Electron-energy-loss and X-ray photoelectron spectra. Part 1. Electronic structure of tetraphenylporphyrin and its nickel derivative

Specific information on the energy level diagram and on the energy forbidden gap of tetraphenylporphyrin and its Ni derivative has been obtained by means of electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques. Comparison of the free ligand and its metal derivative emphasizes the importance of the metal 3d levels in the conduction processes. The interband and plasmon transition present in the EELS spectra of these species are compared with the theoretically calculated energy level diagram and experimental data.     

Multipole expansions of the electrostatic molecular potential

Multipole expansions of the electrostatic molecular potential up to the hexadecapole terms are examined for H₂O, NH₃ and C₂H₄NH. A reasonable approximation to get unexpensive first order representations of the electrostatic potential for regions outside the van der Waals volume is found.     

Raman spectroscopic analysis of a tembetá: a resin archaeological artefact in need of conservation

The Raman spectroscopic analysis of a Brazilian tembetá, a lip-plug which signifies the attainment of manhood in tribal cultures, and dated to about 1600 years BP is reported. Tembetá are usually made of wood or stone but this lip-plug is very rare in that it is made of resin, which has been severely degraded in the burial environment; the brownish-red fragmented remains are in an extremely fragile condition and information about the chemical composition was required before urgent conservation was undertaken. Raman spectra excited at 1064 nm showed the presence of triterpenoid materials in the main body of the artefact, and indicated that the red-brown coating was not iron(III) oxide as suspected but rather degraded resin. Comparison with contemporary resins has facilitated the partial identification of the material in this important artefact as a triterpenoid-rich material, which is closely similar to the Pistacia species. A possible archaeological link to the Jatobá do Cerrado (Hymenaea stigonocarpa Mart.) resin has been excluded as the Raman spectra of this resin specimen and the tembetá do not match; indeed, the Jatobá do Cerrado resin specimen belongs to a diterpenoid-rich classification as befits its Hymenaea species.     

Tin(II)-EDTA complex: kinetic of thermal decomposition by non-isothermal procedures

Tin on the oxide form, alone or doped with others metals, has been extensively used as gas sensor, thus, this work reports on the preparation and kinetic parameters regarding the thermal decomposition of Sn(II)-ethylenediaminetetraacetate as precursor to SnO₂. Thus, the acquaintance with the kinetic model regarding the thermal decomposition of the tin complex may leave the door open to foresee, whether it is possible to get thin film of SnO₂ using Sn(II)-EDTA as precursor besides the influence of dopants added.The Sn(II)-EDTA soluble complex was prepared in aqueous medium by adding of tin(II) chloride acid solution to equimolar amount of ammonium salt from EDTA under N₂ atmosphere and temperature of 50 °C arising the pH∼4. The compound was crystallized in ethanol at low-temperature and filtered to eliminate the chloride ions, obtaining the heptacoordinated chelate with the composition H₂SnH₂O(CH₂N(CH₂COO)₂)₂·0.5H₂O.Results from TG, DTG and DSC curves under inert and oxidizing atmospheres indicate the presence of water coordinated to the metal and that the ethylenediamine fraction is thermally more stable than carboxylate groups. The final residue from thermal decomposition was the SnO₂ characterized by X-ray as a tetragonal rutile phase.Applying the isoconversional Wall-Flynn-Ozawa method on the DSC curves, average activation energy: E_a=183.7±2.7 and 218.9±2.1 kJ mol⁻¹, and pre-exponential factor: and 19.10±0.27 min⁻¹, at 95% confidence level, could be obtained, regarding the loss of coordinated water and thermal decomposition of the carboxylate groups, respectively. The E_a and log A also could be obtained applying isoconventional Wall-Flynn method on the TG curves.From E_a and log A values, Dollimore and Malék procedures could be applied suggesting R3 (contracting volume) and SB (two-parameter model) as the kinetic model to the loss of coordinated water (177-244 °C) and thermal decomposition of the carboxylate groups (283-315 °C), respectively. Simulated and experimental normalized DTG and DSC curves besides analysis of residuals check these kinetic models.     

Structure-Acid Lability Relationship of N-alkylated α,α-dialkylglycine Obtained via a Ugi Multicomponent Reaction

Using the classical Ugi four-component reaction to fuse an amine, ketone, carboxylic acid, and isocyanide, here we prepared a short library of N-alkylated α,α-dialkylglycine derivatives. Due to the polyfunctionality of the dipeptidic scaffold, this highly steric hindered system shows an interesting acidolytic cleavage of the C-terminal amide. In this regard, we studied the structure-acid lability relationship of the C-terminal amide bond (cyclohexylamide) of N-alkylated α,α-dialkylglycine amides 1a–n in acidic media and, afterward, it was established that the most important structural features related to its cleavage. Then, it was demonstrated that electron-donating effects in the aromatic amines, flexible acyl chains (Gly) at the N-terminal and the introduction of cyclic compounds into dipeptide scaffolds, increased the rate of acidolysis. All these effects are related to the ease with which the oxazolonium ion intermediate forms and they promote the proximity of the central carbonyl group to the C-terminal amide, resulting in C-terminal amide cleavage. Consequently, these findings could be applied for the design of new protecting groups, handles for solid-phase synthesis, and linkers for conjugation, due to its easily modulable and the fact that it allows to fine tune its acid-lability.     

Spiroiminodihydantoin nucleoside formation from 2'-deoxyguanosine oxidation by [(18)O-labeled] singlet molecular oxygen in aqueous solution

The main singlet molecular oxygen ((1)O(2)) oxidation products of free 2'-deoxyguanosine (dGuo) in aqueous solution were identified as a pair of diastereomeric spiroiminodihydantoin 2'-deoxyribonucleosides (dSp) together with 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo). In the present work, evidence is provided from (18)[(1)O(2)] and H(2) (18)O labeling experiments, using HPLC-ESI-MS/MS, that the formation of dSp is explained by the addition of water to a reactive quinonoid intermediate, and a second reaction pathway leading to dSp involves (1)O(2) oxidation of initially generated 8-oxodGuo.