Relevant synthesis parameters for the sequential catalytic growth of carbon nanotubes

Sequential catalytic growth provides an efficient tool for the synthesis of carbon nanotubes periodically inserted with catalyst nanoparticles. Several synthesis parameters were found crucial in order to induce this particular growth mechanism. The presence of phosphorus is required to form metal phosphide particles active for the formation of carbon nanotubes with a matchstick morphology. The metal composition (Ni/Fe ratio) and the carbon supply have no influence on the nanofilament type but strongly affect the nanotube yield. The synthesis temperature induces important changes on both the nanofilament type and yield, which are correlated with important transformations of the catalyst layer in terms of composition, particle size, and physical state.     

Enantioselective guest binding and dynamic resolution of cationic ruthenium complexes by a chiral metal-ligand assembly

A supramolecular metal-ligand assembly encapsulates a variety of cationic half-sandwich ruthenium complexes. Due to the chirality of both host and guest, chiral recognition is observed with diastereomeric excesses up to 70%. The chiral cavity can be used to carry out a dynamic resolution of the rapidly equilibrating enantiomers of the chiral organometallic guest.     

Methyl rotational tunneling dynamics of p-xylene confined in a crystalline zeolite host

The methyl rotational tunneling spectrum of p-xylene confined in nanoporous zeolite crystals has been measured by inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and analyzed to extract the rotational potential energy surfaces characteristic of the methyl groups in the host-guest complex. The number and relative intensities of the tunneling peaks observed by INS indicate the presence of methyl-methyl coupling interactions in addition to the methyl-zeolite interactions. The INS tunneling spectra from the crystals (space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with four crystallographically inequivalent methyl rotors) are quantitatively interpreted as a combination of transitions involving two coupled methyl rotors as well as a transition involving single-particle tunneling of a third inequivalent rotor, in a manner consistent with the observed tunneling energies and relative intensities. Together, the crystal structure and the absence of additional peaks in the INS spectra suggest that the tunneling of the fourth inequivalent rotor is strongly hindered and inaccessible to INS measurements. This is verified by proton NMR measurements of the spin-lattice relaxation time which reveal the tunneling characteristics of the fourth inequivalent rotor.     

Electrokinetic investigations of charged porous membranes

Asymmetric ultrafiltration membranes were prepared from fully aromatic polyamides differing in the diamine monomers of the polymeric backbone and from polysulfone. Nanofiltration membranes were made from polysulfone and polyethersulfone. The polysulfone as well as the polyethersulfone were chemically modified to change the surface charges of the membranes that were made from these polymers. This means neutral, positively as well as negatively charged membranes could be employed for the measurements. The surface properties of the membranes as a function of pH were determined by measuring the streaming potential in a perpendicular and horizontal mode. Applying proteins the values of the streaming potential changed depending on the original charges of the membranes as well as on the pH of the solution. The values shifted to either higher or lower absolute values. Thus, characterization of unused and used membranes can be carried out by electrokinetic measurements. This was also demonstrated using a membrane fitted out with invertase. The zeta potential of nanofiltration membranes, however, was only evaluated from the results obtained with the horizontally run cell.     

Synthesis,metal-exchange kinetics and X-ray structure of the nickel(II) complex of the diazacyclam ligand 1,3,6,10,12,15-hexa-azatricyclo [13.3.1.16,10]eicosane, [NiL] (ClO4)2

