An electrospray ionization mass spectrometry study of copper adducts of protonated ubiquitin

A study of the addition of Cu(II) to a ubiquitin electrospray solution shows that the copper ion in the ubiquitin remains doubly charged and displaces two protons on the protonated protein molecule. This observation indicates a chelating bond between the protein and the Cu(II) species. The addition of Cu(I) also was studied and significant intensity was observed for adducts with up to four Cu(I) species attached, with each Cu(I) bonded to one basic site on the protein.     

Improvement of durability of an organic photocatalyst in p-xylene oxygenation by addition of a Cu(II) complex

The catalytic durability of an organic photocatalyst, 9-mesityl-10-methyl acridinium ion (Acr(+)-Mes), has been dramatically improved by the addition of [{tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine}Cu(II)](ClO(4))(2) ([(tmpa)Cu(II)](2+)) in the photocatalytic oxygenation of p-xylene by molecular oxygen in acetonitrile. Such an improvement is not observed by the addition of Cu(ClO(4))(2) in the absence of organic ligands. The addition of [(tmpa)Cu](2+) in the reaction solution resulted in more than an 11 times higher turnover number (TON) compared with the TON obtained without [(tmpa)Cu(II)](2+). In the photocatalytic oxygenation, a stoichiometric amount of H(2)O(2) formation was observed in the absence of [(tmpa)Cu(II)](2+), however, much less H(2)O(2) formation was observed in the presence of [(tmpa)Cu(II)](2+). The photocatalytic mechanism was investigated by laser flash photolysis measurements in order to detect intermediates. The reaction of O(2)˙(-) with [(tmpa)Cu(II)](2+) monitored by UV-vis spectroscopy in propionitrile at 203 K suggested formation of [{(tmpa)Cu(II)}(2)O(2)](2+), a transformation which is crucial for the overall 4-electron reduction of molecular O(2) to water, and a key in the observed improvement in the catalytic durability of Acr(+)-Mes.     

A new fluorescent and colorimetric probe for Cu2+ in live cells

Based on a change in structure between spirocyclic (non-fluorescent) and ring-open (fluorescent) forms of rhodamine-based dyes, a new fluorescent and colorimetric Cu(2+) probe was designed and synthesized. Upon treatment with Cu(2+), the weakly fluorescent probe exhibited a strong fluorescence response with high selectivity. In addition, the turn-on fluorescent probe upon the addition of Cu(2+) was applied in live cell imaging.     

Highly enantioselective discrimination of amino acids using copper deposition on a gold electrode modified with homocysteine monolayer

An extremely enhanced enantioselectivity was achieved for the detection of enantiomers of alanine (Ala), leucine (Leu), and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) based on the voltammograms for the deposition of Cu from Cu complexes of the amino acids at an Au electrode modified with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of l-homocysteine (Hcy). The enantioselective current density peak for the Cu deposition was found to change with increasing number of potential cycles after the addition of Cu(II), and the highest enantioselectivity was observed immediately after the addition of Cu(II). Besides, enantioselectivity was not observed with proline, whose five-membered ring contains the nitrogen atom of a secondary amino group, while some amino acids with a primary amine group such as Ala, Leu, and DOPA exhibited enantioselectivity. These results suggest that the chiral ligand exchange reaction at the l-Hcy SAM-modified Au electrode, namely, the enantioselective formation of diastereomeric complexes of Cu(II) with target enantiomers and l-Hcy self-assembled on the Au electrode, plays an important role in the chiral discrimination based on the Cu deposition.     

Cu对K-LaZrO2异丁醇合成催化剂的影响

采用X射线衍射(XRD)、程序升温脱附(TPD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱技术及富集法考察了K-LaZrO₂和K-CuLaZrO₂催化剂结构、CO和H₂在锆基催化剂上的吸附行为及异丁醇合成活性的影响. 结果表明, 催化剂添加Cu后, 与Zr形成较好的固溶体, 促进了CuO的分散, 且抑制了ZrO₂结晶, 增强Cu-Zr相互作用, 提高了催化活性. CO-TPD结果显示, 引入Cu后, 催化剂表面CO吸附量明显增加, 有利于碳链增长; H₂-TPD结果显示, 与活性相关的低温脱附氢量也明显增加. 另外, FTIR及富集法结果发现, Cu的引入促进了表面C₁物种的形成, 增加了表面C₁物种含量, 促进了碳链增长, 明显改善了异丁醇的选择性. 在p=10.0 MPa, 空速(GHSV)=3000 h^-1, T=360℃, V(H₂)/V(CO)=1:1条件下,异丁醇选择性达到48.5%.     

