Nonrigid molecule effects in molecules with linear or nongeometrically equivalent equilibrium configurations

A theoretical study is made of the states of nonrigid molecules, extending earlier work to apply Longuet–Higgins' symmetry group of feasible permutation/inversions in two previously untreated cases. The first involves nonrigid molecule processes between different stereoisomers, that is between molecular equilibrium configurations of different geometrical shapes. The second takes into account nonrigid molecule processes in linear molecules. The theory is applied to the specific case of nonrigid molecule effects in the butyl ion C₄H (case i), and the form of the nonrigid molecule energy levels and spectra are determined. The theory is also applied to determine the nonrigid molecule energy levels in linear H₂F₂ (case ii).     

Oxygen plasma-treatment effects on Si transfer

Oxygen plasma-treatment is commonly used to increase the hydrophilicity of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) stamps used for microcontact printing (muCP) aqueous-based inks. Review of the literature reveals that a wide range of plasma parameters are currently employed to modify stamp surfaces. However, little is known about the effect of these parameters (e.g., power, chamber pressure, duration) on the undesirable transfer of low-molecular-weight silicon-containing fragments from the stamps that commonly occurs during muCP. To study the effect of oxygen plasma-treatment on Si transfer, unpatterned PDMS stamps were treated with oxygen plasma under various conditions and used to stamp deionized water on plasma-activated poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrates. Once stamped, the PMMA substrates were analyzed with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to quantify and characterize silicon present on the substrate surface. In addition, used PDMS stamps were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to observe topographical changes that occur during oxygen plasma-treatment. XPS results show that all plasma treatments studied significantly reduced the amount of Si transfer from the treated stamps during muCP as compared to untreated PDMS stamps and that the source of transfer is residual PDMS fragments not removed by oxygen plasma. SEM results show that, although the treated stamps undergo a variety of topographical changes, no correlation exists between stamp topography and extent of Si transfer from the stamps.     

Synthetic surfaces for ribonuclease adsorption

Intact RNA and DNA are of central importance to biochemical research and biotechnology. The preservation of these nucleic acids requires the absence of nuclease activity. Here, radical-mediated polymerization of vinylsulfonate on resin and glass surfaces is shown to produce a high-density poly(vinylsulfonate) coating that sequesters ribonucleases from aqueous solutions quickly and completely. The adsorptive efficacy of this coating exceeds that of other known coatings by > or =10(7)-fold. Surfaces coated with poly(vinylsulfonate) could be used to maintain the integrity of ribonucleic acids in a variety of contexts.     

Electrospray liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry fingerprinting of Acanthophis (death adder) venoms: taxonomic and toxinological implications

Death adders (genus Acanthophis) are unique among elapid snakes in both morphology and venom composition. Despite this genus being among the most divergent of all elapids, the venom has been historically regarded as relatively quite simple. In this study, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis has revealed a much greater diversity in venom composition, including the presence of molecules of novel molecular weights that may represent a new class of venom component. Furthermore, significant variation exists between species and populations, which allow for the LC/MS fingerprinting of each species. Mass profiling of Acanthophis venoms clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of this technique which underpins fundamental studies ranging from chemotaxonomy to drug design.     

RAMPED-UP NMR: multiplexed NMR-based screening for drug discovery

The crucial step in drug discovery is the identification of a lead compound from a vast chemical library by any number of screening techniques. NMR-based screening has the advantage of directly detecting binding of a compound to the target. The spectra resulting from these screens can also be very complex and difficult to analyze, making this an inefficient process. We present here a method, RAMPED-UP NMR, (Rapid Analysis and Multiplexing of Experimentally Discriminated Uniquely Labeled Proteins using NMR) which generates simple spectra which are easy to interpret and allows several proteins to be screened simultaneously. In this method, the proteins to be screened are uniquely labeled with one amino acid type. There are several benefits derived from this unique labeling strategy: the spectra are greatly simplified, resonances that are most likely to be affected by binding are the only ones observed, and peaks that yield little or no information upon binding are eliminated, allowing the analysis of multiple proteins easily and simultaneously. We demonstrate the ability of three different proteins to be analyzed simultaneously for binding to two different ligands. This method will have significant impact in the use of NMR spectroscopy for both the lead generation and lead optimization phases of drug discovery by its ability to increase screening throughput and the ability to examine selectivity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time in any format that multiple proteins can be screened in one tube.     

