Nanoporosity of an interpenetrated NbO-type molecular framework studied by single crystal X-ray diffraction

The molecular framework [Fe(NCS)(2)(tmbpz)(2)](tmbpz = 3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl-4,4'-bipyrazolyl) consists of a robust doubly interpenetrated NbO-type network that remains stable on the removal of solvent guest molecules.     

Reversible hydrogen gas uptake in nanoporous Prussian Blue analogues

The family of dehydrated nanoporous Prussian Blue analogues, M(II)3[Co(III)(CN)6]2 (M(II) = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd), which contain coordinatively unsaturated divalent metal cations, undergoes reversible sorption of hydrogen gas up to 1.2 wt% (at 77 K, 101.3 kPa), the capacity of which depends on the metal ion.     

Enhancement of 1,3-Propanediol production by cofermentation inEscherichia coli expressingKlebsiella pneumoniae dha regulon genes

1,3-Propanediol (1,3-PD) is an intermediate in chemical and polymer synthesis. We have previously expressed the genes of a biochemical pathway responsible for 1,3-PD production, thedha regulon ofKlebsiella pneumoniae, inEscherichia coli. An analysis of the maximum theoretical yield of 1,3-PD from glycerol indicates that the yield can be improved by the cofermentation of sugars, provided that kinetic constraints are overcome. The yield of 1,3-PD from glycerol was improved from 0.46 mol/mol with glycerol alone to 0.63 mol/mol with glucose cofermentation and 0.55 mol/mol with xylose cofermentation. The engineeredE. coli also provides a model system for the study of metabolic pathway engineering.     

Direct detection of dimethylstannylene and tetramethyldistannene in solution and the gas phase by laser flash photolysis of 1,1-dimethylstannacyclopent-3-enes

The photochemistry of 1,1-dimethyl- and 1,1,3,4-tetramethylstannacyclopent-3-ene (4a and 4b, respectively) has been studied in the gas phase and in hexane solution by steady-state and 193-nm laser flash photolysis methods. Photolysis of the two compounds results in the formation of 1,3-butadiene (from 4a) and 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene (from 4b) as the major products, suggesting that cycloreversion to yield dimethylstannylene (SnMe2) is the main photodecomposition pathway of these molecules. Indeed, the stannylene has been trapped as the Sn-H insertion product upon photolysis of 4a in hexane containing trimethylstannane. Flash photolysis of 4a in the gas phase affords a transient absorbing in the 450-520-nm range that is assigned to SnMe2 by comparison of its spectrum and reactivity to those previously reported from other precursors. Flash photolysis of 4b in hexane solution affords results consistent with the initial formation of SnMe2 (lambda(max) approximately 500 nm), which decays over approximately 10 micros to form tetramethyldistannene (5b; lambda(max) approximately 470 nm). The distannene decays over the next ca. 50 micros to form at least two other longer-lived species, which are assigned to higher SnMe2 oligomers. Time-dependent DFT calculations support the spectral assignments for SnMe2 and Sn2Me4, and calculations examining the variation in bond dissociation energy with substituent (H, Me, and Ph) in disilenes, digermenes, and distannenes rule out the possibility that dimerization of SnMe2 proceeds reversibly. Addition of methanol leads to reversible reaction with SnMe2 to form a transient absorbing at lambda(max) approximately 360 nm, which is assigned to the Lewis acid-base complex between SnMe2 and the alcohol.     

Structural Chemistry of Poly(ethylene glycol) Complexes of Lead(II) Nitrate and Lead(II) Bromide

