High regioselectivity in propylene hydroformylation using rhodium-bisphosphite catalysts is due to properties of the SRS diastereomer

The large cone angle and bite angle of the SRS ligand diastereomer in biphenol-based Rh-bisphosphite catalysts lead to high linear regioselectivity in the hydroformylation of propylene.     

Integration of fluorescence collection optics with?a?microfabricated surface electrode ion trap

We have successfully demonstrated an integrated optical system for collecting the fluorescence from a trapped ion. The system, consisting of an array of transmissive, dielectric micro-optics and an optical fiber array, has been intimately incorporated into the ion-trapping chip without negatively impacting trapping performance. Epoxies, vacuum feedthrough, and optical component materials were carefully chosen so that they did not degrade the vacuum environment, and we have demonstrated light detection as well as ion trapping and shuttling behavior comparable to trapping chips without integrated optics, with no modification to the control voltages of the trapping chip.     

Photosensitization by iodinated DNA minor groove binding ligands: Evaluation of DNA double-strand break induction and repair

Iodinated DNA minor groove binding bibenzimidazoles represent a unique class of UVA photosensitizer and their extreme photopotency has been previously characterized. Earlier studies have included a comparison of three isomers, referred to as ortho-, meta- and para-iodoHoechst, which differ only in the location of the iodine substituent in the phenyl ring of the bibenzimidazole. DNA breakage and clonogenic survival studies in human erythroleukemic K562 cells have highlighted the higher photo-efficiency of the ortho-isomer (subsequently designated UV(A)Sens) compared to the meta- and para-isomers. In this study, the aim was to compare the induction and repair of DNA double-strand breaks induced by the three isomers in K562 cells. Further, we examined the effects of the prototypical broad-spectrum histone deacetylase inhibitor, Trichostatin A, on ortho-iodoHoechst/UVA-induced double-strand breaks in K562 cells. Using γH2AX as a molecular marker of the DNA lesions, our findings indicate a disparity in the induction and particularly, in the repair kinetics of double-strand breaks for the three isomers. The accumulation of γH2AX foci induced by the meta- and para-isomers returned to background levels within 24 and 48 h, respectively; the number of γH2AX foci induced by ortho-iodoHoechst remained elevated even after incubation for 96 h post-irradiation. These findings provide further evidence that the extreme photopotency of ortho-iodoHoechst is due to not only to the high quantum yield of dehalogenation, but also to the severity of the DNA lesions which are not readily repaired. Finally, our findings which indicate that Trichostatin A has a remarkable potentiating effect on ortho-iodoHoechst/UVA-induced DNA lesions are encouraging, particularly in the context of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, for which a histone deacetylase inhibitor is already approved for therapy. This finding prompts further evaluation of the potential of combination therapies.     

Role of interaction anisotropy in the formation and stability of molecular templates

Surface templating via self-assembly of hydrogen-bonded molecular networks is a rapidly developing bottom-up approach in nanotechnology. Using the melamine-PTCDI molecular system as an example we show theoretically that the network stability in the parameter space of temperature versus molecular coupling anisotropy is highly restricted. Our kinetic Monte Carlo simulations predict a structural stability diagram that contains domains of stability of an open honeycomb network, a compact phase, and a high-temperature disordered phase. The results are in agreement with recent experiments, and reveal a relationship between the molecular size and the network stability, which may be used to predict an upper limit on pore-cavity sizes.     

Surface structure of amorphous PMMA from SPM: auto‐correlation function and fractal analysis

The surface topography of amorphous poly(methyl methacrylate) has been investigated by scanning probe microscopy technique and analysed using an auto‐correlation function approach. Spatial correlations in the arrangement of sub‐macromolecular fragments on the surface are studied depending on preparation conditions (whether the surface was free, i.e. in contact with air, or confined with the silicon substrate). The correlation length of the roughness distribution on the surface of amorphous polymers corresponds to the internal dimensions of unperturbed polymer chains (the radius of gyration). The scaling behaviour of the roughness is analysed with the Hurst approach, and found to be different for the free surface and for the confined one. As a result of annealing at a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the bulk polymer, both surfaces converge to similar fractal dimensionalities and correlation lengths.