Viscoelastic properties of adsorbed and cross-linked polypeptide and protein layers at a solid-liquid interface

The real-time changes in viscoelasticity of adsorbed poly(L-lysine) (PLL) and adsorbed histone (lysine rich fraction) due to cross-linking by glutaraldehyde and corresponding release of associated water were investigated using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR/FTIR). The kinetics of PLL and histone adsorption were measured through changes in mass adsorbed onto a gold-coated quartz surface from changes in frequency and dissipation and using the Voigt viscoelastic model. Prior to cross-linking, the shear viscosity and shear modulus of the adsorbed PLL layer were approximately 3.0 x 10(-3) Pas and approximately 2.5 x 10(5) Pa, respectively, while after cross-linking, they increased to approximately 17.5 x 10(-3) Pas and approximately 2.5 x 10(6) Pa, respectively. For the adsorbed histone layer, shear viscosity and shear modulus increased modestly from approximately 1.3 x 10(-3) to approximately 2.0 x 10(-3) Pas and from approximately 1.2 x 10(4) to approximately 1.6 x 10(4) Pa, respectively. The adsorbed mass estimated from the Sauerbrey equation (perfectly elastic) and the Voigt viscoelastic model differ appreciably prior to cross-linking whereas after cross-linking they converged. This is because trapped water molecules were released during cross-linking. This was confirmed experimentally via ATR/FTIR measurements. The variation in viscoelastic properties increased substantially after cross-linking presumably due to fluctuation of the randomly cross-linked network structure. An increase in fluctuation of the viscoelastic properties and the loss of imbibed water could be used as a signature of the formation of a cross-linked network and the amount of cross-linking, respectively.     

叔丁氧基自由基引发氢迁移过程的理论研究

采用多种密度泛函理论方法(如CAM-B3LYP, M062x和wB97x方法), 并辅以极化连续介质模型对叔丁氧基自由基(^tBuO·)与一系列胺类、 烷烃、 醇类和醚类反应物之间氢迁移反应的反应机理进行研究. 计算结果表明, 这类氢迁移反应主要受熵的控制. 通过对液相平动熵和气相平动熵得到的活化自由能数据进行对比, 可以看出, 使用气相平动熵得出的活化自由能明显偏高于实验测量值, 而以液相平动熵计算的反应活化自由能垒与实际结果相近, 3种方法对胺类和烷烃类反应物体系得出的结果更可靠, 对醇类和醚类反应物体系自由能垒则略低.     

Real-time monitoring of formaldehyde-induced DNA-lysozyme cross-linking with piezoelectric quartz crystal impedance analysis

A novel method for monitoring, in real time, the formaldehyde (FA)-induced DNA-protein cross-linking process with the piezoelectric quartz crystal impedance (PQCI) technique is proposed. The method was used to monitor FA-induced DNA-lysozyme cross-link formation. Lysozyme was directly immobilized on the silver electrode surface of a piezoelectric quartz crystal by adsorption. The lysozyme-coated piezoelectric sensor was in contact with FA and DNA solutions. The time courses of the resonant frequency and equivalent circuit parameters of the sensor during the cross-linking were simultaneously obtained and are discussed in detail. On the basis of the feature of the multi-dimensional information provided by the PQCI technique, it was concluded that the observed frequency decrease could be mainly ascribed to the mass increase resulting from the cross-linking. According to the frequency decrease with time, the kinetics of the cross-linking process were quantitatively studied. A piezoelectric response model for the cross-linking was theoretically derived. Fitting the experimental data to the model, the kinetic parameters, such as the binding and dissociation rate constants (k(1) and k(-1)) and the cross-linking equilibrium constant (Ka), were determined. At 37 degrees C, the k(1), k(-1) and Ka values obtained were 7.0 (+/-0.1) x 10(-5) (microg ml(-1))(-1) s(-1), 6.6 (+/-0.1) x 10(-3) s(-1) and 1.06 (+/-0.02) x 10(-2) (microg ml(-1))(-1), respectively.     