H-point standard addition method for simultaneous determination of Fe(II), Co(II) and Cu(II) in micellar media with simultaneous addition of three analytes

H-point standard addition method, HPSAM, with simultaneous addition of three analytes is proposed for the resolution of ternary mixtures. It is a modification of the previously described H-point standard addition method that permits the resolution of three species from a unique calibration set by making the simultaneous addition of the three analytes. The method calculates the analyte concentration from spectral data at two wavelengths where the two species selected as interferents present the same absorbance relationship. These wavelength pairs are easily found, and can be selected to give the most precise results. Diethyldithiocarbomate (DDC) in a cationic micellar solution of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was used for determination of Fe(II), Co(II) and Cu(II) at pH 5.50. The results showed that simultaneous determination of Fe(II), Co(II) and Cu(II) could be preformed in the range of 0.0–6.0, 0.0–8.0 and 0.0–12.0 μg ml⁻¹, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of Fe(II), Co(II) and Cu(II) in several synthetic mixtures containing different concentration of Fe(II), Co(II) and Cu(II).     

Hydroxy-amide functionalized azolium salts for Cu-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition: stereocontrol based on ligand structure and copper precatalyst

A series of hydroxy-amide functionalized azolium salts have been designed and synthesized for Cu-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition reaction. The (CH(2))(2)-bridged hydroxy-amide functionalized azolium ligand precursors 2, in addition to the previously reported CH(2)-bridged azolium salts 1, have been prepared from readily available enantiopure β-amino alcohols. The combination of a Cu species with 1 or 2 efficiently promoted the 1,4-addition reaction of cyclic enones with dialkylzincs. For example, the reaction of 2-cyclohepten-1-one (17) with Bu(2)Zn in the presence of catalytic amounts of Cu(OTf)(2) and 1 gave (S)-3-butylcycloheptanone (20) in 99% yield and 96% ee. On the other hand, when the reaction was carried out under the influence of Cu(OTf)(2) combined with 2, (R)-20 in preference to (S)-20 was obtained in 98% yield and 80% ee. In this manner, the enantioselecvity was switched by controlling the structure of chiral ligand. Additionally, the reversal of enantioselectivity was also achieved by changing the Cu precatalyst from Cu(OTf)(2) to Cu(acac)(2) with the same ligand. The combination of Cu(acac)(2) with CH(2)-bridged azolium salt 1 in the reaction of 17 with Bu(2)Zn led to formation of (R)-20 as a major product in 55% yield and 80% ee. This result was in contrast to the Cu(OTf)(2)/1 catalytic system, where the 1,4-adduct with opposite configuration was obtained. Moreover, use of the Cu(acac)(2)/2 catalytic system produced (S)-20, while (R)-20 was formed by the Cu(OTf)(2)/2 catalytic system. Thus, it was found that either varying the linker of the chiral ligands or changing the counterion of Cu species between a OTf and acac ligand initially on the metal led to dual enantioselective control in the 1,4-addition reaction.     

Synthesis of gem-dialkoxycarbonylcyclopropane derivatives from olefins by the reaction with dibromomalonic esters and copper in dimethyl sulphoxide

A novel method for the synthesis of gem-dialkoxycarbonylcyclopropane derivatives is reported which involves the reaction of olefins with dibromomalonic esters and Cu in dimethyl sulphoxide. The reaction was applicable to a wide range of olefins and proceeded smoothly at moderate temperature to give the cyclopropane derivatives often in good yields. Cu was converted to Cu(II) bromide during the reaction. The reaction was weakly electrophilic and proceeded non-stereospecifically, and a stepwise mechanism involving addition and elimination appeared favourable for the reaction. In contrast, in the previously reported examples of the cyclopropanation of olefins by organic gem-dihalides and Cu in an aromatic hydrocarbon, Cu was converted to Cu(I) halides and a concerted cycloaddition of carbenoid intermediates appeared favourable.     

One-pot synthesis of Cu1.94S-CdS and Cu1.94S-Zn(x)Cd(1-x)S nanodisk heterostructures

Nanodisk heterostructures consisting of monoclinic Cu(1.94)S and wurtzite CdS have been colloidally synthesized for the first time. Initially, hexagonal-shaped nanodisks of Cu(1.94)S were produced upon thermolysis of a copper complex in a solvent mixture of HDA and TOA at 250 °C. Rapid addition of Cd precursor to the reaction mixture resulted in the partial conversion of Cu(1.94)S into CdS, yielding Cu(1.94)S-CdS nanoheterostructures. The original morphology of the Cu(1.94)S nanodisks was conserved during the transformation. When Zn precursor was added together with the Cd precursor, Cu(1.94)S-Zn(x)Cd(1-x)S nanodisks were generated. These two-component nanostructures are potentially useful in the fabrication of heterojunction solar cells.     

