MP2 study of cation-(pi)n-pi interactions (n = 1-4)

Ab initio calculations at the MP2(full)/6-31++G**, RI-MP2(full)/6-31++G**, and RI-MP2(full)/6-311++G(2d,2p) levels of theory demonstrate important synergic effects between two noncovalent interactions that involve aromatic rings, that is, cation-pi and pi-pi interactions. The presence of a cation interacting with the pi cloud of an aromatic ring favors the face-to-face stacking interaction with additional aromatic rings. This effect is extended in the space up to five stacked aromatic rings.     

A trinuclear Pt(II) compound with short Pt-Pt-Pt contacts. An analysis of the influence of pi-pi stacking interactions on the strength and length of the Pt-Pt bond

In this work we report the first example of a trinuclear Pt(II) complex with Pt-Pt-Pt bonds that are not facilitated by direct intervention of bridging ligands but are partially held by the attractive pi-pi stacking interaction between the phenyl units of the 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridyl ligands. The effect of the pi-pi stacking interactions on the strength and length of the Pt-Pt bond has been discussed using reduced models of the interacting moieties in which the aromatic rings have been removed. The nature of the Pt-Pt bonds has been studied through energy decomposition and atoms-in-molecules analyses. The results indicate that the relatively strong (about 40 kcal mol(-1)) Pt-Pt metallic bond has similar covalent and ionic contributions.     

Synthesis and structural characterisation of novel nickelaindenyl and nickelafluorenyl compounds: Differences in the bonding modes of nickelacyclic rings

New binuclear nickelacyclic compounds 1 (η⁵-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)(η³-(1-(η⁵-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl))-1-nickelafluorenyl)nickel and 2 (η⁵-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)(η³-(1-(η⁵-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl))-2-phenyl-3-ethyl-1-nickelaindenyl)nickel were synthesised in reactions of dilithioorganic compounds with Cp^∗Ni(acac) and characterised by high resolution mass spectrometry, magnetic moment determination and X-ray single crystal analysis. The bonding mode of the central nickel atom to the nickelaindenyl and nickelafluorenyl ligands was not η⁵ like in the previously described analogues of nickelocene but half way between η³ and η⁵.     

Local behavior of planar analytic vector fields via integrability

We present an algorithm to study the local behavior of singular points of planar analytic vector fields having a first integral which is a quotient of analytic functions. The algorithm is based on the blow-up method. It emphasizes the curves passing through the singular points and avoids the computation of the desingularized systems. Vector fields having a rational first integral are a particular case.     

Quantum-mechanical study on the mechanism of peptide bond formation in the ribosome

Ribosomes transform the genetic information encoded within genes into proteins. In recent years, there has been much progress in the study of this complex molecular machine, but the mechanism of peptide bond formation and the origin of the catalytic power of this ancient enzymatic system are still an unsolved puzzle. A quantum-mechanical study of different possible mechanisms of peptide synthesis in the ribosome has been carried out using the M06-2X density functional. The uncatalyzed processes in solution have been treated with the SMD solvation model. Concerted and two-step mechanisms have been explored. Three main points suggested in this work deserve to be deeply analyzed. First, no zwitterionic intermediates are found when the process takes place in the ribosome. Second, the proton shuttle mechanism is suggested to be efficient only through the participation of the A2451 2'-OH and two crystallographic water molecules. Finally, the mechanisms in solution and in the ribosome are very different, and this difference may help us to understand the origin of the efficient catalytic role played by the ribosome.     

Acoustical and mechanical characterization of poroelastic materials using a Bayesian approach

A characterization method of poroelastic materials saturated by air is described. This inverse method enables the evaluation of all the parameters with a simple measurement in a standing wave tube. Moreover, a Bayesian approach is used to return probabilistic data such as the maximum a posteriori and the confidence interval of each parameter. To get these data, it is necessary to define prior probability distributions on the parameters characterizing the studied material. This last point is very important to regularize the inverse problem of identification. In a first step, the direct problem formulation is presented. Then, the inverse characterization is developed and applied to simulated and experimental data.     

