Symmetry of three-center,four-electron bonds

Three-center, four-electron bonds provide unusually strong interactions; however, their nature remains ununderstood. Investigations of the strength, symmetry and the covalent versus electrostatic character of three-center hydrogen bonds have vastly contributed to the understanding of chemical bonding, whereas the assessments of the analogous three-center halogen, chalcogen, tetrel and metallic -type long bonding are still lagging behind. Herein, we disclose the X-ray crystallographic, NMR spectroscopic and computational investigation of three-center, four-electron [D–X–D]⁺ bonding for a variety of cations (X⁺ = H⁺, Li⁺, Na⁺, F⁺, Cl⁺, Br⁺, I⁺, Ag⁺ and Au⁺) using a benchmark bidentate model system. Formation of a three-center bond, [D–X–D]⁺ is accompanied by an at least 30% shortening of the D–X bonds. We introduce a numerical index that correlates symmetry to the ionic size and the electron affinity of the central cation, X⁺. Providing an improved understanding of the fundamental factors determining bond symmetry on a comprehensive level is expected to facilitate future developments and applications of secondary bonding and hypervalent chemistry.

The factors determining the symmetry and the fundamental nature of the three-center, four-electron bonds are assessed.     

Associative Pattern Recognition Through Macro-molecular Self-Assembly

Journal of Statistical Physics - We show that macro-molecular self-assembly can recognize and classify high-dimensional patterns in the concentrations of N distinct molecular species. Similar to...     

Nonlinear Dynamics of a Flexible Spinning Disc Coupled to a Precompressed Spring

This paper analyses the nonlinear transverse vibrations of a rotating, clamped-free, flexible disc coupled to a precompressed spring. This is representative of a large class of loadings in rotating disc systems such as air jet and electromagnetic excitation commonly used in experiments. Such a loading induces a simultaneous critical speed resonance and parametric instability. The disc is modelled as a Von Kármán plate, and the equations of motion are discretised by a Galerkin projection onto a pair of 1:1 internally resonant modes. The large amplitude wave motions and their stabilities are studied using the averaging method and via numerical continuation techniques. The analysis is carried out in a co-rotating as well as a ground-fixed frame. Numerical simulations are used to verify the above analyses. The response predicted by these analyses is substantially different from that arising from a critical speed resonance or of a parametric instability alone. As many as five equilibrium solutions can coexist at supercritical speed. Two distinct regimes of large amplitude response appear to exist depending on the relationship between the strength of the parametric excitation and the damping. The existence of these regimes underscores the subtle competition between critical speed resonance and parametric instability that is likely to be observed in experiments near critical speed in such systems.Contributed by Prof. A.K. Bajaj.     

Structural and electrical transport properties of ZnxFe3−xO4 thin film deposited on Si (1 1 1) by pulsed-laser deposition

Polycrystalline thin films of Fe_3−xZn_xO₄ (x = 0.0, 0.01 and 0.02) were prepared by pulsed-laser deposition technique on Si (1 1 1) substrate. X-ray diffraction studies of parent as well as Zn doped magnetite show the spinel cubic structure of film with (1 1 1) orientation. The order–disorder transition temperature for Fe₃O₄ thin film with thickness of 150 nm are at 123 K (Si). Zn doping leads to enhancement of resistivity by Zn²⁺ substitution originates from a decrease of the carrier concentration, which do not show the Verwey transition. The Raman spectra for parent Fe₃O₄ on Si (1 1 1) substrate shows all Raman active modes for thin films at energies of T_2g¹, T_2g³, T_2g², and A_1g at 193, 304, 531 and 668 cm⁻¹. It is noticed that the frequency positions of the strongest A_1g mode are at 668.3 cm⁻¹, for all parent Fe₃O₄ thin film shifted at lower wave number as 663.7 for Fe_2.98Zn_0.02O₄ thin film on Si (1 1 1) substrate. The integral intensity at 668 cm⁻¹ increased significantly with decreasing doping concentration and highest for the parent sample, which is due to residual stress stored in the surface.     

