Interaction of water‐soluble triphenylphosphines with β‐cyclodextrin: a quantum chemistry study

The interaction of β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) with meta‐trisulfonated triphenylphosphine derivatives bearing one or two methyl (or methoxy) groups on the aromatic rings has been investigated by PM3 calculations. The results show that phosphine molecules interact with β‐CD having either an unsubstituted sulfophenyl group or a substituted sulfophenyl group at the para and/or meta‐position. The presence of one methyl or methoxy group in the ortho‐position on each aromatic ring prevents the formation of an inclusion complex between meta‐trisulfonated triphenylphosphine derivatives and β‐CD. The deeply included phosphines in the β‐CD cavity show significant van der Waals interactions with β‐CD. These interactions are at the origin of the high association constants between these molecules and β‐CD. Phosphines exhibiting small association constants interact with β‐CD by forming H‐bonds and weak (or null) van der Waals interactions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cyclic voltammetry of nitrophenyl N‐glycosides on mercury electrode

Ten nitrophenyl N‐glycosides have been studied electrochemically in neutral (at pH 7) water–organic solutions by cyclic voltammetry using static mercury drop electrode. For all compounds under investigation the two electrochemical processes have been observed: the four‐electron irreversible reduction of their nitro groups to the corresponding phenylhydroxylamine derivatives, as well as the two‐electron quasi‐reversible process between phenylhydroxylamine and nitroso derivatives. For three compounds the additional electrochemical processes have been also observed, which can be connected with the formation of azoxybenzene derivatives. The potentials of both redox processes: a two‐electron quasi‐reversible R? NHOH/R? NO (E_f) and four‐electron irreversible R? NO₂/R? NHOH (E_pc(I)) systems have been determined and discussed according to crystal structures of selected compounds. E_f and E_pc(I) depended strongly on the positive mesomeric effect (caused by glycosidic nitrogen atom), as well as on the intramolecular hydrogen bond between electroactive nitro group and the hydrogen atom at the glycosidic atom observed in N‐o‐nitrophenyl‐2,3,4,6‐tetra‐O‐acetyl‐β‐D ‐glucopyranosylamine. Moreover, the chirality of selected reactants has had the pronounced effect on the E_pc(I). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Inclusion complexes of estrone and estradiol with β‐cyclodextrin: Voltammetric and HPLC studies

The interaction of estrone and estradiol with β‐cyclodextrins (βCD) was investigated by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in mixed media. The co‐solvent influence on the tendency of these estrogens to form inclusion complexes with βCD was examined. Thus, acetonitrile (MeCN) and ethanol (EtOH) were used in a mixed aqueous medium containing phosphate buffer. The association constant of the inclusion complexes (K_a) of estrone and estradiol with βCD were determined in two different media by using both voltammetric and chromatographic techniques. Estradiol was found to bind to βCD with higher affinities than estrone, irrespective of the medium. We have also found a clear influence of the co‐solvent on the K_a value, which means a competition of co‐solvent molecules with estrogens for binding to the cavity of βCD. Consequently, interaction between βCD and the steroids is weakened when acetonitrile is used. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Molecular structure of nitrophenyl O‐glycosides in relation to their redox potentials

The effect of the non‐electroactive groups on the redox potentials of the active centres of 26 nitrophenyl O‐glycosides possessing various substituents has been studied electrochemically using cyclic voltammetry. The potentials of both redox processes, a two‐electron quasi‐reversible R‐NHOH/R‐NO (E_f) and four‐electron irreversible R‐NO₂/R‐NHOH (E_pc(I)) systems, have been determined and compared for all the compounds under investigations. The nitrophenyl O‐glycosides were chosen as model compounds as they significantly vary in many aspects of their structure such as: (i) the isomeric substitution of nitro group in benzene ring to the sugar moiety (ortho, meta and para isomers); (ii) the size of sugar moieties (the derivatives of mono‐ and disaccharides); (iii) the presence and absence of additional groups in saccharidic fragments (e.g. pentose and hexose); (iv) functionalisation of hydroxyl groups (free or acetylated hydroxyl groups) and (v) absolute configurations of selected sugar carbon atoms (e.g. the pairs of anomers). Among other effects, a significant variation in the increasing order of the two‐electron quasi‐reversible (E_f, ortho > meta > para) and four‐electron irreversible (E_pc(I), meta > ortho > para) redox processes has been found and explained taking into account the negative inductive effect (–I) caused by the glycosidic oxygen atom that facilitates the electroreduction of the nitro group, and the positive mesomeric effect (+M) which makes the electroreduction more difficult. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

