Molecular basis of carbon dioxide transport in polycarbonate membranes

Gas transport of carbon dioxide in poly[bisphenol A carbonate-co-4,4'-(3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexylidene)diphenol carbonate] films over a wide range of pressure is described. The interpretation of the experimental results in terms of the dual mode model allowed the evaluation of the parameters of the model that govern the gas permeation process. The value of the diffusion coefficient obtained for carbon dioxide at zero concentration was 2.4 x 10(-8) cm(2) s(-1), at 303 K. This parameter was also measured by using pulsed field gradient NMR finding that its value reaches a nearly constant value of (2.7 +/- 0.9) x 10(-8) cm(2) s(-1), at 298 K, for diffusion times greater than 20 ms. Both the diffusion and solubility coefficients were also computed by using simulation methods based on the transition states theory and the Widom method, respectively. The value obtained for the diffusion coefficient was 1.8 x 10(-8) cm(2) s(-1), at 303 K, which compares very favorably with the experimental measurements. The drop of the simulated solubility coefficient with increasing pressure is sharper than that of the experimental one, at low pressures, and similar, at high pressures.     

NMR diffusion spectroscopy as a measure of host-guest complex association constants and as a probe of complex size

The complexes of cyclohexylacetic acid and cholic acid with beta-cyclodextrin were studied by NMR diffusion coefficient measurements. The diffusion coefficient of the 1:1 cyclohexylacetic acid/beta-cyclodextrin complex, K(a) = 1800 +/- 100 M(-1), is slightly slower (3.23 +/- 0.07 x 10(-6) cm(2) s(-1)) than that of beta-cyclodextrin (3.29 +/- 0.07 x 10(-6) cm(2) s(-1)). The diffusion coefficient of the 1:1 cholic acid/beta-cyclodextrin complex, K(a) = 5900 +/- 800 M(-1), is significantly slower (2.93 +/- 0.07 x 10(-6) cm(2) s(-1)) than that of beta-cyclodextrin. The results indicate that caution should be exercised when studying host-guest complexation by the so-called 'single point' technique. A novel data treatment is introduced which takes into account the diffusion behavior of all of the species when determining K(a). Experimentally determined diffusion coefficients of complexes are also a useful probe of the size of host-guest complexes.     

Gibbs monolayers at the air/water interface: surface partitioning and lateral mobility of an electrochemically active surfactant

Monolayer films of a water-soluble surfactant, 4-octaneamido-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (C8-TEMPO) were investigated at the air/water interface. An electrochemical, horizontal touch method was developed to measure the equilibrium surface concentrations (gamma) of C8TEMPO. The dependence of gamma on the solution concentration followed a Langmuir isotherm and yielded the partition constant K = (2.3+/-0.2) x 10(4) M(-1). These results were verified by surface tension measurements and Brewster angle microscopy. Within experimental error, the same K values were obtained. The lateral diffusion constants vs surface concentration of this molecule were measured by 2D voltammetry. In these experiments, the component of the oxidation current due to C8TEMPO in the bulk of the solution was subtracted from the total measured current to obtain the component due to the lateral surface diffusion. In the ange of mean molecular areas from 120 to 400 A2/molecule, the lateral diffusion constant of C8TEMPO increased from 1.0 x 10(-6) to 1.0 x 10(-5) cm2/s. The latter value is about 2.5 times larger than the C8TEMPO diffusion constant in bulk water. Comparison of the lateral mobilities of C8TEMPO and two longer alkane chain, water-insoluble homologues, C14TEMPO and C18TEMPO, showed no statistically significant differences.     

Slow diffusion of macromolecular assemblies by a new pulsed field gradient NMR method

The translational diffusion coefficient of an integral membrane protein/surfactant complex has been measured using a novel pulsed field gradient NMR method. In this new approach, the information about the localization of the molecules is temporarily stored in the form of longitudinal magnetization of isotopes with long spin-lattice relaxation times. This allows one to increase the duration of the diffusion interval by about 1 order of magnitude. Unlike standard proton NMR methods using pulsed field gradients and stimulated echoes, the new method can be applied to macromolecular assemblies with diffusion coefficients well below 10(-10) m(2) s(-1), corresponding to masses in excess of 25 kDa in aqueous solution at room temperature. The method was illustrated by application to a water-soluble complex of tOmpA, the hydrophobic transmembrane domain of bacterial outer membrane protein A, with the detergent octyl-tetraoxyethylene (C(8)E(4); overall mass of complex approximately 45 kDa). The diffusion coefficient was found to be D = (4.99 +/- 0.07) x 10(-11) m(2) s(-1), consistent with measurements by size exclusion chromatography and by ultracentrifugation. The method has also been applied to a solution of recombinant human tRNA(3)(Lys), which has a molecular mass of 24 kDa, and the diffusion coefficient D = (1.05 +/- 0.015) x 10(-10) m(2) s(-1).     

