Synthesis and characterization of a new disubstituted polyacetylene containing indolylazo moieties in side chains

A new disubstituted polyacetylene with indolylazo moieties in its side chains ( 9 ) was synthesized by a post functionalization strategy, which was difficult, or perhaps impossible, to obtain from the direct polymerization of its corresponding monomer. The polymer is soluble in common solvents and thermally stable. The polymer shows good optical transparency with an absorption maximum at 393 nm and a band edge at ～530 nm. Its poled film exhibits a resonant d₃₃ value of 17.9 pm/V and its optical nonlinearity is resistant to thermal decay at up to 147 °C. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5672–5681, 2006     

Separation analysis of macrolide antibiotics with good performance on a positively charged C18HCE column

The separation of basic macrolide antibiotics suffers from peak tailing and poor efficiency on traditional silica‐based reversed‐phase liquid chromatography columns. In this work, a C18HCE column with positively charged surface was applied to the separation of macrolides. Compared with an Acquity BEH C18 column, the C18HCE column exhibited superior performance in the aspect of peak shape and separation efficiency. The screening of mobile phase additives including formic acid, acetic acid and ammonium formate indicated that formic acid was preferable for providing symmetrical peak shapes. Moreover, the influence of formic acid content was investigated. Analysis speed and mass spectrometry compatibility were also taken into account when optimizing the separation conditions for liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The developed method was successfully utilized for the determination of macrolide residues in a honey sample. Azithromycin was chosen as the internal standard for the quantitation of spiramycin and tilmicosin, while roxithromycin was used for erythromycin, tylosin, clarithromycin, josamycin and acetylisovaleryltylosin. Good correlation coefficients (r² > 0.9938) for all macrolides were obtained. The intra‐day and inter‐day recoveries were 73.7–134.7% and 80.7–119.7% with relative standard deviations of 2.5–8.0% and 3.9–16.1%, respectively. Outstanding sensitivity with limits of quantitation (S/N ≥ 10) of 0.02–1 μg/kg and limits of detection (S/N ≥ 3) of 0.01–0.5 μg/kg were achieved.     

Expanding the scope of pressure‐assisted electrokinetic injection for online concentration of positively charged analytes in capillary electrophoresis‐mass spectrometry

Sample injection is a crucial step in CE. In past, many efforts have been focused on concentrating the analytes into a sharp sample plug. In 2006, pressure‐assisted electrokinetic injection (PAEKI) was proposed as a new preconcentration technique for anions. In this study, we expanded the applicability of PAEKI to online preconcentrate positively charged analytes. l ‐Arginine, l ‐lysine, and imidazole were chosen as target analytes for method development. The enhancement factor of PAEKI was over 3000‐fold. When CZE was coupled with a Q‐TOF system, PAEKI delivers a detection limit of 18–28 pg/mL and a dynamic calibration range over four orders of magnitude. The RSD was less than 6.4% (n = 4) on both peak area and migration time, indicating a good repeatability.     

FT-ICRMS distinguishes the mechanism of the charge state reduction for multiply charged protein cations admixed with redox reagents in ESI

Recently, we reported on a phenomenon in which multiply charged protein cations produced by electrospray ionization could be reduced to lower and narrower charge state distributions when admixed with reducing reagents 1,4-benzoquinone or quinhydrone. Circular dichroism spectra of the proteins indicated that secondary and tertiary structural changes upon addition of these reducing reagents were negligible, thus eliminating conformational effects as playing a role in the charge reduction mechanism. Furthermore, the extent of charge state reduction did not correspond with gas-phase basicities of the redox reagents, suggesting that solution-phase, and not gas-phase, behavior dominates the observed charge state reduction. The relatively low resolution of the triple quadrupole employed did not make it possible to distinguish isotopic distributions of the multiply charged cations in order to determine whether the observed phenomenon was the result of proton-transfer reactions between the multiply charged cations and the reducing reagent or because of electron transfer from the reducing reagent to the protein cations. Here, high-resolution ESI-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry of several peptide amides in the presence of a redox reagent show isotopic distributions that are consistent only with the proton-transfer mechanism.     

