A 15-crown-5-functionalized carbosilane dendrimer as ionophore for ammonium selective electrodes

The synthesis of CH(2)CHCH(2)OCH(2)[15-crown-5] (III) is achieved by the treatment of HOCH(2)- [15-crown-5] (I) with equimolar amounts of CH(2)CHCH(2)Br (II) in the presence of KOH. The hydrosilylation of III with Si(CH(2)CH(2)CH(2)SiMe(2)H)(4) (IV) in the presence of the Karstedt catalyst affords the crown ether end-capped carbosilane dendrimer Si(CH(2)CH(2)CH(2)Si-Me(2)CH(2)CH(2)CH(2)OCH(2)[15-crown-5])(4) (V). PVC-based membranes of V as ionophore with sodium tetraphenyl borate (NaTPB) as anion excluder and dioctyl phthalate (DOP), diphenyl ether (DPE), dibutyl amine (DBA) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) as plasticizing solvent mediators were prepared and investigated as NH(4)(+)-selective electrode. The response of the electrode was linear with a Nernstian slope of 53.3mV/decade over an NH(4)(+) ion concentration range of 7.60x10(-6) to 1.0x10(-1)M and a detection limit of 3.9x10(-6)M. The response time to achieve a steady potential for NH(4)(+) ions was between 6 and 10s, and the electrode is suitable for use within the pH range of 2.2-8.5. The selectivity relative to alkali, alkaline earth, and transition heavy metal ions is good. The newly developed ionophore showed higher NH(4)(+) selectivity over K(+) ( [Formula: see text] ) and Na(+) ( [Formula: see text] ). The electrode could be used for at least 45 days without considerable alteration in its potential. The electrode also shows a better working concentration range and slope in comparison to other NH(4)(+)-selective electrodes reported in literature.     

Organotin compounds: an ionophore system for fluoride ion recognition

Ion-selective properties were established for membrane electrodes prepared by using organotin compounds of type (L^CNRSnF₂)_n, (R = n-Bu (I), = Ph (II)) and (L^CNSnF₃)_n (III) (L^CN = C₆H₄(CH₂NMe₂)-2). Electrodes formulated with the optimized membranes containing the organotin compounds I-III as ionophores and sodium tetraphenylborate (10-30%) exhibited high selectivity for fluoride over other anions. An electrode prepared with ionophore II using dibutyl phthalate as the plasticizer and 15% sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) as anion additive, possesses the best potentiometric response characteristics. It shows a detection limit of 7.9 × 10⁻⁷ M with a slope of 62.7 mV decade⁻¹ of activity in buffer solutions of pH 5.5. The interference from other anions is suppressed under this optimized measurement conditions. An entirely non-Hofmeister selectivity sequence (F⁻ > CH₃COO⁻ > Cl⁻ > I⁻ ∼ Br⁻ >ClO₄⁻ > NO₂⁻ > NO₃⁻ > SCN⁻) with remarkable preference towards fluoride is obtained. The influence on the electrode performances by anion additive was studied, and the possible response mechanism was investigated by UV-vis spectra. The electrode has been used for direct determination of fluoride in drinking mineral water with satisfactory results.     

Fibre-optic potassium ion sensors based on a neutral ionophore and a novel lipophilic anionic dye

A novel lipophilic anionic dye, N-2,4-dinitro-6-octyloxyphenyl-2′,4′-dinitro-6′-trifluoromethylphenylamine (LAD), was synthesized. On deprotonation at neutral Ph it forms anions and brings about a change in the absorption spectrum in the visible region. This anionic dye was incorporated into a poly(vinyl chloride) matrix membrane with dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6) or valinomycin, which are K⁺-selective neutral ionophores. An optical K⁺ sensor was prepared using the polymeric membrane set 1 mm apart from the tip of a bifurcated optical fibre with a cylindrical plastic support. This sensor could detect a wide range of K⁺ concentrations (10^?6?1 M K⁺ for the DB18C6-based sensor, 10^?8?10^?2 M K⁺ for the valinomycin-based sensor) at Ph 7.0 by measuring the absorbance change at 513 nm. The factors that influence the response sensitivity of the sensor are discussed theoretically.     