异丙醇-水体系中分子间相互作用对萘迁移热力学性质的影响

研究了萘从水到H2O-异丙醇(IPA)混合溶剂中的迁移变化,表明萘的迁移随异丙醇摩尔分数x(IPA)的增加呈复杂的下降趋势．标准迁移熵和标准迁移焓的研究表明,随异丙醇摩尔分数x(IPA)的增加,二者呈现双峰变化．迁移熵和迁移焓的双峰变化,表明系列H2O-IPA混合溶剂的微观结构经历了从相对的有序到元序到再有序、再元序、再有序的变化过程,H2O-IPA混合溶剂中除了在富水区存在着笼合物的特殊结构外,在x(IPA)约为0．08处还存在着一相对有序的结构．研究表明,H2O-异丙醇(IPA)混合溶剂组成、结构变化均对萘的迁移产生着明显的影响．     

Surface stress, thickness, and mass of the first few layers of polyelectrolyte

The effects of surface stress and mass loading upon the adsorption of polyelectrolytes onto flexible silicon micromechanical cantilever sensors (MCSs) were studied in situ. A self-assembled monolayer of 2-mercaptoethylamine chloride (2-MEA) on gold was used to achieve single-side adsorption on the MCS. Such a preparation gave a positive surface potential, whereas a bare SiOx surface gave a negative surface potential. Wide scan X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed that the adsorption of polystyrenesulfonate (PSS) and polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) followed the general rule expected from the electrostatic interaction between the substrate and the polyelectrolyte, whereas the adsorption polyethyleneimine (PEI) did not. The adsorption of PAH on SiO(x) from a 3 mM water solution containing 1 M NaCl was associated with a deflection of the MCS toward the polyelectrolyte monolayer (tensile surface stress) owing to the hydrogen bonding between neighboring amino groups. Here, a surface stress change of 1.4 +/- 0.1 N/m was estimated. The adsorption of PSS from a 3 mM water solution containing 1 M NaCl on a 2-MEA surface induced a deflection of the MCS away from the polyelectrolyte layer (compressive stress), toward the SiO(x) side. Here, a surface stress change of 3.1 +/- 0.3 N/m was determined. The formation of a PAH layer on top of the PSS layer resulted in a deflection of the MCS toward the PAH layer. This indicated that the adjacent PSS layer was deswelling, corresponding to a surface stress change of 0.5 +/- 0.1 N/m.     

Acetone adsorption on ice surfaces in the temperature range T = 190-220 K: evidence for aging effects due to crystallographic changes of the adsorption sites

The rate and thermodynamics of the adsorption of acetone on ice surfaces have been studied in the temperature range T = 190-220 K using a coated-wall flow tube reactor (CWFT) coupled with QMS detection. Ice films of 75 +/- 25 microm thickness were prepared by coating the reactor using a calibrated flow of water vapor. The rate coefficients for adsorption and desorption as well as adsorption isotherms have been derived from temporal profiles of the gas phase concentration at the exit of the flow reactor together with a kinetic model that has recently been developed in our group to simulate reversible adsorption in CWFTs (Behr, P.; Terziyski, A.; Zellner, R. Z. Phys. Chem. 2004, 218, 1307-1327). It is found that acetone adsorption is entirely reversible; the adsorption capacity, however, depends on temperature and decreases with the age of the ice film. The aging effect is most pronounced at low acetone gas-phase concentrations (< or = 2.0 x 10(11) molecules/cm(3)) and at low temperatures. Under these conditions, acetone is initially adsorbed with a high rate and high surface coverage that, upon aging, both become lower. This effect is explained by the existence of initially two adsorption sites (1) and (2), which differ in nature and number density and for which the relative fractions change with time. Using two-site dynamic modeling, the rate coefficients for adsorption (k(ads)) and desorption (k(des)) as well as the Langmuir constant (K(L)) and the maximum number of adsorption sites (c(s,max)), as obtained for the adsorption of acetone on sites of types (1) and (2) in the respective temperature range, are k(ads)(1) = 3.8 x 10(-14) T(0.5) cm(3) s(-1), k(des)(1) = 4.0 x 10(11) exp(-5773/T) s(-1), K(L) (1) = 6.3 x 10(-25) exp(5893/T) cm(3), c(s,max)(1) < or = 10(14) cm(-2) and k(ads)(2) = 2.9 x 10(-15) T(0.5) cm(3) s(-1), k(des)(2) = 1.5 x 10(7) exp(-3488/T) s(-1), K(L)(2) = 5.0 x 10(-22) exp(3849/T) cm(3), c(s,max)(2) = 6.0 x 10(14) cm(-2), respectively. On the basis of these results, the adsorption of acetone on aged ice occurs exclusively on sites of type (2). Among the possible explanations for the time-dependent two-site adsorption behavior, i.e., crystallographic differences, molecular or engraved microstructures, or a mixture of the two, we tentatively accept the former, i.e., that the two adsorption sites correspond to cubic (1, I(c)) and hexagonal (2, I(h)) sites. The temporal change of I(c) to I(h) and, hence, the time constants of aging are consistent with independent information in the literature on these phase changes.     

