Computational study of the aminolysis of anhydrides: effect of the catalysis to the reaction of succinic anhydride with methylamine in gas phase and nonpolar solution

Different possible pathways of the aminolysis reaction of succinic anhydride were investigated by applying high level electronic structure theory, examining the general base catalysis by amine and the general acid catalysis by acetic acid, and studying the effect of solvent. The density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) and B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) levels was employed to investigate the reaction pathways for the aminolysis reaction between succinic anhydride and methylamine. The single point ab initio calculations were based on the second-order M?ller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) with 6-31G(d) and 6-311++G(d,p) basis sets and CCSD(T)/6-31G(d) level calculations for geometries optimized at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory. A detailed analysis of the atomic movements during the process of concerted aminolysis was further obtained by intrinsic reaction coordinate calculations. Solvent effects were assessed by the polarized continuum model method. The results show that the concerted mechanism of noncatalyzed aminolysis has distinctly lower activation energy compared with the addition/elimination stepwise mechanism. In the case of the process catalyzed by a second methylamine molecule, asynchronous proton transfer takes place, while the transition vectors of the acid-catalyzed transition states correspond to the simultaneous motion of protons. The most favorable pathway of the reaction was found through the bifunctional acid catalyzed stepwise mechanism that involves formation of eight-membered rings in the transition state structures. The difference between the activation barriers for the two mechanisms averages 2 kcal/mol at various levels of theory.     

Single nanoparticle plasmonic devices by the "grafting to" method

Hierarchically organized single-nanoparticle structures synthesized in this work consisted of a 200 nm silica core and a pH-responsive poly(2-vinylpyridine) shell decorated with 15 nm gold nanoparticles. pH changes in the range of 3-6 back and forth results in a swelling-shrinking polymer brush shell and, thus, in the tuning distance between noble nanoparticles. A change in the interparticle distance is accompanied by a very pronounced shift in the maximum wavelength of the surface plasmon absorption peak. The dispersion of the resulting composite nanoparticles reversibly changed color from red to purple-blue as the pH changed from 2.5 to 6. Such hierarchically assembled nanostructures can be used as free-standing single-particle sensors in various miniaturized analytical systems.     

Biochemically controlled bioelectrocatalytic interface

A switchable bioelectrocatalytic system for glucose oxidation controlled by external biochemical signals exemplifies interfacing between bioelectronic and biochemical ensembles.     

Interaction of 3‐(2‐Aminophenyl)‐6‐R1‐1,2,4‐triazin‐5‐ones with Acylating Reagents: An Efficient Method for Preparation of 6‐Substituted 3‐R1‐2H‐[1,2,4]triazino[2,3‐c]quinazolin‐2‐ones

The series of 6‐substituted 3‐R¹‐2H‐[1,2,4]triazino[2,3‐c]quinazolin‐2‐one was prepared via condensation of 3‐(2‐aminophenyl)‐6‐R¹‐1,2,4‐triazin‐5‐ones with acylating reagents. Particularities of ¹H NMR spectra have been also discussed based on the comparison of experimental and theoretical results for 3‐methyl‐6‐phenyl‐2H‐[1,2,4]triazino[2,3‐c]quinazolin‐2‐one and its 4,3‐isomer.     

Monogenic functions in the biharmonic boundary value problem

We consider a commutative algebra over the field of complex numbers with a basis {e₁,e₂} satisfying the conditions , . Let D be a bounded domain in the Cartesian plane xOy and D_ζ={xe₁+ye₂:(x,y)∈D}. Components of every monogenic function Φ(xe₁+ye₂) = U₁(x,y)e₁+U₂(x,y)ie₁+U₃(x,y)e₂+U₄(x,y)ie₂ having the classic derivative in D_ζ are biharmonic functions in D, that is, Δ²U_j(x,y) = 0 for j = 1,2,3,4. We consider a Schwarz‐type boundary value problem for monogenic functions in a simply connected domain D_ζ. This problem is associated with the following biharmonic problem: to find a biharmonic function V(x,y) in the domain D when boundary values of its partial derivatives ?V/?x, ?V/?y are given on the boundary ?D. Using a hypercomplex analog of the Cauchy‐type integral, we reduce the mentioned Schwarz‐type boundary value problem to a system of integral equations on the real axes and establish sufficient conditions under which this system has the Fredholm property. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An artificial beta-sheet that dimerizes through parallel beta-sheet interactions

This Article introduces a simple chemical model of a beta-sheet (artificial beta-sheet) that dimerizes by parallel beta-sheet formation in chloroform solution. The artificial beta-sheet consists of two N-terminally linked peptide strands that are linked with succinic or fumaric acid and blocked along one edge with a hydrogen-bonding template composed of 5-aminoanisic acid hydrazide. The template is connected to one of the peptide strands by a turn unit composed of (S)-2-aminoadipic acid (Aaa). 1H NMR spectroscopic studies show that these artificial beta-sheets fold in CDCl3 solution to form well-defined beta-sheet structures that dimerize through parallel beta-sheet interactions. Most notably, all of these compounds show a rich network of NOEs associated with folding and dimerization. The compounds also exhibit chemical shifts and coupling constants consistent with the formation of folded dimeric beta-sheet structures. The aminoadipic acid unit shows patterns of NOEs and coupling constants consistent with a well-defined turn conformation. The present system represents a significant step toward modeling the type of parallel beta-sheet interactions that occur in protein aggregation.     

