Chlorophyllide a/cyclodextrin interaction in aqueous solution

The interactions between Chlorophyllide a (Chlide), a pigment having the same structure of Chl a without the phytilic tail, and two CDs having the same moieties but different cavity size, the hydroxypropyl- β -cyclodextrin and the hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin, were studied in aqueous solutions by means of absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism and isothermal titration calorimetry. The results obtained indicate that both cyclodextrins are able to modify the aggregation equilibrium of the pigment favouring the monomeric form. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Chernobyl-derived radiocesium in some pharmaceutical plants

The cesium rarioactivity (owing to¹³⁴Cs and¹³⁷Cs) in a number of wild plants of phamaceutical interest harvested in Transylvania was followed during the 1986–1994 period. The data give information on major pathways of vegetable organism contamination through lives from fallout and resuspention and by root uptake from contaminated soil.     

Quantifying self-organization with optimal predictors

Despite broad interest in self-organizing systems, there are few quantitative, experimentally applicable criteria for self-organization. The existing criteria all give counter-intuitive results for important cases. In this Letter, we propose a new criterion, namely, an internally generated increase in the statistical complexity, the amount of information required for optimal prediction of the system's dynamics. We precisely define this complexity for spatially extended dynamical systems, using the probabilistic ideas of mutual information and minimal sufficient statistics. This leads to a general method for predicting such systems and a simple algorithm for estimating statistical complexity. The results of applying this algorithm to a class of models of excitable media (cyclic cellular automata) strongly support our proposal.     

Spectroscopic and electrochemical study of Rose Bengal in aqueous solutions of cyclodextrins

The interaction of Rose Bengal (RB) in aqueous solution of LiClO4 0.1 M with alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD), hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrins (HP-beta-CD) and hydroxypropyl-gamma-cyclodextrins (HP-gamma-CD) were studied by spectrophotometric measurements. The presence of Induced Circular Signals and the results of the analysis of the modifications in the absorbance spectra of RB produced by the presence of CDs in solution indicate that RB forms inclusion complexes only with HP-beta-CD and with HP-gamma-CD.     

Tetrakis(4-pyridyl)porphyrin supramolecular complexes with cyclodextrins in aqueous solution

The formation of inclusion complexes of hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin, heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin and heptakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin with 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-pyridyl)porphyrin (TpyP) has been studied in aqueous buffer solution (phosphate buffer pH = 7 and I = 0.01 M) to give a structural and spectroscopic characterization of a new class of potential sensitizers for photodynamic therapy. The interaction was investigated by a combination of UV/Vis absorption, fluorescence anisotropy, time-resolved fluorescence and circular dichroism. The experimental results point to the presence of the pigment in water in a monomeric complexed form. The fluorescence anisotropy measurements suggest that TpyP forms 1:1 complexes with heptakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin and hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin, while 1:2 complexes are obtained with heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin.     

Interaction between chlorophyll a and b-cyclodextrin derivatives in aqueous solutions

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are widely used as delivery systems of poorly water soluble drugs in pharmacological applications. The delivery system produces an increase of aqueous solubility of the drug and significant modifications in its physico-chemical and pharmacological properties. In this paper we report the results of our study on aqueous solutions of chlorophyll a, a natural pigment useful as sensitizer in the photodynamic therapy, and two CDs: hydroxypropyl- b-cyclodextrin and heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-b-cyclodextrin. The interactions between chlorophyll and CDs and the effect produced by the presence of the CDs on the aggregation of chlorophyll were studied by calorimetric and UV-Vis spectrophotometric measurements respectively. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cyclodextrin/chlorophyll a complexes as supramolecular photosensitizers

The interactions between chlorophyll a, and three cyclodextrins, hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin heptakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin and hydroxypropyl-gamma-cyclodextrin, were studied in aqueous solutions by means of absorption, emission and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Nanosecond laser flash photolysis and steady-state singlet oxygen generation experiments were performed to clarify the photoactivity of chlorophyll a in these systems. Moreover the photosensitizing activity of these complexes towards human leukemia T-lymphocytes (Jurkat cells) was tested and compared with that of the free sensitizer, chlorophyll a. The results obtained indicate that each cyclodextrin is able to carry the pigment in monomeric form inside of cells producing singlet oxygen.     

X-ray fluorescence analysis of some Roman silver coins

Twenty ancient silver coins have been analyzed by the X-ray fluorescence method. For eliminating the effects that disturb the absolute quantitative measurements, we calculated, for each coin, the ratio between the elements that constitute the coin and related them to the silver concentration. From these measurements correlation diagrams have been obtained in which coins are grouped together depending on the silver sources and the purification technologies.     

Crystallite size determination for supported metal catalysts by single X-ray profile fourier analysis

An X-ray diffraction method is presented capable of determining the average particle size, microstrains, the probability of faults as well as a particle size distribution function in crystalline materials. The method is based on the Fourier analysis of a single X-ray diffraction profile. Results obtained on supported platinum catalysts used in H/D isotopic exchange reactions are reported. On the basis of experimental spectra and our XRLINE1 code all structural parameters could be obtained.     

Colloidal TiO2 nanocrystals/MEH-PPV nanocomposites: photo(electro)chemical study

An extensive optical and photoelectrochemical study of blended systems composed of organic-capped TiO(2) nanocrystals with either a spherical or rodlike morphology and a conjugated polymer, MEH-PPV, is presented. The absorption and emission properties of the heterojunctions have been characterized both in solution and in thin films. The blended structures deposited onto conductive substrates have been employed as active layers in photoelectrochemical systems. The investigation has been focused on the photoinduced charge transfer and recombination processes at the interface between the two components, as a function of the nanocrystal shape and surface coating, and of the film thickness. The presence of a large number of interfaces available for charge transfer is believed to play a fundamental role in enhancing the photoelectrochemical performances of the dispersed heterojunctions. The reported results suggest that such MEH-PPV/TiO(2) heterojunctions may be exploited as potential active layers in future photovoltaic and photoelectrochemical devices.