Inorganic nanocrystal-dynamic porous polymer assemblies with effective energy transfer for sensitive diagnosis of urine copper

Despite their remarkable mechanical, optical, and electrical properties, inorganic particles and dynamic polymer assemblies encounter difficulties in their compatibility with regards to structural order and complexity. Here, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) constructed through reversible coupling reactions were exploited as dynamic porous polymers to prepare inorganic nanocrystal-polymer assemblies. Under an in situ growth process, carbon quantum dots (CDs) were gradually prepared in the COF cavity, with a narrow size distribution (2 ± 0.5 nm). The well-established assemblies achieve effective energy transfer from the inorganic to the organic part (efficiency > 80%), thus rendering a ∼130% increase in quantum yield compared with the pristine COF network. Notably, the hybrid material realizes a simple, selective, and sensitive diagnostic tool for urine copper, surpassing the detection limit of COF solid by 150 times. Beyond the scientific and fundamental interests, such hybrid assemblies are attractive from technological perspectives as well, for example, in energy storage, electronics, catalysis, and optics.

Despite their remarkable mechanical, optical, and electrical properties, inorganic particles and dynamic polymer assemblies encounter difficulties in their compatibility with regards to structural order and complexity.     

Growth of Sb(2)E(3) (E = S, Se) polygonal tubular crystals via a novel solvent-relief-self-seeding process

A novel solvent-relief-self-seeding (SRSS) process was applied to grow bulk polygonal tubular single crystals of Sb(2)E(3) (E = S, Se), using SbCl(3) and chalcogen elements E (E = S, Se) as the raw materials at 180 degrees C for 7 days in ethanol solution. The products were characterized by various techniques, including X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscope (SEM), transmission electronic microscope (TEM), electronic diffraction (ED), and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). The calculated electrical resistivities of the tubular single crystals in the range 20-320 K were of the order of 10(5)-10(6) Omega cm for Sb(2)S(3) and 10(3)-10(4) Omega cm for Sb(2)Se(3), respectively. The studies of the optical properties revealed that the materials formed had a band gap of 1.72 eV for Sb(2)S(3) and 1.82 eV for Sb(2)Se(3), respectively. The optimal reaction conditions for the growth of bulk tubular single crystals were that the temperature was not lower than 180 degrees C and the reaction time was not shorter than 7 days. The possible growth mechanism of tubular crystals was also discussed.     

Conformational stabilities of 1,1-dicyclopropylethene determined from variable-temperature infrared spectra of xenon solutions and ab initio calculations

The infrared (3200-40 cm(-1)) spectra of gaseous and solid 1,1-dicyclopropylethene, (c-C3H5)2C=CH2, along with the Raman (3200-40 cm(-1)) spectra of liquid and solid phases, have been recorded. The major trans-gauche (C=C bond trans to one ring with the other ring rotated about 60 degrees from the C=C bond, trivial C(1) symmetry) and gauche-gauche (the two three-membered rings rotated oppositely about 60 degrees from the C=C bond, C2 symmetry) rotamers have been confidently identified in the fluid phases, but no definitive spectroscopic evidence was found for the gauche-gauche' form (the two three-membered rings rotated to the same side about 60 degrees from the C=C bond, Cs symmetry), which is calculated to be present in no more than 6% at ambient temperature. Variable-temperature (-55 to -100 degrees C) studies of the infrared spectra of the sample dissolved in liquid xenon have been carried out. Utilizing six different combinations of pairs of bands from the C1 and C2 conformers, the average enthalpy difference between these two has been determined to be 146 +/- 30 cm(-1) (1.75 +/- 0.36 kJ x mol(-1)), with the C1 form more stable. Given statistical weights of 2:1:1 respectively for the C1, C2, and Cs forms, it is estimated that there are 75 +/- 2% C(1) and 19 +/- 1% C2 conformers present at ambient temperature. By utilizing predicted frequencies, infrared intensities, Raman activities, and band envelopes from scaled MP2(full)/6-31G(d) ab initio calculations, a complete vibrational assignment is made for the C1 form and a number of fundamentals of the C2 conformer have been identified. The structural parameters, dipole moments, and conformational stabilities have been obtained from ab initio calculations at the level of Hartree-Fock (RHF), the perturbation method to second order with full electron correlation (MP2(full)), and hybrid density functional theory (DFT) by the B3LYP method with a variety of basis sets. The predicted conformational stabilities from the MP2 calculations with relatively large basis sets are consistent with the experimental results. Structural parameters are estimated from the MP2(full)/6-311+G(d,p) predictions which are compared to the previously reported electron diffraction parameters. These experimental and theoretical results are compared to the corresponding quantities of some similar molecules.     