Adsorption of 1-Monoglycerides at the Hexane/Water Interface: II. 1-Monolaurin

The interfacial tension of a hexane solution of 1-monolaurin against water was measured as a function of temperature and concentration under atmospheric pressure. The thermodynamic quantity changes associated with the adsorption of 1-monolaurin were evaluated and compared with those of the previously reported 1-monomyristin. The decrease of two carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain results in a slight expansion of the 1-monolaurin adsorbed film and in a slight decrease in entropy and energy changes compared with those of the 1-monomyristin system. The large negative value of the entropy change at a high concentration is related to the restricted orientation of the polar head group of 1-monolaurin at the hexane/water interface due to the strong interaction between the large hydrophilic group of 1-monolaurin and the water molecules, as in the 1-monomyristin system. The origin of the distinction in the entropy change behavior between the adsorption from the hexane phase and water phase was discussed. The usefulness of an easier calculation process for the partial molar entropy change is verified by comparison with the usual reliable value and with the entropy of adsorption.     

Monitoring of the self-assembled monolayer of 1-hexadecanethiol on a gold surface at nanomolar concentration using a piezo-excited millimeter-sized cantilever sensor

In this paper, we describe a new method of measuring alkanethiol monolayer formation on a gold surface. A gold-coated millimeter-sized rectangular-shaped lead zirconate titanate (PZT) cantilever of dimensions 3.5 x 2 x 0.05 mm, previously shown to detect a picogram level of mass change, was used to measure the adsorption kinetics of 1-hexadecanethiol in ethanol over six orders of concentration range (1 nM to 10 mM) in real time. The flexural mode of cantilever vibration, 45.5 +/- 0.01 kHz, was monitored during the self-assembly. The total resonant frequency change obtained for the 1 nM, 10 nM, 100 nM, 1 microM, 4 mM, 8 mM, and 10 mM thiol concentrations were 116 +/- 2 (n = 2), 225 (n = 1), 270 +/- 10 (n = 2), 440 +/- 10 (n = 2), 900 +/- 10 (n = 2), 900 +/- 10 (n = 2), and 900 +/- 10 (n = 2) Hz, respectively. These results compare favorably to literature results in that the rate of the monolayer formation is concentration-dependent and the exponential change during adsorption follows the reversible first-order Langmuir kinetic model. The rate constants of adsorption and desorption were 0.061 M(-1) s(-1) and 3.61 x 10(-4) s(-1), respectively. The significance of the results is that millimeter-sized PZT cantilevers can be used in real-time for characterizing self-assembly of monolayer formation at nanomolar concentration levels. In addition, at 1 nM, the adsorption was found not to be diffusion limited.     

Estimating entropies from molecular dynamics simulations

While the determination of free-energy differences by MD simulation has become a standard procedure for which many techniques have been developed, total entropies and entropy differences are still hardly ever computed. An overview of techniques to determine entropy differences is given, and the accuracy and convergence behavior of five methods based on thermodynamic integration and perturbation techniques was evaluated using liquid water as a test system. Reasonably accurate entropy differences are obtained through thermodynamic integration in which many copies of a solute are desolvated. When only one solute molecule is involved, only two methods seem to yield useful results, the calculation of solute-solvent entropy through thermodynamic integration, and the calculation of solvation entropy through the temperature derivative of the corresponding free-energy difference. One-step perturbation methods seem unsuitable to obtain entropy estimates.     

