A lead(II)-selective PVC membrane based on a Schiff base complex of N,N'-bis(salicylidene)-2,6-pyridinediamine

PVC membrane electrodes for lead ion based on N,N’-bis(salicylidene)-2,6-pyridinediamine as membrane carrier were prepared. Among their membranes, a membrane electrode (m-3) containing o-NPOE as a plasticizer and 50 mol% additive displays an excellent Nernstian response (29.4 mV/decade) and the limit of detection of −log a (M) = 6.04 to Pb²⁺ in Pb(NO₃)₂ solutions at room temperature. It has a rapid response time within 10 s over the entire concentration range. The proposed electrode revealed good selectivity and response for Pb²⁺ over a wide variety of other metal ions in a pH 5.0 buffer solutions, and good reproducibility of base line in subsequent measurements.     

Strategies for supercritical fluid extraction of hyoscyamine and scopolamine salts using basified modifiers

The supercritical fluid extraction behaviors of hyoscyamine and scopolamine were investigated and found to be highly dependent upon the chemical nature of the compounds. Free bases of hyoscyamine and scopolamine were freely soluble in supercritical CO2 with increasing temperature and pressure; however, the salts of these alkaloids were not soluble under any experimental conditions. It was found that alkaline modifiers such as methanol basified with diethylamine could enhance the solubilities and extraction yields of these alkaloids from plant matrices as compared to other modifiers.     

A new efficient glycosylation method employing glycosyl pentenoates and PhSeOTf

The PhSeOTf promoted glycosylations of various glycosyl acceptors with mannosyl pentenoates and glucosyl pentenoates as glycosyl donors afforded corresponding disaccharides in high yields. And the present glycosyl pentenoates/PhSeOTf method showed that the complete -selective mannosylation of secondary alcohol acceptors was achieved with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzyl-d-mannopyranosyl pentenoate to give -disaccharides in good yields.     

Phase behavior of polymer/diluent/diluent mixtures and their application to control microporous membrane structure

Rechargeable battery separators containing controlled pores were fabricated via the thermally-induced phase separation (TIPS) process. Based on the idea that pores could be manipulated by controlling the liquid–liquid phase separation temperature in the TIPS process, phase boundaries of the polymer–diluent systems were controlled by using diluent mixtures. Phase behaviors of the polymer/diluent/diluent ternary blends consisting of polyethylene (PE) as polymer, and soybean oil (SBO) and dioctyl phthalate (DOP) as diluents were explored. PE/SBO and PE/DOP binary blends, and PE/SOB/DOP ternary blends exhibited typical upper critical solution temperature (UCST) type phase behaviors, and the phase separation temperatures of the PE/SBO blends were higher than those of the PE/DOP blends. When the mixing ratio of the polymer and diluent-mixture was fixed, the phase separation temperature of the PE/SBO/DOP blend initially increased with increasing SBO content in the diluent-mixture passing through a maximum centered at about 80 wt% SBO and decreased beyond this point. Furthermore, the phase separation temperature of the PE/diluent-mixture blend was always higher than that of the PE/SBO blend when the diluent-mixture contained more than or equal to 50 wt% SBO. To understand the observed phase behavior of the blends, thermodynamic analyses based on the lattice-fluid theory were performed. Larger pore membranes were fabricated from the blend when higher phase separation temperatures of the blend were exhibited.     

Combined structural refinement of Bi3.5La0.5Ti3O12 using neutron and X-ray powder diffraction data

A combined structural refinement of Bi3.5La0.5Ti3O12 against both neutron and X-ray diffraction data was performed at 298 K on the basis of the Raman study. The upshift of Raman peaks suggested that the substitution sites of La atoms in Bi3.5La0.5Ti3O12 were only the Bi sites in the perovskite units. Of the two crystal structural models (orthorhombic and monoclinic systems) considered for the crystal structural system of Bi3.5La0.5Ti3O12, the weighted R factor, Rwp, and goodness-of-fit indicator, S (=Rwp/Re), of the monoclinic system were lower than those of the orthorhombic one. The final Rwp and S values based on the monoclinic system were 7.04% (6.34 and 7.76% for the neutron data and the X-ray data, respectively) and 1.45, respectively. The lattice parameters obtained from the combined structural refinement were a = 5.4321(1) A, b = 5.4161(1) A, and c = 32.8614(3) A. The beta angle was 89.95(4) degrees . Spontaneous polarizations calculated from the refined structural parameters were 27.0 microC/cm2 for the monoclinic system and 1.8 microC/cm2 for the orthorhombic one.     

Synthesis,Properties and Crystal Structures of Mononuclear Copper(II) Complexes with Bis(2-Pyridylmethyl)Amino Acids

Tetradentate Schiff-base carboxylate-containing ligands, bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amino-3-propionic acid (Hpmpa) and bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amino-4-butyric acid (Hpmba), react with CuCl₂ to give rise to the mononuclear complexes [Cu(Hpmpa)Cl]Cl · 2H₂O (1) and [Cu(Hpmba)Cl₂]· H₂O (2). These complexes have been characterized by X-ray crystallography, spectroscopic and cyclic voltammetry. Crystal structure of (1) shows that the copper(II) ion has a distorted square-pyramidal geometry with the three nitrogen atoms of the Hpmpa ligand and one chloride anion occupying the basal plane and an oxygen atom from the carboxylate group coordinating the axial position. In (2), the coordination environment around the copper(II) ion reveals a distorted square-pyramids with three nitrogen atoms of the Hpmba ligand and one chloride anion that comprise the basal plane, whereas the apical position is filled by the chloride anion. Cyclic voltammetry of the complexes gives two one-electron waves corresponding to Cu^II/Cu^III and Cu^III/Cu^I processes. The electronic spectra and redox potentials of the complexes are influenced significantly by the N-pendant carboxylate groups.     

