Homogeneous anionic PPE hybrids with silica gel

Anionic poly(p‐phenylene‐ethynylene) (PPE) incorporated polymer hybrids were synthesized from the PPE and tetramethoxysilane together with the organic polymers such as poly(vinylpyrrolidone) via a sol–gel method. Up to 10 wt % of the anionic PPE could be dispersed homogeneously in the resulting polymer hybrid matrix. The obtained polymer hybrids exhibited controllable photoluminescence properties by the modification of the internal environment of organic–inorganic polymer hybrids by changing the organic/inorganic ratios. The photoluminescence of the anionic PPE surrounded by the polymer hybrid matrix was reinforced against the thermal irradiation. Moreover, the photoluminescence of the obtained organic–inorganic polymer hybrids was also tuned by utilizing ionic interactions between the anionic PPE and the inorganic matrix. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 3749–3755, 2008     

Bis(tetrahydrofuran-κO)(meso-5,10,15,20-tetraisopropylporphy­rinato-κ4N)iron(III) perchlorate

The title complex, [Fe(C₃₂H₃₆N₄)(C₄H₈O)₂]ClO₄, shows an S₄-ruffled porphyrin ring, where the maximum deviation of the meso-carbon from the least-squares plane of the [Fe(C₂₀N₄)] core is as high as 0.675 (9) Å. This is the highest class of deviation among S₄-ruffled iron(III) porphyrin complexes. The average Fe—N_p bond distance is 1.967 (12) Å (N_p denotes an N atom of the equatorial ligand).     

Crystal structures and phase stability in pseudobinary CaAl2−xZnx

Samples in the pseudobinary system CaAl_2−xZn_x (0?x?2) were synthesised from the elements. Three different structure types, the C15 and C36 Laves phase structures and the KHg₂ (CeCu₂) structure, were observed. The structures and homogeneity ranges of the underlying phases were investigated by electron microscopy and thermal analysis as well as X-ray powder diffraction. The stability ranges for the different structure types were found to be 0?x?0.18, 0.28?x?0.68 and 0.93?x?2 for the C15, C36 and KHg₂ structure types, respectively.     

Element geochemistry of Holocene sediment and paleoenvironmental change in the Changjiang Estuary

Analyses of 41 elements reveal that Holocene sediments In the Changjiang Estuary bear regular elemental compositions in different sedimentary environments, and Holocene sediments came mainly from the Changjiang River based on compositions of REEs and most trace elements. Some heavy metals are more enriched in the surface sediment than in the deltaic sediments, reflecting human impact. Elemental compositions of the river channel sediment are related to the influence of proximal sediments. Sedimentary environments exert some influences on elemental compositions. Some chemical indices can be used to record chemical weathering undergone by the Changjiang sediment and environmental change.     

Synthesis and characterization of biocompatible magnetic glyconanoparticles

Magnetic glyconanoparticles were synthesized via the co-precipitation method. Iron (II) and iron (III) chloride were co-precipitated out of solution by the addition of ammonium hydroxide in an aqueous solution containing carbohydrate stabilizers such as d-gluconic acid, lactobionic acid and Ficoll^® at 75-80 °C. Stable magnetic glyconanoparticles were formed in a simple and direct process. Dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the surface-coated magnetic nanoparticles. In vitro cell viability studies of the glyconanoparticles were conducted with the mouse fibroblast cell lines. The magnetic glyconanoparticles revealed to be non-toxic at a concentration as high as 0.1 mg/mL.     

Ribitol in Solution Is an Equilibrium of Asymmetric Conformations

Ribitol (C₅H₁₂O₅), an acyclic sugar alcohol, is present on mammalian α-dystroglycan as a component of O-mannose glycan. In this study, we examine the conformation and dynamics of ribitol by database analysis, experiments, and computational methods. Database analysis reveals that the anti-conformation (180°) is populated at the C3–C4 dihedral angle, while the gauche conformation (±60°) is seen at the C2–C3 dihedral angle. Such conformational asymmetry was born out in a solid-state ¹³C-NMR spectrum of crystalline ribitol, where C1 and C5 signals are unequal. On the other hand, solution ¹³C-NMR has identical chemical shifts for C1 and C5. NMR ³J coupling constants and OH exchange rates suggest that ribitol is an equilibrium of conformations, under the influence of hydrogen bonds and/or steric hinderance. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations allowed us to discuss such a chemically symmetric molecule, pinpointing the presence of asymmetric conformations evidenced by the presence of correlations between C2–C3 and C3–C4 dihedral angles. These findings provide a basis for understanding the dynamic structure of ribitol and the function of ribitol-binding enzymes.     

Order-disorder phase transition in a chaotic system

For soft-mode turbulence, which is essentially the spatiotemporal chaos caused by the nonlinear interaction between convective modes and Goldstone modes in electroconvection of homeotropic nematics, a type of order-disorder phase transition was revealed, in which a new order parameter was introduced as pattern ordering. We calculated the spatial correlation function and the anisotropy of the convective patterns as a 2D XY system because the convective wave vector could freely rotate in the homeotropic system. We found the hidden order in the chaotic patterns observed beyond the Lifshitz frequency f(L), and a transition from a disordered to a hidden ordered state occurred at the f(L) with the increase of the frequency of the applied voltages.