Retention characteristics and practical applications of carbon sorbents

Reversed-phase separations provides a versatile technique in high-performance liquid chromatography. Porous graphitized carbon (PGC) support shows unique retention characteristics. Separations on PGC columns use typical reversed-phase eluents (water and organic modifiers miscible with water), however, the retention order of solutes generally does not follow their hydrophobicity order. Molecular hydrophobicity influences but not determines the elution order of any set of solutes. The properties of these supports, mechanisms of retention and application are discussed, along with correlations which can guide the choice of solvent combinations for typical separations.     

Complexation of nitrostyrenes with soluble β-cyclodextrin polymer studied by reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography

Cyclodextrin complexation decreases the apparent lipophilicity of hydrophobic guest molecules. A higher complex stability results in a larger decrease of lipophilicity as determined by reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography. The method was applied to study the complex formation of 33 nitrostyrene derivatives with a water soluble cross linked -cyclodextrin polymer (weight average molecular weight: 4300). The substituents in thepara position of the benzene ring had a higher impact on the complex stability than those in themeta andortho positions. The substituents on the alkyl side chain influenced the complex stability to the same extent as those on the benzen ring.     

Solvent effects in the synthesis process of tin oxide

Water is the most frequently used solvent in the chemical synthesis of inorganic materials where hydrolysis and condensation are the main reactions. In this work, we synthesized tin oxide nanoparticles using ethanol or acetic acid as a solvent by the controlled precipitation method. The main physicochemical phenomena that take place during the synthesis process and the possible reactions that led to the formation of the particles in the solution are described. The ceramic powder obtained was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis, infrared (IR) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Interestingly, Romarchite SnO was the main crystalline phase obtained when acetic acid was used as solvent.     

Partnering a Three-Coordinate Gallium Cation with a Hydroborate Counter-Ion for the Catalytic Hydrosilylation of CO2

A novel β-diketiminate stabilized gallium hydride, (^DippL)Ga(Ad)H (where ( ^Dipp L)={HC(MeCDippN)₂}, Dipp=2,6-diisopropylphenyl and Ad=1-adamantyl), has been synthesized and shown to undergo insertion of carbon dioxide into the Ga−H bond under mild conditions. In this case, treatment of the resulting κ¹-formate complex with triethylsilane does not lead to regeneration of the hydride precursor. However, when combined with B(C₆F₅)₃, (^DippL)Ga(Ad)H catalyses the reductive hydrosilylation of CO₂. Under stoichiometric conditions, the addition of one equivalent of B(C₆F₅)₃ to (^DippL)Ga(Ad)H leads to the formation of a 3-coordinate cationic gallane complex, partnered with a hydroborate anion, [(^DippL)Ga(Ad)][HB(C₆F₅)₃]. This complex rapidly hydrometallates carbon dioxide and catalyses the selective reduction of CO₂ to the formaldehyde oxidation level at 60 °C in the presence of Et₃SiH (yielding H₂C(OSiEt₃)₂). When catalysis is undertaken in the presence of excess B(C₆F₅)₃, appreciable enhancement of activity is observed, with a corresponding reduction in selectivity: the product distribution includes H₂C(OSiEt₃)₂, CH₄ and O(SiEt₃)₂. While this system represents proof-of-concept in CO₂ hydrosilylation by a gallium hydride system, the TOF values obtained are relatively modest (max. 10 h⁻¹). This is attributed to the strength of binding of the formatoborate anion to the gallium centre in the catalytic intermediate (^DippL)Ga(Ad){OC(H)OB(C₆F₅)₃}, and the correspondingly slow rate of the turnover-limiting hydrosilylation step. In turn, this strength of binding can be related to the relatively high Lewis acidity measured for the [(^DippL)Ga(Ad)]⁺ cation (AN=69.8).     

Self-Assembled Binaphthyl-Bridged Amphiphilic AABB Phthalocyanines: Nanostructures for Efficient Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy

Herein, the photodynamic activity of phthalocyanine (pc)-assembled nanoparticles against bacterial strains is demonstrated. The photosensitizers (PS) studied in this work are two chiral Zn^IIPcs ( PS-1 and PS-2 ), with an AABB geometry (where A and B refer to differently substituted isoindole constituents). They contain differently functionalized, chiral binaphthyloxy-linked A isoindole units, which determine the hydrophobicity of the system, and cationic methyl pyridinium moieties in the other two isoindoles to embody hydrophilicity. Both compounds have the ability to self-assemble into nanoparticles in aqueous media and have proved efficient in the photo-inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, selected as models of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The average size of the nanoparticles was determined by substitution at the binaphthyl core and, in turn, influences the toxicity of the PS. Thus, PS-1 , presenting a nonsubstituted binaphthyl core, forms larger nanoparticles with a larger cationic surface than the octyl-functionalized PS-2 . Although both PSs present similar structure and photophysical features, the self-assembled nanostructures of PS-1 are more effective at killing both types of strain, showing an outstanding photo-inactivation capacity with the Gram-negative E. coli.     

Binding Models of Copper(II) Thiosemicarbazone Complexes with Human Serum Albumin: A Speciation Study

Copper(II) complexes of thiosemicarbazones (TSCs) often exhibit anticancer properties, and their pharmacokinetic behavior can be affected by their interaction with blood transport proteins. Interaction of copper(II) complexes of an {N,N,S} donor α-N-pyridyl TSC (Triapine) and an {O,N,S} donor 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde TSC (STSC) with human serum albumin (HSA) was investigated by UV–visible and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy at physiological pH. Asp-Ala-His-Lys and the monodentate N-methylimidazole were also applied as binding models. Conditional formation constants were determined for the ternary copper(II)-TSC complexes formed with HSA, DAHK, and N-methylimidazole based on the spectral changes of both charge transfer and d-d bands. The neutral N-methylimidazole displays a similar binding affinity to both TSC complexes. The partially negatively charged tetrapeptide binds stronger to the positively charged Triapine complex in comparison to the neutral STSC complex, while the opposite trend was observed for HSA, which demonstrates the limitations of the use of simple ligands to model the protein binding. The studied TSC complexes are able to bind to HSA in a fast process, and the conditional constants suggest that their binding strength is only weak-to-moderate.