Hysteresis in the physisorption of CO2 and N2 in a flexible pillared layer nickel cyanide

Rare hysteretic adsorption/desorption isotherms are reported for CO2 and N2 on a pillared Ni(1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene)[Ni(CN)4] compound (NiBpeneNiCN). The hysteresis occurs under moderate pressure and at temperatures above the critical temperatures of the respective gases. Powder X-ray diffraction measurements indicate that the material is an extended three-dimensional analogue of the well-known Hofmann clathrates which is formed through axial bridging of the in-plane octahedral Ni sites by the bidentate 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene. The hysteretic behavior toward guest adsorption and desorption is attributed to a structural phase transition in the material resulting from a variation in the tilt angle of the 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene pillars. Kinetics studies on the desorption of acetone from the material show two first-order processes with two rate constants yielding activation energies of 68 and 55 kJ/mol when loadings are greater than 1 equiv of acetone per formula unit. The CO2 adsorption/desorption isotherms on the series of structurally similar Ni(L)[Ni(CN)4] compounds, where L = pyrazine, 4,4'-bipyridine, 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane, and dipyridylacetylene, are also reported. In contrast to NiBpeneNiCN, the rigid members of this series show normal type I isotherms with no measureable hysteresis and no significant structural changes during the adsorption/desorption cycle, while the flexible 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane-bridged sample collapses in the guest-free state and shows no significant adsorption of CO2.     

Aptamers against Cells Overexpressing Glypican 3 from Expanded Genetic Systems Combined with Cell Engineering and Laboratory Evolution

Laboratory in vitro evolution (LIVE) might deliver DNA aptamers that bind proteins expressed on the surface of cells. In this work, we used cell engineering to place glypican 3 (GPC3), a possible marker for liver cancer theranostics, on the surface of a liver cell line. Libraries were then built from a six‐letter genetic alphabet containing the standard nucleobases and two added nucleobases (2‐amino‐8H‐imidazo[1,2‐a][1,3,5]triazin‐4‐one and 6‐amino‐5‐nitropyridin‐2‐one), Watson–Crick complements from an artificially expanded genetic information system (AEGIS). With counterselection against non‐engineered cells, eight AEGIS‐containing aptamers were recovered. Five bound selectively to GPC3‐overexpressing cells. This selection–counterselection scheme had acceptable statistics, notwithstanding the possibility that cells engineered to overexpress GPC3 might also express different off‐target proteins. This is the first example of such a combination.     

Activity coefficients for ternary systems: VI. The system HCl + MgCl2 + H2O at different temperatures; application of Pitzer's equations

Electromotive-force measurements have been made on HCl–MgCl₂–H₂O mixtures at 5, 15, 25, 35 and 45°C at eleven different ionic strengths from 0.1–5.0 mol-kg ^–1 . The results are interpreted in terms of the simple Harned's equations, as well as the more complicated Pitzer ion-component treatment of multicomponent electrolyte mixtures. Activity coefficients for HCl in the salt mixtures obey Harned's rule up to and including I=5.0. For the salt in the acid mixtures, Harned's rule holds true up to and including I=0.5. The contribution of higher-order electrostatic terms (E and E') in the Pitzer equations is important for accurate evaluations of unlike cation-cation interactions (_H,Mg), and cation-anion-cation interactions (_H,Mg,Cl). The values of^S_H,Mg and _H,Mg,Cl (determined with E and E'), _H,Mg and _H,Mg,Cl (determined without E and E'), as well as the trace activity coefficients of HCl, _tr ^A , in solutions of MgCl₂ (where ionic strength fraction of the salt,y _B = 1) at all the experimental temperatures and ionic strengths, are reported. Results of this study are compared with those for similar systems. At I=0.1 and 25°C, the results of the Brönsted-Guggenheim specific interaction theory are discussed briefly.     

