Cyanide attack at low-spin iron(II)–diimine complexes: the structure of a cyanide-containing derivative of a leaving ligand

The isolation and structural characterisation of the product of addition of HCN to the Schiff base derived from phenyl 2-pyridyl ketone and 3,4-dimethylaniline (Me2bsb) provides evidence in favour of a mechanism involving nucleophilic attack at the coordinated ligand for reaction of the complex [Fe(Me₂bsb)₃]²⁺ with cyanide.     

Dielectrophoretic force on a sphere near a planar boundary

The small gap distance separating a spherical colloidal particle in electrophoretic motion from a planar nonconducting surface is a required parameter for calculating its electrophoretic mobility. In the presence of an externally applied electric field, this gap distance is determined by balancing the van der Waals, electrical double layer interaction, and gravitational forces with a dielectrophoretic (DEP) force. Here, the DEP force was determined analytically by integration of the Maxwell stress over the surface of the particle. The account of this force showed that its previous omission from the analysis always resulted in underpredicted gap distances. Furthermore, the DEP force dominated under conditions of low particle density or high electric field strength and led to much higher gap distances on the order of a few microns. In one particular case, a combination of low particle density and small particle size produced two possible equilibrium gap distances for the particle. However, the particle was unstable in the second equilibrium position when subjected to small perturbations. In general, larger particles had smaller gap sizes. The effects of four other parameters on gap distance were studied, and gap distances were found to increase with lower particle density, higher electric field strength, higher particle and wall zeta potentials, and lower Hamaker constants. Retardation effects on van der Waals attraction were considered.     

A High Sensitivity Detection Method of Singlet Oxygen and Superoxide Anion

This paper, for the first time, reports a method that can be used as a highly sensitive probe for singlet oxygen (^1O2) and superoxide anion (O2^-) in vitro or in vivo. FCLA(3,7-dihydro-6-{4-[2-(N‘-(5-fluoresceinyl)thioureido)ethoxy]phenyl}-2-methylimidazo{1,2-a}pyrazin-3-one sodium salt), a chemiluminescence (CL) analysis reagent, has been reported to sensitively react with ^1O2 and O2^- to emit photons with a spectral peak of 525nm. In this work,when human serum albumin (HSA) was added into FCLA solution to enhance the CL intensity,approximately 20 times, compared to that without HSA. The enhanced CL had the same 525 nm spectral peak, identical to that without HSA. By gradually reducing the molecular oxygen content in the solution, we find that the auto-oxidation of oxygen molecules dissolved in the solution plays an important role in the CL process. Based on these experimental evidences, we propose a novel and highly sensitive detection method of ^1O2 and O2^- which may have a great potential in chemical and medical applications.     

Structural determination of hexadecanoic lysophosphatidylcholine regioisomers by fast atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry

The structural determination of sn-1 and sn-2 hexadecanoic lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) regioisomers was carried out using fast atom bombardment tandem mass spectrometry (FAB-MS/MS). The collision-induced dissociation (CID) of protonated and sodiated molecules produced diverse product ions due mainly to charge remote fragmentations. Based on the information obtained from the CID spectra of protonated and sodiated molecules, sn-1 and sn-2 hexadecanoic LPC isomers could be discriminated. Especially, the abundance ratio of the diagnostic ion pair [m/z 224/226] in the CID spectra of [M + H](+) ions was shown to be greatly different. Moreover, the CID-MS/MS spectra of sodium-adducted molecules for hexadecanoic LPC isomers showed characteristic product ions such as [M + Na - 103](+), [M + Na - 85](+), and [M + Na - 59](+), by which their regio-specificity can be differentiated.     

Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue on Fe3+-doped TiO2 nanoparticles under visible light irradiation

Fe³⁺-doped TiO₂ composite nanoparticles with different doping amounts were successfully synthesized using sol-gel method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and ultravioletvisible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue was used as a model reaction to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of Fe³⁺/TiO₂ nanoparticles under visible light irradiation. The influence of doping amount of Fe³⁺ (ω: 0.00%–3.00%) on photocatalytic activities of TiO₂ was investigated. Results show that the size of Fe³⁺/TiO₂ particles decreases with the increase of the amount of Fe³⁺ and their absorption spectra are broaden and absorption intensities are also increased. Doping Fe³⁺ can control the conversion of TiO₂ from anatase to rutile. The doping amount of Fe³⁺ remarkably affects the activity of the catalyst, and the optimum efficiency occurs at about the doping amount of 0.3%. The appropriate doping of Fe³⁺ can markedly increase the catalytic activity of TiO₂ under visible light irradiation. __________ Translated from Journal of Northwest Normal University (Natural Science), 2006, 42(6): 55–56 [译自: 西北师范大学学报(自然科学版)]     