Temperature dependence of the structure of a carbosilane dendrimer with terminal cyanobiphenyl groups: Molecular-dynamics simulation

The molecular-dynamics simulation of the structure and molecular mobility of an individual macromolecule of a fourth-generation carbosilane dendrimer with terminal cyanobiphenyl groups in a highly diluted chloroform solution in the range 213–323 K is performed. Upon a change in temperature, the dendrimer undergoes structural rearrangement that depends on the ability of terminal segments to penetrate into the dendrimer. At temperatures close to the boiling point of the solvent, aliphatic spacers of terminal segments can penetrate deep into the dendrimer. As temperature decreases, the terminal segments are grouped only on the surface of the molecule; this leads to a 45% increase in the number of solvent molecules in the treelike part of the macromolecule. These results make it possible to give a new interpretation of temperature effects previously observed in NMR experiments for dilute solutions of these macromolecules.     

Aptamer conformational switch as sensitive electrochemical biosensor for potassium ion recognition

We report the first use of an electrochemical aptasensor for selective potassium recognition, based on a conformational change, affording an electric signal transduced electrochemically by square wave voltammetry or electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.     

Evidence for a new ferroelectric switching liquid crystalline phase formed by a carbosilane based dendrimer with banana-shaped mesogenic units

The first carbosilane dendrimer with peripheral bent-core mesogenic units is reported. This material forms a liquid crystalline phase which is stable over a wide temperature range and forms an LC glass on cooling. Polarizing microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and dielectric and electrooptic investigations reveal the presence of a novel liquid crystalline phase, in which the molecules are tilted and adapt a polar order within the layers, but without long-range correlation between the layers. By applying external electric fields, switching into a ferroelectric organization can be achieved. Once formed the ferroelectric states are stable and can be switched between the different polarization states.     

Dynamic dendrimer at electrified interface: potential dependent adsorption-desorption and reorientation of a 4-pyridyl-modified PAMAM dendrimer

Potential-dependent dynamic adsorption-desorption and reorientation of a 4-pyridyl modified PAMAM G2 dendrimer at a Au(111) electrode has been demonstrated.     

A selective membrane electrode for iodide ion based on a thiopyrilium ion derivative as a new ionophore

A highly selective electrode for iodide ion based on a thiopyrilium derivative as an excellent ionophore is described. At pH 5.5-8.0, the electrode responds to iodide ion in a linear range from 1.0×10⁻¹ to 8.0×10⁻⁷ M with a slope of 60.2 mV per decade, and a detection limit of 2.0×10⁻⁷ M. Selectivity coefficients determined with the match potential method (MPM) indicate that the interference from inorganic and organic anions is very small. The proposed sensor shows a fast response time of approximately 15 s. It was applied as an indicator electrode in titration of iodide with Ag⁺.     

Identification of diethylene glycol monobutyl ether as a source of contamination in an ion trap mass spectrometer

Tandem liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled to online radioactive material detection (LC/RAM/MS/MS) is a technique that is used routinely for in vivo and in vitro drug metabolism studies and allows for a simultaneous correlation between radiochemical peaks and mass spectral data. The compound diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (DGBE), a component of a commercially available scintillation cocktail for RAM analysis, was identified as a source of overwhelming chemical noise in a mass spectrometer which was used in an LC/RAM/MS/MS configuration. In this report, we describe the identification of DGBE as the source of the chemical noise and the methods that were used to minimize the exposure of the mass spectrometer to volatile components of the scintillation cocktail.     

A highly selective solid-contact electrode for Ag~+ based on a monoazathiacrown ether ionophore

A new solid-contact Ag⁺-selective electrode was prepared with 9,10,12,13,24,25-hexahydro-5H,15H,23H-dibenzo [b,q][1,7,10,13,19,4,16]-entathiadiazacyclodocosine-6,16（7H,17H）-dione as ionophore,and cc,a>-dihexylsexithiophene（DH- 6T） ion-to-electron transducer.The sensor exhibited a working concentration range of 10⁸ to 10^-3 mol/L,with a near-Nernstian slope of 55.1±0.2 mV/dec and detection limit of 1.7×10^-9 mol/L.The fabricated electrodes demonstrated excellent selectivity over the most common monovalent and divalent cations.     

