A Stopped-flow Study on the Kinetics and Mechanism of CO2 Uptake by the cis-[Cr(1,10-phenanthroline)2(OH2)2]3+ Complex Ion

The kinetics of the reaction between gaseous CO₂ and the cis-[Cr(phen)₂(OH₂)₂]³⁺ ion leading to the formation of the carbonato complex ion, have been studied over the pH and temperature ranges: 3 < pH < 6 and 5 < T < 25 °C, respectively, at a constant ionic strength of 1 m (NaClO₄). Investigations were carried out using the stopped-flow spectrophotometry technique in the UV–Vis range: 340–700 nm. The major reactant species in the pH range studied was cis-[Cr(phen)₂(OH)(OH₂)]²⁺ ion, which underwent reaction with CO₂ to form cis-[Cr(phen)₂(OH₂)(HCO₃)]²⁺ ion. Subsequently, slower ring closure of the latter species to form the bidentate carbonato chelate was observed. The possible mechanism has been discussed and the activation parameters ΔH^† and ΔS^† were also determined for the reaction studied.     

Incorporation of Na(+),K(+)-ATP-ase into the thiolipid biomimetic assemblies via the fusion of proteoliposomes

The black lipid membranes (BLMs) are artificial membrane systems that have been widely used in the study of different biological processes. In this paper the planar bilayer lipid membranes have been used to study the behavior of thiolipid molecules-dipalmitoyl-phosphatidyl-ethanolamine-mercaptopropionamide (DPPE-MPA) and cholesteryl 3-mercaptopropionate (Chs-MPA)-as compared to classical BLM made of natural lipids. We present our experiments on black thiolipid bilayer (BTM) formation from a thiolipid solution and basic results of pump currents generated by sodium-potassium pump-Na(+),K(+)-ATP-ase-introduced to such bilayer systems via proteoliposome adsorption with subsequent fusion. Our results imply that no substantial difference exists between BLMs formed from classical lipids and those made from thiolipids used in this study. The same thiolipid molecules were subsequently used for the formation of covalently bound, tethered bilayer lipid membranes (t-BLMs) on polycrystalline gold electrodes. Similarly, as in the case of BLMs, we took advantage of proteoliposome adsorption/fusion to obtain a t-BLM system with reconstituted enzyme. The vesicle fusion on hydrophobic or hydrophilic substrates is one of the main ways to obtain a bilayer system with incorporated biological species. In this paper we present also our preliminary results of electrochemical experiments using rapid solution exchange technique on such t-BLMs systems and their comparison with painted solid supported membranes (SSMs) and BLMs. We have also followed the process of vesicles fusion onto thiolipid monolayer by means of in situ atomic force microscopy in tapping mode (TM-AFM). On the basis of these experiments, we conclude that DPPE-MPA and Chs-MPA molecules used in our experiments preserve lipid properties, allowing for at least partial reconstitution of Na(+),K(+)-ATP-ase into such t-BLMs. On the other hand, the relatively compact organization on polycrystalline gold and the hydrophobic nature of the first monolayer of tethered thiolipids slows down the proteoliposome fusion onto such monolayers and consequently hinders the protein insertion. However, this effect can be overcome by mechanical stimulus that facilitates proteoliposome delamination onto the self-assembled monolayer.     

Convenient synthesis of arylpropargyl aldehydes and 4-aryl-3-butyn-2-ones from arylacetylenes and amide acetals

The reaction of arylacetylenes 1 and N,N-dimethylformamide dimethylacetal (2a, DMF-DMA) afforded the corresponding arylpropargyl aldehydes 3 in moderate yields. Similarly, the reaction of 1 and N,N-dimethylacetamide dimethylacetal (2b, DMA-DMA) gave 4-aryl-3-butyn-2-ones 4.     

Diastereoselective addition of dimethyl phosphite to 3,3′,4,4′-tetramethyl-1,1′-diphosphaferrocene-2-carboxaldehyde

Addition of dimethyl phosphite to racemic 3,3′,4,4′-tetramethyl-1,1′-diphosphaferrocene-2-carboxaldehyde gives almost exclusively one diastereomer of the corresponding α-hydroxyphosphonate (d.r. ?96:4). Its absolute configuration (S, R_p)-(R, S_p) was established by X-ray diffraction.     

New type of thermoplastic multiblock elastomers––poly(ester-block-amide)s––based on oligoamide 12 and oligoester prepared from dimerized fatty acid

Multiblock poly(ester-block-amide)s (PEA) elastomers comprising hard blocks of oligoamide and oligoester soft segments were prepared and their structure-property relations were analysed. The polycondensation reaction of oligoesters (prepared from 1,4-butanediol and dimerized fatty acid) with oligolaurolactam (PA12) gave copolymer series with variable blocks content (the soft segments content was varied from 24 to 60 wt.%). PEAs are the phase system composed of crystallised sequences of oligoamide (hard segment phase) as well as oligoesters (soft segment phase). Mixing between the hard and soft phases was studied by thermal and mechanical measurements (DSC, DMTA). These results have indicated on a multiphase structure of investigated materials. The relationship between the observed thermal and tensile properties and the soft/hard segments content indicated on an increase of the phase separation with soft segments content.     

