New Insight into the Water‐Soluble Chlorophyll‐Binding Protein from Lepidium virginicum

This study describes new recombinant water‐soluble chlorophyll (Chl)‐binding proteins (WSCP) from Lepidium virginicum (LvWSCP). This complex binds four Chls (i.e. two dimers of Chls) per protein tetramer. We show that absorption, emission, hole‐burned (HB) spectra and the shape of the zero‐phonon hole (ZPH) action spectrum are consistent with the presence of uncorrelated excitation energy transfer between two Chl dimers. Thus, there is no need to include slow protein relaxation within the lowest excited state (as suggested in a previous analysis of cauliflower WSCP [Schmitt, F.‐J. et al. (2008) J. Phys. Chem. B, 112, 13951; Pieper, J. et al. (2011) J. Phys. Chem. B, 115, 4053]) in order to explain the large shift observed between the maxima of the ZPH action and emission spectra. Experimental evidence is provided which shows that electron exchange between lowest energy Chls and the protein may occur, i.e. electrons can be trapped at low temperature by nearby aromatic amino acids. The latter explains the shape of nonresonant HB spectra (i.e. the absence of antihole), demonstrating that the hole‐burning process in LvWSCP is largely photochemical in nature, though a small contribution from nonphotochemical hole burning (in resonant holes) is also observed.     

Energetic Insight into the Formation of Solids from Aluminum Polyoxocations

The ε‐Keggin [AlO₄Al₁₂(OH)₂₄(H₂O)₁₂]⁷⁺ ion (AlAl₁₂⁷⁺) is a metastable precursor in the formation of aluminum oxyhydroxide solids. It also serves as a useful model for the chemistry of aluminous mineral surfaces. Herein we calculate the enthalpies of formation for this aqueous ion and its heterometal‐substituted forms, GaAl₁₂⁷⁺ and GeAl₁₂⁸⁺, using solution calorimetry. Rather than measuring the enthalpies of the MAl₁₂^7/8+ ions directly from solution hydrolysis, we measured the metathesis reaction of the crystallized forms with barium chloride creating an aqueous aluminum solution monospecific in MAl₁₂^7/8+. Then, the contributions to the heat of formation from the crystallized forms were subtracted using referenced states. When comparing the aqueous AlAl₁₂⁷⁺ ion to solid aluminum (oxy)‐hydroxide phases, we found that this ion lies closer in energy to solid phases than to aqueous aluminum monomers, thus explaining its role as a precursor to amorphous aluminum hydroxide phases.     

Metal Complexes of Singly,Doubly and Triply Linked Porphyrins and Corroles: An Insight into the Physicochemical Properties

Metal complexes of multi-porphyrins and multi-corroles are unique systems that display a host of extremely interesting properties. Availability of free meso and β positions allow formation of different types of directly linked bis-porphyrins giving rise to intriguing optical and electronic properties. While the fields of metalloporphyrin and corroles monomer have seen exponential growth in the last decades, the chemistry of metal complexes of bis-porphyrins and bis-corroles remain rather underexplored. Therefore, the impact of covalent linkages on the optical, electronic, (spectro)electrochemical, magnetic and electrocatalytic activities of metal complexes of bis-porphyrins and -corroles has been summarized in this review article. This article shows that despite the (still) somewhat difficult synthetic access to these molecules, their extremely exciting properties do make a strong case for pursuing research on these classes of compounds.     

Effect of Hydrogen Bonding on the Dissociation of Some Mixtures of Phenolic Oligomers in Nonaqueous Media

Some structurally and molecularly uniform phenolic oligomers with additional functional groups have been prepared by known methods of stepwise synthesis, and their dissociation behavior in nonaqueous solvent has been studied by electrometric titration techniques. Hyperacidity and stepwise neutralization of some of the functional groups in the oligomer molecules have been interpreted in terms of intramolecular hydrogen bonding, homoconjugation, and ion association in a medium of low dielectric constant.     

into the Role of Additives in Catalytic Synthesis of Insight Cyclohexylamine from Nitrobenzene

Cyclohexylamine is a versatile intermediate in various chemical industries,which can be expediently synthesized via hydrogenation of aniline or nitrobenzene.However,such processes always suffer from side reactions.Many reports have found that specific additives can suppress the formation of side products,but the mechanism is still not clear.In this work,results suggest that it is the hydroxide ion of alkali metal hydroxides,rather than the cations,which plays a key role in suppressing the side reactions on supported Ru-based catalysts.With the assistance of LiOH,the selectivity toward cy- clohexylamine increased from 85.4% to 100%.Side products,such as dicyciohexylamine,cyclohexanol and N-isopropyl cyclohexylamine,could no longer be detected.Theoretical calculations further disclosed that addition of alkali metal hydroxides inhibited the dissociation of enamine and decreased the adsorption energy of cyclohexylamine,which might be the reasons for a better selectivity.However,the addition of alkali metal hydroxides reduced the activity of nitrobenzene hydrogenation by unfolding the condensation reaction route.To recover or even further enhance the catalytic performance,a second metal component was introduced and the resultant RuNi/AC exhibited a significant improvement in activity compared with Ru/AC.     