Di(ethylene glycol) vinyl ether: a highly efficient deactivating reagent for olefin metathesis catalysts

A highly efficient method for deactivating commonly used olefin metathesis catalysts is described. Inexpensive and commercially available di(ethylene glycol) vinyl ether is found to quench both first- and second-generation Grubbs’ carbenes in less than 10 min at room temperature. The resulting ruthenium byproducts are readily removed by silica gel purification.     

A selective membrane electrode for lanthanum(III) ion based on a hexaaza macrocycle derivative as ionophore.

We have developed a highly La(III)-selective PVC membrane electrode based on a hexaaza macrocycle, 8,16-dimethyl-6,14-diphenyl-2,3,4:10,11,12-dipyridine-1,3,5,9,11,13-hexaazacyclohexadeca-3,5,8,11,13,16-hexaene [Bzo2Me2Pyo2(16)-hexaeneN6] (I) as membrane carrier, dibutylbutyl phosphonate (DBBP) as solvent mediator and sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) as lipophilic additive. The best performance was given by the membrane of macrocycle I having a composition 10:260:5:120 (I:DBBP:NaTPB:PVC). The electrode exhibits a Nernstian response to La(III) ion in the concentration range 1.0x10(-1)-7.94x10(-7) M with a slope of 19.8+/-0.2 mV/decade of concentration and a detection limit of 5.62x10(-7) M. The response time of the sensor is 12 s and it can be used over a period of 4 months with good reproducibility. The electrode works well over a pH range of 2.5-10.0 and in partially non-aqueous medium with up to 30% organic content. The sensor was also used as an indicator electrode in potentiometric titration of La(III) ions with EDTA and for determining La(III) concentration in real samples.     

Proteo-dendrimers designed for complementary recognition of cytochrome c: dendrimer architecture toward nanoscale protein complexation

"Proteo-dendrimers" in which polyanionic hepta(glutamic acids), fluorescent zinc porphyrinate cores, hydrophilic polyether surfaces, and nonpeptide hydrophobic dendrons are combined, were developed as a new series of synthetic receptors for protein recognition. They have polyanionic "patch" structures on their surfaces and undergo complementary electrostatic interactions with a positively charged cytochrome c patch, as observed in biological protein-protein recognition systems. Stability constants of the resulting supramolecular complexes were determined in phosphate buffer (pH 7) by monitoring the fluorescence quenching of the zinc porphyrinates. These proteo-dendrimer receptors exhibited higher affinities with cytochrome c proteins in aqueous solutions than with biological cytochrome b5. Furthermore, they effectively blocked complexation of biological cytochrome b5 with cytochrome c, indicating that the proteo-dendrimers and cytochrome b5 similarly occupy the polycationic patch of cytochrome c.     

Reversing a rotaxane recognition motif: threading oligoethylene glycol derivatives through a dicationic cyclophane

An already well-established recognition motif-namely one in which the NH2+ centers in the rod sections of the dumbbell components of rotaxanes are encircled by macrocyclic polyether components-has been turned simultaneously outside-in and inside-out, a fact that has been proved beyond any doubt by the stoppering of both ends of a [2]pseudorotaxane to give a stable [2]rotaxane. The [2]pseudorotaxane is formed in nitromethane when a benzylic dibromide, obtained after reacting an excess of 1,4-bis(bromomethyl)benzene with hexaethylene glycol, is added to an equimolar amount of a dicationic cyclophane in which two -CH2OCH2- chains link a pair of dibenzylammonium ions through the para positions on their phenyl rings. When the [2]pseudorotaxane is reacted in nitromethane with triphenylphosphine, a [2]rotaxane and the corresponding free dumbbell compound are isolated in 58 and 31% yields, respectively. The structure of the [2]rotaxane is established by using mass spectrometry (FABMS and ESMS) and NMR (1H and 13C) spectroscopy in nitromethane-d3. The [2]rotaxane exhibits quite dramatic changes in the 1H chemical shifts of the signals for its CH2N+ and CH2O protons compared with those in the free dumbbell compound. The 1H NMR spectrum of the [2]pseudorotaxane shows many similar features. Titration experiments with three of the six different CH2O probes give an average Ka value of 2900 +/- 750 M-1 in nitromethane-d3. The new recognition motif for the template-directed synthesis of rotaxanes can now be exploited at both the molecular and macromolecular levels of structure with numerous potential applications in sight.     

