A transient absorption study of allophycocyanin

Transient dynamics of allophycocyanin trimers and monomers are observed by using the pump-probe, transient absorption technique. The origin of spectral components of the transient absorption spectra is discussed in terms of both kinetics and spectroscopy. We find that the energy gap between the ground and excited states of the unexcited subunit of allophycocyanin monomer decreases via an interaction with another excited subunit. For allophycocyanin trimer, we find that the fast dynamics results from the fast internal conversion and the first excited state is the only one electronic state which can trap the final population.     

A complete characterization for <Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis>-resonant Klein-bottle polyhexes

A hexagonal tessellation K(p, q, t) on Klein bottle, a non-orientable surface with cross-cap number 2, is a finite-sized elemental benzenoid which can be produced from a p × q-parallelogram of hexagonal lattice with usual identifications of sides and with torsion t. Unlike torus, Klein bottle polyhex K(p, q, t) is not transitive except for some degenerated cases. We shall show, however, that K(p, q, t) does not depend on t. Accordingly, criteria for K(p, q, t) to be k-resonant for every positive integer k will be given. Moreover, we shall show that K(3, q, t) of 3-resonance are fully-benzenoid.      

Synthesis,structures, and properties of iridium(III) bis-cyclometallated complexes containing three-atom chelates

Heating of [Ir(η²-ppy)₂(MeCN)₂]NO₃ (1, ppy = 2-phenylpyridine) in MeCN under reflux afforded [Ir(η²-ppy)₂(η²-NO₃)] (2). Treatment of 1 with 2-mercaptopyridine (Hmp), 6-methyl-2-hydroxypyridine (Hmhp), 6-chloro-2-hydroxypyridine (Hchp), trimethylacetic acid (Htma), benzoic acid (Hbz), 2-methylacrylic acid (Hma), and acetic acid (Hac) in the presence of excess Et₃N produced [Ir(η²-ppy)₂(η²-XZY)] (XZY^? = mp^? (3), mhp^? (4), chp^? (5), ac^? (6), bz^? (7), ma^? (8), tma^? (9)). Crystal structures of 2, 3, 7, 8, and 9 have been characterized by X-ray diffraction. The inherent strain contained in the four-member rings, {Ir(η²-XZY)}, is apparently reflected in the long Ir–X and Ir–Y distances. The absorption and emission properties of nearly all the new complexes except 2 show small variations.     

Monolithic integration of well-ordered nanoporous structures in the microfluidic channels for bioseparation

Gel electrophoresis and capillary gel electrophoresis are widely used for the separation of biomolecules. With increasing demand in the miniaturized devices such as lab-on-a-chip, it is necessary to integrate such a separation component into a chip format. Here, we describe a simple approach to fabricate robust three-dimensional periodic porous nanostructures inside the microchannels for the separation of DNA molecules. In our approach, the colloidal crystals were first grown inside the microchannel using evaporation assisted self-assembly process. Then the void spaces among the colloidal crystals were filled with epoxy-based negative tone photoresist (SU-8). UV radiation was used to cure the photoresist at the desired area inside the microchannel. After subsequent development and nanoparticle removal, the well-ordered nanoporous structures inside the microchannel were obtained. Our results indicated that it was possible to construct periodic porous nanostructures inside the microchannels with cavity size around 300 nm and interconnecting pores around 30 nm. The mobility of large DNA molecules with different sizes was measured as a function of the applied electric field in the nanoporous materials. It was also demonstrated that 1 kilo-base pair (kbp) DNA ladders could be separated in such an integrated system within 10 min under moderate electric field.     

Theory of time-resolved sum-frequency generation and its applications to vibrational dynamics of water

A molecular theory of time-resolved sum-frequency generation (SFG) has been developed. The theoretical framework is constructed using the coupled-oscillator model in the adiabatic approximation. This theory can treat not only the vibrational spectroscopy but also vibrational dynamics. An application of this theory is also provided for estimation of the time constants of the intermolecular vibrational energy transfer between water molecules. This approach can be used for molecular analysis of the experimental results of Shen at al. on the SFG studies of vibrational dynamics of water.     

A Sulfide (Selenide)-Centered Nonanuclear Silver Cluster: A Distorted and Flexible Tricapped Trigonal Prismatic Ag<Subscript>9</Subscript> Framework

Two luminescent, monoanionic chalcogenide-centered nonanuclear silver clusters stabilized by dichalcogenophosphates were synthesized and fully characterized by various spectroscopies including multinuclear NMR and ESI-mass. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies on both cluster anions, [Ag₉(S){S₂P(OEt)₂}₈]^?, 1, and [Ag₉(Se){Se₂P(OEt)₂}₈]^?, 2, reveal that the nine silver atoms form an extremely distorted tricapped trigonal prism, which has an encapsulating chalcogenide. The coordination geometry of the central chalcogenide appears to be monocapped trigonal prismatic, which was analyzed by DFT calculations. The origin of the yellow emission is assigned by TDDFT calculations to originate from a chalcogen (ligand + encapsulated) → silver charge transfer.     

Oligonucleotide‐Based Luminescent Detection of Metal Ions

Metal ions are prevalent in biological systems and are critically involved in essential life processes. However, excess concentrations of metals can pose a serious danger to living organisms. Oligonucleotides represent a versatile sensing platform for the detection of various molecular entities including metal ions. This review summarizes the recent advances in the development of oligonucleotide‐based luminescent detection methods for metal ions.     

Covering a Connected Curve on the Torus with Squares

We throw i.i.d. random squares S ₁,S ₂,… with respective side lengths l ₁,l ₂,… uniformly on the two-dimensional torus ?/?×?/?, where $\{l_{n}\}_{n=1}^{\infty}$ is a nonincreasing sequence with 0<l _n <1 and lim _n→∞ l _n =0. A necessary and sufficient condition for covering the connected curve {0}×?/? is $$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{l_n}{(\sum_{i=1}^{n}l_i)^2}\exp{\Biggl(\sum _{i=1}^{n}l_i^2\Biggr)}=\infty.$$      

Electron‐Deficient Alkynes as Cleavable Reagents for the Modification of Cysteine‐Containing Peptides in Aqueous Medium

Enriched cleavage : An efficient chemoselective cysteine modification of unprotected peptides and proteins has been developed by using electron‐deficient alkynes in aqueous media. Interestingly, terminal alkynone‐modified peptides could be converted back into the unmodified peptides by cleavage by adding thiols under mild conditions (see scheme).