Small-angle neutron-scattering study of bis(quaternaryammonium bromide) surfactant micelles in water. Effect of the long spacer chain on micellar structure

The microstructure of the normal micelles formed by dimeric surfactants with long spacers, [Br⁻(CH₃)₂N⁺(C _m H_{2 m +1})-(CH₂) _S  -(C _m H_{2 m +1})N⁺(CH₃)₂Br⁻, m = 10 and s = 8, 10 and 12], has been investigated by small-angle neutron scattering and compared with previously reported results for micelles of the same dimeric surfactants with shorter spacers (m = 10 and s = 2, 3, 4 and 6). It was found that for dimeric surfactants with long spacers (s = 8 and 10), both micellar growth and variation in shape occur to only a small extent, if at all, compared with dimeric surfactants with short spacers. However, for the dimeric surfactant with the longest spacer, s = 12, the extent of micellar growth and shape variation is also large. These results are due to the differences in conformation of dimeric surfactants with short spacers (s = 2–6) compared with that of the surfactants with long spacers (s = 8–12). Received: 15 June 1998 Accepted: 22 July 1998     

Raman scattering spectra and molecular conformations of bis(quaternaryammonium bromide)-water systems

The dimeric bis(quaternaryammonium bromide) surfactants, [Br⁻(CH₃)₂N⁺(C _m H_{2 m +1})—(CH₂) _s —(C _m H_{2 m +1})N⁺(CH₃)₂Br⁻, s = 2, 3 and m = 4, 6, 10 and 12, s = 6 and m = 8, 10, 12], have been synthesized and the phase maps of the sm6-8-water, sm6-10-water and sm6-12-water binary systems have been determined (sm6-8 implies s = 6, m = 8). In order to examine the molecular structures of these solid samples and of their dimeric surfactant-water binary systems, Raman spectra of the simple dimeric surfactants, sm2-4 and sm3-4, in which crystal structures of the trans- and cis-type conformations have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, have been investigated, and Raman bands characteristic of these skeletal structures were found in the skeletal deformation region. On the basis of these characteristic Raman bands for the two conformations, it has been concluded that the dimeric surfactants, sm6-8, sm6-10 and sm6-12 also take up a cis-type conformation in the crystalline state. Furthermore, it has been found that the Raman bands in the C—H stretching, skeletal stretching and CH₂ scissoring regions are sensitive to phase structure. Received: 21 July 1998 Accepted in revised form: 9 November 1998     

The effect of the electrolyte concentration in the solution on the voltammetric response of insertion electrodes

A solid-state redox reaction involving an insertion of ions is analyzed with respect to the influence of the concentration of inserting ions in the solution phase. The voltammetric response is independent of the mass transfer in the solution provided that z = (D _ss/D _aq)^1/2 ρ/[C⁺]* is smaller than 0.1 (D _ss: diffusion coefficient of the cation C⁺ in the crystal; D _aq: diffusion coefficient of the cation C⁺ in the solution; ρ: density of the solid compound; [C⁺]*: concentration of cations in the bulk of the solution). In real cases this condition will be satisfied at solution concentrations above 1 mol/l. Received: 15 December 1997 / Accepted: 5 March 1998     

RISM-SCF study of the free-energy profile of the Menshutkin-type reaction NH3+CH3Cl→NH3CH3++Cl− in aqueous solution

The free-energy profile for the Menshutkin-type reaction NH₃ + CH₃Cl → NH₃CH₃ ⁺ + Cl⁻ in aqueous solution is studied using the RISM-SCF method. The effect of electron correlation on the free-energy profile is estimated by the RISM-MP2 method at the HF optimized geometries along the reaction coordinate. Solvation was found to have a large influence on the vibrational frequencies at the reactant, transition state and product; these vibrational frequencies are utilized to calculate the zero-point energy correction of the free-energy profile. The computed barrier height and reaction exothermicity are in reasonable agreement with those of experiment and previous calculations. The change of solvation structure along the reaction path is represented by radial distribution functions between solute-solvent atomic sites. The mechanisms of the reaction are discussed from the view points of solute electronic and solvation structures. Received: 26 June 1998/Accepted: 28 August 1998 / Published online: 2 November 1998     

Small-angle neutron-scattering study and micellar model of the gemini (phenylenedimethylene)bis(n-octylammonium)dibromide surfactant micelles in water