The reaction of 1:1 stoichiometries (1:1.5 for the nitrate/tetraethylene glycol (EO4) and pentaethylene glycol (EO5) complexes) of PbX(2) (X = NO(3), Br) with five- to eight-donor poly(ethylene glycols) (PEGs) in 3:1 CH(3)CN/CH(3)OH (CH(3)CN only for the nitrate/EO5 complex) followed by solvent evaporation resulted in six crystalline materials upon which X-ray structural analyses were carried out: [Pb(NO(3))(2)(EO4)](n)(), [Pb(NO(3))(2)(EO5)], [Pb(NO(3))(2)(EO6)], [PbBr(EO5)(&mgr;-Br)PbBr(2)].H(2)O, [PbBr(NCMe)(EO6)](2)[PbBr(2)(EO6)][PbBr(3)](2), and [PbBr(EO7)][PbBr(3)]. The nitrates crystallize as tight ion pairs with the PEG ligands coordinating in an equatorial plane around the Pb(2+) ions. Because EO4 has only five oxygen donors, this complex exhibits steric unsaturation which is overcome by a monodentate interaction with a third nitrate anion that is also coordinated to a neighboring Pb(2+) ion. The six donors of EO5 coordinate in an equatorial plane resulting in a 10-coordinate complex with trans, twisted, bidentate nitrate anions. The seven-donor hexaethylene glycol (EO6) only uses six of its oxygen donors to coordinate Pb(2+). [Pb(NO(3))(2)(EO4)](n)() is monoclinic, P2(1)/c, with a = 7.902(3) ?, b = 22.136(6) ?, c = 8.910(2) ?, beta = 90.96(3) degrees, and Z = 4. [Pb(NO(3))(2)(EO5)] is triclinic P&onemacr;, with a = 9.332(3) ?, b = 10.025(3) ?, c = 11.688(4) ?, alpha = 68.41(3) degrees, beta = 68.39(3) degrees, gamma = 68.58(3) degrees, and Z = 2. [Pb(NO(3))(2)(EO6)] is monoclinic P2(1)/c, with a = 16.289(4) ?, b = 10.773(4) ?, c = 12.329(4) ?, beta = 106.77(2) degrees, and Z = 4. Lead(II) bromide complexes with PEGs tend to crystallize as PEG complexed cations with polymeric lead(II) bromide anions. In the EO5 complex, bromide anions in the polymer also coordinate to the PEG-wrapped Pb(2+) cations. The hexa- and heptaethylene glycol (EO6 and EO7, respectively) complexes contain discreet ions. In these halide complexes, EO7 is the only PEG to expand the Pb(2+) coordination number from eight to nine. [PbBr(EO5)(&mgr;-Br)PbBr(2)].H(2)O is triclinic P&onemacr;, with a = 7.922(6) ?,b = 15.802(9) ?, c = 19.001(9) ?, alpha = 73.19(8) degrees, beta = 88.91(9) degrees, gamma = 87.22(9) degrees, and Z = 4. [PbBr(NCMe)(EO6)](2)[PbBr(2)(EO6)][PbBr(3)](2) is monoclinic P2(1)/c, with a = 14.389(4) ?, b = 31.931(9) ?, c = 8.029(2) ?, beta = 97.76(3) degrees, and Z = 2. [PbBr(EO7)][PbBr(3)] is monoclinic Cc, with a = 13.165(3) ?, b = 24.732(5) ?, c = 8.007(1) ?, beta = 94.58(2) degrees, and Z = 4.     

Speciation of protein-bound trace elements by gel electrophoresis and atomic spectrometry

The metabolism of trace elements, in particular their binding to proteins in biological systems is of great importance in biochemical, toxicological, and pharmacological studies. As a result there has been a sustained interest over the last two decades in the speciation of protein-bound metals. Various analytical approaches have been employed, combining efficient separation of metalloproteins by liquid chromatography or electrophoresis with high-sensitivity elemental detection. Slab-gel electrophoresis (GE) is a key platform for high-resolution protein separation, and has been combined with autoradiography and various atomic spectrometric techniques for in-gel determination of protein-bound metals. Recently, the combination of GE with state-of-the-art inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), particularly when linked to laser ablation (LA) for direct gel interrogation, has opened up new opportunities for rapid characterization of metalloproteins. The use of GE and atomic spectrometry for the speciation of protein-bound trace elements is reviewed in this paper. Technical requirements for gel electrophoresis/atomic spectrometric measurement are considered in terms of method compatibilities, detection capability and potential usefulness. The literature is also surveyed to illustrate current status and future trends.     

