Acceleration of the effect of solute on the entropy-volume cross fluctuation density in aqueous 2-butoxyethanol, 1-propanol, and glycerol: the fourth derivative of Gibbs energy

Using a differential pressure perturbation calorimetry developed by us recently [K. Yoshida, S. Baluja, A. Inaba, K. Tozaki, and Y. Koga, "Experimental determination of third derivative of G (III): Differential pressure perturbation calorimetry (II)," J. Solution Chem. (in press)], we experimentally determined the partial molar S-V cross fluctuation density of solute B, (SV)δ(B) , in binary aqueous solutions for B = 1-propanol (1P) and glycerol (Gly). This third derivative of G provides information about the effect of solute B on the S-V cross fluctuation density, (SV)δ, in aqueous solution as the concentration of B varies. Having determined (SV)δ(B) by better than 1% uncertainty, we evaluated for the first time the fourth derivative quantity (SV)δ(B-B) = N(?(SV)δ(B) ∕?n(B)) for B = 1P and Gly graphically without resorting to any fitting functions within several percent. This model-free quantity gives information about the acceleration of the effect of solute B on (SV)δ. By comparing fourth derivative quantities, (SV)δ(B-B) , among B = 1P, Gly, and 2-butoxyethanol obtained previously, the distinction of the effect of solute on H(2)O becomes clearer than before when only the third derivative quantities were available.     

Polarized Raman spectroscopic study on the solvent state of glassy LiCl aqueous solutions and the state of relaxed high-density amorphous ices

We measure polarized OH-stretching Raman spectra of the glassy lithium chloride aqueous solutions (LiClaq solutions) and the relaxed high-density amorphous ices (HDA). The totally OH symmetric vibrational mode around 3100 cm(-1) (g(1) mode) for the glassy LiClaq solutions of 14.3 mol% and the g(1) mode for the glassy LiClaq solution of 10.0 mol% seem to be similar to the g(1) mode for HDA at high pressure and the g(1) mode for HDA at 1 atm, respectively. This indicates that the solvent state of glassy LiClaq solution relates to the state of HDA and that the attenuation of the salt effect on water is equivalent to the attenuation of the pressure effect on water. This suggests a possibility that the hydration in electrolyte aqueous solution may relate to high-density liquid water.     

Antibacterial characteristics and activity of water-soluble chitosan derivatives prepared by the Maillard reaction

The antibacterial activity of water-soluble chitosan derivatives prepared by Maillard reactions against Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae, and Salmonella typhimurium was examined. Relatively high antibacterial activity against various microorganisms was noted for the chitosan-glucosamine derivative as compared to the acid-soluble chitosan. In addition, it was found that the susceptibility of the test organisms to the water-soluble chitosan derivative was higher in deionized water than in saline solution. Metal ions were also found to reduce the antibacterial activity of the water-soluble chitosan derivative on S. aureus. The marked increase in glucose level, protein content and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was observed in the cell supernatant of S. aureus exposed to the water-soluble chitosan derivative in deionized water. The results suggest that the water-soluble chitosan produced by Maillard reaction may be a promising commercial substitute for acid-soluble chitosan.     

Meta and para effects in the ultrafast excited-state dynamics of the green fluorescent protein chromophores

Femtosecond transient absorption and fluorescence upconversion experiments have been performed to investigate the photoinduced dynamics of the meta isomer of the green fluorescent protein chromophore, m-HBDI, and its O-methylated derivative, m-MeOBDI, in various solvent mixtures at neutral, acidic, and basic pH. The para isomer, p-HBDI, and its O- and N-methylated derivatives, p-MeOBDI and p-HBDIMe(+), were also studied for comparison. In all cases, fast quenching of the excited S1 state by internal conversion (IC) to the ground state was observed. In the para compounds, IC, presumably promoted by the internal twisting, arises in <1 ps. A similar process takes place in the meta compounds in nonaqueous solvents but with notably slower kinetics. In aqueous solutions, the meta compounds undergo ultrafast intermolecular excited-state proton transfer that competes with isomerization.     

