Determining membrane capacitance by dynamic control of droplet interface bilayer area

By making dynamic changes to the area of a droplet interface bilayer (DIB), we are able to measure the specific capacitance of lipid bilayers with improved accuracy and precision over existing methods. The dependence of membrane specific capacitance on the chain-length of the alkane oil present in the bilayer is similar to that observed in black lipid membranes. In contrast to conventional artificial bilayers, DIBs are not confined by an aperture, which enables us to determine that the dependence of whole bilayer capacitance on applied potential is predominantly a result of a spontaneous increase in bilayer area. This area change arises from the creation of new bilayer at the three phase interface and is driven by changes in surface tension with applied potential that can be described by the Young-Lippmann equation. By accounting for this area change, we are able to determine the proportion of the capacitance dependence that arises from a change in specific capacitance with applied potential. This method provides a new tool with which to investigate the vertical compression of the bilayer and understand the changes in bilayer thickness with applied potential. We find that, for 1,2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine membranes in hexadecane, specific bilayer capacitance varies by 0.6-1.5% over an applied potential of ±100 mV.     

Two-dimensional like conjugated copolymers for high efficiency bulk-heterojunction solar cell application:Band gap and energy level engineering

Three two-dimensional like conjugated copolymers PFSDCN,PFSDTA and PFSDCNIO,which consist of alternating fluorene and triphenylamine main chain,and different pendant acceptor groups (malononitrile,1,3-diethtyl-2-thiobarbituric acid and 2-(1,2-dihydro-1-oxoinden-3-ylidene)malononitrile) with thiophene as π-bridge,have been designed,synthesized and characterized.The structure-property relationships of the two-dimensional like conjugated copolymers were systematically investigated.The absorption spectra,band g...     

Probing the acceptor substrate binding site of Trypanosoma cruzi trans-sialidase with systematically modified substrates and glycoside libraries

Systematically modified octyl galactosides and octyl N-acetyllactosamines were assessed as inhibitors of, and substrates for, T. cruzi trans-sialidase (TcTS) in the context of exploring its acceptor substrate binding site. These studies show that TcTS, which catalyses the α-(2→3)-sialylation of non-reducing terminal β-galactose residues, is largely intolerant of substitution of the galactose 2 and 4 positions whereas substitution of the galactose 6 position is well tolerated. Further studies show that even the addition of a bulky sugar residue (glucose, galactose) does not impact negatively on TcTS binding and turnover, which highlights the potential of 'internal' 6-substituted galactose residues to serve as TcTS acceptor substrates. Results from screening a 93-membered thiogalactoside library highlight a number of structural features (notably imidazoles and indoles) that are worthy of further investigation in the context of TcTS inhibitor development.     

Allene functionalization via bicyclic methylene aziridines

The oxidative functionalization of olefins is a common method for the formation of vicinal carbon-heteroatom bonds. However, oxidative methods to transform allenes into synthetic motifs containing three contiguous carbon-heteroatom bonds are much less developed. This paper describes the use of bicyclic methylene aziridines (MAs), prepared via intramolecular allene aziridination, as scaffolds for functionalization of all three allene carbons.     

Total synthesis of haminol A: an analysis of vinylpyridine metathesis reactivity

The total synthesis of haminol A has been completed featuring a masked-alkene metathesis reaction followed by bis-acyloxysulfone elimination to install the 1,3,8-triene subunit. During the course of our synthesis, the metathesis reactivity of 3-vinylpyridine was evaluated and our data suggest the rapid formation of a ruthenium pyridylalkylidene that no longer participates in productive metathesis. A chemotaxis assay using Caenorhabditis elegans demonstrated that haminol A produced an avoidance response from this organism.     

Simulations of a lattice model of two-headed linear amphiphiles: influence of amphiphile asymmetry

Using a 2D lattice model, we conduct Monte Carlo simulations of micellar aggregation of linear-chain amphiphiles having two solvophilic head groups. In the context of this simple model, we quantify how the amphiphile architecture influences the critical micelle concentration (CMC), with a particular focus on the role of the asymmetry of the amphiphile structure. Accordingly, we study all possible arrangements of the head groups along amphiphile chains of fixed length N = 12 and 16 molecular units. This set of idealized amphiphile architectures approximates many cases of symmetric and asymmetric gemini surfactants, double-headed surfactants, and boloform surfactants. Consistent with earlier results, we find that the number of spacer units s separating the heads has a significant influence on the CMC, with the CMC increasing with s for s < N/2. In comparison, the influence of the asymmetry of the chain architecture on the CMC is much weaker, as is also found experimentally.     

Chirped pulse Fourier transform microwave study of 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl formate

The rotational spectra of 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl formate and its three (13)C isotopologues have been measured with a molecular-beam-based, chirped-pulsed Fourier transform microwave spectrometer in combination with a conventional Balle-Flygare-type instrument up to 18 GHz. Although ab initio calculations predict the presence of two low-energy conformers (analogous to the trans and gauche forms of ethyl formate), the trans isomer was the only stable conformer observed. The r(s) geometry of the molecular main carbon frame was precisely derived based on a coplanar heavy-atom backbone of this conformer. ESPs of the two lowest energy conformers were calculated to obtain information about the role of through-space effects on their structures and relative stability.