Unraveling the Photophysical Characteristics,Aromaticity, and Stability of π–Extended Acene-Quinodimethyl Thioamides†

Poly-aromatic systems that contain quinodimethyl (QDM) units are appealing for several photonic and spintronic applications owing to the unique electronic structure, aromaticity, and spin state(s) of the QDM ring. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of novel QDM-based chromophores 1 – 3 , which exhibit unique photo-excited behavior and aromaticity. Extending the aromatic core with a biphenyl/phenanthryl- and a pyrrolo-fragment led to reducing the optoelectronic bandgap and modulating the photophysics QDM 1 – 3 . Yet, QDM 2 and 3 suffer from “aromaticity imbalance” and become relatively unstable compared to the parent compound QDM 1 . Further assessment of local aromaticity using computational tools revealed that the pseudo-quinoidal ring B is the main driving force allowing to easily populate the excited triplet state of these chromophores. The present study provides complementary guidelines for designing novel non-classical poly-aromatic systems.     

How Does the Exchange of One Oxygen Atom with Sulfur Affect the Catalytic Cycle of Carbonic Anhydrase?

We have extended our investigations of the carbonic anhydrase (CA) cycle with the model system [(H(3)N)(3)ZnOH](+) and CO(2) by studying further heterocumulenes and catalysts. We investigated the hydration of COS, an atmospheric trace gas. This reaction plays an important role in the global COS cycle since biological consumption, that is, uptake by higher plants, algae, lichens, and soil, represents the dominant terrestrial sink for this gas. In this context, CA has been identified by a member of our group as the key enzyme for the consumption of COS by conversion into CO(2) and H(2)S. We investigated the hydration mechanism of COS by using density functional theory to elucidate the details of the catalytic cycle. Calculations were first performed for the uncatalyzed gas phase reaction. The rate-determining step for direct reaction of COS with H(2)O has an energy barrier of deltaG=53.2 kcal mol(-1). We then employed the CA model system [(H(3)N)(3)ZnOH](+) (1) and studied the effect on the catalytic hydration mechanism of replacing an oxygen atom with sulfur. When COS enters the carbonic anhydrase cycle, the sulfur atom is incorporated into the catalyst to yield [(H(3)N)(3)ZnSH](+) (27) and CO(2). The activation energy of the nucleophilic attack on COS, which is the rate-determining step, is somewhat higher (20.1 kcal mol(-1) in the gas phase) than that previously reported for CO(2). The sulfur-containing model 27 is also capable of catalyzing the reaction of CO(2) to produce thiocarbonic acid. A larger barrier has to be overcome for the reaction of 27 with CO(2) compared to that for the reaction of 1 with CO(2). At a well-defined stage of this cycle, a different reaction path can emerge: a water molecule helps to regenerate the original catalyst 1 from 27, a process accompanied by the formation of thiocarbonic acid. We finally demonstrate that nature selected a surprisingly elegant and efficient group of reactants, the [L(3)ZnOH](+)/CO(2)/H(2)O system, that helps to overcome any deactivation of the ubiquitous enzyme CA in nature.     

How Does the Intrinsic Barrier of Intermolecular Proton Transfer Depend on Molecular Parameters?

The question in the title is of fundamental importance , because the intrinsic barrier ΔG_int^≠ is the key parameter connecting thermodynamics and kinetics. With a valence bond configuration mixing model for proton self-exchange (see picture), it is shown that ΔG_int^≠ is a linear function of I_v−E(σ_NH^*), where I_v is the ionization potential of the base and E(σ_NH^*) the energy of the antibonding orbital of the N−H bond in the conjugated acid. With para-substituted N,N′-dimethylanilines, this manifests itself by a linear relationship between ΔG_int^≠ and the Hammett parameter σ⁺.     

Electroconductivity,Nature of Conduction,Thermodynamic Stability of the BaPr1 –xYxO3 – αCeramics

The electroconductivity and the nature of conduction of vacuum-dense ceramics BaPr_{1 – x} Y _x O_{3 –} (x= 0.05–0.15) is studied at temperatures of 373 to 985°C, of 2.1 × 10⁴to 10^–11Pa, and of 40 to 2400 Pa. The coefficient of linear thermal expansion is measured. The ceramics have a perovskite structure and are practically p-type semiconductors with a maximum conductivity of 0.26 S cm^–1at x= 0.10 and 800°C, in air. The share of ionic (proton) conductivity of the ceramics does not exceed 0.2–0.4%. The conductivity is weakly dependent on the air humidity. In a hydrogen-containing atmosphere, the ceramics undergoes reduction with destruction. Boundaries of thermodynamic stability of BaPr_0.9Y_0.1O_{3 –} at 500–900°C are determined.     

