Molecular structures of alumina nanoballs and nanotubes: a theoretical study

Molecular structures of alumina nanoballs and nanotubes have been determined. Tetrahedral, octahedral, and icosahedral alumina nanostructures were derived from Platonic solids and Archimedean polyhedra and were optimized by quantum chemical methods. I(h)-symmetric balls, resembling their isovalence electronic analogues, fullerenes, are preferred. The nanoballs consist of adjacent Al(5)O(5) and Al(6)O(6) rings, similar to C(5)- and C(6)-rings of fullerenes. The structural characteristics of alumina nanoballs are dominated by pi-electron donation from oxygen to aluminum. Alumina nanotubes can be derived from icosahedral nanoballs. The tubes alternate between D(5d)- and D(5h)-symmetries and are capped by halves of the icosahedral balls.     

Adsorption of naproxen enantiomers on chemically modified cellulose

Adsorption of naproxen enantiomers on the Chiralcel OJ-H chiral stationary phase, being tris(4-methylbenzoate) cellulose coated on silica gel, was studied. The thermodynamic characteristics of adsorption were measured. The adsorption isotherms are described by the Langmuir equation within the concentration range under study. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2303–2306, December, 2007.     

Information theoretical study of chirality: enantiomers with one and two asymmetric centra

In this work, the Kullback-Leibler information deficiency is probed as a chirality measure. It is argued that the information deficiency, calculated using the shape functions of the R and S enantiomers, considering one as reference for the other, gives an information theory based expression useful for quantifying chirality. The measure is evaluated for five chiral halomethanes possessing one asymmetric carbon atom with hydrogen, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine as substituents. To demonstrate the general applicability, a study of two halogen-substituted ethanes possessing two asymmetric carbon atoms has been included as well. The basic expression of the sum of the local information deficiency over all atoms can be decomposed into separate summations over coinciding and noncoinciding atoms, or into a global and a mixing entropy term, or into a local entropy contribution for each atom individually based on the Hirshfeld partitioning. Avnir's continuous chirality measure (CCM) has been computed and confronted with the information deficiency. Finally, the relationship between chirality and optical rotation is used to study the proposed measure. The results illustrate Mezey's holographic electron density theorem with an intuitively appealing division of the strength of propagation of the atomic chirality from an asymmetric carbon atom throughout the molecule. The local information deficiency of the carbon atom is proposed as a measure of chirality; more precisely, the difference in information between the R and the S enantiomer turns out to be a quantitative measure of the chirality of the system. It may be evaluated as the arithmetic mean of the different alignments, or considering only the alignment resulting in the highest similarity value, or using the QSSA alignment.     

Chiral recognition in cyclic alpha-hydroxy carbonyl compounds: a theoretical study

A theoretical study (DFT and MP2) of the self-association of homochiral (RR or SS) and heterochiral (RS or SR) dimers of three series of cyclic alpha-hydroxy-carbonyl derivatives has been carried out. The solvation effect on the parent derivative dimers has been explored, showing nonsignificant changes in the configurations preferred but altering in some cases the homo/heterochiral preference of the dimers. The results in the gas phase of the systems with different substituents show a preference for the heterochiral dimers. The energetic results have been analyzed with the NBO and AIM methodologies. Optical rotatory power calculations of the monomers and homochiral dimers show large variations of this parameter depending on the substituents and the complexation.     

Chiral recognition of imperanene enantiomers by various cyclodextrins: a capillary electrophoresis and NMR spectroscopy study

The enantiomers of imperanene, a novel polyphenolic compound of Imperata cylindrica (L.), were separated via cyclodextrin-modified capillary electrophoresis. The anionic form of the analyte at pH 9.0 was subject to complexation and enantioseparation CE studies with neutral and charged cyclodextrins. As chiral selectors 27 CDs were applied differing in cavity size, sidechain, degree of substitution (DS) and charge. Three hydroxypropylated and three sulfoalkylated CD preparations provided enantioseparation and the migration order was successfully interpreted in each case in terms of complex mobilities and stability constants. The best enantioresolution (R(S) =?1.26) was achieved using sulfobutyl-ether-γ-CD (DS ～4), but it could be enhanced by extensive investigations on dual selector systems. After optimization (CD concentrations and pH) R(S) =?4.47 was achieved using a 12.5 mM sulfobutyl-ether-γ-CD and 10 mM 6-monodeoxy-6-mono-(3-hydroxy)-propylamino-β-cyclodextrin dual system. The average stoichiometry of the complex was determined with Job's method using NMR-titration and resulted in a 1:1 complex for both (2-hydroxy)propyl-β- and sulfobutyl-ether-γ-CD. Further NMR experiments suggest that the coniferyl moiety of imperanene is involved in the host-guest interaction.     