The preparation of the nickel(II) complex of the diazacyclam ligand 1,3,6,10,12,15-hexaazatricyclo [13.3.1.16,10]eicosane (2) by the reaction of the nickel(II) complex of N-(2-aminoethyl)-1,3-diaminopropane with formaldehyde in MeOH solution is described. The crystal structure of [NiL](ClO4)2 has been determined. The nickel atom is four coordinate and planar with Ni-N bond lengths of 1.969(4) and 1.928(3)Å in a centrosymmetric structure. The basic diazacyclam ring system has a trans III configuration with the two additional six-membered rings fused in a chair conformation.The kinetics of the metal exchange:for the nickel complexes (1) and (2) have been studied in detail. Under the experimental conditions employed, with copper(II) in at least a tenfold excess, the reaction is independent of the copper(II) concentration. The copper(II) effectively scavenges the free ligand as the nickel(II) complex dissociates. For the nickel complex (1) k = 2 × 10–4 s–1 at 60°C and H = 126 ± 5 kJmol–1 and S298 = 61 ± 15 JK–1mol–1. For the complex (2), k = 1.8 × 10–4 s–1 at 60°C and H = 99 ± 6 kJmol–1 and S298 = –21 ± 10 JK–1 mol–1.     

Metrology in chemistry: Rapid developments in the global metrological infrastructure, the CIPM MRA and its economic and social impact

Over the last decade, significant developments in metrology in chemistry have been observed, triggered by rapidly increasing demands by industry, trade, society, regulators, and accreditation bodies. Internal markets like the European Union, and trade agreements, like those agreed between the EU and the United States, Australia, Japan, and others will only really work when technical barriers to trade caused by non-harmonized measurement and testing systems and lack of international recognition of national measurement standards and certificates issued by the National Metrology Institutes have been taken away. Food safety test results and nutritional values, clinical and environmental measurements have to be comparable and reliable worldwide. Food products from all continents are traded year round on a global basis. Individuals are traveling everywhere. The environment and climate influences all of us.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at Presented at International Symposium on Metrology in Chemistry, 2004 Beijing, China.     

2-Mercaptomethyl-thiazolidines use conserved aromatic–S interactions to achieve broad-range inhibition of metallo-β-lactamases

Infections caused by multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria are a major public health threat. Carbapenems are among the most potent antimicrobial agents that are commercially available to treat MDR bacteria. Bacterial production of carbapenem-hydrolysing metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) challenges their safety and efficacy, with subclass B1 MBLs hydrolysing almost all β-lactam antibiotics. MBL inhibitors would fulfil an urgent clinical need by prolonging the lifetime of these life-saving drugs. Here we report the synthesis and activity of a series of 2-mercaptomethyl-thiazolidines (MMTZs), designed to replicate MBL interactions with reaction intermediates or hydrolysis products. MMTZs are potent competitive inhibitors of B1 MBLs in vitro (e.g., K_i = 0.44 μM vs. NDM-1). Crystal structures of MMTZ complexes reveal similar binding patterns to the most clinically important B1 MBLs (NDM-1, VIM-2 and IMP-1), contrasting with previously studied thiol-based MBL inhibitors, such as bisthiazolidines (BTZs) or captopril stereoisomers, which exhibit lower, more variable potencies and multiple binding modes. MMTZ binding involves thiol coordination to the Zn(ii) site and extensive hydrophobic interactions, burying the inhibitor more deeply within the active site than d/l-captopril. Unexpectedly, MMTZ binding features a thioether–π interaction with a conserved active-site aromatic residue, consistent with their equipotent inhibition and similar binding to multiple MBLs. MMTZs penetrate multiple Enterobacterales, inhibit NDM-1 in situ, and restore carbapenem potency against clinical isolates expressing B1 MBLs. Based on their inhibitory profile and lack of eukaryotic cell toxicity, MMTZs represent a promising scaffold for MBL inhibitor development. These results also suggest sulphur–π interactions can be exploited for general ligand design in medicinal chemistry.

Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are major culprits of resistance to carbapenems in bacteria. A series of thiazolidines are potent MBL inhibitors, restoring the activity of carbapenems. Metal binding and sulphur–π interactions are key to inhibition.     

