Water Soluble Metallo-Phthalocyanines: The Role of the Functional Groups on the Spectral and Photophysical Properties

Strategies are reported that produce symmetrical metal-free and metallo-phthalocyanine dyes, Pc and MPc, respectively, containing various numbers of water solubilizing carboxylic acid groups on their periphery that provide a dual role by also serving as functional groups to covalently link primary amine-containing targets to these dyes. In order to induce water compatibility and to minimize the degree of aggregation, the periphery of the macrocycle was decorated with various numbers of water-solubilizing groups and/or altering the identity of the metal center. The influence of the number of solubilizing groups and metal center on the spectral and photophysical properties were evaluated. MPc dyes containing 4, 8, or 16 carboxylic acid groups exhibited similar absorption and emission maxima (677 and 686 nm, respectively) with the molar absorptivity of the Q-band ∼10⁵ M⁻¹ cm⁻¹. Results indicated that the fluorescence lifetimes and quantum yields varied as a function of the metal center; the degree of carboxylation did not significantly alter these properties in DMSO, but did mediate the solubility and aggregation states when placed in aqueous solvents. The water solubilizing groups could also serve as labeling moieties for targets bearing primary amines. Results showed that the conjugate, produced by covalently linking an MPc to streptavidin through one of its carboxylate groups, generated a red-shift in the emission maximum with a fluorescence lifetime shorter than that of the native MPc dye.     

A sensitive assay for the quantification of morphine and its active metabolites in human plasma and dried blood spots using high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Opioids such as morphine are the cornerstone of pain treatment. The challenge of measuring the concentrations of morphine and its active metabolites in order to assess human pharmacokinetics and monitor therapeutic drugs in children requires assays with high sensitivity in small blood volumes. We developed and validated a semi-automated LC-MS/MS assay for the simultaneous quantification of morphine and its active metabolites morphine 3β-glucuronide (M3G) and morphine 6β-glucuronide (M6G) in human plasma and in dried blood spots (DBS). Reconstitution in water (DBS only) and addition of a protein precipitation solution containing the internal standards were the only manual steps. Morphine and its metabolites were separated on a Kinetex 2.6-μm PFP analytical column using an acetonitrile/0.1% formic acid gradient. The analytes were detected in the positive multiple reaction mode. In plasma, the assay had the following performance characteristics: range of reliable response of 0.25–1000 ng/mL (r ² > 0.99) for morphine, 1–1,000 ng/mL (r ² > 0.99) for M3G, and 2.5–1,000 ng/mL for M6G. In DBS, the assay had a range of reliable response of 1–1,000 ng/mL (r ² > 0.99) for morphine and M3G, and of 2.5–1,000 ng/mL for M6G. For inter-day accuracy and precision for morphine, M3G and M6G were within 15% of the nominal values in both plasma and DBS. There was no carryover, ion suppression, or matrix interferences. The assay fulfilled all predefined acceptance criteria, and its sensitivity using DBS samples was adequate for the measurement of pediatric pharmacokinetic samples using a small blood of only 20–50 μL.     

Logical analysis of data: classification with justification

Learning from examples is a frequently arising challenge, with a large number of algorithms proposed in the classification, data mining and machine learning literature. The evaluation of the quality of such algorithms is frequently carried out ex post, on an experimental basis: their performance is measured either by cross validation on benchmark data sets, or by clinical trials. Few of these approaches evaluate the learning process ex ante, on its own merits. In this paper, we discuss a property of rule-based classifiers which we call “justifiability”, and which focuses on the type of information extracted from the given training set in order to classify new observations. We investigate some interesting mathematical properties of justifiable classifiers. In particular, we establish the existence of justifiable classifiers, and we show that several well-known learning approaches, such as decision trees or nearest neighbor based methods, automatically provide justifiable classifiers. We also identify maximal subsets of observations which must be classified in the same way by every justifiable classifiers. Finally, we illustrate by a numerical example that using classifiers based on “most justifiable” rules does not seem to lead to overfitting, even though it involves an element of optimization.     

Electric properties of the Beryllium-11 system in Halo EFT

We compute E1 transitions and electric radii in the Beryllium-11 nucleus using an effective field theory that exploits the separation of scales in this halo system. We fix the leading-order parameters of the EFT from measured data on the 1/²⁺ and 1/²⁻ levels in ¹¹Be and the B(E1) strength for the transition between them. We then obtain predictions for the B(E1) strength for Coulomb dissociation of the ¹¹Be nucleus to the continuum. We also compute the charge radii of the 1/²⁺ and 1/²⁻ states. Agreement with experiment within the expected accuracy of a leading-order computation in this EFT is obtained. We also discuss how next-to-leading-order (NLO) corrections involving both s-wave and p-wave ¹⁰Be-neutron interactions affect our results, and display the NLO predictions for quantities which are free of additional short-distance operators at this order. Information on neutron-¹⁰Be scattering in the relevant channels is inferred.     

