Synthesis,X‐ray powder structure analysis and biological properties of a mononuclear Cu(II) complex of N‐2‐hydroxyhippuric acid

A mononuclear copper (II) complex of N‐2‐hydroxyhippuric acid (2HHA), [Cu(HA)(H₂O)₂], has been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic and X‐ray powder diffraction studies. Crystal structure of [Cu(HA)(H₂O)₂] reveals a distorted square‐pyramidal geometry around the metal center. The crystal packing in the complex exhibits a three‐dimensional framework formed by intermolecular O? ; H···O and C? H···O hydrogen bonds. Toxicity and antitumor properties of the complex have been studied in vivo. The complex, capable of depleting glutathione (GSH) at nontoxic doses, may be utilized to sensitize drug‐resistant cells where resistance is due to an elevated level of GSH. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electronic structure and properties of isoelectronic magic clusters: Al13X (X=H,Au,Li,Na,K,Rb,Cs)

The equilibrium structure, stability, and electronic properties of the Al(13)X (X=H,Au,Li,Na,K,Rb,Cs) clusters have been studied using a combination of photoelectron spectroscopy experiment and density functional theory. All these clusters constitute 40 electron systems with 39 electrons contributed by the 13 Al atoms and 1 electron contributed by each of the X (X=H,Au,Li,Na,K,Rb,Cs) atom. A systematic study allows us to investigate whether all electrons contributed by the X atoms are alike and whether the structure, stability, and properties of all the magic clusters are similar. Furthermore, quantitative agreement between the calculated and the measured electron affinities and vertical detachment energies enable us to identify the ground state geometries of these clusters both in neutral and anionic configurations.     

Negative ions of transition metal-halogen clusters

A systematic density functional theory based study of the structure and spectroscopic properties of neutral and negatively charged MX(n) clusters formed by a transition metal atom M (M=Sc,Ti,V) and up to seven halogen atoms X (X=F,Cl,Br) has revealed a number of interesting features: (1) Halogen atoms are bound chemically to Sc, Ti, and V for n≤n(max), where the maximal valence n(max) equals to 3, 4, and 5 for Sc, Ti, and V, respectively. For n>n(max), two halogen atoms became dimerized in the neutral species, while dimerization begins at n=5, 6, and 7 for negatively charged clusters containing Sc, Ti, and V. (2) Magnetic moments of the transition metal atoms depend strongly on the number of halogen atoms in a cluster and the cluster charge. (3) The number of halogen atoms that can be attached to a metal atom exceeds the maximal formal valence of the metal atom. (4) The electron affinities of the neutral clusters abruptly rise at n=n(max), reaching values as high as 7 eV. The corresponding anions could be used in the synthesis of new salts, once appropriate counterions are identified.     

First-principles study of hydrogen adsorption in metal-doped COF-10

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), due to their low-density, high-porosity, and high-stability, have promising applications in gas storage. In this study we have explored the potential of COFs doped with Li and Ca metal atoms for storing hydrogen under ambient thermodynamic conditions. Using density functional theory we have performed detailed calculations of the sites Li and Ca atoms occupy in COF-10 and their interaction with hydrogen molecules. The binding energy of Li atom on COF-10 substrate is found to be about 1.0 eV and each Li atom can adsorb up to three H(2) molecules. However, at high concentration, Li atoms cluster and, consequently, their hydrogen storage capacity is reduced due to steric hindrance between H(2) molecules. On the other hand, due to charge transfer from Li to the substrate, O sites provide additional enhancement for hydrogen adsorption. With increasing concentration of doped metal atoms, the COF-10 substrate provides an additional platform for storing hydrogen. Similar conclusions are reached for Ca doped COF-10.     

