Stern-Volmer modeling of steady-state Forster energy transfer between dilute, freely diffusing membrane-bound fluorophores

Two different metrics are used to assess Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between fluorophores in the steady state: (i) acceptor-quenching of donor fluorescence E (also known as transfer efficiency) and (ii) donor-excited acceptor fluorescence F(A) (Dex). While E is still more widely used, F(A) (Dex) has been gaining in popularity for practical reasons among experimentalists who study biomembranes. Here, for the special case of membrane-bound fluorophores, we present a substantial body of experimental evidence that justifies the use of simple Stern-Volmer expressions when modeling either FRET metric under dilute-probe conditions. We have also discovered a dilute-regime correspondence between our Stern-Volmer expression for E and Wolber and Hudson's series approximation for steady-state Forster quenching in two dimensions (2D). This novel correspondence allows us to interpret each of our 2D quenching constants in terms of both (i) an effective Forster distance and (ii) two maximum acceptor-concentration limits, each of which defines its own useful experimental regime. Taken together, our results suggest a three-step strategy toward designing more effective steady-state FRET experiments for the study of biomembranes.     

Microwave‐assisted synthesis of 2‐(2‐pyridyl)azoles. Study of their corrosion inhibiting properties

An efficient and fast procedure for the synthesis of 2‐(2‐pyridyl)azoles is described using ionic liquids as catalysts under microwave irradiation. The X‐ray crystallographic analyses for three of the four synthesized compounds are presented. Potentiodynamic polarization studies were carried out to analyze the electrochemical behavior of the compounds in corrosive acidic media. Of the four derivatives, one compound was detected to be an effective corrosion inhibitor prototype for oil refinery environments.     

Resistance to sulfur poisoning of Rh supported catalysts

Sulfur thiotolerance by thiophene during toluene hydrogenation on rhodium supported catalysts prepared on different supports and metal precursors have been studied. The catalysts were characterized by H₂ chemisorption, TEM, TPD of ammonia and XPS. The turnover frequency of the reaction does not change significantly with the carrier but in the presence of 10 ppm of thiophene a drastic decrease in the activity is observed. The initial deactivation constant follows the order Rh/SiO₂>Rh/TiO₂>Rh/Al₂O₃.     

The triclinic polymorph of di­bromo[(–)‐sparteine‐κ2N,N′]­zinc(II)

The title compound, [ZnBr₂(C₁₅H₂₆N₂)], when synthesized starting from Zn⁰, is obtained in two polymorphic forms, one belonging to space group P2₁2₁2₁ and one to P1. The present contribution deals with the triclinic phase, which is isostructural with the orthorhombic form but presents a larger metal–metal intermolecular separation; the Zn⃛Zn distance is 7.4715 (6) Å for the triclinic polymorph as opposed to 6.534 Å for the orthorhombic polymorph.     

Effect of heat treatment on the mechanical and microstructural characterization of Mg-AZ91E/TiC composites

Mg-AZ91E/TiC_p composite was fabricated using a spontaneous infiltration technique at 950 °C under an argon atmosphere. The composites produced have 37 vol.% of metal matrix and 63 vol.% of TiC-like reinforcement. The obtained composites were subsequently solution heat-treated at 413 °C during 24 h, cold water quenched, and subsequently artificially aged at 168 and 216 °C during 16 h in an argon atmosphere. Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties was evaluated. Microstructural characterization was analyzed using different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Interface between matrix and reinforcement was examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and mechanical properties were evaluated by measuring the elastic modulus and hardness. Mg, TiC, Al, and Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phases through XRD were detected. Meanwhile, using TEM analysis in heat-treated composites MgAl₂O₄, MgO, and Al₂O₃ were identified. The as-fabricated composite have elastic modulus and hardness of 162 GPa and 316 Hv, respectively. After solution heat treatment and aging at 168 °C during 12 h, the composites reaches values of 178 GPa and 362 Hv for the elastic modulus and hardness, respectively. Time of aging was correlated with measures of elastic modulus and hardness.     

Field induced order in magnetic systems: Marginal case

The bond operator representation and the one-loop renormalization group treatment are used to study the spin-1 Heisenberg antiferromagnetic with single-ion anisotropy and transversal magnetic fields in three-dimensional cubic lattices. We start from a disordered spin-liquid phase to an ordered phase, at a critical field H_c1 above which the system enters an XY-antiferromagnetic phase. This transition is interpreted as belonging to a universality class with a dynamical critical exponent z=1. In this marginal case logarithmic corrections are found to the physical quantities. These theoretical predictions are compared with the scaling of the magnetization as a function of field and temperature for the organic compound NiCl₂-4SC(NH₂)₂.     

The analysis of predictability of \alpha -decay half-life formulae and the \alpha partial half-lives of some exotic nuclei

The predictabilities of the three $ \alpha$ -decay half-life formulae, the Royer GLDM, the Viola-Seaborg and the Sobiczewski-Parkhomenko formulae, have been evaluated by developing a method based on the ansatz of standard experimental benchmarking. The coefficients of each formula were re-derived using the reliable data of the $ \alpha$ -standards nuclei. The modified formulae that resulted were used to evaluate the accuracies of the formulae towards the prediction of half-lives of a set of nuclides with well-studied $ \alpha$ spectroscopic data as well as a set of exotic $ \alpha$ emitters. Further, a simple linear optimisation of the modified formulae allowed adjustments for the insufficient statistics of the primary data set without changing the modified formulae. While the three modified formulae showed equivalent results for all the medium heavy nuclei except the odd-odd, the modified GLDM showed relatively the best figures of merit for the odd-odd and superheavy nuclides.     

Computational and experimental structure–reactivity relationships: evidence for a side reaction in Alpine-Borane reductions of d-benzaldehydes

Extraordinary stereoselectivity, approaching 100%, has been reported in the reductions of d-benzaldehydes by B-isopinocampheyl-9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (Alpine-Borane). This is likely because of the extreme size disparity of groups on either side of the carbonyl. Here, we present a structure–reactivity study whereby the reductions of variably substituted d-benzaldehydes are explored using highly sensitive measures for enantiomeric excess and relative reactivity. These results are compared to the relative rates predicted from density functional calculations. The results indicate that 2,6-disubstitution adversely affects the stereoselectivity by means of a non-selective reduction via the dehydroboration product of Alpine-Borane, 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane.