Electron density fitting for the Coulomb problem in relativistic density-functional theory

A density fitting approach for the Coulomb matrix representation within the four-component formulation of relativistic density-functional theory is presented. Our implementation, which uses G-spinor basis sets, shares all the advantages of those found in nonrelativistic quantum chemistry. We show that very accurate Coulomb energies may be obtained using a modest number of scalar auxiliary basis functions for molecules containing heavy atoms. The efficiency of this new implementation is demonstrated in a detailed study of the spectroscopic properties of the gold dimer, and its scaling behavior has been tested by calculations of some closed-shell gold clusters (Au2, Au3+, Au4, Au5+). The algorithm is found to scale as O(N3), just as it does in the nonrelativistic case, and represents a dramatic improvement in efficiency over the conventional approach in the calculation of the Coulomb matrix, with computation times that are reduced to less than 3% for Au2 and up to 1% in the case of Au5+.     

A Novel Total Synthesis of (±)Shikonin

Shikonin 1 was a key component isolated from the traditional Chinese herbal medicine, Zicao(Lithospermum erythrorhizon Sieb.et Zucc), which possesses multiple biological activities1. There have been many synthetic routes to shikonin, however, all these ro…     

Adsorption behavior of the (+/-)-Tröger's base enantiomers in the phase system of a silica-based packing coated with amylose tri(3,5-dimethyl carbamate) and 2-propanol and molecular modeling interpretation

The binary adsorption isotherms of the enantiomers of Tr?ger's base in the phase system made of Chiral Technologies ChiralPak AD [a silica-based packing coated with amylose tri(3,5-dimethyl carbamate)] as the chiral stationary phase (CSP) and 2-propanol as the mobile phase were measured by the perturbation method. The more retained enantiomer exhibits a S-shaped adsorption isotherm with a clear inflection point, the concentration of the less retained enantiomer having practically no competitive influence on this isotherm: In the entire range of concentrations studied, dq2/dC1 approximately 0. By contrast, the less retained enantiomer has a Langmuir adsorption isotherm when pure. At constant mobile phase concentrations, however, its equilibrium concentration in the adsorbed phase increases with increasing concentration of the more retained enantiomer and dq1/dC2 > 0. This cooperative adsorption behavior, opposed to the classical competitive behavior, is exceedingly rare but was clearly demonstrated in this case. Two adsorption isotherm equations that account for these physical observations were derived. They are based on the formation of an adsorbed multi-layer, as suggested by the isotherm data. The excellent agreement between the experimental overloaded elution profiles of binary mixtures and the profiles calculated with the equilibrium-dispersive model validates this binary isotherm model. The adsorption energies calculated by molecular mechanics (MM) and by molecular dynamics (MD) indicate that the chiral recognition arising from the different interactions between the functional groups of the CSP and the molecules of the Tr?ger's base enantiomers are mainly driven by their Van der Waals interactions. The MD data suggest that the interactions of the (-)-Tr?ger's base with the CSP are more favored by 8+/-(5) kJ/mol than those of (+)-Tr?ger's base. This difference seems to be a contributing factor to the increased retention of the - enantiomer on this chromatographic system. The modeling of the data also indicates that both enantiomers can form high stoichiometry complexes while binding onto the stationary phase, in agreement with the results of the equilibrium isotherm studies.     

1，3—Diphenyl—5—（9—phenanthry1）—2—pyrazoline（DPPhP）：An Excellent Ho1e—Transport Material for Use in Organic Light—Emitting Diodes

An excellent hole-transport material,1,3-diphenyl-5-(9-phenanthryl)-2-pyrazoline(DPPhP)for OLEDs was studied.This compound not only offers hlgh glass transition temperature(Tg=96℃）,good film forming ability,and high HOMO energy level,but also displays excellent hole-transport property.The electrlumlnescent device with a simple structure of ITO/DPPhP(60nm)/AIQ(60mm)/LiF(0.8nm)/Al shows an external quantom efficiency as high as 1.6?     

On-line coupling of supercritical fluid extraction with high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of explosives in vapour phases

An investigation into the selectivity of an iminodiacetic acid (IDA) modified silica gel column for transition and heavy metal ions using non-chelating inorganic eluents has been carried out. A number of eluent parameters were investigated to determine the exact retention mechanism taking place and to control selectivity. The parameters studied were eluent ionic strength and the nature of the inorganic salt used, eluent pH and eluent temperature. The results obtained showed how despite certain metal ions exhibiting similar stability constants with the bonded IDA groups, careful control of each of the above parameters, in particular eluent chloride ion concentration and eluent temperature, could result in large changes in selectivity. Optimal conditions for the isocratic and gradient separation of Mg(II), Ca(II), Mn(II), Cd(II), Co(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II) were determined. An isocratic method using a 0.035 M KCl, 0.065 M KNO3 (pH 2.5) eluent was successfully applied to the determination of Mn(II), Cd(II), Co(II) and Zn(II) at concentrations between 20 and 121 microg/l in a freshwater certified reference material (NIST 1640).     