DFT study the interaction of β‐cyclodextrin with benzyl azide and phenyl acetylene in synthesis of 1,2,3‐triazoles

The phenyl acetylene and benzyl azide cycloaddition reaction in water in the presence of β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) as a phase transfer catalyst (PTC) can get a better yield in a shorter time. The interaction between β‐CD and phenyl acetylene or benzyl azide plays an important role in this reaction. This paper studies the complexes of β‐CD with phenyl acetylene and benzyl azide using density functional theory (DFT) method. In order to find out the orientations of guests in the cavity of β‐CD, binding energy and deformation energy are investigated, and the calculated results are confirmed by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹HNMR). The data from single point energy indicate that the inclusion complexes can improve the solubilities of phenyl acetylene and benzyl azide in water. The ¹³C and ¹⁵N spectra show that the most obvious variation concentrates on C₆ and C₈ of phenyl acetylene and N₁₅ of benzyl azide in complexes. Mulliken charge and frontier orbital are employed for revealing the charge distribution. The effect of β‐CD is discussed in terms of the calculated parameters. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparative studies on reaction of bis(p‐nitrophenyl) phosphate and α‐nucleophiles in cationic micellar media

We studied the cleave of bis(p‐nitrophenyl) phosphate (BNPP) over a pH range of 7.0–12.0 in the presence of cationic micelles of cetyldiethylethanolammonium bromide, cetyldimethylethanolammonium bromide, cetylpyridinium bromide, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, and cetylpyridinium chloride by using different α‐nucleophiles, viz acetohydroxamate, benzohydroxamate, salicylhydroxamate, butane‐2,3‐dione monooximate, and α‐benzoin oximate ions. With the use of α‐nucleophiles in cationic micellar media, the hydrolytic cleavage of BNPP was found to be approximately 10⁵‐fold faster than its spontaneous hydrolysis. All reactions followed pseudo‐first‐order kinetics. The effect of various concentrations of cationic micelles for the reaction of BNPP and α‐nucleophiles has been studied. The variation of k_obs values of the reactions depends on the micellar structure, that is, head groups, hydrophobic tail length, and counter ion. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

β‐Elimination of an aziridine to an allylic amine: a mechanistic study

The base‐induced rearrangement of aziridines has been examined using a combination of calculations and experiment. The calculations show that the substituent on nitrogen is a critical feature that greatly affects the favorability of both α‐deprotonation, and β‐elimination to form an allylic amine. Experiments were carried out to determine whether E2‐like rearrangement to the allylic amine with lithium diisopropyl amide (LDA) is possible. N‐tosyl aziridines were found to deprotonate on the tosyl group, preventing further reaction. A variety of N‐benzenesulfonyl aziridines having both α‐ and β‐protons decomposed when treated with LDA in either tetrahydrofuran or hexamethylphosphoramide. However, when α‐protons were not present, allylic amine was formed, presumably via β‐elimination. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SERS detection of polychlorinated biphenyls using β‐cyclodextrin functionalized gold nanoparticles on agriculture land soil

A highly sensitive surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) platform for the selective trace analysis of persistent organic pollutant (POP) such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) was reported based on β‐CD modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with the real environmental sample of polluted soil. The synthesized gold nanoparticles were characterized using UV–vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In polluted soil the presentation of PCB is confirmed by using GC‐MS. It is further verified and confirmed by using SERS. When the contaminated soil was added to the system, the binding of soil with β‐CD resulted in the aggregation of AuNPs, and excellent Raman signal was obtained which can reflect the isomers of polychlorinated biphenyls. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of novel bis(β‐cyclodextrin)s linked with aromatic diamine and their molecular recognition with model substrates