A Novel Catalyst for Liquid Phase Hydrogenation of m-Dinitrobenzene to m-Phenylenediamine

A novel lanthana-promoted nickel catalyst supported on silica for the liquid phase hydrogenation of m-dinitrobenzene to m-phenylenediamine was prepared by an incipient wetness sequential impregnation method. It was found that Ni-La/SiO2 catalyst exhibited high activity and stability for m-dinitrobenzene hydrogenation. Over this catalyst, the conversion of m-dinitrobenzene and the yield of m-phenylenediamine were up to 97.1% and 93.5%, respectively,at 373 K and 2.6 MPa hydrogen pressure after reaction for 1 h.     

A dual-electrode approach for highly selective detection of glucose based on diffusion layer theory: experiments and simulation

A dual-electrode configuration for the highly selective detection of glucose in the diffusion layer of the substrate electrode is presented. In this approach, a glassy carbon electrode (GCE, substrate) modified with a conductive layer of glucose oxidase/Nafion/graphite (GNG) was used to create an interference-free region in its diffusion layer by electrochemical depletion of interfering electroactive species. A Pt microelectrode (tip, 5 microm in radius) was located in the diffusion layer of the GNG-modified GCE (GNG-G) with the help of scanning electrochemical microscopy. Consequently, the tip of the electrode could sense glucose selectively by detecting the amount of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) formed from the oxidization of glucose on the glucose oxidase layer. The influences of parameters, including tip-substrate distance, substrate potential, and electrolyzing time, on the interference-removing efficiency of this dual-electrode approach have been investigated systematically. When the electrolyzing time was 30 s, the tip-substrate distance was 1.8 a (9.0 microm) (where a is the radius of the tip electrode), the potentials of the tip and substrate electrodes were 0.7 V and 0.4 V, respectively, and a mixture of ascorbic acid (0.3 mM), uric acid (0.3 mM), and 4-acetaminophen (0.3 mM) had no influence on the glucose detection. In addition, the current-time responses of the tip electrode at different tip-substrate distances in a solution containing interfering species were numerically simulated. The results from the simulation are in good agreement with the experimental data. This research provides a concept of detection in the diffusion layer of a substrate electrode, as an interference-free region, for developing novel microelectrochemical devices.     

Fe(bpb)(CN)2]- as a versatile building block for the design of novel low-dimensional heterobimetallic systems: synthesis, crystal structures, and magnetic properties of cyano-bridged Fe(III)-Ni(II) complexes [(bpb)(2-) = 1,2-bis(pyridine-2-carboxamido)benzenate

A dicyano-containing [Fe(bpb)(CN)2]- building block has been employed for the synthesis of cyano-bridged heterometallic Ni(II)-Fe(III) complexes. The presence of steric bpb(2-) ligand around the iron ion results in the formation of low-dimensional species: five are neutral NiFe2 trimers and three are one-dimensional (1D). The structure of the 1D complexes consists of alternating [NiL]2+ and [Fe(bpb)(CN)2]- generating a cyano-bridged cationic polymeric chain and the perchlorate as the counteranion. In all complexes, the coordination geometry of the nickel ions is approximately octahedral with the cyano nitrogen atoms at the trans positions. Magnetic studies of seven complexes show the presence of ferromagnetic interaction between the metal ions through the cyano bridges. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility investigations of the trimeric complexes yield the following J(NiFe) values (based on the spin exchange Hamiltonian H = -2J(NiFe) S(Ni) (S(Fe(1)) + S(Fe(2))): J(NiFe) = 6.40(5), 7.8(1), 8.9(2), and 6.03(4) cm(-1), respectively. The study of the magneto-structural correlation reveals that the cyanide-bridging bond angle is related to the strength of magnetic exchange coupling: the larger the Ni-N[triple bond]C bond angle, the stronger the Ni- - -Fe magnetic interaction. One 1D complex exhibits long-range antiferromagnetic ordering with T(N) = 3.5 K. Below T(N) (1.82 K), a metamagnetic behavior was observed with the critical field of approximately 6 kOe. The present research shows that the [Fe(bpb)(CN)2]- building block is a good candidate for the construction of low-dimensional magnetic materials.     

