Conformational and Electronic Interaction Studies of Some β-Ketosulfoxides

ABSTRACT.

The analysis of the carbonyl I.R. band and the U.V. phoelectron spectroscopic data along with the ab-initio calculations and X-ray diffraction of α-(methylsulfinyl)- and α-(phenylsulfinyl)-acetophenones indicated the predominance of the cis rotamers over the qauche ones.     

Effect of the addition of a nonionic surfactant on the complex poly(asparagine)--cationic surfactant

Poly(asparagine) (pAsn) at 0.1wt % in the presence of dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and pentaoxyethylene octyl ether (C(8)E(5)) at 1:1 molar ratio leads to the formation of mixed DTAB/C(8)E(5) micelle-like aggregates onto the polypeptide as a total surfactant critical association concentration (cac) is reached, as revealed by surface tension measurements and NMR chemical shifts. Two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (NOESY) capable of revealing spatial relationships among proximal protons has been performed on the pAsn-DTAB-C(8)E(5)-water system to study structural details of the surfactant-polypeptide aggregates. NOESY cross-peaks at sample temperature of 298.15 K indicate that the polypeptide interacts with the DTAB/C(8)E(5) micelle-like aggregates. The NOE intermolecular effects also show direct interactions between surfactant and polypeptide in the pAsn-DTAB-water system, whereas no interaction has been revealed in the pAsn-C(8)E(5)-water system. Furthermore, the experimental evidence suggest that the DTAB-polypeptide complex is mainly driven by the polar attraction between the two molecules.     

Ionic electroactive polymer metal composites: Fabricating,modeling, and applications of postsilicon smart devices

Smart systems adapt to the surrounding environments in a number of ways. They are capable to scavenge energy from available sources, sense and elaborate external stimuli and adequately react. Electro Active Polymers are playing a main role in the realization of smart systems for applications if fields such as bio inspired and autonomous robotics, medicine, and aerospace. This paper focus on the possibility to use Ionic Polymer Metal Composites as a class of materials relevant to the realization of post silicon smart systems. The three main aspects of this new technology, i.e., fabrication methods, modeling, and applications are described with emphasis to most recent results. Attention is given to main challenges and shortcomings to be solved for technology, modelling, and control of IPMC based devices that need to be solved before this new technology can be fully exploited in real world applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2013     

Stereoselective Control by Face‐to‐Face Versus Edge‐to‐Face Aromatic Interactions: The Case of C3‐TiIV Amino Trialkolate Sulfoxidation Catalysts

The stereoselective oxidation of differently functionalised benzyl phenyl sulfides has been examined by using enantiopure Ti^IV trialkanolamine complexes. These complexes efficiently catalyse the sulfoxidation with good stereoselectivities. The data highlight the contribution to the stereoselectivity of steric effects and non‐covalent π–π interactions between the aromatic rings of the Ti^IV complex and those pertaining to the substrates. Enantiomeric excesses have been correlated with the electrostatic potential surfaces (EPS) of the reacting sulfides. The overall study leads to a mechanistic interpretation that explains the stereoselectivity of the system and dissects the role of aromatic and steric interactions in the stereoselective process.     

Chemo- and regioselectivity in the reactions of polyfunctional pyrroles

The chemo- and regioselectivity of the reduction, oxidation and Wittig reaction of polyfunctional pyrroles, containing a variety of reactive centres was investigated. The reaction of 3,5-dichloropyrrole-2,4-dicarboxaldehydes with potassium permanganate leads to regioselective oxidation of the 2-formyl group, while the Wittig reaction with 1 equiv of a triphenylphosphorane produced the 2-alkenyl substituted pyrroles.     

Colloidal Surface Active Maghemite Nanoparticles for Biologically Safe CrVI Remediation: from Core‐Shell Nanostructures to Pilot Plant Development

The present study is aimed at the exploration of achievable improvements for Cr^VI ex situ and in situ water remediation by using novel naked colloidal maghemite (γ‐Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles (surface active maghemite nanoparticles, SAMNs). The reliability of SAMNs for Cr^VI binding and removal was demonstrated, and SAMN@Cr^VI complex was characterized, as well as the covalent nature of the absorption was unequivocally proved. SAMNs were structurally and magnetically well conserved after Cr^VI binding. Thus, in consideration of their affinity for Cr^VI, SAMNs were exploited in a biological model system, mimicking a real in situ application. The assay evidenced a progressive reduction of revertant colonies of Salmonella typhimurium TA100 strain, as maghemite nanoparticles concentration increased, till the complete suppression of Cr^VI mutagen effect. Finally, an automatic modular pilot system for continuous magnetic removal and recovery of Cr^VI from water is proposed. SAMNs, thanks to their colloidal, binding, and catalytic properties, represent a promising tool as a reliable nanomaterial for water remediation by Cr^VI.     