Canine Parvovirus Type 2a (CPV-2a)-Induced Apoptosis in MDCK Involves Both Extrinsic and Intrinsic Pathways

The canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) causes an acute disease in dogs. It has been found to induce cell cycle arrest and DNA damage leading to cellular lysis. In this paper, we evaluated the apoptotic potential of the “new CPV-2a” in MDCK cells and elucidated the mechanism of the induction of apoptosis. The exposure of MDCK cells to the virus was found to trigger apoptotic response. Apoptosis was confirmed by phosphatidylserine translocation, DNA fragmentation assays, and cell cycle analysis. Activation of caspases-3, -8, -9, and -12 and decrease in mitochondrial potential in CPV-2a-infected MDCK cells suggested that the CPV-2a-induced apoptosis is caspase dependent involving extrinsic, intrinsic, and endoplasmic reticulum pathways. Increase in p53 and Bax/Bcl2 ratio was also observed in CPV-2a-infected cells.     

An Efficient Method for the Synthesis of Acylals from Aldehydes under Solvent‐Free Conditions Catalyzed by Antimony Trichloride

A mild and efficient method has been developed for the preparation of acylals from aldehydes catalyzed by antimony trichloride under solvent‐free conditions in very good to excellent yields. The easy availability, low cost, and ease of handling of the catalyst make this procedure especially attractive for large‐scale synthesis.     

Polarographic study of dioxo-uranium(VI)-8-hydroxyquinoline-succinate system and thermodynamic parameters

The dioxo-uranium(VI)-8-hydroxyquinoline-succinate system has been studied polarographically at constant ionic strength (μ = 0.6 M KCl) in aqueous alcohol (7 : 3) at different temperatures. The reduction of the simple and mixed complexes is reversible and diffusion controlled. The DeFord-Hume and Schaap-McMaster methods have been applied in the determination of composition and stability constants of the simple and mixed complexes respectively. The thermodynamic parameters ΔG, ΔH and ΔS have also been calculated.     

Heterocyclic diamidine interactions at AT base pairs in the DNA minor groove: effects of heterocycle differences, DNA AT sequence and length

Given the increasing significance of diamidines as DNA-targeted therapeutics and biotechnology reagents, it is important to establish the variations in thermodynamic quantities that characterize the interactions of closely related compounds to different sequence AT binding sites. In this study, an array of methods including biosensor-surface plasmon resonance (SPR), isothermal titration microcalorimetry (ITC), circular dichroism (CD), thermal melting (Tm) and molecular modeling have been used to characterize the binding of dicationic diamidines related to DB75 (amidine-phenyl-furan-phenyl-amidine) with alternating and nonalternating AT sequences. Conversion of the central furan of DB75 to other similar groups, such as thiophene or selenophene, can yield compounds with increased affinity and sequence binding selectivity for the minor groove. Calorimetric measurements revealed that the thermodynamic parameters (Delta G, Delta H, Delta S) that drive diamidine binding to alternating and nonalternating oligomers can be quite different and depend on both DNA sequence and length. Small changes in a compound can have major effects on DNA interactions. By choosing an appropriate central group it is possible to "tune" the shape of the molecule to match DNA for enhanced affinity and sequence recognition.     

Fluorescence behavior and specific interactions of an ionic liquid in ethylene glycol derivatives