How Does the Axial Ligand of Cytochrome P450 Biomimetics Influence the Regioselectivity of Aliphatic versus Aromatic Hydroxylation?

How deep is your orbital? Density functional theory studies on the axial ligand effect of aliphatic versus aromatic hydroxylation of ethylbenzene by iron–oxo complexes with a variable axial ligand show that strong (anionic) ligands pull the metal inside the plane of the haeme and destabilise cationic intermediates through orbital interactions (see picture).

     

How Does Your MOF Grow?

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are one of the most important classes of material in current chemistry. One open question is what is the mechanism of their crystal growth? In situ atomic force microscopy (see image) can be used to look at the surface of crystals as they grow, revealing a number of interesting features and giving clues to the molecular species that are important in the growth mechanism.

     

Water: How Does It Influence the CaCO3 Formation?

Nature produces biomineral‐based materials with a fascinating set of properties using only a limited number of elements. This set of properties is obtained by closely controlling the structure and local composition of the biominerals. We are far from achieving the same degree of control over the properties of synthetic biomineral‐based composites. One reason for this inferior control is our incomplete understanding of the influence of the synthesis conditions and additives on the structure and composition of the forming biominerals. In this Review, we provide an overview of the current understanding of the influence of synthesis conditions and additives during different formation stages of CaCO₃, one of the most abundant biominerals, on the structure, composition, and properties of the resulting CaCO₃ crystals. In addition, we summarize currently known means to tune these parameters. Throughout the Review, we put special emphasis on the role of water in mediating the formation of CaCO₃ and thereby influencing its structure and properties, an often overlooked aspect that is of high relevance.     

How easy are the syntheses of allenes?

Allenes have proven themselves to be valuable building blocks toward complex molecular targets, revealing novel applications in natural product synthesis, pharmaceutical chemistry and materials science. The ongoing interest in allene chemistry results in a variety of new methodologies and pathways for the synthesis of allenes. This feature article highlights some of the recent important developments on the synthesis of allenes and the applications on the synthesis of allenic natural products and allenic-based optoelectronic materials.     

Does chemometrics enhance the performance of electroanalysis?

This review explores the question whether chemometrics methods enhance the performance of electroanalytical methods. Electroanalysis has long benefited from the well-established techniques such as potentiometric titrations, polarography and voltammetry, and the more novel ones such as electronic tongues and noses, which have enlarged the scope of applications. The electroanalytical methods have been improved with the application of chemometrics for simultaneous quantitative prediction of analytes or qualitative resolution of complex overlapping responses. Typical methods include partial least squares (PLS), artificial neural networks (ANNs), and multiple curve resolution methods (MCR-ALS, N-PLS and PARAFAC). This review aims to provide the practising analyst with a broad guide to electroanalytical applications supported by chemometrics. In this context, after a general consideration of the use of a number of electroanalytical techniques with the aid of chemometrics methods, several overviews follow with each one focusing on an important field of application such as food, pharmaceuticals, pesticides and the environment. The growth of chemometrics in conjunction with electronic tongue and nose sensors is highlighted, and this is followed by an overview of the use of chemometrics for the resolution of complicated profiles for qualitative identification of analytes, especially with the use of the MCR-ALS methodology. Finally, the performance of electroanalytical methods is compared with that of some spectrophotometric procedures on the basis of figures-of-merit. This showed that electroanalytical methods can perform as well as the spectrophotometric ones. PLS-1 appears to be the method of practical choice if the %relative prediction error of ∼±10% is acceptable.     

How Does the Trans–Cis Photoisomerization of Azobenzene Take Place in Organic Solvents?

The trans–cis photoisomerization of azobenzene‐containing materials is key to a number of photomechanical applications, but the actual conversion mechanism in condensed phases is still largely unknown. Herein, we study the ${{\rm{n}}{\rm{,{\rm \pi} ^\ast }}}$ isomerization in a vacuum and in various solvents via a modified molecular dynamics simulation adopting an ab initio torsion–inversion force field in the ground and excited states, while allowing for electronic transitions and a stochastic decay to the fundamental state. We determine the trans–cis photoisomerization quantum yield and decay times in various solvents (n‐hexane, anisole, toluene, ethanol, and ethylene glycol), and obtain results comparable with experimental ones where available. A profound difference between the isomerization mechanism in vacuum and in solution is found, with the often neglected mixed torsional–inversion pathway being the most important in solvents.     

How Does the Fluorination of the Linker Affect the Structural Chemistry of Trimesate-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs)?