Halogen-bonded assembly of hybrid inorganic/organic 3D-networks from dibromocuprate salts and tetrabromomethane

The critical halogen-bonding motif (CBr...BrCu) is responsible for the successful synthesis of three-dimensional networks of unusual 4,5-connected dodecahedron cells (each containing the encapsulated cation) via the self-assembly of tetra-n-propylammonium dibromocuprate(I) and tetrabromomethane as prototypical donor/acceptor dyads.     

n-Propylpyridinium chloride-modified poly(dimethylsiloxane) elastomeric networks: preparation, characterization, and study of metal chloride adsorption from ethanol solutions

An n-propylpyridinium chloride-modified PDMS elastomeric network, PDMS/Py(+)Cl(-), was prepared from linear PDMS chains containing Si(CH(3))(2)OH end-groups cross-linked by 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane and posterior reaction with pyridine. PDMS/Py(+)Cl(-) material was structurally characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and solid state (13)C and (29)Si NMR. Thermogravimetric analysis of the product showed good thermal stability, with the initial temperature of weight loss at 450 K. The ion-exchange capacity of the PDMS/Py(+)Cl(-) was 0.65 mmol g(-1). Metal halides, MCl(z) [M=Fe(3+), Cu(2+), and Co(2+)], were adsorbed by the modified solid from ethanol solutions as neutral species by forming the surface anionic complexes MCl(z+n)(n-). The nature of the anionic complex structure was proposed by UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The species adsorbed were FeCl(-)(4), CuCl(2-)(4), and CoCl(2-)(4). The specific sorption capacities and the heterogeneous stability constants of the immobilized metal complexes were determined with the aid of computational procedures. The trend in affinities of PDMS/Py(+)Cl(-) for the metal halides were found to be FeCl(3)>CuCl(2) approximately CoCl(2).     

Thermoresponsive reversible behavior of multistimuli pluronic-based pentablock copolymer at the air-water interface

Surface behavior of the pH- and thermoresponsive amphiphilic ABCBA pentablock copolymer has been studied with respect to the environmental conditions. We demonstrate that the pentablock copolymer poly((diethylaminoethyl methacrylate)-b-(ethylene oxide)-b-(propylene oxide)-b-(ethylene oxide)-b-(diethylaminoethyl methacrylate)) possesses reversible temperature changes at the air-water interface in a narrow pH range of the water subphase. Significant diversity in the surface morphology of pentablock copolymer monolayers at different pH and temperatures observed were related to the corresponding reorganization of central and terminal blocks. Remarkable reversible variations of the surface pressure observed for the Langmuir monolayers at pH 7.4 in the course of heating and cooling between 27 and 50 degrees C is associated with conformational transformations of terminal blocks crossing the phase line in the vicinity of the lower critical solution temperature point. The observed thermoresponsive surface behavior can be exploited for modeling of the corresponding behavior of pentablock copolymers adsorbed onto various biointerfaces for intracellular delivery for deeper understanding of stimuli-responsive transformations relevant to controlled drug and biomolecules release and retention.     

Nonwettable thin films from hybrid polymer brushes can be hydrophilic

Hybrid brushes composed of two liquid polymers, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and a highly branched ethoxylated polyethylenimine (EPEI), were synthesized on Si wafers by the "grafting to" method and by applying a combinatorial approach (fabrication of gradient brushes). The combinatorial approach revealed a strong effect of "layer assisted tethering", which allowed us to synthesize hybrid brushes twice as thick as the reference homopolymer brushes. The hybrid brushes are stable thin films that can rapidly and reversibly switch between hydrophilic and hydrophobic states in water and air, respectively. The switching in water affects a rapid release of amino functional groups which can be used to regulate adhesion and reactivity of the material. The switching in air rapidly returns the brush to a hydrophobic state. The hybrid brush is hydrophilic because of two mechanisms: (1) exposure of EPEI chains to the brush-water interface under water, and (2) retention of some fraction of water via swollen EPEI chains (the EPEI chains swell by 2-3 times), which are conserved by a PDMS cap in air. The hybrid brush is wettable under water, and at the same time, the brush is nonwettable in air because water droplets are trapped in a metastable state when the water contact angle is above 90 degrees .