The excitation-wavelength- and concentration-dependent fluorescence response of an ionic liquid (IL), 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [Omim][BF(4)], in the ethylene glycol derivatives, [CH(3)(OCH(2)CH(2))n-OH, n = 1-3], has been critically examined in the entire composition range. The pure IL exhibited a large red shift beyond an excitation wavelength of 390 nm, showing the heterogeneous nature of the liquid. Concentration dependence of the fluorescence spectra in the organic solvent-rich region favors the association of IL molecules into the aggregated structures. The maximum of the fluorescence spectra shifted toward blue with the increase of organic component concentration in all of the mixtures, reflecting an appreciable solute-solvent interaction. Very high concentrations of the organic liquid in the mixtures resulted in the inversion of the spectral shift toward red, indicating the dominance of pi-pi* transitions over the n-pi* transitions as a consequence of imidazolium ring stacking. (1)H NMR and FT-IR investigations over the whole composition range of the mixtures showed multiple hydrogen-bonded interactions of varying strengths between the unlike molecules and the existence of associated species of the IL in the dilute region. Both the specific interactions between unlike molecules and the tendency of aggregation of IL molecules in the dilute region reduced with the introduction of the -OC(2)H(4) group in the glycol derivative. A comparison of specific interactions with the volumetric properties of the similar mixtures shows that the packing efficiency depending on differences in the shape and size of the molecules mainly decides the overall magnitude of deviations from ideality.     

Modulation of metal displacements in a saddle distorted macrocycle: synthesis, structure, and properties of high-spin Fe(III) porphyrins and implications for the hemoproteins

A rare family of five and six-coordinated high-spin Fe(III) porphyrins incorporating weak axial ligands are synthesized and structurally characterized which demonstrate, for the first time, stepwise metal displacements in a single distorted macrocyclic environment that has generally been seen in many biological systems. The introduction of four nitro groups into the meso-positions of octaethyl porphyrin severely distorts the porphyrin geometry and provides an interesting modulation of the macrocycle properties which enables the facile isolation of "pure" high-spin Fe(III)(tn-OEP)Cl, Fe(III)(tn-OEP)(MeOH)Cl, and Fe(III)(tn-OEP)(H2O)2(+) in excellent yields in a saddle distorted macrocyclic environment that are known to stabilize intermediate spin states. The stepwise out-of-plane displacements of iron are as follows: 0.47 A for Fe(III)(tn-OEP)Cl; 0.09 A for Fe(III)(tn-OEP)(MeOH)Cl, and 0.01 A for Fe(III)(tn-OEP)(H2O)2(+) from the mean plane of the porphyrins. However, in both five and six-coordinated Fe(III) porphyrins, the Fe-Np distances are quite comparable while the porphyrin cores have expanded significantly, virtually to the same extent for the six-coordinate complexes reported here. The large size of the high-spin iron(III) atom in Fe(III)(tn-OEP)(H2O)2(+) is accommodated perfectly with no displacement of the metal. This expansion is accompanied by a significant decrease of the saddle distortion with a clear increase of the ruffling. Furthermore, the Fe atom in Fe(III)(tn-OEP)(MeOH)Cl is not out of plane because of the larger atom size; however, the displacement of the iron depends on both the relative strength of the axial ligands, as well as the nature and extent of the ring deformation. Our characterization demonstrates that increase in ruffling and/or decrease in macrocycle deformation brings the iron atom more into the plane in a distorted macrocyclic environment. Our observations thus suggest that the displacements of iron in proteins are the consequences of nonequivalent axial coordination, as well as protein induced deformations at the heme. The high-spin nature of the complexes reported here is believed to be due to the larger Fe-Np distances which then reduce substantially the interaction between iron d(x2)-y2 and porphyrin a(2u) orbital. The Fe(III)/Fe(II) reduction potential of Fe(III)(tn-OEP)Cl shows a reversible peak at large positive value (0.20 V), and no ring-centered oxidation was observed within the solvent limit (approximately 1.80 V). It is thus easier to reduce Fe(III)(tn-OEP)Cl by almost 700 mV compared to Fe(III)(OEP)Cl while oxidations are very difficult. Furthermore, the addition of 3-Cl-pyridine to Fe(III)(tn-OEP)Cl in air undergoes spontaneous auto reduction to produce the rare air-stable Fe(II)(tn-OEP)(3-Cl-py)2 that shows Fe(II)/Fe(III) oxidation peaks at high positive potential (0.79 V), which is approximately 600 mV more anodic compared to [Fe(II)(tn-OEP)Cl](-). This large anodic shift illustrates the effective removal of metal-centered electron density by the macrocycle when the metal is constrained to reside in the porphyrin plane.