Facile Separation,Spectroscopic Identification,and Electrochemical Properties of Higher Trifluoromethylated Derivatives of [70]Fullerene

We survey the structure and electronic properties of the family of higher trifluoromethylated C₇₀(CF₃)_n molecules with n=14, 16, 18, and 20. Twenty‐two available compounds, of which thirteen are newly obtained and characterized, demonstrate the broad diversity of π‐system topologies, which enabled us to study the interplay between the CF₃ addition pattern and the electronic properties. UV/Vis spectroscopic and cyclic voltammetric studies demonstrate the importance of the exact addition pattern rather than the plain number of addends. Of particular interest is the skew pentagonal pyramid (SPP) addition pattern, which enables formation of closed‐shell cyclopentadienyl anions C₇₀(CF₃)_{n? 1} ^? through CF₃ detachment upon electron transfer. A detailed study of the process is presented for a SPP‐C₇₀(CF₃)₁₆ where potentiostatic electrolysis at the second reduction potential gives C₇₀(CF₃)₁₅^? oxidizable to a persistent C₇₀(CF₃)₁₅^· radical. Together with the literature data for the lower C₇₀(CF₃)_n compounds with n=2–12, the present results show good correlation between the experimental boundary level positions and the DFT predictions. The compounds turn out to be electron acceptor molecular semiconductors with experimental LUMO energies and HOMO–LUMO gaps within the ranges of ?4.3 to ?3.7 eV and 1.6 to 3.3 eV, respectively, depending on the shape of the conjugated fragments. The HOMO levels fall within the range of ?5.6 to ?6.9 eV and show linear correlation with the number of addends.     

A Comparison of Tissue Spray and Lipid Extract Direct Injection Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry for the Differentiation of Eutopic and Ectopic Endometrial Tissues

Recent research revealed that tissue spray mass spectrometry enables rapid molecular profiling of biological tissues, which is of great importance for the search of disease biomarkers as well as for online surgery control. However, the payback for the high speed of analysis in tissue spray analysis is the generally lower chemical sensitivity compared with the traditional approach based on the offline chemical extraction and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry detection. In this study, high resolution mass spectrometry analysis of endometrium tissues of different localizations obtained using direct tissue spray mass spectrometry in positive ion mode is compared with the results of electrospray ionization analysis of lipid extracts. Identified features in both cases belong to three lipid classes: phosphatidylcholines, phosphoethanolamines, and sphingomyelins. Lipids coverage is validated by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry of lipid extracts. Multivariate analysis of data from both methods reveals satisfactory differentiation of eutopic and ectopic endometrium tissues. Overall, our results indicate that the chemical information provided by tissue spray ionization is sufficient to allow differentiation of endometrial tissues by localization with similar reliability but higher speed than in the traditional approach relying on offline extraction.

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The electronic structure and adsorption geometry of L-histidine on Cu(110)

The adsorption of L-histidine on clean and oxygen-covered Cu(110) surfaces has been studied by soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. The valence band spectra, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen 1 s XPS and N K edge absorption spectra were measured for submonolayer, monolayer, and multilayer films. The spectra provide a detailed picture of the electronic structure and adsorption geometry at each coverage. In the monolayer, the histidine molecules are randomly oriented, in contrast to the submonolayer regime, where the molecules are coordinated to the copper surface with the imidazole functional group nearly parallel to, and strongly interacting with, the surface. The pi*/sigma* intensity ratio in NEXAFS spectra at the nitrogen edge varies strongly with angle, showing the imidazole ring is oriented. Adsorption models are proposed.     

Mucoadhesive and elastic films based on blends of chitosan and hydroxyethylcellulose

Mucoadhesive polymeric films have been prepared based on blends of chitosan and hydroxyethylcellulose. The blends have been characterized by IR spectroscopy, DSC, WAXD, TGA, SEM, and mechanical testing. It is demonstrated that the mechanical properties of chitosan are improved significantly upon blending with hydroxyethylcellulose. An increase in hydroxyethylcellulose content in the blends makes the materials more elastic. The thermal treatment of the blends at 100 degrees C leads to partial cross-linking of the polymers and formation of water-insoluble but swellable materials. The adhesion of the films towards porcine buccal mucosa decreases with increasing hydroxyethylcellulose content in the blends.     

Synthesis, structure and theoretical study of mixed fluoro-trifluoromethyl derivatives of C60. Molecular structures of C60F18(CF3)6 and C60F16(CF3)6

A series of novel mixed C60Fn(CF3)m compounds has been produced by trifluoromethylation of C60F18 with CF3I in ampoules at 380-420 degrees C. Two of these compounds, C60F18(CF3)6 and C60F16(CF3)6, have been characterized by X-ray crystallography, which has revealed addition of six CF3 groups to the C3v-C60F18 for the former and replacement/elimination of two outermost F atoms in the latter. Quantum chemical calculations have been employed to predict the most stable possible isomers of C60F16/18(CF3)6 in order to rationalize the experimental results.     