Ionization and tautomerization of 2-nitrocyclohexanone in aqueous solution

The keto-enol tautomerism of 2-nitrocyclohexanone (2-NCH) was studied in aqueous solution under different experimental conditions. Ketonization rate constants were measured spectrophotometrically at 25 degrees C at an ionic strength of 0.4 mol dm-3 (NaCl) in diluted hydrochloric acid, in diluted sodium hydroxide, and in several buffers by using NaHSO3 as the scavenger of the keto form. A value of pK(a)(EH) = 4.78 for the enol form was obtained from the rate-pH profile of the reaction. A value of pK(a)(KH) = 5.97 for the keto form was directly obtained from the UV-vis spectra of 2-NCH recorded at different pHs. The equilibrium constant for the keto-enol tautomerism, pK(T) = -log([enol]/[ketone]) = 1.19, was obtained by combining the two pKa values (pK(T) = pK(a)(KH) - pK(a)(EH)). A comparison of these results with the corresponding values (Keefe, J. R.; Kresge, A. J. In The Chemistry of Enols; Rappoport, Z., Ed.; Wiley & Sons: New York, 1990; pp 399-480) for cyclohexanone shows the dramatic effects of an alpha-nitro substituent on the keto-enol acidities and the tautomerization constant of alicyclic ketones. Rates and equilibria were discussed in the light of the Br?nsted equation, the principle of nonperfect synchronization, and the Marcus theory. It turns out that, on passing from nitroalkanes to nitroketones, the resonance contribution to pKa and deprotonation rate decreases, being overwhelmed by steric and inductive effects.     

Identification of phosphoproteins and determination of phosphorylation sites by zirconium dioxide enrichment and SELDI-MS/MS

Reversible protein phosphorylation mediated by protein kinases and phosphatases is the most studied post-translational modification. Efficient characterization of phosphoproteomes is hampered by (1) low stoechiometry, (2) the dynamic nature of the phosphorylation process and (3) the difficulties of mass spectrometry to identify phosphoproteins from complex mixtures and to determine their sites of phosphorylation. Combination of the phosphopeptide enrichment method with MALDI-TOFMS, or alternatively, with HPLC-ESI-MS/MS and MS(3) analysis was shown to be a step forward for the successful application of MS in the study of protein phosphorylation. In our study we used phosphopeptide enrichment performed in a simple single-tube experiment using zirconium dioxide (ZrO(2)). A simple protein mixture containing precipitated bovine milk caseins was enzymatically digested and the mixture of tryptic fragments was analysed before and after enrichment using nanoflow HPLC-ESI-MS/MS and surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization (SELDI)-MS/MS on QqTOF instruments to compare the efficiency of the two methods in the determination of phosphorylation sites. Both approaches confirm the high selectivity obtained by the use of batch-wise, ZrO(2)-based protocol using di-ammonium phosphate as the eluting buffer. More phosphorylation sites (five for beta-casein and three for alpha(S1)-casein) were characterized by SELDI-MS/MS than by nanoflow HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Therefore, ZrO(2)-based phosphopeptide enrichment combined with SELDI-MS/MS is an attractive alternative to previously reported approaches for the study of protein phosphorylation in mixtures of low complexity with the advance of fast in situ peptide purification. The method was limited to successful analysis of high-abundance proteins. Only one phosphorylation site was determined for the minor casein component alpha(S2)-casein by ESI-MS/MS and none for kappa-casein. Therefore an improvement in enrichment efficiency, especially for successful phosphoproteomic applications, is needed.     

Comparison of the fragility index of different eudragit polymers determined by activation enthalpies

The present study aimed to apply fragility index (m) of polymers in the determination of the optimal amount of plasticizer in polymer films. The fragility index of different Eudragit polymers (RS, RL, EPO) was assessed by differential scanning calorimerty (DSC), applying the Arrhenius connection (logq–1/T _g). The fragility of Eudragit EPO films proved to be the highest, while in the case of RS and RL, the increase of the alkyl-chain length caused the increase of fragility. Studying the effect of plasticizer (triethyl citrate, TEC) on the m value of Eudragit RL and RS films, a near linear reduction of the fragility index could be observed between 5–30% TEC concentration, but above 30%, this value leveled out to constant.