Novel β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) dimers with aromatic diamine linkers, 1,3‐(aminomethyl)‐benzylamine‐bridged bis(6‐amino‐6‐deoxy‐β‐CD) (2) , 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethano‐bridged bis(6‐amino‐6‐deoxy‐β‐CD) (3) , and 4,4′‐ ethylenedianiline‐bridged bis(6‐amino‐6‐deoxy‐β‐CD) (4) , were synthesized. The inclusion complexation behaviors of these compounds, together with 4,4′‐aminophenyl ethyl‐bridged bis(6‐amino‐6‐deoxy‐β‐CD) (5) , with substrates such as acridine red (AR), neutral red (NR), ammonium 8‐anilino‐1‐naphthalenesulfonate (ANS), sodium 2‐(p‐toluidinyl) naphthalenesulfonate (TNS), rhodamine B (RhB), and brilliant green (BG), were investigated by ultraviolet, fluorescence, circular dichroism, and 2D NMR spectroscopy. The results indicated that the two linked CD units cooperatively bound to a guest, and the molecular binding affinity toward substrates, especially curved guest ANS and linear guests such as NR and AR, was increased. The linker length between two CD units played a crucial role in the molecular recognition of the hosts with guest dyes. The binding constants of the hosts for AR, TNS, ANS, and RhB decreased with increasing linker length in hosts 2‐4 . Moreover, structurally similar hosts 3 and 5 exhibited very different binding behavior for the guests. Host 5 showed much higher Ks values toward positively charged guests and lower Ks toward negatively charged guests than host 3 . The 2D NMR spectra of hosts 3 and 5 with RhB were acquired to understand the binding difference between 3 and 5 . The molecular binding ability and selectivity of model substrates by these hosts were sufficiently investigated to reveal not only the cooperative contributions of the linker group and CD cavities upon inclusion complexation with dye guest molecules, but also the controlling factors for the molecular selective binding. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tautomeric equilibria analysis of β‐ketoamides by mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometric evidence of tautomerism is reported for β‐ketoamides. The most abundant tautomers are ketoamido and Z‐enolamido (both forming internal hydrogen bonds). The influence of temperature on the enol/keto abundance ratios is studied in order to estimate the enthalpy difference for tautomeric equilibria. Theoretical calculations have been done in order to support experimental determinations. There are consistent trends between theoretical and experimental data: Enolization is favored by electron‐withdrawing substiuents, bulky groups in α position and temperature increase. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vibrational spectroscopy and DFT calculations of di‐amino acid peptides: α‐ and β‐N‐acetyl‐L‐Asp‐L‐Glu in the solid state

Experimental vibrational spectroscopic studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the di‐amino acid peptide derivatives α‐ and β‐N‐acetyl‐L‐Asp‐L‐Glu have been undertaken. Raman and infrared spectra have been recorded for samples in the solid state. DFT simulations were conducted using the B3‐LYP correlation functional and the cc‐pVDZ basis set to determine energy minimized/geometry optimized structures (based on a single isolated molecule in the gaseous state). Normal coordinate calculations have provided vibrational assignments for fundamental modes, including their potential energy distributions. Significant differences are observed between α‐ and β‐N‐acetyl‐L‐Asp‐L‐Glu both in the computed structures and in the vibrational spectra. The combination of experimental and calculated spectra provide an insight into the structural and vibrational spectroscopic properties of di‐amino acid peptide derivatives. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polarized Raman scattering in helimagnetic β‐MnO2