Molecular beam scattering of NO+Ne: a joint theoretical and experimental study

The collision dynamics of the NO+Ne system is investigated in a molecular beam scattering experiment at a collision energy of 1055 cm(-1). Employing resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization of NO, we measured state-resolved integral and differential cross sections for the excitation to various levels of both spin-orbit manifolds. The dependence of the scattered intensity on the laser polarization is used to extract differential quadrupole moments for the collision induced angular momentum alignment. The set of cross section data is compared with results of a full quantum mechanical close coupling calculation using the set of ab initio potential energy surfaces of Alexander et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 114, 5588 (2001)]. In previous work, it was found that the positions and rotational substructures for the lowest bend-stretch vibrational states derived from these surfaces agree very well with the observed spectrum of the NO-Ne complex. For the same potential, we find that the calculated cross sections show a less satisfactory agreement with the experimental data. While the overall Jf dependence and magnitude of the integral and differential cross sections are in good agreement, noticeable discrepancies exist for the angle dependence of the differential cross sections. In general, the calculated rotational rainbow structures are shifted towards larger scattering angles indicating that the anisotropy of the potential is overestimated in the fit to the ab initio points or in the ab initio calculation itself. For most states, we find the measured alignment moments to be in excellent agreement with the results of the calculation as well as with predictions of sudden models. Significant deviations from the sudden models are observed only for those fine-structure changing collisions which are dominated by forward scattering. Results of the full quantum calculation confirm the deviations for these states.     

Molecular recognition of adeninium cations on anionic metal-oxalato frameworks: an experimental and theoretical analysis

Reactions of adenine with water-soluble oxalato complexes at acidic pH give the compounds (1H,9H-ade)2[Cu(ox)2(H2O)] (1) [H2ade=adeninium cation (1+), ox=oxalato ligand (2-)] and (3H,7H-ade)2[M(ox)2(H2O)2].2H2O [M(II)=Co (2), Zn (3)]. The X-ray single crystal analyses show that the supramolecular architecture of all compounds is built up of anionic sheets of metal-oxalato-water complexes and ribbons of cationic nucleobases among them to afford lamellar inorganic-organic hybrid materials. The molecular recognition process between the organic and the inorganic frameworks determines the isolated tautomeric form of the adeninium cation found in the crystal structures: the canonical 1H,9H for compound 1, and the first solid-state characterized 3H,7H-adeninium tautomer for compounds 2 and 3. Density functional theory calculations have been performed to study the stability of the protonated nucleobase forms and their hydrogen-bonded associations by comparing experimental and theoretical results.     

Molecular interaction of H2 and H2O with borthiin: a theoretical study

A density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level was applied to investigate the impact of hydrogen and water molecules on borthiin. The calculated binding energies of complexes were corrected for the basis set superposition error. The changes in structural parameters and in chemical hardness values were calculated for borthiin interacting with H₂ and H₂O. The strength of the weak interaction between borthiin and the H₂ and H₂O molecules was analyzed using the topological properties according to the ??Atoms in Molecules?? theory by Bader. The factors influencing the strength of the interaction between the borthiin and the H₂ and H₂O molecules were considered in detail using the NBO analysis. The vibrational frequencies and the intensities of the B-H stretching bands were calculated. The nucleus independent chemical shift (NICS) method was used to study the aromaticity of borthiin and the complexes.     

Enantioselective analysis of ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen in wastewater and environmental water samples

A highly sensitive and reliable method for the enantioselective analysis of ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen in wastewater and environmental water samples has been developed. These three pharmaceuticals are chiral molecules and the variable presence of their individual (R)- and (S)-enantiomers is of increasing interest for environmental analysis. An indirect method for enantioseparation was achieved by the derivatization of the (R)- and (S)-enantiomers to amide diastereomers using (R)-1-phenylethylamine ((R)-1-PEA). After initial solid phase extraction from aqueous samples, derivatization was undertaken at room temperature in less than 5 min. Optimum recovery and clean-up of the amide diastereomers from the derivatization solution was achieved by a second solid phase extraction step. Separation and detection of the individual diastereomers was undertaken by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Excellent analyte separation and peak shapes were achieved for the derivatized (R)- and (S)-enantiomers for all three pharmaceuticals with peak resolution, R(s) is in the range of 2.87-4.02 for all diastereomer pairs. Furthermore, the calibration curves developed for the (S)-enantiomers revealed excellent linearity (r(2) ≥ 0.99) for all three compounds. Method detection limits were shown to be within the range of 0.2-3.3 ng L(-1) for individual enantiomers in ultrapure water, drinking water, surface water and a synthetic wastewater. Finally, the method was shown to perform well on a real tertiary treated wastewater sample, revealing measurable concentrations of both (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of ibuprofen, naproxen and ketoprofen. Isotope dilution using racemic D(3)-ibuprofen, racemic D(3)-ketoprofen and racemic D(3)-naproxen was shown to be an essential aspect of this method for accurate quantification and enantiomeric fraction (EF) determination. This approach produced excellent reproducibility for EF determination of triplicate tertiary treated wastewater samples.     

