Structure and stability of endohedral X@Si20H20 complexes (X = Li, Na, K, Be, Mg, Ca)

The structure and stability of endohedral X@Si₂₀H₂₀ complexes (X = Li^0/+, Na^0/+, K^0/+, Be^0/2+, Mg^0/2+, Ca^0/2+) have been studied at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of density functional theory. It is found that complexes with X = Na^0/+, K^0/+, Mg and Ca^0/2+ are energy minimum structures with X at the cage center in I_h symmetry, while those with X = Li^0/+, Be^0/2+, Mg²⁺ have off-centered structures with X towards one pentagon face in C_5v symmetry. Large electron or charge transfer between the Si₂₀H₂₀ cage and the encapsulated X has been observed.     

Multilayer poly(vinyl alcohol)-adsorbed coating on poly(dimethylsiloxane) microfluidic chips for biopolymer separation

A poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic chip surface was modified by multilayer-adsorbed and heat-immobilized poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) after oxygen plasma treatment. The reflection absorption infrared spectrum (RAIRS) showed that 88% hydrolyzed PVA adsorbed more strongly than 100% hydrolyzed one on the oxygen plasma-pretreated PDMS surface, and they all had little adsorption on original PDMS surface. Repeating the coating procedure three times was found to produce the most robust and effective coating. PVA coating converted the original PDMS surface from a hydrophobic one into a hydrophilic surface, and suppressed electroosmotic flow (EOF) in the range of pH 3-11. More than 1,000,000 plates/m and baseline resolution were obtained for separation of fluorescently labeled basic proteins (lysozyme, ribonuclease B). Fluorescently labeled acidic proteins (bovine serum albumin, beta-lactoglobulin) and fragments of dsDNA phiX174 RF/HaeIII were also separated satisfactorily in the three-layer 88% PVA-coated PDMS microchip. Good separation of basic proteins was obtained for about 70 consecutive runs.     

Determination of proanthocyanidins in fresh grapes and grape products using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection

Fresh grapes and grape products, such as grape wine and grape juice, were analyzed for proanthocyanidins (PACs) using liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometric (MS) detection. PACs were successfully separated and analyzed on the basis of their protonated molecules, allowing the identification of PACs in different degrees of polymerization from monomers to oligomers (up to 7 units), and in various isomeric forms. Using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with MS detection, the PAC monomers, (+)-catechin (C), (-)-epicatechin (EC), (-)-catechin gallate (CG), and (-)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), were successfully quantified using selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. Standard curves were fitted for each PAC ranging from 43.8 to 5600 ng/mL for C, from 42.2 to 5400 ng/mL for EC, from 36.7 to 4700 ng/mL for CG, and from 39.8 to 5100 ng/mL for ECG. Good linearity (r2>0.999) was achieved for each analyte. The accuracy and precision (RSD) were within 10% (n=8) at the limit of detection. This method allows direct quantification of monomeric PACs in fresh grapes and grape-derived products. Additionally, flow injection analysis (FIA) was applied to estimate the concentration levels of PAC oligomers by comparing their FIA-MS peak areas, which were well correlated (r2=0.936) to the total concentrations of PAC monomers.     

Study on the formation of the ketonic defects in the thermal degradation of ladder-type poly(p-phenylenes) by vibrational spectroscopy

We have investigated the thermal degradation in air by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of a ladder-type copolymer containing fluorene units in the backbone (Me-LPF), to reveal the formation of the ketonic defects. As thermal treatment of Me-LPF film at 200 degrees C in air proceeds, a new group of complex absorption bands due to degradation products arises in the range between 1800 and 1600 cm(-1). The observed overlapping bands were separated and assigned by utilizing the second-derivative IR spectral analysis, which can narrow the peak width to one-third of the originals and thereby eases the analysis. The degraded products were assigned as fluorenone (1718 cm(-1)) and benzophenone (Ar-(C=O)-Ar) (1665 cm(-1)), formed by the oxidation of the backbone, and acylphenone (Ar-(C=O)-R) (1685 cm(-1)) from the side chain. The fluorenone was found to be the major component among the degraded products in the main chain, and the time and temperature dependence indicated that the oxidation is a kind of autocatalytic radical-chain process. The oxidation can reach a very high degree (approximately 30% for 6 h oxidation at 240 degrees C estimated by absorption of the alkyl). Our results suggest the possibility of the oxidation of the 9-bialkylfluorene sites. We propose that the degradation of the alkyl in the side chain can help the radicals to propagate in the chain reaction.     

Direct evidence of oxidized gold on supported gold catalysts

Supported gold catalysts have drawn worldwide interest due to the novel properties and potential applications in industries. However, the origin of the catalytic activity in gold nanoparticles is still not well understood. In this study, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TOF-SIMS) has been applied to investigate the nature of gold in Au (1.3 wt %)/gamma-Al2O3 and Au (2.8 wt %)/TiO2 catalysts prepared by the deposition-precipitation method. The SIMS spectrum of the supported gold catalysts presented AuO-, AuO2-, and AuOH- ion clusters. These measurements show direct evidence for oxidized gold on supported gold catalysts and may be helpful to gaining better understanding of the origin of the catalytic activity.     