Pressure Perturbation Calorimetry of Solvation Changes in Cyclodextrin Complexes

Solvation changes occurring during cyclodextrin host:guest complex formation were investigated using the new calorimetric technique of Pressure Perturbation Calorimetry (PPC). This can determine the thermal expansion coefficient of molecules in solution. PPC was used to measure the change in heat ( Q) that occurs upon application of pressure to three different solutions: guest (1-adamantanecarboxylic acid or 1-adamantanamine), -cyclodextrin, and -cyclodextrin/guest mixture. Q for the complex in solution was found to be smaller than anticipated from the sum of the heat changes of the separate components. Since Q is directly related to thermal expansivity (), the results imply that the complex expands less with temperature than expected. This reduction is most likely due to the removal of the solvation shell around the ligand and, to a lesser extent, expulsion of water molecules from the cyclodextrin cavity during complex formation.     

Observation of nonlinearity and asymmetry in energies of EPR transitions of 160Gd3+ in La(C2H5SO4)3 · 9D2O at low magnetic fields

The energies of EPR transitions of ¹⁶⁰Gd³⁺ in La(C₂H₅SO₄₃ · 9D₂O at 77.2 K are observed to be nonlinear functions of field at low fields. The + $\text{3}\text{2}$, + $\text{1}\text{2}$ and ?$\text{3}\text{2}$, ?$\text{1}\text{2}$ transition energies converge asymmetrically below 10 G and differ by only ≈ MHz at the lowest fields employed.     

Behavior of M[Al2Me6N3] (M=K,Rb, Cs) with aromatic solvents and the crystal structures of Cs[Al2Me6N3]·2p-xylene and [K·dibenzo-18-crown-6] [Al2Me6N3]· 1.5(1-methylnaphthalene)

The title compounds were synthesized by the addition of AlMe₃ to the corresponding azide suspended in an aromatic solvent. Both products were obtained as air-sensitive colorless crystals. Cs[Al₂Me₆N₃]·2p-xylene crystallizes in the monoclinic space groupC2/m witha=19.143(6),b=16.227(6),c=10.392(5) Å, =114.06(2)^o, and _calc = 1.20 g cm^–3 forZ=4. Refinement led to a conventionalR value of 0.037 for 2179 observed reflections. The cesium atom resides on a mirror plane, and the anion is disordered about a twofold axis. Thep-xylene molecules sandwich the cesium ion.[K·dibenzo-18-crown-6] [Al_Me6N₃]·1.5(1-methylnaphthalene) crystallizes in the monoclinic space groupP2₁/c witha=14.176(5),b=13.021(5),c=25.324(8) Å, =98.23(4)⁰, and _calc = 1.08 g cm^–3 forZ=4. The finalR value was 0.132 for 1402 observed reflections. One of the 1-methylnaphthalene molecules is disordered about a center of inversion and interacts with the potassium ion. The other solvent molecule is found roughly in layers in the lattice and also exhibits disorder of the methyl substituent. For both title compounds the AlMe₃ groups of the anion exhibit a staggered (C _s) conformation. Supplementary Data relating to this article are deposited with the British Library as Supplementary Publication No. SUP 82015 (32 pages).     

Pauling's electronegativity equation and a new corollary accurately predict bond dissociation enthalpies and enhance current understanding of the nature of the chemical bond

Contrary to other recent reports, Pauling's original electronegativity equation, applied as Pauling specified, describes quite accurately homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies of common covalent bonds, including highly polar ones, with an average deviation of +/-1.5 kcal mol(-1) from literature values for 117 such bonds. Dissociation enthalpies are presented for more than 250 bonds, including 79 for which experimental values are not available. Some previous evaluations of accuracy gave misleadingly poor results by applying the equation to cases for which it was not derived and for which it should not reproduce experimental values. Properly interpreted, the results of the equation provide new and quantitative insights into many facets of chemistry such as radical stabilities, factors influencing reactivity in electrophilic aromatic substitutions, the magnitude of steric effects, conjugative stabilization in unsaturated systems, rotational barriers, molecular and electronic structure, and aspects of autoxidation. A new corollary of the original equation expands its applicability and provides a rationale for previously observed empirical correlations. The equation raises doubts about a new bonding theory. Hydrogen is unique in that its electronegativity is not constant.