Electrostatically driven protein aggregation: beta-lactoglobulin at low ionic strength

The aggregation of beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) at ambient temperature was studied using turbidimetry and dynamic light scattering in the range 3.8相似文献   

Selective recruitment of membrane protein complexes onto gold substrates patterned by dip-pen nanolithography

Dip-pen nanolithography (DPN) is employed to develop a generic array platform for the selective recruitment of membrane protein complexes. An atomic force microscope tip inked with HS(CH2)16NH2 is used to generate amino-terminated domains on gold. These domains can be arranged into microscopic and submicroscopic patterns, and the untreated gold substrate is subsequently blocked with HS(CH2)2CONH(CH2CH2O)15CH3, a compound known to resist the unspecific binding of proteins and cells. The patterned gold substrate is exposed to an enriched membrane fraction from mutant Rhodobacter sphaeroides, which contains photosynthetic core complexes consisting of the reaction center and the light-harvesting complex LH1. The selective recruitment to the patterned domains, governed primarily by electrostatic interactions, is confirmed by contact mode atomic force microscopy.     

Anchoring dyes into multidimensional large-pore zeolites: a prospective use as chromogenic sensing materials

A versatile procedure for anchoring dyes into the pores of multidimensional zeolites by including organic dye precursors in the synthesis gel has been developed. To prove the concept, an aniline-functionalised zeolite Beta was obtained by reaction of triethylorthosilicate (TEOS), tetraethylammonium hydroxide, and N-methyl,N-(propyl-3-trimethoxysilyl)aniline (MPTMSA) in the presence of HF. Further extraction of the structure-directing agents resulted in a highly crystalline, white, functionalised zeolite Beta containing anchored aniline groups. Similar organic functionalised molecular sieves (OFMS) have been explored as novel catalysts, but, as far as we know, OFMS have never been used as precursors for dye-immobilisation or to design new solid-based host systems for selective molecular sensing processes as is reported here. In a second step the solids containing dyes were prepared by reaction of the hybrid material with the appropriate reactives to obtain tricyanovinylbenzene, triphenylpyrylium, azoic, and squaraine derivatives. All these reactions are straightforward and involve electrophilic aromatic substitution or diazotisation reactions at the electron-rich aniline ring. The final dye-functionalised solid materials were isolated by simple filtration and washing procedures and have been characterised by a number of techniques. In all cases the Beta structure of the solid remains unaltered. Among the large number of areas where dye-containing zeolites might be of importance, we were interested in testing their unconventional use as heterosupramolecular hosts in chromogenic protocols. To check their potential use as chemosensors, microporous solids with anchored triphenylpyrilium and squaraine dyes were selected and used as sensors for the chromogenic discrimination of amines. It was found that the response of both solids to amines was basically governed by the three-dimensional (3D) solid architecture that tuned the intrinsic unselective reactivity of the pyrylium dye. By using new solid-state supramolecular chemistry protocols we believe that these, and similar future dye-zeolite hosts, might be promising new sensor materials allowing the visible discrimination of selected target guests by size and/or polarity within families or closely related molecules.     

Terminally coordinated AsS and PS ligands

The terminal AsS and PS complexes [(N(3)N)W(ES)] (N(3)N=N(CH(2)CH(2)NSiMe(3))(3); E=P (3), As (4)) were synthesised by reaction of [(N(3)N)W[triple chemical bond]As] and [(N(3)N)W[triple chemical bond]P], respectively, with cyclohexene sulfide. Both complexes present very short W--E and E--S bond lengths. The bonding was investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations using the fragment calculation method and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. According to the fragment analysis, in which the complexes were separated in an ES and a (N(3)N)W fragment, the bonding in complexes 3, 4 and [(N(3)N)W(SbS)] (5) is realised over a set of two sigma (1 sigma and 2 sigma) and two degenerate pi molecular orbitals (MOs) (1 pi and 2 pi). The 1 sigma MO is a bonding MO extended over the N(ax)-W-E-S core, whereas the 2 sigma MO is localised mainly on the E-S fragment. The 1 pi set is a E-S localised bonding molecular orbital, whereas the 2 pi set is in phase with respect to W-E but in antiphase with respect to E-S. Both methods indicate bond orders around two for both the E--S and the W--E bonds. The polarity of the complexes was examined by Hirshfeld charge analysis. This shows that complexes 3 and 4 are only slightly polarised, whereas 5 is moderately polarised toward the sulphur. As suggested by the computational results, the pi system in complexes 3-5 is best described by two three-centre four-electron bonds.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of sennosides in Cassia angustifolia leaves

A simple liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of sennosides B and A in leaves of Cassia angustifolia. These compounds were extracted from leaves with a mixture of methanol-water (70 + 30, v/v) after defatting with hexane. Analyte separation and quantitation were achieved by gradient reversed-phase liquid chromatography and UV absorbance at 270 nm using a photodiode array detector. The method involves the use of an RP-18 Lichrocart reversed-phase column (5 microm, 125 x 4.0 mm id) and a binary gradient mobile-phase profile. The various other aspects of analysis, namely, peak purity, similarity, recovery, repeatability, and robustness, were validated. Average recoveries of 98.5 and 98.6%, with a coefficient of variation of 0.8 and 0.3%, were obtained by spiking sample solution with 3 different concentration solutions of standards (60, 100, and 200 microg/mL). Detection limits were 10 microg/mL for sennoside B and 35 microg/mL for sennoside A, present in the sample solution. The quantitation limits were 28 and 100 microg/mL. The analytical method was applied to a large number of senna leaf samples. The new method provides a reliable tool for rapid screening of C. angustifolia samples in large numbers, which is needed in breeding/genetic engineering and genetic mapping experiments.     

