Effect of group II metal cations on catecholate oxidation.

The unexpected effects of Ca(2+) on the free-radical chain reactions of dopamine, norepinephrine, isoproterenol, and pyrocatechol oxidation are studied using oxygen consumption measurements, EPR-spectroscopy, UV/VIS spectrophotometry, and by potentiometric titration. It is found that the formation of Ca(2+)-catecholate complexes is accompanied by an increase in the dissociation constants (K(ai) ) of their phenolic hydroxyls. At pH>pK(ai) and in the presence of alkaline-earth metal cations, the rate of catecholate oxidation increases (Ca(2+), Mg(2+)> Sr(2+), Ba(2+)), whereas on addition of Zn ions the rate decreases. The effects of Group II metal cations on catecholate autoxidation are concomitant with a transient increase of the EPR signal for metal-semiquinonate complexes. Therefore, the effects of Ca(2+) and other alkaline-earth metal cations on catecholate autoxidation can be defined as 1) additional deprotonation of catechol OH-groups involved in the formation of M(2+)-catecholate complexes, the latter exceeding catechols in the susceptibility to dioxygen-induced oxidation and 2) formation of relatively stable free-radical intermediates responsible for chain propagation.     

Finite size effects in tightly meshed polymer networks

Molecular dynamics computer simulations on regular, tightly meshed model networks exhibit variations of the network density with system size. We show that these variations are due mainly to network elasticity. A theoretical expression derived on the basis of the self-consistent-field approach yields finite size scaling behavior in good accord with the simulation for a wide range of thermodynamic conditions.     

Stabilising small clusters: synthesis and characterisation of thermolabile [Gd4F7(15-crown-5)4][AsF6]5.6 SO2

Addition of 15-crown-5 to [GdF(AsF6)2], both dissolved in liquid SO2, and crystallisation at -30 degrees C has led to the isolation of the tetranuclear ionic complex [Gd4F7(15-crown-5)4][AsF6]5.6 SO2 which is stable up to--10 degrees C where SO2 loss leads to loss of crystallinity.     

2-aza-2'-deoxyadenosine: synthesis, base-pairing selectivity, and stacking properties of oligonucleotides

2-Aza-2'-deoxyadenosine (2, z2Ad) is synthesized via its 1,N6-etheno derivative 7 and enzymatically deaminated to 2-aza-2'-deoxyinosine (3). Compound 2 is converted into the phosphoramidite building block 10b. This is employed in solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis. The 2-azapurine base forms a strong base pair with guanine, but a much weaker one with adenine, thymine, and cytosine. Oligonucleotide duplexes with dangling nucleotide residues, such as 2-aza-2'-deoxyadenosine and 7-deaza-2'-deoxyadenosine (4, c7Ad), either on one or both termini, are synthesized, and the thermal stability of the duplexes is correlated with the hydrophobic properties of the dangling nucleotide residues.     

Pentafluorethylschwefeltrifluorid: Synthese und Reaktionen

Pentafluorethyl Sulfurtrifluoride: Synthesis and Reactions By oxidation of (C₂F₅S?)₂ ( 1 ) with AgF₂ at 0°C a mixture of C₂F₅SF₃ ( 2 ) and C₂F₅SF₅ ( 3 ) besides C₂F₅S(O)F ( 4 ) is formed. With elemental fluorine only 3 is isolated, an intermediate in this reaction is (C₂F₅SF₄?)₂ ( 5 ). At ?40 to ?30°C the mixture of 2, 3 and 4 was reacted with TASF and AsF₅, to give TAS⁺ C₂F₅SF₄^? ( 6 ), TAS⁺ C₂F₅S(O)F₂^? ( 7 ) and C₂F₅SF₂⁺AsF₆^? ( 8 ), respectively. While 6 and 7 decompose rapidly in solution even at low temperatures, of thermally stable 8 the solid state structure was determined by x-ray diffraction.     

Bootstrap,wild bootstrap,and asymptotic normality

Summary We show for an i.i.d. sample that bootstrap estimates consistently the distribution of a linear statistic if and only if the normal approximation with estimated variance works. An asymptotic approach is used where everything may depend onn. The result is extended to the case of independent, but not necessarily identically distributed random variables. Furthermore it is shown that wild bootstrap works under the same conditions as bootstrap.This work has been supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Sonderforschungsbereich 123 Stochastische Mathematische Modelle     

Dibenzo[a,f]perylene Bisimide: Effects of Introducing Two Fused Rings

Perylene bisimides (PBIs) are fascinating dyes with various potential applications. To study the effects of introducing a dibenzo‐fused structure to the perylene moiety, π‐extended PBI derivatives with a dibenzo‐fused structure at both of the a and f bonds were synthesized. The twisted structure was characterized by X‐ray crystal structure analysis. In the cyclic voltammograms, the dibenzo[a,f]‐fused PBI showed a reversible oxidation wave at much less positive potential, relative to a dibenzo[a,o]‐fused PBI derivative. These data indicated that two ring fusions at both sides of a naphthalene moiety, which construct a tetracene core, effectively raise the HOMO level compared to fusion of one ring at each naphthalene moiety (two anthracene cores). The dibenzo[a,f]‐fused PBI derivative showed an absorption band at 735 nm with a shoulder band reaching 900 nm.     

Single‐crystalline gold microplates grown on substrates by solution‐phase synthesis

Chemically synthesized single‐crystalline gold microplates have been attracting increasing interest because of their potential as high‐quality gold films for nanotechnology. We present the growth of tens of nanometers thick and tens of micrometers large single‐crystalline gold plates directly on solid substrates by solution‐phase synthesis. Compared to microplates deposited on substrates from dispersion phase, substrate‐grown plates exhibit significantly higher quality by avoiding severe small‐particle contamination and aggregation. Substrate‐grown gold plates also open new perspectives to study the growth mechanism via step‐growth and observation cycles of a large number of individual plates. Growth models are proposed to interpret the evolution of thickness, area and shape of the plates. It is found that the plate surface remains smooth after regrowth, implying the applicability of regrowth for producing giant plates as well as unique single‐crystalline nano‐structures.