Lost heat capacity and entropy in the helical magnet MnSi

The heat capacity of MnSi at B = 0 and B = 4 T was measured in the temperature range 2.5-100 K. To analyze the data, calculations of the phonon spectrum and phonon density of states in MnSi were performed. The calculated phonon frequencies were confirmed by means of inelastic neutron scattering. The analysis of the data suggests the existence of negative contributions to the heat capacity and entropy of MnSi at T > T(c) that may imply a specific ordering in the spin subsystem in the paramagnetic phase of MnSi.     

Raman Structural Study of Copolymers of Propylene with Ethylene and High Olefins

Nascent form of random copolymers of propylene with ethylene, 1-butene, 1-hexene, 1-octene, and 4-methyl-1-pentene was studied by Raman spectroscopy. The most significant spectral alterations with a change in propylene content were observed in two lines at 809 and 841 cm⁻¹. The first line corresponds to vibrations of polypropylene helical chains in the crystalline phase, while the second one is associated with vibrations of polypropylene helical chains having isomeric defects. Raman data confirm that conformational composition and phase state of copolymer macromolecules strongly depend on the comonomer content as well as on the size of the comonomer units.     

Sulfanyl chloride induced heterocyclization of N-(pyrazolyl)styrylacetamides

Heterocyclization of N-(pyrazol-3-yl)styrylacetamides with arenesulfenyl chlorides yields the corresponding tetrahydrofuran-2-iminium perchlorates isolable after chromatography as trans-5-aryl-4-(arylthio)tetrahydrofuran-2-ones and 5-aryl-4-(arylthio)-1-(pyrazol-3-yl)pyrrolidin-2-ones, with the latter predominating. N-(Pyrazol-4-yl)styrylacetamides react under analogous conditions to give 5-aryl-4-(arylthio)-1-(pyrazol-4-yl)pyrrolidin-2-ones, 4-aryl-3-(arylthio)-4-chloro-N-(1-methylpyrazol-4-yl)butanamides, and tetrahydrofuran-2-iminium perchlorates which, when chromatographed, produce 5-aryl-4-(arylthio)dihydrofuran-2(3H)-ones and 4-aryl-3-(arylthio)-4-methoxy-N-(1-methyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)butanamides.     

Chemistry of Lipid A: At the Heart of Innate Immunity

In many Gram‐negative bacteria, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and its lipid A moiety are pivotal for bacterial survival. Depending on its structure, lipid A carries the toxic properties of the LPS and acts as a potent elicitor of the host innate immune system via the Toll‐like receptor 4/myeloid differentiation factor 2 (TLR4/MD‐2) receptor complex. It often causes a wide variety of biological effects ranging from a remarkable enhancement of the resistance to the infection to an uncontrolled and massive immune response resulting in sepsis and septic shock. Since the bioactivity of lipid A is strongly influenced by its primary structure, a broad range of chemical syntheses of lipid A derivatives have made an enormous contribution to the characterization of lipid A bioactivity, providing novel pharmacological targets for the development of new biomedical therapies. Here, we describe and discuss the chemical aspects regarding lipid A and its role in innate immunity, from the (bio)synthesis, isolation and characterization to the molecular recognition at the atomic level.     

Quasi-SMILES: quantitative structure–activity relationships to predict anticancer activity

Molecular Diversity - Reliable prediction of anticancer potential of different substances for different cells using unambiguous algorithms is attractive alternative of experimental investigation of...     

Periodic subgroups of projective linear groups in positive characteristic

We classify the maximal irreducible periodic subgroups of PGL(q, ), where is a field of positive characteristic p transcendental over its prime subfield, q = p is prime, and ^× has an element of order q. That is, we construct a list of irreducible subgroups G of GL(q, ) containing the centre ^×1 _q of GL(q, ), such that G/ ^×1 _q is a maximal periodic subgroup of PGL(q, ), and if H is another group of this kind then H is GL(q, )-conjugate to a group in the list. We give criteria for determining when two listed groups are conjugate, and show that a maximal irreducible periodic subgroup of PGL(q, ) is self-normalising.      

Influence of arm length and number on star-shaped poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline) aggregation in aqueous solutions near cloud point

Four-arm star-shaped poly(2-isopropyl-2-oxazolines) (PiPrOx₄) are synthesized by cationic polymerization on t-butylcalix[4]arene macroinitiator. The obtained samples differ by polymerization degree of arms N_PiPrOx = 9 and 25 and are characterized in chloroform. The behavior in aqueous solutions is studied by light scattering methods and compared with the results of investigation of eight-arm star with similar structure. Three types of particles are observed in solution of short-arm PiPrOx₄ at room temperature, whereas only two particle types are present in long-arm star solution. Arm shortening leads to widening of the phase transition interval. The arm number decreasing reduces the phase transition temperature by 1°C.     

Formation of mesoscopic water networks in aqueous systems

Formation of the macroscopically-infinite hydrogen-bonded water network in various aqueous systems occurs via 3D percolation transition when the probability of finding a spanning water cluster exceeds 95%. As a result, in a wide interval of water content below the percolation threshold, rarefied quasi-2D water networks span over the mesoscopic length scale. Formation and topology of spanning water networks, which affect various properties of aqueous systems, can be described within the framework of the percolation theory.