Excited-state and photoelectrochemical behavior of pyrene-linked phenyleneethynylene oligomer

An oligophenyleneethynylene (OPE), 1,4-bis(phenyleneethynyl)-2,5-bis(hexyloxy)benzene (2), is coupled with pyrene to extend the conjugation and allow its use as a light-harvesting molecule [Py-OPE (1)]. The absorption and emission maxima of 1 are red-shifted compared to those of 2. Similar differences in the singlet and triplet excited-state properties are evident. The fluorescence yield of 2 in toluene is 0.53, which is slightly less than the value for the parent OPE (2) of 0.66. The excited singlet and triplet of 1 as characterized from transient absorption spectroscopy exhibit lifetimes of 1.07 ns and 4.0 micros, respectively, in toluene. When 1 was cast as a film on a glass electrode (OTE) and excited with a 387-nm laser pulse, we observed the formation of excitons that decayed within a few picoseconds. When 1 was cast as a film on a SnO2-modified conducting glass electrode (OTE/SnO2), a small fraction of excitons dissociated to produce a long-lived charge-separated state. The role of the SnO2 interface in promoting charge separation was inferred from the photoelectrochemical measurements. Under visible light excitation, the OTE/SnO2 electrode was capable of generating photocurrent (approximately 0.25 mA/cm2) with an incident photon conversion efficiency (IPCE) of approximately 6%.     

Hexagonal-close-packed, hierarchical amorphous TiO2 nanocolumn arrays: transferability, enhanced photocatalytic activity, and superamphiphilicity without UV irradiation

A hexagonal-close-packed (hcp), hierarchical amorphous TiO2 nanocolumn array was fabricated by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using a PS colloidal monolayer as a template under a high pressure (6.7 Pa) of background oxygen gas. The formation mechanism was investigated, and a model of multidirection glancing deposition was proposed to explain the formation process. This strategy can be extended to the fabrication of similar structures using different materials. Interestingly, this nanostructured array could be transferred to almost any substrate, avoiding restriction of substrate types in fabrication of nanocolumn arrays, which is helpful in the design and creation of nanodevices on various desired substrates. This hierarchical nanocolumn array exhibits excellent superamphiphilicity with both water and oil contact angles of 0 degrees, without further UV irradiation. More importantly, the amorphous TiO2 nanocolumn array demonstrates better performance in photocatalytic activity than an anatase nanocolumn array due to its large surface area and special microstructures, suggesting that the surface area of the TiO2 is preferable to its crystal structure for enhancing photocatalytic activity. The combination of superamphiphilicity and photocatalytic activity gives the surface an excellent self-cleaning effect.     

Ab initio QM/MM molecular dynamics study on the excited-state hydrogen transfer of 7-azaindole in water solution

Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations for the excited-state hydrogen transfer (ESHT) reaction of 7-azaindole (7AI-(H2O)n; n = 1, 2) clusters in the gas phase and in water are presented. The effective fragment potential (EFP) is employed to model the surrounding water molecules. The AIMD simulations for 7AI-H2O and 7AI-(H2O)2 clusters show an asynchronous hydrogen transfer at t approximately 50 fs after the photoexcitation. While the ESHT mechanism for 7AI-H2O in water does not change appreciably compared with that in the gas phase, the AIMD simulations on 7AI-(H2O)2 in water solution exhibit two different mechanisms. Since the tautomer form is lower in energy compared to the normal form in the S1 state, 7AI and (H2O) n fragments separate from each other after the ESHT. With the use of the results of the AIMD trajectories, the minimum energy conical intersection point in the tautomer region has also been located.     

Polymeric phosphonium salts as a novel class of cationic biocides. II. Effects of counter anion and molecular weight on antibacterial activity of polymeric phosphonium salts

Various poly[tributyl(4-vinylbenzyl)phosphonium salt]s with different counter anions were prepared and their antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus were explored by the viable cell counting method in sterile distilled water. Antibacterial activity was found to be affected by the structure of the counter anions. The activity was low for a counter anion which tends to form a tight ion-pair with phosphonium ion, while it was high for those facilitating ionic dissociation to free ions. Furthermore, the molecular weight dependence of the antibacterial activity was investigated for poly[tributyl(4-vinylbenzyl) phosphonium chloride] with various molecular weights against S. aureus. Antibacterial activity was found to increase with molecular weight. Various copolymers were prepared in which the compositional ratio of tributyl(4-vinylbenzyl)phosphonium chloride to acrylamide, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, or styrene was altered, and the effect of the positive charge density on the antibacterial activity was investigated against S. aureus. Antibacterial activity of the copolymers was much higher than that of the low-molecular-weight model compound and enhanced with the molar fraction of the phosphonium units in the copolymers. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Versatile site-specific conjugation of small molecules to siRNA using click chemistry

We have previously demonstrated that conjugation of small molecule ligands to small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and anti-microRNAs results in functional siRNAs and antagomirs in vivo. Here we report on the development of an efficient chemical strategy to make oligoribonucleotide-ligand conjugates using the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) or click reaction. Three click reaction approaches were evaluated for their feasibility and suitability for high-throughput synthesis: the CuAAC reaction at the monomer level prior to oligonucleotide synthesis, the solution-phase postsynthetic "click conjugation", and the "click conjugation" on an immobilized and completely protected alkyne-oligonucleotide scaffold. Nucleosides bearing 5'-alkyne moieties were used for conjugation to the 5'-end of the oligonucleotide. Previously described 2'- and 3'-O-propargylated nucleosides were prepared to introduce the alkyne moiety to the 3' and 5' termini and to the internal positions of the scaffold. Azido-functionalized ligands bearing lipophilic long chain alkyls, cholesterol, oligoamine, and carbohydrate were utilized to study the effect of physicochemical characteristics of the incoming azide on click conjugation to the alkyne-oligonucleotide scaffold in solution and on immobilized solid support. We found that microwave-assisted click conjugation of azido-functionalized ligands to a fully protected solid-support bound alkyne-oligonucleotide prior to deprotection was the most efficient "click conjugation" strategy for site-specific, high-throughput oligonucleotide conjugate synthesis tested. The siRNA conjugates synthesized using this approach effectively silenced expression of a luciferase gene in a stably transformed HeLa cell line.     

