%–120% range and were characterised by precision lower or equal to 20%. The validated method was used for a survey of 36 samples of honey produced in different areas of Cyprus and this is the first work on Cypriot honey samples investigating a broad range of pesticides. Only coumaphos was detected at concentrations higher than 0.01 mg kg^?1 in the 58.6% of the honey samples analysed for Coumaphos. The results were evaluated in accordance to the provisions of the Commission Regulation (EU) No 37/2010 on pharmacologically active substances and their classification regarding maximum residue limits (MRLs) in foodstuffs of animal origin. The concentrations of coumaphos in all positive samples were at levels much lower than the MRL.     

Xe54+离子与Xe原子碰撞过程中的辐射电子俘获及退激发辐射的理论研究

基于多组态Dirac-Fock理论方法和冲量近似, 对Xe⁵⁴⁺与Xe在197 MeV/u碰撞能量下, 炮弹离子的俘获及退激发过程进行了理论研究. 计算了炮弹离子从中性靶原子俘获一个电子到nl (n=1, 2, 3, 4, 5; l=s, p, d) 轨道上的辐射电子俘获截面和相应的辐射光子能量, 以及俘获末态退激发辐射跃迁的能量和概率. 结合这些计算结果, 进一步模拟了碰撞产生的炮弹离子的退激发X射线谱的结构, 并与兰州重离子加速器装置上的最新实验观测结果进行了比较, 符合得很好.     

Atomistic modeling toward high‐efficiency carbon capture: A brief survey with a few illustrative examples

With the negative environmental implications of the anthropogenic emission of greenhouse gases like CO₂ having been scientifically established, emphasis is being placed on a concerted global effort to prevent such gases from reaching the atmosphere. Especially important are capture efforts at large point emission sources like fossil fuel power generation, natural gas processing, and various industrial plants. Given the importance and scale of such activities, it is a significant priority to optimize the capture process in terms of speed, energy requirements, and cost efficiency. For CO₂ capture, in particular, multiple systems are being pursued both with near‐term retrofitting and medium‐ to long‐term designs in mind, including: (1) liquid solvents like amines, carbonates, and ionic liquids (ILs); (2) microporous sorbents like zeolites, activated carbon, and metal‐organic frameworks; (3) solid sorbents like metal‐oxides and ionic clays; and (4) polymeric and inorganic membrane separators. Each system is unique in its molecular‐level guest–host interactions, chemistry, heats of adsorption/desorption, and equilibrium thermodynamic and transport properties as a function of loading, temperature, and pressure. This opens up exciting opportunities for molecular modeling in the design and optimization of materials systems. Here, we offer a brief survey of molecular modeling applications in the field of carbon capture, with a few illustrative examples from our own work primarily involving amine solutions and ILs. Important molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo, and correlations‐based work in the literature relevant to CO₂ capture in other systems are also discussed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

基于半刚性配体的柔性超微孔金属有机骨架的合成及其尺度选择性二氧化碳捕获

基于半刚性的配体3'',5''-di (1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-(1,1''-biphenyl)-3,5-dicarboxylic acid (H₂DTBDA)和硝酸钴制备了一个柔性超微孔的金属有机骨架{[Co (DTBDA)]·4H₂O}_n(FJI-H35),并对该材料的结构进行了系统的表征。FJI-H35活化以后可以发生自适应的结构转变,使得孔径从0.43 nm收缩到0.37 nm。气体吸附测试表明FJI-H35可以从氮气和甲烷中选择性捕获二氧化碳,具有很高的吸附选择性和相对低的吸附焓。突破实验进一步证实FJI-H35可以从二氧化碳/氮气(15∶85,V/V)和二氧化碳/甲烷(50∶50,V/V)混合气中高效选择性捕获二氧化碳。     

MRI-guided neutron capture therapy by use of a dual gadolinium/boron agent targeted at tumour cells through upregulated low-density lipoprotein transporters

The upregulation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) transporters in tumour cells has been exploited to deliver a sufficient amount of gadolinium/boron/ligand (Gd/B/L) probes for neutron capture therapy, a binary chemio-radiotherapy for cancer treatment. The Gd/B/L probe consists of a carborane unit (ten B atoms) bearing an aliphatic chain on one side (to bind LDL particles), and a Gd(III)/1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane monoamide complex on the other (for detection by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)). Up to 190 Gd/B/L probes were loaded per LDL particle. The uptake from tumour cells was initially assessed on cell cultures of human hepatoma (HepG2), murine melanoma (B16), and human glioblastoma (U87). The MRI assessment of the amount of Gd/B/L taken up by tumour cells was validated by inductively coupled plasma-mass-spectrometric measurements of the Gd and B content. Measurements were undertaken in vivo on mice bearing tumours in which B16 tumour cells were inoculated at the base of the neck. From the acquisition of magnetic resonance images, it was established that after 4-6 hours from the administration of the Gd/B/L-LDL particles (0.1 and 1 mmol kg(-1) of Gd and (10)B, respectively) the amount of boron taken up in the tumour region is above the threshold required for successful NCT treatment. After neutron irradiation, tumour growth was followed for 20 days by MRI. The group of treated mice showed markedly lower tumour growth with respect to the control group.     

Microproteomic analysis of 10,000 laser captured microdissected breast tumor cells using short-range sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and porous layer open tubular liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Precise proteomic profiling of limited levels of disease tissue represents an extremely challenging task. Here, we present an effective and reproducible microproteomic workflow for sample sizes of only 10,000 cells that integrates selective sample procurement via laser capture microdissection (LCM), sample clean-up and protein level fractionation using short-range SDS-PAGE, followed by ultrasensitive LC-MS/MS analysis using a 10 μm i.d. porous layer open tubular (PLOT) column. With 10,000 LCM captured mouse hepatocytes for method development and performance assessment, only 10% of the in-gel digest, equivalent to ～1000 cells, was needed per LC-MS/MS analysis. The optimized workflow was applied to the differential proteomic analysis of 10,000 LCM collected primary and metastatic breast cancer cells from the same patient. More than 1100 proteins were identified from each injection with >1700 proteins identified from three LCM samples of 10,000 cells from the same patient (1123 with at least two unique peptides). Label free quantitation (spectral counting) was performed to identify differential protein expression between the primary and metastatic cell populations. Informatics analysis of the resulting data indicated that vesicular transport and extracellular remodeling processes were significantly altered between the two cell types. The ability to extract meaningful biological information from limited, but highly informative cell populations demonstrates the significant benefits of the described microproteomic workflow.