Two-focus fluorescence correlation spectroscopy: a new tool for accurate and absolute diffusion measurements.

We present a new method to measure absolute diffusion coefficients at nanomolar concentrations with high precision. Based on a modified fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS)-setup, this method is improved by introducing an external ruler for measuring the diffusion time by generating two laterally shifted and overlapping laser foci at a fixed and known distance. Data fitting is facilitated by a new two-parameter model to describe the molecule detection function (MDF). We present a recorded MDF and show the excellent agreement with the fitting model. We measure the diffusion coefficient of the red fluorescent dye Atto655 under various conditions and compare these values with a value achieved by gradient pulsed field NMR (GPF NMR). From these measurements we conclude, that the new measurement scheme is robust against optical and photophysical artefacts which are inherent to standard FCS. With two-focus-FCS, the diffusion coefficient of 4.26 x 10(-6) cm2s(-1) for Atto655 in water at 25 degrees C compares well with the GPF NMR value of 4.28 x 10(-6) cm2s(-1).     

Transport of nanoscale latex spheres in a temperature gradient

We use a micrometer-scale optical beam deflection technique to measure the thermodiffusion coefficient D(T) at room temperature (approximately 24 degrees C) of dilute aqueous suspensions of charged polystyrene spheres with different surface functionalities. In solutions with large concentrations of monovalent salts, < or approximately = 100 mM, the thermodiffusion coefficients for 26 nm spheres with carboxyl functionality can be varied within the range -0.9 x 10(-7) cm2 s(-1) K(-1) < D(T) < 1.5 x 10(-7) cm2 s(-1) K(-1) by changing the ionic species in solution; in this case, D(T) is the product of the electrophoretic mobility mu(E) and the Seebeck coefficient of the electrolyte, S(e) = (Q(C)* - Q(A)*)/2eT, D(T) = -S(e) mu(E), where and are the single ion heats of transport of the cationic and anionic species, respectively. In low ionic strength solutions of LiCl, < or approximately = 5 mM, and particle concentrations < or approximately = 2 wt %, D(T) is negative, independent of particle concentration and independent of the Debye length; D(T) = -0.73 +/- 0.05 x 10(-7) cm2 s(-1) K(-1).     

Probing the molecular interaction of chymotrypsin with organophosphorus compounds by 31P diffusion NMR in aqueous solutions

In the present study, we applied for the first time (31)P diffusion NMR to resolve different species obtained by the addition of organophosphorus compounds (OP) such as diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate (DFP) or 1-pyrenebutyl phosphorodichloridate (PBPDC) to alpha-chymotrypsin (Cht). (31)P diffusion NMR was used since the products of these reactions constitute a mixture of OP-covalent conjugates of the enzyme and OP-containing hydrolysis products that have noninformative (1)H NMR spectra. It was shown that the peak, attributed to the covalent native diisopropylphosphoryl-Cht (DIP-Cht) conjugate by chemical shift considerations, has a greater diffusion coefficient (D = (0.65 +/- 0.01) x 10(-5) cm(2) s(-1)) than expected from its molecular mass (approximately 25 kDa). This peak was therefore suggested to consist of at least two superimposed signals of diisopropyl phosphoryl (DIP) pools of high and low molecular weights that happen to have the same chemical shift. This conclusion was substantiated by the use of DMSO-d(6) that separated the overlapping signals. Diffusion measurements performed on the extensively dialyzed and unfolded DIP-Cht conjugate still resulted in a high diffusion coefficient ((0.30 +/- 0.05) x 10(-5) cm(2) s(-1)) relative to the assumed molecular mass. This observation was attributed to a dynamic dealkylation at the OP moiety (i.e., aging) that occurred during the relatively long diffusion measurements, where DIP-Cht was converted to the corresponding monoisopropyl phosphoryl Cht (MIP-Cht) conjugate. Homogeneous aged forms of OP-Cht were obtained by use of DFP and heat-induced dealkylation of DIP-Cht, and by PBPDC that provided the aged form via the hydrolysis of a P-Cl bond (PBP-Cht). The thermally stable aged conjugates enabled a reliable determination of the diffusion coefficients over several days of data acquisition, and the values found were (0.052 +/- 0.002) x 10(-5) cm(2) s(-1) and (0.054 +/-0.004) x 10(-5) cm(2) s(-1) for the MIP-Cht and the PBP-Cht adducts, respectively, values in the range expected for a species with a molecular weight of 25 kDa. The advantages and limitations of (31)P diffusion NMR in corroborating the type of species that prevail in such systems are briefly discussed.     

