Electrical properties of some crystalline salts of adenine

In the present paper we report the first experimental results on ac and dc conductivity and permittivity of adenine hemisulphate hydrate and adenine sulphate measured at atmospheric and high hydrostatic pressures. For both materials ac conductivity is of ^s type, where:s 1·1· Room temperature dc conductivity of adenine hemisulphate hydrate equals approximately 5×10^{–15 –1} cm^–1 with an activation energy of 0·86 eV; dc conductivity of adenine sulphate is less than 10^–16 cm^–1. On the basis of these measurements and those carried out at high pressure, it is concluded that conductivity of adenine hemisulphate hydrate is of electronic type.The authors wish to thank Dr. J. Zachová for the preparation of adenine salts single crystals.     

Rapidly converging lattice sums for nonelectrostatic interactions

The relative energies of one-, two-, and three-dimensional Bravais lattice Lennard-Jones particles can be calculated by lattice sums. The expression of lattice sums over a Lennard-Jones potential can be manipulated into a form that converges rapidly. A formalism capable of calculating the lattice potential at arbitrary points of a completely general lattice has been developed. This method provides an alternative way to calculate the relative energies from the surface and the interior bulk sites of many chemical systems. The method is illustrated with application to hcp and fcc Lennard-Jonesium, both for the relative binding energy and for calculating the potential along the geometric diffusion pathway between tetrahedral and octahedral interstitial sites. Diffusion from the tetrahedral site to the octahedral site experiences a barrier of 752.600 in units of 4 epsilon. The reverse pathway experiences a barrier of 1035.614 in units of 4 epsilon.     

A guest-induced assembly of a molecular box from methylcobaloxime and 1, 4-phenylenebisboronic acid

The guest-induced synthesis of a molecular box from methylaquacobaloxime and 1,4-phenylenebisboronic acid, with pyrazine (pz) as guest, is described. The resulting supramolecular species was characterized by X-ray structural analysis, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, and low-resolution electrospray ionization (ES) mass spectrometry. The assembly was monitored by a time dependent 1H NMR experiment, which showed that the guest thermodynamically drives the assembly of the host. The effectiveness of pyrazine in this role arises from its having both the correct geometry and a sufficiently low pKa value. Several other ditopic ligands were tested, but none led to formation of an analogous product. However, a second supramolecular species was formed in the case of ethylenediamine (en). X-ray structural analysis and 1H and 13C spectroscopy revealed that this is closely related to the first, with a phenyl side removed and the pz bridge substituted by the en bridge.     

Electrochromic and structural characteristics of mesoporous WO<Subscript>3</Subscript> films prepared by a sol-gel method

The preparation of electrochromic films of mesoporous tungsten trioxide from tungstic acid and tungstic hexaethoxide precursors with the addition of an organic stabiliser via a sol-gel method is reported. These films have been structurally characterised and both the film morphology and crystalline composition of the films were found to be significantly dependent on the temperature at which the films were annealed and upon the choice of precursor. Films annealed at lower temperatures consisted of amorphous and hexagonal tungsten trioxide, whereas films annealed above 500 °C comprised solely of monoclinic WO₃. The electrochromic activity of the films was found to be equally dependent on method of preparation, and both the composition and the structure of the WO₃ films were shown to clearly influence the colouration efficiency of the films.Dedicated to Zbigniew Galus on the occasion of his 70^th birthday.     

Ab initio excited-state dynamics of the photoactive yellow protein chromophore

The photoisomerization mechanism of the neutral form of the photoactive yellow protein (PYP) chromophore is investigated using ab initio quantum chemistry and first-principles nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (ab initio multiple spawning or AIMS). We identify the nature of the two lowest-lying excited states, characterize the short-time behavior of molecules excited directly to S2, and explain the origin of the experimentally observed wavelength-dependent photoisomerization quantum yield.     