Second derivative spectrophotometric determination of partition coefficients of phenothiazine derivatives between human erythrocyte ghost membranes and water

The absorption spectra of six phenothiazine derivatives, chlorpromazine, triflupromazine, promazine, promethazine, trifluoperazine and prochlorperazine, measured in the solutions containing various amounts of human erythrocyte ghosts (HEG) showed bathocromic shifts according to the amount of HEG. Due to the strong background signals caused by HEG, the baseline compensation was incomplete, even though the sample and the reference solutions contained the same amount of HEG, hence further spectral information could not be obtained. The second derivative spectra of these absorption spectra clearly showed the derivative isosbestic points, indicating that the residual background signal effects were entirely eliminated. The derivative intensity differences of the phenothiazines (ΔD values) before and after the addition of HEG were measured at a specific wavelength. Using the ΔD values, the partition coefficients (K_p) of these drugs were calculated and obtained with R.S.D. of below 10 %. The fractions of partitioned phenothiazines calculated from the K_p values agreed well with the experimental values. The results indicate that the derivative method can be applicable to the determination of partition coefficients of drugs to HEG without any separation procedures.     

Prediction of thermodynamic properties of sodium dodecyl sulfate aqueous solutions through the hetero-SAFT equation of state

A special version of statistical associating fluid theory (SAFT), the so-called hetero-segmented SAFT equation of state, has been extended to calculate the thermodynamic properties of sodium dodecyl sulfate aqueous solutions. The predicted properties were included the vapor pressure as well as second thermodynamic properties, such as speed of sound. Evaluation of the model has been done through comparison of the calculated vapor pressure with experimental data in the range of 298.15–313.15 K. The hetero-SAFT model is found to be able to correctly describe the thermodynamic derivative properties as well as pVT and VLE properties of ionic surfactant solutions.     

First Order Derivative Spectrophotometric Determination of Vanadium(V) and Iron(III) Individually and Simultaneously

A novel, sensitive and highly selective first derivative spectrophotometric method is proposed for the determination of vanadium(V) and iron(III) metal ions separately and simultaneously in a mixture. 2-Hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde benzoylhydrazone (OHNABH) reacts with vanadium(V) and iron(III) in sodium acetate–acetic acid buffer medium (pH 5.0) forming yellow and yellowish brown colored soluble complexes, respectively. The first derivative curves of these colored solutions show maximum derivative amplitudes at 465 nm (V(V)) and 540 nm (Fe(III)) obeying Beer's law in the range 0.12–2.50 g ml^–1 and 0.14–4.20 g ml^–1, respectively. Large number of foreign ions do not interfere in the present method. A very simple and accurate simultaneous first derivative method is also reported for the determination of V(V) and Fe(III) in mixtures without solving simultaneous equations. The method is applied for the analysis of various natural samples, food and biological materials.     

Electrospinnability study of pea (Pisum sativum) and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) using the conformational and rheological behavior of their protein isolates

Pea protein isolate (PPI) and bean protein concentrate (BPC) were evaluated as fiber-forming vegetal source materials through electrospinning using various solvents. The effects of hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP), trifluoroethanol (TFE), trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), formic acid (FA) and water on rheological and conformational properties of the protein solutions were determined. The morphology and molecular organization of the electrospun structures were studied. All PPI and BPC solutions displayed pseudoplastic behavior. Circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that β-type turns and β-sheets were the dominant protein conformations in water, HFIP, and TFE. After electrospinning, most of the solutions afforded beads. Fiber-like morphologies were only obtained when BPC was dissolved in HFIP. BPC demonstrated better performance in the electrospinning process than PPI. Denaturation of the protein isolates was not sufficient to form fibers, the viscosity of the solution as well as the vapor pressure of the solvents played an important role in defining the morphology.     

