Total Systems Intervention (TSI): A Reconstitution

Total Systems Intervention (TSI) is a very new approach to ‘problem solving’, but has enjoyed a more extensive use than expected at this stage. Early accounts of it have now been explored in some depth in practice and through theoretical discussion. There have been many new insights generated. Conditions are now propitious for a thorough reworking of TSI as a practical tool, to bring it right up-to-date. This article provides a very brief review of uses of TSI, theoretical and practical reflections, plus an extensive overview of the TSI method as it is employed today. TSI's philosophy, principles and process are described and explained. Some ideas for further development are given.     

A cobalt(III) compound of a 13‐membered cyclic tetra­amine: trans‐(12,12‐dimethyl‐1,4,7,10‐tetra­aza­cyclo­tetra­decane)diisothio­cyanato­cobalt(III) tetra­isothio­cyanato­zinc(II) ethanol solvate

The title compound, [Co(NCS)₂(C₁₁H₂₆N₄)]₂[Zn(NCS)₄]·C₂H₅OH, has two similar cations with the Co^III atom coordinated in a planar fashion by the 13‐membered cyclic tetra­amine, in the 1R,4S,7R,10S configuration, and with trans isothio­cyanate ligands. The six‐membered chelate ring is in a chair conformation, with one axially and one equatorially oriented methyl substituent [mean Co—N = 1.948 (2) Å]. The `opposite' chelate ring (N<sup>4</sup> and N<sup>7</sup>) is in an eclipsed conformation [mean Co—N = 1.928 (2) Å], and the `side' chelate rings have gauche conformations. The mean Co—N_NCS distance is 1.928 (2) Å. Both cations have one Co—N—C group nearly linear and the other appreciably bent, with mean Co—N—C angles of 178.7 (1) and 160.4 (1)°, respectively. The [Zn(NCS)₄]²⁻ anion is approximately tetra­hedral, with Zn—N = 1.951 (1)–1.986 (1) Å, N—Zn—N = 104.5 (1)–111.9 (1)° and Zn—N—C = 152.5 (1)–179.4 (1)°. One NH group is hydrogen bonded to the ethanol O atom and the other NH groups are bonded to thio­cyanate S atoms, forming a network.     

An ab initio MO calculation of the electronic structure and geometry of protonated methanol

Protonated methanol, CH₃ OH₂⁺, has been studied using the LCAO—MO—SCF method with a 7, 3 and 9, 5, 1 Gaussian orbital basis set on the heavy atoms and 4s on hydrogen. It is found that the ground state is non-planar around oxygen, in contrast with previous calculations, with an inversion barrier of 3 kcal mol^?1. The changes in electron distribution in the reacting systemCH₃⁺ + H₂O → CF₃OH₂⁺is also examined.     

Shuttling dynamics in an acid-base-switchable [2]rotaxane.

Molecular shuttles are an intriguing class of rotaxanes which constitute prototypes of mechanical molecular machines and motors. By using stopped-flow spectroscopic techniques in acetonitrile solution, we investigated the kinetics of the shuttling process of a dibenzo[24]crown-8 ether (DB24C8) macrocycle between two recognition sites or "stations"--a secondary ammonium (-NH2+-)/amine (-NH-) center and a 4,4'-bipyridinium (bipy2+) unit--located on the dumbbell component in a [2]rotaxane. The affinity for DB24C8 decreases in the order -NH2+- > bipy2+ > -NH-. Hence, shuttling of the DB24C8 macrocycle can be obtained by deprotonation and reprotonation of the ammonium station, reactions which are easily accomplished by addition of base and acid to the solution. The rate constants were measured as a function of temperature in the range 277-303 K, and activation parameters for the shuttling motion in both directions were determined. The effect of different counterions on the shuttling rates was examined. The shuttling from the -NH2+- to the bipy2+ station, induced by the deprotonation of the ammonium site, is considerably slower than the shuttling in the reverse direction, which is, in turn, activated by reprotonation of the amine site. The results show that the dynamics of the shuttling processes are related to the change in the intercomponent interactions and structural features of the two mutually interlocked molecular components. Our observations also indicate that the counterions of the cationic rotaxane constitute an important contribution to the activation barrier for shuttling.     

Determination of molecular structure using vibrational circular dichroism spectroscopy: the keto-lactone product of Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of (+)-(1R,5S)-bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-2,7-dione

[reaction: see text] The Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of (+)-(1R,5S)-bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-2,7-dione, 1, can lead to four keto-lactone products, 2a-d. A single isomer is obtained experimentally. We have used IR and VCD spectroscopies to identify the structure of this product. DFT calculations of the IR and VCD spectra of 2a-d show unambiguously that the experimental product is (+)-(1R,6R)-2a, and not the expected product 2b. NMR studies, including comparison of DFT and experimental 1H and 13C spectra, support this conclusion. This work provides the first example of the use of VCD spectroscopy to discriminate between structural isomers of a chiral molecule. The specific rotation of (+)-(1R,6R)-2a, predicted using TDDFT methods, is negative demonstrating that absolute configurations determined from TDDFT calculations of specific rotations are not 100% reliable.     