FMOFs, i.e. metal-organic frameworks with linkers with fluoro substituents, were supposed to show enhanced thermal and chemical stability as well as high gas affinity and hydrophobicity. However, at least for aromatic carboxylate ligands it was shown in a subsequent work that fluoro substituents weaken the C(phenyl)-COO^– bond and thus facilitate decarboxylation leading to a decreased chemical and thermal stability. Nonetheless, it was concluded that linker fluorination leads to a rich structural chemistry, as the torsion angle between the phenyl ring and the carboxylate group is significantly increased in these compounds. Here, we present the very first examples of four MOFs all based on Sr²⁺ cations and trimesate-based linkers with three different degrees of fluorination as well as the known non-fluorinated counterpart: [Sr(HL)(H₂O)] · n H₂O [ 1 : L = mF-BTC^3–, n = 0.5, P1 , Z = 2; 2 : L = dF-BTC^3–, n = 0.5, C2/c, Z = 8; 3 : L = pF-BTC^3–, n = 1.5, C2/c, Z = 8; 4 : L = BTC^3–, n = 0.5, P1 , Z = 2; BTC^3– ≡ 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate (trimesate); mF-BTC^3– ≡ monofluorinated trimesate, dF-BTC^3– ≡ difluorinated trimesate, pF-BTC^3– ≡ per-(tri-)fluorinated trimesate]. Whereas 1 and known 4 are found to crystallize in isotypic structures and 2 in a very similar structural arrangement [all CN(Sr²⁺) = 9], 3 with the highest degree of fluorination exhibits a completely different crystal structure [CN(Sr²⁺) = 8], which is already obvious from the different composition. It is shown that the torsion angles between the phenyl ring and the carboxylate groups play an important structure-directing role. DSC/TGA investigations confirm that with increasing fluorination the thermal stability is decreased. However, the release temperature of water, i.e. the affinity to water, increases with the number of fluoro substituents.     

π Aromaticity and Three‐Dimensional Aromaticity: Two sides of the Same Coin?

A bridge between classical organic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and closo borohydride clusters is established by showing that they share a common origin regulated by the number of valence electrons in an electronic confined space. Application of the proposed electronic confined space analogy (ECSA) method to archetypal PAHs leads to the conclusion that the 4n+2 Wade–Mingos rule for three‐dimensional closo boranes is equivalent to the (4n+2)π Hückel rule for two‐dimensional PAHs. More importantly, use of ECSA allows design of new interesting fused closo boranes which can be a source of inspiration for synthetic chemists.     

How large is the conjugative stabilization of diynes?

The conjugation stabilization energies of dienes and diynes are considerably larger than estimates based on heat of hydrogenation differences between 1,3-butadiyne and 1-butyne as well as between 1,3-butadiene and 1-butene. Such comparisons do not take into account the counterbalancing hyperconjugative stabilization of the partially hydrogenated products by their ethyl groups. When alkyl hyperconjugation is considered, the conjugation stabilization of diynes ( approximately 9.3 kcal/mol) is found by two methods (involving isomerization of nonconjugated into conjugated isomers and heats of hydrogenation) to be larger than that of dienes ( approximately 8.2 kcal/mol).     

How possible is the detection of correlated mutations?

The remarkable conservation of protein structure, compared to that of sequences, suggests that, in the course of evolution, residue substitutions which tend to destabilise a particular structure must be compensated by other substitutions that confer greater stability on that structure. Given the compactness of proteins, spatially close residues are expected to undergo the compensatory process. Surprisingly, approaches designed to detect such correlated changes have led, until now, only to limited success in detecting pairs of residues adjacent in the three-dimensional structures. We have undertaken, by simulating the evolution of DNA sequences including sites mutating in a correlated manner, to analyse whether such poor results can be attributed to the detection methods or if this failure could result from a compensatory process more complex than that implicitly underlying the different approaches. Present results show that only methods taking into account the phylogenetic reconstruction can lead to correct detection. Received: 24 April 1998 / Accepted: 8 August 1998 / Published online: 11 November 1998     

Thermodynamic Study of the Three Isomers of Bromobenzoic Acid

The enthalpies of sublimation and fusion and triple-point temperatures of 2-bromo-. 3-bro-mo- and 4-bromobenzoic acids have been determined precisely by sublimation calorimetry, drop calorimetry and differential thermal analysis. The measurements of sublimation enthalpy of the three acids were made at 333, 348 and 363 K, respectively, using a Tian-Calvet microcalorimeter equipped with Knudsen effusion cells. The derived standard molar enthalpies of sublimation at 298.15 K are (95. 94±0. 41), (99. 20± 0.18), and (103. 08±0. 59) kJ · mol-1for the 2-bromo-, 3-bromo- and 4-bromobenzoic acids, respectively. In addition, the saturated vapour pressure of these compounds was also calculated on the basis of the sublimation experiments. The enthalpy of fusion, the triple-point temperatures and the mole fraction purities of the samples of the investigated substances were measured using the mean temperature version DTA apparatus developed by the CTM of the CNRS in Marseille. The triple-point temperature and the