Design of high-dimensional copper(II) malonate complexes with exo-polydentate N-donor ligands

Two polymeric malonato-bridged copper(II) complexes of formulas [(H(2)bpe)[Cu(mal)2]]n.4nH2O (1) and [Cu(4")(mal)(4)(bpe)(3)]n.6nH(2)O (2) [mal = malonate dianion; bpe = 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene] have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction. Complex 1 crystallizes in triclinic space group P(-)1, Z = 1, with unit cell parameters a = 4.8831(10) A, b = 9.585(2) A, c = 11.813(2) A, alpha = 77.29(3) degrees, beta = 82.18(3) degrees, and gamma = 84.92(3) degrees, whereas complex 2 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n, Z = 4, with unit cell parameters a = 13.462(3) A, b = 10.275(5) A, c = 19.579(4) A, and beta = 105.21(3) degrees. The structure of 1 consists of anionic malonato-bridged uniform copper(II) chains which are connected through hydrogen bonds involving malonate-oxygen atoms, noncoordinated water molecules, and H(2)bpe(2+) cations. The intrachain copper-copper separation through carboxylate-malonate bridge in the anti-syn conformation is 4.8831(10) A. Complex 2 possesses a three-dimensional structure made up of neutral corrugated malonated-bridged copper(II) layers linked through bis-monodentate bpe molecules. The copper(II) atoms within each layer are bridged by a double mu-oxo and four carboxylato-malonate bridges with copper-copper separations of 3.4095(7) A (through oxo) and 4.9488(11)-6.5268(13) A (through carboxylato). The shortest interlayer copper-copper separation across bridging bpe is 13.434(3) A. Variable-temperature magnetic measurements (2-290 K) show an overall ferromagnetic behavior for both compounds. The magnetic pathway of complex 1 is through a single carboxylate-malonate bridge connecting apical and equatorial positions of adjacent copper(II) atoms, and the value of the magnetic coupling (J) for 1 through a numerical expression for a ferromagnetic uniform chain of interacting local doublets is J = +0.049(1) cm(-1). The values for the magnetic couplings through the main intralayer exchange pathways in 2 which correspond to carboxylate-malonate bridges connecting equatorial-equatorial (J(1)) and equatorial-apical (J(2)) coordination sites and to the double mu-oxo bridge linking equatorial-apical (J(5)) positions have been determined through a simplified model. The three magnetic couplings are weak, two of them being ferromagnetic (J(1) = +23(1) cm(-1) and J(2) = +6.5(1) cm(-1)) and the other one antiferromagnetic [zJ' = -1.0(1) cm(-1)]. The values of the magnetic couplings in 1 and 2 compare well with those previously reported for similar malonato-bridged copper(II) complexes of different dimensionalities.     

Determination of organochlorine compounds in human biological samples by GC-MS/MS

A study was undertaken to determine the extent of organochlorine pesticide (OP) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in infant formula milk and in the human milk, fat and serum of women from an agricultural area in Southern Spain. A procedure is proposed that simultaneously detects trace levels of lindane, endosulfan-ether, vinclozolin, aldrin, endosulfan-lactone, endosulfan-alpha, 4,4'DDE, 2,4'DDT, endosulfan-beta, 4,4'DDT, kepone, endosulfate-sulfate, methoxychlor, mirex, 2,3,4 PCB, 2,2',4,5 PCB, 2,3,4,5 PCB and 2,2',3,3',6,6'PCB. After liquid-liquid or solid-liquid extraction, the extract of the sample was cleaned by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the fi rst eluted fraction was analysed by gas chromatography (GC) with mass spectrometry (MS) detector in tandem mode. To evaluate the validity of the method the following parameters were studied: linearity, detection limits, quantification limits, specificity, percentage recovery and precision. A study of the uncertainty associated with the analytical method was also carried out.     