A rutile β‐MnO₂ film was grown on MgO substrate using plasma‐assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE) monitored by reflection high‐energy electron diffraction (RHEED). Polarized Raman spectra at various temperatures were obtained to investigate the influence of the helimagnetic structure on the vibrational modes of β‐MnO₂. A red shift of E_g modes indicates a gradual formation of spin angles between neighboring Mn⁴⁺ ions. The intensities of the E_g and A_1g modes with y‐polarized incidence increase remarkably below the Néel temperature. A new view as vibrational mode projection (VMP) indicates the interactions between the magnetic component of incident light and the helimagnetic structure. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Raman spectrum of the γ′‐V2O5 polymorph: a combined experimental and DFT study

Structure and vibrational dynamics of γ′‐V₂O₅ synthesized from a pristine γ‐LiV₂O₅ sample via a chemical oxidation route was studied by means of Raman spectroscopy and quantum‐chemical calculations. The calculations based on density functional theory reliably reproduce the experimental structure of the γ′‐V₂O₅ lattice. The calculated Raman spectrum agrees remarkably well with the experimental one. Making use of the agreement, a complete assignment of Raman bands to vibrations of particular structural units is proposed. The comparison of Raman spectra and structural features of α‐V₂O₅ and γ′‐V₂O₅ polymorphs allowed establishing reliable ‘structure–spectrum’ correlations and identifying Raman peaks characteristic for different structural units. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Raman spectroscopic study of serum albumins: an effect of proton‐ and γ‐irradiation

Raman spectroscopy was applied to analyse structural changes in serum albumins (bovine serum albumin, BSA; human serum albumin, HSA) following proton and γ‐irradiation (0.5, 5 and 50 Gy). Characteristic Raman bands of both polypeptide backbone and amino acid residues were sensitive to irradiation. Significant damage of HSA/BSA was observed only at the highest dose (50 Gy). Raman spectra confirmed radiation‐induced denaturation, destruction of helical structures and aggregation of serum albumins. The differences in the dose‐dependent effects of proton and γ‐radiation on studied proteins are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Decay Dynamics of 3‐methyl‐3‐pentene‐2‐one from the light absorbing S2(ππ*) state ‐ Resonance Raman Spectroscopy and CASSCF Study

The photophysics of 3‐methyl‐3‐pentene‐2‐one (3M3P2O) after excitation to the S₂(ππ*) electronic state were studied using the resonance Raman spectroscopy and complete active space self‐consistent field (CASSCF) method calculations. The A‐band resonance Raman spectra were obtained in cyclohexane, acetonitrile, and methanol with excitation wavelengths in resonance with the first intense absorption band to probe the structural dynamics of 3M3P2O. The B3LYP‐TD/6‐31++G(d, p) computation was carried out to determine the relative A‐band resonance Raman intensities of the fundamental modes, and the result was used to reproduce the corresponding fundamental band intensities of the 223.1 nm resonance Raman spectrum and thus to examine whether the vibronic‐coupling existed in Franck‐Condon region or not. CASSCF calculations were carried out to determine the minimal singlet excitation energies of S_{1, FC}, S_1,min (nπ*), S_{2, FC}, S_2,min (ππ*), the transition energies of the conical intersection points S_n/S_π, S_n/S₀, and the optimized excited state geometries as well as the geometry structures of the conical intersection points. The A‐band short‐time structural dynamics and the corresponding decay dynamics of 3M3P2O were obtained by the analysis of the resonance Raman intensity pattern and CASSCF computations. It was revealed that the initial structural dynamics of 3M3P2O was towards the simultaneous C₃=C₄ and C₂=O₇ bond elongation, with the C₃=C₄ bond length lengthening greater at the very beginning, whereas the C₂=O₇ bond length changing greater at the later evolution time before reaching the CI(S₂/S₁) conical intersection point. The decay dynamics from S₂(ππ*) to S₁(nπ*) via S₂(ππ*)/S₁(nπ*) in singlet realm and from S₁(nπ*) to T₁(nπ*) via ISC[S₁(nπ*)/T₂(ππ*)/T₁(nπ*)] in triplet realm are proposed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Kinetics and mechanisms of gas‐phase decarbonylation of α‐methyl‐trans‐cinamaldehyde and E‐2‐methyl‐2‐pentenal under homogeneous catalysis of hydrogen chloride

