Oxygenolysis of flavonoid compounds: DFT description of the mechanism for quercetin.

Flavonoids are naturally occurring phenol derivatives present in substantial amounts in a large variety of plants, fruits and vegetables daily eaten by humans. Most of these compounds exhibit several interesting biological activities, such as antiradical and antioxidant actions. Indeed, by complexation with specific enzymes, flavonoids are notably liable to metabolize molecular dioxygen. On the basis of experimental results describing oxygenolysis of the flavonoid quercetin, activated by the enzyme quercetin 2,3-dioxygenase (2,3-QD),ur attention has focused on the role of metal center in the activation of the substrate quercetin. Thus, in the present study, by means of DFT calculations at the B3LYP/ 6-31(+)G* level on model molecular systems, we describe different mechanisms for dioxygen metabolization by quercetin. Stationary points are described, and energetic and structural analyses along the reaction paths are reported. Our calculations show that the copper cation must act as an oxidant towards the substrate and that the reaction proceeds through a 1,3-cycloaddition.     

Tradeoff between mixing and transport for electroosmotic flow in heterogeneous microchannels with nonuniform surface potentials

Electroosmotic flow (EOF) is a phenomenon associated with the movement of an aqueous solution induced by the application of an electric field in microchannels. The characteristics of EOF depend on the nature of the surface potential, i.e., whether it is uniform or nonuniform. In this paper, a lattice Boltzmann model (LBM) combined with the Poisson-Boltzmann equation is used to simulate flow field in a rectangular microchannel with nonuniform (step change) surface potentials. The simulation results indicate that local circulations can occur near a heterogeneous region with nonuniform surface potentials, in agreement with those by other authors. Largest circulations, which imply a highest mixing efficiency due to convection and short-range diffusion, were found when the average surface potential is zero, regardless of whether the distribution of the heterogeneous patches is symmetric or asymmetric. In this work, we have illustrated that there is a trade-off between the mixing and liquid transport in EOF microfluidics. One should not simply focus on mixing and neglect liquid transport, as performed in the literature. Excellent mixing could lead to a poor transport of electroosmotic flow in microchannels.     

3,7-Dioxaazelaamides as Ionophores for Lithium Ion Selective Liquid Membrane Electrodes

Lipophilic neutral carriers were synthesized which show Li⁺/Na⁺ selectivities of up to ca. 80 in highly lipophilic liquid membranes. The sensor membranes exhibit improved response times and increased lifetimes as compared to systems described earlier. They allow reliable measurements of Li⁺ in blood serum within the clinical concentration range. A 1:1 Li⁺/ionophore complex of one representative (N,N,N′,N′-tetracyclohexyl-5,5-dimethyl-3,7-dioxaazelaamide) has been prepared, and its structure was elucidated by X-ray analysis.     

Magnetism of metal cyanide networks assembled at interfaces

Studies of metal cyanide thin films prepared directly at interfaces are reviewed. The systems range from monolayers, single-layer analogs of Prussian blue-like networks, to bulk powders prepared as thin films. Monolayer networks are prepared at the air/water interface and transferred to solid supports using Langmuir-Blodgett film methods. Films of bulk materials are prepared directly on solid surfaces using a templated sequential deposition procedure. The magnetic properties of the films have been explored, and in some cases, these monolayers and surface films give rise to new behavior that is only possible because of the fabrication method or thin film architecture. The methods of synthesis can generate oriented samples, even when the materials are poorly crystalline. Furthermore, the interface-assembled networks are inherently anisotropic, leading to phenomena not present in the solid-state analogs, such as anisotropic photomagnetism in a thin film of Rb_jCo_k[Fe(CN)₆]_l·nH₂O.     

Losartan potassium,a non‐peptide agent for the treatment of arterial hypertension

In the title compound, potassium 2‐butyl‐4‐chloro‐1‐{[2′‐(5‐tetrazolido)­bi­phenyl‐4‐yl]­methyl}‐1H‐imidazol‐5‐yl­methanol, K⁺·C₂₂H₂₂ClN₆O^?, the imidazole and tetrazole rings are at angles of 85.0 (2) and 51.8 (1)°, respectively, to the phenyl rings to which they are attached, while the dihedral angle between the latter two rings is 46.7 (1)°. The coordination sphere of the metal cation consists of six tetrazoyl N atoms, the methanol O atom and the π cloud of one of the phenyl rings. These interactions determine the formation of columns of molecular anions that lie parallel to the b axis, while hydrogen bonding contributes to intercolumnar cohesion. Far from the centre of the columns, the hydro­carbon chain is immersed in a hydro­phobic environment.     

