Interfacial water structure controls protein conformation

A phenomenological theory of salt-induced Hofmeister phenomena is presented, based on a relation between protein solubility in salt solutions and protein-water interfacial tension. As a generalization of previous treatments, it implies that both kosmotropic salting out and chaotropic salting in are manifested via salt-induced changes of the hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties of protein-water interfaces. The theory is applied to describe the salt-dependent free energy profiles of proteins as a function of their water-exposed surface area. On this basis, three classes of protein conformations have been distinguished, and their existence experimentally demonstrated using the examples of bacteriorhodopsin and myoglobin. The experimental results support the ability of the new formalism to account for the diverse manifestations of salt effects on protein conformation, dynamics, and stability, and to resolve the puzzle of chaotropes stabilizing certain proteins (and other anomalies). It is also shown that the relation between interfacial tension and protein structural stability is straightforwardly linked to protein conformational fluctuations, providing a keystone for the microscopic interpretation of Hofmeister effects. Implications of the results concerning the use of Hofmeister effects in the experimental study of protein function are discussed.     

Luminescence characteristics of Cu- and Eu-doped Li2B4O7

Photoluminescence, radioluminescence as well as optical absorption techniques were used to characterize Cu- and Eu-doped lithium tetraborate. The effect of host modification (single crystal and glassy state) and a limited range of dopant content were investigated. Time-resolved measurements were helpful to identify the emitting species.     

Elastic scattering of electrons by europium and ytterbium atoms

The method of relativistic optical potential is applied to studying elastic scattering of electrons by europium and ytterbium atoms in a wide range of collision energies up to 2 keV. The angular dependences of the scattering differential cross sections and the energy dependences of the scattering integral (total, elastic, momentum transfer, and viscosity) cross sections are calculated in both spin-polarized and spin-unpolarized approximations. It is shown that the spin-polarized approximation should be used to calculate the scattering cross sections at energies below 10 eV for a europium atom. The low-energy scattering of an electron by a europium atom is characterized by P-, D-, and F-wave shape resonances. For an ytterbium atom, the calculated cross sections are in good agreement with available experimental data and with those obtained by calculation in terms of the relativistic convergent close-coupling method.     

The Use of Dual Cyclodextrin Chiral Selector Systems in the Enantioseparation of Pharmaceuticals by Capillary Electrophoresis: An Overview

Cyclodextrin (CD) derivatives are the most efficient and frequently used chiral selectors (CSs) in capillary electrophoresis (CE). There are situations when the use of a single CD as CS is not enough to obtain efficient chiral discrimination of the enantiomers; in these cases, sometimes this problem can be resolved using a dual CD system. The use of dual CD systems can often dramatically enhance enantioseparation selectivity and can be applied for the separation of many analytes of pharmaceutical interest for which enantioseparation by CE with another CS systems can be problematic. Usually in a dual CD system an anionic CD is used together with a neutral one, but there are situations when the use of a cationic CD with a neutral one or the use of two neutral CDs or even two ionized CDs can be an efficient solution. In the current review we present general aspects of the use of dual CD systems in the analysis of pharmaceutical substances. Several examples of applications of the use of dual CD systems in the analysis of pharmaceuticals are selected and discussed. Theoretical aspects regarding the separation of enantiomers through simultaneous interaction with the two CSs are also explained. Finally, advantages, disadvantages, potential and new direction in this chiral analysis field are highlighted.     

Anisotropic organization and microscopic manipulation of self-assembling synthetic porphyrin microrods that mimic chlorosomes: bacterial light-harvesting systems

Being able to control in time and space the positioning, orientation, movement, and sense of rotation of nano- to microscale objects is currently an active research area in nanoscience, having diverse nanotechnological applications. In this paper, we demonstrate unprecedented control and maneuvering of rod-shaped or tubular nanostructures with high aspect ratios which are formed by self-assembling synthetic porphyrins. The self-assembly algorithm, encoded by appended chemical-recognition groups on the periphery of these porphyrins, is the same as the one operating for chlorosomal bacteriochlorophylls (BChl's). Chlorosomes, rod-shaped organelles with relatively long-range molecular order, are the most efficient naturally occurring light-harvesting systems. They are used by green photosynthetic bacteria to trap visible and infrared light of minute intensities even at great depths, e.g., 100 m below water surface or in volcanic vents in the absence of solar radiation. In contrast to most other natural light-harvesting systems, the chlorosomal antennae are devoid of a protein scaffold to orient the BChl's; thus, they are an attractive goal for mimicry by synthetic chemists, who are able to engineer more robust chromophores to self-assemble. Functional devices with environmentally friendly chromophores-which should be able to act as photosensitizers within hybrid solar cells, leading to high photon-to-current conversion efficiencies even under low illumination conditions-have yet to be fabricated. The orderly manner in which the BChl's and their synthetic counterparts self-assemble imparts strong diamagnetic and optical anisotropies and flow/shear characteristics to their nanostructured assemblies, allowing them to be manipulated by electrical, magnetic, or tribomechanical forces.     

