Self-assembly of an azido-bridged [NiII6] cluster featuring four fused defective cubanes

The cluster [Ni6(H2L)2(HL1)2(N3)8].2C2H5OH.2H2O [1.2C2H5OH.2H2O], featuring four fused defective cubanes, has been obtained via azido-bridge-driven dimerization of two phenolate-centered trinuclear Ni3 fragments.     

A novel derivatization approach for simultaneous determination of glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and 3-deoxyglucosone in plasma by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A two-step derivatization approach has been developed to enable the simultaneous analysis of glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and 3-deoxyglucosone by the most efficient and widely applied GC-MS methodology. These three analytes are reactive carbonyl compounds associated with the formation of advanced glycation and lipoxidation end products, a process thought to contribute to uremic toxicity and referred to as "carbonyl stress". Effective analysis of these compounds would facilitate understanding these compounds' role in diabetes-related complications. Plasma samples were deproteinized by acetonitrile, followed by a two-step derivatization approach. Pooled plasma samples from healthy individuals were used as the "blank" for preparing calibration standards. The concentrations of the analytes in the "blank" were first determined by standard addition method. Calibration parameters were accordingly established and used to analyze these compounds in plasma samples collected from healthy individuals and diabetic patients. Analytical findings are comparable with those reported in the literature. Quantitation data can be further improved by making available and using isotopically labeled analogs of these analytes as the internal standards.     

Advantages and limitations of the synchrotron based transmission X-ray microscopy in the study of the clay aggregate structure in aqueous suspensions

This paper reports new application of new transmission X-ray microscopy powered by a synchrotron source for the study of aqueous based clay suspensions. This paper delineates the advantages and limitations of this method. The tested transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM) technique has shown good agreement with the cryo-stage SEM technique. The spacial resolution of this TXM technique is 60 nm and clay particles with diameter below 500 nm are clearly visible and their pseudohexagonal symmetry is recognizable in detail. It is clearly demonstrated the methodology of implementing TXM to study aqueous based clay suspensions that are close to approximately 60 nm tomographic resolution. The technique enables us to study discrete structure of clay suspensions in water and within aggregates. This has never been previously possible. Larger crystals, more compact aggregates and less colloidal fraction present in kaolinite from Georgia has impact on faster settling and gelling in denser suspension than for Birdwood kaolinite in which colloidal particles create gel-like networking in less dense aqueous suspension.     

In situ synthesis of surfactant/silane-modified hydrotalcites

In this study, anionic surfactant and silane-modified hydrotalcites were synthesized through a soft chemical in situ method. The resulting materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution thermogravimetric analysis (HRTG), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and N2 adsorption-desorption. The Mg-Al hydrotalcite (LDH) and the only surfactant-modified hydrotalcite (LDH-2) display similar XRD patterns while both surfactant and silane-modified hydrotalcite (LDH-3) show two distinct series of reflections, corresponding to hydrotalcite and smectite-like materials, respectively. The smectite-like materials show a series of regular (001) reflections with d 001=12.58 A. Further supporting evidence was obtained from FTIR and TG, for example, the vibration at 1198 cm(-1) corresponds to SiOSi-stretching mode and the mass loss at ca. 861 degrees C to dehydroxylation. In LDH-2, the loaded surfactants are located in both the interlayer space and the interparticle pores with a "house of cards" structure as supported by FTIR, TG, and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. Both electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) micrographs and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms show that in situ modification with surfactant and silane has a significant influence on the morphology and porous parameters of the resulting hydrotalcite materials.     

Synthesis of azirines containing aldehyde functionality and their utilization as synthetic tools for five membered oxazoles and isoxazoles

A simple and useful procedure for the synthesis of azirines containing aldehyde functionality from open chain bromo/chloro‐aldehydes at room temperature is reported. The scope of the ring expansion reaction of a number of 3‐substituted‐2‐formyl‐azirines has been examined using different oraganometallic catalysts and a variety of Lewis acids.     

The role of interplay between the potential and the ambient energies on the vibration energy harvesting

In this paper we have demonstrated how the conversion of the ambient energy into the electrical energy depends on the properties of the ambient energy and the mechanical oscillator. We have observed that the conversion of the vibration energy into the electrical energy may be good if the voltage can follow closely the evolution of of the amplitude of the oscillator. Thus if the voltage and the position fluctuate in a correlated manner then the conversion of the ambient energy into the electrical energy is good. Our another observation is that for a given capacitance, the power transferred (PT) from the oscillator to the transducer may be maximum in the variation of PT with increase in resistance, R. In other words, the power transferred changes with a maximum as the capacitance, C grows for a fixed value of the resistance. Along with these we have investigated how the other relevant quantities such as the efficiency of the energy transferred process depends on the characteristics of the oscillating systems, the environment and the piezoelectric dynamics.     