Moisture absorption and absorption kinetics in polyelectrolyte films: influence of film thickness

Specular X-ray reflectivity (XR) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements were used to determine the absorption of water into thin poly(4-ammonium styrenesulfonic acid) films from saturated vapor at 25 degrees C. The effect of film thickness on the absorption kinetics and overall absorption was investigated in the range of thickness from (3 to 200) nm. The equilibrium swelling of all the films irrespective of film thickness was (0.57+/-0.03) volume fraction. Although the equilibrium absorption is independent ofthickness, the absorption rate substantially decreases for film thickness < 100 nm. For the thinnest film (3 nm), there is a 5 orders of magnitude decrease in the diffusion coefficient for water.     

Comparison of standards in the Karl Fischer method for water determination.

The use of 4-(5-nonyl)pyridine oxide and trioctylamine oxide for the extraction of niobium(V) from different mineral acid solutions is described. The influence of the concentration of the solvents, acids and salting-out agents is discussed. Separations of niobium(V) from tantalum(V) and zirconium(IV) have been achieved.     

Stabilization of a K+-(bis-Cage-Annulated 20-Crown-6) Complex by Bidentate Picrate

Bis-cage-annulated 18-crown-6 and 20-crown-6 macrocyclic ethers (i.e., 1 and 2, respectively) have been synthesized, and their alkali metal picrate extraction profiles have been determined. Host system 1 proved to be a significantly more avid alkali metal cation complexant than 2 and somewhat more avid than 18-crown-6. Both 1 and 18-crown-6 display modest selectivity toward K⁺ and Rb⁺. A stable host–guest complex was prepared by slow evaporation of a CH₂Cl₂–hexane solution of an equimolar mixture of 2 and potassium picrate. The X-ray crystal structure of this complex reveals that picrate anion functions as a bidentate ligand therein. The gas-phase interaction energy between the 2 K⁺ complex and picrate anion was calculated to be ca. –64.9 kcal mol^–1, thereby indicating that participation of picrate anion as an additional bidentate ligand results in significant stabilization of complex 10.     

De novo enantioselective syntheses of galacto-sugars and deoxy sugars via the iterative dihydroxylation of dienoate

An efficient route to various sugar lactones has been developed. Key to the overall transformation is the sequential osmium-catalyzed dihydroxylation of 2,4-dienoates. The simplest (one-step/racemic) example of this reaction occurs when the dihydroxylation is performed with aqueous NMO in MeOH. When the first dihydroxylation is performed using the AD-mix procedure, an enantioselective variant results. When a matched AD-mix procedure is used for the second dihydroxylation, an exceedingly diastereo- and enantioselective synthesis of galacto-1,4-lactone results. [Reaction: see text]     

Preparation of cadmium selenide-polyolefin composites from functional phosphine oxides and ruthenium-based metathesis

Cadmium selenide nanoparticles, prepared by known methods, were stabilized with functional phosphine oxide 1, then used to support the polymerization of cyclic olefins radially outward from the surface by ruthenium-catalyzed ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The conversion of compound 1 into the new metathesis catalyst 3 by carbene exchange and the subsequent polymerization of cyclic olefins were observed spectroscopically by (1)H NMR to afford for example CdSe-polycyclooctene composite 6. Transmission electron micrographs on thin films of these composites showed good nanoparticle dispersion. This is in stark contrast to the substantial nanoparticle aggregation observed when similar polymerizations were performed in the presence of conventional TOPO-covered nanoparticles. The methods reported here to prepare composite product 6 are applicable to other cyclic olefins, and suggest that this chemistry will be useful for incorporating CdSe nanoparticles into a wide variety of polymer matrices.