Characteristics of a surface plasmon resonance sensor combined with a poly(vinyl chloride) film-based ionophore technique for metal ion analyses.

The characteristics of a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor prepared by coating a metal film evaporated on a prism with a polymer film containing tetra-n-butyl thiuram disulfide (TBTDS) were studied. The differences in the sensitivity, selectivity, and detection limit for a Zn2+ ion of the SPR sensor were reported as a function of the thickness of the polymer film, the kind of a metal film, and the kind of a polymer film. The thinner was the polymer film, the higher was the sensitivity, and the lower was the detection limit. The Ag film gave to the SPR sensor higher sensitivity than the Au film. TBTDS contained in the poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) film slightly improved the selectivity toward the Zn2+ ion. A non-conditioned poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) film containing TBTDS gave a lower detection limit of 1.0 x 10(-6) mol/l, which is similar to that obtained by using an ion selective electrode (ISE) method, than the PVC film. The PVC film, however, gave higher concentration resolution than the PMMA film.     

Fluorescent amplifying recognition for DNA G-quadruplex folding with a cationic conjugated polymer: a platform for homogeneous potassium detection

Single-stranded DNA with G-rich sequences can fold into secondary structures, G-quadruplexes, via intramolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions. This conformational change can be detected by a homogeneous assay method based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from a water-soluble cationic conjugated polymer (CCP) to a fluorescein chromophore labeled at the terminus of the G-quadruplex DNA. The space charge density around the DNA controls the efficiency of FRET from the CCP to the fluorescein. The higher FRET efficiency for the CCP/G-quadruplex pair is correlated to the stronger electrostatic interactions between the more condensed G-quadruplex and the CCP in comparison to the CCP/ssDNA pair. Since the potassium ion can specifically bind to the G-quadruplex DNA, the G-quartet-DNA/CCPs assembly can also be used as a platform to sense the potassium ion in water with high selectivity and sensitivity.     

Protein surface recognition by rational design: nanomolar ligands for potassium channels

The rational design and development of four-fold symmetrical ligands for potassium channels is described.     

Polyaryl ether dendrimer with a 4-phenylacetyl-5-pyrazolone-based terbium(III) complex as core: synthesis and photophysical properties

A series of novel dendritic beta-diketone ligands, 1-phenyl-3-[G-n]-4-phenylacetyl-5-pyrazolone (n = 0-3, G stands for polyaryl ether), were synthesized by introducing Fréchet-type dendritic branches. The corresponding Tb3+-cored dendritic complexes were characterized by X-ray crystallography, elemental analysis, ESI mass spectra, and FT-IR spectra. These dendritic complexes, prepared from aqueous solution, exhibit high stability. Interestingly, the study of photophysical properties shows that the luminescence quantum yields of the dendritic Tb-complexes increase from 0.1 to 2.26% with an increase of the dendritic generation from 0 to 3. Importantly, an "energy-reservoir effect" was observed in the dendritic system using the method based on the resonance energy transfer from these complexes to rhodamine 6G. With the increase of the dendritic generation, the metal-centered luminescence quantum yield was almost the same, and the energy transfer (phi(transfer)) from the ligand to Tb(3+) increased. Further measurements of the triplet state and oxygen quenching of these dendritic complexes verify that this enhancement of the energy transfer (phi(transfer)) is attributed to both an "antenna effect" and a "shell effect".