Core–Shell Pd@M (M=Ni,Cu, Co) Nanoparticles/Graphene Ensembles with High Mass Electrocatalytic Activity Toward the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Herein, it is demonstrated that pyrene butyric acid (PBA)-stabilized metal nanoparticles with core–shell morphology, Pd@M_NPs (M=Ni, Cu, Co), non-covalently supported on graphene (G) sheets, are more active towards oxygen electroreduction in alkaline environments than the benchmark Pd/C catalyst, albeit with a 70 % lower precious metal loading. The PBA-stabilized Pd@M_NPs (M=Ni, Cu, Co)/G ensembles were prepared by employing a simple modified polyol method and galvanic replacement and thoroughly characterized with advanced microscopy imaging and complementary spectroscopic techniques. Electrochemical studies revealed that Pd@Ni_NPs/G presents the optimum performance, exhibiting a 30 mV more positive onset potential and 3.2 times greater mass activity over Pd/C. Moreover, chronoamperometric assays showed the minimum activity loss for Pd@Ni_NPs/G, not only among its core–shell counterparts but importantly when compared with the benchmark catalyst. The excellent performance of Pd@Ni_NPs/G was attributed to the (a) presence of PBA as stabilizer, (b) uniform Pd@Ni_NPs dispersion onto the graphene sheets, (c) efficient intra-ensemble interactions between the two species, (d) existence of the core–shell structure for Pd@Ni_NPs, and (e) stability of the Ni core metal under the reaction conditions. Last, the oxygen reduction on Pd@Ni_NPs/graphene occurs by the direct four-electron reduction pathway, showing great potential for use in energy related applications.     

Synthesis and thermal,mechanical, and optical properties of A–B–A or A–B block copolymers containing poly(norbornene‐co‐1‐octene)

A–B–A block copolymers which consist of poly(norbornene‐co‐1‐octene) and atactic polypropylene (PP) segments were synthesized by using ansa‐fluorenylamidotitanium complex as a catalyst varying the ratio of norbornene, 1‐octene, and propylene. The copolymer was obtained quantitatively with high molecular weight (>100,000) and narrow molecular weight distribution (polydispersity index, <1.5). A–B block copolymers of poly(norbornene‐co‐1‐octene) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was also obtained by the same procedure. Mechanical and optical properties of these copolymer films, which were obtained by solution casting process, were also investigated. Introduction of PP soft segment greatly improved mechanical properties, keeping their high transparency. Introduction of PMMA block also increased the tensile strength. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 267–271     

Automated determination of venlafaxine in human plasma by on‐line SPE‐LC‐MS/MS. Application to a bioequivalence study

A new automated SPE‐LC‐ESI‐MS/MS method was developed and validated to quantify venlafaxine in human plasma using fluoxetine as an internal standard. The analytes were automatically extracted from plasma by C18 SPE cartridges, separated on a C8 RP column and analyzed by MS in the multiple reaction‐monitoring (MRM) mode. The method has a chromatographic run time of 4.0 min and a linear calibration curve over the range of 0.25–200 ng/mL (r >0.997). The between‐run precisions, based on the percent RSD for replicate quality controls (0.75; 80, and 200 ng/mL), were < 8.5% for all concentrations. The between‐run accuracies, based on the percent relative error, were < 4.0%. This method was successfully employed in a bioequivalence study of two venlafaxine capsule formulations (test formulation from Eurofarma (Brazil) and Efexor XR, reference formulation, from Wyeth‐Whitehall, Brazil) in 48 healthy volunteers of both sexes who received a single 150 mg dose of each formulation. More than 3000 samples were analyzed eliminating the analyst's exposure to hazardous organic solvents normally employed in off‐line liquid–liquid extractions. The 90% confidence interval (CI) of the individual ratio geometric mean for Test/Reference was 91.6–103.4% for AUC_{0–48 h} and 102.2–112.6% for C_max. Since both 90% CI for AUC_{0–48 h} and C_max were included in the 80–125% interval proposed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), the test formulation was considered bioequivalent to Efexor XR according to both the rate and extent of absorption.     