Potent and selective structure-based dibenzofuran inhibitors of transthyretin amyloidogenesis: kinetic stabilization of the native state

Transthyretin (TTR) amyloidogenesis requires rate-limiting tetramer dissociation and partial monomer denaturation to produce a misassembly competent species. This process has been followed by turbidity to identify transthyretin amyloidogenesis inhibitors including dibenzofuran-4,6-dicarboxylic acid (1). An X-ray cocrystal structure of TTR.1(2) reveals that it only utilizes the outer portion of the two thyroxine binding pockets to bind to and inhibit TTR amyloidogenesis. Herein, structure-based design was employed to append aryl substituents at C1 of the dibenzofuran ring to complement the unused inner portion of the thyroxine binding pockets. Twenty-eight amyloidogenesis inhibitors of increased potency and dramatically increased plasma TTR binding selectivity resulted. These function by imposing kinetic stabilization on the native tetrameric structure of TTR, creating a barrier that is insurmountable under physiological conditions. Since kinetic stabilization of the TTR native state by interallelic trans suppression is known to ameliorate disease, there is reason to be optimistic that the dibenzofuran-based inhibitors will do the same. Preventing the onset of amyloidogenesis is the most conservative strategy to intervene clinically, as it remains unclear which of the TTR misassembly intermediates results in toxicity. The exceptional binding selectivity enables these inhibitors to occupy the thyroxine binding site(s) in a complex biological fluid such as blood plasma, required for inhibition of amyloidogenesis in humans. It is now established that the dibenzofuran-based amyloidogenesis inhibitors have high selectivity, affinity, and efficacy and are thus excellent candidates for further pharmacologic evaluation.     

Fluorescence and aggregation behavior of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers peripherally modified with aromatic chromophores: the effect of dendritic architectures

PAMAM dendrimers of the zeroth to fifth generation (G0-5) have been peripherally modified with phenyl, naphthyl, pyrenyl, and dansyl chromophores. Their fluorescence behaviors are strongly affected by the dendritic architectures at different generations. These dendrimers modified with hydrophobic chromphores can self-organize into vesicular aggregates at the low generations G0-3 in water. The size and aggregation number of these vesicles decrease with increasing generation from G0 to G3. Critical aggregation concentration determined by fluorescence spectroscopy reveals that these aggregates can be favorably formed in the order of G3 > G2 > G1. In contrast to the vesicles made from traditional amphiphilic compounds, these dendrimer-based vesicles are very adhesive due to the H-bonding interaction and entanglement of dendritic branches located in the outer layer. A large number of multivesicle assemblies, i.e., "twins" and "quins" consisting of two and five vesicles, were clearly identifiable with transmission electron (TEM) and atomic force microscopy. For the dendrimers with peripheral pyrenyl chromophores, triangle-like vesicles were observed in water. The hydrophobic interphase thickness of the vesicular bilayer is ca. 2.0-3.2 nm determined by fluorescence resonance energy transfer methods, which agrees well with the thickness directly observed with TEM.     

Organic functionalization of the sidewalls of carbon nanotubes by diels-alder reactions: a theoretical prediction

[structure: see text] The viability of the Diels-Alder (DA) cycloaddition of conjugated dienes onto the sidewalls of single-wall carbon nanotubes is assessed by means of a two-layered ONIOM(B3LYP/6-31G:AM1) approach. Whereas the DA reaction of 1,3-butadiene on the sidewall of an armchair (5,5) nanotube is found to be unfavorable, the cycloaddition of quinodimethane is predicted to be viable due to the aromaticity stabilization at the corresponding transition states and products.     

基于芳香四羧酸构筑的两种配位聚合物的荧光及磁性质（英文）

在溶剂热条件下,基于芳香四羧酸合成了2种新颖的配位聚合物:{[Zn2(tptc)(1,4-bimb)2]·H2O}n(1)和{[Ni(tptc)0.5(1,2-bimb)(H2O)]·H2O}n(2),其中,tptc为对-三联苯-3,3″,5,5″-四羧酸,1,4-bimb为1,4-二(咪唑-1-亚甲基)苯,1,2-bimb为1,2-二(咪唑-1-亚甲基)苯。结构分析表明,1为三维结构,拓扑符号为(86);2为二维层状网络,通过氢键相互作用进一步扩展为三维超分子结构。此外,我们还研究了1对阳离子、阴离子的荧光感应以及2的磁性质。