Reaction dynamics of Cl+CH3SH: rotational and vibrational distributions of HCl probed with time-resolved Fourier-transform spectroscopy

Rotationally resolved infrared emission spectra of HCl(v=1-3) in the reaction of Cl+CH3SH, initiated with radiation from a laser at 308 nm, are detected with a step-scan Fourier-transform spectrometer. Observed rotational temperature of HCl(v=1-3) decreases with duration of reaction due to collisional quenching; a short extrapolation to time zero based on data in the range 0.25-4.25 micros yields a nascent rotational temperature of 1150+/-80 K. The rotational energy averaged for HCl(v=1-3) is 8.2+/-0.9 kJ mol(-1), yielding a fraction of available energy going into rotation of HCl, fr=0.10+/-0.01, nearly identical to that of the reaction Cl+H(2)S. Observed temporal profiles of the vibrational population of HCl(v=1-3) are fitted with a kinetic model of formation and quenching of HCl(v=1-3) to yield a branching ratio (68+/-5):(25+/-4):(7+/-1) for formation of HCl(v=1):(v=2):(v=3) from the title reaction and its thermal rate coefficient k(2a)=(2.9+/-0.7)x10(-10) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1). Considering possible estimates of the vibrational population of HCl(v=0) based on various surprisal analyses, we report an average vibrational energy 36+/-6 kJ mol(-1) for HCl. The fraction of available energy going into vibration of HCl is f(v)=0.45+/-0.08, significantly greater than a value fv=0.33+/-0.06 determined previously for Cl+H2S. Reaction dynamics of Cl+H(2)S and Cl+CH3SH are compared; the adduct CH3S(Cl)H is likely more transitory than the adduct H(2)SCl.     

A Density Functional Theory Study on Electronic Structure and Second—order Nonlinear Optical Properties of Some Push—Pull Molecules

Time-dependent density-functional theory(TDDFT)has been applied to calculate the electronic structure and second-order nonlinear optical(NLO) properties of some organic molecules.The two-dimensional(2-D)charge transfer charateristics of calculated molecules were studied and compared with corresponding experimental results.All the theoretical results agree well with the measurement.For 2-D molecule with two-fold symmetry,the dominant charge transfer is off-diagonal,while for three-fold symmetry 2-D molecule,the dominant charge transfer is not only between branches and central group but also among branches.     

活性炭表面固载十二硅钨酸的表征

活性炭表面固载十二硅钨酸的表征王新平，叶兴凯，吴越（中国科学院长春应用化学研究所，长春１３００２２）关键词硅钨酸，杂多酸，活性炭，负载型催化剂，表征由于杂多酸的优异催化性能，近年来其固载化的研究深受人们的关注［１］．活性炭是固载杂多酸较好的载体之一［...     

[（n—C4H9）4N][EuxM1—x（TTA）4]（M=La、Sm、Gd、Tb）的光致发光

合成了一类组成为[(n-C4H9)4N][EuxM1-x(TTA)4](M=La、Sm、Gd、Tb）的固体配合物，通过测定其红外光谱，X射线粉末衍射谱和荧光光谱，研究了配合物结构和发光性质随Eu^3 浓度变化的规律。红外光谱和XRD谱的分析结果表明，在体系中没有新化合物生成，而荧光光谱分析结果表明发光强度与Eu^3 浓度不成线性关系，不发光的基质配合物组分对发光有不同大小和不同类型的影响，提出一种可能的发光机制解释这一共发光现象。     

Micro sequential injection: fermentation monitoring of ammonia, glycerol, glucose, and free iron using the novel lab-on-valve system

Using an integrated lab-on-valve manifold in a microfluidic sequential injection format (microSI), automated sample processing has been developed for off-line and on-line monitoring of small-scale fermentations. Spectrophotometric assays of ammonia, glucose, glycerol, and free iron were downscaled to use micro-quantities of commercial reagents. By monitoring the reaction rate, the response curves in a stopped-flow mode generate linear calibration curves for ammonia [r2 = 1.000 (0.9% SE)], glycerol [r2 = 0.999 (1.1% SE)], glucose [r2 = 0.999 (1.1% SE)], and free iron [r2 = 0.999 (1.5% SE)]. Since sample dilution and reagent quantities are easily adjusted within the programmable SI format, the lab-on-valve system can accommodate samples over a wide concentration range (ammonia: 3-1200 ppm; glycerol: 20-120 ppm; glucose: 35-1000 ppm; and free iron: 80-400 ppm). This work demonstrates the key advantages of miniaturization through the reduction of sample and reagent use, minimizing waste and providing a compact yet reliable instrument. The lab-on-valve manifold uses a universal hardware configuration for all analyses, only requiring changes in software protocol and choice of reagents. All of these features are of particular importance to small-scale experimental fermentation where multiple analyte analyses are needed in real-time using small sample volumes. It is hoped that this first real-life application of the lab-on-valve manifold will serve not only as a model system to downscale assays in a practical fashion, but will also inspire and promote the use of the integrated microSI manifold approach for a wider range of biotechnological applications.