Confined Water in Amyloid‐Competent Oligomers of the Prion Protein

Conformational switching of the prion protein into the abnormal form involves the formation of (obligatory) molten‐oligomers that mature into ordered amyloid fibrils. The role of water in directing the course of amyloid formation remains poorly understood. Here, we show that the mobility of the water molecules within the on‐pathway oligomers is highly retarded. The water relaxation time within the oligomers was estimated to be ≈1 ns which is about three orders of magnitude slower than the bulk water and resembles the characteristics of (trapped) nano‐confined water. We propose that the coalescence of these obligatory oligomers containing trapped water is entropically favored because of the release of ordered water molecules in the bulk milieu and results in the sequestration of favorable inter‐chain amyloid contacts via nucleated conformational conversion. The dynamic role of water in protein aggregation will have much broader implications in a variety of protein misfolding diseases.     

Insight into the extraction and characterization of cellulose nanocrystals from date pits

This study aims to extract and characterize cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) from date pits (DP), an agricultural solid waste. Two methods were used and optimized for the cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) extraction, namely the mechanical stirrer method (CNCs₁) and the Soxhlet apparatus method (CNCs₂) in terms of chemical used, cost, and energy consumption. The results showed that scanning electron microscopy revealed the difference in the morphology as they exhibit rough surfaces with irregular morphologies due to the strong chemical treatments during the delignification and bleaching process. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy analysis for CNCs reveals the true modification that was made through sulfuric acid hydrolysis as it presents cellulose microfibrils with a packed structure. Fourier transform infrared proved that the CNCs were successfully extracted using the two methods since most of the lignin and hemicellulose components were removed. The crystallinity index of CNCs₁ and CNCs₂ was 69.99%, and 67.79%, respectively, and both presented a high yield of CNCs (≥10%). Ultimately, both techniques were successful at extracting CNCs. Based on their cost-effectiveness and time consumption, it was concluded that method 1 was less expensive than method 2 based on the breakdown of the cost of each step for CNCs production.     

A New Insight into Toxicity of Colchicine Analogues by Molecular Docking Analysis Based on Intestinal Tight Junction Protein ZO-1

Colchicine (COL) is a well-known plant alkaloid long used for medical purposes due to the selective anti-inflammatory effect on acute gouty arthritis. It is also a kind of mitosis toxin with strong inhibitory effects of cell division and is therefore being applied to the treatment of various cancers. However, this product shows a variety of adverse effects that are significantly correlated with the dosage and have attracted much attention. For the first time, the present work obtained a new insight into the gastrointestinal toxicity of colchicine analogues by molecular docking analysis, which was based on the 3D structure of intestinal tight junction protein ZO-1 and the ligand library containing dozens of small-molecule compounds with the basic skeleton of COL and its metabolites. The binding energy and mode of protein–ligand interaction were investigated to better understand the structure–toxicity relationships of COL analogues and the mechanism of action as well. Cluster analysis clearly demonstrated the strong correlation between the binding energy and toxicity of ligand molecules. The interaction mode further revealed that the hydrogen bonding (via the C-7 amide or C-9 carbonyl group) and hydrophobic effect (at ring A or C) were both responsible for ZO-1-related gastrointestinal toxicity of COL analogues, while metabolic transformation via phase I and/or phase II reaction would significantly attenuate the gastrointestinal toxicity of colchicine, indicating an effective detoxication pathway through metabolism.     

Insight into the reactivity of olefins in the Pauson-Khand reaction

The reactivity of different Co(2)(CO)(6)-acetylene complexes in the Pauson-Khand reaction is strongly dependent on the nature of the olefin. Theoretical calculations at both the DFT and ONIOM levels are concordant with experimental observations and suggest how the olefin-cobalt interactions in the complex could have a major effect on the relative reactivity of the olefins. This study rationalizes for the first time the experimentally observed reactivity differences of cyclohexene, cyclopentene, and norbornene.     

Unexpected Behavior of Diastereomeric Ions in the GasPhase: A Stimulus for Pondering on ee Measurements by ESI-MS

The most common protocols for the quantitative determination of the enantiomeric excess (ee) of raw mixtures by ESI-MS reveal inadequate in cases where the distribution of diastereomeric derivatives diverges from the ee of original solutions. This phenomenon is attributable to a matrix effect, i.e., to the stereospecific formation of high order noncovalent adducts in the ESI droplets, which alters the actual availability of the diastereomeric species under MS analysis. In this frame, the assumption of classic protocols that the ionization correction factor q is independent on the composition of the mixture submitted to analysis is questionable. An alternative methodology is presented in this paper, which is aimed at circumventing the problem by excluding any chemical derivatization of the original raw mixture. It is based on the measurement of the actual distribution of ESI-formed proton-bound diastereomeric complexes from the enantiomeric mixture through a careful analysis of their reaction kinetics with a suitable reactant.      

