Synthesis and photophysical properties of meso-substituted bisporphyrins: comparative study of phosphorescence quenching for dioxygen sensing

The 4,6-bis(10-mesityl-5,15-di-p-tolylporpyrinyl)dibenzothiophene (H4DPSN) free base was obtained in five steps from commercially available materials. The metalation of DPSN2- with zinc(II), copper(II), and palladium(II) led to three new homobimetallic systems, (Zn)2DPSN, (Cu)2DPSN, and (Pd)2DPSN, respectively. The cofacial structures of these molecules offer the possibility of having dioxygen molecules inside the cavity for a period of time, allowing dynamic (collisional) phosphorescence quenching to be more efficient. The bimolecular excited-state deactivation rate constant for deactivation by dioxygen (kQ: (Pd)2DPB, 2.98x10(9); (Pd)2DPSN, 3.99x10(9); (Pd)2DPX, 6.94x10(9); (Pd)TPP, 8.95x10(9); (Pd)2DPS, 8.95x10(9) M-1 s-1) of (Pd)2DPSN, which exhibits an intense phosphorescence at 699 nm, was compared to those observed for (Pd)TPP, (Pd)2DPS, (Pd)2DPX, and (Pd)2DPB (TPP2-=tetraphenylporphyrin dianion, DPS4-=4,6-bis[5-(2,8,13,17-tetraethyl-3,7,12,18-tetramethylporphyrinyl)]dibenzothiophene tetraanion, DPX4-=4,5-bis[5-(2,8,13,17-tetraethyl-3,7,12,18-tetramethylporphyrinyl)]-9,9-dimethylxanthene tetraanion, and DPB4-=1,8-bis[5-(2,8,13,17-tetraethyl-3,7,12,18-tetramethylporphyrinyl)]biphenylene tetraanion). These collision-induced deactivation data were interpreted by estimating a series of physical parameters such as the surface area and bisporphyrin radii, the diffusion coefficient of the bismacrocycles, and the theoretical deactivation efficiency for the five compounds addressing the role of steric hindrance of the macrocycles on each other and the aryl groups at the meso positions. For sensing purposes, (Pd)2DPX is characterized by a Stern-Volmer constant kSV of 2.91x10(6) M-1, placing the lower detection limit for [O2] in solution at 0.58 ppm, which is better than that for (Pd)TPP (kSV=2.31x10(6) M-1; lower detection limit of 0.73 ppm), the classically used monoporphyrin complex.     

Charge calculations in molecular mechanics. Part 8 Partial atomic charges from classical calculations

Summary The CHARGE2 programme, which involves the classical calculation of both the inductive and resonance contributions to the partial atomic charges in molecules is described, and the charges and electrostatic potentials obtained presented for some illustrative examples.In substituted methanes (CH₃X, CF₃X, CCl₃X) the effects of varying the electronegativity of the substituents and the - and -substituent contributions are clearly illustrated for a variety of substituent groups X.The problems involved in the inclusion of silicon into this scheme are detailed, together with the methods of overcoming them. The partial atomic charges ( and contributions) and electrostatic potentials for some silicon oxygen compounds are presented and discussed.The partial atomic charges from CHARGE2 for all the natural amino acids as their N-acetyl, N-methyl-amides are given and compared with those obtained from the AMBER and ECEPP/2 force fields. Considerable differences in these figures are observed, with the AMBER charges consistently much larger than those from the other two methods.The CHARGE2 partial atomic charges and electrostatic potentials for the four common nucleic acids, adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine, are given and compared with those derived from other calculations. Again there is general similarity but also there are considerable differences, with those from the AMBER force field somewhat larger than the other methods.For previous parts in this series, see Refs. 1-7.     

Kinetics of the enzymatic saccharification of pretreated tapioca waste (Manihot esculenta) and water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

Studies were carried out on saccharification of pretreated tapioca waste and water hyacinth under two different conditions: using microbial enzymes (cellulase fromMyrothecium verrucaria, Coprinus comatus,Pleurotus florida, andCellulomonas sp.) and solid-state fermentation. The rate of saccharification was determined at different temperatures, pH, substrate concentration, and incubation period. It was found that as the source of the enzyme varies, the optimal temperature and pH for the saccharification varies. Among the two different treatments, enzymatic saccharification was found to be the most efficient. Among the various cellulase sources tested, M.verrucaria cellulase was found to be the most efficient one followed byC. comatus, P. florida, and finallyCellulomonas sp.     

Solvent dependent dimercaptothiadiazole monolayers on gold electrode for the simultaneous determination of uric acid and ascorbic acid

Dimercaptothiadiazole compound, 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole (DMcT) forms ‘thin’ monolayers on Au electrode when it was adsorbed from methanol, ethanol or DMSO solutions while it forms ‘thick’ layers on Au electrode from an aqueous solution under identical experimental conditions. Thick DMcT layers formed from aqueous solution effectively blocks the redox reaction of couple in contrast to thin DMcT monolayers. The monolayer thickness did not vary when structurally related DMcT compounds, 5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-thiol or 5-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-thiol was adsorbed from aqueous and non-aqueous solutions. This indicates that the presence of two thiol groups in DMcT plays a crucial role in the formation of thick and thin DMcT layers on Au electrode when it was adsorbed from aqueous and non-aqueous solutions. Methanol, ethanol, or DMSO solution of DMcT is considered as strong acid because these solvents are able to deprotonate DMcT into DMcT⁻ and thus thin monolayers formed on Au electrode. The deprotonating ability of these solvents was further verified from the observed absorption spectrum characteristic of DMcT⁻ species. On the other hand, an aqueous solution of DMcT is less acidic due to weak deprotonation of DMcT by water and thus DMcT forms thick layer on Au electrode. Interestingly, thin DMcT monolayers formed from non-aqueous solvents separates the voltammetric signals of uric acid and ascorbic acid while thick DMcT layers formed from aqueous solution fails to separate them.     

SYNTHESIS OF POSITIVELY CHARGED PHTHALOCYANINES and THEIR ACTIVITY IN THE PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY OF CANCER CELLS

Positively charged zinc containing or metal free phthalocyanines 6a-c and 7a-c were prepared via a three step procedure starting from 4-nitrophthalonitrile. The phthalocyanines contain alkyl chains of different length in order to influence the hydrophilic vs lipophilic character of the compounds. The partition between a hydrophilic (water) and lipophilic (octanol-1) phase was determined, and the photoredox activities were investigated. Initial results on the photodynamic activity of these compounds were compared with those of Dougherty's Photofrin II on different malignant and non-malignant cell lines (XP 29MAmal, CX1, HeLa, S180 and NO17). Positively charged phthalocyanines in vitro showed a higher photodynamic activity than Photofrin II.