One-electron oxidized product of difluoroiron(III) porphyrin: is it iron(IV) porphyrin or iron(III) porphyrin π-cation radical?

The electronic structure of [Fe(TMP)F(2)], which is formally a one-electron oxidation equivalent above [Fe(III)(TMP)F(2)](-), has been examined in solution by (1)H NMR, UV-Vis, and M?ssbauer spectroscopy. In CD(2)Cl(2)-CD(3)OD solution at 193 K, the pyrrole-H and m-H signals appeared at 128.2 and 116.7 ppm, respectively. The UV-Vis spectrum showed broad absorption bands at 560-680 nm. The M?ssbauer spectrum taken in frozen toluene-methanol solution exhibited a very broad single line from which the IS and QS values were determined by computer simulation to be 0.50 and 0.14 mm s(-1), respectively. On the basis of these results, it was concluded that the one-electron oxidized product of [Fe(TMP)F(2)](-) should be formulated as the iron(III) radical cation [Fe(III)(TMP˙)F(2)], not as iron(IV) porphyrin [Fe(IV)(TMP)F(2)] as previously suggested.     

Is a catalyst always beneficial in plasma catalysis? Insights from the many physical and chemical interactions

Plasma-catalytic dry reforming of CH₄(DRM) is promising to convert the greenhouse gasses CH₄ and CO₂ into value-added chemicals, thus simultaneously providing an alternative to fossil resources as feedstock for the chemical industry. However, while many experiments have been dedicated to plasma-catalytic DRM, there is no consensus yet in literature on the optimal choice of catalyst for targeted products,because the underlying mechanisms are far from understood. I...     

NMR and EPR investigations of iron corrolates: iron(III) corrolate pi cation radicals or iron(IV) corrolates?

The chloroiron corrolates of 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octamethyl- and 7,13-dimethyl-2,3,8,12,17,18-hexaethylcorrole ([(Me8C)FeCl] and [(7,13-Me2Et6C)FeCl], respectively) and their bisimidazole complexes have been investigated by NMR spectroscopy as a function of temperature, and by EPR spectroscopy at 4.2 K. Magnetic susceptibilities were measured by the modified Evans method. It is found that the electron configuration of the chloroiron corrolates is that of a S = 3/2 Fe(III) center coupled to a corrolate pi radical, where one electron has been removed from the pi system of the corrolate. This pi radical is antiferromagnetically coupled to the unpaired electrons of the iron to yield an overall S = 1 complex, as evidenced by the very large positive shifts of the meso-H resonances (183 and 172 ppm). That this antiferromagnetic coupling is very strong is supported by the near-Curie behavior of the 1H chemical shifts. For the chloroiron corrolates in the presence of imidazole, imidazole-d4, and N-methylimidazole at temperatures of -50 degrees C and below, the mono- and bisligand complexes are formed. The NMR spectra can be assigned on the basis of chemical exchange between the chloroiron(III) parent complex and the bisligand complex at -30 degrees C, and between the bisligand complex and the monoligand complex at -50 degrees C. The bisimidazole complexes show pyrrole CH2 and CH3 resonances characteristic of low-spin Fe(III) centers (S = 1/2), but with strongly upfield-shifted meso-H resonances (delta values of -95 and -82.5 ppm for the octamethyl complex and -188 and -161 ppm for the dimethylhexaethyl complex at 203 K) characteristic of the presence of a macrocycle-centered unpaired electron. The magnetic moments of these bisligand complexes are somewhat lower than expected for overall S = 1 systems, and decrease as the temperature is lowered. The lower apparent magnetic moments (2.0-1.8 mu B between -50 and -90 degrees C) are believed to be caused by a combination of weak or no magnetic coupling between the metal and macrocycle electrons and decreasing solubility of the complex as the temperature is lowered. The non-Curie behavior of the 1H chemical shifts observed in the low-temperature (-50 to -90 degrees C) NMR spectra likely arises from a combination of the effects of weak antiferromagnetic coupling of metal and macrocycle spins, a low-lying electronic excited state, and ligand binding/loss equilibria at the highest temperatures studied (-50 degrees C).     

Is the atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation and collisionally induced methanol loss from protonated dehydroamino acids a retrosynthetic process?

Unsaturated 5(4H)-oxazolones lead, by methanolysis, to the corresponding dehydroamino acid derivatives. Interestingly, under atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) conditions, the latter give rise, aside from abundant [M+H](+) ions, to [MHbondCH(3)OH](+) species, formally corresponding to the protonated oxazolones employed for their synthesis. Retrosynthetic processes have often been described as energetically favoured decompositions of odd-electron molecular ions but never invoked in APCI-activated fragmentations. To investigate this possible retrosynthetic process, occurring also under collisional conditions, some experiments on the deuterated analogues have been undertaken. The breakdown curves of [M+H](+) of oxazolones and [MHbondCH(3)OH](+) of the dehydroamino acid derivatives are superimposable, proving their structural identity and giving experimental evidence of the occurrence of a real retrosynthetic process from even-electron protonated molecules.     

