Matrix polyelectrolyte microcapsules: new system for macromolecule encapsulation

A new approach to fabricate polyelectrolyte microcapsules is based on exploiting porous inorganic microparticles of calcium carbonate. Porous CaCO3 microparticles (4.5-5.0 microns) were synthesized and characterized by scanning electron microscopy and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method of nitrogen adsorption/desorption to get a surface area of 8.8 m2/g and an average pore size of 35 nm. These particles were used as templates for polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer assembly of two oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, poly(styrene sulfonate) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride). Calcium carbonate core dissolution resulted in formation ofpolyelectrolyte microcapsules with an internal matrix consisting of a polyelectrolyte complex. Microcapsules with an internal matrix were analyzed by confocal Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, force microscopy, and confocal laser-scanning fluorescence microscopy. The structure was found to be dependent on a number of polyelectrolyte adsorption treatments. Capsules have a very high loading capacity for macromolecules, which can be incorporated into the capsules by capturing them from the surrounding medium into the capsules. In this paper, we investigated the loading by dextran and bovine serum albumin as macromolecules. The amount of entrapped macromolecules was determined by two independent methods and found to be up to 15 pg per microcapsule.     

Strukturen neuer SeII- und TeII-Komplexe mit 2,2-Dicyanethylen-1,1-dithiolat, 2,2-Dicyanethylen-1,1-thioselenolat und 2,2-Dicyanethylen-1,1-diselenolat

Structures of New Se^II and Te^II Complexes Containing 2,2-Dicyanethylene-1,1-dithiolate, 2,2-Dicyanethylene-1,1-thioselenolate, and 2,2-Dicyanethylene-1,1-diselenolate (NBu₄)₂{Se[S₂C?C(CN)₂]₂} ( I ), (AsPh₄)₂ · {Te[SSeC?C(CN)₂]₂} ( II ), and (NBu₄)₂{Te[Se₂C?C(CN)₂]₂} ( III ) containing the bidentate chelate ligands 2,2-dicyanethylene-1,1-dithiolate i-mnt , 2,2-dicyanethylene-1,1-thioselenolate i-mnts , and 2,2-dicyanethylene-1,1-diselenolate i-mns have been prepared and characterized by X-ray structure analysis. The central units consist of [M(X? X)₂E₂]^2? (M = Se, Te; X? X = ligand; E = lone-pair) with fourfold coordinated Se^II and Te^II, respectively. The complex anions [Se(i-mnt)₂E₂]^2? as well as [Te(i-mnts)₂E₂]^2? show a trapezoide distortion with d(Se? S) = 2.276(5); 2.287(5); 2.803(5); 2.789(5) Å and d(Te? Se) = 2.611(2); 2.617(3); d(Te? S) = 2.889(5); 2.935(4) Å. In III there are centrosymmetric complex anions [Te(i-mns)₂E₂]^2? with nearly identical Te? Se-bond-lengths: 2.674(3) and 2.692(2) Å. These Te? Se bonds are elongated compared to usual Te? Se bonds.     

Synthese und Molekülstrukturen von N‐substituierten Diethylgallium‐2‐pyridylmethylamiden

Synthesis and Molekular Structures of N‐substituted Diethylgallium‐2‐pyridylmethylamides (2‐Pyridylmethyl)(tert‐butyldimethylsilyl)amine ( 1a ) and (2‐pyridylmethyl)‐di(tert‐butyl)silylamine ( 1b ) form with triethylgallane the corresponding red adducts 2a and 2b via an additional nitrogen‐gallium bond. These oily compounds decompose during distillation. Heating under reflux in toluene leads to the elimination of ethane and the formation of the red oils of [(2‐pyridylmethyl)(tert‐butyldimethylsilyl)amido]diethylgallane ( 3a ) and [(2‐pyridylmethyl)‐di(tert‐butyl)silylamido]diethylgallane ( 3b ). In order to investigate the thermal stability solvent‐free 3a is heated up to 400 °C. The elimination of ethane is observed again and the C‐C coupling product N, N′‐Bis(diethylgallyl)‐1, 2‐dipyridyl‐1, 2‐bis(tert‐butyldimethylsilyl)amido]ethan ( 4 ) is found in the residue. Substitution of the silyl substituents by another 2‐pyridylmethyl group and the reaction of this bis(2‐pyridylmethyl)amine with GaEt₃ yield triethylgallane‐diethylgallium‐bis(2‐pyridylmethyl)amide ( 5 ). The metalation product adds immediately another equivalent of triethylgallane regardless of the stoichiometry. The reaction of GaEt₃ with 2‐pyridylmethanol gives quantitatively colorless 2‐pyridylmethanolato diethylgallane ( 6 ).     

Kinetics and mechanism of the Co(II)-assisted oxidation of thioureas by dioxygen

Catalytic oxidation of N,N'-dimethylthiourea and thiourea by dioxygen in water using a new cobalt(II) complex of octasulfophenyltetrapyrazinoporphyrazine was performed under mild conditions. The reaction is shown to include the formation of an intermediate anionic five-coordinate complex followed by an unusual two-electron oxidation to produce the corresponding urea and elemental sulfur (S8). Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters for the different reaction steps of the process were determined. Drastic differences in catalytic activity of cobalt and iron octasulfophenyltetrapyrazinoporphyrazines were observed.     