Evaluation of cellulase preparations for hydrolysis of hardwood substrates

Seven cellulase preparations from Penicillium and Trichoderma spp. were evaluated for their ability to hydrolyze the cellulose fraction of hardwoods (yellow poplar and red maple) pretreated by organosolv extraction, as well as model cellulosic substrates such as filter paper. There was no significant correlation among hydrolytic performance on pretreated hardwood, based on glucose release, and filter paper activity. However, performance on pretreated hardwood showed significant correlations to the levels of endogenous β-glucosidase and xylanase activities in the cellulase preparation. Accordingly, differences in performance were reduced or eliminated following supplementation with a crude β-glucosidase preparation containing both activities. These results complement a previous investigation using softwoods pretreated by either organosolv extraction or steam explosion. Cellulase preparations that performed best on hardwood also showed superior performance on the softwood substrates.     

Modified electrodes based on lipidic cubic phases

The lipidic cubic phase can be characterized as a curved bilayer forming a three-dimensional, crystallographical, well-ordered structure that is interwoven by aqueous channels. It provides a stable, well-organized environment in which diffusion of both water-soluble and lipid-soluble compounds can take place. Cubic phases based on monoacylglycerols form readily and attract our interest due to their ability to incorporate and stabilize proteins. Their lyotropic and thermotropic phase behaviour has been thoroughly investigated. At hydration over 20%, lipidic cubic phases Ia3d and Pn3m are formed. The latter is stable in the presence of excess water, which is important when the cubic phase is considered as an electrode-modifying material. Due to high viscosity, the cubic phases can be simply smeared over solid substrates such as electrodes and used to host enzymes and synthetic catalysts, leading to new types of catalytically active modified electrodes as shown for the determination of cholesterol, CO(2), or oxygen. The efficiency of transport of small hydrophilic molecules within the film can be determined by voltametry using two types of electrodes: a normal-size electrode working in the linear diffusion regime, and an ultramicroelectrode working under spherical diffusion conditions. This allows determining both the concentration and diffusion coefficient of the electrochemically active probe in the cubic phase. The monoolein-based cubic phase matrices are useful for immobilizing enzymes on the electrode surface (e.g., laccases from Trametes sp. and Rhus vernicifera were employed for monitoring dioxygen). The electronic contact between the electrode and the enzyme was maintained using suitable electroactive probes.     

Human topoisomerase I poisoning: docking protoberberines into a structure-based binding site model

Summary Using the X-ray crystal structure of the human topoisomerase I (top1) – DNA cleavable complex and the Sybyl software package, we have developed a general model for the ternary cleavable complex formed with four protoberberine alkaloids differing in the substitution on the terminal phenyl rings and covering a broad range of the top1-poisoning activities. This model has the drug intercalated with its planar chromophore between the −1 and +1 base pairs flanking the cleavage site, with the nonplanar portion pointing into the minor groove. The ternary complexes were geometry-optimized and relative interaction energies, computed by using the Tripos force field, were found to rank in correct order the biological potency of the compounds; in addition, the model is also consistent with the top1-poisoning inactivity of berberine, a major prototype of the protoberberine alkaloids. The model might serve as a rational basis for elaboration of the most active compound as a lead structure, in order to develop more potent top1 poisons as next generation anti-cancer drugs.     

ATRP grafting of styrene from benzyl chloride functionalized polysiloxanes: An AFM and TGA study of the Cu(0)/bpy catalyst

Various combinations of Cu(0), CuCl, 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) were used as catalysts for the grafting polymerizations of styrene from polysiloxane macroinitiators functionalized with benzyl chloride. While Cu(0)/bpy alone promotes the grafting, narrower polydispersities were obtained in the presence of CuCl. Analysis of the Cu(0) surface before and after polymerization by a combination of AFM, TGA and FTIR investigations reveals the formation of bpy or phen films on Cu(0). In the presence of CuCl, the ligand film appears decorated with CuCl particles which increase in size with increasing the CuCl concentration. The initial layer occurs most likely as a result of complexation between the ligands and the Cu(0) surface and acts as a support for the rest of the film. These observations are consistent with the film formation on Cu(0) from related nitrogen donors and indicate that the reactivity of the Cu surface may depend not only on its prior treatment but also on the deposition of ligands from the reaction mixture.