Remarkable steric effects and influence of monodentate axial ligands l on the spin-crossover properties of trans-[FeII(N4 ligand)L] complexes

Iron(II) complexes obtained from tetradentate, rigid, linear N4 ligands have been investigated to appraise the influence of steric effects and the impact of trans-coordinated anions on the spin-transition behavior. As expected, the well-designed ligands embrace the metal center, resulting in octahedral iron(II) complexes where the basal plane is fully occupied by the pyridine/pyrazole N4 ligand, while anions or solvent molecules are exclusively axially coordinated. Precursor complexes, namely, [Fe(bpzbpy)(MeOH)2](BF4)2 (where bpzbpy symbolizes the ligand 6,6'-bis(N-pyrazolylmethyl)-2,2'-bipyridine) and [Fe(mbpzbpy)(MeOH)2](BF4)2 (where mbpzbpy symbolizes the ligand 6,6'-bis(3,5-dimethyl-N-pyrazolmethyl)-2,2'-bipyridine), have been used for the in situ preparation of a series of structural analogues via the exchange of the weakly coordinated trans methanol molecules by various anions, such as thiocyanate, selenocyanate, or dicyanamide. The magnetic properties of all seven iron(II) compounds thus obtained have been investigated. Two iron(II) complexes, i.e., [Fe(bpzbpy)(NCS)2] and [Fe(bpzbpy)(NCSe)2], exhibit gradual spin-crossover (SCO) properties typical of isolated mononuclear species with weak cooperative interaction. These two SCO materials have been studied by M?ssbauer spectroscopy, and the light-induced excited spin state trapping effect has been investigated, revealing the possibility to induce the spin-transition both by temperature variation and by light irradiation. A correlation between steric/anion effect and SCO behavior is suggested.     

Binding of glycine and L-cysteine on Si(111)-7 x 7

The adsorption of glycine and l-cysteine on Si(111)-7 x 7 was investigated using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The observation of the characteristic vibrational modes and electronic structures of NH3+ and COO- groups for physisorbed glycine (l-cysteine) demonstrates the formation of zwitterionic species in multilayers. For chemisorbed molecules, the appearance of nu(Si-H), nu(Si-O), and nu(C=Omicron) and the absence of nu(O-H) clearly indicate that glycine and l-cysteine dissociate to produce monodentate carboxylate adducts on Si(111)-7 x 7. XPS results further verified the coexistence of two chemisorption states for each amino acid, corresponding to a Si-NH-CH2-COO-Si [Si-NHCH(CH2SH)COO-Si] species with new sigma-linkages of Si-N and Si-O, and a NH2-CH2-COO-Si [NH2CH(CH2SH)COO-Si] product through the cleavage of the O-H bond, respectively. Glycine/Si(111)-7 x 7 and l-cysteine/Si(111)-7 x 7 can be viewed as model systems for further modification of Si surfaces with biological molecules.     

Enantioselective total synthesis of phomallenic acid C

The newly isolated bacterial FAS II inhibitor phomallenic acid C (3) was synthesized for the first time as a 16:1 mixture of the (R)- and (S)-isomer with the diyne-allene motif constructed using a coupling under Negishi conditions. By comparison with the synthetic sample, the natural phomallenic acid C was estimated to be a 3.8:1 mixture of (R)-/(S)-isomers. This synthesis describes a new synthetic entry to optically active allene diynes.     

Preparation and structural evolution of SiO(2)-TiO(2) pillared layered manganese oxide nanocomposite upon intercalating reaction

Poly(ethylene glycol) possessing pentaethylenehexamine at one end (N6-PEG) was prepared via a reductive amination reaction of aldehyde-ended PEG with pentaethylenehexamine. Using N6-PEG, an antibody/PEG co-immobilized surface was constructed on magnetic particles via an active ester reaction method. After immobilization of the antibody on the active ester surface, N6-PEG was reacted on the magnetic beads. A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system was newly constructed using PEG/antibody co-immobilized magnetic beads combined with an alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-assisted fluorescent detection system using alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) as a model antigen. The co-immobilization of both antibody and PEG on the magnetic bead surfaces reduced the nonspecific adsorption of proteins from cell lysates. Especially, when the magnetic particle surface was modified by N6-PEG mixtures with different molecular weights of 6000 and 2500 (6 kDa:2.5 kDa=9:1 w/w), the nonspecific adsorption of proteins was strongly suppressed. It is rather surprising for us that the sensitivity of the antibody on the surface was enhanced significantly when the PEG tethered chain was constructed in between the surface antibodies. Consequently, the mixed N6-PEG treatment showed a much higher S/N ratio than for the corresponding beads treated with bovine serum albumin (BSA), a conventional blocking reagent. Actually, when alpha-fetoprotein was analyzed by the magnetic bead-assisted ELISA thus constructed, the S/N ratio was about 20-fold higher for the mixed coating with PEG (6 kDa):PEG (2.5 kDa)=9:1, compared to the conventional BSA.     

