Semi‐Interpenetrated Hydrogels‐Microfibers Electroactive Assemblies for Release and Real‐Time Monitoring of Drugs

Simultaneous drug release and monitoring using a single polymeric platform represents a significant advance in the utilization of biomaterials for therapeutic use. Tracking drug release by real‐time electrochemical detection using the same platform is a simple way to guide the dosage of the drug, improve the desired therapeutic effect, and reduce the adverse side effects. The platform developed in this work takes advantage of the flexibility and loading capacity of hydrogels, the mechanical strength of microfibers, and the capacity of conducting polymers to detect the redox properties of drugs. The engineered platform is prepared by assembling two spin‐coated layers of poly‐γ‐glutamic acid hydrogel, loaded with poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) microparticles, and separated by a electrospun layer of poly‐ε‐caprolactone microfibers. Loaded PEDOT microparticles are used as reaction nuclei for the polymerization of poly(hydroxymethyl‐3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PHMeDOT), that semi‐interpenetrate the whole three layered system while forming a dense network of electrical conduction paths. After demonstrating its properties, the platform is loaded with levofloxacin and its release monitored externally by UV–vis spectroscopy and in situ by using the PHMeDOT network. In situ real‐time electrochemical monitoring of the drug release from the engineered platform holds great promise for the development of multi‐functional devices for advanced biomedical applications.     

Syntheses, structures, and properties of copper(II) complexes of bis(2-pyridylmethyl) derivatives of o-, m-, and p-phenylenediamine and aniline

Copper(II) complexes of the ligand 1,n-bis[bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amino]benzene with n = 2-4 (1,n-tpbd) and its mononuclear derivative bis(2-pyridylmethyl)aniline (phbpa) were synthesized and structurally characterized. Magnetic measurements and DFT calculations were performed on [CuCl2(phbpa)], [Cu2Cl4(1,3-tpbd)], [(Cu2Cl2(ClO4)(1,3-tpbd))Cl(Cu2Cl2(OH2)(1,3-tpbd))](ClO4)2, and [Cu2(OH2)2(S2O6)(1,3-tpbd)]S2O6, and the exchange-polarization mechanism was successfully demonstrated.     

One-dimensional oxalato-bridged Cu(II), Co(II), and Zn(II) complexes with purine and adenine as terminal ligands

The reaction of nucleobases (adenine or purine) with a metallic salt in the presence of potassium oxalate in an aqueous solution yields one-dimensional complexes of formulas [M(mu-ox)(H(2)O)(pur)](n) (pur = purine, ox = oxalato ligand (2-); M = Cu(II) [1], Co(II) [2], and Zn(II) [3]), [Co(mu-ox)(H(2)O)(pur)(0.76)(ade)(0.24)](n)(4) and ([M(mu-ox)(H(2)O)(ade)].2(ade).(H(2)O))(n) (ade = adenine; M = Co(II) [5] and Zn(II) [6]). Their X-ray single-crystal structures, variable-temperature magnetic measurements, thermal behavior, and FT-IR spectroscopy are reported. The complexes 1-4 crystallize in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/a (No. 14) with similar crystallographic parameters. The compounds 5 and 6 are also isomorphous but crystallize in the triclinic space group P (No. 2). All compounds contain one-dimensional chains in which cis-[M(H(2)O)(L)](2+) units are bridged by bis-bidentate oxalato ligands with M(.)M intrachain distances in the range 5.23-5.57 A. In all cases, the metal atoms are six-coordinated by four oxalato oxygen atoms, one water molecule, and one nitrogen atom from a terminal nucleobase, building distorted octahedral MO(4)O(w)N surroundings. The purine ligand is bound to the metal atom through the most basic imidazole N9 atom in 1-4, whereas in 5 and 6 the minor groove site N3 of the adenine nucleobase is the donor atom. The crystal packing of compounds 5 and 6 shows the presence of uncoordinated adenine and water crystallization molecules. The cohesiveness of the supramolecular 3D structure of the compounds is achieved by means of an extensive network of noncovalent interactions (hydrogen bonds and pi-pi stacking interactions). Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements of the Cu(II) and Co(II) complexes in the range 2-300 K show the occurrence of antiferromagnetic intrachain interactions.     

Cyanide-bridged Fe(III)-Co(II) bis double zigzag chains with a slow relaxation of the magnetisation

Reaction of [Fe(III)(bipy)(CN)4]- with fully solvated M(II) cations [M = Co (1) and Mn (2)] produces the isostructural bis double zigzag chains [[Fe(III)(bipy)(CN)4]2M(II)(H2O)] x MeCN x (1/2)H2O; 1 exhibits intrachain ferromagnetic and interchain antiferromagnetic couplings, slow magnetic relaxation and hysteresis effects.     

Importance of Madelung potential in quantum chemical modeling of ionic surfaces

The importance of the inclusion of the Madelung potential in cluster models of ionic surfaces is the subject of this work. We have determined Hartree-Fock all electron wave functions for a series of MgO clusters with and without a large array of surrounding point charges (PC) chosen to reproduce the Madelung potential. The phenomena investigated include: the reactivity of surface oxygens toward CO₂, atomic hydrogen, and H⁺; the geometry and adsorption energy of water and the vibrational shift of CO adsorbed at Mg²⁺ sites; the electronic structure and the hyperfine coupling constants of oxygen vacancies, the paramagnetic F_s⁺ centers. While some clusters give results which are virtually independent of the presence of the PCs, other clusters, typically of small size, give physically incorrect results when the PCs are not included. The embedding of the cluster in PCs guarantees a similar response for clusters of different size, at variance with the bare clusters, where the long range coulombic interactions are not included. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

ChemInform Abstract: Density Functional Studies of Model Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles.

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