Controlled-rate thermal analysis

Controlled-rate thermal analysis (CRTA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to investigate the adsorbed water layers and the surface properties of different commercial activated carbons. A simple method is proposed to obtain information on the properties of the adsorbed water film and the surface heterogeneity of the materials studied. This method utilizes TG mass loss and the first derivative of the DTG mass loss curves with respect to temperature and time, obtained during programmed liquid thermodesorption. The obtained TG mass loss curves, which reflect the energetic heterogeneity, consisted of steps and inflections which were associated with the mechanism of wetting of the solid surfaces. The heights of these steps and inflections depend on the adsorption capacity, the adsorption potential and the nature and number of the active centers of the carbon samples studied. The values of the total porosity and the surface phase capacity obtained by this method are in good agreement with those estimated on the basis of independent methods. The behaviour of water/carbon samples was studied by means of DSC at subambient and elevated temperatures. The experimental results provided novel data on the structural heterogeneity, the thermal stability of the water/carbon interface and its phase and structural transitions.Support from the Research Council of Kent State University (Ohio, USA) is acknowledged. The author is pleased to thank Drs M. Jaroniec, R. K. Gilpin, J. Choma and R. Dobrowolski for fruitful discussions and the active carbon samples.     

Synthesis and characterization of polystyrene‐b‐poly (1,2‐isoprene‐ran‐3,4‐isoprene) block copolymers with azobenzene side groups

Polystyrene‐b‐poly(1,2‐isoprene‐ran‐3,4‐isoprene) block copolymers with azobenzene side groups were synthesized by the esterification of azobenzene acid chloride with polystyrene‐b‐hydroxylated poly(1,2‐isoprene‐ran‐3,4‐isopenre) block copolymers for creating new photochromic materials. The resulting block copolymers with azobenzene side groups were characterized for structural, thermal, and morphological properties. IR and NMR spectroscopies confirmed that the polymers obtained had the expected structures. Differential scanning calorimetric measurements by heating runs clearly showed the glass transitions of polystyrene and polyisoprene main chains and two distinct first‐order transitions at temperatures of azobenzene side groups around 48 and 83 °C. The microstructure of these block copolymer films was investigated using both transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and near‐field optical microscopy (NOM). TEM images revealed typical microphase‐separated morphologies such as sphere, cylinder, and lamellar structures. The domain spacing of microphase‐separated cylindrical morphology in the NOM image agreed with that of the TEM results. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2406–2414, 2002     

Role of the special pair in the charge-separating event in photosynthesis

We synthesized special-pair/electron-acceptor systems consisting of a complementary slipped cofacial dimer of imidazolyl-substituted zinc porphyrin, bearing pyromellitdiimide as the electron acceptor. In the case of the dimer, the first and second oxidation potentials were split into a total of four peaks in the differential pulse voltammetry measurement. Furthermore, the shift values of the first oxidation potentials obtained by changing the solvent polarity for the dimer were almost half of those observed for the monomer. These results indicate that the radical cation is delocalized over the whole pi system of the dimer. Time-resolved transient absorption measurements revealed that, relative to the corresponding monomer, the dimer accelerated the charge separation rate, but decelerated the charge recombination rate. The smaller reorganization energy of the slipped cofacial dimer relative to that of the monomeric system demonstrates the significance of the special-pair arrangement for efficient charge separation in photosynthesis.     

Synthetic studies on (+)-aplasmomycin. 1. Stereoselective synthesis of the C-12˜C-17 segment

The C-12˜C-17 segment of (+)-aplasmomycin ( ) was synthesized stereoselectively starting from (−)-malic acid based on the stereoselective ketone reduction.     

Radiation-induced addition reaction of carbon tetrachloride onto 1,2-polybutadiene

The γ-ray-induced addition reaction of carbon tetrachloride onto syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene film and liquid 1,2-polybutadiene was carried out at room temperature. In the film gelation was pronounced and the rate of addition increased as the crystallinity of the polymer decreased. In the liquid gelation, which makes the polymer insoluble in carbon tetrachloride, did not take place, although a definite crosslinking reaction was noticed. In this case the appearance of the product changed from a viscous liquid to a white powder as the reaction proceeded. Its structure was compared with that of chlorinated 1,2-polybutadiene. The addition of carbon tetrachloride to the vinyl group in liquid 1,2-polybutadiene caused an anti-Markownikoff-type reaction and was accompanied by an unexpectedly large vinyl depletion in the polymer. The total decrease in the vinyl group was found to be much larger than that brought about by the addition of carbon tetrachloride. This discrepancy was attributed to a cyclization and crosslinking reaction ascribed to the vinyl group bound by the main chain. Cyclization and crosslinking were less noticeable in the chlorination than in the carbon tetrachloride.     

Selective determination of microbial cells by graphite electrode modified with adsorbed 4,4′-bipyridine

The concentrations of microbial cells in suspensions can be measured with a graphite electrode modifed with adsorbed 4,4′-bipyridine, by using cyclic volummetry or differential pulse volummetry. The relationship between the peak current and the cell concentration for Saccharomyces cerevisiae is linear over the range 0.03 × 10⁸—2.0 × 10⁸ cells ml^?1. Yeast, gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative bacteria gave different peak potentials, which may be useful for classification purposes. Electron transfer between the microbial cells and the 4,4′-bipyridine-modified electrode is mediated by coenzyme A in the cell wall.     