Efficient activation of peroxymonosulfate by hollow cobalt hydroxide for degradation of ibuprofen and theoretical study

Hollow structure cobalt hydroxide (h-Co(OH)₂) was synthesized via a solvothermal-hydrothermal method and presented high activation activity for peroxymonosulfate to degrade ibuprofen.     

The influence of mobile phase demixion on thin-layer chromatographic enantioseparation of ibuprofen and naproxen

In our earlier article we presented the results of tracing the enantioseparation of the two test analytes (ibuprofen and naproxen) by means of video densitometry and scanning densitometry. In that way we demonstrated an excellent performance of this combined approach to the thin-layer chromatographic detection in the area of enantioseparation. In this paper we study an impact of the four different mobile phases on the enantioseparation of the scalemic mixtures of ibuprofen and naproxen on the silica gel layers impregnated with L-arginine as chiral selector. The main component of all the investigated mobile phases is 2-propanol. Mobile phase 1 consists of pure 2-propanol, while mobile phases 2-4 contain, respectively, ca. 0.66, 1.32, and 1.98 g/L of glacial acetic acid in 2-propanol. Acetic acid is used to protonate L-arginine, as the involved retention mechanism consists of the ion pair formation between L-arginine in the cationic form and the chiral 2-arylpropionic acids (2-APAs), ibuprofen and naproxen, in the anionic form. It is shown that in the absence of glacial acetic acid no enantioseparation can be obtained. Then with adding of 0.66 g/L glacial acetic acid partial enantioseparation of the naproxen and ibuprofen antimers is obtained, with a simultaneous effect of the mobile phase demixion. With the amount of acetic acid increasing, the effect of demixion becomes increasingly perceptible. In that case the displacement effect is observed (and mathematically modeled), which results in compressing of the antimer pairs by the second front of mobile phase. The obtained results allow a deeper insight into the mechanism of enantioseparation with the two test 2-APAs. A combined impact of the crystalline chirality of silica gel and the molecular chirality of L-arginine on the vertical and the horizontal enantioseparation of ibuprofen and naproxen is also discussed.     

Efficient activation of peroxymonosulfate by hollow cobalt hydroxide for degradation of ibuprofen and theoretical study

Hollow microsphere structure cobalt hydroxide (h-Co(OH)₂) was synthesized via an optimized solvothermal-hydrothermal process and applied to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for degradation of a typical pharmaceutically active compound, ibuprofen (IBP). The material characterizations confirmed the presence of the microscale hollow spheres with thin nanosheets shell in h-Co(OH)₂, and the crystalline phase was assigned to α-Co(OH)₂. h-Co(OH)₂ could efficiently activate PMS for radicals production, and 98.6% of IBP was degraded at 10 min. The activation of PMS by h-Co(OH)₂ was a pH-independent process, and pH 7 was the optimum condition for the activation-degradation system. Scavenger quenching test indicated that the sulfate radical (SO₄^{? ?}) was the primary reactive oxygen species for IBP degradation, which contributed to 75.7%. Fukui index (f ^?) based on density functional theory (DFT) calculation predicted the active sites of IBP molecule for SO₄^{? ?} attack, and then IBP degradation pathway was proposed by means of intermediates identification and theoretical calculation. The developed hollow Co(OH)₂ used to efficiently activate PMS is promising and innovative alternative for organic contaminants removal from water and wastewater.     

Molecular transport in nanopores: a theoretical perspective

Molecular transport in nanopores plays a central role in many emerging nanotechnologies for gas separation and storage, as well as in nanofluidics. Theories of the transport provide an understanding of the mechanisms that influence the transport and their interplay, and can lead to tractable models that can be used to advance these nanotechnologies through process analysis and optimisation. We review some of the most influential theories of fluid transport in small pores and confined spaces. Starting from the century old Knudsen formulation, the dusty gas model and several other related approaches that share a common point of departure in the Maxwell-Stefan diffusion equations are discussed. In particular, the conceptual basis of the models and the validity of the assumptions and simplifications necessary to obtain their final results are analysed. It is shown that the effect of adsorption is frequently either neglected, or treated on an ad hoc basis, such as through the division of the pore flux into gas-phase and surface diffusion contributions. Furthermore, while it is commonplace to assume that cross-sectional pressure is uniform, it is demonstrated that this violates the Gibbs-Duhem relation and that it is the chemical potential that essentially remains constant in the cross-section, as near-equilibrium density profiles are preserved even during transport. The Dusty Gas model and Maxwell-Stefan model for surface diffusion are analysed, and their strengths and weaknesses discussed, illustrating the use of conflicting choices of frames of reference in the former case, and the importance of assigning appropriate values for the binary diffusivity in the latter case. The oscillator model, developed in this laboratory, which is exact in the low density limit under diffuse reflection conditions, is shown to represent an advance on the classical Knudsen formula, although the latter frequently appears as a fundamental part of many transport models. The distributed friction model, also developed in this laboratory for the study of multi-component transport at any Knudsen number is discussed and compared with previous approaches. Finally, the outlook for theory and future research needs are discussed.     