On the chemical nature of graphene edges: origin of stability and potential for magnetism in carbon materials

Heretofore disconnected experimental observations are combined with a theoretical study to develop a model of the chemical composition of the edges of graphene sheets in both flat and curved sp(2)-hybridized carbon materials. It is proposed that under ambient conditions a significant fraction of the oxygen-free edge sites are neither H-terminated nor unadulterated sigma free radicals, as universally assumed. The zigzag sites are carbene-like, with the triplet ground state being most common. The armchair sites are carbyne-like, with the singlet ground state being most common. This proposal is not only consistent with the key electronic properties and surface (re)activity behavior of carbons, but it can also explain the recently documented and heretofore puzzling ferromagnetic properties of some impurity-free carbon materials.     

Heats of preferential adsorption of chelates

A method employing a flow calorimeter for determining heats of preferential adsorption of certain organic chelates of metals from organic solutions is described. Experimental heats of adsorption are correlated with the chromatographic behaviour of the chelates and it is shown that irreversible retention on a column occurs when the heat is greater than 6 kcal mole^-1 for the first stage of the two-stage adsorption pro cess. The special case of the 2-methyl-8-quinoline chelate of copper(II) and its elution with solutions of the reagent is examined in more detail: heats of preferential adsorption decrease with increasing concentrations of reagent and the optimum experimental concentration can be predicted from the heat results.     

DNA binding and photocleavage in vitro by new dirhodium(II) dppz complexes: correlation to cytotoxicity and photocytotoxicity

Two new dirhodium(II) complexes possessing the intercalating dppz ligand (dppz = dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine), cis-[Rh(2)(mu-O(2)CCH(3))(2)(dppz)(eta(1)-O(2)CCH(3))(CH(3)OH)](+) (1) and cis-[Rh(2)(mu-O(2)CCH(3))(2)(dppz)(2)](2+) (2), were synthesized and characterized as potential agents for photochemotherapy. Various techniques show that 1 binds to DNA through intercalation, although some aggregation of the complex on the DNA surface is also present. In contrast, 2 does not intercalate between the DNA bases; however, strong hypochromic behavior is observed in the presence of DNA, which can be attributed to intermolecular pi-stacking of 2 enhanced by the polyanion. The apparent DNA binding constants determined using optical titrations are compared to those from dialysis experiments. Both complexes photocleave pUC18 plasmid in vitro under irradiation with visible light (lambda(irr) >or= 395 nm, 15 min), resulting in the nicked, circular form. Greater photocleavage is observed for 1 relative to 2, which may be due to the ability of 1 to intercalate between the DNA bases. The cytotoxicity toward human skin cells (Hs-27) measured as the concentration at which 50% cell death is recorded, LC(50), was found to be 135 +/- 8 microM for 2 in the dark (30 min), which is significantly lower than those of 1 (LC(50) = 27 +/- 2 microM) and Rh(2)(O(2)CCH(3))(4) (LC(50) = 15 +/- 2 microM). Irradiation of cell cultures containing 1 and Rh(2)(O(2)CCH(3))(4) with visible light (400-700 nm, 30 min) has little effect on their cytotoxicity, with LC(50) values of 21 +/- 3 and 13 +/- 2 microM, respectively. Interestingly, a 3.4-fold increase in the toxicity of 2 is observed when the cell cultures are irradiated (400-700 nm, 30 min), resulting in LC(50) = 39 +/- 1 microM. The greater toxicity of 1 compared to 2 in the dark may be related to the ability of the former compound to intercalate between the DNA bases. The lower cytotoxicity of 2, together with its significantly greater photocytotoxicity, makes this complex a potential agent for photodynamic therapy (PDT). These results suggest that intercalation or strong DNA binding may not be a desirable property of a potential PDT agent.     

Permanent Trapping of CO(2) in Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Synthesized by the HiPco Process

Infrared spectroscopy is used to study trapped and physisorbed CO2 in single-walled carbon nanotube bundles (SWNTs) synthesized by the HiPco process. CO2 is entrapped within the SWNTs by acid oxidation of the unpurified sample followed by vacuum heating to 700 K. The trapped CO2 has a single nu3 mode at 2327 cm-1, is stable during temperature cycling from 77 to 700 K, and remains after venting to room air. CO2 physisorption studies show a nu3 mode at 2330 cm-1 for the as-received HiPco samples, 2340 cm-1 for the acid-oxidized sample, and 2327 and 2340 cm-1 for the oxidized sample after vacuum heating. The sites responsible for the infrared peaks of the physisorbed and trapped species are discussed.