Adsorption behavior of 4-methoxypyridine on gold nanoparticles

We demonstrate a phase transfer method to create stable colloidal solutions of Au nanoparticles with 4-methoxypyridine ligands. We then investigate the adsorption behavior of 4-methoxypyridine onto gold surfaces by Raman spectroscopy, DFT calculations, and (1)H NMR. In contrast to unsubstituted pyridine and the frequently used (N,N-dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP), a flat adsorption of 4-methoxypyridine on gold was found.     

Silver delafossite nitride, AgTaN2?

A new silver nitride, AgTaN₂, was synthesized from NaTaN₂ by a cation-exchange reaction, using a AgNO₃-NH₄NO₃ flux at 175 °C. Its crystal structure type is delafossite (R3¯m) with hexagonal lattice parameters of a=3.141(3) Å, c=18.81(2) Å, in which silver is linearly coordinated to nitrogen. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis and combustion nitrogen/oxygen analysis gave a composition with atomic ratios of Ag:Ta:N:O as 1.0:1.2(1):2.1(1):0.77(4), which is somewhat Ta rich and indicates some oxide formation. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed a Ta- and O-rich surface and transmission electron microscope observation exhibited aggregates of ca. 4-5 nm-sized particles on the surface, which are probably related to the composition deviation from a AgTaN₂. The lattice parameters of stoichiometric AgTaN₂ calculated by density functional theory agree with the experimental ones, but the possibility of some oxygen incorporation and/or silver deficiency is not precluded.     

Beilschmiedic Acids F and G,Further Endiandric Acid Derivatives from Beilschmiedia anacardioides

Two new endiandric acid derivatives, beilschmiedic acid F ( 1 ) and beilschmiedic acid G ( 2 ), together with three known constituents, beilschmiedic acid A, beilschmiedic acid C, and sitosterol 3‐β‐D ‐glucopyranoside, were isolated from the stem bark of Beilschmiedia anacardioides. Their structures were elucidated mainly by using a combination of 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR techniques. The structure and relative configuration of beilschmiedic acid G ( 2 ) was also confirmed by X‐ray crystallographic analysis.     

Quantification of surface functional groups on polymer microspheres by supramolecular host-guest interactions

We introduce a method to determine the number of accessible functional groups on a polymer microsphere surface based on the interaction between the macrocyclic host cucurbit[7]uril (CB7) and a guest reacted to the microsphere surface. After centrifugation, CB7 in the supernatant is quantified by addition of a fluorescent dye. The difference between added and detected CB7 affords the number of accessible surface functional groups.     

A helix-forming αβγ-chimeric peptide with catalytic activity: a hybrid peptide ligase

We describe the catalytic activity of the first chimeric ligase containing a foldameric sequence of β- and γ-amino acids. The chimeric backbone provides for the spatial arrangement of all functional groups involved in the formation of the catalytic site to allow efficient catalysis to take place. Our finding indicates significant progress in the field of functionally active artificial motifs.     

Rotationally‐hindered furyl fulgides

Fulgides are a representative class of photochromic organic molecules which exhibit several interesting properties for diverse applications in fields such as data storage or high‐resolution spectroscopy. The crystal structures of three furyl fulgides with different steric constraints were determined and for two of the compounds both the E and Z isomer structures were defined. The compounds are 3‐[(E)‐1,3‐dimethyl‐4,5,6,7‐tetrahydro‐2‐benzofuran‐4‐ylidene]‐4‐isopropylidenetetrahydrofuran‐2,5‐dione, C₁₇H₁₈O₄, (I‐E), 3‐[(E)‐1,3‐dimethyl‐5,6,7,8‐tetrahydro‐4H‐cyclohepta[c]furan‐4‐ylidene]‐4‐isopropylidenetetrahydrofuran‐2,5‐dione, C₁₈H₂₀O₄, (II‐E), and the Z isomer, (II‐Z), and 3‐isopropylidene‐4‐[(E)‐1‐(5‐methoxy‐2‐methyl‐1‐benzofuran‐3‐yl)ethylidene]tetrahydrofuran‐2,5‐dione, C₁₉H₁₈O₅, (III‐E), with two molecules in the asymmetric unit, and the Z isomer, (III‐Z). The structures of the E and Z isomers show only little differences in the bond lengths and angles inside the hexatriene unit. Because of the strained geometry there are deviations in the torsion angles. Furthermore, small differences in the distances between the bond‐forming C atoms in the electrocyclization process give no explanation for the unequal photochromic behaviour.     

Importance of exactb-tensor calculation for quantitative diffusion tensor imaging and tracking of neuronal fiber bundles

Quantitative diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a novel method of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging providing information on the brain’s microstructure in vivo. DTI can be effectively measured with modern clinical MR scanners. However, imaging sequence details required for accurateb matrix calculation and for following DTI quantification are normally unknown to the user. In this work, we investigated the accuracy ofb value approximation if theb matrix is calculated without taking into account the effect of imaging gradients. It was found that an error of more than 4% in DTI estimation arises for a quite typical brain imaging protocol. The errors in mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy index depend on diffusion tensor shape and eigenvectors orientation and exceed noise level in DTI quantification. These errors however have a strong impact on fiber tracking — up to 30% difference was found between the fiber tracks corresponding to exact and approximate calculated DTI data. Since these errors are dependent on imaging parameters and sequence implementation, accurateb matrix calculations are important for adequate comparison between data acquired on different MR scanners and also for data measured with the different imaging protocols.