An AIE-Active probe for detection and bioimaging of pH values based on lactone hydrolysis reaction

Cellular pH homeostasis is essential for many physiological and pathological processes. pH monitoring is helpful for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders and diseases. Herein, we developed a ratiometric fluorescent pH probe (TCC) based on a coumarin derivative containing a highly active lactone ring. TCC exhibited a typical AIE effect and emitted blue fluorescence under weak acidic condition. When under weak basic condition, the active lactone moiety underwent a hydrolysis reaction to afford a water-soluble product, which gave red-shifted emission. The emission color change from blue through cyan and then to yellow within pH 6.5–9.0 which is approximate to the biological pH range. And the fluorescence color change along with pH value is reversible. Furthermore, TCC was successfully utilized in the detection of the intracellular pH change of live HeLa cells, which indicated that TCC had practical potential in biomedical research.

     

Crystal Structure of β-Cyclodextrin-Felbinac Inclusion Complex

The crystal structure of the inclusion complex of β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) synthesized with felbinac (4‐biphenylacetic acid) was determined by single crystal X‐ray diffraction at 150 K. The complex contains two β‐CDs, two felbinac molecules, twenty‐two water molecules in the asymmetric unit, and could be formulated as (C₄₂H₇₀O₃₅)₂·(C₁₄H₁₂O₂)₂·22(H₂O). In the crystal lattice, the two β‐CD moieties form a head‐to‐head dimer jointed through hydrogen bonds, and the felbinacs that interact by face‐to‐face Π‐Π stacking are included in the β‐CD dimer cavity with their carboxyl groups protruding out from cavity opening. In crystals the dimer units of β‐CD are stacked in an intermediate type (IM) that consists of closely packed β‐CD dimer layers.     

Crystal Structures of β‐Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complexes with 7‐Hydroxycoumarin and 4‐Hydroxycoumarin and Substituent Effects on Inclusion Geometry

Two inclusion complexes of β‐cyclodextrin‐7‐hydroxycoumarin ( 1 ) and β‐cyclodextrin‐4‐hydroxycoumarin ( 2 ) were prepared and their crystal structures were investigated by single crystal X‐ray crystallography under cryogenic condition. Both structures consist of stacks of face‐to‐face cyclodextrin dimers arranged in brickwork‐like pattern along the crystallographic a‐axis. For complex 1 , each of the two dimeric β‐cyclodextrins includes one 7‐hydroxycoumarin molecule that penetrates deeply into the cyclodextrin dimer and locates its lactonering at the center of the dimer cavity. For complex 2 , each cyclodextrin dimer accommodates three 4‐hydroxycoumarin molecules. One of them is sandwiched between two units of the cyclodextrin dimer, the other two are shallowly included in the cavities of the dimeric cyclodextrins respectively and protrude their lactone rings from the primary end of the cyclodextrin. The substituent effects of guest molecules on inclusion geometry of various coumarin molecules in β‐cyclodextrin were examined.     

Advances in synchrotron hard X-ray based imaging

Modern synchrotron radiation (SR) sources have dramatically fostered the use of SR-based X-ray imaging. The relevant information such as density, chemical composition, chemical states, structure, and crystallographic perfection is mapped in two, or, increasingly, in three dimensions. The development of nano-science requires pushing spatial resolution down towards the nanoscale.The present article describes a selection of hard X-ray imaging and microanalysis techniques that emerged over the last few years, by taking advantage of the flux and coherence of the SR beams, as well as exploiting the advances in X-ray optics and detectors, and the increased possibilities of computers (memory, speed). Examples are given to illustrate the opportunities associated with the use of these techniques, and a number of recent references are provided. To cite this article: J. Baruchel et al., C. R. Physique 9 (2008).     

Optical sensing of HCl with phenol red doped sol-gels

A dye doped sol-gel for the sensing of hydrochloric acid in solution and/or gaseous phase is described. The sol-gel is obtained by acidic hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and phenyltriethoxysilane (Ph-TriEOS) in the presence of phenol red (PR) and further spin-coating onto glass slides. The sensitive response is based on an increase of the absorption band at 510 nm of phenol red entrapped in the sol-gel casting when exposed to HCl solution or gas, due to protonation of the dye. The detection limit of the sol-gel response to moisturized gaseous HCl is below 12 ppm, and its response to HCl in solution falls in the range of 0.01-6 M. The sol-gel coating has a response time of less than 40 s in steady-state, and life-time of more than a year. Weak acids such as acetic acid, benzoic acid, salicylate acid, citrate acid, and carbonic acid do not interfere the response. The responses in acid solutions are completely reversible. In the gaseous phase, response of HCl appears to be moisture sensitive.     