Profiling and comprehensive expression analysis of ABC transporter solute-binding proteins of Bacillus subtilis membrane based on a proteomic approach

We analyzed ABC transporter solute-binding proteins (SBPs) of the Bacillus subtilis membrane using a proteomic approach. We prepared a washed cell membrane fraction that was insoluble in 134 mM nondetergent sulfobetaine and then extracted proteins using mixtures of detergents in a stepwise manner. The membrane proteins were resolved by three two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) or two one-dimensional (1-D) PAGE procedures, electroblotted, and digested in the presence of 5% or 80% acetonitrile. Thereafter, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) identified 637 proteins corresponding to 15.9% of the total cellular proteins. We predicted that among these, 256 were membrane proteins, 101 were lipoproteins or secretory proteins and 280 were soluble proteins containing peripheral proteins that function in both the cytoplasm and the cell membrane such as SecA and FtsY. Among the 637 proteins, we identified 30 SBPs among 38 importers predicted by a bioinformatic search of the genome. We confirmed expression of the genes for the 30 SBPs using DNA microarray analysis. We compared the 2-D gel separation profiles of submembrane fractions solubilized by 1% n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside from cells cultured on Luria Bertani (LB), S7, and S7 medium without glutamate as well as DNA microarray data on LB and S7. The results suggested that YcdH, YtmK and YurO are binding proteins for Mn(++), glutamate and glucose, respectively, and that YqiX and YxeM are binding proteins for amino acids (tryptophan in S7 medium).     

Synthesis of functionalized porphyrins as oxygen ligand receptors

Oxophilic synthetic receptors were designed and synthesized using a porphyrin scaffold, with the aim of constructing a preorganized complementary binding site for phenols and carbohydrates. We pursued three strategies for phenol recognition: (1) Lewis acid/Lewis base combinations serving as a hydrogen bond donor and acceptor for the OH group, (2) Lewis base/pi-pi stacking, targeting both the OH group and the aromatic moiety of phenols, and (3) exchange of the axial hydroxyl ligand on a trivalent and oxophilic metal center of aluminum porphyrin. For the recognition of acidic phenols, the most promising recognition motif was Lewis base/pi-pi stacking, which can bind to phenols with a hydrogen bond and pi-pi stacking interactions. [5-(8-Quinolyl)-10,15,20-triphenylporphyrinato]zinc binds to p-nitrophenol with a binding constant of 540 M(-)(1) in CHCl(3) at 25 degrees C. For carbohydrate recognition, we designed the metalloporphyrin receptor having 8-quinolyl groups and o-carbomethoxymethoxyphenyl groups, where these Lewis basic parts serve as the cooperative hydrogen bonding sites for the hydroxyl groups of glucoside. The receptor binds to beta-octyl glucoside with a binding constant of 7.35 x 10(4) M(-)(1) in CHCl(3) at 15 degrees C, demonstrating importance of formation of a highly ordered hydrogen bonding network between the receptor and the guest. These binding features have significant implications for the rational design of oxophilic artificial receptors.     

Diastereoselective Iodocarbocyclization Reaction of 2- or 3-Oxy-4-pentenylmalonate Derivatives

1,2- Or 1,3-asymmetric induction in the iodocarbocyclization reaction of 4-pentenylmalonate derivatives having a stereogenic center at an allylic or a homoallylic position has been investigated. The iodocarbocyclization reactions of 3-oxy-4-pentenylmalonate derivatives proceeded with high cis-selectivity through stereoelectronic control of the oxygenated substituent at an allylic position. In the reaction of (S)-2-siloxy-4-pentenylmalonate, an excellent diastereoselectivity was achieved through the utilization of double stereodifferentiation with a chiral titanium catalyst. Furthermore, as an application of the present reaction, the asymmetric syntheses of cyclosarkomycin and a synthetic intermediate of brefeldin A from optically pure 2- and 3-oxy-4-pentenylmalonate derivatives are also described.     

Synthesis of directly linked zinc(II) porphyrin-imide dyads and energy gap dependence of intramolecular electron transfer reactions

A series of zinc(II) porphyrin-imide dyads (ZP-Im), in which an electron donating ZP moiety is directly connected to an electron accepting imide moiety in the meso position, have been prepared for the examination of energy gap dependence of intramolecular electron transfer reactions with large electronic coupling. The nearly perpendicular conformation of the imide moiety towards the porphyrin plane has been revealed by Xray crystal structures. The energy gap for charge separation, 1ZP* - Im --> ZP+ - Im-, is varied by changing the electron accepting imide moiety to cover a range of about 0.8 eV in DMF. Definitive evidence for electron transfer has been obtained in three solvents (toluene, THF, and DMF) through picosecond-femtosecond transient absorption studies, which have allowed us to determine the rates of photoinduced charge separation, 1ZP* - Im --> ZP+ - Im-, and subsequent thermal charge recombination ZP+ - Im- --> ZP - Im. The free-energy gap dependence (energy gap law) has been probed from the normal to the nearly top region for the charge separation rate alone, and only the inverted region for the charge recombination rate. Although both of the energy gap dependencies can be approximately reproduced by means of the simplified semiclassical equation, when we take into consideration the effect of the high frequency vibrations replaced by one mode of averaged frequency, many features, including the effects of solvent polarity and the electron tunneling matrix element on the energy gap law, differ considerably from those of the previously studied porphyrin-quinone systems, which have weaker interchromophore electronic interactions.