Molecular structures and infrared spectra of SiZrH4: A theoretical study

Molecular structures of the SiZrH₄ complex were investigated at BPW91, BPW91/IEF-PCM, B3LYP, and MP2 levels of theory with substantial basis sets. Relative stability of the stable conformers is fairly dependent on the methods, solvent effects, and zero-point energy corrections. All the four levels of calculations indicated that the singlet HSi(μ-H)ZrH₂, trans-Si(μ-H)₂ZrH₂, cis-Si(μ-H)₂ZrH₂, and the triplet Si(μ-H)₃ZrH are stable and comparable in energy. The energy of these four isomers is well below that of the Zr(³F₂) + SiH₄ system. The trans-dibridged, rather than the tribridged, isomer was always predicted to be the most stable one by all the four levels of calculations. For the two dibridged isomers, the two SiH₂ stretching modes are highly coupled with the two ZrH₂ stretching modes. And such coupling cannot be removed by the full deuteration.     

Macrocyclic chiral receptors toward enantioselective recognition of naproxen

[structure: see text] A macrocyclic receptor based on a bischromenylurea and an alpha,alpha'-(o,o'-dialkyl)diphenyl-p-xylylenediamine spacer provides a C(2) chiral cavity to associate carboxylates by H-bonds. The extent of the selectivity obtained for the racemic receptor 2 and enantiomerically pure (S)-naproxen is 7.2:1. Steric repulsions close to the cavity are decisive for the chiral selectivity.     

Molecular quantum similarity of enantiomers: substituted allenes

Molecular quantum similarity is evaluated for enantiomers in the case of molecules possessing a chiral axis, as an extension of previous studies on molecules with a single asymmetric carbon atom. As a case study, the enantiomers of substituted allenes are examined. Next to studying global similarity, using the already existing similarity indices defined by Carbó and Hodgkin-Richards, we evaluate local similarity using our earlier proposed local similarity index based on the Hirshfeld partitioning, to quantify the consequences of Mezey's holographic electron density theorem in chiral systems. Furthermore, the relation between the optical activity and the dissimilarity is studied.     

Molecular magnetic properties of heteroporphyrins: a theoretical analysis

B3LYP/6-31G(d) optimization of porphyrin, tetraphenylporphyrin and their 21,23-diheteroatom substituted derivatives with O, S, and Se heteroatoms was performed. A planar macrocycle was found in all cases except 21,23-dioxatetraphenylporphyrin which presents only slight deviations from planarity. A Bader analysis uncovers the presence of S-S and Se-Se interactions in the four corresponding heteroporphyrins, which appreciably distort the original unsubstituted macrocycles. In the minimum energy structures of heterotetraphenylporphyrins the four meso phenyl groups slant alternatively to right or left so that the two pairs of opposite phenyls present a staggered conformation. The pi current induced by a perpendicular magnetic field in porphyrin bifurcates across both types of pyrrole subunits but the presence of O, S and Se heteroatoms in 21,23-diheteroporphyrins causes a diminution of the current density through the inner section of the two heterorings and, consequently, the current path goes then through the outer section of these rings. The NICS values at the ring critical points of the heterorings are much larger (in absolute value) than those at the pyrrole ring critical points but appreciably smaller than that at the ring critical point of a pyrrole molecule. In agreement with experimental data the (1)H NMR present appreciable downfield shifts for the beta H atoms of the heterorings in the 21,23-heterosubstituted molecules.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of the enantiomers of ibuprofen in plasma using a chiral AGP column

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of the R- and S-enantiomers of ibuprofen. The enantiomers and the internal standard 4-pentylphenylacetic acid are extracted from plasma, separated and quantified on a Chiral-AGP column using ultraviolet detection. The simplicity, sensitivity and precision of the method makes it convenient for use in pharmacokinetic studies.     

Molecular recognition of chiral conformers: a rotational study of the dimers of glycidol

Two homochiral dimers of glycidol, deriving from two different conformers, have been characterized by rotational spectroscopy in a supersonic expansion.