The microstructure of the micelles formed in aqueous solution by gemini surfactants with aromatic spacers, [Br(CH₃)₂N⁺(C _m H_{2 m +1})-(Ph)-(C _m H_{2 m +1})N⁺(CH₃)₂Br, m=8 and Ph = o-, m- or p-phenylenedimethylene] has been examined by small-angle neutron scattering. Aggregation of the gemini surfactants with an o-phenylenedimethylene spacer brings about formation of premicelles and small micelles at concentrations below the second critical micelle concentration, while above this concentration marked micellar growth and variation in shape occurs. It is suggested that the minimum aggregate formed at this critical micelle concentration may be the trimer or tetramer and that this result supports the mechanism of “gemini → submicelle → assembly” for micellar growth. Received: 8 September 1998 Accepted in revised form: 27 November 1998     

Dissociative recombination of HeH+. I. Rovibrational spectrum of HeH Rydberg states

The repulsive ground electronic state X²Σ⁺ of HeH is strongly coupled to the Rydberg states at small interatomic distances. Such large couplings also occur between some of the Rydberg states. HeH⁺ ions that capture an electron in a Rydberg state end up in separated He and H atoms by indirect predissociation. This paper presents a study of potential functions and pertinent matrix elements involving the lowest electronic states: the ²Σ⁺ states, X, A, C, and D, and the ²Π states B and E. Individual transition rates as well as total radiative and non-radiative lifetimes have been computed for the lowest vibrational and rotational levels. Received: 22 June 1998 / Accepted: 21 August 1998 / Published online: 12 October 1998     

The spin-forbidden reaction CH(2∏) + N2→ HCN + N(4S) revisited I. Ab initio study of the potential energy surfaces

High-level ab initio electronic structure theories have been applied to investigate the detailed reaction mechanism of the spin-forbidden reaction CH(²∏) + N₂ → HCN + N(⁴S). The G2M(RCC) calculations provide accurate energies for the intermediates and transition states involved in the reaction, whereas the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) method overestimates the stability of some intermediates by as much as about 10 kcal/mol. A few new structures have been found for both the doublet and quartet electronic states, which are mainly involved in the dative pathways. However, due to the higher energies of these structures, the dominant mechanism remains the one involving the C ₂ intersystem-crossing step. The C ₂ minima on the seam of crossing (MSX) structures and the spin-orbit coupling between the doublet and quartet electronic states are rather close to those found in previous studies. Vibrational frequencies orthogonal to the normal of the seam which have been applied in a separate publication to calculate the rate of the CH(²∏) + N₂ → HCN + N(⁴S) reaction with a newly proposed nonadiabatic transition-state theory for spin-forbidden reactions have been calculated at the MSX from first principles. Received: 23 June 1998 / Accepted: 21 September 1998 / Published online: 8 February 1999     

Diatomic potential well depths from analyses of high-resolution electron energy spectra for autoionizing collision complexes

High-resolution energy spectra of electrons released in Penning ionization collisions of metastable rare gas atoms Rg*(ns) (Rg = He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe) with several open-shell and closed-shell atoms are analyzed to determine the well depth of the potential energy curve which describes the respective autoionizing collision complex. We thereby elucidate trends in the chemical interaction of Rg* with closed-shell target atoms A(ns ²) and establish a basis for detailed comparison with the respective interactions involving open-shell, ground state alkali atoms A(ns). From electron energy spectra due to␣associative ionization (RgH⁺ formation) in Rg* + H(1s) collisions, we determine binding energies for the RgH⁺(¹Σ) ground state potential (Rg = Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe) with uncertainties around 0.03 eV. Received: 30 June 1998 / Accepted: 5 August 1998 / Published online: 28 October 1998     

The unimolecular chemistry of protonated glycine and the proton affinity of glycine: a computational model

The potential energy hypersurface of protonated glycine, GH⁺, has been investigated. The calculated G2(MP2) value for the proton affinity (PA) of glycine, PA _calc=895kJ mol⁻¹, is in good agreement with the experimental value which has been estimated to lie in the range 864kJ mol⁻¹ < PA _exp <891kJ mol⁻¹. Ab initio quantum chemical calculations of relevant parts of the potential energy surface of GH⁺ give a reaction model which is consistent with the observed mass spectrometric fragmentation pattern. The lowest energy unimolecular reactions of GH⁺ are two distinct processes: (1) loss of CO, which has a substantial barrier for the reverse reaction, and (2) loss of CO plus H₂O, which has no barrier for the reverse reaction. Received: 15 November 1996 / Accepted: 6 May 1997     