Adsorption of acridine orange at a C8,18/water/acetonitrile interface

Fully atomistic simulations are used to characterize the molecular dynamics (MD) of acridine orange (3,6-dimethylaminoacridine) at a chromatographic interface. Multiple 1 ns MD simulations were performed for acridine orange at the interface between three different acetonitrile/water mixtures (0/100, 20/80, and 50/50) with C8 and C18 alkyl chains. The diffusion coefficient, D, of acridine orange in pure solvent was found to be 4 times smaller at the water/C18 interface (D = 0.022 x 10(-4) cm2/s) than in bulk water (D = 0.087 x 10(-4) cm2/s), in qualitative agreement with experiment. Rotational reorientation times were 20 and 700 ps, which also agree favorably with the measured time scales of 130 and 740 ps. Contrary to experiment, the simulations found that for increasing surface coverage, the diffusion coefficient for acridine decreased. Detailed analysis of the solvent structure showed that the transport properties of acridine were primarily governed by the solvent distribution above the functionalized surface. The solvent structure, in turn, was largely determined by the surface consisting of the silica layer, the alkyl chains, and their functionalization.     

Catalytic isomerization of quadricyclane using fourier transform near-infrared absorption spectroscopy: diffusion, conversion, and temperature effect

By using Fourier transform near-infrared (NIR) absorption spectroscopy, the kinetic behaviors of quadricyclane isomerization, as catalyzed by anhydrous CuSO(4) in chloroform mixture with and without agitation, are presented. Given the acquired NIR spectra, the concentration decay of quadricyclane with the reaction time is determined with the aid of partial least-squares analysis. When the mixture is not agitated, the diffusion coefficients in chloroform are evaluated to be (3.8 +/- 0.1) x 10(-5) cm(2) s(-1) at 27 degrees C and (4.4 +/- 0.1) x 10(-5) cm(2) s(-1) at 39 degrees C. In the size-dependent experiments of the catalyst, the one-site and two-site coordinated conversion rate constants are further determined to be (8.5 +/- 5.9) x 10(-6) s(-1) A(-1) and (2.2 +/- 0.8) x 10(-8) s(-1) A(-2), respectively, at 27 degrees C and (1.3 +/- 0.8) x 10(-5) s(-1) A(-1) and (1.92 +/- 0.01) x 10(-6) s(-1) A(-2), respectively, at 39 degrees C. A denotes the total catalyst surface area per unit effective volume of solvent. Accordingly, the activation energies for one-site and two-site coordination are evaluated to be 24.8 and 286.2 kJ mol(-1), respectively. The reaction is dominated by one-site coordination (1:1 complex) between the reactant and the catalyst. Unless temperature increases, the two-site coordinated reaction may be ignored. In contrast, when analogous experiments are performed in the stirred solution, the diffusion factor is ignored but the conversion rate constants rise due to the increase of collision frequency. For instance, the one-site and two-site coordinated rate constants are increased to (1.7 +/- 1.4) x 10(-5) s(-1) A(-1) and (1.27 +/- 0.06) x 10(-5) s(-1) A(-2) at 39 degrees C. The two-site coordinated reaction rate is enhanced by a factor of 10. Thus, isomerization may proceed via both 1:1 and 1:2 coordination between the reactant and the catalyst. The Arrhenius plot yields the corresponding activation energies to be 24 +/- 3 and 275 +/- 3 kJ mol(-1). The activation energies remain constant, no matter whether the solution is agitated or not.     

