Activity enhancement by the support in the hydrogenation of C=C bonds over polymer-supported palladium catalysts

Four synthetic ion-exchange resins (AH, BH, CH, DH) of different hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties were used as supports for heterogeneous palladium catalysts (A, B, C, D). The resins contained styrene (STY) and 2-(methacryloxy)ethylsulfonic acid (MESA) as the comonomers. Either divinylbenzene (DVB: CH, DH resins) or N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBAA: AH, BH resins) were used as the cross-linker. AH contained also N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA) as the third comonomer. The catalysts (Pd 0.25-0.45% w/w) were obtained by ion-exchanging the acidic forms of the resins with [Pd(OAc)2] and reducing palladium(II) with excess sodium borohydride. The use of NaBH4 also ensured the neutralization of the acidic sites of the supports. No effect of the hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties of the supports was observed in the hydrogenation of cyclohexene and 2-cyclohexen-1-one in methanol, at 25 degrees C and 0.5, 1, and 1.5 MPa, respectively. However, catalysts A and B, containing amido groups provided by either DMAA or MBAA, proved to be more active than C and D. The observed activity enhancement was directly proportional to the nitrogen/ palladium molar ratio in the catalysts. This finding suggests that amido groups promote palladium through a direct interaction with the metal surface.     

Glucose sensors based on enzyme immobilization onto biocompatible membranes obtained by radiation-induced polymerization

Amperometric glucose biosensors based on glucose oxidase immobilized onto poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) membranes obtained by γ radiation-induced polymerization were constructed. In a threeelectrode configuration, smooth or platinized platinum electrodes with different shapes were used, in order to detect the amount of hydrogen peroxide produced in the glucose oxidation. A saturated calomel electrode and a platinum foil were used as a reference and counterelectrode, respectively. The biocompatible obtained sensors were characterized as regards the temperature effect, the response, and lifetime. The determination of glucose in standard solutions was carried out, and linear calibration curves were obtained. Depending on the electrode configuration, the sensor had a response time of 1–4 min, and the measuring range extended from 5 × 10^?5 to 4 × 10^?3M.     

Fast atom bombardment in the structural identification of intermediates in the hydrolytic degradation of polyphosphazenes

Fast atom bombardment mass Spectrometry was employed in a study related to the hydrolytic degradation of alanine ethyl ester- and imidazole-substituted polyphosphazenes, to be used as matrices for drug release. Some intermediates were identified and their structural assignment was accomplished by means of mass-analysed ion kinetic energy data. All the detected species show the same phosphazene skeleton, consisting of a P₄N₃ chain, with an increasing number of alanine ethyl ester substituents, and no evidence was found for the presence of imidazole bound to the polymer backbone.     

Routine catalytic determination of trace amounts of cobalt in small urine samples

The oxidation of catechol by hydrogen peroxide, catalyzed by cobalt(II), is a highly sensitive and selective reaction. It makes it possible to analyze a small sample of urine (5.0 ml) for cobalt without the need for isolation of the analyte from the matrix. The sample is dried and dry-ashed according to a temperature programme, and the residue is dissolved in hydrochloric acid. After filtration of the solution, acetate buffer and sodium citrate are added and cobalt is determined catalytically in an aliquot of the solution, by the standard-addition method.     

Proteocubosomes: nanoporous vehicles with tertiary organized fluid interfaces

Proteocubosomes are nanostructured open-nanochannel hierarchical fluid vehicles characterized by a cubic lattice periodicity of the lipid/protein supramolecular assembly (protein-loaded cubosomes). They are obtained here at very high hydration levels by a three-dimensional (3D) self-assembly process, which exploits a protein-directed 3D patterning and fragmentation to create a new, tertiary-level structural order of fluid lipid/water interfaces. Our freeze-fracture electron microscopy study reveals that the proteocubosome structures are built up by patterned assemblies of nanocubosomes, which comprise 3D nanoporous fracture surfaces throughout. Complex cubosomic architectures, involving arrays of nanodroplets (larger than 20 nm) inside the proteocubosome particles, are established at high resolution. The soft-matter hierarchical nanocompartment formations display internal aqueous pores belonging to the D-type lipid cubic lattice nanochannel system that is proven by synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The reported nanostructured fluid may give rise to novel applications in nanofluidic biomimetic devices, porous protein drug delivery vehicles, nanoscale enzymatic bioreactors, and protein-encapsulating fluid nanomaterials.     