Kinetic studies on chromium-glycinato complexes in acidic and alkaline media

Two solid complexes, fac–[Cr(gly)₃] and [Cr(gly)₂(OH)]₂, (where gly is glycinato ligand) were prepared and their acid-catalysed aquation products were identified. The structure of [Cr(gly)₃] was solved by X-ray diffraction, revealing a cationic 3D sublattice with perchlorate anions inside its cavities. Acid-catalysed aquation of [Cr(gly)₃] and [Cr(gly)₂(OH)]₂ leads to the same inert product, [Cr(gly)₂(H₂O)₂]⁺, in a two-stages process. At the first stage, intermediate complexes, [Cr(gly)₂(O–glyH)(H₂O)]⁺ and [Cr(gly)₂(H₂O)–OH–Cr(gly)₂(H₂O)]⁺, are formed respectively. Kinetics of the first aquation stage of [Cr(gly)₃] were studied in HClO₄ solutions. The dependencies of the pseudo first-order rate constants on [H⁺] are as follows: k _obs1H = k ₀ + k ₁ K _p1[H⁺], where k ₀ and k ₁ are rate constants for the chelate-ring opening via spontaneous and acid-catalysed reaction paths, respectively, and K _p1 is the protonation constant. The proposed mechanism assumes formation of the reactive intermediate as a result of proton addition to the coordinated carboxylate group of the didentate ligand. Some kinetic studies on the second reaction stage, the one-end bonded glycine liberation, were also done. The obtained results were analogous to those for stage I. In this case, the proposed reactive species are intermediates, protonated at the carboxylate group of the monodentate glycine. Base hydrolysis of two complexes, [Cr(gly)₂(O–gly)(OH)]⁻ and [Cr(gly)₂(OH)₂]⁻, was studied in 0.2–1.0 M NaOH. The pseudo first-order rate constants, k _obsOH, were [OH⁻] independent in the case of [Cr(gly)₂(O–gly)(OH)]⁻, whereas those for [Cr(gly)₂(OH)₂]⁻ linearly depended on [OH⁻]. The reaction mechanisms were proposed, where the OH⁻ -catalysed reaction path was rationalized in terms of formation of the reactive conjugate base, [Cr(gly)₂(OH)(O)]²⁻, as a result of OH⁻ ligand deprotonation. Activation parameters were determined and discussed.     

Nitrosation of Phenolic Compounds: Effects of Alkyl Substituents and Solvent

 Nitrosation reactions of phenol, o-cresol, 2,6-dimethylphenol, o-tert-butylphenol, 2-hydroxyacetophenone, and 2-allylphenol in water and water/acetonitrile were studied. Kinetic monitoring of the reactions was accomplished by spectrophotometric analysis of the nitrosated products at 345 nm. The dominant reaction was C-nitrosation via a mechanism consisting of an attack on the nitrosatable substrate by NO⁺/NO₂H₂ ⁺ followed by a slow proton transfer. The values of the rate constants of phenolic C-nitrosation were increased by electron donating substituents, and a good Hammett correlation was observed with ρ = −6.1. The results also revealed the strong effect of pH and the permitivity of the reaction medium on the rate constant, whose maximum values were observed for pH ≈ 3, decreasing strongly for higher pH values. The study in water/acetonitrile with up to 25% acetonitrile showed that it is possible to inhibit the reaction strongly by increasing the percentage of the organic component. The conclusions drawn show that (i) it is possible to predict the rate of nitrosation of phenolics as a function of the meta-substituents on the phenol ring and (ii) the nitrosation of phenolics can be strongly inhibited by increasing the pH of the reaction medium as well as by lowering its dielectric constant.     

Nitrosation of Phenolic Compounds: Effects of Alkyl Substituents and Solvent

Summary.  Nitrosation reactions of phenol, o-cresol, 2,6-dimethylphenol, o-tert-butylphenol, 2-hydroxyacetophenone, and 2-allylphenol in water and water/acetonitrile were studied. Kinetic monitoring of the reactions was accomplished by spectrophotometric analysis of the nitrosated products at 345 nm. The dominant reaction was C-nitrosation via a mechanism consisting of an attack on the nitrosatable substrate by NO⁺/NO₂H₂ ⁺ followed by a slow proton transfer. The values of the rate constants of phenolic C-nitrosation were increased by electron donating substituents, and a good Hammett correlation was observed with ρ = −6.1. The results also revealed the strong effect of pH and the permitivity of the reaction medium on the rate constant, whose maximum values were observed for pH ≈ 3, decreasing strongly for higher pH values. The study in water/acetonitrile with up to 25% acetonitrile showed that it is possible to inhibit the reaction strongly by increasing the percentage of the organic component. The conclusions drawn show that (i) it is possible to predict the rate of nitrosation of phenolics as a function of the meta-substituents on the phenol ring and (ii) the nitrosation of phenolics can be strongly inhibited by increasing the pH of the reaction medium as well as by lowering its dielectric constant. Received July 13, 2001. Accepted (revised) September 18, 2001     

