Cyanide-bridged W(V)-Co(II) double-zigzag chain based on an octacoordinated W precursor: metamagnetism and spin canting

A cyanide-bridged W-Co bimetallic complex (1) with a double-zigzag chain structure was characterized in terms of structure and magnetism. Compound 1 exhibits metamagnetism and spin canting induced by the presence of anisotropic CoII ions and noncovalent interactions.     

Effect of the residual silanol group protection on the liquid chromatographic resolution of racemic primary amino compounds on a chiral stationary phase based on optically active (3,3'-diphenyl-1,1'-binaphthyl)-20-crown-6

A liquid chromatographic chiral stationary phase (CSP) based on (3,3'-diphenyl-1,1'-binaphthyl)-20-crown-6, which has been utilized in the resolution of alpha-amino acids, amines and amino alcohols, was treated with excess of n-octyltriethoxysilane to prepare a new improved CSP. The residual silanol groups of the original CSP were protected by n-octyl groups in the new CSP. The chiral recognition ability of the new CSP was superior to that of the original CSP in the resolution of alpha-amino acids, amines and amino alcohols. Retention factors (k1) for the resolution of alpha-amino acids were lower on the new CSP than on the original CSP while those for the resolution of amines and amino alcohols were higher on the new CSP than on the original CSP. The improved chiral recognition ability of the new CSP and the retention behaviors of the two enantiomers on the new CSP have been rationalized to stem from the removal of the non-enantioselective interactions between the analytes and the residual silanol groups of the original CSP and the improved lipophilicity of the CSP.     

Magnesium ion selective two-photon fluorescent probe based on a benzo[h]chromene derivative for in vivo imaging

A novel, two-photon probe for the detection of free Mg2+ ions in living cells and live tissues has been developed. The probe can be excited by 880 nm laser photons, emits strong two-photon excited fluorescence in response to Mg2+ ions, can be easily loaded into the cell and tissue, shows high photostability, and can measure the Mg2+ ion concentration without interference by Ca2+ ions in living cells. The intracellular dissociation constant (Kdi) for Mg2+ determined by the two-photon process is 2.5 mM, which is suitable for dynamic Mg2+ concentration measurement. In addition, the probe is capable of imaging endogenous stores of free Mg2+ at a few hundred micrometers depth in live tissues using two-photon microscopy (TPM).     

In situ electroacoustic monitoring of polyelectrolyte adsorption onto protein-coated oil droplets

The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of electroacoustic (EA) and microelectrophoresis (ME) techniques for monitoring the adsorption of an anionic polysaccharide onto the surfaces of oppositely charged protein-coated oil droplets. The zeta-potential values determined by the EA technique were in excellent agreement with those determined by the ME technique. Both techniques were able to monitor the adsorption of pectin onto the surfaces of beta-lactoglobulin-coated droplets as a function of pectin concentration and pH. The major advantage of the EA technique was that it could be carried out in situ without having to dilute the emulsions, so that the equilibrium between adsorbed and non-adsorbed polyelectrolyte was not disturbed by dilution. Nevertheless, the good agreement between the zeta-potential values determined by the EA and ME techniques suggested that emulsion dilution did not cause an appreciable change in polysaccharide partitioning for the system used in this study. In summary, the EA technique appears to be a powerful means of monitoring polyelectrolyte adsorption in concentrated colloidal dispersions.     

Enhanced stability and bioconjugation of photo-cross-linked polystyrene-shell, Au-core nanoparticles

Encapsulating Au nanoparticles within a shell of photo-cross-linked block copolymer surfactant dramatically improves the physical and chemical stability of the nanoparticles, particularly when they are applied as bioconjugates. Photo-cross-linkable block copolymer amphiphiles [polystyrene-co-poly(4-vinyl benzophenone)]-block-poly(acrylic acid) [(PS-co-PVBP)-b-PAA] and [poly(styrene)-co-poly(4-vinyl benzophenone)]-block-poly(ethylene oxide) [(PS-co-PVBP)-b-PEO] were assembled around Au nanoparticles ranging from 12 to 108 nm in diameter. UV irradiation cross-linked the PVBP groups on the polymer to yield particles that withstood extremes of temperature, ionic strength, and chemical etching. Streptavidin was attached to [PS-co-PVBP]-b-PAA-coated particles using the same noncovalent and covalent conjugation protocols used to bind biomolecules to divinylbenzene-cross-linked PS microspheres. We expect that these particles will be useful as plasmonic, highly light-scattering and light-absorbing analogs to fluorescently labeled PS nanospheres.     