Calculating protein–ligand binding affinities with MMPBSA: Method and error analysis

Molecular Mechanics Poisson–Boltzmann Surface Area (MMPBSA) methods have become widely adopted in estimating protein–ligand binding affinities due to their efficiency and high correlation with experiment. Here different computational alternatives were investigated to assess their impact to the agreement of MMPBSA calculations with experiment. Seven receptor families with both high‐quality crystal structures and binding affinities were selected. First the performance of nonpolar solvation models was studied and it was found that the modern approach that separately models hydrophobic and dispersion interactions dramatically reduces RMSD's of computed relative binding affinities. The numerical setup of the Poisson–Boltzmann methods was analyzed next. The data shows that the impact of grid spacing to the quality of MMPBSA calculations is small: the numerical error at the grid spacing of 0.5 Å is already small enough to be negligible. The impact of different atomic radius sets and different molecular surface definitions was further analyzed and weak influences were found on the agreement with experiment. The influence of solute dielectric constant was also analyzed: a higher dielectric constant generally improves the overall agreement with experiment, especially for highly charged binding pockets. The data also showed that the converged simulations caused slight reduction in the agreement with experiment. Finally the direction of estimating absolute binding free energies was briefly explored. Upon correction of the binding‐induced rearrangement free energy and the binding entropy lost, the errors in absolute binding affinities were also reduced dramatically when the modern nonpolar solvent model was used, although further developments were apparently necessary to further improve the MMPBSA methods. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Fabrication of Nitrogen‐Doped Mesoporous‐Carbon‐Coated Palladium Nanoparticles: An Intriguing Electrocatalyst for Methanol and Formic Acid Oxidation

Inspired by the attractive catalytic properties of palladium and the inert nature of carbon supports in catalysis, a concise and simple methodology for in situ nitrogen‐doped mesoporous‐carbon‐supported palladium nanoparticles (Pd/N‐C) has been developed by carbonizing a palladium dimethylglyoximate complex. The as‐synthesized Pd/N‐C has been exfoliated as a fuel cell catalyst by studying the electro‐oxidation of methanol and formic acid. The material synthesized at 400 °C,namely, Pd/N‐C‐400,exhibitssuperior mass activity and stability among catalysts synthesized under different carbonization temperaturesbetween300 and 500 °C. The unique 1D porous structure in Pd/N‐C‐400 helps better electron transport at the electrode surface, which eventually leads to about five times better catalytic activity and about two times higher stability than that of commercial Pd/C. Thus, our designed sacrificial metal–organic templatedirected pathway becomes a promising technique for Pd/N‐C synthesis with superior catalytic performances.     

Distance-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry: What,Why, and How?

Distance-of-flight mass spectrometry (DOFMS) separates ions of different mass-to-charge (m/z) by the distance they travel in a given time after acceleration. Like time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS), separation and mass assignment are based on ion velocity. However, DOFMS is not a variant of TOFMS; different methods of ion focusing and detection are used. In DOFMS, ions are driven orthogonally, at the detection time, onto an array of detectors parallel to the flight path. Through the independent detection of each m/z, DOFMS can provide both wider dynamic range and increased throughput for m/z of interest compared with conventional TOFMS. The iso-mass focusing and detection of ions is achieved by constant-momentum acceleration (CMA) and a linear-field ion mirror. Improved energy focus (including turn-around) is achieved in DOFMS, but the initial spatial dispersion of ions remains unchanged upon detection. Therefore, the point-source nature of surface ionization techniques could put them at an advantage for DOFMS. To date, three types of position-sensitive detectors have been used for DOFMS: a microchannel plate with a phosphorescent screen, a focal plane camera, and an IonCCD array; advances in detector technology will likely improve DOFMS figures-of-merit. In addition, the combination of CMA with TOF detection has provided improved resolution and duty factor over a narrow m/z range (compared with conventional, single-pass TOFMS). The unique characteristics of DOFMS can enable the intact collection of large biomolecules, clusters, and organisms. DOFMS might also play a key role in achieving the long-sought goal of simultaneous MS/MS.

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