Two-Dimensional Crystallography of Amphiphilic Molecules at the Air–Water Interface

The advent of well-collimated, high-intensity synchrotron X-ray sources and the consequent development of surface-specific X-ray diffraction and fluorescence techniques have recently revolutionized the study of Langmuir monolayers at the air–liquid interface. These methods allowed for the first time the determination of the in-plane and vertical structure of such monolayers with a resolution approaching the atomic level. We briefly describe these methods, including grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, specular reflectivity, Bragg rods, standing waves, and surface fluorescence techniques, and review recent results obtained from them for Langmuir films. The methods have been successfully applied in the elucidation of the structure of crystalline aggregates of amphiphilic molecules such as alcohols, carboxylic acids and their salts, α-amino acids, and phospholipids at the water surface. In addition, it became possible to monitor by diffraction the growth and dissolution of the crystalline self-aggregates as well as structural changes occurring by phase transitions. Furthermore, the surface X-ray methods shed new light on the structure of the underlying ionic layer of attached solvent or solute species. Examples are given where singly or doubly charged ions bound to the two-dimensional (2D) crystal form either an ordered or diffuse counterionic layer. Finally, the surface diffraction methods provide data on transfer of structural information from 2D clusters to 3D single crystals, which had been successfully accomplished by epitaxial-like crystallization both in organic and inorganic crystals.     

Very large breathing effect in the first nanoporous chromium(III)-based solids: MIL-53 or Cr(III)(OH) x [O(2)C-C(6)H(4)-CO(2)] x [HO(2)C-C(6)H(4)-CO(2)H](x) x H(2)O(y)

The first three-dimensional chromium(III) dicarboxylate, MIL-53as or Cr(III)(OH) x [O(2)C-C(6)H(4)-CO(2)].[HO(2)C-C(6)H(4)-CO(2)H](0.75), has been obtained under hydrothermal conditions (as: as-synthesized). The free acid can be removed by calcination giving the resulting solid, MIL-53ht or Cr(III)(OH) x [O(2)C-C(6)H(4)-CO(2)]. At room temperature, MIL-53ht adsorbs atmospheric water immediately to give Cr(III)(OH) x [O(2)C-C(6)H(4)-CO(2)] x H(2)O or MIL-53lt (lt: low-temperature form, ht: high-temperature form). Both structures, which have been determined by using X-ray powder diffraction data, are built up from chains of chromium(III) octahedra linked through terephthalate dianions. This creates a three-dimensional structure with an array of one-dimensional large pore channels filled with free disordered terephthalic molecules (MIL-53as) or water molecules (MIL-53lt); when the free molecules are removed, this leads to a nanoporous solid (MIL-53ht) with a Langmuir surface area over 1500 m(2)/g. The transition between the hydrated form (MIL-53lt) and the anhydrous solid (MIL-53ht) is fully reversible and followed by a very high breathing effect (more than 5 A), the pores being clipped in the presence of water molecules (MIL-53lt) and reopened when the channels are empty (MIL-53ht). The thermal behavior of the two solids has been investigated using TGA and X-ray thermodiffractometry. The sorption properties of MIL-53lt have also been studied using several organic solvents. Finally, magnetism measurements performed on MIL-53as and MIL-53lt revealed that these two phases are antiferromagnetic with Néel temperatures T(N) of 65 and 55 K, respectively. Crystal data for MIL-53as is as follows: orthorhombic space group Pnam with a = 17.340(1) A, b = 12.178(1) A, c = 6.822(1) A, and Z = 4. Crystal data for MIL-53ht is as follows: orthorhombic space group Imcm with a = 16.733(1) A, b = 13.038(1) A, c = 6.812(1) A, and Z = 4. Crystal data for MIL-53lt is as follows: monoclinic space group C2/c with a = 19.685(4) A, b = 7.849(1) A, c = 6.782(1) A, beta = 104.90(1) degrees, and Z = 4.     

The geometry of surfaces in 4-space from a contact viewpoint

We study the geometry of the surfaces embedded in ⁴ through their generic contacts with hyperplanes. The inflection points on them are shown to be the umbilic points of their families of height functions. As a consequence we prove that any generic convexly embedded 2-sphere in ⁴ has inflection points.The research of the second author was partially supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Brazil.The research of the third author was partially supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Brazil.     

Assessment of membrane potential using confocal microspectrofluorimetry

Some slow potentiometric dyes, e.g., 3,3-dipropylthiacarbocyanine and tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester, exhibit fluorescence spectral changes on redistributing from aqueous medium to cells. This effect has been used for spectroscopic discrimination of the emissions from free and bound dyes in cells. Such a discrimination can, in principle, allow for the assessment of cell membrane potential in individual cells, using the Nernst equation applied to the ratio of free dye fluorescence intensities inside and outside of the cell.     

Rational shaping of liquid crystalline diacylaminophenyl platforms equipped with chelating fragments,fluorescent dyes,and square planar platinum complexes

Recent investigations from our laboratory have described compelling experimental evidences that the use of a central 4‐methyl‐3,5‐diacylaminophenyl platform functionalized with two lateral aromatic rings each bearing three appended aliphatic chains is well‐suited to produce liquid crystalline materials, some of which carrying at the tips (A‐substitution position) chelating fragments such as phenanthroline, terpyridine, alkynyl functions, crown ethers or highly luminescent subunits such as difluoroboradiazaindacene or cationic platinum‐terpyridine complexes. An important carvet of this research program is that the presence of amide functions likely stabilizes the mesophases by hydrogen bondings. Judicious grafting of polycatenar tails to the platform insures formation of mesomorphic materials over a large temperature range. Careful design of the system by the direct connection of the platform via alkyne bonds to square planar platinum centers give rise to intriguing phosphorescent metallomesogens. © 2009 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 9: 1–23; 2009: Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ) DOI 10.1002/tcr.20164     

A new easy method for specific measurement of active myeloperoxidase in human biological fluids and tissue extracts

The SIEFED (“Specific Immunological Extraction Followed by Enzymatic Detection”) method already developed for the specific detection of the activity of equine myeloperoxidase (MPO) was adapted for the specific measurement of active human MPO in biological fluids or tissue extracts. The method consists of the extraction of MPO from aqueous solutions by immobilized anti-MPO antibodies followed by a washing (to eliminate the extraction medium and the biological fluid with their possible interfering molecules) and the measurement of the activity of MPO with a detection system containing a fluorogenic substrate, H₂O₂ and nitrite ions as reaction enhancer. The SIEFED was applied to study active MPO in human biological fluids (plasma, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and supernatant from carotids extracts). The SIEFED for human MPO has a sensitivity limit of 0.080 mU/mL and showed good precision with intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation below 10 and 20% respectively within a broad range of MPO activities establish from 0.156 to 473 mU/mL. The SIEFED for human MPO will be useful for the specific detection of active MPO in complex fluids and can be complementary to an ELISA to determine an active/total MPO ratio in healthy volunteers and patients especially in case of chronic or acute inflammatory diseases.