Control problem for a non‐linear thermoelasticity system

The control problem for a three‐dimensional non‐linear thermoelasticity system is considered. The system may represent, among others, the dynamical model of shape memory materials. As controls we take distributed heat sources and body forces. The goal functional refers to the desired evolution of displacement, strain and temperature. The continuity and differentiability of solutions with respect to controls is studied. The existence of optimal controls is proved and the necessary optimality conditions are formulated. The existence of adjoint state variables is proved under additional regularity of data. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

9‐(Tri­chloro­acetyl­imino)­acridine monohydrate

The title compound, alternatively called N‐acridin‐9(10H)‐yl­idene‐2,2,2‐tri­chloro­acet­amide mono­hydrate, C₁₅H₉Cl₃N₂O·H₂O, crystallizes in space group P2₁/c with Z = 4. The acridine moieties are arranged in layers, tilted at an angle of 15.20 (4)° relative to the ac plane, while adjacent mol­ecules pack in a head‐to‐tail manner. Acridine and water mol­ecules form columns along the b axis held in place by a network of hydrogen bonds, which is the major factor stabilizing the lattice. The acridine mol­ecule exhibits structural features of both the amino and imino forms, which could be due to the presence of the strong electronegative tri­chloro­acetyl substituent at the exocyclic N atom.     

Synthesis and dynamic NMR studies of the 3,7-diazabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane system

A new bicyclic system, 3,7-diazabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane, has been prepared from 3-(ethoxycarbonyl)-7,3-oxazabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane by reaction with sodium azide and reduction of the resulting tosyloxy azide with lithium aluminum hydride. The molecule can exist in four stereoisomeric half-chairs, depending on the configuration of the two nitrogen atoms. Half-chair ring reversal and piperidine nitrogen inversion are fast on the NMR time scale at all observed temperatures. Inversion of the secondary aziridine nitrogen becomes slow as the temperature is lowered (T_c= ?10°C). Complete analysis of the ¹H spectrum was possible with the 1,5,5-trideuteriated analog. At slow exchange, two aziridine invertomers are present with an exo/endo ratio of approximately 0.7 in toluene-d₈, 0.7 in CH₂Cl₂ and 1.7 in CHCl₃/CH₂Cl₂. The free energy of activation for nitrogen inversion is 13.2 kcal mol^?1 at ?10°C in CHCl₃/CH₂Cl₂.     

Morphological characteristics of modified freeze-dried poly(<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-isopropylacrylamide) microspheres studied by optical microscopy,SEM, and DLS

Influence of the initiator and additional hydrophobic copolymer on the morphology of thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) microspheres, and their presumed application for the stabilization of biologically active molecules were evaluated in this study. Three different types of pNIPAM were synthesized, applying various components: PN1 is a polymer with terminal anionic groups resulting from potassium persulfate initiator; PN2 was synthesized with a 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride initiator introducing cationic amidine terminal groups; in the PN3 polymer, anionic terminals were implemented, however, increased hydrophobicity was maintained using N-tert-butyl functional groups. Turbidity measurements of the obtained dispersions confirmed specific thermosensitivity of synthesized microspheres in the range of 32–33°C. The polymerization course was proved by infrared spectroscopy and ¹H NMR assessments, whereas the size of the synthesized microspheres, expressed as planar area, was evaluated by dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy (OM). The respective surface patterns of the freeze-dried microspheres were evaluated by SEM. Planar area of the synthesized macromolecules was in the range between 0.41–3.22 μm, depending on the substrates composition and the method applied for the measurements. The assessments performed in the dry stage gave higher values of the diameter and planar area of the observed microspheres. The measured diameter and planar area increased in the following order for the PN3 microspheres: DLS, OM, SEM. In the case of PN1 and PN2, the observed diameters were positioned as: DLS, SEM, OM. These differences were assigned both to varied intramolecular hydrophobic-hydrophilic interactions of the polymer chains and to the environment, i.e. low pressure in the SEM conditions and aqueous solvent in the DLS measurements. The observed gaps in the freeze-dried PN2 polymer resulted in an attempt to evaluate the application of this polymer for mechanical stabilization of certain macromolecules or nanocrystals in the size range between 10 nm and 20 nm.