AMPA, not NMDA, activates RhoA GTPases and subsequently phosphorylates moesin

Glutamate induced rapid phosphorylation of moesin, one of ERM family proteins involved in the ligation of membrane to actin cytoskeleton, in rat hippocampal cells (JBC, 277:16576-16584, 2002). However, the identity of glutamate receptor has not been explored. Here we show that a-amino- 3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor is responsible for glutamate-induced RhoA activation and phosphorylation of moesin. Glutamate induced phosphorylation at Thr-558 of moesin was still detectible upon chelation of Ca(2+), suggesting involvement of AMPA receptor instead of N-methyl D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor in this phosphorylation of moesin. AMPA but not NMDA- induced moesin phosphorylation was independent of Ca(2+). Both AMPA and NMDA but not Kainate induced moesin phosphorylation at similar levels. However, the kinetics of phosphorylation varied greatly between AMPA and NMDA where AMPA treatment rapidly increased phosphomoesin, which reached a maximum at 10 min after treatment and returned to a basal level at 30 min. In contrast, NMDA-induced phosphorylation of moesin reached a maximum at 30 min after treatment and was remained at higher levels at 60 min. A possible involvement of RhoA and its downstream effector, Rho kinase in the AMPA receptor-triggered phosphorylation of moesin was also explored. The kinetics for the glutamate- induced membrane translocation of RhoA was similar to that of moesin phosphorylation induced by AMPA. Moreover, Y-27632, a specific Rho kinase inhibitor, completely blocked AMPA-induced moesin phosphorylation but had no effect on NMDA-induced moesin phosphorylation. These results suggest that glutamate-induced phosphorylation of moesin may be mediated through the AMPA receptor/RhoA/Rho kinase pathway.     

Two-photon dyes containing heterocyclic rings with enhanced photostability

A series of donor-pi-donor derivatives containing phenyl, naphthyl, and anthryl groups as the pi-center and heterocyclic rings as the conjugation bridge have been synthesized and their one- and two-photon spectroscopic properties and photostability were determined. These compounds show bathochromic shifts in the absorption and emission spectra, larger two-photon cross-section, and enhanced photostability in comparison to their open-chain analogues. In addition, a convenient method for the qualitative photostability measurement is proposed.     

Oxygen nonstoichiometry (δ) of TiO2−δ-revisited

Oxygen nonstoichiometry (δ) of “undoped” polycrystalline TiO_2−δ has been measured as a function of oxygen partial pressure in the widest ever examined range of 10^-18?P_O2/atm?10^-1 at elevated temperatures (1073?T/K?1473) by thermogravimetry and coulometric titrometry combined and compared with all the reported values. Isothermal variation of nonstoichiometry against P_O2 is explained with a defect model involving quadruply ionized titanium interstitials, electrons, holes, and unidentified acceptors which may be background impurity acceptors or cation vacancies. The equilibrium constants for intrinsic electronic excitation reaction and redox reaction are determined from the nonstoichiometry measured and compared exhaustively with all the reported values. The relative partial molar enthalpy and entropy of oxygen are evaluated as functions of nonstoichiometry and the inner workings of their variations discussed.     

In situ reversible tuning of chemical interface damping in single gold nanorod-based recyclable platforms through manipulation of supramolecular host–guest interactions

Recently, chemical interface damping (CID) has been proposed as a new plasmon damping pathway based on interfacial hot-electron transfer from metal to adsorbate molecules. It has been considered essential, owing to its potential implications in efficient photochemical processes and sensing experiments. However, thus far, studies focusing on controlling CID in single gold nanoparticles have been very limited, and in situ reversible tuning has remained a considerable challenge. In these scanning electron microscopy-correlated dark-field spectroscopic measurements and density functional theory calculations, cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7])-based host–guest supramolecular interactions were employed to examine and control the CID process using monoamine-functionalized CB[7] (CB[7]-NH₂) attached to single gold nanorods (AuNRs). In situ tuning of CID through the CB[7]–oxaliplatin complexation, which can result in the variation of the chemical nature and electronic properties of adsorbates, was presented. In addition, in situ tuning of CID was demonstrated through the competitive release of the oxaliplatin guest from the oxaliplatin@CB[7] complex, which was then replaced by a competitor guest of spermine in sufficient amounts. Furthermore, nuclear magnetic resonance experiments confirmed that the release of the guest is the consequence of adding salt (NaCl). Thus, in situ reversible tuning of CID in single AuNRs was achieved through successive steps of encapsulation and release of the guest on the same AuNR in a flow cell. Finally, single CB[7]-NH₂@AuNRs were presented as a recyclable platform for CID investigations after the complete release of guest molecules from their host–guest inclusion complexes. Therefore, this study has paved a new route to achieve in situ reversible tuning of CID in the same AuNR and to investigate the CID process using CB-based host–guest chemistry with various guest molecules in single AuNRs for efficient hot-electron photochemistry and biosensing applications.

This study has paved a new route to achieve in situ reversible tuning of chemical interface damping (CID) in the same gold nanorod (AuNR) and to investigate the CID process using cucurbituril (CB)-based host–guest chemistry with various guest molecules in single AuNRs.