A gadolinium(III) complex with 8-amidequinoline based ligand as copper(II) ion responsive contrast agent

A new Cu(2+)-responsive MRI contrast agent (Gd-QDOTAMA) with a quinoline-based ligand was synthesized and characterized. Relaxivity studies on Gd-QDOTAMA showed that the relaxivity increased from 4.27 mM(-1) s(-1) to 7.29 mM(-1) s(-1) in response to equimolar amounts of copper(II) ion, corresponding to ca. 71% relaxivity enhancement. Distinct changes in relaxivity were undetected upon addition of physiologically relevant alkali metal cations (K(+) or Na(+)), alkaline earth metal cations (Mg(2+) or Ca(2+)), or d-block metal cations (Zn(2+), Cu(+), Fe(2+), Fe(3+)), indicating a high selectivity for Cu(2+) over other biologically relevant metal ions. Moreover, the influence of common biological anions at physiological levels on the Cu(2+)-responsive contrast agent was also studied. Luminescence studies on the Eu counterpart Eu-QDOTAMA suggest that the enhancement in relaxivity for Gd-QDOTAMA in response to Cu(2+) is most likely due to the increased number of inner-sphere water molecules around Gd(3+) upon Cu(2+) binding to the 8-amidequinoline moiety. In vitro T(1)-weighted phantom images of Gd-QDOTAMA confirmed that signal intensity was markedly increased by the addition of equimolar amounts of Cu(2+).     

The mechanism of the modified Ullmann reaction

The copper-mediated aromatic nucleophilic substitution reactions developed by Fritz Ullmann and Irma Goldberg required stoichiometric amounts of copper and very high reaction temperatures. Recently, it was found that addition of relatively cheap ligands (diamines, aminoalcohols, diketones, diols) made these reactions truly catalytic, with catalyst amounts as low as 1 mol% or even lower. Since these catalysts are homogeneous, it has opened up the possibility to investigate the mechanism of these modified Ullmann reactions. Most authors agree that Cu(I) is the true catalyst even though Cu(0) and Cu(II) catalysts have also shown to be active. It should be noted however that Cu(I) is capable of reversible disproportionation into Cu(0) and Cu(II). In the first step, the nucleophile displaces the halide in the LnCu(I)X complex forming LnCu(I)ZR (Z = O, NR′, S). Quite a number of mechanisms have been proposed for the actual reaction of this complex with the aryl halide: 1. Oxidative addition of ArX forming a Cu(III) intermediate followed by reductive elimination; 2. Sigma bond metathesis; in this mechanism copper remains in the Cu(II) oxidation state; 3. Single electron transfer (SET) in which a radical anion of the aryl halide is formed (Cu(I)/Cu(II)); 4. Iodine atom transfer (IAT) to give the aryl radical (Cu(I)/Cu(II)); 5. π-complexation of the aryl halide with the Cu(I) complex, which is thought to enable the nucleophilic substitution reaction. Initially, the radical type mechanisms 3 and 4 where discounted based on the fact that radical clock-type experiments with ortho-allyl aryl halides failed to give the cyclised products. However, a recent DFT study by Houk, Buchwald and co-workers shows that the modified Ullmann reaction between aryl iodide and amines or primary alcohols proceeds either via an SET or an IAT mechanism. Van Koten has shown that stalled aminations can be rejuvenated by the addition of Cu(0), which serves to reduce the formed Cu(II) to Cu(I); this also corroborates a Cu(I)/Cu(II) mechanism. Thus the use of radical clock type experiments in these metal catalysed reactions is not reliable. DFT calculations from Hartwig seem to confirm a Cu(I)/Cu(III) type mechanism for the amidation (Goldberg) reaction, although not all possible mechanisms were calculated.     

A highly sensitive sensor for Cu2+ with unmodified gold nanoparticles and DNAzyme by using the dynamic light scattering technique

Copper ion (Cu(2+)) plays an important role in many biological reactions, and a suitable level of Cu(2+) is necessary for the regular metabolism of life. Thus developing a sensitive and simple method for determination of Cu(2+) is essential. Here, a novel and sensitive Cu(2+) sensor was developed based on detecting the average hydrodynamic diameter of AuNPs by using dynamic light scattering (DLS). Cu(2+)-specific DNAzyme was double-strand and could not adsorb on the surface of AuNPs, accordingly AuNPs aggregation would occur with the addition of NaCl. However, Cu(2+) could cleave DNAzyme and release single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) fragments, which could adsorb on the surface of AuNPs and prevent them from aggregation. Such differences in DNA adsorption ability on AuNPs before and after the addition of Cu(2+) affected the disperse state of AuNPs directly, and then affected their average hydrodynamic diameter, which could be detected with the DLS technique. Based upon the above mentioned principle, detection of Cu(2+) could be realized over the range from 100 pM to 2.0 nM, with a linear regression equation of D = 306.73 - 89.66C (C: nM, R = 0.9953) and a detection limit of 60 pM (3δ/slope). Moreover, satisfactory results were obtained when the assay was applied in the detection of Cu(2+) in water samples.     

