Hydrogen-bonding contributions to the lattice energy of salts for second harmonic generation

The lattice energies of a series of organic dihydrogenphosphate salts capable of second harmonic generation (SHG) have been calculated. These calculations, coupled with empirical data, indicate that a minimum of 20–25% of the lattice energy arises from hydrogen-bond interactions. Hydrogen bonding is shown to be a strong enough force to have a profound effect on the overall packing and crystal geometry of such ionic materials, and is thus an important factor to consider for crystal engineering.     

1,4 polymerization of isoprene by titanate catalyst systems

Titanates are versatile in the 1,4 polymerization of isoprene. The (R′O)₄Ti/RAlCl₂ catalyst gives either cis- or trans-1,4-polyisoprene, depending on the nature of both the titanate and the solvent. Primary titanates give cis-1,4-polyisoprene in both aliphatic and aromatic solvents. Secondary titanates give cis-polyisoprene in aliphatic solvents, and trans-1,4-polyisoprene in aromatic solvents. Tertiary titanates give trans-polyisoprene in both aliphatic and aromatic solvents. A mechanism is postulated which takes into consideration the role of the solvent. ESR studies of the various titanate–RAlCl₂ catalysts were made; the paramagnetic structures are related to polymerization mechanisms.     

One site fits both: A model for the ternary complex of folate + NADPH in R67 dihydrofolate reductase, a D2 symmetric enzyme

R67 dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is a novel enzyme that confers resistance to the antibiotic trimethoprim. The crystal structure of R67 DHFR displays a toroidal structure with a central active-site pore. This homotetrameric protein exhibits 222 symmetry, with only a few residues from each chain contributing to the active site, so related sites must be used to bind both substrate (dihydrofolate) and cofactor (NADPH) in the productive R67 DHFR?NADPH?dihydrofolate complex. Whereas the site of folate binding has been partially resolved crystallographically, an interesting question remains: how can the highly symmetrical active site also bind and orient NADPH for catalysis? To model this ternary complex, we employed DOCK and SLIDE, two methods for docking flexible ligands into proteins using quite different algorithms. The bound pteridine ring of folate (Fol I) from the crystal structure of R67 DHFR was used as the basis for docking the nicotinamide-ribose-P_i (NMN) moiety of NADPH. NMN was positioned by both DOCK and SLIDE on the opposite side of the pore from Fol I, where it interacts with Fol I at the pore's center. Numerous residues serve dual roles in binding. For example, Gln 67 from both the B and D subunits has several contacts with the pteridine ring, while the same residue from the A and C subunits has several contacts with the nicotinamide ring. The residues involved in dual roles are generally amphipathic, allowing them to make both hydrophobic and hydrophilic contacts with the ligands. The result is a `hot spot' binding surface allowing the same residues to co-optimize the binding of two ligands, and orient them for catalysis.     

Generating aerodynamic surrogate nuclear explosion debris (SNED)

In this work, a brand new organic superficial active sorbent l-Cysteine hydrochloride modified bentonite (LCMB) has been developed and proposed for treatment of contaminated water containing uranium. Correlation between different factors such as pH, contact time, temperature, initial concentration of U(VI) and efficiency of LCMB for uranium absorption are discussed. At uranium content in water from 25 to 250 mg L^?1, the sorption capacity for LCMB reached 208.3 mg g^?1 that is essentially higher in comparison with other sorbents and notably improved from 77 mg g^?1 after modification.     

Hydrophobic‐Force‐Driven Removal of Organic Compounds from Water by Reduced Graphene Oxides Generated in Agarose Hydrogels

Hydrophobic reduced graphene oxides (rGOs) were generated in agarose hydrogel beads (AgarBs) by NaBH₄ reduction of graphene oxides (GOs) initially loaded in the AgarBs. The resulting rGO‐loaded AgarBs were able to effectively adsorb organic compounds in water as a result of the attractive hydrophobic force between the rGOs in the AgarBs and the organic compounds dissolved in aqueous media. The adsorption capacity of the rGOs was fairly high even toward reasonably water‐soluble organic compounds such as rhodamine B (321.7 mg g^?1) and aspirin (196.4 mg g^?1). Yet they exhibited salinity‐enhanced adsorption capacity and preferential adsorption of organic compounds with lower solubility in water. Such peculiar adsorption behavior highlights the exciting possibility for adopting an adsorption strategy, driven by hydrophobic forces, in practical wastewater treatment processes.     

The reaction of homophthalic acid and some aza analogues with vilsmeier reagent: a reinvestigation

Homophthalic acid and its pyrido and 8‐methylquinolino analogues with dimethylformamide/phosphoryl chloride at 0 ° give the appropriate 4‐(dimethylaminomethylene)isochroman‐1,3‐dione ( 2a, 2b, 2c , respectively). Under the literature conditions for conversion of 2a to 2‐methyl‐1‐oxo‐1,2‐dihydroisoquinoline‐4‐carboxylic acid ( 3a ), the aza analogues give instead 7‐hydroxy‐5‐oxo‐5H‐pyrano[4,3‐b]pyridine‐8‐carbox‐aldehyde ( 5b ) and 3‐hydroxy‐6‐methyl‐1‐oxo‐1H‐pyrano[4,3‐b]quinoline‐4‐carboxaldehyde ( 5c ), respectively. Modified conditions were required to isolate analogues 3b and 3c . Further, while reaction of 2a with hydrogen chloride in methanol gave the known change to methyl 1‐oxo‐1H‐isochromene‐4‐carboxylate ( 4 ), 2b and 2c gave only products of oxa‐ring cleavage. Methyl 2‐(cis‐2‐hydroxyvinyl)‐8‐methylquinoline‐3‐carboxylate ( 8 ) was the main product from 2c , while a novel quinolizinium species ( 11 ) was formed in good yield from 2b.     

Studies in hydrogen bonding: simulation of the crystalline solids of ice, ammonia, and ammonia hydrate

The crystal structures of ice, ammonia and ammonia hydrate have been simulated with rigid molecules using the interatomic potential function EPEN/2 and the computer program WMIN. Structural parameters were adjusted to give structures with minimum energy. The hydrogen bonding in the simulated structures is compared with that in the experimental structures.     

Amino(oligo)thiophene-based environmentally sensitive biomembrane chromophores

There is a growing need for cellular imaging with fluorescent probes that emit at longer wavelengths to minimize the effects of absorption, autofluorescence, and scattering from biological tissue. In this paper a series of new environmentally sensitive hemicyanine dyes featuring amino(oligo)thiophene donors have been synthesized via aldol condensation between a 4-methylpyridinium salt and various amino(oligo)thiophene carboxaldehydes, which were, in turn, obtained from amination of bromo(oligo)thiophene carboxaldehyde. Side chains on these fluorophores impart a strong affinity for biological membranes. Compared with benzene analogues, these thiophene fluorophores show significant red shift in the absorption and emission spectra, offering compact red and near-infrared emitting fluorophores. More importantly, both the fluorescence quantum yields and the emission peaks are very sensitive to various environmental factors such as solvent polarity or viscosity, membrane potential, and membrane composition. These chromophores also exhibit strong nonlinear optical properties, including two-photon fluorescence and second harmonic generation, which are themselves environmentally sensitive. The combination of long wavelength fluorescence and nonlinear optical properties make these chromophores very suitable for applications that require sensing or imaging deep inside tissues.