Thermodynamic analysis of lysozyme adsorbed to silica

The structural stability of hen egg white lysozyme in solution and adsorbed to small colloidal silica particles at various surface concentrations was investigated using hydrogen-deuterium (H/D) exchange in combination with mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The combination of HDX-MS and DSC allows a full thermodynamic analysis of the lysozyme structure as both the enthalpy and the Gibbs free energy can be derived from the various measurements. Moreover, both HDX-MS and DSC provide information on the relative structural heterogeneity of lysozyme in the adsorbed state compared to that in solution. Results demonstrated that at high surface coverage, the structural stability of lysozyme was only marginally affected by adsorption to silica particles whereas the unfolding enthalpy decreased by more than 10%, meaning that the entropy of lysozyme increased with a similar value upon adsorption. Furthermore, the structural heterogeneity increased considerably. At lower surface concentrations, the structural heterogeneity increased further whereas the enthalpy of unfolding decreased. Further analyses of the HDX-MS experiments clearly indicated that folding/unfolding of lysozyme occurs through a two-domain process. These two domains had a similar amount of structural elements and a difference in stabilization energy of 8 kJ/mol, regardless if lysozyme was in solution or adsorbed to silica.     

Synthesis and structures of cis- and trans-bis(alkyneselenolato)platinum(II) complexes

The reaction of 2 equiv of LiSeCC-n-C(5)H(11) (1) with cis-PtCl(2)(Ph(3)P)(2) (2) gives a mixture of the cis and trans isomers of Pt(Ph(3)P)(2)(SeCC-n-C(5)H(11))(2) (3), which slowly isomerizes in CH(2)Cl(2) to the preferred trans form trans-3. The closely related cis-[Pt(dppf)(2)(SeCC-n-C(5)H(11))(2)] (4) (dppf = bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene) was prepared by a similar metathetical reaction using the platinum chloride complex of the chelating dppf to impose the cis geometry. The structures of the cis and trans complexes have been investigated in solution by heteronuclear NMR ((31)P, (77)Se, and (195)Pt) and, in the cases of trans-3 and 4, characterized in the solid state by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Changing the coordination geometry from cis to trans induces significant changes in the structural and spectroscopic parameters, which do not comply with the previously anticipated donor-acceptor properties of selenolate ligands.     

Superconductivity in copper, silver, and gold compounds

High-temperature superconductivity exists in layered, square-planar cuprates, but is almost absent in most other Cu(II) compounds and in most Ag(II) and Au(II) compounds. Valence state II is quite unusual in silver and gold and often disproportionates to valence states I and III ("negative-U compounds"). The two-electron difference in oxidation state is suggestive of electron pairing, a prerequisite for superconductivity. In the present paper the connection between disproportionation and geometrical structure on one hand and superconductivity on the other is discussed by using the accepted theory for mixed valence complexes. It is concluded that absence of superconductivity in gold and silver compounds can be connected to the instability of oxidation state II and the large difference in equilibrium geometry between oxidation states I and III.     

Correlation between molecular orbitals and doping dependence of the electrical conductivity in electron-doped metal-phthalocyanine compounds

We have performed a comparative study of the electronic properties of six different electron-doped metal-phthalocyanine (MPc) compounds (ZnPc, CuPc, NiPc, CoPc, FePc, and MnPc), in which the electron density is controlled by means of potassium intercalation. Despite the complexity of these systems, we find that the nature of the underlying molecular orbitals produces observable effects in the doping dependence of the electrical conductivity of the materials. For all the MPc's in which the added electrons are expected to occupy orbitals centered on the ligands (ZnPc, CuPc, and NiPc), the doping dependence of the conductivity has an essentially identical shape. This shape is different from that observed in MPc materials in which electrons are also added to orbitals centered on the metal atom (CoPc, FePc, and MnPc). The observed relation between the macroscopic electronic properties of the MPc compounds and the properties of the molecular orbitals of the constituent molecules clearly indicates the richness of the alkali-doped metal-phthalocyanines as a model class of compounds for the investigation of the electronic properties of molecular systems.     