End-to-end diffusion on the microsecond timescale measured with resonance energy transfer from a long-lifetime rhenium metal-ligand complex

We measured the end-to-end diffusion coefficient of an alkyl chain-linked donor-acceptor pair using the time-resolved frequency-domain decay of the donor. The donor was a rhenium metal-ligand complex with a mean decay time ranging from 2.1 to 7.9 microseconds in the absence of the Texas red acceptor. The decay time was used to measure the donor-to-acceptor distance distribution and the mutual diffusion coefficient. Using this long lifetime donor, it was easily possible to determine a diffusion coefficient near 2 x 10(-8) cm2/s and diffusion coefficients as low as 1.3 x 10(-9) cm2/s were measurable. Such long lifetime donors should be valuable for measuring the flexing of peptides on the microsecond timescale, domain motions of proteins and lateral diffusion in membranes. The availability of microsecond decay time luminophores now allows luminescence spectroscopy to be useful generally for studies of microsecond dynamics of biological macromolecules.     

Mobility of Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase on a trimyristin substrate surface

We have studied the mobility of active and inactive Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase (TLL) on a spin-coated trimyristin substrate surface using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) in a confocal microscopy setup. By photobleaching a circular spot of fluorescently labeled TLL adsorbed on a smooth trimyristin surface, both the diffusion coefficient D and the mobile fraction f could be quantified. FRAP was performed on surfaces with different surface density of lipase and as a function of time after adsorption. The data showed that the mobility of TLL was significantly higher on the trimyristin substrate surfaces compared to our previous studies on hydrophobic model surfaces. For both lipase variants, the diffusion decreased to similar rates at high relative surface density of lipase, suggesting that crowding effects are dominant with higher adsorbed amount of lipase. However, the diffusion coefficient at extrapolated infinite surface dilution, D0, was higher for the active TLL compared to the inactive (D0 = 17.9 x 10(-11) cm2/s vs D0 = 4.1 x 10(-11) cm2/s, data for the first time interval after adsorption). Moreover, the diffusion decreased with time after adsorption, most evident for the active TLL. We explain the results by product inhibition, i.e., that the accumulation of negatively charged fatty acid products decreased the diffusion rate of active lipases with time. This was supported by sequential adsorption experiments, where the adsorbed amount under flow conditions was studied as a function of time after adsorption. A second injection of lipase led to a significantly lower increase in adsorbed amount when the trimyristin surface was pretreated with active TLL compared to pretreatment of inactive TLL.     

Immobilizing single lipid and channel molecules in artificial lipid bilayers with annexin A5

The effects of annexin A5 on the lateral diffusion of single-molecule lipids and single-molecule proteins were studied in an artificial lipid bilayer membrane. Annexin A5 is a member of the annexin superfamily, which binds preferentially to anionic phospholipids in a Ca2+-dependent manner. In this report, we were able to directly monitor single BODIPY 1,2-dihexadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DHPE) and ryanodine receptor type 2 (RyR2) labeled with Cy5 molecules in lipid bilayers containing phosphatidylserine (PS) by using fluorescence microscopy. The diffusion coefficients were calculated at various annexin A5 concentrations. The diffusion coefficients of BODIPY-DHPE and Cy5-RyR2 in the absence of annexin A5 were 4.81 x 10(-8) cm(2)/s and 2.13 x 10(-8) cm(2)/s, respectively. In the presence of 1 microM annexin A5, the diffusion coefficients of BODIPY-DHPE and Cy5-RyR2 were 2.2 x 10(-10) cm(2)/s and 9.5 x 10(-11) cm(2)/s, respectively. Overall, 1 microM of annexin A5 was sufficient to induce a 200-fold decrease in the lateral diffusion coefficient. Additionally, we performed electrophysiological examinations and determined that annexin A5 has little effect on the function of RyR2. This means that annexin A5 can be used to immobilize RyR2 in a lipid bilayer when imaging and analyzing RyR2.     

Scavenging of acetylperoxyl radicals and quenching of triplet diacetyl by beta-carotene: mechanisms and kinetics

Beta-carotene scavenges triplet diacetyl generated by laser flash photolysis with a second-order rate constant of 9.1+/-0.9 x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1) in deaerated benzene at 20 degrees C. In the presence of oxygen diacetyl dissociates to generate acetylperoxyl radicals. It is demonstrated that diacetyl does not dissociate to any appreciable extent in the absence of oxygen. The acetylperoxyl radical is scavenged by beta-carotene with second-order rate constant 9.2+/-0.6 x 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) in aerated benzene at 20 degrees C to give an adduct between the acetylperoxyl radical and beta-carotene, whereas no evidence of oxidation of beta-carotene by the strongly oxidizing acetylperoxyl radical to give the beta-carotene radical cation is found. This adduct decays with first-order rate constant 1.35+/-0.16 x 10(3) s(-1) to give (presumably) a beta-carotene epoxide and the acetyloxyl radical.     