Synthesis of the branched-chain sugar aceric acid: a unique component of the pectic polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan-II

Described herein is the synthesis of 3-C-carboxy-5-deoxy-L-xylose (aceric acid), a rare branched-chain sugar found in the complex pectic polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan-II. The key synthetic step in the construction of aceric acid was the stereoselective addition of 2-trimethylsilyl thiazole to 5-deoxy-1,2-O-isopropylidene-alpha-L-erythro-pentofuran-3-ulose (2), which was prepared from L-xylose. The thiazole group was efficiently converted into the required carboxyl group via conventional transformations. Aceric acid was also synthesized by dihydroxylation of a 3-C-methylene derivative of 2 followed by oxidation of the resulting hydroxylmethyl group. The C-2 epimer of aceric acid was also synthesized using thiazole addition chemistry, starting from L-arabinose.     

Unified model to predict self-assembly of nonionic surfactants in solution and adsorption on solid or fluid hydrophobic surfaces: effect of molecular structure

We have developed a pseudo-phase model to predict the self-assembly of nonionic surfactants on hydrophobic solid or fluid interfaces and in bulk solution. The uniqueness of this model is that it provides the relationship between molecular structure and self-assembly in solution and on interfaces. This model requires the input of minimal new experimental data. The remaining model parameters may be calculated on the basis of the surfactant molecular structure. The validity of the model has been established by comparing predictions with a wide array of experimental data for nonionic surfactant adsorption at the hydrophobic solid-water interface and at the air-water interface. The same model is then used to predict the self-assembly in bulk solution. The model predictions for critical aggregation concentration, aggregate shapes, and adsorption isotherms of various surfactants are in good agreement with the experimental data available in the literature.     

Axial Site Occupancy by the Least Electronegative Ligands in Trigonal Bipyramidal Tetraoxyphosphoranes(1)

Analogous to the formation of CH(2)[(t-Bu)(2)C(6)H(2)O](2)P(Ph)(O(2)C(6)Cl(4)) (1), the new bicyclic tetraoxyphosphoranes CH(2)[(t-Bu)(2)C(6)H(2)O](2)P(Et)(O(2)C(6)Cl(4)) (3) and CH(2)[ClC(6)H(3)O](2)P(Ph)(O(2)C(6)Cl(4)) (4) were synthesized by the oxidative addition of the appropriate cyclic phosphines with o-tetrachlorobenzoquinone. For the formation of CH(2)[(t-Bu)(2)C(6)H(2)O](2)P(Ph)(O(2)C(2)Ph(2)) (2), a similar reaction was followed with the use of benzil (PhCOCOPh) in place of o-tetrachlorobenzoquinone. X-ray analysis of 1-3 revealed trigonal bipyramidal geometries and provided evidence for the first series of complexes in the absence of ring strain in which the least electronegative group, ethyl or phenyl, is located in an axial position, in violation of the electronegativity rule. Thus, the two oxygen-containing ring systems occupied two different sets of positions in the trigonal bipyramid (TBP) with the eight-membered rings at diequatorial sites. X-ray analysis of 4 revealed a trigonal bipyramidal geometry with electron-withdrawing chlorine substituents on each ring assumed the more conventional geometry with the rings occupying axial-equatorial positions and the phenyl group located in the remaining equatorial site. The fact that molecular mechanics calculations favorably reproduced the observed geometries suggests that a steric contribution associated with the ring tert-butyl groups for 1-3 is partly responsible in favoring diequatorial ring occupancy for the eight-membered ring. NMR data supported rigid pentacoordinated structures in solution at 23 degrees C. Phosphorane 1 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Fdd2 with a = 44.787(5) ?, b = 34.648(8) ?, c = 10.3709(9) ?, and Z = 16. Phosphorane 2 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pna2(1) with a = 20.658(8) ?, b = 10.342(2) ?, c = 19.879(6) ?, and Z = 4. Phosphorane 3 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pcmn with a = 9.807(2) ?, b = 16.632(4) ?, c = 23.355(3) ?, and Z = 4. Phosphorane 4 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with a = 35.699(5) ?, b = 12.187(2) ?, c = 14.284(3) ?, beta = 107.08(1) degrees, and Z = 8. The final conventional unweighted residuals are 0.0395 (1), 0.0518 (2), 0.0540 (3), and 0.0868 (4).