A pH-study of n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside foam films

The influence the pH has on the properties of foam films stabilized by the nonionic surfactant n-dodecyl-beta-d-maltoside (beta-C12G2) was studied. Foam film measurements were carried out with the thin film pressure balance (TFPB) technique using two different film holders, namely, the Scheludko-Exerowa cell and the porous plate. With the former, the equilibrium film thickness h at a given capillary pressure Pc and, with the latter, complete disjoining pressure versus thickness curves (Pi-h curves) were measured. Most of the results were obtained for 10(-4) and 10(-5) M beta-C12G2 solutions that contained 10(-3) M electrolyte. Measurements were carried out in a pH range from 3 to 9. The major results are the following: (1) For a given pH, a pronounced effect of the surfactant concentration cs is seen only if cs approximately cmc. This holds true for both low and high pH values. (2) For a given cs, at least one pronounced effect is seen if the pH is changed, namely a drop of the surface charge density down to zero when the isoelectric point (pH* and pHcr) is reached. (3) The pH of the isoelectric point increases with increasing surfactant concentration. (4) The q0-pH curve of beta-C12G2 shows two pH ranges (3-5.5 and 7-10) in which the surface charge density q0 is pH-insensitive, while a significant change of q0 was observed between pH=5.5 and 7.0. A possible explanation is given.     

Magnetically aligned phospholipid bilayers with large q ratios stabilize magnetic alignment with high order in the gel and L(alpha) phases

The magnetic alignment behavior ofbicelles (magnetically alignable phospholipid bilayered membranes) as a function of the q ratio (1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycerol phosphatidylcholine/1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycerol phosphatidylcholine mole ratio) and temperature was studied by spin-labeled X-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and solid-state 2H and 31P NMR spectroscopy. Well-aligned bicelle samples were obtained at 45 degrees C for q ratios between 2.5 and 9.5 in both the EPR and NMR spectroscopic studies. The molecular order of the system, S(mol), increased as the q ratio increased and as the temperature decreased. For higher q ratios (> or = 5.5), bicelles maintained magnetic alignment when cooled below the main phase transition temperature (approximately 30 degrees C when in the presence of lanthanide cations), which is the first time, to our knowledge, that bicelles were magnetically aligned in the gel phase. For the 9.5 q ratio sample at 25 degrees C, S(mol) was calculated to be 0.83 (from 2H NMR spectra, utilizing the isotopic label perdeuterated 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycerol phosphatidylcholine) and 0.911 (from EPR spectra utilizing the spin probe 3beta-doxyl-5alpha-cholestane). The molecular ordering of the high q ratio bicelles is comparable to literature values of S(mol) for both multilamellar vesicles and macroscopically aligned phospholipid bilayers on glass plates. The order parameter S(bicelle) revealed that the greatest degree of bicelle alignment was found at higher temperatures and larger q ratios (S(bicelle) = -0.92 for q ratio 8.5 at 50 degrees C).     

PHOTOCHEMICAL REDUCTION OF 5-BROMOURACIL BY CYSTEINE DERIVATIVES AND COUPLING OF 5-BROMOURACIL TO CYSTINE DERIVATIVES

Irradiation of pH 7, aqueous solutions of 5-bromouracil (BU) in the presence of cysteine peptide-like derivatives at 308 nm using a XeCl excimer laser yielded initial formation of only uracil (U) and the corresponding cystine derivative. Continued irradiation yielded an S-uracilylcysteinyl adduct as well as additional U and cystine derivative. Similar irradiation of a solution of BU and a cystine derivative yielded initial formation of U and the S-uracilylcysteinyl adduct. Formation of these products as well as secondary products of uracil photochemistry was observed upon irradiation of the respective solutions with 254 nm light. With 308 nm laser excitation, U-Cys adduct formation and reduction of BU to U are proposed to occur via initial electron transfer from the disulfide of the cystine derivative to triplet BU. The quantum yield of BU destruction with 308 nm excitation in the presence of cystine derivative is 1.1 X 10(-3). Reaction of triplet BU with the cysteine derivative does not yield U-Cys adduct but U and cystine derivative. A possible byproduct of reduction of triplet BU to U by a cysteinyl residue in a protein BU-DNA complex is a sulphenyl bromide which might yield a protein-DNA crosslink via nucleophilic substitution on sulfur by a nucleophilic site in DNA.     