Transfer of electron density as a result of hydrogen bond formation— A case of charged complexes

Previous investigation of transfer of electron density accompanying hydrogen bond formation has been extended to complexes between positively charged donors and neutral acceptors, as well as to the complexes between a neutral donor and a negatively charged acceptor molecules. The amount of transferred electron density from acceptor to donor for the charged complexes may be adequately described by the same exponential dependence on the equilibrium distance between the hydrogen atom and the nearest atom of the acceptor molecule as it was found for neutral complexes. Relation of the H‐bond energy to electron density at the H‐bond critical point was dependent on the sign of Laplacian of the electron density. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010     

Experimental Charge Density Evidence for Pnicogen Bonding in a Crystal of Ammonium Chloride

Chemical binding in crystalline ammonium chloride, a simple inorganic salt with an unexpectedly complex bonding pattern, was studied by using a topological analysis of electron density function derived from high‐resolution X‐ray diffraction. Supported by periodic quantum chemical calculations, it provided experimental evidence for weak σ‐hole bonds (1.5 kcal mol^?1) that involve ammonium cations in a crystal. Our results show this type of supramolecular interaction to be more numerous than has been found to date by using gas‐phase calculations or statistical analysis of CSD.     

Origin of the conformation dependence of protein charge-state distributions in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The influence of tertiary structure on the electrospray ionization mass spectra of proteins is a well known and broadly exploited phenomenon. However, the underlying mechanism is not well understood. This paper discusses the bases and the implications of the two current hypotheses (solvent accessibility and Coulombic repulsions), pointing out the remaining open questions. Evidence reported here supports a third hypothesis, i.e. that intramolecular interactions in folded proteins play a key role in determining the observed charge-state distributions. It is proposed that native protein structures stabilize to a large extent pre-existing charges of the opposite polarity to the net charge of the ion, preventing their neutralization during the electrospray process. Thus, the higher charge states of unfolded conformations, relative to the folded structure, would not derive from a more extensive ionization of the former, but rather from a higher content of neutralizing charges in the latter. This interpretation allows several other problematic observations to be explained, including the different shapes of the spectra of folded and unfolded proteins, the discrepancies between observed and predicted gas-phase reactivity of protein ions and the apparent inconsistency of positive- and negative-ion mode results.     

Charge distribution from a simple molecular orbital type calculation and non-bonding interaction terms in the force field MAB

A simple and fast method to calculate charge distributions in organic molecules is presented. The method is based on charge shifts within the saturated -system, driven by orbital electronegativities, coupled to a modified Hückel treatment of the unsaturated -systems. Experimental molecular dipole moments of a set of 119 molecules are reproduced with a root mean square deviation of 0.36 Debye units. Furthermore, the obtained charge distribution is used to describe hydration free energies in terms of hydrogen-bonding donor and acceptor strengths of polar groups. Least square fitting to experimental data of 281 compounds leads to values for these strengths with accuracy limits of ±4.3% and ±2.5%, respectively. Properly normalized values are taken to parametrize the hydrogen bonding terms in our MAB force field. The method is sufficiently fast to be used in the preparatory phase of interactive force-field calculations.     

Computational Insights into the Charge Relaying Properties of β‐Turn Peptides in Protein Charge Transfers

Density functional theory calculations suggest that β‐turn peptide segments can act as a novel dual‐relay elements to facilitate long‐range charge hopping transport in proteins, with the N terminus relaying electron hopping transfer and the C terminus relaying hole hopping migration. The electron‐ or hole‐binding ability of such a β‐turn is subject to the conformations of oligopeptides and lengths of its linking strands. On the one hand, strand extension at the C‐terminal end of a β‐turn considerably enhances the electron‐binding of the β‐turn N terminus, due to its unique electropositivity in the macro‐dipole, but does not enhance hole‐forming of the β‐turn C terminus because of competition from other sites within the β‐strand. On the other hand, strand extension at the N terminal end of the β‐turn greatly enhances hole‐binding of the β‐turn C terminus, due to its distinct electronegativity in the macro‐dipole, but does not considerably enhance electron‐binding ability of the N terminus because of the shared responsibility of other sites in the β‐strand. Thus, in the β‐hairpin structures, electron‐ or hole‐binding abilities of both termini of the β‐turn motif degenerate compared with those of the two hook structures, due to the decreased macro‐dipole polarity caused by the extending the two terminal strands. In general, the high polarity of a macro‐dipole always plays a principal role in determining charge‐relay properties through modifying the components and energies of the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals of the β‐turn motif, whereas local dipoles with low polarity only play a cooperative assisting role. Further exploration is needed to identify other factors that influence relay properties in these protein motifs.     