Syntheses, and optical, fluorescence, and nonlinear optical characterization of phosphine-substituted terthiophenes

Earlier studies of phosphine-substituted terthiophenes have demonstrated that some of these materials exhibit nonlinear absorption at 532 nm. However, this wavelength is significantly removed from the linear absorption maxima of the complexes, suggesting that better nonlinear absorption might be observed at wavelengths closer to the linear absorption maxima. To investigate this possibility, a library of compounds has been prepared either by varying the group attached to the nonbonding pair of electrons on the phosphorus atoms of 5,5'-bis(diphenylphosphino)-2,2':5',2'-terthiophene (PT(3)P), or by introducing additional substituents on the 5'-position of 5-(diphenylphosphino)-2,2':5',2'-terthiophene (PT(3)). All these compounds have been characterized using multinuclear NMR, UV-vis, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The compounds are strongly fluorescent, and both the fluorescence wavelength and the intensity depend upon the thiophene substituents. The nonlinear optical properties have also been evaluated at various wavelengths in the blue region. Each compound exhibits reverse saturable absorption, and the intensity of the reverse saturable absorption at a particular wavelength depends on the chemical structure of the compound.     

Structures, energetics and vibrational frequency shifts of hydrated pyrimidine

More than 70 unique micro-hydrated structures of pyrimidine, ranging in size from 1 to 7 water molecules, have been characterized with the B3LYP density functional and the 6-311++G(2df,2pd) triple-ζ split-valence basis set. Explicitly correlated MP2-F12 single-point computations were performed on each structure with a correlation consistent triple-ζ basis set to estimate the relative and dissociation energies at the MP2 complete basis set (CBS) limit. Many of these new structures have significantly lower energies than those previously reported (by as much as 12.66 kcal?mol(-1)). For clusters with 1 and 2 water molecules, the MP2-F12 relative and dissociation energies are virtually identical to the corresponding CCSD(T)-F12 values. As the number of hydrating waters increases, the structures in which the water molecules are clustered together at one of the N atoms have lower energies than those where the water molecules are more distributed around the pyrimidine ring. Micro-hydrated structures that effectively extend the low-energy hydrogen-bonding motifs to both sides of the ring, as would be expected in the bulk phase, reproduce the experimentally observed vibrational frequency shifts of ν(1) and ν(8b) in very dilute aqueous pyrimidine solutions to within 1 cm(-1) . Micro-hydrated structures of pyrimidine in which water molecules are clustered together have lower energies than structures in which the water molecules are more evenly spread around the pyrimidine ring.     

Characterization of G12 sandwich ELISA, a next-generation immunoassay for gluten toxicity

In this work, a monoclonal antibody called G12, raised against the most immunotoxic peptide to celiac disease patients, was used to develop a sandwich ELISA. Preliminary results on cross-reactivities, recoveries, and extraction methods of the new assay are presented. The assay calibration was performed using material from the Prolamin Working Group. The antibody's specificity was determined by crossreactivity studies on different grains, nuts, oils, and starches. Recovery of the assay was determined by spiking experiments on common food matrixes, as well as on problematic matrixes. Furthermore, sample extraction methods using ethanol, cocktail solution, and a proprietary buffer have been compared.     

Adsorption, mobility, and dimerization of benzaldehyde on Pt(111)

Building on results for the adsorption of benzene on Pt(111), the adsorption of benzaldehyde is investigated using density functional theory. Benzaldehyde is found to chemisorb preferentially with its aromatic ring in the flat-lying bridge geometry that is also preferred for benzene. Across the investigated geometries, adsorption is homogeneously weakened compared to corresponding benzene geometries. This is found to be true for very different adsorption modes, namely, η(6) and η(8) modes, the latter having metal atoms inserted in the carbonyl bond. Reorientation and diffusion of benzaldehyde is found to have low energy barriers. Aggregation of molecules in dimers bound by aryl C-H···O hydrogen bonds is investigated, and specific configurations are found to be up to 0.15 eV more favorable than optimally configured, separated adsorbates. The binding is significantly stronger than what is found for gas phase dimers, suggesting an enhancing effect of the metal interaction.     

Iterative diagonalization in the state-averaged multi-configurational time-dependent Hartree approach: excited state tunneling splittings in malonaldehyde

An iterative block Lanczos-type diagonalization scheme utilizing the state-averaged multi-configurational time-dependent Hartree (MCTDH) approach is introduced. Combining propagation in real and imaginary time and using a set of initial seed wavefunctions corresponding to excitations via the different components of the dipole moment vector, the scheme can favorably be used to selectively compute vibrational states which show high intensities in vibrational absorption spectra. Tunneling splitted vibrational states in double well systems can be described particularly efficient employing an increased set of seed wavefunctions which includes symmetric and anti-symmetric wavefunctions simultaneously. The new approach is used to study the tunneling splittings of the vibrationally excited states of malonaldehyde. Full-dimensional multi-layer MCTDH calculations are performed and results for the tunneling splittings of several excited vibrational states can be obtained. The calculated tunneling splittings agree reasonably well with available experimental data. Order of magnitude differences between tunneling splittings of different vibrationally excited states are found and interpreted.