Synthesis and catalytic properties of soluble platinum nanoparticles protected by a thiol monolayer

Several new platinum monolayer protected clusters (MPCs) have been synthesized and characterized. Two methods of platinum reduction were used depending on the solubility of the thiol: sodium borohydride for the water-soluble thiols and lithium triethylborohydride for the organic soluble thiols. In general, reactant solutions containing a 1:1 thiol/Pt ratio yielded the best particles in a single-phase reaction. Higher thiol/Pt ratios produced lower yields of MPCs, while much lower ratios produced gray-black precipitates. The Pt MPCs were used as catalysts to hydrogenate allyl alcohol to propanol by reducing the carbon-carbon double bond. The Pt-mercaptoammonium MPCs were also used as catalysts in the hydrogenation of maleic acid to succinic acid. Differences in the catalytic hydrogenation rates among the various monolayer coatings for MPCs are attributed to the variations in ligand chain length, branching, charged functional groups, packing density, and core size.     

Phase-fixed double-group 3-Γ symbols. IV. Real 3-Γ symbols and coupling coefficients for the group hierarchies T* ⊃ C 3 * and T* ⊃ C 2 *

We present sets of real 3- symbols which correspond to explicitly given irreducible matrix representations for the two double group hierarchies T* C ₃ ^* and T* C ₂ ^* . They fit into the formalism exposed in a previous paper [1] on the general theory of 3- symbols and coupling coefficients and illustrate much of the discussion in a subsequent one [2] treating the particular properties of the double groups.     

The crystal structure of CuSb2O3Br: Slabs from cubic Sb2O3 interspersed between puckered hexagonal CuBr-type layers

The new compound CuSb₂O₃Br crystallize in the monoclinic space group Cc. The unit cell parameters are , , , β=90°, Z=16. The crystal structure is solved from single crystal data, R=0.0490. The compound show a layered structure with slabs from cubic Sb₂O₃ interspersed in between puckered layers of CuBr. The Sb(III) atoms have tetrahedral [SbO₃E] coordination where E is the 5s² lone pair, these units build up Sb₄O₄E₆ cages. The CuBr layers resemble those in hexagonal CuBr but the Cu(I) ions have actually tetrahedral [CuBr₃O] coordination. The Cu-O bonds link the Sb₄O₆ cages with the CuBr layers.     

Surface cavities produced by high‐dose nitrogen ion implantation into silicon

Nitrogen ion implantation (24 keV, 4.6 × 10¹⁷ cm^?2) into (100) a p‐type silicon wafer material and a subsequent electron beam annealing at 1100 °C for 15 s under high vacuum conditions leads to the formation of an uneven surface in the implanted region caused by nitrogen bubbles beneath the surface. Annealing at 1200 °C for 300 s results in surface cavities with a mean diameter of 350 nm and a surface coverage of 3–4% and an average depth of ～60 nm. Nuclear reaction analysis reveals that the nitrogen concentration in the as‐implanted state exceeds 57 at%, the value of stoichiometric Si₃N₄. Annealing at 1100 °C for 15 s slightly reduces the nitrogen peak concentration, whereas annealing at 1200 °C for 300 s induces a significant alteration to the shape of the nitrogen depth profile coupled with the lowering of the concentration close to the stoichiometry of Si₃N₄. The results present a new method of producing sub‐micrometre cavities embedded in a thin silicon nitride film on wafer silicon which may lead to novel micro‐electronic and biotechnology applications. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Collisional depolarization of excited114Cd 5s5p 3 P 1 atoms by collisions with molecular gases

Depolarization of excited¹¹⁴Cd 5s5p ³ P ₁ atoms induced by collisions with various molecular gases (N₂, H₂, D₂, CO, CO₂, CH₄, C₂H₆, C₂H₄) has been investigated using polarized fluorescence spectroscopy. After pulsed optical excitation of the Cd 5³ P ₁ level with appropriately polarized light the temporal behaviour of Zeeman quantum beats has been observed showing the influence of collisional destruction of orientation and alignment. By analyzing the signal curves at different molecular gas pressures the corresponding depolarization cross sections for¹¹⁴Cd atoms in the 5³ P ₁ state have been obtained. With regard to a test of a nuclear spin decoupling model for the collisions the cross sections were compared with previously measured hyperfine structure transfer cross sections of¹¹³Cd 5s5p ³ P ₁ atoms.