Unambiguous Diagnosis of Photoinduced Charge Carrier Signatures in a Stoichiometrically Controlled Semiconducting Polymer‐Wrapped Carbon Nanotube Assembly

Single‐walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)‐based nanohybrid compositions based on (6,5) chirality‐enriched SWNTs ([(6,5) SWNTs]) and a chiral n‐type polymer (S‐PBN(b)‐Ph₄PDI) that exploits a perylenediimide (PDI)‐containing repeat unit are reported; S‐PBN(b)‐Ph₄PDI‐[(6,5) SWNT] superstructures feature a PDI electron acceptor unit positioned at 3 nm intervals along the nanotube surface, thus controlling rigorously SWNT–electron acceptor stoichiometry and organization. Potentiometric studies and redox‐titration experiments determine driving forces for photoinduced charge separation (CS) and thermal charge recombination (CR) reactions, as well as spectroscopic signatures of SWNT hole polaron and PDI radical anion (PDI^?.) states. Time‐resolved pump–probe spectroscopic studies demonstrate that S‐PBN(b)‐Ph₄PDI‐[(6,5) SWNT] electronic excitation generates PDI^?. via a photoinduced CS reaction (τ_CS≈0.4 ps, Φ_CS≈0.97). These experiments highlight the concomitant rise and decay of transient absorption spectroscopic signatures characteristic of the SWNT hole polaron and PDI^?. states. Multiwavelength global analysis of these data provide two charge‐recombination time constants (τ_CR≈31.8 and 250 ps) that likely reflect CR dynamics involving both an intimately associated SWNT hole polaron and PDI^?. charge‐separated state, and a related charge‐separated state involving PDI^?. and a hole polaron site produced via hole migration along the SWNT backbone that occurs over this timescale.     

Influence of charged intramolecular hydrogen bonds in weak polyelectrolytes: A Monte Carlo study of flexible and extendible polymeric chains in solution and near charged spheres

For weak polyelectrolytes, the interplay between pH, solvent properties, and polymer structure affects the amount of charges, their distribution, and hence their conformations via Coloumb repulsion. Attractive interactions can also develop between charged and neutral sites counteracting the expected Coulomb‐induced expansion. To gauge how such competition affects polyelectrolyte structure and ionization, the titration of a single polyelectrolyte chain, isolated or close to a charged sphere, mimicked with a novel many‐body potential model is simulated with Monte Carlo. Apart from showing a 10‐fold higher ionization than isolated monomers at low pH, interacting species contracted forming short‐range clusters of charged and neutral ionizable groups. The presence of a charged sphere synergically boosted both effects due to monomer interactions, forcing the chains to condense onto its surface at much lower pH. Structural properties, however, seem to be controlled only by the ionization degree despite the presence of the topological restraint represented by the spherical surface. Using Monte Carlo titration results, the equilibrium ionization of isolated chains is also estimated; the results evidence that even weak interactions can easily lead to a doubling of the total charge. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 650–663     

Regulation of Charge Delocalization in a Heteronuclear Fe2Ru System by a Stepwise Photochromic Process

Heteronuclear complexes FeCp₂?DTE?C?C?Ru(dppe)₂Cl ( 1 o ; dppe=1,2‐bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane, Cp=cyclopentadienyl, DTE=dithienylethene) and FeCp₂?DTE?C?C?Ru(dppe)₂?C?C?DTE?FeCp₂ ( 2 oo ), with redox‐active ferrocenyl and ruthenium centers separated by a photochromic DTE moiety, were prepared to achieve photoswitchable charge delocalization and Fe???Ru electronic communication. Upon UV‐light irradiation of 2 oo , the Fe???Ru heterometallic electronic interaction is increasingly facilitated with stepwise photocyclization, 2 oo → 2 co → 2 cc ; this is ascribed to the gradual increase in π‐conjugated systems. The near‐infrared absorptions in mixed‐valence species [ 2 oo ]⁺/[ 2 co ]⁺/[ 2 cc ]⁺ are gradually intensified following the conversion of [ 2 oo ]⁺→[ 2 co ]⁺→[ 2 cc ]⁺, which demonstrates that the extent of charge delocalization shows progressive enhancement with stepwise photocyclization. As revealed by electrochemical, spectroscopic, and theoretical studies, complex 2 exhibits nine switchable states through stepwise photochromic and reversible redox processes.     