Stochastic theory of size exclusion chromatography by the characteristic function approach

A general stochastic theory of size exclusion chromatography (SEC) able to account for size dependence on both pore ingress and egress processes, moving zone dispersion and pore size distribution, was developed. The relationship between stochastic-chromatographic and batch equilibrium conditions are discussed and the fundamental role of the 'ergodic' hypothesis in establishing a link between them is emphasized. SEC models are solved by means of the characteristic function method and chromatographic parameters like plate height, peak skewness and excess are derived. The peak shapes are obtained by numerical inversion of the characteristic function under the most general conditions of the exploited models. Separate size effects on pore ingress and pore egress processes are investigated and their effects on both retention selectivity and efficiency are clearly shown. The peak splitting phenomenon and peak tailing due to incomplete sample sorption near to the exclusion limit is discussed. An SEC model for columns with two types of pores is discussed and several effects on retention selectivity and efficiency coming from pore size differences and their relative abundance are singled out. The relevance of moving zone dispersion on separation is investigated. The present approach proves to be general and able to account for more complex SEC conditions such as continuous pore size distributions and mixed retention mechanism.     

Spot overlapping in two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis separations: a statistical study of complex protein maps

A statistical approach able to extract the information contained in a two-dimenisional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) separation is here reported. The method is based on the quantitative theory of peak overlapping, a procedure previously developed by the authors and here extended to 2-D separations. The whole map is divided into many strips in order to obtain 1-D separations on which the statistic procedure is applied: the developed algorithms, on the basis of spot experimental data (intensity and spatial coordinates) permit to estimate the intrinsic number of components and to single out the specific order present in spot positions. The procedure was validated on computer-simulated maps. Its applicability to real samples was tested on maps obtained from literature sources. The following important information on protein mixtures can be extracted: (i) the number of proteins can be accurately estimated, on the basis of the spatial coordinates and intensities of spots detected in the 2-D PAGE map; (ii) the model describing distribution of interdistance between adjacent spots can be identified in both the separation dimensions; (iii) the presence of repeated interdistances in spot positions in the maps can be easily singled out: these regularities suggest specific protein modifications.     

Dramatic 5'-residue effect on conformer distribution of short oligonucleotide retro models of the cisplatin-DNA cross-link: implications for the Lippard and cross-link distorted base pair steps present in cisplatin-DNA duplex adducts

The cisplatin anticancer drug preferentially attacks the GG sequence of DNA duplexes. Virtually all DNAs containing the key G*G* lesion (G* = N7 platinated G) have large distortions in the cross-link (G*G*) base pair (bp) step and also in the adjacent Lippard (XG*) bp step, making the adducts very different from B-form DNA in the XG*G* region. The XG*G* strand in duplexes also differs in several ways from single-strand (ss) models with G*G* and XG*G* sequences. In the duplex, the X residue has an N sugar, the 5'-G* and 3'-G* bases have slight "R" canting (3'-G* H8 atom toward the 5'-G* base), and there is no or weak H-bonding by the NH3 ligands. In most XG*G* ss models, X has an S sugar, the 5'-G* base normally cants strongly toward the 3'-G* base (L canting), and the NH3 forms an H-bond. Well-defined ss models exist in the solid state, but dynamic motion obscures the properties of the ss models in solution. In this work, we employ retro models (better defined, less dynamic ss models) to understand the differences between duplex and ss models. The retro models in this study lack carrier ligand NH's, thus eliminating H-bonding. To correlate previous ss solid-state models with our solution work, we constructed hybrid molecules by overlaying parts of known structures. The combined model and experimental information indicates that the X N-pucker is not favorable in L-canted ss models, that X residue steric effects (not H-bonding) favor L canting in ss models, that X N-pucker is needed for favorable WC hydrogen bonding and stacking interactions in duplexes, and that X N-pucker minimizes X base clashes with bases in the complementary strand in duplexes. The R canting minimizing clashes between the X and G* residues of the Lippard bp step (independent of X pucker) and the repositioning of the X residue base caused by the change from S-pucker to N-pucker together lead to the unusual features of the Lippard bp step in the duplex.     

Rearrangement of 2-aryl-3,3-dichloroazetidines: intermediacy of 2-azetines

An easy synthesis of 2-aryl-3,3-dichloroazetidines, a rather unexplored class of azaheterocycles, is described. The title compounds were easily obtained by reduction of the corresponding 4-aryl-3,3-dichloro-2-azetidinones with monochloroalane, which in turn were synthesized by a ketene-imine [2 + 2] cycloaddition. The reactivity of 3,3-dichloroazetidines with bases was investigated, yielding 2-[dimethoxy(aryl)methyl]aziridines by ring contraction when treated with sodium methoxide. Furthermore, reacting the 3,3-dichloroazetidines with sodium hydride in DMSO, followed by aqueous workup, afforded 1-alkyl-2-aroylaziridines, by hydrolysis of the intermediate 2-azetines and ring closure of the transient 3-amino-2-chloro-1-phenyl-1-propanone derivatives. Monitoring this reaction in an NMR tube, using sodium hydride in DMSO-d(6), allowed the characterization of the intermediate strained heterocyclic enamines, i.e., 2-azetines, by (1)H and (13)C NMR.     

Minimal number of chromatographic test parameters for the characterisation of reversed-phase liquid chromatographic stationary phases

This paper focuses on the classification or differentiation of RP-HPLC columns based on measured chromatographic properties. A chemometric study has been conducted on a published data set consisting of 85 RP-HPLC columns and on a data set consisting of 47 self-tested columns. Principal component analysis enables determination of the number of parameters necessary for a rational differentiation. The results show that reducing the number of parameters for such differentiation still allows classification of the columns just as a higher number did. It is shown that three test parameters produce a classification similar to that obtained with five parameters.