Hydrogen bonding and dissociation effects on the gas phase proton transfer reactions of ozone

Recently, the proton affinity (PA) of ozone was experimentally determined by Cacace and Speranza [Science (1994) 265: 208] using a bracketing technique that involved the proton transfer (PT) reactions: O₃H⁺+B⇒O₃+BH⁺; for different Br?nsted bases B. These authors showed that the simple collision model is not adequate to describe PT. We now present a theoretical model reflecting this bracketing procedure by explicitly introducing H-bonding complexing, dissociation and PT contributions, to discuss the kinetic model that assumes that PT occurs through one elementary step. The methods used include semiempirical density functional theory and ab initio Hartree-Fock methods. The procedure is gauged by using estimated PA of ozone obtained from deprotonation reactions including the Br?nsted bases BNH₃, H₂O, HOCl, SO₂, CH₃F and Kr. The PA-obtained range was from 145.3 to 160.3 kcal/mol, in fair agreement with the experimental value of 148.0±3 kcal/mol. The model seems to be fairly independent of the reference bases used to evaluate the PA. H-bonding effects appear to be a determining factor to explain collision efficiencies. Received: 5 August 1997 / Accepted: 25 September 1997     

Expansion coefficients and moments of electron momentum densities for singly charged ions

Numerical Hartree–Fock calculations of the first three coefficients of the MacLaurin expansion and the leading coefficient of the large-p asymptotic expansion of the electron momentum densities Π(p) are reported for 54 singly charged atomic cations from He⁺ (atomic number Z = 2) to Cs⁺ (Z = 55) and 43 anions from H⁻ (Z = 1) to I⁻ (Z = 53) in their experimental ground states. We also report all the finite moments <p ^k > (−2≤k≤+4) of the momentum densities Π(p) for the above-mentioned 97 ionic species. The results are compared with the previous ones for neutral atoms [Koga and Thakkar (1996) J Phys B 29: 2973], and the dependence of the expansion coefficients and moments on nuclear charge is discussed among isoelectronic species. Received: 20 November 1998 / Accepted: 15 January 1999 / Published online: 7 June 1999     

Electrochemical investigations of the reaction mechanism and kinetics between NADH and riboflavin immobilised on amorphous zirconium phosphate

Electrochemical investigations of the reaction mechanism and kinetics between riboflavin immobilised on zirconium phosphate (ZPRib) in carbon paste and NADH showed results yielding reliable information about aspects on the mechanism of the electron transfer reaction between the flavin and NADH. The formal potential (E°′) of the adsorbed riboflavin was −220 mV versus SCE at pH 7.0. A shift about 250 mV towards a more positive potential compared with its value in solution was assigned to the interaction between the basic nitrogen of riboflavin and the acid groups of ZP. The invariance of the E°′ with the pH of the contacting solution and the effect of different buffer constituents were attributed to the protection effect of ZP over the riboflavin. The electrocatalytic oxidation of NADH at the electrode was investigated using cyclic voltammetry and rotating disk electrode methodology using a potential of −50 mV versus SCE. The heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant, k _obs, was 816 M⁻¹ s⁻¹ and the Michaelis-Menten constant, K _M, was 1.8 mM (confirming a charge transfer complex intermediate in the reaction) for an electrode with a riboflavin coverage of 6.8 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol cm⁻². This drastic increase in the reaction rate between NADH and the immobilised riboflavin was assigned to the shift of the E°′. A surprising effect with addition of calcium or magnesium ion to the solution was also observed. The E°′ was shifted to −150 mV versus SCE and the reaction rate for NADH oxidation increased drastically. Received: 22 February 1999 / Accepted: 10 March 1999     

Topological structures of tetrahedral (Td and T) fullerenes with hexagonal and triangular faces and their vibration and NMR spectra

On analyzing the topological structures of the three types of tetrahedral fullerenes (which consist only of triangles and hexagons), (1) C _n (T _d ,n=12h ²; h=1,2,…), (2) C _n (T _d ,n=4h ²;h=1,2,…), and (3) C _n (T,n=4(h ²+hk+k ²);h>k,h,k=1,2,…), we have obtained theoretically the Infrared and Raman active modes by means of the derived formulas for the decomposition of their nuclear motions into irreducible representations, and the ¹³C NMR spectra with natural abundance for ¹³C by using the distribution functions for all of the tetrahedral (T _d and T) fullerenes, respectively. Received: 25 May 1998 / Accepted: 30 July 1998 / Published online: 23 November 1998     