Insight into the Nucleation Mechanism of p-Methoxybenzoic Acid in Ethanol-Water System from Metastable Zone Width

The metastable zone width (MSZW) of p-methoxybenzoic acid (PMBA) in an ethanol-water system was measured using the polythermal method. The nucleation order m obtained by the Nývlt’s model indicates the nucleation of PMBA following a progressive nucleation mechanism at low saturation temperature (m = 3.18–7.50) and an instantaneous nucleation mechanism at high saturation temperature (m = 1.46–2.55). Then, combined with the metastable zone experiment and the Sangwal model, we found that the MSZW and the interfacial energy reached the maximum when the mass fraction of ethanol was 0.8, which resulted in the smallest crystal product size. Meanwhile, the maximum rcrit and ΔGcrit obtained based on the modified Sangwal model indicating the PMBA needs to overcome a higher nucleation barrier in the ethanol mass fraction of 0.8. Finally, we proposed a preferential strategy for adjusting MSZW by correlating the interfacial energy with the change in ethanol mass fraction, saturation temperature, and cooling rate, respectively.     

Insight into the Behaviour of a Lithium Enolate in Solution

(2S,4S)-2-(tert-Butyl)-5-oxo-1,3-dioxolan-4-acetic acid ( 1 ) was dilithiated to the enolate 2 in toluene and THF with lithium diisopropylamide (LiN(i-Pr)₂) under various conditions. Deuteration experiments with 2 showed that two different stable forms of the enolate could be produced, depending on whether the deprotonation of 1 had been carried out in toluene or THF. The generated (i-Pr)₂NH was coordinated to the enolate and, hence, served as a strong lipophilic solvating agent. LiN(i-Pr)₂ could substitute the amine ligands of the two species to a different extent. THF was partially able to displace (i-Pr)₂NH that solvated the species produced in toluene, but the coordination of the amine to the one produced in THF was quantitive. Correlations with given explanations are made.     

Alkali Metal Adduct Ions Technique in Combination with Fast Atom Bombardment/Tandem Mass Spectrometry in the Analysis of Oligoglycoside Mixtures

The combination of fast atom bombardment (FAB) with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) has been shown to be a powerful tool for the characterization of oligoglycosides. Recent investigations of alkali metal attachment to oligoglycosides via ionization technique of Fast atom bombardment showed more possibilities for this propose^[1,2].     

Insight into the binding of divalent cations to Sepia eumelanin from IR absorption spectroscopy

IR absorption spectroscopy is used to examine the binding of the divalent cations Mg(II), Ca(II), Zn(II) and Cu(II) to melanin granules isolated from the ink sacs of Sepia officinalis. The functional groups of the melanin granules interacting with the bound metal ions are deduced by examining the effect of metal concentration on transition frequencies associated with the COOH, NH and OH moieties of the pigment. The coordinating groups vary with metal ion and with concentration. For the experimental conditions used (initial solution pH of 4, ionic strength of 100 mM and a melanin concentration of 1 mg mL(-1)) Mg(II), Ca(II) and Zn(II) bind to carboxylate groups and Cu(II) binds predominantly to phenolic (catechol) groups However, at a concentration of 10 mM Cu(II) also shows evidence of binding to carboxylate and amine groups, reflecting a secondary binding site that becomes populated as the catechol sites are depleted.     

Ions in Aqueous Acetic Acid Mixtures: Solvent Reorganization around Protons and Gibbs Energies of Transfer from Water

The photo-absorbing, basic sensor, 4-nitroaniline, has been used to determine theequilibrium constant for solvent reorganization around the proton in mixtures ofvarying composition of water with acetic acid. In all the mixtures used, theself-ionization of the acetic acid was suppressed. In contrast to mixtures of waterwith the related ethanol or acetone, this equilibrium is shifted more toward thewater-solvated species as the mole fraction x ₂ of the cosolvent increases. TheGibbs energy of transfer of protons from water into the mixture G ^o _t (H⁺) can bederived with the aid of this equilibrium constant for the solvent reorganization.Using G ^o _t (H⁺), G ^o _t (i) for i denoting anions and other cations can be evaluated.In comparison the G ^o _t (i) for cations have lower negative values than when eitherethanol or acetone is added to water. Correspondingly, for halide anions, thepositive G ^o _t (i) with added acetic acid are rather less than is found with eitherethanol or acetone added. The influence on the ion-solvent interaction of bothelectron withdrawing hydroxy and carbonyl groups in acetic acid may beresponsible for this. Although G ^o _t (i) for C10^– ₄ and Re0^– ₄ are also positive, both picrateions and OH^– give negative values with acetic acid added to water. With picrateions, the hydrophobic effect of the carbon ring produces stabilization in themixture relative to water. With OH^–, complete conversion to acetate anionsoccurs. As is found with other cosolvents, the contribution of the charge onacetate anion to G ^o _t (CH₃COO^–) is found to increase as x ₂ rises. The aciddissociation constant K _a for acetic acid is found to decrease slowly as x ₂ rises to0.5, followed by a rapid decrease for x ₂ greater than 0.7 where dimerization ofacetic acid occurs.