Aqueous dispersions of single-wall and multiwall carbon nanotubes with designed amphiphilic polycations

Poor solubility of single-walled and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (NTs) in water and organic solvents presents a considerable challenge for their purification and applications. Macromolecules can be convenient solubilizing agents for NTs and a structural element of composite materials for them. Several block copolymers with different chemical functionalities of the side groups were tested for the preparation of aqueous NT dispersions. Poly(N-cetyl-4-vinylpyridinium bromide-co-N-ethyl-4-vinylpyridinium bromide-co-4-vinylpyridine) was found to form exceptionally stable NT dispersions. It is suggested that the efficiency of macromolecular dispersion agents for NT solubilization correlates with the topological and electronic similarity of polymer-NT and NT-NT interactions in the nanotube bundles. Raman spectroscopy and atomic force and transmission electron microcopies data indicate that the polycations are wrapped around NTs forming a uniform coating 1.0-1.5 nm thick. The ability to wind around the NT originates in the hydrophobic attraction of the polymer backbone to the graphene surface and topological matching. Tetraalkylammonium functional groups in the side chains of the macromolecule create a cloud of positive charge around NTs, which makes them hydrophilic. The prepared dispersions could facilitate the processing of the nanotubes into composites with high nanotube loading for electronic materials and sensing. Positive charge on their surface is particularly important for biological and biomedical applications because it strengthens interactions with negatively charged cell membranes. A high degree of spontaneous bundle separation afforded by the polymer coating can also be beneficial for NT sorting.     

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.     

Importance of micellar kinetics in relation to technological processes

The association of many classes of surface-active molecules into micellar aggregates is a well-known phenomenon. Micelles are in dynamic equilibrium, constantly disintegrating and reforming. This relaxation process is characterized by the slow micellar relaxation time constant, tau(2), which is directly related to the micellar stability. Theories of the kinetics of micelle formation and disintegration have been discussed to identify the gaps in our complete understanding of this kinetic process. The micellar stability of sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles has been shown to significantly influence technological processes involving a rapid increase in interfacial area, such as foaming, wetting, emulsification, solubilization, and detergency. First, the available monomers adsorb onto the freshly created interface. Then, additional monomers must be provided by the breakup of micelles. Especially when the free monomer concentration is low, which is the case for many nonionic surfactant solutions, the micellar breakup time is a rate-limiting step in the supply of monomers. The Center for Surface Science & Engineering at the University of Florida has developed methods using stopped flow and pressure jump with optical detection to determine the slow relaxation time of micelles of nonionic surfactants. The results showed that the ionic surfactants such as SDS exhibit slow relaxation times in the range from milliseconds to seconds, whereas nonionic surfactants exhibit slow relaxation times in the range from seconds (for Triton X-100) to minutes (for polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers). The slow relaxation times are much longer for nonionic surfactants than for ionic surfactants, because of the absence of ionic repulsion between the head groups. The observed relaxation times showed a direct correlation with dynamic surface tension and foaming experiments. In conclusion, relaxation time data of surfactant solutions correlate with the dynamic properties of the micellar solutions. Moreover, the results suggest that appropriate micelles with specific stability or tau(2) can be designed by controlling the surfactant structure, concentration, and physicochemical conditions (e.g., salt concentration, temperature, and pressure). One can also tailor micelles by mixing anionic/cationic or ionic/nonionic surfactants for a desired stability to control various technological processes.     

Neurosteroid analogues: synthesis of 6-aza-allopregnanolone

An efficient synthesis of 6-azapregnane derivatives and their biological activity is described. The nitrogen was introduced into the B ring using Beckmann rearrangement of the (E)-oxime of 6-oxo-B-nor-5α-pregnane derivatives. The required 3α-hydroxyl was produced either by solvolysis of the corresponding 3β-mesyloxy group or by the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reduction of the 3-oxo group; this reduction could be carried out selectively with an unprotected 3,20-dioxo derivative. The binding of the 6-aza-steroids to the γ-aminobutyric acid receptor (GABA_A) was measured using [³⁵S]-tert-butyl-bicyclo[2.2.2]phosphorothionate (TBPS) and [³H]flunitrazepam. The only analogue to be slightly active was that lacking any oxygen function in position 3.     

Electrochemical and spectral studies on the reductive nitrosylation of water-soluble iron porphyrin

The reaction of iron(III) (meso-tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin (Fe(III)TMPyP) with nitric oxide (NO) was studied by electronic absorption spectroscopy, ESR, and electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical techniques in aqueous solutions with pH from 2.2 to 12.0. Fe(III)TMPyP has been found to undergo a reductive nitrosylation in all pHs, and the product of nitric oxide binding to the porphyrin has been determined as iron(II) porphyrin nitrosyl complex ([Fe(II)(NO)TMPyP]). The rate of the reductive nitrosylation exhibits a tendency to get faster with increase in pH. An intermediate species was observed around neutral pH by spectroelectrochemical technique and was proposed to be the iron(II) nitrosyl complex of the mu-oxo dimeric form of FeTMPyP, which is known to be a predominant in neutral solutions.