2'-O,4'-C-aminomethylene-bridged nucleic acid modification with enhancement of nuclease resistance promotes pyrimidine motif triplex nucleic acid formation at physiological pH

Due to the instability of pyrimidine motif triplex DNA at physiological pH, triplex stabilization at physiological pH is crucial in improving its potential in various triplex-formation-based strategies in vivo, such as gene expression regulation, genomic DNA mapping, and gene-targeted mutagenesis. To this end, we investigated the thermodynamic and kinetic effects of our previously reported chemical modification, 2'-O,4'-C-aminomethylene-bridged nucleic acid (2',4'-BNA(NC)) modification of triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO), on triplex formation at physiological pH. The thermodynamic analyses indicated that the 2',4'-BNA(NC) modification of TFO increased the binding constant of the triplex formation at physiological pH by more than 10-fold. The number and position of the 2',4'-BNA(NC) modification in TFO did not significantly affect the magnitude of the increase in the binding constant. The consideration of the observed thermodynamic parameters suggested that the increased rigidity and the increased degree of hydration of the 2',4'-BNA(NC)-modified TFO in the free state relative to the unmodified TFO may enable the significant increase in the binding constant. Kinetic data demonstrated that the observed increase in the binding constant by the 2',4'-BNA(NC) modification resulted mainly from the considerable decrease in the dissociation rate constant. The TFO stability in human serum showed that the 2',4'-BNA(NC) modification significantly increased the nuclease resistance of TFO. Our results support the idea that the 2',4'-BNA(NC) modification of TFO could be a key chemical modification to achieve higher binding affinity and higher nuclease resistance in the triplex formation under physiological conditions, and may lead to progress in various triplex-formation-based strategies in vivo.     

Synthesis of amphiphilic copolymer having acid‐labile bicyclo bisoxazolidine in the side chain for controlled release of fragrance aldehyde

A metharylate monomer having an octanal‐derived bicyclo bisoxazolidine (BBOX) moiety was synthesized and was radically copolymerized with a methacrylate having a hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) chain to obtain an amphiphilic copolymer having the BBOX moieties as hydrophobic side chains. The BBOX moieties were stable for 7 days at pH 7.0, whereas they were gradually hydrolyze at pH 5.0 to release octanal continuously for 7 days, confirming the potential applicability of the copolymer to a polymeric pro‐fragrance that can release aldehyde‐type fragrance molecules slowly for a long period. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Preparation and optical and electrochemical properties of octaethylphthalocyanines fused with several tetrathiafulvalene units

3,6‐Diethylphthalonitrile ( 3 ) with a tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) unit at 4,5‐positions was prepared from 4,5‐xylylenedithio‐3,6‐diethylphthalonitrile ( 1a ) via elimination of the xylylene group, connection of a carbonyl group to benzenedithiolate generated, and condensation of 4,5‐bis(methylthio)‐1,3‐dithiole‐2‐thione with benzo‐1,3‐dithiole‐2‐one ( 2‐O ) produced. A 1:1 mixture of phthalonitrile ( 3 ) and 4,5‐bis(benzylthio)‐3,6‐diethylphthalonitrile ( 1b ) was treated with lithium in n‐hexanol at 120°C to produce hexakis (benzylthio)mono(tetrathiafulvaleno)phthalocyanine ( 5 ), tetrakis(benzylthio)bis(tetrathiafulvaleno)phthalocyanine ( 6 ), and bis(benzylthio)tris(tetrathiafulvaleno)phthalocyanine ( 7 ). The structures of 5 , 6 , and 7 were determined by ¹H NMR, FAB MS, MALDI‐TOF MS (matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry), and UV‐‐vis spectroscopy. Compound 6 is a mixture of trans and cis isomers ( 6‐ trans and 6‐ cis ). The UV‐‐vis spectrum of 5 measured in chloroform changed by addition of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). The Q band absorption at λ_max = 755 nm (chloroform) decreased in intensity and resulted in a new absorption at λ_max = 740 nm (chloroform/TFA). The electrochemical properties of 5 , 6 , and 7 were determined by cyclic voltammetry using Ag/AgNO₃ as a reference electrode. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 22:605–611, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/hc.20694     

A novel transformation of 1-exo-substituted 2a-aroyl-1,2,2a,8b-tetrahydro-3H-benzo[b]cyclobuta[d]pyran-3-ones with sulfoxonium ylide to highly strained 2a-(1-arylethenyl)-1,2,2a,7b-tetrahydrocyclobuta[b]benzofurans

When 1-substituted 2a-aroyl-1,2,2a,8b-tetrahydro-3H-benzo[b]cyclobuta[d]pyran-3-ones (1) were treated with dimethylsulfoxonium methylide, 1-endo isomers (endo-1) gave 1-substituted 3-aroyl-1,2,4a,9b-tetrahydrodibenzofuran-4-ols (2) exclusively as expected. On the other hand, 1-exo isomers (exo-1) underwent a novel transformation to 1-substituted 2a-(1-arylethenyl)-1,2,2a,7b-tetrahydrocyclobuta[b]benzofurans (3), together with 2.