Sodium polyacrylate adsorption onto anionic and cationic silica in the presence of salts

Sodium polyacrylate is well known for its application as a scale inhibitor in common household products, and the effects of both monovalent and divalent metal cations on its structure have been covered by a range of previous publications. In the present article, we extend this work by using solvent relaxation NMR to look at the adsorption of the polyelectrolyte onto both positively and negatively charged silica and how this is altered by calcium chloride. In the anionic case, we found that polyacrylate adsorption was predictably very weak, and interestingly, perhaps counterintuitively, it was further reduced by calcium ions. This is probably linked to NaPA-Ca2+ binding, which changes the conformation and charge of the polyelectrolyte. In contrast, NaPA adsorbs very strongly on cationic silica, to the point that precipitation often occurs, particularly on addition of salt.     

Can terdentate 2,6-bis(1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)pyridines form stable coordination compounds?

The first structurally characterized examples of the 1,2,3-triazole motif employed in a terdentate ligand display enhanced steric freedom and a facile receptivity towards a reversible aquation in the case of an electrogenerated Fe(III) state.     

Strong, size-selective, and electronically tunable C-H...halide binding with steric control over aggregation from synthetically modular, shape-persistent [34]triazolophanes

A series of shape-persistent [3(4)]triazolophanes bearing t-butyl or triethylene glycol (OTg) substituents on the phenylene linkers have been prepared in a modular manner from simple building blocks. Triazolophane-halide binding affinities were determined using UV titrations in order to help in understanding the driving forces behind the large receptor-anion binding strengths supported solely by CH hydrogen-bond donors. The fixed size of the central cavity provides a means for selective recognition of Cl(-) and Br(-) anions with large binding strengths (Ka > 1,000,000 M(-1); DeltaG > -8.5 kcal mol(-1)). The smaller F(-) and larger I(-) anions are bound less tightly by approximately 1 and approximately 3 orders of magnitude, respectively. The four triazole-based H-bond donors are believed to be of primary importance, while the four phenylene CH H-bond donors take on a secondary role. Consistent with this idea, the binding affinity can be tuned by as much as 1 kcal mol(-1) by changing the character of the four phenylene-based substituents from more (OTg) to less (t-butyl) electron-donating. Preorganization was also found to play a central role, on the basis of comparisons with a foldamer analogue that shows much-reduced binding. Aggregation was facilitated as the substituents were changed from t-butyl to OTg, increasing the degree of self-association from K(E) approximately = 0 to 230 M(-1) in CD2Cl2. Diffusion NMR experiments established aggregation as opposed to dimerization. These findings indicate the importance of the cavity size for selective anion recognition as well as the role of the phenylene linkers in tuning the binding strengths and modulating the aggregation of the [3(4)]triazolophanes.     

Fourier-transform Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill NMR experiments on polymers in colloidal dispersions: how many polymer molecules per particle?

Fourier transform relaxation NMR has been used to study how the mobility of poly(ethylene oxide) is affected by its adsorption onto colloidal silica particles of various sizes. Novel results have been obtained which illustrate the unexploited potential of this method for the study of interfacial species in complex systems. The results quantify how polymer mobility varies along an adsorption isotherm. When the particles are in excess, the polymer is strongly adsorbed and hence has a large spin-spin magnetic relaxation rate constant, R(2). The value of R(2) in this region increases with particle size, because the associated reduction in particle surface curvature results in a reduction in the mobility of the adsorbed polymer. This is accompanied by a reduction in the signal intensity, as a higher fraction of the polymer is adsorbed in the form of train segments too immobile to detect using the Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill pulse sequence. When the polymer concentration reaches approximately 0.5 mg m(-2), the initial region of high affinity adsorption ends and so the polymer solution concentration increases. This is accompanied by a reduction in R(2), which then approaches the value for a simple polymer solution in the absence of particles. The results are corroborated by comparison with rheological measurements and molecular dynamics simulations of an analogous particle-polymer system.     

Effects of surfactants and electrolytes on adsorbed layers and particle stability

Adsorbed polymer and polyelectrolyte layers on colloidal silica nanoparticles have been studied in the presence of various salts and surfactants using photon correlation spectroscopy and solvent relaxation NMR. Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO; molar mass 103.6 kg mol (-1)) adsorbed with a relatively high affinity and gave a layer thickness of 4.2 +/- 0.2 nm. While the nonionic surfactant used only increased this thickness slightly, anionic surfactants had a much greater effect, mainly due to repulsions between adsorbed aggregates, leading to expansion of the layer. A nonionic/anionic surfactant mixture was also tested and resulted in a larger increase in layer thickness than any of the individual surfactants. The dominant factor on addition of salt was generally the reduced solvency of PEO, which resulted in a further increase in the layer thickness but in some cases caused flocculation. This was not the case when the surfactant was sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate; instead screening of the intermicellar repulsions possibly combined with surfactant-cation binding resulted in a reduction in the layer thickness. In comparison the affinity between silica and sodium polystyrenesulfonate was very weak. Anionic surfactants and salts did not noticeably increase the strength of adsorption, but instead encouraged flocculation. The situation was different with a nonionic surfactant, which was able to adsorb to silica itself and apparently facilitated a degree of polyelectrolyte adsorption as well.