Adsorption of 1-Monoglycerides at the Hexane/Water Interface

The interfacial tension of a hexane solution of 1-monolaurin against water was measured as a function of temperature and concentration under atmospheric pressure. The thermodynamic quantity changes associated with the adsorption of 1-monolaurin were evaluated and compared with those of the previously reported 1-monomyristin. The decrease of two carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain results in a slight expansion of the 1-monolaurin adsorbed film and in a slight decrease in entropy and energy changes compared with those of the 1-monomyristin system. The large negative value of the entropy change at a high concentration is related to the restricted orientation of the polar head group of 1-monolaurin at the hexane/water interface due to the strong interaction between the large hydrophilic group of 1-monolaurin and the water molecules, as in the 1-monomyristin system. The origin of the distinction in the entropy change behavior between the adsorption from the hexane phase and water phase was discussed. The usefulness of an easier calculation process for the partial molar entropy change is verified by comparison with the usual reliable value and with the entropy of adsorption. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.     

Selective removal of DNA from protein solution with copolymer particles derived from N,N-dimethylaminopropylacrylamide

To remove nucleic acids from cellular products as drugs, cross-linked N,N-dimethylaminopropylacrylamide (DMP) particles with cationic functional groups were prepared. The particle's hydrophobicity and its anion-exchange capacity were easily adjusted by changing the cross-linking agent and the DMP ratio in the cross-linking, respectively. When divinylbenzene (DVB) was used as a cross-linking agent and the DMP ratio (in the cross-linking) was adjusted to 90 mol%, the particles (DMP-DVB, 90:10) showed the highest adsorbing activity of DNA (salmon spermary). Its adsorption capacity was 54 mg/ml adsorbent. On the other hand, the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) to the DMP-DVB extremely increased with increase in the adsorbent's pore size (molecular mass exclusions; M(lim)) from 2 x 10(3) to 1 x 10(4), but decreased with increase in the buffer's ionic strength (mu) to 0.2 or stronger. As a result, when the DMP-DVB (80:20) with M(lim) 2 x 10(3) was used as adsorbent by a column method at pH, 7.2 and mu = 0.17, it only selectively removed DNA from a BSA solution, including 1000 microg/ml of BSA and 10 microg/ml of DNA. The adsorbent decreased the concentration of DNA in the BSA solution to < 10 ng/ml, and the recovery rate of BSA was more 98%.     

Fractions of thermodynamic functions for native lysozyme adsorption onto moderately hydrophobic surface

Calorimetric measurement of adsorption enthalpies of native lysozyme(Lyz) on a moderately hydrophobic surface at 25°C, pH 7.0 and various salt concentrations was performed. Based on the thermodynamics of stoichiometric displacement theory (SDT), we calculated the fractions of thermodynamic functions involving four subprocesses during a displacement adsorption process from the directly determined enthalpies in combination with adsorption isotherm measurements. The thermodynamic fractions reveal the relative degree of the four subprocesses for contributions to enthalpy, entropy and free energy. The results show that native Lyz adsorption on a moderately hydrophobic surface is an entropy driven process contributed mainly by conformational loss of adsorbed Lyz.     

Effect of humidity on the supramolecular structure of cotton, studied by quantitative spin probing

The effect of water content on the physicochemical properties of the amorphous regions in cotton were investigated by measuring the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) of TEMPOL nitroxide radicals, deposited in cotton at different loadings, as a function of the relative humidity (RH) and temperature. Three different components contribute differently to the experimental EPR spectra, corresponding to (a) mobile radicals absorbed in the bulk amorphous region, (b) slow moving radicals adsorbed on the crystallite surfaces in cotton, and (c) aggregated radicals. These components were analyzed by means of computer-aided simulations of the line shapes and simplified line width methods. Polarity and mobility parameters were extracted from the analysis of the spectra. For all loadings and temperatures, the polarity suddenly dropped when the water content fell below approximately 3 wt %, i.e., when water was removed from the bulk amorphous regions. At the lowest loading (2 x 10(-5) mol kg(-1)), the spectra were independent of the RH, and only mobile radicals were observed. At intermediate loading (10(-4)-10(-3) mol kg(-1)) both mobile (fast) and adsorbed (slow) moving radicals were present, the fraction of which depended on the RH. The mobility of the adsorbed and mobile radical signals was smaller at higher loadings, indicating microdomains of different character. The temperature dependence of the rotational correlation times provided the activation energies, which were much lower than in liquids. An equilibrium exists between the mobile and the adsorbed radicals. The temperature dependence of the equilibrium constant, K, gave the enthalpy and the entropy of the adsorption process. At low RH, the enthalpy and the entropy values indicated a simple adsorption process. At 10(-3) mol kg(-1), the values were independent of the RH, but at low loadings the values increased with the increase in the RH, which suggested a displacement of adsorbed water by the radicals at high water content. At loadings above 10(-3) mol kg(-1), signals from radicals strongly interacting via spin exchange were observed, which are assigned to aggregated radicals; simulation of the spectra gave an activation energy of 13 kJ mol(-1) for the spin exchange process. These effects are rationalized on the basis of microdomains of different character within cotton, reflecting the variation in pore sizes (0.5-8 nm) and the relaxation behavior of the cellulose chains.     

