Detecting proximities between quadrupolar nuclei by double-quantum NMR

A robust, easy to optimize, and efficient homonuclear correlation NMR experiment for half-integer quadrupolar nuclei in solids is described and has been experimentally tested on anhydrous Na2HPO4-(23Na, S= 3/2 nucleus) and as-synthesized AlPO4-14 (27Al, S= 5/2 nucleus), an aluminophosphate molecular sieve.     

Charge calculations in molecular mechanics. Part 8 Partial atomic charges from classical calculations

Summary The CHARGE2 programme, which involves the classical calculation of both the inductive and resonance contributions to the partial atomic charges in molecules is described, and the charges and electrostatic potentials obtained presented for some illustrative examples.In substituted methanes (CH₃X, CF₃X, CCl₃X) the effects of varying the electronegativity of the substituents and the - and -substituent contributions are clearly illustrated for a variety of substituent groups X.The problems involved in the inclusion of silicon into this scheme are detailed, together with the methods of overcoming them. The partial atomic charges ( and contributions) and electrostatic potentials for some silicon oxygen compounds are presented and discussed.The partial atomic charges from CHARGE2 for all the natural amino acids as their N-acetyl, N-methyl-amides are given and compared with those obtained from the AMBER and ECEPP/2 force fields. Considerable differences in these figures are observed, with the AMBER charges consistently much larger than those from the other two methods.The CHARGE2 partial atomic charges and electrostatic potentials for the four common nucleic acids, adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine, are given and compared with those derived from other calculations. Again there is general similarity but also there are considerable differences, with those from the AMBER force field somewhat larger than the other methods.For previous parts in this series, see Refs. 1-7.     

The relative susceptibility to racemization of L- and D-residues in peptide synthesis

An activated D-residue of a protected dipeptide when coupled racemizes twice as much as an activated L-residue, which is contrary to the case for couplings of acylamino acids.     

Kinetics of the enzymatic saccharification of pretreated tapioca waste (Manihot esculenta) and water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

Studies were carried out on saccharification of pretreated tapioca waste and water hyacinth under two different conditions: using microbial enzymes (cellulase fromMyrothecium verrucaria, Coprinus comatus,Pleurotus florida, andCellulomonas sp.) and solid-state fermentation. The rate of saccharification was determined at different temperatures, pH, substrate concentration, and incubation period. It was found that as the source of the enzyme varies, the optimal temperature and pH for the saccharification varies. Among the two different treatments, enzymatic saccharification was found to be the most efficient. Among the various cellulase sources tested, M.verrucaria cellulase was found to be the most efficient one followed byC. comatus, P. florida, and finallyCellulomonas sp.     

Supramolecular porphyrin-fullerene via 'two-point' binding strategy: axial-coordination and cation-crown ether complexation

A highly stable porphyrin-fullerene conjugate with defined distance and orientation, was formed using a newly developed 'two-point' binding strategy involving axial-coordination and cation-crown ether complexation; photochemical studies performed in benzonitrile revealed efficient charge separation and slow charge-recombination in the supramolecular complex.     

Solvent dependent dimercaptothiadiazole monolayers on gold electrode for the simultaneous determination of uric acid and ascorbic acid

Dimercaptothiadiazole compound, 2,5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole (DMcT) forms ‘thin’ monolayers on Au electrode when it was adsorbed from methanol, ethanol or DMSO solutions while it forms ‘thick’ layers on Au electrode from an aqueous solution under identical experimental conditions. Thick DMcT layers formed from aqueous solution effectively blocks the redox reaction of couple in contrast to thin DMcT monolayers. The monolayer thickness did not vary when structurally related DMcT compounds, 5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-thiol or 5-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-thiol was adsorbed from aqueous and non-aqueous solutions. This indicates that the presence of two thiol groups in DMcT plays a crucial role in the formation of thick and thin DMcT layers on Au electrode when it was adsorbed from aqueous and non-aqueous solutions. Methanol, ethanol, or DMSO solution of DMcT is considered as strong acid because these solvents are able to deprotonate DMcT into DMcT⁻ and thus thin monolayers formed on Au electrode. The deprotonating ability of these solvents was further verified from the observed absorption spectrum characteristic of DMcT⁻ species. On the other hand, an aqueous solution of DMcT is less acidic due to weak deprotonation of DMcT by water and thus DMcT forms thick layer on Au electrode. Interestingly, thin DMcT monolayers formed from non-aqueous solvents separates the voltammetric signals of uric acid and ascorbic acid while thick DMcT layers formed from aqueous solution fails to separate them.     

Halogénures Alcalins: Un Modèle Incluant une Délocalisation à Courte Distance Application à la Stabilité Relative des Divers Arrangements Cristallins

The introduction of symmetry-adapted hybrid atomic orbitals on the metallic atoms allows us to divide the crystal into elementary cells which contain 8 valence electrons each. These cells are described by linear combinations of the halogen valence shell s and p orbitals and the hybrid orbitals of the nearest metallic atoms which point to the halogen. The electronic delocalization of the halogen ions is very weak (?0.02) for: LiF, NaF, KF, LiCl, NaCI, and KCI. The cell energy in the crystal is obtained by using a first-order perturbative treatment. In agreement with experiment, the f.c.c. type is found more stable than the b.c.c. or the blende type.