Helicity Induction in Helicate Self-Organisation from Chiral Tris(bipyridine) Ligand Strands

The chiral tris, and pentakis(bipyridine) ligand strands 3a and 4 were synthesised, each in optically pure form with (S,S)-configuration. Ligand 3a yielded substituted double-helical metal complexes, derived from the parent trihelicate structure 2 , with Cu^I and Ag^I ions. The spectral data, in particular the ¹H-NMR spectra and the large positive Cotton effect, indicate that helicate formation occurs with very high induction of helicity. Together with consideration of the steric effects in the two possible helical diastereoisomers (P)- 1 and (M)- 1 that may be formed, the data favour the preferential generation of the right-handed double helicate (P)- 1 from the tris(bipyridine) strand 3a of(S,S)-configuration.     

Adding Value in Production of Multifunctional Polylactide (PLA)–ZnO Nanocomposite Films through Alternative Manufacturing Methods

Due to the added value conferred by zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofiller, e.g., UV protection, antibacterial action, gas-barrier properties, poly(lactic acid) (PLA)–ZnO nanocomposites show increased interest for utilization as films, textile fibers, and injection molding items. The study highlights the beneficial effects of premixing ZnO in PLA under given conditions and its use as masterbatch (MB), a very promising alternative manufacturing technique. This approach allows reducing the residence time at high processing temperature of the thermo-sensitive PLA matrix in contact of ZnO nanoparticles known for their aptitude to promote degradation effects onto the polyester chains. Various PLA–ZnO MBs containing high contents of silane-treated ZnO nanoparticles (up to 40 wt.% nanofiller specifically treated with triethoxycaprylylsilane) were produced by melt-compounding using twin-screw extruders. Subsequently, the selected MBs were melt blended with pristine PLA to produce nanocomposite films containing 1–3 wt.% ZnO. By comparison to the more traditional multi-step process, the MB approach allowed the production of nanocomposites (films) having improved processing and enhanced properties: PLA chains displaying higher molecular weights, improved thermal stability, fine nanofiller distribution, and thermo-mechanical characteristic features, while the UV protection was confirmed by UV-vis spectroscopy measurements. The MB alternative is viewed as a promising flexible technique able to open new perspectives to produce more competitive multifunctional PLA–ZnO nanocomposites.     

Quinazoline Derivatives Designed as Efflux Pump Inhibitors: Molecular Modeling and Spectroscopic Studies

Multidrug resistance of bacteria is a worrying concern in the therapeutic field and an alternative method to combat it is designing new efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs). This article presents a molecular study of two quinazoline derivatives, labelled BG1189 and BG1190, proposed as EPIs. In silico approach investigates the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profile of BG1189 and BG1190 quinazolines. Molecular docking and predicted ADMET features suggest that BG1189 and BG1190 may represent attractive candidates as antimicrobial drugs. UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy was employed to study the time stability of quinazoline solutions in water or in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), in constant environmental conditions, and to determine the influence of usual storage temperature, normal room lighting and laser radiation (photostability) on samples stability. The effects of irradiation on BG1189 and BG1190 molecules were also assessed through Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. FTIR spectra showed that laser radiation breaks some chemical bonds affecting the substituents and the quinazoline radical of the compounds.     

Characterization of multimetallic grid-type complexes by electrospray mass spectrometry

The self-assembly of the terdentate ligands 1a-h, based on terpyridine-like binding sites, with octahedrally coordinated metal ions, such as Fe(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II), leads to the formation of the supramolecular grid-type complexes 2a-c(M(II)), 3d-g(M(II)) and 4h(M(II)). The structures and compositions of these coordination complexes in solution were deduced from electrospray mass spectrometry (ESMS) measurements. The results agree with the data available from x-ray radiocrystallography in the solid state and/or NMR spectroscopy in solution. ESMS may be applied in cases where other methods are difficult to use or inconclusive. This study stresses the power of ESMS in supramolecular chemistry.     

Euclidian distance-weighted smoothing for quantitative MRI: application to intervoxel anisotropy index mapping with DTI

During the computation of intervoxel anisotropy features, the inclusion of both eigenvalues and eigenvectors reduces the effect of noise, but spatial averaging blurs the resulting maps. We propose a new adaptive technique that uses data-dependent weights in the averaging process so that the influence of each neighbor in the local window is proportional to the similarity of characteristics of the neighbor considered to those of the reference central voxel. This likeness criterion is based on the multidimensional Euclidian distance using the entire available multispectral information contained in the diffusion-weighted images. This solution is controlled by a single parameter beta that results from a compromise between edge-preserving and noise-smoothing abilities. This Euclidian distance-weighted technique is a generic solution for filtering noise during parametric reconstruction. It was applied to map anisotropy using an intervoxel lattice index (LI) from experimental images of mouse brain in vivo and achieves noise reduction without distorting small anatomical structures. We also show how to employ in the discrimination scheme the images not used in the estimation of the considered feature.