Synthesis and Characterization of Flexible Hydrogel Electrodes for Electrochemical Impedance Measurements of Protective Coatings on Metal Sculptures

A novel conductive anionic hydrogel was synthesized for use as a solid electrolyte for electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) characterization of the barrier properties of protective coatings on outdoor metalworks, such as bronze sculptures. The AMPS‐co‐PAA hydrogel was soaked in a variety of aqueous salt solutions and characterized by swelling capacity and conductivity in order to determine the most appropriate gel/liquid electrolyte combination for use on culturally significant objects. K₂PIPES‐equilibrated hydrogels were selected as the preferred electrodes for this particular application and were used to measure the impedance of a coated substrate, yielding spectra similar to those from standard liquid cells.     

H2 Convergence of Solutions of a Biharmonic Problem on a Truncated Convex Sector Near the Angle π

We consider a biharmonic problem Δ²u_ω = f_ω with Navier type boundary conditions u_ω = Δu_ω = 0, on a family of truncated sectors Ω_ω in ?² of radius r, 0 < r < 1 and opening angle ω, ω ∈ (2π/3, π] when ω is close to π. The family of right-hand sides (f_ω)_{ω∈(2π/3, π]} is assumed to depend smoothly on ω in L²(Ω_ω). The main result is that u_ω converges to u_π when ω → π with respect to the H²-norm. We can also show that the H²-topology is optimal for such a convergence result.

     

Application of a novel nano-immobilization of ionic liquid on an MCM-41 system for trimethylsilylation of alcohols and phenols with hexamethyldisilazane

Research on Chemical Intermediates - 3-[(3-(Trisilyloxy)propyl)chloride]-1-methylimidazolium tribromide ionic liquid supported on MCM-41 [nano-MCM-41@(CH2)3-1-methylimidazole]Br3 as a novel...     

An ab initio and density functional theory study of the structure and bonding of sulfur ylides

Sulfur ylides are useful synthetic intermediates that are formed from the interaction between singlet carbenes and sulfur-containing molecules. Partial double-bond character frequently has been proposed as a key contributor to the stability of sulfur ylides. Calculations at the B3LYP, MP2, and CCSD(T) levels of theory employing various basis sets have been performed on the sulfur ylides H(2)S-CH(2) and (CH(3))(2)S-CH(2) in order to investigate the structure and bonding of these systems. The following general properties of sulfur ylides were observed from the computational studies: C-S bond distances that are close in length to that of a typical C-S double bond, high charge transfer from the sulfide to the carbene, and large torsional rotation barriers. Analysis of the sulfur ylide charge distribution indicates that the unusually short C-S bond distance can be attributed in part to the electrostatic attraction between highly oppositely charged carbon and sulfur atoms. Furthermore, n --> sigma* stabilization arising from donation of electron density from the carbon lone pair orbital into S-H or S-C antibonding orbitals leads to larger than expected torsional barriers. Finally, natural resonance theory analysis indicates that the bond order of the sulfur ylides H(2)S-CH(2) and (CH(3))(2)S-CH(2) is 1.4-1.5, intermediate between a single and double bond.     

Origins of the high 14-helix propensity of cyclohexyl-rigidified residues in beta-peptides

[structure: see text] beta-Peptides containing residues derived from trans-2-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid (ACHC) display high population of 14-helical secondary structure in aqueous solution. We show that hydrophobic interactions between cyclohexyl rings are not responsible for this conformation-promoting effect, and that polar groups may be attached to the cyclohexyl ring without diminishing the effect.     

Environment-independent 14-helix formation in short beta-peptides: striking a balance between shape control and functional diversity

We report a significant and unanticipated advance in the study of beta-amino acid-based foldamers: a small proportion of highly preorganized residues can impart high stability to a specific helical secondary structure in water. Most of the residues in these beta-peptides (2 and 3) are intrinsically flexible. Flexible beta-amino acids can be readily and enantiospecifically prepared in functionally diverse forms, but preorganized residues with side chains are rare and challenging to synthesize. Our findings demonstrate that interspersing a few copies of an unfunctionalized but rigid residue among a larger number of flexible residues with diverse side chains is a viable strategy for creating beta-peptides that adopt the 14-helix conformation and therefore display side chains in a predictable spatial arrangement. These results are significant because they enhance the prospects of developing beta-peptides with useful activities.     

Graph-theoretical analysis of the clar's aromatic sextet : Mathematical properties of the set of the kekulé patterns and the sextet polynomial for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

The mathematical structure of a set of the Kekulé patterns for a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon has been analysed graph-theoretically. By defining the proper and improper sextets, sextet pattern, Clar transformation, and sextet rotation, one can prove the important property of the sextet polynomial B_G(x) as B_G(1) = K(G), where K(G) is the number of the Kekulé patterns for thin polyhex graph G. For fat polyhex graphs such as coronene the above relation is found to be also valid by introducing the concept of a super sextet. All the Kekule patterns for a given G are shown to form a hierarchical tree structure by the sextet rotation. The theory developed in this paper gives a mathematical basis and interpretation for the concept of the Clar's aromatic sextet.