Macromolecular Diffusion in Self-Assembling Biodegradable Thermosensitive Hydrogels

Hydrogel formation triggered by a change in temperature is an attractive mechanism for in situ gelling biomaterials for pharmaceutical applications such as the delivery of therapeutic proteins. In this study, hydrogels were prepared from ABA triblock polymers having thermosensitive poly(N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide lactate) flanking A-blocks and hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) B-blocks. Polymers with fixed length A blocks (~22 kDA) but differing PEG-midblock lengths (2, 4 and 10 kDa) were synthesized and dissolved in water with dilute fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled dextrans (70 and 500 kDA). Hydrogels encapsulating the dextrans were formed by raising the temperature. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) studies showed that diffusion coefficients and mobile fractions of the dextran dyes decreased upon elevating temperatures above 25 °C. Confocal laser scanning microscopy and cryo-SEM demonstrated that hydrogel structure depended on PEG block length. Phase separation into polymer-rich and water-rich domains occurred to a larger extent for polymers with small PEG blocks compared to polymers with a larger PEG block. By changing the PEG block length and thereby the hydrogel structure, mobility of FITC-dextran could be tailored. At physiological pH the hydrogels degraded over time by ester hydrolysis, resulting in increased mobility of the encapsulated dye. Since diffusion can be controlled according to polymer design and concentration, plus temperature, these biocompatible hydrogels are attractive as potential in situ gelling biodegradable materials for macromolecular drug delivery.     

Correlation between Dynamic Heterogeneity and Local Structure in a Room‐Temperature Ionic Liquid: A Molecular Dynamics Study of [bmim][PF6]

The complex dynamics of a room‐temperature ionic liquid, 1‐n‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF₆]), is studied using equilibrium classical molecular dynamics simulations in the temperature range of 250–450 K. The activation energies for the self‐diffusion of ions are around 30–34 kJ mol^?1, with that of the anion a little higher than that for the cation. The electrical conductivity of the liquid is calculated and good agreement with experiments is obtained. Structural relaxation is studied through the decay of coherent (total density–density correlation) and incoherent (self part of density–density correlation) intermediate scattering functions over a range of temperatures and wave vectors relevant to the system. The relaxation data are used to identify and characterize two processes, α and β. The dependence of the two relaxation times on temperature and wave vector is obtained. The dynamical heterogeneity of the ions determined through the non‐Gaussian parameter indicates the motion of the cation to be more heterogeneous than that of the anion. The faster ones among the cations are coordinated to faster anions, while slower cations are surrounded predominantly by slower anions. Thus, the dynamical heterogeneity in this ionic liquid is shown to have structural signatures.     

Optimization under Generalized Equation Constraints in Asplund Spaces

In this article, necessary optimality conditions for mathematical programming problems under generalized equation constraints problems are studied in Asplund spaces. We consider a very general version of the problem and derive necessary optimality conditions under various hypothesis on the problem data and sacrificing the differentiability assumption.     

Ti-doped nano-porous graphene: A material for hydrogen storage and sensor

Clustering of Ti on carbon nanostructures has proved to be an obstacle in their use as hydrogen storagematerials. Using density functional theory we show that Ti atoms will not cluster at moderate concentrations when doped into nanoporous graphene. Since each Ti atom can bind up to three hydrogen molecules with an average binding energy of 0.54 eV/H₂, this material can be ideal for storing hydrogen under ambient thermodynamic conditions. In addition, nanoporous graphene is magnetic with or without Ti doping, but when it is fully saturated with hydrogen, the magnetism disappears. This novel feature suggests that nanoporous graphene cannot only be used for storing hydrogen, but also as a hydrogen sensor.     

Characterization of Siegel cusp forms by the growth of their Fourier coefficients

We characterize all Siegel cusp forms of degree $n$ and large weight $k$ by the growth of their Fourier coefficients. More precisely we prove, among other related results, that if the Fourier coefficients of a modular form on the congruence subgroup $\Gamma _0^n(N)$ of square–free level $N$ satisfy the “Hecke bound” at the cusp $\infty $ , then it must be a cusp form, provided $k >2n+1$ .