A Fluorescent and Colorimetric Probe Based on Isatin-appended Rhodamine for the Detection of Hg2+

A new fluorescent probe for the detection of Hg²⁺ was designed and synthesized via attaching N-methylisatin to rhodamine B hydrazide through an imine linkage. In an ethanol-Tris buffer medium, the addition of Hg²⁺ caused a strong orange fluorescence and a visual color change from colorless to pink. Other coexisting metal ions did not interfere with the detection of Hg²⁺. The research on the detection of Hg²⁺ in natural water suggested the possibility of practical applications in environment monitoring. Based on ESI-MS analysis, the Hg²⁺-sensing mechanism was proposed.     

Substituent Effect on AIE mechanism of two coumarin derivatives: uncommon TICT fluorescence in aggregation state

Two coumarin derivatives, 7-diethylamino-3-(4-nitrophenyl)coumarin (DNC) and 7-hydroxy-3-(4-nitrophenyl)coumarin (HNC), were synthesized via Knoevenagel condensation of salicylaldehyde derivatives with 4-nitrophenylacetonitrile and then cyclization reaction. Both of them were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The molecules of DNC are stacked via π-π interaction, while the hydrogen bond interactions instead of π-π interaction were observed in the crystal packing of HNC. Both of DNC and HNC showed solvatochromic properties and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) activities, but the AIE characteristics of them were entirely different. HNC exhibited an AIE phenomenon as the result of the restriction of twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT), while DNC emitted peculiar dual fluorescence which was assigned to the emission based on the inhibition of TICT state formation and the emission from the TICT state respectively.

     

一个具有三明治结构的包合物: 8-羟基喹啉-β-环糊精包合物的晶体结构

合成了 8-羟基喹啉与β-环糊精的包合物, 通过X射线单晶衍射研究了它的晶体结构. 结果显示其不对称单元包含2个β-环糊精、1个8-羟基喹啉, 2个乙醇和30个水分子. 其中两个β-环糊精分子通过仲羟基间氢键以头对头的方式形成二聚体, 客体8-羟基喹啉被包合在此二聚体的中间区域, 分子平面与环糊精的大环平面平行, 形成了一个具有三明治夹心结构的包合物. 两个环糊精空腔各包合一个乙醇分子, 30个水分子分散在β-环糊精二聚体之间. 研究表明, β-环糊精二聚体的三明治区域是疏水的, 对于某些大小合适且具有平面构型的客体分子, 如8-羟基喹啉, 此三明治区域比β-环糊精空腔具有更强的包合能力, 这种新颖的包合方式是乙醇与8-羟基喹啉竞争包合的结果.     

基于芳叉丙二腈的高活性迈克尔系统的吸湿反应及荧光性质

建立了一个基于芳叉丙二腈的高活性迈克尔系统2,2′-[(5-叔丁基-2-羟基-1,3-苯撑)二甲川]双丙二腈(1), 能迅速吸收空气中的水, 生成稳定的氧杂迈克尔加成产物2-[5-叔丁基-3?(2,2-二腈基?1-羟乙基)-2-羟基苄叉]丙二腈(2). 在二甲亚砜(DMSO)中, 各种碱性催化剂都能使化合物2脱水生成化合物1, 同时发射红色强荧光. 在PBS缓冲溶液(pH=10)中, 化合物2立即脱水生成化合物1, 随后又缓慢加水转变为化合物2. 加热吸附在硅胶上的化合物2的荧光由蓝色变为红色, 温度降低后荧光又恢复为蓝色. 因此, 吸附了化合物2的硅胶可能发展成为一种热敏荧光材料. 此外, 吸附了化合物1的硅胶还对某些有机蒸汽具有荧光响应.     

X-ray diffraction microscopy of magnetic structures

We report the first proof-of-principle experiment of iterative phase retrieval from magnetic x-ray diffraction. By using the resonant x-ray excitation process and coherent x-ray scattering, we show that linearly polarized soft x rays can be used to image both the amplitude and the phase of magnetic domain structures. We recovered the magnetic structure of an amorphous terbium-cobalt thin film with a spatial resolution of about 75 nm at the Co L3 edge at 778 eV. In comparison with soft x-ray microscopy images recorded with Fresnel zone plate optics at better than 25 nm spatial resolution, we find qualitative agreement in the observed magnetic structure.