Large‐Area Plasmonic Substrate of Silver‐Coated Iron Oxide Nanorod Arrays for Plasmon‐Enhanced Spectroscopy

One‐dimensional iron oxide materials fabricated on conducting glass substrates and their unique properties make these nanostructures promising candidates for a wide range of applications. Herein, vertically oriented α‐Fe₂O₃ nanorod arrays synthesized under hydrothermal conditions over a large area are described, as an active platform for surface‐enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) and surface‐enhanced fluorescence (SEF). From scanning electron microscopy images the formation of a homogeneous distribution of vertically oriented rods in a large area is confirmed. For activating the localized surface plasmon resonances, which are responsible for SERRS and SEF, a 6 nm layer of Ag is deposited onto the α‐Fe₂O₃ nanorod arrays by physical vapor deposition to form Ag islands.     

New insights into urea action on proteins: a SANS study of the lysozyme case

We present a study on lysozyme dissolved in mixtures of water and urea, which is ubiquitously used as a protein denaturant. Despite the wide use of urea, the basic molecular mechanisms inducing protein unfolding are not still clarified. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments have been performed using little amounts of denaturant in solutions in order to investigate the urea effect on lysozyme preceding the unfolding process. A global fit strategy, applied to analyze SANS experiments, provides an estimation of the average composition of the solvent in the close vicinity of the protein surface and the change of the protein-protein interactions due to the presence of urea. In particular, the thermodynamic equilibrium constant responsible for cosolvent balancing between the bulk and solvation layer has been determined. It turns out that urea is preferentially driven to the protein surface, confirming literature results at infinite dilute conditions. SANS data also reveal a possible variation of the protein net charge as a function of urea concentration, opening new perspectives and questions about the protein surface architecture at the first stages of unfolding processes.     

Amperometric sensor for nitrite based on copper tetrasulphonated phthalocyanine immobilized with poly-L-lysine film

In this work, an amperometric sensor for nitrite detection based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with copper tetrasulphonated phthalocyanine immobilized by polycationic poly-L-lysine film is presented. The modified electrode showed an excellent catalytic activity toward nitrite oxidation. A linear response range from 0.12 up to 12.20 micromol L(-1) was obtained with a sensitivity of 0.83 microA L micromol(-1). The detection limit for nitrite was 36 nmol L(-1). The repeatability of the proposed sensor, evaluated in terms of relative standard deviation, was 1% for 10 measurements of 10 micromol L(-1) nitrite solution. Finally, the developed sensor was applied for nitrite determination in water samples and the results were in agreement to the comparative method. The average recovery for the samples was 101 (+/-4)%.     

Inference of the solvation energy parameters of amino acids using maximum entropy approach

We present a novel technique, based on the principle of maximum entropy, for deriving the solvation energy parameters of amino acids from the knowledge of the solvent accessible areas in experimentally determined native state structures as well as high quality decoys of proteins. We present the results of detailed studies and analyze the correlations of the solvation energy parameters with the standard hydrophobic scale. We study the ability of the inferred parameters to discriminate between the native state structures of proteins and their decoy conformations.     

Regioselectivity in azahydro[60]fullerene derivatives: application of general-purpose reactivity indicators

To attempt theoretical predictions of the regioselectivity pattern in molecules with multiple reactive sites, the energies of formation of all possible isomers are usually considered. This means that the computing becomes highly demanding if high theoretical levels are used. The study objective was to predict the regioselectivity in the reaction of hydrogen addition onto azahydro[60]fullerene C 59H n+1 N ( n = 0-4) systems using a new reactivity indicator termed general-purpose reactivity indicator, Xi Delta N相似文献   

Electrocatalytic determination of reduced glutathione in human erythrocytes

The determination of reduced glutathione (GSH) in human erythrocytes using a simple, fast and sensitive method employing a glassy carbon electrode modified with cobalt tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine (CoTSPc) immobilized in poly(l-lysine) (PLL) film was investigated. This modified electrode showed very efficient electrocatalytic activity for anodic oxidation of GSH, decreasing substantially the anodic overpotentials for 0.2 V versus Ag/AgCl. The modified electrode presented better performance in 0.1 mol l⁻¹ piperazine-N,N′-bis(2-ethanesulfonic acid) buffer at pH 7.4. The other experimental parameters, such as the concentration of CoTSPc and PLL in the membrane preparation, pH, type of buffer solution and applied potential, were optimized. Under optimized operational conditions, a linear response from 50 to 2,160 nmol l⁻¹ was obtained with a high sensitivity of 1.5 nA l nmol⁻¹ cm⁻². The detection limit for GSH determination was 15 nmol l⁻¹. The proposed sensor presented good repeatability, evaluated in terms of the relative standard deviation (1.5%) for n = 10. The modified electrode was applied for determination of GSH in erythrocyte samples and the results were in agreement with those obtained by a comparative method described in the literature The average recovery for these fortified samples was 100 ± 1)%. Applying a paired Student’s-t test to compare these methods, we could observe that, at the 95% confidence level, there was no statistical difference between the reference and the proposed methods.     

