In situ polyphenyl derivatisation and the effect of thermal decomposition of adsorbed and chemisorbed polyphenyls on the structure of multi-wall carbon nanotubes

This study presents the exploitation of an alternative reaction route of deamination of arylamines to perform in situ derivatisation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with polyphenyl (PPh) species of various masses. As a result of consecutive derivatisation, high conversion of PPh grafting of the MWCNTs was realised with the collateral outgrowth of physical modification with adsorbed additional PPhs. Applied derivatisation process exceeds the monolayer coverage related superficial saturation limitations in the overall grafting yield of the nanotubes. Thus, a linear relationship was recognized between the overall quantities of chemisorbed PPhs composed of D₅-phenylene oligomers and the applied excess of diazonium activated reagents, corresponding to ²H MAS NMR spectroscopy results. According to mass spectrometry (MS) investigations, uniform thermal decomposition of the chemisorbed PPhs modified MWCNTs was found besides the more intense and altered decomposition characteristic-featured adsorbate-chemisorbate PPhs contained MWCNTs during sequential pyrolysis under inert atmosphere. This is attributed to the pyrolysis provoked isomerisation, decomposition and the formation of adsorbed and chemisorbed PPh moieties. As a result, a mediated and an even more pronounced degradation in the order of graphitic lattice of the MWCNTs were evidenced in the adsorbate-chemisorbate and the chemisorbate PPhs contained samples by FT-Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. ²H MAS NMR supplied results of relevant amount of deuterium in the chemisorbate PPh contained sample without traces of aromatic related MS detected volatile products, these allow us to conclude about a thermally stable derivatisation that is interpreted as an endohedral modification of the nanotubes.     

Incorporating Mathematics into the Science Program of Students Labeled “At‐Risk”

Twenty three at‐risk high school female students who had failed mathematics and science in a traditional school setting were the subjects of this study that integrated mathematics and science lessons over a period of four weeks. Using a combination of direct instruction, calculations, graphing, hands‐on projects, and discussion, the topic of mechanical advantage was studied, to find out how well students understood the topic. The study found that these students who initially knew very little about mechanical advantage, and who did not see any need to use mathematics in the study of science, indicated an increased understanding of mechanical advantage, and also seemed to realize that integrating mathematics and science enhanced learning.     

Modeling temperature dependent kinetic isotope effects for hydrogen transfer in a series of soybean lipoxygenase mutants: The effect of anharmonicity upon transfer distance

Soybean lipoxygenase-1 (SLO) catalyzes the oxidation of linoleic acid. The rate-limiting step in this transformation is the net abstraction of the pro-S hydrogen atom from the center of the 1,5-pentadienyl moiety in linoleic acid. The large deuterium kinetic isotope effect (KIE) for this step appears in the first order rate constant ((D)k(cat) = 81 ± 5 at T = 25 °C). Furthermore, the KIE and the rate for protium abstraction are weakly temperature dependent (E(A,D) - E(A,H) = 0.9 ± 0.2 kcal/mol and E(A,H) = 2.1 ± 0.2 kcal/mol, respectively). Mutations at a hydrophobic site about 13 ? from the active site Fe(III), Ile(553), induce a marked temperature dependence that varies roughly in accordance with the degree to which the residue is changed in bulk from the wild type Ile. While the temperature dependence for these mutants varies from the wild type enzyme, the magnitude of the KIE at 25 °C is on the same order of magnitude. A hydrogen tunneling model [Kuznetsov, A.M., Ulstrup, J. Can. J. Chem. 77 (1999) 1085-1096] is utilized to model the KIE temperature profiles for the wild type SLO and each Ile(553) mutant. Hydrogenic wavefunctions are modeled using harmonic oscillators and Morse oscillators in order to explore the effects of anharmonicity upon computed kinetic observables used to characterize this hydrogen transfer.     

Pinensins: The First Antifungal Lantibiotics

Lantibiotics (lanthionine‐containing antibiotics) from Gram‐positive bacteria typically exhibit activity against Gram‐positive bacteria. The activity and structure of pinensin A ( 1 ) and B ( 2 ), lantibiotics isolated from a native Gram‐negative producer Chitinophaga pinensis are described. Surprisingly, the pinensins were found to be highly active against many filamentous fungi and yeasts but show only weak antibacterial activity. To the best of our knowledge, lantibiotic fungicides have not been described before. An in‐depth bioinformatic analysis of the biosynthetic gene cluster established the ribosomal origin of these compounds and identified candidate genes encoding all of the enzymes required for post‐translational modification. Additional encoded functions enabled us to build up a hypothesis for the biosynthesis, export, sensing, and import of this intriguing lantibiotic.     

Selective Template Removal by Thermal Depolymerization to Obtain Mesostructured Molybdenum Oxycarbide

The carbon content of mesostructured organic‐inorganic hybrid material of a cylindrical block copolymer template of poly(2‐vinylpyridine)‐block‐poly(allyl methacrylate) (P2VP‐b‐PAMA) and ammonium paramolybdate (APM) could be reduced by thermal depolymerization. By calcination in vacuo at 320 °C the PAMA core can be completely removed while the remaining P2VP brush preserves the mesostructure. The P2VP‐APM composite can then be carburized in‐situ to MoO_xC_y in a second pyrolysis step without any additional carbon source but P2VP. The molybdenum oxycarbide nanotubes obtained, form hierarchically porous non‐woven structures, which were tested as catalyst in the decomposition of NH₃. They proved to be catalytically active at temperatures above 450 °C. The activation energy was estimated from an Arrhenius Plot to be 127 kJ · mol^–1.