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.     

The glass transition time scale and configurational entropy in polymers: an experimental molecular view

We report direct experimental observation of local conformational dynamics in a polymer chain at the calorimetric glass transition temperature Tg. Variable-temperature two-dimensional (2D) solid-state exchange NMR, at natural abundance, reveals segmental dynamics in pure polyisobutylene (PIB) occurring on a time scale of several seconds over the Tg range observed by DSC (203-208 K). To our knowledge, this is the first direct observation of molecular-level conformer interchange (trans-trans/trans-gauche/gauche-gauche) at the caloric glass transition temperature. Our results provide a chronologically accurate and pedagogically advantageous demonstration of molecular processes during a polymer phase transition, relative to traditional bulk mechanical and calorimetric techniques. More importantly, we use a miscible blend to demonstrate a general strategy for quantitative evaluation of configurational entropy changes via combination of temperature-dependent 2D exchange NMR and Adams-Gibbs theory. Our results on the Tg time scale are directly relevant to fundamental understanding of the Tg length scale, i.e., the dimension of cooperatively rearranging regions.     

The Synthesis of Some New N‐[1‐(2,5‐Dichlorophenyl)‐5‐Methyl‐1,2,3‐Triazol‐4‐yl]‐Carbamic Acid Ester Derivatives

The synthesis of some new N‐[1‐(2,5‐dichlorophenyl)‐5‐methyl‐1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐yl]‐carbamic acid ester derivatives are reported in this paper. The yielded products 6a‐l were confirmed by Elemental analyses, NMR, MS, and IR spectra.     

应用理论计算研究MCM-22分子筛相邻酸性位上乙烯和苯的吸附

应用ONIOM计算方法研究了MCM-22分子筛超笼12元环上存在两个酸性位时的酸强度及其与骨架铝之间距离的关系,并研究了乙烯和苯分子吸附的规律.计算采用52T簇模型和B3LYP/6-31G**/MNDO方法.结果表明,存在两个酸性位且两个骨架铝之间间隔1个骨架硅时,酸强度比孤立的酸性位明显降低;当间隔的硅原子数增加时,酸强度呈上升趋势,间隔3个以上骨架硅时,其酸强度与孤立的酸性位几乎没有差别.对于乙烯的吸附,当两个骨架铝之间间隔1~4个骨架硅时,其吸附能几乎没有差别(31~35 kJ/mol);对于苯的吸附,当两个骨架铝之间间隔1个骨架硅时,其吸附能有所提高,因为两个桥羟基同时对苯分子产生氢键吸附作用.当两个骨架铝之间的距离增大时,苯的吸附能几乎相同(21~29 kJ/mol).若两个乙烯分子或苯分子同时吸附在双酸性位上,其吸附能与单个分子在孤立酸性位吸附时几乎没有差别.应用自然键轨道计算分析了吸附配合物的电子结构,进一步探明了乙烯和苯在分子筛酸性位上吸附的本质.     

H-ZSM-5分子筛上的乙烯二聚反应机理的理论计算研究

应用分子力学和量子力学联合的ONIOM2(B3LYP/6-31G(d,p):UFF)计算方法研究了H-ZSM-5分子筛上乙烯二聚反应的机理. 用40T簇模型模拟ZSM-5分子筛位于孔道交叉点的酸性位,对乙烯二聚过程的分步反应和协同反应两种机理进行了考察. 对于分步反应机理,乙烯分子首先通过π-氢键作用在酸性位形成稳定的吸附络合物,再进一步发生质子化并生成乙醇盐中间体,随后乙醇盐与第二个乙烯分子发生碳-碳键结合形成丁醇盐产物. 第一步质子化和第二步碳链聚合的活化能分别为152.88和119.45 kJ/mol, 表明乙烯质子化反应为速控步骤. 对于协同反应机理,乙烯质子化、碳-碳键和碳-氧键生成同时进行,生成丁醇盐,反应的活化能为162.30 kJ/mol, 略高于分步反应机理中的速控步骤. 计算结果表明这两种反应机理之间存在相互竞争.     

Recent Advances of Catalytic Enantioselective Heck Reactions and Reductive-Heck Reactions

Heck reaction is one of the most important carbon-carbon bond forming reactions with wide applications in organic synthesis.Considerable advances of enantiosele...     

Compositions and Biological Activities of Pomegranate Peel Polyphenols Extracted by Different Solvents

Pomegranate peel extract (PPE), which is abundant in polyphenols, holds immerse prospects for the treatment of airway infection. In this study, water and ethanol of 30%, 50%, and 80% were used to prepare PPE. A total of 18 phenols belonging to 8 categories of polyphenols were identified in PPE by HPLC-MS/MS. The PPE from the four extraction solvents possessed different antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities. Principal component analysis revealed that though total flavonoids (TFs), total polyphenols (TPs), and total tannins (TTs) were responsible for the reducing power of PPE, only TFs contributed to the effect of PPE in inhibiting lipid membrane peroxidation. TPs, TTs, and punicalagin were positively correlated with the antibacterial strength against S. aureus while TTs alone contributed to the inhibition of methicillin-resistant S. aureus, implying the crucial role of TT in suppressing bacteria. Meanwhile, TTs was associated with the prevention of IL-6 release. The PPE with higher contents of TPs, TTs, and punicalagin had a weaker capacity to decrease nitric oxide secretion. PPE of 30% ethanol gained the highest integrated score due to its stronger antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities. It is a suitable candidate for the therapy of respiratory tract infection.     

Broadband Sheet Parametric Oscillator for x~((2)) Optical Frequency Comb Generation via Cavity Phase Matching

We demonstrate a broadband optical parametric oscillation, using a sheet cavity, via cavity phase-matching. A21.2 THz broad comb-like spectrum is achieved, with a uniform line spacing of 133.0 GHz, despite a relatively large dispersion of 275.4 fs~2/mm around 1064 nm. With 22.6% high slope efficiency, and 14.9 kW peak power handling, this sheet optical parametric oscillator can be further developed for x~((2)) comb.     

“Click handle”-modified 2′-deoxy-2′-fluoroarabino nucleic acid as a synthetic genetic polymer capable of post-polymerization functionalization

The functions of natural nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA have transcended genetic information carriers and now encompass affinity reagents, molecular catalysts, nanostructures, data storage, and many others. However, the vulnerability of natural nucleic acids to nuclease degradation and the lack of chemical functionality have imposed a significant constraint on their ever-expanding applications. Herein, we report the synthesis and polymerase recognition of a 5-(octa-1,7-diynyl)uracil 2′-deoxy-2′-fluoroarabinonucleic acid (FANA) triphosphate. The DNA-templated, polymerase-mediated primer extension using this “click handle”-modified FANA (cmFANA) triphosphate and other FANA nucleotide triphosphates consisting of canonical nucleobases efficiently generated full-length products. The resulting cmFANA polymers exhibited excellent nuclease resistance and the ability to undergo efficient click conjugation with azide-functionalized molecules, thereby becoming a promising platform for serving as a programmable and evolvable synthetic genetic polymer capable of post-polymerization functionalization.

Polymerase-mediated incorporation of a “click handle”-modified fluoroarabinonucleic acid (cmFANA) triphosphate produces a new class of nuclease-resistant, evolvable genetic polymers that can be functionalized with azide-containing molecules.