Methylating peptides to prevent adduct ion formation also directs cleavage in collision-induced dissociation mass spectrometry

We investigated the effect of N-terminal amino group and carboxyl group methylation on peptide analysis by electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). Permethylation of the N-terminal amino group and the carboxyl groups can reduce metal ion adducts but does not enhance sensitivity in electrospray as previously observed for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry. N-terminal trimethylated peptides exhibit collision-induced dissociation (CID) tandem mass spectra that differ from their unmodified analogs; the results support the mobile proton hypothesis of peptide fragmentation. A permanent positive charge at the N-terminus leads to competition between permanent-charge directed processes and loss of the N-terminal trimethyl amino group. Carboxyl methylation has no effect on fragmentation behavior other than to shift the mass of fragments containing methylated carboxyl groups. Comparison of regular and tandem mass spectra of different methylated peptides allowed probing the location of incomplete methylation, the proton displaced by alkali metal ions and the purity of a mass-selected methylated peptide ion.     

Metal‐Cation Recognition in Water by a Tetrapyrazinoporphyrazine‐Based Tweezer Receptor

A series of zinc azaphthalocyanines with two azacrowns in a rigid tweezer arrangement were prepared and the fluorescence sensing properties were investigated. The size‐driven recognition of alkali and alkaline earth metal cations was significantly enhanced by the close cooperation of the two azacrown units, in which both donor nitrogen atoms need to be involved in analyte binding to switch the sensor on. The mono‐ or biphasic character of the binding isotherms, together with the binding stoichiometry and magnitude of association constants (K_A), indicated specific complexation of particular analytes. Water solvation was shown to play an important role and resulted in a strong quenching of sensor fluorescence in the ON state. The lead compound was embedded into silica nanoparticles and advantageous sensing properties towards K⁺ were demonstrated in water (λ_F=671 nm, apparent K_A=82 m ^?1, increase of 17×), even in the presence of (supra)physiological concentrations of Na⁺ and Ca²⁺.     

Charged and superconducting vortices in dense quark matter

Quark matter at astrophysical densities may contain stable vortices due to the spontaneous breaking of hypercharge symmetry by kaon condensation. We argue that these vortices could be both charged and electrically superconducting. Current carrying loops (vortons) could be long-lived and play a role in the magnetic and transport properties of this matter. We provide a scenario for vorton formation in protoneutron stars.     

Ab initio model potential and molecular dynamics simulation of Ag6 clusters

We present an approach to generate a model potential with parameters fitted to ab initio energetic surfaces. The potential includes two-, three- and four-body terms. Each of them consists of an exponential exchange and dispersion terms. The analytical form of the latter was taken from perturbation theory up to fourth order. We illustrate the present approach by constructing an ab initio model potential for the Ag₆ cluster. A molecular dynamics simulation using this potential reveals interesting features in the isomerization of the C _2v structure. A two step isomerization transition is observed: First, at temperatures around 350 K, the cluster structures fluctuate between two-dimensional isomers. At higher temperatures (450 K), fast transitions occur between two- and three-dimensional cluster configurations.     

Isostructural phase transitions in solids

A model of electrons interacting with lattice vibrations is shown to exhibit an isostructural phase transition as a function of applied force by relating the Hamiltonian to that of an Ising model in magnetic field.