The kinetics of the gas‐phase elimination of α‐methyl‐trans‐cinamaldehyde catalyzed by HCl in the temperature range of 399.0–438.7 °C, and the pressure range of 38–165 Torr is a homogeneous, molecular, pseudo first‐order process and undergoing a parallel reaction to produce via (A) α‐methylstyrene and CO gas and via (B) β‐methylstyrene and CO gas. The decomposition of substrate E‐2‐methyl‐2‐pentenal was performed in the temperature range of 370.0–410.0 °C and the pressure range of 44–150 Torr also undergoing a molecular, pseudo first‐order reaction gives E‐2‐pentene and CO gas. These reactions were carried out in a static system seasoned reactions vessels and in the presence of toluene free radical inhibitor. The rate coefficients are given by the following Arrhenius expressions:

• Products formation from α‐methyl‐trans‐cinamaldehyde
• α‐methylstyrene :
• β‐methylstyrene :
• Products formation from E‐2‐methyl‐2‐pentenal
• E‐2‐pentene :

The kinetic and thermodynamic parameters for the thermal decomposition of α‐methyl‐trans‐cinamaldehyde suggest that via (A) proceeds through a bicyclic transition state type of mechanism to yield α‐methylstyrene and carbon monoxide, whereas via (B) through a five‐membered cyclic transition state to give β‐methylstyrene and carbon monoxide. However, the elimination of E‐2‐methyl‐2‐pentenal occurs by way of a concerted cyclic five‐membered transition state mechanism producing E‐2‐pentene and carbon monoxide. The present results support that uncatalyzed α‐β‐unsaturated aldehydes decarbonylate through a three‐membered cyclic transition state type of mechanism. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stimulated Raman scattering influenced by concentration,fluorescence profile and bandwidth of β‐carotene in liquid‐core optical fiber

We demonstrated stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) of carbon disulfide (CS₂) influenced by β‐carotene in a liquid‐core optical fiber (LCOF). Owing to the double fluorescence characteristics and large third‐order optical nonlinearity of β‐carotene, the high‐order Stokes lines, such as the seventh‐order Stokes line of CS₂, can be observed at a relatively low input‐laser power. The thresholds of Stokes lines lowered with the addition of the carotenoid when the concentration of solution was within 10⁻¹² and 10⁻⁷ mol/L; the threshold increments and intensities of Stokes lines were correlative with the fluorescence profile of β‐carotene: when the fluorescence intensity of the wavenumber region on the spectrum was high, the Stokes line intensity was also high and its threshold increment was small, and vice versa. These results are expected to be worthy of the applications on the tunable laser and the seeding laser. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relative stabilities and molecular structures of the isomeric enol ethers and carboxylic esters derived from α‐acetyl‐γ‐butyrolactone and α‐acetyl‐δ‐valerolactone

Recently recorded ¹⁷O NMR spectra of compounds studied in a previous work (Taskinen E. Acta Chem. Scand. 1985; B39 : 489–494) dealing with the thermodynamics of isomerization of the enol ethers of α‐acetyl‐γ‐butyrolactone reveal an error in compound identification, caused by an unexpected isomerization reaction during the synthetic procedure. Thus, acid‐catalyzed treatment of the lactone with HC(OR)₃ in the respective alcohol ROH is shown to lead initially to the desired enol ethers which, however, are gradually isomerized to a mixture of the enol ethers and an ester of 2‐methyl‐4,5‐dihydrofuran‐3‐carboxylic acid. As a result, only one of the two isomeric compounds detected in the previous equilibration study was the expected enol ether (the thermodynamically more stable E isomer) of α‐acetyl‐γ‐butyrolactone, while the other, dominating species was the respective carboxylic ester. In the present work, the evidence provided by the ¹⁷O NMR spectra is presented, and the relative stabilities of the isomeric compounds are discussed on the basis of computational enthalpy data. The treatment is also extended to the respective isomeric compounds derived from α‐acetyl‐δ‐valerolactone. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.