Synthesis and biological activity of mycalolide analogs

Mycalolide analog 4, consisting only of the side chain of mycalolide B (2), a trisoxazole macrolide of marine origin, was stereoselectively synthesized using Roush crotylboration, an Evans aldol reaction, and a Paterson aldol reaction as key steps. The analog 4 was found to have strong actin-depolymerizing activity.     

Binuclear complexes of Co(III) containing extended conjugated bis(catecholate) ligands

Binuclear complexes of cobalt(III) have been prepared with 3,3',4,4'-tetrahydroxy-benzaldazine (H4thB), 3,3',4,4'-tetrahydroxy-5,5'-dimethoxybenzaldazine (H4thM), and 3,3',4,4'-tetrahydroxydimethylbenzaldazine (H4thA) as bis(catecholate) ligands that link metal ions separated by 16 A through a conjugated bridge. In one case, [Co2(bpy)4(thM)]2+, stereodynamic properties observed in solution by 1H NMR are associated with valence tautomerism, with formation of a labile hs-Co(II) species by electron transfer from the catecholate regions of the bridge. Electrochemical oxidation of the complexes occurs at the bridges as two closely spaced one-electron couples. Chemical oxidation of [Co2(bpy) 4(thB)]2+ with Ag+ is observed to occur as a two-electron process forming [Co2(bpy) 4(thB(SQ,SQ))]4+. Attempted crystallization in the presence of air was observed to result in formation of the [Co(bpy)2(BACat)]+ (H2BACat, 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde) cation by aerobic oxidation. Structural characterization is provided for the H4thM ligand and [Co(bpy)2(BACat)](BF4).     

Folding Dynamics of 10‐Residue β‐Hairpin Peptide Chignolin

Short peptides that fold into β‐hairpins are ideal model systems for investigating the mechanism of protein folding because their folding process shows dynamics typical of proteins. We performed folding, unfolding, and refolding molecular dynamics simulations (total of 2.7 μs) of the 10‐residue β‐hairpin peptide chignolin, which is the smallest β‐hairpin structure known to be stable in solution. Our results revealed the folding mechanism of chignolin, which comprises three steps. First, the folding begins with hydrophobic assembly. It brings the main chain together; subsequently, a nascent turn structure is formed. The second step is the conversion of the nascent turn into a tight turn structure along with interconversion of the hydrophobic packing and interstrand hydrogen bonds. Finally, the formation of the hydrogen‐bond network and the complete hydrophobic core as well as the arrangement of side‐chain–side‐chain interactions occur at approximately the same time. This three‐step mechanism appropriately interprets the folding process as involving a combination of previous inconsistent explanations of the folding mechanism of the β‐hairpin, that the first event of the folding is formation of hydrogen bonds and the second is that of the hydrophobic core, or vice versa.     

How accurate can the determination of chiral indices of carbon nanotubes be?

We present a general and systematic method for determining the chiral indices of carbon nanotubes. This method relies on the semi-quantitative analysis of experimental selected area diffraction pattern intensities, together with extensive comparison with kinematic theory. We show how to retrieve the chiral indices of single walled or multiwalled carbon nanotubes, even when their radii are large (up to approximately 40 ?). All theoretical and experimental sources of errors are discussed. By discussing the experimental case of a double-walled carbon nanotube, we show how it is possible to determine the chiral indices of each of its constituant tubes independently, by analyzing parts of the diffraction pattern where the contributions of these tubes do not interfere. Using the parts where all the contributions do interfere, we successfully crosschecked independently the preceding determination. Received 23 December 2003 Published online 7 May 2003     

Direct imaging of Sc2@C84 molecules encapsulated inside single-wall carbon nanotubes by high resolution electron microscopy with atomic sensitivity

Intramolecular structure of the scandium dimetallofullerene (Sc(2)@C(84)) has been clearly revealed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy with the single-atom sensitivity. Direct observation of two Sc atoms inside each fullerene molecule has led to a successful determination of the molecular symmetry among the three possible structural isomers for the Sc(2)@C(84). The present work introduces a new electron microscopic approach to investigate individual molecular structures and demonstrates the possibility for determining the molecular isomer on a single-molecular basis.