A three-component protocol for the enantiodifferentiation of amines using triphenyl borate and BINOL: is it an ion pair or an amine-coordinated complex?

The structure of the borate complex responsible for the enantiodifferentiation of amines using a previously reported three-component protocol has been established. The choice between an ion pair and an amine-coordinated complex with the N atom of the amine coordinated to the B atom is favored for the former structure based on the DFT-calculated ¹¹B NMR chemical shifts. In contrast to expectations, the anisotropies of the quadrupolar ¹¹B nucleus for the two structures were calculated to be indistinguishable with regard to their effect on the linewidth of the NMR signal.     

Is the isotopic composition of nitrous oxide an indicator for its origin from nitrification or denitrification? A theoretical approach from referred data and microbiological and enzyme kinetic aspects

Literature data on the isotopic composition of nitrous oxide indicate a general predominance of the alpha-15N-isotopomer and a parallel 18O-enrichment in N2O from nitrification and denitrification, respectively. As the kinetic isotope effects on any individual reactions of the two processes lead to depletions of the heavy isotopes of nitrogen and oxygen in the products, the observed enrichments could mainly be caused by enzymatic reduction of NO, provided it occurs via a symmetric intermediate like hyponitrite; infrared data are in favour of large differences between the binding constants of the isotopomers and isotopologues of this compound. As a matter of fact one of the mechanisms discussed for the nitric oxide reductase from certain microorganisms implies the parallel binding of two NO molecules and the formation of a symmetrical intermediate, while that of the enzyme from other microorganisms reduces NO in a sequential mechanism. In addition, isotope effects on the reduction of N2O to N2 must contribute to the observed isotope characteristics of N2O, especially in context with denitrification. Therefore, the known enzymatic reaction pathways suggest that the alpha-15N-isotopomer preference and the 18O-signature of the produced N2O is not essentially characteristic for its origin from nitrification or denitrification, respectively, but rather from the involved population of microorganisms and the type of their nitric oxide reductases. This has to be confirmed experimentally.     

Theoretical study of guanine-Cu and uracil-Cu (neutral, anionic, and cationic). Is it possible to carry out a photoelectron spectroscopy experiment?

The structure and bonding of guanine-Cu and uracil-Cu (neutral, anionic, and cationic) are discussed on the basis of the calculated structures and energies. The interaction of the metal atom with guanine and uracil has been analyzed using the B3LYP density-functional approach. The removal of one electron from the neutral complexes produces the stabilization of one of the isomers, while the addition of one electron leads to a system where the metal atom is weakly bounded to guanine or uracil, according to the metal-bases bond distance that is long (2.29-2.90). For guanine-Cu and uracil-Cu, the vertical ionization energy of the anion is close to the dissociation energy of one hydrogen atom from guanine-Cu or uracil-Cu. In these cases, it could be possible to produce the detachment of one electron from the anion and also the removal of one hydrogen atom. This is important since the photoelectron spectroscopy of atomic or mixed-atomic cluster anions has proven to be a very effective tool in the study of small systems. For the analysis of copper atoms with DNA bases such as guanine and uracil, it is expected that the photoelectron spectra of the anion-bases complexes strongly resemble the spectrum of Cu(-1), just shifted to higher electron binding energies due to the product stabilization. Hopefully, this information will be useful for the experimental groups.     

Reduction and alkylation of proteins in preparation of two-dimensional map analysis: why, when, and how?

The standard procedure adopted up to the present in proteome analysis calls for just reduction prior to the isoelectric focusing/immobilized pH gradient (IEF/IPG) step, followed by a second reduction/alkylation step in between the first and second dimension, in preparation for the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) step. This protocol is far from being optimal. It is here demonstrated, by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF)-mass spectrometry, that failure to reduce and alkylate proteins prior to any electrophoretic step (including the first dimension) results in a large number of spurious spots in the alkaline pH region, due to "scrambled" disulfide bridges among like and unlike chains. This series of artefactual spots comprises not only dimers, but an impressive series of oligomers (up to nonamers) in the case of simple polypeptides such as the human alpha- and beta-globin chains, which possess only one (alpha-) or two (beta-) -SH groups. As a result, misplaced spots are to be found in the resulting two-dimensional (2-D) map, if performed with the wrong protocol. The number of such artefactual spots can be impressively large. In the case of analysis of complex samples, such as human plasma, it is additionally shown that failure to alkylate proteins results in a substantial loss of spots in the alkaline gel region, possibly due to the fact that these proteins, at their pI, regenerate their disulfide bridges with concomitant formation of macroaggregates which become entangled with and trapped within the polyacrylamide gel fibers. This strongly quenches their transfer in the subsequent SDS-PAGE step.     

