Synthesis of Novel Benzo-15-Crown-5-Tethered β-Cyclodextrins and Their Enhanced Molecular Binding Abilities by Alkali Metal Cation Coordination

Two novel benzo-15-crown-5 tethered β-cyclodextrins 1 and 2have been synthesized by coupling substituted benzo-15-crown-5 with correspondingβ-cyclodextrin derivatives. Their inclusion complexation behavior withrepresentative guests, such as cyclohexanol, cyclohexane carboxylic acid, cyclohexaneacetic acid, sodium cyclohexane carboxylate, and potassium cyclohexane carboxylate,was investigated in aqueous solution by means of fluorescence spectrometry. As compared with parent β-cyclodextrin, benzo-15-crown-5 tethered β-cyclodextrins 1–2 display significantly enhanced molecular binding abilities and selectivities towards model substrates, especially towards substrates containing alkali-metal cations. These results indicate that, bearing two recognition sites in a single molecule, these supramolecular architectures can strongly enhance the molecular binding ability of parent β-cyclodextrin by the cooperative binding of the β-cyclodextrin cavity and the crown ether moiety. Possessing a shorter linker, crown ether-β-cyclodextrin 2 shows much higher binding affinity with guest molecules than crown ether-β-cyclodextrin 1, which may be attributed to the binding size and molecular multiple recognition behavior between host and guest.     

Fluorimetric determination of ascorbic acid with o-phenylenediamine

A simple and sensitive fluorimetric method for the determination of ascorbic acid (AA) is described. The method is based on the condensation reaction between AA and o-phenylenediamine (OPDA) in the absence of the oxidant. The fluorescence intensity is measured at excitation and emission wavelengths of 360 and 430 nm, respectively. Under optimum condition, a linear relationship is obtained between the fluorescence intensity and the concentration of AA in the range of 0.05-40 μg ml⁻¹. The detection limit is 0.006 μg ml⁻¹, which is obviously lower than that of other fluorimetric methods reported.     

Study on the Synthesis and Biodegradation of Aliphatic Polyester

With the increasing use of one-off plastic products, the environmental pollution resulted from the plastic waste has become more and more serious. So many scientists have focused their attention on developing biodegradable polymers to substitute the traditional unbiodegradable polymers in the manufacture of disposable products. Thus the plastic waste can be treated by landfill or composting technique. It has been found that aliphatic polyesters possess better biodegradability compared with oth…     

A new diarylheptanoid and a new diarylheptanoid glycoside isolated from the roots of Juglans mandshurica and their anti-inflammatory activities

A new diarylheptanoid, (2S,3S,5S)-2,3,5-trihydroxy-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy- 3-methoxyphenyl)heptane (1), and a new diarylheptanoid glycoside, (2S,3S,5S)-2,3-dihydroxy-5-O-β-d-xylopyranosyl-7-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)heptane (2), together with three known compounds, rhoiptelol C (3), rhoiptelol B (4) and 3′,4″-epoxy-2-O-β-d-glucopyanosyl-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)- 7-(3-methoxyphenyl)heptan-3-one (5) were isolated from the roots of Juglans mandshurica (Juglandaceae). The structures of compounds 1 and 2 were identified based on HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic methods. Compounds 1–5 were assayed for their inhibitory effects on the production of NO, TNF-α and IL-6 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells.     

MnO2‐Modified Persistent Luminescence Nanoparticles for Detection and Imaging of Glutathione in Living Cells and In Vivo

Persistent luminescence nanoparticles (PLNPs) hold great promise for the detection and imaging of biomolecules. Herein, we have demonstrated a novel nanoprobe, based on the manganese dioxide (MnO₂)‐modified PLNPs, that can detect and image glutathione in living cells and in vivo. The persistent luminescence of the PLNPs can be efficiently quenched by the MnO₂ nanosheets. In the presence of glutathione (GSH), MnO₂ was reduced to Mn²⁺ and the luminescence of PLNPs can be restored. The persistent luminescence property can allow detection and imaging without external excitation and avoid the background noise originating from the in situ excitation. This strategy can offer a promising platform for detection and imaging of reactive species in living cells or in vivo.     

Cross-Linked Polyphosphazene Hollow Nanosphere-Derived N/P-Doped Porous Carbon with Single Nonprecious Metal Atoms for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Heteroatom-doped polymers or carbon nanospheres have attracted broad research interest. However, rational synthesis of these nanospheres with controllable properties is still a great challenge. Herein, we develop a template-free approach to construct cross-linked polyphosphazene nanospheres with tunable hollow structures. As comonomers, hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene provides N and P atoms, tannic acid can coordinate with metal ions, and the replaceable third comonomer can endow the materials with various properties. After carbonization, N/P-doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres were obtained with small particle size (≈50 nm) and high surface area (411.60 m² g⁻¹). Structural characterization confirmed uniform dispersion of the single atom transition metal sites (i.e., Co-N₂P₂) with N and P dual coordination. Electrochemical measurements and theoretical simulations revealed the oxygen reduction reaction performance. This work provides a solution for fabricating diverse heteroatom-containing polymer nanospheres and their derived single metal atom doped carbon catalysts.     

On condition numbers for Moore–Penrose inverse and linear least squares problem involving Kronecker products

In this paper, we investigate the normwise, mixed, and componentwise condition numbers and their upper bounds for the Moore–Penrose inverse of the Kronecker product and more general matrix function compositions involving Kronecker products. We also present the condition numbers and their upper bounds for the associated Kronecker product linear least squares solution with full column rank. In practice, the derived upper bounds for the mixed and componentwise condition numbers for Kronecker product linear least squares solution can be efficiently estimated using the Hager–Higham Algorithm. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

吡啶甲酸锂-铑(Ⅰ)配合物催化甲醇羰基化反应

本文采用吡啶甲酸或吡啶二甲酸锂盐为配体,与铑形成顺二羰基配合物,用于催化甲醇羰基化制乙酸。研究表明,与通常的铑配合物相比,该类双金属配合物无论在催化活性或乙酸生成的选择性方面均有明显的提高。     

Fluorescence energy transfer-based multiplexed hybridization assay using gold nanoparticles and quantum dot conjugates on photonic crystal beads

A multiplexed assay strategy was developed for the detection of nucleic acid hybridization. It is based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and multi-sized quantum dots (QDs) deposited on the surface of silica photonic crystal beads (SPCBs). The SPCBs were first coated with a three-layer primer film formed by the alternating adsorption of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and poly(sodium 4-styrensulfonate). Probe DNA sequences were then covalently attached to the carboxy groups at the surface of the QD-coated SPCBs. On addition of DNA-AuNPs and hybridization, the fluorescence of the donor QDs is quenched because of the close proximity of the AuNPs. However, the addition of target DNA causes a recovery of the fluorescence of the QD-coated SPCBs, thus enabling the quantitative assay of hybridized DNA. Compared to fluorescent dyes acting as acceptors, the use of AuNPs results in much higher quenching efficiency. The multiplexed assay displays a wide linear range, high sensitivity, and very little cross-reactivity. This work, where such SPCBs are used for the first time in a FRET assay, is deemed to present a new and viable approach towards high-throughput multiplexed gene assays.