Degenerate symmetry-adapted perturbation theory of weak interactions between closed- and open-shell monomers: application to Rydberg states of helium hydride

Symmetry-adapted perturbation theory is extended to the (quasi) degenerate, open-shell case. The new formalism is tested in calculations of the interaction energies for a helium atom in the ground state interacting with an excited hydrogen atom. It is shown that the method gives satisfactory results if the coupling with higher Rydberg states of the dimer is small, as is the case for the A²Σ⁺,B²Π,E²Π,3²Π, and 1²Δ states of HeH. For the C²Σ⁺ state convergence of the method is very slow, but it can be improved by including the n=3 states in the model space. Received: 3 June 1998 / Accepted: 9 September 1998 / Published online: 7 December 1998     

A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study on the Complexation of Ag<Superscript>+</Superscript> with a Hexaarylbenzene-Based Receptor

From extraction experiments and γ-activity measurements, the exchange extraction constant corresponding to the equilibrium Ag⁺(aq) + 1⋅Cs⁺(nb) ⇆ 1⋅Ag⁺(nb) + Cs⁺(aq) taking part in the two-phase water–nitrobenzene system (where 1 = hexaarylbenzene-based receptor; aq = aqueous phase, nb = nitrobenzene phase) was evaluated to be log ₁₀ K _ex(Ag⁺, 1⋅Cs⁺) = −1.0±0.1. Further, the stability constant of the hexaarylbenzene-based receptor⋅Ag⁺ complex (abbreviation 1⋅Ag⁺) in nitrobenzene saturated with water, was calculated at a temperature of 25 °C: log ₁₀ β _nb(1⋅Ag⁺) = 5.5±0.2. By using quantum mechanical DFT calculations, the most probable structure of the 1⋅Ag⁺ complex species was solved. In this complex having C₃ symmetry, the cation Ag⁺ synergistically interacts with the polar ethereal oxygen fence and with the central hydrophobic benzene ring via cation–π interaction.     

Formation of y + 10 and y + 11 Ions in the Collision-Induced Dissociation of Peptide Ions

Tandem mass spectra of peptide ions, acquired in shotgun proteomic studies of selected proteins, tissues, and organisms, commonly include prominent peaks that cannot be assigned to the known fragmentation product ions (y, b, a, neutral losses). In many cases these persist even when creating consensus spectra for inclusion in spectral libraries, where it is important to determine whether these peaks represent new fragmentation paths or arise from impurities. Using spectra from libraries and synthesized peptides, we investigate a class of fragment ions corresponding to y_n-1 + 10 and y_n-1 + 11, where n is the number of amino acid residues in the peptide. These 10 and 11 Da differences in mass of the y ion were ascribed before to the masses of [+ CO – H₂O] and [+ CO – NH₃], respectively. The mechanism is suggested to involve dissociation of the N-terminal residue at the CH-CO bond following loss of H₂O or NH₃. MS³ spectra of these ions show that the location of the additional 10 or 11 Da is at the N-terminal residue. The y_n-1 + 10 ion is most often found in peptides with N-terminal proline, asparagine, and histidine, and also with serine and threonine in the adjacent position. The y_n-1 + 11 ion is observed predominantly with histidine and asparagine at the N-terminus, but also occurs with asparagine in positions two through four. The intensities of the y_n-1 + 10 ions decrease with increasing peptide length. These data for y_n-1 + 10 and y_n-1 + 11 ion formation may be used to improve peptide identification from tandem mass spectra.     

The saddle point of the nucleophilic substitution reaction Cl− + CH3Cl: results of large-scale coupled cluster calculations

On the basis of large-scale coupled cluster calculations including connectedz triple substitutions in a perturbative way, the geometrical parameters of the D _{3 h} saddle point of the Walden inversion reaction Cl⁻ + CH₃Cl′→ ClCH₃ + Cl′⁻ are predicted to be R _s (C—Cl) = 2.301 ? and r _s (C—H) = 1.069 ?. The barrier height with respect to the reactants is recommended to be 11.5 ± 1.0 kJ mol⁻¹. Connected triple substitutions lower the barrier height by almost a factor of 2, but have very little influence on the geometric structure of the saddle point. Received: 26 June 1998 / Accepted: 15 July 1998 / Published online: 28 September 1998