Synthesis of Nitriles and Symmetrical Organic Sulphides from Biprotic Carbothioamides and an α-Halogenated Ketone,Ester or Nitrile

Thioacetamide has been used as an elegant sulphur transfer reagent for C-S-C coupling of reactive halides.^1–4 Sulphur extrusion of biprotic carbothioamides to form corresponding nitriles has been reported with the help of (i) dichlorocarbene;⁵ (ii) triphenylphosphine, carbon tetrachloride, triethylamine;⁶ (iii) diethyl azocarboxylate, triphenylphosphine;⁷ and (iv) soft metal ions.⁸ Here, we report that under non-hydrolytic conditions viz. DMF/OEt, EtOH/OEt and DMF/Et₃N, biprotic carbothioamides (1, R=CH₃, C₆H₅, CH₂C₆H₅) react with bromoacetophenone (2, Z=COC₆H₅), ethyl bromoacetate (2, Z=COOEt).     

Brightening,Blinking, Bluing and Bleaching in the Life of a Quantum Dot: Friend or Foe?

Semiconductor nanocrystals or quantum dots (QDs) are highly photoluminescent materials with unique optical attributes that are being exploited in an ever‐increasing array of applications. However, the complex surface chemistry of these finite‐sized fluorophores gives rise to a number of photophysical phenomena that can complicate their use in imaging applications. Fluorescence intermittency (FI), photoluminescence enhancement (PLE) and spectral bluing are properties of QD emission that would appear, at first sight, detrimental to quantitative measurement. Fortunately, developments in rational QD synthesis and surface modification are promising to minimize the effects of these fluorescence instabilities, while applications that exploit them are now coming to the fore. We review recent experimental and theoretical studies of FI, PLE and bluing, highlighting the benefits, as well as complications, they bring to key applications.     

Is it true dioxygenase or classic autoxidation catalysis? Re-investigation of a claimed dioxygenase catalyst based on a Ru(2)-incorporated, polyoxometalate precatalyst

A 1997 Nature paper reported that a novel Ru(2)-incorporated sandwich-type polyoxometalate, {[WZnRu(III)(2)(OH)(H(2)O)](ZnW(9)O(34))(2)}(11)(-), is an all-inorganic dioxygenase catalyst for the hydroxylation of adamantane and the epoxidation of alkenes using molecular oxygen. Specifically, it was reported that the above Ru(2)-containing polyoxometalate catalyzes the following reaction by a non-radical-chain, dioxygenase mechanism: 2RH + O(2) --> 2ROH (R = adamantane). A re-investigation of the above claim has been performed, resulting in the following findings: (1) iodometric analysis detects trace peroxides (0.5% relative to adamantane), the products of free-radical-chain autoxidation, at the end of the adamantane hydroxylation reaction; (2) a non-dioxygenase product, H(2)(18)O, is observed at the end of an adamantane hydroxylation reaction performed using (18)O(2); (3) kinetic studies reveal a fractional rate law consistent with a classic radical-chain reaction; (4) a non-dioxygenase approximately 1:1 adamantane products/O(2) stoichiometry is observed in our hands (instead of the claimed 2:1 adamantane/O(2) dioxygenase stoichiometry); (5) adamantane hydroxylation is initiated by the free radical initiator, AIBN (2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile), or the organic hydroperoxide, t-BuOOH; (6) four radical scavengers completely inhibit the reaction; and (7) {[WZnRu(III)(2)(OH)(H(2)O)](ZnW(9)O(34))(2)}(11)(-) is found to be an effective catalyst for cyclohexene free-radical-chain autoxidation. The above results are consistent with and strongly supportive of a free-radical-chain mechanism, not the previously claimed dioxygenase pathway.     

π-Extended and six-coordinate iron(II) complexes: structures, magnetic properties, and the electrochemical synthesis of a conducting iron(II) metallopolymer

Herein, we describe the preparation of three new bidentate π-extended derivatives of the ligand N-phenyl-2-pyridinalimine (ppi) containing a 3-thienyl (4) substituent at position 4 of the aniline ring or 2-thienyl (6) or phenyl (2) substituents at each of the 2,5 positions of the aniline rings. Three iron(2+) complexes (7-9) containing these ligands were prepared by combining two equivalents each of 2, 4, or 6 with Fe(NCS)(2), and the resulting neutral, six-coordinate complexes were fully characterized, including with single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments in the case of complexes 7 and 9. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility and Mo?ssbauer experiments confirm the presence of spin-crossover in complexes 7 and 8, and the unusual solid state variable temperature magnetic properties of complex 9 likely result from crystal packing forces. Electropolymerization of the 2,5-dithienyl-substituted complex (9) produces a conducting and electrochromic metallopolymer film (poly-9).     