Mechanism of Back Electron Transfer in an Intermolecular Photoinduced Electron Transfer Reaction: Solvent as a Charge Mediator

Back electron transfer (BET) is one of the important processes that govern the decay of generated ion pairs in intermolecular photoinduced electron transfer reactions. Unfortunately, a detailed mechanism of BET reactions remains largely unknown in spite of their importance for the development of molecular photovoltaic structures. Here, we examine the BET reaction of pyrene (Py) and 1,4‐dicyanobenzene (DCB) in acetonitrile (ACN) by using time‐resolved near‐ and mid‐IR spectroscopy. The Py dimer radical cation (Py₂^.+) and DCB radical anion (DCB^.?) generated after photoexcitation of Py show asynchronous decay kinetics. To account for this observation, we propose a reaction mechanism that involves electron transfer from DCB^.? to the solvent and charge recombination between the resulting ACN dimer anion and Py₂^.+. The unique role of ACN as a charge mediator revealed herein could have implications for strategies that retard charge recombination in dye‐sensitized solar cells.     

Charge distribution and hydrogen bonding of a collagen α2‐chain in vacuum,hydrated, neutral,and charged structural models

A challenging task in computational biophysics is to ascertain the solvent effect on the electronic structure and interatomic bonding at the atomistic level. Simulations must be carried out on reasonably large biomolecules for accurate calculations to yield valid results. We report the results of a calculation on collagen model in the form of a peptide under three different environments: vacuum, solvated and with neutral and charged sites. Quantitative results and analysis of the partial charge (PC) distribution on each amino acid are discussed. A significant charge transfer of more than 1 electron from protein to water molecules is found with similar results when the model contains charged sites. The main contributions to the interatomic bonding are from hydrogen bonds (HBs) between water‐water and water‐protein pairs. A connection between PC and HBs can be established since the nonpolar amino acids form no HBs and have the smallest PC and vice versa. The ab initio PC obtained are used in the NAMD simulation showing significant improvement over the default values as reflected in the root mean square deviation of atomic positions in the MD steps and the total free energy in energy minimization. These results could facilitate the interpretation of data on interaction of various ligands in charged proteins in relation to isoelectric points. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Charge transfer interactions in polyesters with a donor‐(σ‐bridge)‐acceptor moiety in the repeating unit

Two high molecular weight linear polyesters were investigated to gain insight in how the photophysics of electron donor‐(σ‐spacer)‐electron acceptor (DσA) compounds are affected by incorporation into a polymer. They were prepared by condensation of either adipoyl or sebacoyl chloride with a diol that was functionalized with an N,N‐dialkylaniline donor, a cyclohexyl type σ‐spacer, and a 1,1‐dicyanovinyl acceptor. The solubility, which is very low, and the thermal properties of the polyesters are dictated by physical crosslinking as a consequence of interchain donor‐acceptor interactions. Charge transfer (CT) absorption and emission are observed, which involve CT between DσA moieties of different chains rather than CT processes within a single DσA unit. As a result, the photophysics of the DσA units in the polyesters differs strongly from that of similar DσA compounds in solution. Upon swelling the polymers with THF, the CT fluorescence disappears partly. Analogous polymers containing only an N,N‐dialkylaniline donor display dual fluorescence; one band reflects local emission, while the other is attributed to excimer emission. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4775–4784, 2004     

Progress in the understanding of drug-receptor interactions, Part 1: experimental charge-density study of an angiotensin II receptor antagonist (C30H30N6O3S) at T = 17 K

An experimental study of the electron-density distribution rho(r) in an angiotensin II receptor antagonist 1 has been made on the basis of single-crystal X-ray diffraction data collected at a low temperature. The crystal structure of 1 consists of infinite ribbons in which molecules are connected by an N-H...N hydrogen bond and several interactions of the C-H...O, C-H...N, and C-H...S type. The molecular conformation, characterized by the syn orientation of a tetrazole and a pyrimidinone ring with respect to a phenyl spacer group, is stabilized by two short SO and SN intramolecular contacts between a substituted thiophene fragment and the other two heterocycles of 1. The electrostatic nature of these interactions is documented. Furthermore, the Laplacian of rho(r) in the plane defined by the sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen atoms involved in these interactions shows their strongly directional character as the regions of charge concentration on the valence shell of the nitrogen and oxygen atoms directly face the regions of charge depletion on the valence shell of the sulfur atom. All the chemical bonds and the relevant intra- and intermolecular interactions of 1 have been quantitatively described by the topological analysis of rho(r). Simple relationships between the bond path lengths (R(b)) and the values of rho at the bond critical points (rho(bcp)) have been obtained for the 28 C-C bonds, the seven N-C bonds, and the four O-C bonds. For the first two classes of bonds the relationship is in the form of a straight line, whose parameters, for the C-C bonds, agree, within experimental uncertainty, with those previously derived in our laboratory from a 19 K X-ray diffraction study of crystals of a different compound. Maps of the molecular electrostatic potential phi(r) derived from the experimental charge density display features that are important for the drug-receptor recognition of 1.     