Fluorescence probes based on 9‐acridyl derivatives of aromatic amines for monitoring free‐radical polymerization

The series of 9‐acridyl derivatives of aromatic amines have been investigated as fluorescent probes for monitoring the progress of free‐radical polymerization. This study on the changes in the fluorescence intensity and spectroscopic shift of specific compounds was carried out during thermally initiated polymerization of methyl methacrylate and photoinitiated polymerization of 2‐ethyl‐2‐(hydroxymethyl)‐1,3‐propanediol triacrylate‐1‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidonone mixture. The purpose of this investigation was to find a relationship between the changes in the shape and intensity of fluorescent probes and the degree of monomer conversion into a polymer. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3481–3488, 2002     

Reactions of Chlorosulfanyl Derivatives of Cyclobutanones with Different Nucleophiles

The reactions of 3‐chloro‐3‐(chlorosulfanyl)‐2,2,4,4‐tetramethylcyclobutan‐1‐one ( 2 ) with N, O, S, and P nucleophiles occur by substitution of Cl at the S‐atom. Whereas, in the cases of secondary amines, alkanols, phenols, thiols, thiophenols, and di‐ and trialkyl phosphates, the initially formed substitution products were obtained, the corresponding products with allyl and propargyl alcohols undergo a [2,3]‐sigmatropic rearrangement to give allyl and allenyl sulfoxides, respectively. Analogous substitution reactions were observed when 3‐chloro‐3‐(chlorodisulfanyl)‐2,2,4,4‐tetramethylcyclobutan‐1‐one ( 3 ) was treated with N, O, and S nucleophiles. The reaction of 3 with Et₃P led to an unexpected product via cleavage of the S? S bond (cf. Scheme 13). In the reactions of 2 with primary amines and H₂O, the substitution products react further via elimination of HCl to yield the corresponding thiocarbonyl S‐imides and the thiocarbonyl S‐oxide, respectively. Whereas the latter could be isolated, the former were not stable but could be intercepted by MeOH (Scheme 4) or adamantanethione (Scheme 5). The structures of some of the substitution products were established by X‐ray crystallography.     

Anion-sealed single-molecule capsules

A new approach to anion recognition utilizing electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions has been demonstrated by placement of the whole ion-pair in a molecular capsule.     

Kinetically controlled Ag+-coordinated chiral supramolecular polymerization accompanying a helical inversion

We report kinetically controlled chiral supramolecular polymerization based on ligand–metal complex with a 3 : 2 (L : Ag⁺) stoichiometry accompanying a helical inversion in water. A new family of bipyridine-based ligands (d-L1, l-L1, d-L2, and d-L3) possessing hydrazine and d- or l-alanine moieties at the alkyl chain groups has been designed and synthesized. Interestingly, upon addition of AgNO₃ (0.5–1.3 equiv.) to the d-L1 solution, it generated the aggregate I composed of the d-L1AgNO₃ complex (d-L1 : Ag⁺ = 1 : 1) as the kinetic product with a spherical structure. Then, aggregate I (nanoparticle) was transformed into the aggregate II (supramolecular polymer) based on the (d-L1)₃Ag₂(NO₃)₂ complex as the thermodynamic product with a fiber structure, which led to the helical inversion from the left-handed (M-type) to the right-handed (P-type) helicity accompanying CD amplification. In contrast, the spherical aggregate I (nanoparticle) composed of the d-L1AgNO₃ complex with the left-handed (M-type) helicity formed in the presence of 2.0 equiv. of AgNO₃ and was not additionally changed, which indicated that it was the thermodynamic product. The chiral supramolecular polymer based on (d-L1)₃Ag₂(NO₃)₂ was produced via a nucleation–elongation mechanism with a cooperative pathway. In thermodynamic study, the standard ΔG° and ΔH_e values for the aggregates I and II were calculated using the van''t Hoff plot. The enhanced ΔG° value of the aggregate II compared to that of the formation of aggregate I confirms that aggregate II was thermodynamically more stable. In the kinetic study, the influence of concentration of AgNO₃ confirmed the initial formation of the aggregate I (nanoparticle), which then evolved to the aggregate II (supramolecular polymer). Thus, the concentration of the (d-L1)₃Ag₂(NO₃)₂ complex in the initial state plays a critical role in generating aggregate II (supramolecular polymer). In particular, NO₃⁻ acts as a critical linker and accelerator in the transformation from the aggregate I to the aggregate II. This is the first example of a system for a kinetically controlled chiral supramolecular polymer that is formed via multiple steps with coordination structural change.

The nanoparticles were transformed into the supramolecular polymer as the thermodynamic product, involving a helical inversion from left-handed to right-handed helicity.     

Square wave adsorptive stripping voltammetric determination of famotidine in urine

Electrochemical studies of famotidine were carried out using voltammetric techniques: cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep and square wave adsorptive stripping voltammetry. The dependence of the current on pH, buffer concentration, nature of the buffer, and scan rate was investigated. The best results for the determination of famotidine were obtained in MOPS buffer solution at pH 6.7. This electroanalytical procedure enabled to determine famotidine in the concentration range 1 × 10⁻⁹–4 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ by linear sweep adsorptive stripping voltammetry (LS AdSV) and 5 × 10⁻¹⁰–6 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ by square wave adsorptive stripping voltammetry (SW AdSV). Repeatability, precision and accuracy of the developed methods were checked. The detection and quantification limits were found to be 1.8 × 10⁻¹⁰ and 6.2 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹ for LS AdSV and 4.9 × 10⁻¹¹ and 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹ for SW AdSV, respectively. The method was applied for the determination of famotidine in urine.