Clustering Six Electrons within “Dawson-Like” Polyoxometalate: An Open Route toward Its Post-functionalization

Super-reduction of polyoxometalates (POMs) in solution is of fundamental interest for designing innovative energy storage systems. In this article, we show that the “Dawson-like” POM can undergo a disproportionation process during its massive electron uptake, leading to species containing three metal-metal bonds as evidenced by X-ray diffraction, multi-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H and ¹⁸³W NMR), extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), UV/Vis, and voltammetry techniques. This result indicates that electron storing within metal-metal bonds is not a unique property of Keggin-type POM as postulated since the 70s. Besides, we demonstrate that the presence of an electron-rich triad in the “Dawson-like” POM allows its post-functionalization with additional tungstate ions, generating a chiral molecule that is also the largest W^IV-containing POMs known to date.     

4-硝基咪唑A-带激发态结构动力学

通过共振拉曼光谱实验和量子化学计算的方法研究了4-硝基咪唑(4NI)A-带激发态衰变动力学. 对4NI的振动光谱、紫外电子吸收光谱、荧光光谱和共振拉曼光谱进行了指认. 在全活化空间自洽场法(CASSCF)/6-31G(d)计算水平下获得了单重激发态S₁(n_Oπ^*)和S₂(ππ^*)和势能面交叉点S₁(n_Oπ^*)/S₂(ππ^*)的优化几何结构和能量, 分析了A-带共振拉曼光谱的强度模式特征, 获得了短时结构动力学, 并结合全活化空间自洽场法(CASSCF)理论计算结果确定了4NI 在S₂(ππ^*)态衰变通道主要是S_{2, FC}→S_{2, min}(ππ^*)→S₀辐射弛豫.     

聚合物结构对包膜缓释肥缓释性能的影响

研发和使用缓控释肥能有效解决普通肥料利用率低以及由于化肥使用过量而引起的环境问题。聚合物包膜型缓控释肥是缓控释肥中的一种,影响其缓释性能的因素如环境因素、包膜厚度、加工工艺等,前人已研究较多。聚合物结构对于缓释性能的影响也很重要,而这方面研究较少。本文主要讨论了聚合物结晶性、分子亲疏水性、分子链柔顺性、交联等结构因素对缓释性能的影响。深入研究聚合物结构对缓释性能的影响有助于缓控释材料的创新;能为聚合物包膜材料的设计、聚合物缓控释肥的研发及生产提供一定的理论依据。     

新烟碱类杀虫剂生物活性的理论研究和结构修饰*

在B3LYP/6-311G基组水平下,运用密度泛函理论(DFT)的量子化学方法,对20种重氮乙烷新烟碱类杀虫剂分子的电子结构特征进行了研究,获得了它们的前线轨道能(EHOMO、ENHOMO、ELUMO、ENLUMO等)、原子电荷(Qi)、摩尔熵(Sm)、偶极矩(μ)等量化参数与物理性质。经最佳变量子集回归研究发现,重氮乙烷新烟碱类杀虫剂分子对果蝇n AChRs、哺乳动物α4β2亚型的亲和力常数(p KD、p KA)分别与ELUMO、QW、QF、QN等参数具有良好的线性关系。逐一或逐四剔除交互验证以及VIF、tα/2检验,所建2个QSAR模型具有良好的稳健性及预测能力。根据2个QSAR模型推断了重氮乙烷新烟碱类分子可能的杀虫机理。进一步研究发现,在重氮乙烷新烟碱类分子的吡啶环上的合适部位,选用不含复键的吸电子能力较强的取代基团对其进行结构修饰,有利于提高修饰后分子的生物活性。基于分子17,设计出4种经结构修饰后对果蝇n AChRs亲和力显著提高的重氮乙烷新烟碱类分子(分别是分子27,28,30和31),希望能得到实验的证实。     

Monitoring of Endogenous Hydrogen Sulfide in Living Cells Using Surface‐Enhanced Raman Scattering

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) has emerged as an important gasotransmitter in diverse physiological processes, although many aspects of its roles remain unclear, partly owing to a lack of robust analytical methods. Herein we report a novel surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanosensor, 4‐acetamidobenzenesulfonyl azide‐functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs/4‐AA), for detecting the endogenous H₂S in living cells. The detection is accomplished with SERS spectrum changes of AuNPs/4‐AA resulting from the reaction of H₂S with 4‐AA on AuNPs. The SERS nanosensor exhibits high selectivity toward H₂S. Furthermore, AuNPs/4‐AA responds to H₂S within 1 min with a 0.1 μM level of sensitivity. In particular, our SERS method can be utilized to monitor the endogenous H₂S generated in living glioma cells, demonstrating its great promise in studies of pathophysiological pathways involving H₂S.     