Electrochemical, pulsed-field-gradient spin-echo NMR spectroscopic, and ESR spectroscopic study of the diffusivity of molecular probes inside gel-type cross-linked polymers

The permeability of five gel-type synthetic resins, obtained by polymerization of 1-vinylpyrrolidin-2-one cross-linked with N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 wt %) and swollen by N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), has been analyzed. The diffusion of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-oxo-1-piperidinyloxyl (TEMPONE) was studied by ultramicroelectrode voltammetry. Similar measurements were performed for solutions of non-cross-linked poly(vinylpyrrolidone) in DMF. To provide information on the rotational mobility of TEMPONE and the translational mobility of DMF, electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopic and pulsed-field-gradient spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance (PGSE-NMR) spectroscopic experiments, respectively, were carried out. Comparative analysis of the results obtained by electrochemical, ESR spectroscopic, and PGSE-NMR spectroscopic measurements showed that diffusivity inside the polymer framework is significantly affected by the extent of cross-linking, the size of the diffusing probe, and the presence of electrolytes.     

A Sensitive Sensor Based on CuTSPc and Reduced Graphene Oxide for Simultaneous Determination of the BHA and TBHQ Antioxidants in Biodiesel Samples

A novel and sensitive electrochemical sensor was developed for the simultaneous determination of the butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and tert‐butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) antioxidants in biodiesel samples employing the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). In this sense, a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with copper (II) tetrasulfonated phthatocyanine immobilized on reduced graphene oxide (CuTSPc/rGO) allowed the detection of BHA and TBHQ at potentials lower than those observed at unmodified electrodes. The sensor was characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear scan voltammetry (LSV). After optimization of the experimental parameters, the analytical curves for simultaneous determination of BHA and TBHQ by DPV technique demonstrated an excellent linear response from 0.1 to 500 µmol L^?1 with detection limit of 0.045 µmol L^?1 for TBHQ and 0.036 µmol L^?1 for BHA. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied in the simultaneous determination of BHA and TBHQ in six biodiesel samples, and the results obtained were found to be similar to those obtained using the HPLC method with agreement at 95 % confidence level.     

The interaction of biliar acids with 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin in solution and in the solid state

The interaction of two biliar acids (chenodeoxycholic acid and cholic acid) with 2-hydroxypropyl--cyclodextrin (HPCD) in solution and in the solid state was studied using different techniques. The formation of an inclusion complex with a 1:1 stoichiometry was suggested by the phase solubility studies. Both differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffractometry exhibited the amorphous state of the complex. The inclusion of both biliar acids into the HPCD cavity was confirmed by the¹³C-NMR studies. Cholic acid showed a weaker affinity with respect to chenodeoxycholic acid probably owing to the presence of a hydroxyl group onC(12) (12) close to the complexation site.     

Modeling of composite latex particle morphology by off-lattice Monte Carlo simulation

Composite latex particles have shown a great range of applications such as paint resins, varnishes, water borne adhesives, impact modifiers, etc. The high-performance properties of this kind of materials may be explained in terms of a synergistical combination of two different polymers (usually a rubber and a thermoplastic). A great variety of composite latex particles with very different morphologies may be obtained by two-step emulsion polymerization processes. The formation of specific particle morphology depends on the chemical and physical nature of the monomers used during the synthesis, the process temperature, the reaction initiator, the surfactants, etc. Only a few models have been proposed to explain the appearance of the composite particle morphologies. These models have been based on the change of the interfacial energies during the synthesis. In this work, we present a new three-component model: Polymer blend (flexible and rigid chain particles) is dispersed in water by forming spherical cavities. Monte Carlo simulations of the model in two dimensions are used to determine the density distribution of chains and water molecules inside the suspended particle. This approach allows us to study the dependence of the morphology of the composite latex particles on the relative hydrophilicity and flexibility of the chain molecules as well as on their density and composition. It has been shown that our simple model is capable of reproducing the main features of the various morphologies observed in synthesis experiments.