Chromatographic separation of americium from europium using bis-2,6-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,9,9-trimethyl-5,8-methano-1,2,4-benzotriazin-3-yl) pyridine

The separation of americium(III) from europium(III) was achieved utilizing a bis-2,6-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,9,9-trimethyl-5,8-methano-1,2,4-benzotriazin-3-yl) pyridine (CA-BTP) chromatographic resin. The extraction chromatographic materials were prepared using various concentrations of CA-BTP. This new, hydrolytically stable extractant was impregnated on an inert polymeric support at 40% loading. The uptake of Am(III) and Eu(III) by this material from 0.1 to 4.0 M aqueous HNO₃ solutions was measured. The resulting dry weight distribution ratios, D _w , indicated a strong preference for Am(III) with little affinity for Eu(III). These results are similar to recently reported solvent extraction studies indicating a maximum uptake of Am(III) in the 0.5–1.0 M HNO₃ range. The resin preparation, performance, and characterization of the Am/Eu separation are reported herein.

     

The quasiclassical approach to superfluid 3He

We develop the quasiclassical theory for normal and superfluid liquid ³He using a systematic expansion in small parameters such as δ/E_F, ?₀^?1/k_F, etc., and paying particular attention to the high-energy renormalizations of the external pertubations and observables. We apply the general formalism to a number of more specific problems including the derivation of the non-linear quantum kinetic equation for normal ³He, the weak-coupling and strong-coupling free energies and static response functions for superfluid ³He, and the low-frequency and high-frequency dynamics of the superfluid phases. We also discuss extensions of the quasiclassical framework to cover strong short-ranged pertubations such as walls and ions, review recent phenomenological models for the quasiparticle scattering amplitude, and present a brief but self-contained derivation of the Keldysh perturbation theory for real-time Green's functions.     

Efficient Preparation of Pyridinyl‐1,2,4‐Triazines via Telescoped Condensation with Diversely Functionalized 1,2‐Dicarbonyls

The development of materials for efficient chemoselective extraction of minor actinides remains at the forefront of research efforts in the area of separation science. Lewis basic complexants derived from nitrogen‐donor scaffolds are often employed in this area due to favorable complexation with the transuranic element americium. In the present work an efficient procedure for the preparation of eight useful 3‐pyridin‐2‐yl‐1,2,4‐triazines (2 novel) is demonstrated via telescoped condensation with the requisite 1,2‐dicarbonyl in two‐pots without additives, differentially extractive work‐up procedures, or recrystallization. Additional efforts in this area have demonstrated the utility of polar aprotic solvents for the preparation of nine functionalized pyridinyl‐2,6‐bis‐1,2,4‐triazines (4 novel) directly from the requisite 2,6‐pyridine dicarbonitrile in 49–99% yield over four total steps. The streamlined preparation of these important materials and detailed synthetic procedures is reported herein.     

Hidden randomness between fitness landscapes limits reverse evolution

In biological evolution, adaptations to one environment can in some cases reverse adaptations to another environment. To study this "reverse evolution" on a genotypic level, we measured the fitness of E. coli strains with each possible combination of five mutations in an antibiotic-resistance gene in two distinct antibiotic environments. While adaptations to one environment generally lower fitness in the other, we find that reverse evolution is rarely possible and falls as the complexity of adaptations increases, suggesting a probabilistic, molecular form of Dollo's law.     

Amplification of Solar Energy Conversion in Quantum‐Confined CdSe‐Sensitized TiO2 Photonic Crystals by Trapping Light

Photonic effects amplifying solar energy conversion are reported in titania inverse opals sensitized with quantum‐confined CdSe films. TiO₂ inverse opals (i‐TiO₂‐o) and unstructured nanocrystalline TiO₂ (nc‐TiO₂) films are sensitized with CdSe deposited via successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) by generating Se^2? in situ under inert atmosphere, and the film absorbance is tuned by the number of SILAR cycles. Photonic effects are investigated while varying the i‐TiO₂‐o stop band position relative to CdSe films’ absorbance. i‐TiO₂‐o films with stop band at 700 and 560 nm are sensitized with CdSe having absorption edges at 600 and 650 nm thus tuning absorbance to the red and the blue of the stop band. Significant amplification in photon‐to‐current conversion efficiency is measured when CdSe films prepared via two cycles are adsorbed on i‐TiO₂‐o with a stop band at 700 nm, with a maximum average enhancement factor equal to 6.7 ± 1.6 at 640 nm, 60 nm to the blue of the stop band center, relative to nc‐TiO₂ sensitized with comparable CdSe amounts. The gain is observed over a wide frequency range to the blue of the stop band and is greatest when film absorbance was low. The photocurrent gain is not a result of differences in the rates of charge separation or charge transport, and occurs in the same frequency range where absorbance amplification is measured to the blue of the 700‐i‐TiO₂‐o stop band, and is thus attributed to slow light effects enhancing absorbance in the photonic crystal environment.     

Synthesis of Bis‐1,2,4‐triazines via Telescoped Condensation of [1,10]‐Phenanthroline‐2,9‐dicarbonitrile with Aromatic 1,2‐Dicarbonyls

Efficient separation of minor actinides from spent nuclear fuel remains a formidable challenge. As part of ongoing efforts to identify effective ligands for separation of toxic radionuclides, a series of bis‐1,2,4‐triazines, three novel, have been prepared from [1,10]‐phenanthroline‐2,9‐dicarbonitrile in two‐telescoped steps without additives, complicated workups, prolonged reaction times, or additional purification.     

The extent of protein hydration dictates the preference for heterogeneous or homogeneous nucleation generating either parallel or antiparallel β-sheet α-synuclein aggregates

α-Synuclein amyloid self-assembly is the hallmark of a number of neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson''s disease, although there is still very limited understanding about the factors and mechanisms that trigger this process. Primary nucleation has been observed to be initiated in vitro at hydrophobic/hydrophilic interfaces by heterogeneous nucleation generating parallel β-sheet aggregates, although no such interfaces have yet been identified in vivo. In this work, we have discovered that α-synuclein can self-assemble into amyloid aggregates by homogeneous nucleation, without the need of an active surface, and with a preference for an antiparallel β-sheet arrangement. This particular structure has been previously proposed to be distinctive of stable toxic oligomers and we here demonstrate that it indeed represents the most stable structure of the preferred amyloid pathway triggered by homogeneous nucleation under limited hydration conditions, including those encountered inside α-synuclein droplets generated by liquid–liquid phase separation. In addition, our results highlight the key role that water plays not only in modulating the transition free energy of amyloid nucleation, and thus governing the initiation of the process, but also in dictating the type of preferred primary nucleation and the type of amyloid polymorph generated depending on the extent of protein hydration. These findings are particularly relevant in the context of in vivo α-synuclein aggregation where the protein can encounter a variety of hydration conditions in different cellular microenvironments, including the vicinity of lipid membranes or the interior of membraneless compartments, which could lead to the formation of remarkably different amyloid polymorphs by either heterogeneous or homogeneous nucleation.