Alternative mechanistic explanation for ligand-dependent selectivities in copper-catalyzed N- and O-arylation reactions

The ligand-dependent selectivities in Ullmann-type reactions of amino alcohols with iodobenzene by β-diketone- and 1,10-phenanthroline-ligated Cu(I) complexes were recently explained by the single-electron transfer and iodine atom transfer mechanisms (Jones, G. O., Liu, P., Houk, K. N., and Buchwald, S. L. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 6205.). The present study shows that an alternative, oxidative addition/reductive elimination mechanism may also explain the selectivities. Calculations indicate that a Cu(I) complex with a negatively charged β-diketone ligand is electronically neutral, so that oxidative addition of ArI to a β-diketone-ligated Cu(I) prefers to occur (and occur readily) in the absence of the amino alcohol. Thus, coordination of the amino alcohol in its neutral form can only occur at the Cu(III) stage where N-coordination is favored over O-coordination. The coordination step is the rate-limiting step and the outcome is that N-arylation is favored with the β-diketone ligand. On the other hand, a Cu(I) complex with a neutral 1,10-phenanthroline ligand is positively charged, so that oxidative addition of ArI to a 1,10-phenanthroline-ligated Cu(I) has to get assistance from a deprotonated amino alcohol substrate. This causes oxidative addition to become the rate-limiting step in the 1,10-phenanthroline-mediated reaction. The immediate product of the oxidative addition step is found to undergo facile reductive elimination to provide the arylation product. Because O-coordination of a deprotonated amino alcohol is favored over N-coordination in the oxidative addition transition state, O-arylation is favored with the 1,10-phenanthroline ligand.     

Characterization of the activity of L-ascorbic acid 2-[3,4-dihydro-2,5,7,8-tetramethyl-2-(4,8,12-trimethyltridecyl)-2H-1-be nzopyran-6-yl-hydrogen phosphate] potassium salt in hydroxyl radical elimination

The effect of L-ascorbic acid 2-[3,4-dihydro-2,5,7,8-tetramethyl-2-(4,8,12-trimethyltridecyl)-2H -1-benzopyran-6-yl-hydrogen phosphate] potassium salt (EPC-K1) on hydroxyl radical (*OH) elimination was studied using electron spin resonance (ESR) and spectrophotometric experiments. The addition of EPC-K, and *OH scavengers eliminated the *OH generated from Cu2+/H2O2, Fe2+/H2O2 and H2O2/UV-irradiation reaction systems. However, in competitive reactions using different concentrations of a spin-trap agent, the addition of the *OH scavenger altered the IC50 values, whereas the addition of EPC-K1 and a metal chelater did not change the value in the Cu2+/H2O2 and Fe2+/H2O2 reaction systems. The addition of EPC-K1 and metal chelater changed the ESR signal for free Cu2+. The spectrophotometric experiments confirmed that the addition of EPC-K1 and metal chelater altered the absorption spectra due to CuCl2 and FeSO4, whereas the *OH scavenger did not alter the spectra. Therefore, it was demonstrated that EPC-K, has the ability both to scavenge *OH directly and to inhibit the generation of *OH by the chelation of Cu2+ and Fe2+.     

Adsorption behavior and mechanism of Cu(II) onto carbonate-substituted hydroxyapatite in the presence of humic acid

In this study, adsorption behavior and mechanism of Cu(II) onto carbonate-substituted hydroxyapatite (CHAP) in the absence and presence of humic acid (HA) were studied in batch experiments. The results showed that carbonate incorporation in HAP could significantly enhance the adsorption of Cu(II). In ternary systems, the presence of HA led to an increase in Cu(II) adsorption, dependent on HA concentration. Kinetic studies showed that pseudo-second-order kinetic model better described the adsorption process of Cu(II) onto CHAP and equilibrium data were best described by Sips models. The order of addition sequences of substrates was found to have a noticeable effect on Cu(II) adsorption onto CHAP. The general trend with respect to Cu(II) adsorption being: (CHAP–Cu)–HA?>?(CHAP–HA)–Cu?>?(Cu–HA)–CHAP. The present findings were important for estimating and optimizing the removal of Cu(II) ions by using CHA as a potential adsorbent.     

