Culation of partial molar volume and its components for molecular dynamics models of dilute solutions

This paper is a review of our recent computational studies of volumetric characteristics using computer models of dilute solutions. Partial molar volume (PMV) and its components are calculated for simple and complex molecules in water (methane, noble gases, surfactants, polypeptides). Advantages and disadvantages of various computational methods are discussed. It is proposed to use the Voronoi-Delaunay technique to determine the reasonable boundary between a solute molecule and solvent molecules and to identify the PMV components related to the molecule, the boundary layer, and the solvent. It is noted that the observed increase in PMV with temperature for large molecules is due to an increase in the volume of voids in the boundary layer, i.e., due to the “thermal volume.” In this case, the solvent gives a negative contribution to the PMV. In contrast, for simple molecules (methane), the contribution from the solvent is positive and is the main factor in the increase in the PMV, which is associated with a specific change in water structure around a spherical hydrophobic particle outside the boundary layer. For surfactant molecules, the contribution from the solvent changes sign (from negative to positive) with increasing temperature.     

Organocatalytic Conjugate Addition of Azide Ion to α,β‐Unsaturated Aldehydes

An efficient and simple amine‐catatalyzed azide conjugate addition to α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes has been developed. In the presence of a catalytic amount of tertiary amine with a 1:1 mixture of NaN₃ and 37% HCl in CH₂Cl₂, α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes provided β‐azido aldehydes, which could be transformed into 1,3‐amino alcohols.     

Electrophoretic separation of gold nanoparticles according to bifunctional molecules‐induced charge and size

Gold nanospheres modified with bifunctional molecules have been separated and characterized by using agarose gel electrophoresis as well as optical spectroscopy and electron microscopy. The electrophoretic mobility of a gold nanosphere capped with 11‐mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) has been found to depend on the number of MUA molecules per gold nanosphere, indicating that it increases with the surface charge of the nanoparticle. The extinction spectrum of gold nanospheres capped with MUA at an MUA molecules per gold nanosphere value of 1000 and connected via 1,6‐hexanedithiol (HDT) decreases by 33% in magnitude and shifts to the red as largely as 22 nm with the increase of the molar ratio of HDT to MUA (R_HM). Gold nanospheres capped with MUA and connected via HDT have been separated successfully using gel electrophoresis and characterized by measuring reflectance spectra of discrete electrophoretic bands directly in the gel and by monitoring transmission electron microscope images of gold nanoparticles collected from the discrete bands. Electrophoretic mobility has been found to decrease substantially with the increment of HDT to MUA, indicating that the size of aggregated gold nanoparticles increases with the concentration of HDT.     

Orientational and electro-optical properties of liquid crystal aligned with a directly spinnable carbon nanotube web

We investigated the orientational and electro-optical properties of a nematic liquid crystal (LC) aligned with a directly spinnable carbon nanotube (CNT) web functioning both as an electrode and as an alignment layer. The LC molecules were uniformly oriented along the drawing direction of the CNT web and the spatially averaged birefringence was comparable to a rubbed polyimide sample. The CNT web sample also showed smaller residual DC and hysteresis compared to the polyimide sample.     

Mixed-ligand oxovanadium complexes incorporating Schiff base ligands: synthesis, DNA interactions, and cytotoxicities

Three oxovanadium complexes, namely [VO(NOSAA)(bpy)] (1) (NOSAA = 2-hydroxy-5-nitrosalicylidene anthranilic acid, bpy = 2,2′-bipyridyl), [VO(NOSAA)(4,4′-dimebpy)] (2) (4,4′-dimebpy = 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′- bipyridyl), and [VO(NOSAA)(phen)] (3) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), have been prepared and characterized. The binding modes and strengths of these complexes with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) were studied using various techniques. The chemical nuclease activities and photocleavage reactions of the complexes were also tested. All three complexes interact with CT-DNA through intercalative modes, and complex 3 possesses the largest binding affinity. All three complexes can efficiently cleave pBR322 DNA upon irradiation or under physiological conditions in the presence of H₂O₂, and complex 3 has the best cleaving ability. In vitro experimental results showed that the three complexes are cytotoxic against myeloma (Ag8.653) and gliomas (U251) cell lines and complex 3 again showed the highest efficacy.     

Validity of Inorganic Nanosheets as an Efficient Planar Substituent To Enhance the Enantioselectivity of Transition‐Metal‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Synthesis

Effectively enhancing the enantioselectivity is a persistent challenge in heterogeneous asymmetric catalysis. Here, the validity of a layered double hydroxides (LDH) nanosheet as an efficient planar substituent to enhance the enantioselectivity has been investigated theoretically; first in vanadium‐catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation of allylic alcohols, and then in zinc‐catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol addition. The computational predication is further confirmed experimentally in zinc‐catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol addition by controlling the location of catalytic sites.     

From Nitro‐ to Sulfonyl‐Based Chromophores: Improvement of the Comprehensive Performance of Nonlinear Optical Dendrimers

Through the combination of the divergent and convergent approaches, coupled with the utilization of the powerful Sharpless “click‐chemistry” reaction, two series of sulfonyl‐based high‐generation NLO dendrimers were conveniently prepared with high purity and in satisfactory yields. Thanks to the perfect three‐dimensional (3D) spatial isolation from the highly branched structure and the isolation effect of the exterior benzene moieties and the interior triazole rings, these dendrimers exhibited large second harmonic generation coefficient (d₃₃) values up to 181 pm V^?1, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the highest value so far for polymers containing sulfonyl‐based chromophore moieties. Meanwhile, compared with the nitro‐chromophore‐based analogues, their optical transparency and NLO stability were improved in a large degree, due to the lower dipole moment (μ) and the special main‐chain structure of sulfonyl‐based chromophore in these dendrimers.     

Direct Observation of the Binding Mode of the Phosphonate Anchor to Nanosized Polyoxotitanate Clusters

The structures of three newly synthesized phosphonate‐substituted polyoxotitanates are reported. The Ti/O core of [Ti₄O(OEt)₁₂(PhenylPO₃)] ( 1 ) is the building block for two larger phosphonate‐substituted nanoclusters, [Ti₂₅O₂₆(OEt)₃₆(PhenylPO₃)₆] ( 2 ) and [Ti₂₆O₂₆(OEt)₃₉(PhenylPO₃)₆]Br ( 3 ). All compounds exhibit a not previously recognized triply bridging binding mode of the phosphonate anchor with short connecting Ti? O bonds, the average of which is 2.010(7) Å. Comparison with previously reported work suggests that the binding mode of the phosphonate anchor is strongly dependent on the structure of the underlying substrate.