DFT study of hydrazone-based molecular switches: the effect of different stators on the on/off state distribution

ABSTRACT

Hydrazones are popular building blocks in the development of functional materials because of their simple structure, straightforward synthesis, hydrolytic stability and tunable properties. Although a significant body of experimental information has been accumulated on the hydrazone-based rotary switches, mechanistic studies are still scarce. The effect of different stator units (phenyl-, naphthyl- and quinolinyl) on the on/off state distribution is studied in details at various computational levels in order to select a reliable computational level for a further computational study of the switching mechanism and rotary action of these systems.     

DFTMP, an NMR reagent for assessing the near-neutral pH of biological samples

A new NMR chemical shift standard and pH indicator, difluorotrimethylsilanylphosphonic acid (DFTMP), is described, and the utility of this reagent is demonstrated for in situ determination of pH in complex biofluids. The pH dependence of this reagent allows accurate in situ determination of aqueous solution pH to within an RMSE of 0.02 pH units over a pH range of 5 to 8. Advantages of this reagent over previously described pH-sensitive components include (1) lack of metal binding affinity, (2) minimal disturbance of endogenous spectral regions, and (3) the potential to function as a multinuclear pH indicator and chemical shift reference point for 19F, 1H, and 31P nuclei. This reagent will be generally useful for NMR experiments on biological systems where the pH needs to be accurately measured at the moment of data acquisition.     

Nano-Encapsulation of Proteins Via Self-Assembly with Lipids and Polymers

Summary: The solubilization and encapsulation of the weakly soluble protein hemoglobin was investigated at the nanoscale using self-assembly with the branched polymer polyethyleneimine (PEI), the lipid glycerol monooleate (GMO), and two amphiphilic poly(ethylenglycol) monooleate derivatives with molecular weights 2100 g/mol (MO-PEG1) and 860 g/mol (MO-PEG2). The created self-assembly nanovehicles were analyzed by quasi-elastic light scattering (QELS) in order to determine their sizes as well as by circular dichroism in order to characterize the protein presence in the nanoobjects. The cationic polymer PEI formed mixed nano-objects with the protein hemoglobin. The polymer conformation in the nanovehicle was established to be sensitive to dilution, a property that can be essential for the protein release upon administration. The amphiphile MO-PEG1 was a co-surfactant in the dispersion of monoglyceride lipid nanoobjects needed for the hemoglobin encapsulation. The amphiphile MO-PEG2 formed small micelles in the absence of a lipid. The nanoobjects dispersions were studied for their stability on storage and reproducibility.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the cyclization of omega-(p-nitrophenyl)-hydantoic acid amides: steric hindrance to proton transfer causes a 10(4)-fold change in rate

The pH-rate profiles for the cyclization of primary 2,3-dimethyl and 2,2,3-trimethyl-hydantoinamides (2-UAm and 3-UAm respectively) differ strikingly from those for the cyclizations of the corresponding N-methylated amides 2-MUAm and 3-MUAm; which are dominated by the water reaction, spanning some 6 pH units. For the cyclization of UAm the plateau extends over no more than two pH units. The difference is due to the slower base-catalyzed cyclization of the N-methylamides. The solvent kinetic isotope effect for this hydroxide-catalyzed reaction is close to 1.2, consistent with a slow protonation by water of the amino-group of the negatively charged tetrahedral intermediate. General base catalysis was observed with bases of pKBH up to 8. The Br?nsted beta are compatible with a hydrogen bonding mechanism for the GBC. In the gem-dimethyl compounds 3 the leaving group is flanked by substituents on both sides. The N-methyl group in 3-MUAm hinders frontal access of the proton, causing a 14000 fold decrease in rate. This is only 3800 fold in the compound with one methyl group at position 2.