Binding of the bioactive component daphnetin to human serum albumin demonstrated using tryptophan fluorescence quenching

Daphnetin (7,8-dihydroxycoumarin), one of the major bioactive components isolated from Daphne koreane Nakai, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of coagulation disorders. It is also a chelator, an antioxidant and a protein kinase inhibitor. In this paper, a combination of intrinsic fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and circular dichroic (CD) spectroscopy has been used to characterize the binding between daphnetin and human serum albumin (HSA) under physiological conditions with drug concentrations of 6.7 x 10(-6) - 2.3 x 10(-5) mol x L(-1), and a HSA concentration of 1.5 x 10(-6) mol x L(-1). Changes in the CD spectra and FT-IR spectra were observed upon ligand binding, and the degree of tryptophan fluorescence quenching did change significantly in the complexes. These data have proved the change in protein secondary structure accompanying ligand binding. The change in tryptophan fluorescence intensity was used to determine the binding constants. The thermodynamic parameters, the enthalpy change (DeltaH) and the entropy change (DeltaS) were calculated to be -12.45 kJ x mol(-1)and 52.48 J x mol(-1) x K(-1) according to the van't Hoff equation, which indicated that hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions played the main role in the binding of daphnetin to HSA, in accordance with the results of calculations performed on a Silicon Graphics Ocatane2 workstation. In addition, the binding distance between daphnetin and HSA was obtained (4.02 nm) based on the Forster energy transfer theory.     

On the mechanism of surfactant adsorption on solid surfaces: free-energy investigations

The adsorption free-energy of surfactant on solid surfaces has been calculated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation for a model surfactant/solvent system. The umbrella-sampling with the weight histogram analysis method (WHAM) was applied. The entropic and enthalpic contributions to the full potential of mean force (PMF) were obtained to evaluate the detailed thermodynamics of surfactant adsorption in solid/liquid interfaces. Although we observed that this surfactant adsorption process is driven mainly by a favorable enthalpy change, a highly unfavorable entropic contribution still existed. By decomposing the free energy (including its entropic and enthalpic components) into the solvent-induced contribution and the surfactant-wall term, the effect of surface and solvent on the adsorption free-energy has been distinguished. The contribution to the PMF from the surface effect is thermodynamically favorable, whereas the solvent term displays an obviously unfavorable component with a monotonic increase as the surfactant approaches to the surface. The impact of various interactions from the surfaces (both solvent-philic and solvent-phobic) and the solvent on the adsorption PMF of surfactant has been compared and discussed. Compared to the solvent-philic surface, the solvent-phobic surface generates more stable site for the surfactant adsorption. However, the full PMF profile for the solvent-phobic system shows a clear positive maximum value at the bulk-interface transition region, which leads to a considerable long-range free-energy barrier to the surfactant adsorption. These results have been analyzed in terms of the local interfacial structures. In summary, this comprehensive study is expected to reveal the microscopic interaction mechanisms determining the surfactant adsorption on solid surfaces.     