Enhanced π‐back‐donation resulting in the trans labilization of a pyridine ligand in an N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) PdII precatalyst: a case study

The molecular structure of the benzimidazol‐2‐ylidene–PdCl₂–pyridine‐type PEPPSI (pyridine‐enhanced precatalyst, preparation, stabilization and initiation) complex {1,3‐bis[2‐(diisopropylamino)ethyl]benzimidazol‐2‐ylidene‐κC²}dichlorido(pyridine‐κN)palladium(II), [PdCl₂(C₅H₅N)(C₂₃H₄₀N₄)], has been characterized by elemental analysis, IR and NMR spectroscopy, and natural bond orbital (NBO) and charge decomposition analysis (CDA). Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) searches were used to understand the structural characteristics of the PEPPSI complexes in comparison with the usual N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes. The presence of weak C—H…Cl‐type hydrogen‐bond and π–π stacking interactions between benzene rings were verified using NCI plots and Hirshfeld surface analysis. The preferred method in the CDA of PEPPSI complexes is to separate their geometries into only two fragments, i.e. the bulky NHC ligand and the remaining fragment. In this study, the geometry of the PEPPSI complex is separated into five fragments, namely benzimidazol‐2‐ylidene (Bimy), two chlorides, pyridine (Py) and the Pd^II ion. Thus, the individual roles of the Pd atom and the Py ligand in the donation and back‐donation mechanisms have been clearly revealed. The NHC ligand in the PEPPSI complex in this study acts as a strong σ‐donor with a considerable amount of π‐back‐donation from Pd to C_carbene. The electron‐poor character of Pd^II is supported by π‐back‐donation from the Pd centre and the weakness of the Pd—N(Py) bond. According to CSD searches, Bimy ligands in PEPPSI complexes have a stronger σ‐donating ability than imidazol‐2‐ylidene ligands in PEPPSI complexes.     

Structural and optical profile of a multifunctionalized 2‐pyridone derivative in a crystal engineering perspective

The supramolecular structural features of organic molecules are very important with regard to their widespread properties in both solids and solutions. Herein, we describe the synthesis of a novel multifunctional 2‐pyridone derivative, namely 6‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐5‐formyl‐4‐methylsulfanyl‐2‐oxo‐1,2‐dihydropyridine‐3‐carbonitrile, C₁₄H₉ClN₂O₂S, denoted P1 , and its structural features were established through X‐ray crystallography. A Hirshfeld surface analysis followed by a two‐dimensional fingerprint plot analysis was carried out. A frontier molecular orbital investigation and natural bond orbital (NBO) calculations explored the charge‐transfer interactions associated with the molecular system. The optical properties of the 2‐pyridone derivative were elucidated through UV–Vis absorption and emission spectroscopy, indicating a strong blue emissive nature with a colour purity of 82.5%, a short‐lived lifetime and a large Stokes shift. Time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) was used to gain some insight into the absorption behaviour and emissive characteristics of P1 .     

Validation and application of a method for the determination of nicotine and five major metabolites in smokers' urine by solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

An SPE-LC-MS/MS method was developed, validated and applied to the determination of nicotine and five major metabolites in human urine: cotinine, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine, nicotine-N-glucuronide, cotinine-N-glucuronide and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine-O-glucuronide. A 500 microL urine sample was pH-adjusted with phosphate buffer (1.5 mL) containing nicotine-methyl-d3, cotinine-methyl-d3 and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine-methyl-d3 internal standards. For the unconjugated metabolites, an aliquot (800 microL) of the buffered solution was applied to a 30 mg Oasis HLB-SPE column, rinsed with 2% NH4OH/H2O (3.0 mL) and H2O (3.0 mL) and eluted with methanol (500 microL). The eluate was analyzed isocratically (100% methanol) by LC-MS/MS on a diol column (50 x 2.1 mm). For the total metabolites, a beta-glucuronidase/buffer preparation (100 microL) was added to the remaining buffered solution and incubated at 37 degrees C (20 h). An aliquot (800 microL) of the enzymatically treated buffered solution was extracted and analyzed in the same manner. The conjugated metabolites were determined indirectly by subtraction. The quantitation range of the method (ng/mL) was 14-10,320 for nicotine, 15-9800 for cotinine and 32-19,220 for trans-3'-hydroxycotinine. The validated method was used to observe diurnal variations from a smoker's spot urine samples, elimination half-lives from a smoker's 24 h urine samples and metabolite distribution profiles in the spot and 24 h urine samples.