Synthesis of stable luminescent microspheres by a simple method

An easy procedure for preparing microspheres containing CdSe/CdS core-shell quantum dots (QDs) was demonstrated. The luminescent properties of this microsphere were characterized by fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence spectrophotometry. Scanning electron microscopy was also used in this study. Laser confocal microscopy was carried out to describe the distribution of QDs in the microsphere. Especially, the stability of microspheres was investigated. It was found that the getting microsphere was very stable in water and showed values for physiological conditions. The inherent stability of the spheres, as well as their photostability, allows them to be used in biological applications.     

A fluorescence ratiometric nano-pH sensor based on dual-fluorophore-doped silica nanoparticles

We have synthesized dual-fluorophore-doped core-shell silica nanoparticles used as ratiometric pH sensor. The nanoparticles were prepared with a reverse microemulsion technique by simultaneously encapsulating two different fluorophores, the pH-sensitive dye fluorescein as a pH indicator and the pH-insensitive dye phenosafranine as an internal reference for fluorescence ratiometric measurement, into silica shell. The nanoparticles prevent the fluorescence dyes leaching from the silica matrix when immersed inside water. The hydrophilic silica shells were made by hydrolysing and polymerizing tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) in water-in-oil microemulsion. The fluorescence intensity ratio of the two dyes varied linearly as a function of pH in the range from 4.0 to 8.0. The sensor was also applied to measure pH of real water samples. The results are in good agreements with that using the conventional glass electrode method. The as-prepared fluorescent nanoparticles showed rapid response, excellent stability and high reproducibility as pH sensors.     

Molecular simulation of water behaviors on crystal faces of hydroxyapatite

The water behavior on (001) and (100) crystal faces of hydroxyapatite (HAP) were studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The study showed that the water molecules between the HAP faces were under conditions of strong electrical field and high pressure, and hence formed 2–3 well-organized water layers on the crystal surfaces. These structured water layers had ice-like features. Compared with the crystallographic [100] direction of HAP, the polarity along the [001] direction was stronger, which resulted in more structured water layers on the surface. The interaction of water molecules with the calcium and phosphate sites at the HAP-water interface was also studied. The results indicated the multiple pathways of water adsorption onto the HAP surfaces. This study revealed the formation and the detailed structure of water layers on HAP surfaces and suggested that the interfacial water played an important role in stabilizing the HAP particles in aqueous solutions. Translated from Chinese Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, 2006, 22(8): 1392–1400 (in Chinese)     

Synthesis,crystal structures and magnetic properties of transition metal dicyanamide complexes coordinated with pyridyl nitronyl nitroxides

Two novel complexes Ni(NITpPy)₂[N(CN)₂]₂ · 2H₂O (I) and Zn(NITpPy)₂[N(CN)₂]₂ · 2H₂O (II) (NITpPy = 2-(p-pyridyl)-4,4,5,5- tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide) were synthesized and characterized by infrared spectra, elemental analyses, and UV-Vis techniques. The crystal structures of both complexes have been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Both complexes are of centrosymmetric distorted octahedral co-ordination geometry in which metal ions are bound to two dicyanamide anions, two water molecules, and two radicals through the nitrogen atom of pyridine rings and show one-dimensional chain structure via hydrogen bonds. The magnetic properties of complexes I and II were investigated in the temperature range 5–300 K and discussed in detail. The two compounds exhibit weak intermolecular antiferromagnetic interaction. In complex II, the diamagnetic metal zinc just plays the role of a bridge. The article was submitted by the authors in English.     

Capillary electrophoresis as a tool for screening aptamer with high affinity and high specificity to ricin

Aptamers which specifically recognize targets are selected from random oligonucleotide library using systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). In this paper, capillary electrophoresis (CE) as a separation approach has been introduced to SELEX procedure. The high efficiency of CE gives rise to greatly shorten the selection procedure. The results from enzyme-linked assay and dot blot experiment show that an enrichment pool has been obtained after four rounds selection, which can specifically recognize ricin. __________ Translated from Chemical Journal of Chinese Universities, 2006, 27(10): 1,840–1,843 [译自: 高等学校化学学报]     

Rapid and sensitive spectrofluorimetric determination of trace amounts of Hg(II) with o-vanillin-8-aminoquinoline

The fluorimetric determination of mercury ions with o-vanillin-8-aminoquinoline (OVAQ) in aqueous solutions was investigated. Hg(II) could react with the fluorescent reagent OVAQ (λ_ex/em = 278/314 nm) to form a nonfluorescent complex in an ethanol-water medium of pH 6.00. The linear range of the proposed method was from 2.5 to 80 μg/L, and the detection limit was 0.80 μg/L. The interferences of 24 foreign ions were also studied. The method was successfully applied to the determination of Hg(II) in sludge. The text was submitted by the authors in English.