Long-term exposure to CdTe quantum dots causes functional impairments in live cells

Several studies suggested that the cytotoxic effects of quantum dots (QDs) may be mediated by cadmium ions (Cd2+) released from the QDs cores. The objective of this work was to assess the intracellular Cd2+ concentration in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells treated with cadmium telluride (CdTe) and core/shell cadmium selenide/zinc sulfide (CdSe/ZnS) nanoparticles capped with mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), cysteamine (Cys), or N-acetylcysteine (NAC) conjugated to cysteamine. The Cd2+ concentration determined by a Cd2+-specific cellular assay was below the assay detection limit (<5 nM) in cells treated with CdSe/ZnS QDs, while in cells incubated with CdTe QDs, it ranged from approximately 30 to 150 nM, depending on the capping molecule. A cell viability assay revealed that CdSe/ZnS QDs were nontoxic, whereas the CdTe QDs were cytotoxic. However, for the various CdTe QD samples, there was no dose-dependent correlation between cell viability and intracellular [Cd2+], implying that their cytotoxicity cannot be attributed solely to the toxic effect of free Cd2+. Confocal laser scanning microscopy of CdTe QDs-treated cells imaged with organelle-specific dyes revealed significant lysosomal damage attributable to the presence of Cd2+ and of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can be formed via Cd2+-specific cellular pathways and/or via CdTe-triggered photoxidative processes involving singlet oxygen or electron transfer from excited QDs to oxygen. In summary, CdTe QDs induce cell death via mechanisms involving both Cd2+ and ROS accompanied by lysosomal enlargement and intracellular redistribution.     

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic-encoded beads for multiplex immunoassay

A new type of encoded bead, which uses surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), is described for multiplex immunoassays. Silver nanoparticles were embedded in sulfonated polystyrene (PS) beads via a polyol method, and they were used as SERS-active substrates. Raman-label organic compounds such as 4-methylbenzenethiol (4-MT), 2-naphthalenethiol (2-NT), and benzenethiol (BT) were then adsorbed onto the silver nanoparticles in the sulfonated PS bead. Although only three kinds of encoding have been demonstrated here, various combinations of these Raman-label organic compounds have the potential to give a large number of tags. The Raman-label-incorporated particles were then coated with a silica shell using tetraethoxyorthosilicate (TEOS) for chemical stability and biocompatibility. The resulting beads showed unique and intense Raman signals for the labeled organic compounds. We demonstrated that SERS-encoded beads could be used for multiplex detection with a model using streptavidin and p53. In our system, the binding event of target molecules and the type of ligand can be simultaneously recognized by Raman spectroscopy using a single laser-line excitation (514.5 nm).     

Traceless liquid-phase synthesis of biphenyls and terphenyls using pentaerythritol as a tetrapodal soluble support

Application of a novel sulfonate-based traceless multifunctional linker system using pentaerythritol as a tetrapodal soluble support was demonstrated using liquid-phase parallel and combinatorial preparation of biphenyl and terphenyl compounds. Nickel-catalyzed reactions of pentaerythritol tetrakis(arenesulfonate)s with arylmagnesium bromides generated the desired products in sufficient yields through reductive cleavage/cross-coupling of the C-S bond. Homogeneous pentaerythritol-supported reactions could be accomplished using less nucleophile with shorter reaction periods than could the corresponding heterogeneous polymer-supported reactions. This liquid-phase approach using a small polyfunctionalized support combines advantages of solution-phase and solid-phase syntheses by allowing high reactivity, high atom economy, simple isolation, and real-time monitoring of the reaction progress.     

Enhancement of nonlinear optical response of exciton–polaritons by controlling thickness of GaAs layer

We demonstrate a remarkable thickness dependence of nonlinear optical response of exciton–polaritons in GaAs thin films by degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) at low temperature (T=5 K). High-quality samples of layer thickness from 80 to 200 nm were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Confined mode of the exciton–polariton dominantly contributed to the reflection spectra, which were examined by the calculation using a transfer matrix method. The DFWM intensity at exciton resonance was enhanced at a particular thickness (110 nm). This thickness dependence is in good agreement with the nonlocal theory, which shows a remarkable size dependence of the internal field relevant to the confined mode of the exciton–polaritons.     

Effect of pH on Adsorption of Cephalosporin C by A Nonionic Polymeric Sorbent

Adsorption of cephalosporin C in a column charged with a nonionic polymeric sorbent, SP850, was studied at various pH values to assess the effect of pH on the dynamic behavior in column adsorbers. Since cephalosporin C is amphoteric, the fractions of each ionic form were calculated from the pK values at a given solution pH. Single-species isotherm parameters for each ionic form were simultaneously extracted from all sets of adsorption equilibrium data measured at several pH values. The mutual interaction between different ionic forms on SP850 was described by a competitive adsorption, namely the ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST). This treatment made it possible to simulate the dynamic behavior of cephalosporin C at low pH values properly by a dynamic model which was incorporated with the mutual competitive adsorption.