Microscopic inhomogeneities in weakly-charged temperature sensitive polymer gels and solutions

A comparison of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) intensity functions, I(q), was made between gels and solutions of poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (NIPA/AAc), where q is the magnitude of the scattering vector. I(q)'s were strongly dependent on polymer concentration as well as temperature. At low temperatures, I(q)'s for both gels and solutions were similar to each other and were monotonous decreasing functions. However, at high temperatures above θ, the so-called theta temperature of poly-NIPA in aqueous solution, both had a distinct peak and a significant difference appeared in I(q) due to the presence or absence of crosslinks. Origins of the peak and the differences in I(q) are discussed.     

Vapor pressures of non-aqueous electrolyte solutions. Part 1. Alkali metal salts in methanol

Precise vapor pressure data for solutions of NaCl, NaBr, NaI, NaClO₄, KBr, KI, RbI, and CsI in methanol at 25°C in the concentration range 0.02m (mol-kg^–1)0.7 are communicated and discussed. Measurements were carried out by procedures and equipment known to produce data of high precision. Polynomials of fourth degree in molalities are given for the vapor pressure of methanol solutions which can be used for calculating precise reference values as needed in indirect methods. Osmotic coefficients were calculated by taking into account the second virial coefficient of methanol vapor. Discussion of the data is based on the chemical model of electrolyte solutions taking into account short range interactions. Ion-pair association constants are compared to those of conductance measurements.     

A sequential injection fluorometric procedure for rapid determination of total protein in human serum

A sensitive procedure for the quantification of total protein bovine serum albumen (BSA) in human serum was presented with sequential injection sampling and fluorometric detection. A few microliters of sample and fluorescamine solutions were aspirated into the holding coil to facilitate the reaction of protein with fluorescamine by giving rise to a blue-green-fluorescent derivative. The derivative was afterwards excited by a 400 nm radiation from a UV radiator, and the emitted fluorescence was monitored at the wavelength of 470 nm. By loading 5.0 μl of sample and 4.0 μl of fluorescamine solution 0.075% (m/v), a linear calibration graph was obtained within 0.3-12.5 μg ml⁻¹, and a detection limit (3σ) of 0.1 μg ml⁻¹ was achieved, along with a sampling frequency of 40 h⁻¹ and a R.S.D. value of 2.1% at the 5.0 μg ml⁻¹ levels. Protein contents in human serums were analyzed by using the present procedure, and reasonable agreements were obtained with those obtained by a documented spectrophotometric (Biuret) method.     

Organization and properties of a conjugated poly(heteroarylene methines) at the air-water interface and in the Langmuir-Blodgett films

A poly(heteroarylene methine) derivative, poly[(2,5-thiophenediyl) (p-n-methyl, n-octylaminobenzylidene) (2,5-thiophenequinodimethaneiyl)] (PTABQ), has been synthesized and spread at the air-water interface. The influences of three kinds of solutions on PTABQ monolayer behavior at the air-water interface have been investigated via the measurements of the pi-A isotherm and film stability. The results show that all three kinds of PTABQ solutions are apt to form the stable and transferable monolayer film organized with the plane of its pi-system nearly perpendicular to the air-water interface. Moreover, the monolayer-forming ability of PTABQ can be improved by introducing a water-soluble amphiphilie as an extractable spread-aiding component, which is further proved by the AFM images and FTIR spectra of the transferred films. UV-visible absorption spectra indicate that the well-ordered layer-by-layer structure is successfully controlled in the LB films. The optical bandgap of PTABQ is reduced for the ordered arrangement of its molecules in LB films. The intrinsic electrical conductivity of PTABQ LB films is 8.1 x 10(-8) S/cm and the conductivity of iodine-doped films is 5.7 x 10(-7) S/cm.     