Solvent effects on the formation of nanoparticles and multilayered coatings based on hydrogen-bonded interpolymer complexes of poly(acrylic acid) with homo- and copolymers of N-vinyl pyrrolidone

The formation of hydrogen-bonded interpolymer complexes between poly(acrylic acid) and poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) as well as amphiphilic copolymers of N-vinyl pyrrolidone with vinyl propyl ether has been studied in aqueous and organic solutions. It was demonstrated that introduction of vinyl propyl ether units into the macromolecules of the nonionic polymer enhances their ability to form complexes in aqueous solutions due to more significant contribution of hydrophobic effects. The complexation was found to be a multistage process that involves the formation of primary polycomplex particles, which further aggregate to form spherical nanoparticles. Depending on the environmental factors (pH, solvent nature), these nanoparticles may either form stable colloidal solutions or undergo further aggregation, resulting in precipitation of interpolymer complexes. In organic solvents, the intensity of complex formation increases in the following order: methanol < ethanol < isopropanol < dioxane. The multilayered coatings were developed using layer-by-layer deposition of interpolymer complexes on glass surfaces. It was demonstrated that the solvent nature affects the efficiency of coating deposition.     

The complex role of the triphenylmethyl motif in anticancer compounds

Compounds incorporating the triphenylmethyl motif constitute an emerging family of potent anticancer agents. Although several small molecules containing this pharmacophore have now been identified, the mechanism of cell death induction for some of these compounds is unknown. In an effort to define their mechanism of action, and to distinguish subtypes within the group of compounds containing the triphenylmethyl moiety, we have created novel triphenylmethyl-containing small molecules and have evaluated them in a battery of biological assays. Here we show that several phosphonate and phosphonochloridates possessing the triphenylmethyl motif potently induce death of multiple cancer cell lines in culture. Further assays evaluating the ability to cause cell cycle arrest, inhibit tubulin polymerization, dissociate mitochondrial-bound hexokinase in cancer cells, and inhibit calcium-dependent potassium ion channels indicate that triphenylmethyl-containing compounds can be placed into at least four distinct categories, each with a different mechanism of action.     

In search of efficient 5-endo-dig cyclization of a carbon-centered radical: 40 years from a prediction to another success for the Baldwin rules

Despite being predicted to be stereoelectronically favorable by the Baldwin rules, efficient formation of a C-C bond through a 5-endo-dig radical cyclization remained unknown for more than 40 years. This work reports a remarkable increase in the efficiency of this process upon beta-Ts substitution, which led to the development of an expedient approach to densely functionalized cyclic 1,3-dienes. Good qualitative agreement between the increased efficiency and stereoselectivity for the 5-endo-dig cyclization of Ts-substituted vinyl radicals and the results of density functional theory analysis further confirms the utility of computational methods in the design of new radical processes. Although reactions of Br atoms generated through photochemical Ts-Br bond homolysis lead to the formation of cyclic dibromide side products, the yields of target bromosulfones in the photochemically induced reactions can be increased by recycling the dibromide byproduct into the target bromosulfones through a sequence of addition/elimination reactions at the exocyclic double bond. Discovery of a relatively efficient radical 5-endo-dig closure, accompanied by a C-C bond formation, provides further support to stereoelectronic considerations at the heart of the Baldwin rules and fills one of the last remaining gaps in the arsenal of radical cyclizations.     

Emergent Quantum Euler Equation and Bose–Einstein Condensates

In this paper, proceeding from the recently developed way of deriving the quantum-mechanical equations from the classical ones, the complete system of hydrodynamical equations, including the quantum Euler equation, is derived for a perfect fluid and an imperfect fluid with pairwise interaction between the particles. For the Bose–Einstein condensate of the latter one the Bogolyubov spectrum of elementary excitations is easily reproduced in the acoustic approximation.     

Phase separation in semidilute aqueous poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) solutions

The phase separation mechanism in semidilute aqueous poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) solutions is investigated with small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The nature of the phase transition is probed in static SANS measurements and with time-dependent SANS measurements after a temperature jump. The observed critical exponents of the phase transition describing the temperature dependence of the Ornstein-Zernike amplitude and correlation length are smaller than values from mean-field theory. Time-dependent SANS measurements show that the specific surface decreases with increasing time after a temperature jump above the phase transition. Thus, the formation of additional hydrogen bonds in the collapsed state is a kinetic effect: A certain fraction of water remains as bound water in the system. Moreover, H-D exchange reactions observed in PNIPAM have to be taken into account.