Pretreatment,Anaerobic Codigestion,or Both? Which Is More Suitable for the Enhancement of Methane Production from Agricultural Waste?

Pretreatment and codigestion are proven to be effective strategies for the enhancement of the anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic residues. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of pretreatment and codigestion on methane production and the hydrolysis rate in the anaerobic digestion of agricultural wastes (AWs). Thermal and different thermochemical pretreatments were applied on AWs. Sewage sludge (SS) was selected as a cosubstrate. Biochemical methane potential tests were performed by mixing SS with raw and pretreated AWs at different mixing ratios. Hydrolysis rates were estimated by the best fit obtained with the first-order kinetic model. As a result of the experimental and kinetic studies, the best strategy was determined to be thermochemical pretreatment with sodium hydroxide (NaOH). This strategy resulted in a maximum enhancement in the anaerobic digestion of AWs, a 56% increase in methane production, an 81.90% increase in the hydrolysis rate and a 79.63% decrease in the technical digestion time compared to raw AWs. On the other hand, anaerobic codigestion (AcoD) with SS was determined to be ineffective when it came to the enhancement of methane production and the hydrolysis rate. The most suitable mixing ratio was determined to be 80:20 (Aws/SS) for the AcoD of the studied AWs with SS in order to obtain the highest possible methane production without any antagonistic effect.     

Isolation of C₁₁ compounds and a cyclopropane fatty acid from an Okinawan ascidian, Diplosoma sp

Pentylphenols 1 and 2, cyclopropane fatty acid 3, and cyclopentenones 4 and 5, were isolated from an ascidian, Diplosoma sp. The structures of 1-5 were determined by spectroscopic analysis and/or synthesis. Compound 1 inhibited the division of fertilized sea urchin eggs and compound 4 showed mild cytotoxity against HCT116 cells (human colorectal cancer cell).     

Use of hydrochemistry,environmental isotopes and radon distribution for assessment of groundwater in the Cenomanian–Turonian aquifer system: a case study from the Barada River valley,Syria

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Combined techniques of hydrochemistry and environmental isotopes were used to characterize the groundwater of the Barada River valley, Syria. A...     

Synthesis and Properties of TRANSDIP,a Rigid Chelator Built upon a Cyclodextrin Cavity: Is TRANSDIP an Authentic trans‐Spanning Ligand?

The C2-symmetrical diphosphane TRANSDIP was obtained in high yield by treating 6A,6B,6D,6E-tetramesylated, permethylated alpha-cyclodextrin with PPhLi2 in excess. The double cascade cyclisation thus produced is regioselective as phosphinidene capping involves only adjacent glucose units. It is also stereospecific, as both lone pairs on the phosphorus atoms are orientated towards the cyclodextrin axis. The restricted flexibility of the phosphorus atoms, which are part of nine-membered heterocyclic rings, is responsible for JP,C spin-spin couplings with the eight-bond distant CH2OMe carbon atoms of glucose units C and F. The treatment of TRANSDIP with Group 10 metal dihalides quantitatively gave square-planar chelate complexes, in which a M--X bond points towards the centre of the cavitand. The favourable P...P separation and the directional control of the lone pairs on the phosphorus atoms rule out the possibility of forming binuclear complexes or higher oligomers. Further, in all the complexes, the phosphorus atoms are in a trans arrangement. TRANSDIP may therefore be regarded as an authentic trans-spanning diphosphane. In the complex [NiBr2TRANSDIP], the cavity provides effective protection of the encapsulated M--X bond towards nucleophilic attack by MeLi. The same complex, upon activation with methylaluminoxane, efficiently dimerises ethene and propene.     

Approaches to crystallization from ionic liquids: complex solvents-complex results, or, a strategy for controlled formation of new supramolecular architectures?

There are now more than 1200 papers a year describing research results using the 'neoteric' solvents, known as ionic liquids (ILs). If ILs are such highly studied solvents, why has there been so comparatively little research in their use in crystallization? Here we explore this question and discuss possible strategies for utilization of the mundane and the unique aspects of ILs for novel crystallization strategies including crystallization of high and low melting solids using thermal shifts; "solvothermal" techniques; slow diffusion; electrocrystallization; and use of a co-solvent. The results presented here and those appearing in the literature indicate both the complex nature of these solvents and their promise in delivering unique solvation, metal ion coordination numbers, coordination polymer motifs, and metal-anion interactions, to name but a few. These complex, but fascinating, results and the promise of much more intimate control over crystallization processes will drive a growing interest in using ILs as crystallization solvents.