Proton dynamics in lithium-ammonia solutions and expanded metals

Quasielastic neutron scattering has been used to study proton dynamics in the system lithium-ammonia at concentrations of 0, 4, 12, and 20 mole percent metal (MPM) in both the liquid and solid (expanded metal) phases. At 230 K, in the homogenous liquid state, we find that the proton self-diffusion coefficient first increases with metal concentration, from 5.6x10(-5) cm2 s(-1) in pure ammonia to 7.8x10(-5) cm2 s(-1) at 12 MPM. At higher concentrations we note a small decrease to a value of 7.0x10(-5) cm2 s(-1) at 20 MPM (saturation). These results are consistent with NMR data, and can be explained in terms of the competing influences of the electron and ion solvation. At saturation, the solution freezes to form a series of expanded metal compounds of composition Li(NH3)4. Above the melting point, at 100 K, we are able to fit our data to a jump-diffusion model, with a mean jump length (l) of 2.1 A and residence time (tau) of 3.1 ps. This model gives a diffusion coefficient of 2.3x10(-5) cm2 s(-1). In solid phase I (cubic, stable from 88.8 to 82.2 K) we find that the protons are still undergoing this jump diffusion, with l=2.0 A and tau=3.9 ps giving a diffusion coefficient of 1.8x10(-5) cm2 s(-1). Such motion gives way to purely localized rotation in solid phases IIa (from 82.2 to 69 K) and IIb (stable from 69 to 25 K). We find rotational correlation times (tau(rot)) of the order of 2.0 and 7.3 ps in phases IIa and IIb, respectively. These values can be compared with a rotational mode in solid ammonia with tau(rot) approximately 2.4 ps at 150 K.     

Spectroscopic and kinetic study of the gas-phase CH3I-Cl and C2H5I-Cl adducts

Time-resolved UV-visible absorption spectroscopy has been coupled with UV laser flash photolysis of Cl2/RI/N2/X mixtures (R = CH3 or C2H5; X = O2, NO, or NO2) to generate the RI-Cl radical adducts in the gas phase and study the spectroscopy and reaction kinetics of these species. Both adducts were found to absorb strongly over the wavelength range 310-500 nm. The spectra were very similar in wavelength dependence with lambda(max) approximately 315 nm for both adducts and sigma(max) = (3.5 +/- 1.2) x 10(-17) and (2.7 +/- 1.0) x 10(-17) cm(2) molecule(-1) (base e) for CH3I-Cl and C2H5I-Cl, respectively (uncertainties are estimates of accuracy at the 95% confidence level). Two weaker bands with lambda max approximately 350 and 420 nm were also observed. Over the wavelength range 405-500 nm, where adduct spectra are reported both in the literature and in this study, the absorption cross sections obtained in this study are a factor of approximately 4 lower than those reported previously [Enami et al. J. Phys. Chem. A 2005, 109, 1587 and 6066]. Reactions of RI-Cl with O2 were not observed, and our data suggest that upper limit rate coefficients for these reactions at 250 K are 1.0 x 10(-17) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for R = CH3 and 2.5 x 10(-17) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for R = C2H5. Their lack of reactivity with O2 suggests that RI-Cl adducts are unlikely to play a significant role in atmospheric chemistry. Possible reactions of RI-Cl with RI could not be confirmed or ruled out, although our data suggest that upper limit rate coefficients for these reactions at 250 K are 3 x 10(-13) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for R = CH3 and 5 x 10(-13) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) for R = C2H5. Rate coefficients for CH3I-Cl reactions with CH3I-Cl (k9), NO (k22), and NO2 (k24), and C2H5I-Cl reactions with C2H5I-Cl (k14), NO (k23), and NO2 (k25) were measured at 250 K. In units of 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), the rate coefficients were found to be 2k9 = 35 +/- 12, k22 = 1.8 +/- 0.4, k24 = 3.3 +/- 0.6, 2k14 = 40 +/- 16, k23 = 1.8 +/- 0.3, and k25 = 4.0 +/- 0.9, where the uncertainties are estimates of accuracy at the 95% confidence level.     