Rank-1 approximation to the van der Waals interaction

We present and discuss a variational single-product approximation to the van der Waals dispersion interaction leading to a simple formula for C ₆ that seems capable to give more than 99% of the ‘exact’ value. The formula is derived from Hylleraas’ variational principle in the tensor product space of the interacting molecules and therefore enjoys bounding properties. The formula has been tested by computing the C ₆ dispersion constants of H–H, and, at Full CI level, of the following systems: He–He, He–Li, Li–Li, LiH–LiH, HF–HF. Connections with the London formula are discussed. Contribution to the Fernando Bernardi Memorial Issue.     

Synthesis,characterization, X-ray structural analysis and study of oxidative properties of propyltriphenylphosphonium bromochromate

The complex of propyltriphenylphosphonium bromochromate(VI), PrPh₃P[CrO₃Br] is easily synthesized in nearly quantitative yield using a direct reaction of chromium(VI) oxide and propyltriphenylphosphonium bromide. This compound is a versatile reagent for the efficient and selective oxidation of organic substrates, in particular for alcohols to their corresponding aldehydes or ketones, under mild conditions. This compound was characterized by IR, UV/Visible, ¹³C-n.m.r. and ¹H-n.m.r. techniques. It crystallized in the monoclinic form and its crystal and molecular structure have been determined by X-ray crystallography.     

Microwave synthesis,characterization and catalytic properties of titanium-incorporated ZSM-5 zeolite

Titanium-incorporated ZSM-5 zeolites (Si/Al = 50–200 and Si/Ti = 70) were successfully synthesized in a one-step sol-gel process under microwave irradiation. The characteristics of Ti-ZSM-5 zeolites were investigated using X-ray power diffraction, UV/Vis-DRS, FT-IR spectroscopy and solid-state ²⁷Al-NMR to monitor the physico-chemical properties. Simultaneously, the acidic properties were characterized by the NH₃-TPD profile. The characterization results revealed that the Ti⁴⁺ and Al³⁺ ions were well incorporated into the framework of Ti-ZSM-5 zeolite. The prepared zeolite was moderately active but selective in the dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether.     

Thermally produced biodegradable scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering

A novel process was developed to fabricate biodegradable polymer scaffolds for tissue engineering applications, without using organic solvents. Solvent residues in scaffolds fabricated by processes involving organic solvents may damage cells transplanted onto the scaffolds or tissue near the transplantation site. Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) powder and NaCl particles in a mold were compressed and subsequently heated at 180 degrees C (near the PLLA melting temperature) for 3 min. The heat treatment caused the polymer particles to fuse and form a continuous matrix containing entrapped NaCl particles. After dissolving the NaCl salts, which served as a porogen, porous biodegradable PLLA scaffolds were formed. The scaffold porosity and pore size were controlled by adjusting the NaCl/PLLA weight ratio and the NaCl particle size. The characteristics of the scaffolds were compared to those of scaffolds fabricated using a conventional solvent casting/particulate leaching (SC/PL) process, in terms of pore structure, pore-size distribution, and mechanical properties. A scanning electron microscopic examination showed highly interconnected and open pore structures in the scaffolds fabricated using the thermal process, whereas the SC/PL process yielded scaffolds with less interconnected and closed pore structures. Mercury intrusion porosimetry revealed that the thermally produced scaffolds had a much more uniform distribution of pore sizes than the SC/PL process. The utility of the thermally produced scaffolds was demonstrated by engineering cartilaginous tissues in vivo. In summary, the thermal process developed in this study yields tissue-engineering scaffolds with more favorable characteristics, with respect to, freedom from organic solvents, pore structure, and size distribution than the SC/PL process. Moreover, the thermal process could also be used to fabricate scaffolds from polymers that are insoluble in organic solvents, such as poly(glycolic acid). Cartilage tissue regenerated from thermally produced PLLA scaffold.     

聚甲基苯基乙烯基硅氧烷固相微萃取探头的特性

用溶胶－凝胶及自由基引发交联方法，成功地制备了聚甲基苯基乙烯基聚硅氧烷和羟基硅油复合涂层的固相微萃取探头，与进口商用探头比较，研制的探头对芳香化合物具有高的萃取能力和热稳定性（350℃）以及长的使用寿命。