Acetylcholinesterase‐capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Controlled by the Presence of Inhibitors

Two different acetylcholinesterase (AChE)‐capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), S1‐AChE and S2‐AChE , were prepared and characterized. MSNs were loaded with rhodamine B and the external surface was functionalized with either pyridostigmine derivative P1 (to yield solid S1 ) or neostigmine derivative P2 (to obtain S2 ). The final capped materials were obtained by coordinating grafted P1 or P2 with AChE′s active sites (to give S1‐AChE and S2‐AChE , respectively). Both materials were able to release rhodamine B in the presence of diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) or neostigmine in a concentration‐dependent manner via the competitive displacement of AChE through DFP and neostigmine coordination with the AChE‘s active sites. The responses of S1‐AChE and S2‐AChE were also tested with other enzyme inhibitors and substrates. These studies suggest that S1‐AChE nanoparticles can be used for the selective detection of nerve agent simulant DFP and paraoxon.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of pressure effects on hydrophobic interactions.

We report results on the pressure effects on hydrophobic interactions obtained from molecular dynamics simulations of aqueous solutions of methanes in water. A wide range of pressures that is relevant to pressure denaturation of proteins is investigated. The characteristic features of water-mediated interactions between hydrophobic solutes are found to be pressure-dependent. In particular, with increasing pressure we find that (1) the solvent-separated configurations in the solute-solute potential of mean force (PMF) are stabilized with respect to the contact configurations; (2) the desolvation barrier increases monotonically with respect to both contact and solvent-separated configurations; (3) the locations of the minima and the barrier move toward shorter separations; and (4) pressure effects are considerably amplified for larger hydrophobic solutes. Together, these observations lend strong support to the picture of the pressure denaturation process proposed previously by Hummer et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 1998, 95, 1552): with increasing pressure, the transfer of water into protein interior becomes key to the pressure denaturation process, leading to the dissociation of close hydrophobic contacts and subsequent swelling of the hydrophobic protein interior through insertions of water molecules. The pressure dependence of the PMF between larger hydrophobic solutes shows that pressure effects on the interaction between hydrophobic amino acids may be considerably amplified compared to those on the methane-methane PMF.     

Second-derivative spectrophotometric study on the interactions of chlorpromazine and triflupromazine with bovine serum albumin

The second-derivative spectra of chlorpromazine (CPZ) or triflupromazine (TFZ) in buffer solutions (pH 7.4) containing various amounts of BSA (the reference solutions contained the same amount of BSA) showed derivative isosbestic points. The residual background signals derived from incomplete suppression of BSA signals can be entirely eliminated in the second-derivative spectra and BSA has spectrophotometrically one kind of binding site for CPZ or TFZ. The fractions of the drugs bound to BSA were calculated from the derivative intensity differences (ΔD values) of CPZ or TFZ before and after the addition of BSA. Scatchard plot experiments suggested that the binding of the drugs to BSA could be explained as a partition like non-specific binding model. The association constants (K) of CPZ or TFZ with BSA were calculated from the ΔD values according to the non-specific binding model by a nonlinear least-squares method. The K values were almost constant for all of the drug concentrations studied, and good reproducibility was obtained. The fractions predicted by the K values were in good coincidence to the observed values. These results confirm the usefulness of the proposed derivative method which does not need any separation procedures.     

Charge-induced facial-selectivity in the formation of new cationic planar chiral iridacycles derived from aniline

The reaction of chiral chlorido-iridacyclic 2-(4-N,N-dimethylaminophenyl)pyridines with solvato-type [Cp*M(S)(3)](q+) (M = Ru, S = MeCN, q = 1; M = Ir, S = MeC(O)Me, q = 2) complexes produces new cationic racemic planar chiral iridacycles in an efficient and diastereospecific way.