Nitrogen-14 NMR Study on Solvent Exchange of the Octahedral Cobalt(II) Ion in Neat 1,3-Propanediamine and n-Propylamine at Various Temperatures and Pressures. Tetrahedral-Octahedral Equilibrium of the Solvated Cobalt(II) Ion in n-Propylamine As Studied by EXAFS and Electronic Absorption Spectroscopy

Solvated cobalt(II) ions in neat 1,3-propanediamine (tn) and n-propylamine (pa) have been characterized by electronic absorption spectroscopy and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. The equilibrium between tetrahedral and octahedral geometry for cobalt(II) ion has been observed in a neat pa solution, but not in neat diamine solutions such as tn and ethylenediamine (en). The thermodynamic parameters and equilibrium constant at 298 K for the geometrical equilibrium in pa were determined to be DeltaH degrees = -36.1 +/- 2.3 kJ mol(-1), DeltaS degrees = -163 +/- 8 J mol(-1) K(-1), and K(298) = 6.0 x 10(-3) M(-2), where K = [Co(pa)(6)(2+)]/{[Co(pa)(4)(2+)][pa](2)}. The equilibrium is caused by the large entropy gain in formation of the tetrahedral cobalt(II) species. The solvent exchange of cobalt(II) ion with octahedral geometry in tn and pa solutions has been studied by the (14)N NMR line-broadening method. The activation parameters and rate constants at 298 K for the solvent exchange reactions are as follows: DeltaH() = 49.3 +/- 0.9 kJ mol(-1), DeltaS() = 25 +/- 3 J mol(-1) K(-1), DeltaV() = 6.6 +/- 0.3 cm(3) mol(-1) at 302.1 K, and k(298) = 2.9 x 10(5) s(-1) for the tn exchange, and DeltaH() = 36.2 +/- 1.2 kJ mol(-1), DeltaS() = 35 +/- 6 J mol(-1) K(-1), and k(298) = 2.0 x 10(8) s(-1) for the pa exchange. By comparison of the activation parameters with those for the en exchange of cobalt(II) ion, it has been confirmed that the kinetic chelate strain effect is attributed to the large activation enthalpy for the bidentate chelate opening and that the enthalpic effect is smaller in the case of the six-membered tn chelate compared with the five-membered en chelate.     

Viscosity of the aqueous liquid/vapor interfacial region: 2D electrochemical measurements with a piperidine nitroxy radical probe

Surface partitioning of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidynyloxy radical (Tempo) to the air/water interface follows a Langmuir isotherm. The partition constant was obtained by the surface tension measurements in the concentration range of 1.0 x 10(-4)-2.4 x 10(-3) M yielding K = 640 +/- 99 M(-1). The lateral mobility of Tempo at the air/water interface was measured electrochemically in the surface concentration range of 2.0 x 10(-11)-1.4 x 10(-10) mol/cm2, corresponding to ca. 7.3-50% full monolayer coverage. The measurements employed cyclic voltammetry with line microelectrodes touching the air/water interface. The Tempo lateral diffusion constant of (1.5 +/- 0.7) x 10(-4) cm2/s is independent of surface concentration below 4.0 x 10(-11) mol/cm2. The extent of Tempo water interactions was assessed by the electronic structure calculations. These calculations showed that, at most, two water molecules can hydrogen bond with the oxygen atom of the nitroxyl group of Tempo, and that a single water molecule forms a hydrogen bond that is ca. 30% stronger than the H2O-H2O hydrogen bond. These calculations led to a postulate that Tempo diffuses along the interface largely unimmersed, and that it is coupled to the interfacial water via hydrogen bonding with H2O. In view of this postulate, the viscosity of the aqueous liquid/vapor interfacial region obtained by interpreting the Tempo diffusion constant in the low concentration region is as much as 4 times smaller than that of bulk liquid water.     