Free isotropic-nematic interfaces in fluids of charged platelike colloids

Bulk properties and free interfaces of mixtures of charged platelike colloids and salt are studied within the density-functional theory. The particles are modeled by hard cuboids with their edges constrained to be parallel to the Cartesian axes corresponding to the Zwanzig model. The charges of the particles are concentrated in their center. The density functional is derived by functional integration of an extension of the Debye-Hückel pair distribution function with respect to the interaction potential. For sufficiently small macroion charges, the bulk phase diagrams exhibit one isotropic and one nematic phase separated by a first-order phase transition. With increasing platelet charge, the isotropic and nematic binodals are shifted to higher densities. The Donnan potential between the coexisting isotropic and nematic phases is inferred from bulk structure calculations. Nonmonotonic density and nematic order parameter profiles are found at a free interface interpolating between the coexisting isotropic and nematic bulk phases. Moreover, electrically charged layers form at the free interface leading to monotonically varying electrostatic potential profiles. Both the widths of the free interfaces and the bulk correlation lengths are approximately given by the Debye length. For fixed salt density, the interfacial tension decreases upon increasing the macroion charge.     

Microwave‐assisted nucleophilic cleavage of 5,7‐dimethyl‐2‐phenyl‐1‐oxo‐lH‐pyrazolo[ 1,2‐a]pyrazol‐4‐ylium‐3‐olate to α‐phenylmalonamides

Three α‐phenylmalonamides have been prepared by the selective nucleophilic cleavage of 5,7‐dimethyl‐2‐phenyl‐1‐oxo‐1H‐pyrazolo[1,2‐a]pyrazol‐4‐ylium‐3‐olate in solventless microwave syntheses. The three weak nucleophiles employed were aniline, p‐chloroaniline and m‐toluidine. The α‐phenylmalonamides of these three aniline derivatives could not be prepared using the previously reported solvent syntheses via 3‐oxopyrazolo[1,2‐a]pyrazol‐8‐ylium‐1‐olates. All products were characterised using, infrared spectroscopy, ¹H nmr and electrospray mass spectrometry. The single crystal X‐ray structures of the starting pyrazolo‐[1,2‐a]pyrazole and α‐phenylmalon‐m‐toluidide are also reported.     

Properties of cerium-zirconium mixed oxides partially substituted by neodymium: Comparison with Zr-Ce-Pr-O ternary oxides

CeO₂ doped with praseodymium, neodymium and/or zirconium atoms were prepared by coprecipitation and by the sol-gel method. Structural properties were investigated by in situ XRD and Raman spectroscopy while oxygen storage capacity (OSC) was measured by transient CO oxidation. All the compounds, except pure Nd₂O₃, have a fluorite-type structure as well as a Raman band at 560 cm⁻¹ characteristic of the oxygen vacancies involving non-stoichiometric oxides. The lattice parameter under hydrogen, being dependent on the temperature, revealed two reduction mechanisms: one at a low temperature at the surface and another at a high temperature in the bulk. Ce-Nd binary oxides show a strong tendency towards crystallite aggregation, which reduces accessibility to gases and OSC properties. Zirconium improves the thermal resistance to sintering of both Ce-Nd and Ce-Pr oxides. The Zr-Ce-Pr-O followed by Zr-Ce-Nd-O compounds displaying high oxygen mobility at a low temperature, appear to be very promising for practical applications such as OSC materials.     

Investigations of precipitates in heat treated AgPd30/CuSn6 layers

The subject of the investigations are precipitation zones, which grew as a result of chemical diffusion in AgPd30/CuSn6 bimetals. These precipitation zones have been characterized by metallography, electron probe microanalysis and x-ray diffraction. The growth of precipitation zones in the plating layer and in the substrate layer in dependence on time have been determined. The use of x-ray diffraction alone for the identification of the precipitates could not supply satisfying results in every case. This problem was solved by the application of electron probe microanalysis using a correction method, which allows the estimation of the chemical composition of small particles.Dedicated to Professor Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h. c. Hubertus Nickel on the occasion of his 65th birthday