1,4-Diphosphinines from Imidazole-2-thiones

1,4-Diphosphinines that are fused to two thiourea units were synthesized from the corresponding tricyclic 1,4-dichloro-1,4-dihydro-1,4-diphosphinines, and their structures and spectroscopic features are described. Electrochemical studies revealed very low oxidation potentials, which are due to the effective π-interaction between the 1,4-diphosphinine ring and the orbitals of the two ylidic C=S bonds. In accordance with the low-lying LUMO, which is largely localized at the two phosphorus centers, dianion formation is strongly preferred. Despite the small HOMO–LUMO gap, which is in accordance with the red color of the title compounds, theoretical calculations suggest considerable aromaticity for the 1,4-diphosphinine ring.     

Cover Feature: Are the Accompanying Cations of Doping Anions Influential in Conducting Organic Polymers? The Case of the Popular PEDOT (Chem. Eur. J. 63/2019)

Conducting organic polymers (COPs) are made of a conjugated polymer backbone supporting a certain degree of oxidation. These positive charges are compensated by the doping anions that are introduced into the polymer synthesis along with their accompanying cations. In this work, the influence of these cations on the stoichiometry and physicochemical properties of the resulting COPs have been investigated, something that has previously been overlooked, but, as here proven, is highly relevant. As the doping anion, metallacarborane [Co(C₂B₉H₁₁)₂]⁻ was chosen, which acts as a thistle. This anion binds to the accompanying cation with a distinct strength. If the binding strength is weak, the doping anion is more prone to compensate the positive charge of the polymer, and the opposite is also true. Thus, the ability of the doping anion to compensate the positive charges of the polymer can be tuned, and this determines the stoichiometry of the polymer. As the polymer, PEDOT was studied, whereas Cs⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Li⁺, and H⁺ as cations. Notably, with the [Co(C₂B₉H₁₁)₂]⁻ anions, these cations are grouped into two sets, Cs⁺ and H⁺ in one and Na⁺, K⁺, and Li⁺ in the second, according to the stoichiometry of the COPs: 2:1 EDOT/[Co(C₂B₉H₁₁)₂]⁻ for Cs⁺ and H⁺, and 3:1 EDOT/[Co(C₂B₉H₁₁)₂]⁻ for Na⁺, K⁺, and Li⁺. The distinct stoichiometries are manifested in the physicochemical properties of the COPs, namely in the electrochemical response, electronic conductivity, ionic conductivity, and capacitance.     

Bis-[3]Ferrocenophanes with Central >E−E’< Bonds (E,E’=P,SiH): Preparation,Properties, and Thermal Activation

A series of bis-[3]ferrocenophanes of the general type Fe(C₅H₄E’)₂E−E(E'C₅H₄)₂Fe (E=P, SiH and E’=PtBu, NneoPentyl, NSi(CH₃)₃) with an isolobal molecular framework have been prepared and characterized by heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The thermal dissociation behavior with respect to homolytic fission of the central bond generating phosphorus centered radicals was investigated using EPR spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations.     

Chiral separation in the class of proton pump inhibitors by chromatographic and electromigration techniques: An overview

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are benzimidazole-derivative chiral sulfoxides, frequently used in the treatment of gastric hyperacidity-related disorders. Due to their stereoselective metabolism, the eutomeric forms of PPIs can present a more advantageous pharmacokinetic profile by comparison with the distomers or racemates. Moreover, two representatives of the class are used in therapy both as racemates and as pure enantiomers (esomeprazole, dexlansoprazole). A relatively large number of enantioseparation methods employed for the stereoselective determination of PPIs from pharmaceutical, biological, and environmental matrices were published in the past three decades. The purpose of the current overview is to provide a systematic survey of the available chiral separation methods published since the introduction of PPIs in the therapy up to the present. Analytical and bioanalytical methods using different chromatographic and electromigration techniques reported for the enantioseparation of omeprazole, lansoprazole, pantoprazole, rabeprazole, ilaprazole, and tenatoprazole are included. The analytical conditions of the presented methods are summarized in three comprehensive tables, while a critical discussion of the applied techniques, possible mechanism of enantiorecognition, and future perspectives on the topic are also presented.