Free-energy landscape of alcohol driven coacervation transition in aqueous gelatin solutions

Liquid-liquid phase separation of a homogeneous polyampholyte (gelatin) solution into a dense polymer-rich coacervate and the dilute supernatant phase is discussed through free-energy landscape formalism. We have evaluated the free energy and entropy of the system as it undergoes the phenomenon of simple coacervation, driven by the addition of a nonsolvent. Electrophoretic mobility (mu) and turbidity measurements were performed on 0.01% and 0.05% (w/v) aqueous gelatin solutions that were driven towards coacervation by the addition of ethanol. The mobility of the polyampholyte molecules, which was typically mu approximately 0.38+/-0.02 microm/s cm/V in water, gradually reduced for the soluble intermolecular complexes to a plateau value of mu approximately 0.11+/-0.01 microm/s cm/V as the ethanol volume fraction equaled phi(ns) approximately 0.47+/-0.03, which coincided with the first appearance of coacervate droplets (coacervation transition) observed from turbidity measurements, a behavior found to be invariant of gelatin concentration. These results were used as input to the theoretical model to explicitly construct the free-energy landscape for a single gelatin chain and the global system comprising the polymer-rich coacervate and the dilute supernatant phase.     

（英）二氧化钛/石墨烯复合材料对水溶液中钯离子的吸附性能研究

本文合成了一种新型二氧化钛/石墨烯(TiO2-Gr)复合材料吸附剂,研究了其对水溶液中Pd(II)的吸附作用,并与TiO2的吸附性能进行了比较。制得的TiO2-Gr吸附剂分别进行了透射电子显微镜(TEM)表征及X射线衍射(XRD)分析,考察了吸附过程中时间、溶液p H、吸附剂用量、离子强度、Pd(II)浓度和温度等参数对吸附量的影响。研究了吸附过程中动力学、热力学及吸附等温线。结果表明吸附过程符合假二级动力学模型,吸附等温线符合Langmuir和Freundlich等温吸附方程。对热力学函数(吉布斯函数变、焓变、熵变)测定表明,本文合成的TiO2-Gr吸附剂对Pd(II)的吸附属于自发吸热反应。     

Studies on Mg/Fe hydrotalcite-like-compound (HTlc) I. Removal of inorganic selenite (SeO3(2-)) from aqueous medium

A Mg/Fe hydrotalcite-like-compound (HTlc) was prepared and its affinity toward the removal of SeO(3)(2-) from an aqueous medium was studied as a function of pH, time, temperature, particle dose, and SeO(3)(2-) concentration. The fraction of SeO(3)(2-) removal increases with decrease in both pH and temperature. The adsorption data are fitted to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm in the temperature range 303-333 K, and the thermodynamic parameters viz. standard Gibbs' free energy change (DeltaG degrees ), enthalpy change (DeltaH degrees ), and entropy change (DeltaS degrees ) are calculated. The negative value of DeltaH degrees indicates that the adsorption process is exothermic. The apparent equilibrium constants (K(a)) are also calculated and found to decrease with increase in temperature.     

Adsorption of aqueous alkylphenol ethoxylate surfactants by mesoporous carbon CMK-3

Mesoporous carbon, CMK-3, was prepared using hexagonal SBA-15 mesoporous silica as the template and the adsorption of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE) onto CMK-3 was investigated. The adsorption process was well described using pseudo-second-order kinetics. At initial NPE concentrations of 107 and 530 mg l(-1), the adsorption rate constants were found to be 5.6 x 10(-3) and 8.7 x 10(-4) g mg(-1) min(-1), indicating that a higher initial concentration or adsorption amount resulted in a lower adsorption rate. NPE adsorption onto CMK-3 fitted a Langmuir-Freundlich model and the maximum amounts of NPE absorbed at 15, 25, and 35 degrees C were 923, 720, and 463 mg g(-1), suggesting an elevated adsorption capacity of CMK-3 for NPE with decreased adsorption temperature. In addition, increasing adsorption temperature led to the change of the adsorption model from the Langmuir-Freundlich to the Langmuir model. N2 adsorption results showed that the adsorption of NPE led to a decrease in the mesopore volume of CMK-3. However, the pore width of NPE-loaded CMK-3 was found to be identical to that of CMK-3.     

Characterization of short-time dealumined HZSM-5 zeolites

Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of water was applied to characterize short-time dealuminated HZSM-5 zeolites. Using a regularization method, distribution functions of the effective desorption energy of water were calculated. The results clearly show that during dealumination a new adsorption site is formed which can be attributed to non-framework or transient aluminium species. The highest concentration of these sites was observed for a dealumination time of 25-30 min. NO adsorption studies support this result. Furthermore, it could be concluded that the heterogeneity and the average acid strength of the remaining Si-OH-Al groups of the dealuminated samples do not change compared to the Si-OH-Al groups of the parent HZSM-5 zeolite. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.