Binding of a Diphosphorylated-ITAM peptide to spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) induces distal conformational changes: A hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry study

Structural flexibility plays a crucial role in protein function. To assess whether specific structural changes are associated with the binding of an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) to the tandem Src homology-2 domains (tSH2) of the spleen tyrosine kinase [EC 2.7.7.112] (Syk), we used an approach based on protein hydrogen/deuterium exchange in the presence and absence of the diphosphorylated ITAM peptide. The protein deuterium uptake by the intact Syk protein was monitored in time by electrospray mass spectrometry, which revealed a dramatic relative decrease in deuterium uptake when the protein was bound to the ITAM peptide, suggesting an overall change in protein dynamics. Subsequently, the deuterium incorporation of individual segments of the protein was investigated using proteolysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) peptide mass-analysis, which revealed that several regions of Syk tSH2 are significantly more protected from exchange in the presence of the ITAM peptide. Four protected regions encompass the phosphotyrosine and hydrophobic binding sites on the SH2 domains, whereas two other protected regions are located in the inter-SH2 linker motif and do not make any direct contacts with the peptide. Interestingly, our data suggest that binding of the ITAM peptide to Syk tSH2 induces distal structural effects on the protein that stabilize the inter-SH2 linker region, possibly by raising the degree of helical structure upon binding.     

Linear unsaturated polyester + poly(?-caprolactone) blends: Calorimetric behaviour and morphology

Blends of a linear unsaturated polyester (LUP, commercially named Al100) with poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL) of different molecular weights have been studied. The miscibility and crystallinity have been analyzed through FT-IR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and environmental scanning electronic microscopy (ESEM). All the blends were subjected to the same heat treatment consisting of crystallizing during 45 min at constant temperature (10, 20, 30 or 40 °C). The glass transition temperature, T_g, and fusion temperature, T_fus, have been determined in the whole composition range for each blend. The T_g-composition dependence and the high degree of crystallinity detected at intermediate blend compositions denote an anomalous behaviour that could indicate the lack of homogeneity (phase separation) in the different blends studied. The ESEM measurements confirm the lack of homogeneity of the amorphous region in blends with high content of LUP. The results have been discussed as a function of the crystallization temperature and the molecular weight of PCL.     

Electron impact mass spectra of phosphine sulphides and selenides

An electron impact mass spectral study of phosphine sulphides and selenides established the effect of the heteroatom and the role of the ortho substituent in the fragmentation pattern.     

Skewed bivariate models and nonparametric estimation for the CTE risk measure

In this paper, we illustrate the use of the Conditional Tail Expectation (CTE) risk measure on a set of bivariate real data consisting of two types of auto insurance claim costs. Several continuous bivariate distributions (normal, lognormal, skew-normal with the alternative log-skew-normal) are fitted to the data. Besides, a bivariate nonparametric transformed kernel estimation is presented. CTE formulas are given for all these, and numerical results on the real data are discussed and compared.     

Synthesis of the tetracyclic core skeleton of the lundurines by a gold-catalyzed cyclization

The 1H-azocino[5,4-b]indole skeleton of the lundurines has been prepared by the 8-endo-dig cyclization of an alkynylindole using AuCl₃ or other gold complexes as catalysts.     

Copper(II)-methylmalonate complexes with unidentate N-donor ligands: Syntheses,structural characterization and magnetic properties

Two new methylmalonate-bridged copper(II) complexes with the formulas [Cu(3-Ipy)(Memal)(H₂O)] (1) and [Cu(2,4′-bpy)(Memal)(H₂O)] · 3H₂O (2) [Memal = methylmalonate dianion, 3-Ipy = 3-iodopyridine, 2,4′-bpy = 2,4′-bipyridine] have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction. Both compounds crystallize in the monoclinic space group P2₁/n and Z = 4, with unit cell parameters a = 8.5874(13) Å, b = 7.1738(14) Å, c = 19.093(5) Å, β = 99.509(15)° in 1 and a = 17.375(4) Å, b = 7.3305(14) Å, c = 14.247(3) Å, β = 111.409(15)° in 2. The structures of 1 and 2 consist of zigzag chains of anti-syn carboxylate-bridged copper(II) ions running along the b direction. The pyridine-like ligands occupy one equatorial position of the copper environment avoiding the formation of the sheet-like arrangement observed in previously reported Memal complexes. The chains are grouped together in hydrophilic layers through hydrogen bonds and the layers are pillared through the 3-Ipy (1) and 2,4′-bpy (2) ligands which are stacked through π–π interactions involving alternatively aromatic ligands from two adjacent chains. Magnetic susceptibility measurements of both compounds in the temperature range 2–290 K show the occurrence of intrachain ferromagnetic interactions between the copper(II) ions [J = +2.66(2) cm^?1 (1) and J = +2.62(2) cm^?1 (2)].