Bulk derivatization and cation exchange restricted access media-based trap-and-elute liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method for determination of trace estrogens in serum

Estrone (E1), estradiols (α/β-E2), and estriol (E3) are four major metabolically active estrogens exerting strong biological activities at very low circulating concentrations. This paper reports a sensitive and efficient method with automated, on-line clean-up and detection to determine trace estrogens in a small volume of serum samples using liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry directly, without off-line liquid–liquid or solid-phase extraction pretreatments. Serum aliquots (charcoal stripped fetal bovine serum, 100 μL) were spiked with four estrogen standards and their corresponding isotope-labeled internal standards, then bulk derivatized with 2-fluoro-1-methyl-pyridium p-toluenesulfonate (2-FMP) to establish the calibration curves and perform method validation. Calibration was established in the concentration ranges of 5–1000 pg mL⁻¹, and demonstrated good linearity of R² from 0.9944 to 0.9997 for the four derivatized estrogens. The lower detection limits obtained were 3–7 pg mL⁻¹. Good accuracy and precision in the range of 86–112% and 2.3–11.9%, respectively, were observed for the quality control (QC) samples at low, medium, and high concentration levels. The stability tests showed that the derivatized serum samples were stable 8 h after derivatization at room temperature and at least to 48 h if stored at −20 °C. The method was applied to measure trace estrogens in real human and bovine serum samples, and three of four estrogen compounds studied were observed and quantified.     

New approach for natural products screening by real-time monitoring of hemoglobin hydrolysis using quartz crystal microbalance

The hemoglobin (Hb) released from erythrocytes is a primary nutritive component for many blood-feeding parasites. The aspartic protease cathepsin D is a hemoglobinase that is involved in the Hb degradation process and is considered an interesting target for chemotherapy intervention. However, traditional enzymatic assays for studying Hb degradation utilize spectrophotometric techniques, which do not allow real-time monitoring and can present serious interference problems. Herein, we describe a biosensor using simple approach for the real-time monitoring of Hb hydrolysis as well as an efficient screening method for natural products as enzymatic inhibitors using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique. Hemoglobin was anchored on the quartz crystal surface using mixed self-assembled monolayers. The addition of the enzyme caused a mass change (frequency shift) due to Hb hydrolysis, which was monitored in real time. From the frequency change patterns of the Hb-functionalized QCM, we evaluated the enzymatic reaction by determining the kinetic parameters of product formation (k_cat). The QCM enzymatic assay using immobilized human Hb was shown to be an excellent approach for screening possible inhibitors in complex mixtures, opening up a new avenue for the discovery of novel inhibitors.     

Tutorial review on validation of liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry methods: Part I

This is the part I of a tutorial review intending to give an overview of the state of the art of method validation in liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and discuss specific issues that arise with MS (and MS/MS) detection in LC (as opposed to the “conventional” detectors). The Part I briefly introduces the principles of operation of LC–MS (emphasizing the aspects important from the validation point of view, in particular the ionization process and ionization suppression/enhancement); reviews the main validation guideline documents and discusses in detail the following performance parameters: selectivity/specificity/identity, ruggedness/robustness, limit of detection, limit of quantification, decision limit and detection capability. With every method performance characteristic its essence and terminology are addressed, the current status of treating it is reviewed and recommendations are given, how to determine it, specifically in the case of LC–MS methods.     

In-line monitoring flow in an extruder die by rheo-optics

A new modular slit die with optical windows in two different positions and three pressure transducers flush-mounted along the wall was built and coupled to the exit of a twin-screw extruder. Thus, the birefringence and the pressure drop of polystyrene were monitored inline during extrusion. Two experimental procedures were tested: steady-state and cessation of extruder feeding. The latter proved to be very useful in the case of polystyrene since the ratio between the birefringence and the pressure drop can be quantified for a wide range of steady-state conditions with a single experiment. In fact, down to relatively lower values of pressure drop, the birefringence proved to be a function of shear stress at the wall only, depending neither on the initial feeding rate nor on the aspect ratio of the slit die, for W/h down to 5, at least.     

Systematic investigation of sequence and structural motifs that recognize ATP

Interaction between ATP, a multifunctional and ubiquitous nucleotide, and proteins initializes phosphorylation, polypeptide synthesis and ATP hydrolysis which supplies energy for metabolism. However, current knowledge concerning the mechanisms through which ATP is recognized by proteins is incomplete, scattered, and inaccurate. We systemically investigate sequence and structural motifs of proteins that recognize ATP. We identified three novel motifs and refined the known p-loop and class II aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase motifs. The five motifs define five distinct ATP–protein interaction modes which concern over 5% of known protein structures. We demonstrate that although these motifs share a common GXG tripeptide they recognize ATP through different functional groups. The p-loop motif recognizes ATP through phosphates, class II aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase motif targets adenosine and the other three motifs recognize both phosphates and adenosine. We show that some motifs are shared by different enzyme types. Statistical tests demonstrate that the five sequence motifs are significantly associated with the nucleotide binding proteins. Large-scale test on PDB reveals that about 98% of proteins that include one of the structural motifs are confirmed to bind ATP.