Alternative search strategy for minimal energy nanocluster structures: the case of rhodium, palladium, and silver

An alternative strategy to find the minimal energy structure of nanoclusters is presented and implemented. We use it to determine the structure of metallic clusters. It consists in an unbiased search, with a global minimum algorithm: conformational space annealing. First, we find the minima of a many-body phenomenological potential to create a data bank of putative minima. This procedure assures us the generation of a set of cluster configurations of large diversity. Next, the clusters in this data bank are relaxed by ab initio techniques to obtain their energies and geometrical structures. The scheme is successfully applied to magic number 13 atom clusters of rhodium, palladium, and silver. We obtained minimal energy cluster structures not previously reported, which are different from the phenomenological minima. Moreover, they are not always highly symmetric, thus casting some doubt on the customary biased search scheme, which consists in relaxing with density functional theory global minima chosen among high symmetry structures obtained by means of phenomenological potentials.     

Properties of a triazolopyridine system as a molecular chemosensor for metal ions, anions, and amino acids

The characteristics as a chemosensor of the compound 3-methyl-6,8-di(2-pyridyl)-[1,2,3]triazolo[5',1':6,1]pyrido[2,3-]pyrimidine (1) have been analyzed. Interaction with Cu(2+) produces a quenching of the fluorescence, while interaction with Zn(2+) leads to a quenching of the fluorescence followed by a bathochromic shift. The crystal structure of the Zn(1)(H(2)O)(3)(ClO(4))(2) x H(2)O complex shows the coordination of Zn(2+) through the terpyridine moiety. The octahedral site is completed by three water molecules. Interactions of the Zn(2+) complex with the anions sulfate, nitrate, nitrite, and dihydrogenphosphate in ethanol produce hypsochromic shifts and restoration of the fluorescence whose magnitude depends on the anion involved. The maximum interaction is observed for H(2)PO(4)(-). Interactions of the Zn(2+) complex with the amino acids l-aspartate and l-glutamate have also been explored showing a higher interaction with l-aspartate.     

Unexpected epimerization at C2 in the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction of chiral 2-substituted-4-oxopiperidines

The observed epimerization at C2 in the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons (HWE) reaction of chiral 2-substituted-4-oxopiperidines has been investigated and, on the basis of the experimental results, a mechanism for this unexpected process has been proposed.     

Template-free routes to porous inorganic materials

New approaches to solid-state reactivity have allowed us to develop unusual routes to porous inorganic materials. This article describes our recent work on template-free routes involving the selective leaching of one phase from a two-phase composite to form porous oxides. Subsequent reactions have been developed to yield porous metals, conformal coatings, and hierarchically porous materials. Pores can also be generated through simple redox processes in transition-metal oxides; such redox cycling allows mesopores to be produced in a regenerative process in a material which is already macroporous.     

Molecular adducts between a few phenolic donors and pi-acceptors in solid-state

Electron donor-acceptor molecular complexes of a few phenolic donors with some quinonoid and tetracyanoethylene acceptors have been prepared by two different methods, i.e., by simple grinding of the respective component pair in the solid-state and in solution. Both the methods yielded identical dark colored 1:1 stoichiometric complexes. Spectral studies revealed that the complexes are ionic in nature. The g values obtained in ESR spectral studies for all these molecular adducts vary between 2.000 and 2.022, confirming the free radical nature of the adducts. The electronic absorption spectral studies proved that the donor-acceptor complexes formed initially, exhibit new electronic transitions at longer wavelengths, are less stable and disassociate readily into ionic type of adducts. The absorption maximum at longer wavelengths, i.e. >or=550 nm, are assigned to the charge transfer complexes, while the new transition at around 410 +/- 5 nm is attributed to the anion radical of the adducts. The ease of complexation not only depends on the ionization potential and electron affinities of the phenolic donors and the acceptors but is also structure sensitive. Complexation is confirmed by the shift in IR absorption of the phenolic hydroxyl group and the carbonyl group of quinone acceptors and the cyano group of tetracyanoethylene. Proton magnetic resonance studies indicate an interaction between the phenolic donors and acceptors on basis of the altered chemical shifts. Further, IR and NMR studies show that the stability of the adducts is governed not only by the charge transfer interaction but also by hydrogen bonding.