Promoting effect of polyoxyethylene octylphenol ether on Cu/ZnO catalysts for low-temperature methanol synthesis

Cu/ZnO catalysts were prepared by the co-precipitation method with the addition of OP-10 (polyoxyethylene octylphenol ether) and were chemically and structurally characterized by means of XRD, BET, H₂-TPR, CO-TPD and N₂O-titration. The effect of OP-10 addition on the activity of Cu/ZnO for the slurry phase methanol synthesis at 150 °C was evaluated. The results showed that Cu/ZnO prepared with addition of 8% OP-10 (denoted as C8) exhibited the promoted activity for the methanol synthesis. The conversion of CO and the STY (space time yield) of methanol were 42.5% and 74.6% higher than those of Cu/ZnO prepared without addition of OP-10 (denoted as C0), respectively. The precursor of C8 contained more aurichalcite and rosasite, and the concerted effect of Cu-Zn in C8 was found to be stronger than that in C0. Compared with C0, C8 showed smaller particle size, lower reduction temperature and larger BET and Cu surface areas.     

Catalysis of aryl ester hydrolysis in the presence of metallomicelles containing a copper(II) diethylenetriamine derivative

The novel metallosurfactant Cu(II)-1-tetradecyldiethylenetriamine (Cu(II)TDET) was prepared, and the hydrolyses of 2-acetoxy-5-nitrobenzoic acid (1), 4-acetoxy-3-nitrobenzoic acid (2), 4-nitrophenyl acetate (3), and 2-nitrophenyl acetate (4) in the presence of micellar Cu(II)TDET were examined. The rate of ester hydrolysis for the series followed the order 1 approximately 2>3>4. The larger observed rate (kpsi) for 1 and 2 was attributed to (i) electrostatic interaction between the carboxylate anion and the cationic metallomicelle surface and (ii) the formation of a ternary complex metal:surfactant ligand:substrate (MLnS). The position of the carboxylate anion in the substrate did not significantly affect catalysis. Similar rates were observed when the carboxylate anion was ortho to the acyl ester 1 or para to the reaction center 2. The absence of a significant difference may be associated with the ternary complex coordination geometry, which unfavorably aligned the ligated substrate and the metal-bound hydroxyl. Mixed micellar solutions containing Cu(II)TDET and MTAB or Triton X-100 were examined. Added cosurfactants have a pronounced effect on the catalytic activity of Cu(II)TDET. At a low concentration of Cu(II)TDET the addition of MTAB or Triton X-100 increased the pseudo-first-order rate constant (kpsi) for the hydrolysis of 1 and 3 relative to the rate in pure Cu(II)TDET. The addition of a cosurfactant increased the total micellar volume (VM), promoting substrate incorporation within the pseudophase. At higher metallosurfactant concentration, the rate enhancement was smaller due to the dilution of the substrate within the co-micellar pseudophase.     

A near-infrared fluorescent probe for detecting copper(II) with high selectivity and sensitivity and its biological imaging applications

The first near-infrared fluorescent probe was developed toward Cu(2+). Based on the photo-induced electron transfer (PET) mechanism, the probe exhibited weak fluorescence. Upon the addition of Cu(2+), it fluoresced strongly. The probe offered this unique capability, and was successfully applied to living cells, tissues and in vivo to visualize Cu(2+).     

New fluorescent rhodamine hydrazone chemosensor for Cu(II) with high selectivity and sensitivity

[reaction: see text] A new fluorescent probe, salicylaldehyde rhodamine B hydrazone (1), was synthesized and displayed selective Cu(II)-amplified absorbance and fluorescence emission above 500 nm in neutral buffered media. Upon the addition of Cu(II), the spirolactam ring of 1 was opened and a 1:1 metal-ligand complex was formed. The detection of Cu(II) by 1 at a lower micromolar level was successful even in buffered water.     

Enhancement of copper availability and microbial community changes in rice rhizospheres affected by sulfur

The role of sulfur on the availability of Cu and the bacterial community in rice rhizospheres was investigated by pot experiments. With sulfur addition, pH in rhizosphere soil decreased and Mg(NO?)? extractable Cu increased significantly. The bacterial community composition also changed with sulfur addition. Some specific clones having high similarity to Thiobacillus, which indicated that sulfur oxidation in the rice rhizosphere could increase the availability of Cu. These results suggested that sulfur source which could provide substrate to sulfur oxidizing bacteria and enhance the availability of Cu was not a suitable sulfur fertilizer for Cu polluted soil.