Self-assembly of solid-supported membranes using a triggered fusion of phospholipid-enriched proteoliposomes prepared from the inner mitochondrial membrane

A general procedure for the formation ofsolid-supported artificial membranes containing transmembrane proteins is reported. The main objective was to directly use the pool of proteins of the native biomembrane (here the inner membrane from mitochondria of human carcinogenic hepatic cells) and to avoid purification steps with detergent. Proteoliposomes of phospholipid-enriched inner membranes from mitochondria were tethered and fused onto a tailored surface via a streptavidin link. The failure of some preliminary experiments on membrane formation was attributed to strong nonspecific interactions between the solid surface and the protuberant hydrophilic parts of the transmembrane complexes. The correct loading of uniform membranes was performed after optimization of a tailored surface, covered with a grafted short-chain poly(ethylene glycol), so that nonspecific interactions are reduced. Step-by-step assembly of the structure and triggered fusion of the immobilized proteoliposomes were monitored by surface plasmon resonance and fluorescence photobleaching recovery, respectively. The long-range lateral diffusion coefficient (at 22 degrees C) for a fluorescent lipid varies from 2.5 x 10(-8) cm2 s(-1) for a tethered lipid bilayer without protein to 10(-9) cm2 s(-1) for a tethered membrane containing the transmembrane proteins of the respiratory chain at a protein area fraction of about 15%. The decrease in the diffusion coefficient in the tethered membrane with increase in protein area fraction was too pronounced to be fully explained by the theoretical models of obstructed lateral diffusion. Covalent tethering links with the solid are certainly involved in the decrease of the overall lateral mobility of the components in the supported membrane at the highest protein-to-lipid ratios.     

Reaction of HO with hydroxyacetone (HOCH2C(O)CH3): rate coefficients (233-363 K) and mechanism

Absolute rate coefficients for the title reaction, HO + HOCH(2)C(O)CH(3)--> products (R1) were measured over the temperature range 233-363 K using the technique of pulsed laser photolytic generation of the HO radical coupled to detection by pulsed laser induced fluorescence. The rate coefficient displays a slight negative temperature dependence, which is described by: k(1)(233-363 K) = (2.15 +/- 0.30) x 10(-12) exp{(305 +/- 10)/T} cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), with a value of (5.95 +/- 0.50) x 10(-12) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) at room temperature. The effects of the hydroxy-substituent and hydrogen bonding on the rate coefficient are discussed based on theoretical calculations. The present results, which extend the database on the title reaction to a range of temperatures, indicate that R1 is the dominant loss process for hydroxyacetone throughout the troposphere, resulting in formation of methylglyoxal at all atmospheric temperatures. As part of this work, the rate coefficient for reaction of O((3)P) with HOCH(2)C(O)CH(3) (R4) was measured at 358 K: k(4)(358 K) = (6.4 +/- 1.0) x 10(-14) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) and the absorption cross section of HOCH(2)C(O)CH(3) at 184.9 nm was determined to be (5.4 +/- 0.1) x 10(-18) cm(2) molecule(-1).     

Thermodynamic and kinetic studies on the reaction between the vitamin B12 derivative beta-(N-methylimidazolyl)cobalamin and N-methylimidazole: ligand displacement at the alpha axial site of cobalamins

The equilibria and kinetics of substitution of the 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole at the alpha site of beta-(N-methylimidazolyl)cobalamin by N-methylimidazole have been investigated, and the product, bis(N-methylimidazolyl)cobalamin, has been characterized by visible and 1H NMR spectroscopies. The equilibrium constant for (N-MeIm)Cbl+ + N-MeIm right harpoon over left harpoon (N-MeIm)2Cbl+ was determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy (9.6 +/- 0.1 M(-1), 25.0 degrees C, I = 1.5 M (NaClO4)). The observed rate constant for this reaction exhibits an unusual inverse dependence on N-methylimidazole concentration, and it is proposed that substitution occurs via a base-off solvent-bound intermediate. Activation parameters typical for a dissociative ligand substitution mechanism are reported at two different N-MeImT concentrations, 5.00 x 10(-3) M (DeltaH++ = 99 +/- 2 kJ x mol(-1), DeltaS++ = 39 +/- 5 J x mol(-1) x K(-1), DeltaV++ = 15.0 +/- 0.7 cm3 x mol(-1), and 1.00 M (DeltaH++ = 109.4 +/- 0.8 kJ x mol(-1), DeltaS++ = 70 +/- 3 J x mol(-1) x K(-1), DeltaV++ = 16.8 +/- 1.1 cm3 x mol(-1)). According to the proposed mechanism, these parameters correspond to the equation of (N-MeIm)2Cbl+ and the ring-opening reaction of the alpha-DMBI of (N-MeIm)Cbl+ to give the solvent-bound intermediate in both cases, respectively.