An Empirical Proton NMR Shielding Equation for Alkenes Based on Ab Initio Calculations

Nuclei of hydrogen atoms located over a carbon-carbon double bond in the presence of a strong magnetic field experience a perturbed magnetic field caused primarily by the magnetic anisotropy of the bond. However, the commonly used theoretical model for predicting the shielding effect of an alkene double bond on hydrogen nuclei is sometimes inconsistent with the observed proton NMR chemical shifts in structures that have covalently bonded hydrogens located over a carbon-carbon double bond. We have used the ab initio gauge including atomic orbital (GIAO) method to calculate isotropic shielding values and to determine the proton NMR shielding increments for a simple model system: methane held at various positions over ethene. These shielding increments calculated for one proton of methane have been mapped as a function of their position in Cartesian coordinates relative to the center of ethene. A mathematical function has been fit to this three-dimensional shielding increment surface at each of four distances from the face of the ethene molecule. Additionally, a single mathematical equation has been developed for predicting the shielding caused by the carbon-carbon double bond in ethene. In contrast to the traditionally employed shielding model, our results predict deshielding for protons within 3 Å above the center of a carbon-carbon double bond, consistent with experimental observations in several molecular systems. The NMR shielding increments predicted by this equation are compared to observed shielding increments in some test alkenes.     

Synthesis and characterization of a spin crossover iron(II)-iron(III) mixed valence supramolecular pseudo-dimer exhibiting chiral recognition, hydrogen bonding, and pi-pi interactions

Reaction of iron(II) and the 3 : 1 Schiff base condensate of 5-methylpyrazole-3-carboxaldehyde and tris(2-aminoethyl)amine in air gives a pseudo-dimer complex with a triple helix structure made of Delta-Delta and Lambda-Lambda pairings of spin crossover iron(II) and low spin iron(III) cations that are held together by three pi-pi and hydrogen bonding interactions.     

Universal Sets of n Points for One-bend Drawings of Planar Graphs with n Vertices

This paper shows that any planar graph with n vertices can be point-set embedded with at most one bend per edge on a universal set of n points in the plane. An implication of this result is that any number of planar graphs admit a simultaneous embedding without mapping with at most one bend per edge.     

The solvation of poly(vinyl alcohol)

The possible incorporation of water molecules within the crystal structure of poly(vinyl alcohol) is discussed. Modelling of the crystal structure suggested that water could be incorporated without severe disruption, and the effect on the X-ray powder diffraction trace was simulated. The effect of variation in tacticity is discussed in terms of the nature of the hydrogen bonding. Simulated traces are compared with experimental data from atactic samples in which a change in the diffraction peak intensities is observed for samples crystallised with water present. This is compared with samples produced from nonaqueous solutions.     

Chemical alteration of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) Teflon induced by exposure to vacuum ultraviolet radiation and comparison with exposure to hyperthermal atomic oxygen

The chemical alteration of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) Teflon by vacuum ultraviolet radiation (VUV) (115–400 nm) has been examined with X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The initial F/C atom ratio of 1.98 decreases to 1.65 after a 2‐h exposure. The F/C atom ratio is further reduced to a steady‐state value of 1.60 after a 74‐h exposure. The high‐resolution XPS C1s data indicate that new chemical states of carbon form as F is removed and that the relative amounts of these states depend on the F content of the near‐surface region. The states are most likely due to C bonded only to one F atom, C bonded only to other C atoms, and C that has lost a pair of electrons through the emission of F^?. The exposure of the VUV‐damaged surface to research‐grade O₂ results in the chemisorption of a very small amount of O, and this indicates that large quantities of reactive sites are not formed during the chemical erosion by VUV. Further exposure to VUV removes this chemisorbed oxygen. A comparison of the XPS data indicates that the mechanisms of chemical alteration by VUV radiation and hyperthermal (～5 eV) atomic oxygen are different, as expected, because the excitation sources are quite different. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 552–561, 2005     

The Use of Electrospray Mass Spectrometry to Determine Speciation in a Dynamic Combinatorial Library for Anion Recognition

The composition of a dynamic mixture of similar 2,2′‐bipyridine complexes of iron(II) bearing either an amide (5‐benzylamido‐2,2′‐bipyridine and 5‐(2‐methoxyethane)amido‐2,2′‐bipyridine) or an ester (2,2′‐bipyridine‐5‐carboxylic acid benzylester and 2,2′‐bipyridine‐5‐carboxylic acid 2‐methoxyethane ester) side chain have been evaluated by electrospray mass spectroscopy in acetonitrile. The time taken for the complexes to come to equilibrium appears to be dependent on the counteranion, with chloride causing a rapid redistribution of two preformed heteroleptic complexes (of the order of 1 hour), whereas the time it takes in the presence of tetrafluoroborate salts is in excess of 24 h. Similarly the final distribution of products is dependent on the anion present, with the presence of chloride, and to a lesser extent bromide, preferring three amide‐functionalized ligands, and a slight preference for an appended benzyl over a methoxyethyl group. Furthermore, for the first time, this study shows that the distribution of a dynamic library of metal complexes monitored by ESI‐MS can adapt following the introduction of a different anion, in this case tetrabutylammonium chloride to give the most favoured heteroleptic complex despite the increasing ionic strength of the solution.     

Moduli dimensions of lattice polygons

Journal of Algebraic Combinatorics - Given a lattice polygon P with g interior lattice points, we can associate to $$P$$ two moduli spaces: the moduli space of algebraic curves that are...     

Observation of uncorrelated microscopic motion in a strongly interacting adsorbate system

Modeling of intermolecular forces is a central theme in the physical sciences. The prototypical heterogeneous catalysis system, CO/Pt(111), is an extensively studied example where strong pairwise repulsive forces between the CO molecules have been used to explain the observed structure and dynamics. No direct measurements of these forces were available; yet, they offered a natural way of explaining various macroscopic observations assuming a separable adsorbate-substrate interaction and pairwise adsorbate-adsorbate interactions. In the present study, we measure intermolecular forces by following CO motion on a microscopic scale. The uncorrelated dynamics we observe throughout the coverage range of the measurements excludes the existence of the strong pairwise forces previously suggested. The increase in the rate of uncorrelated motion is explained by a nonlocal modification of the adsorbate-substrate interaction, reflecting a many-body system that cannot be described by the standard separable interaction approach.     

Promiscuous partitioning of a covalent intermediate common in the pentein superfamily

Many enzymes in the pentein superfamily use a transient covalent intermediate in their catalytic mechanisms. Here we trap and determine the structure of a stable covalent adduct that mimics this intermediate using a mutant dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase and an alternative substrate. The interactions observed between the enzyme and trapped adduct suggest an altered angle of attack between the nucleophiles of the first and second half-reactions of normal catalysis. The stable covalent adduct is also capable of further reaction. Addition of imidazole rescues the original hydrolytic activity. Notably, addition of other amines instead yields substituted arginine products, which arise from partitioning of the intermediate into the evolutionarily related amidinotransferase reaction pathway. The enzyme provides both selectivity and catalysis for the amidinotransferase reaction, underscoring commonalities among the reaction pathways in this mechanistically diverse enzyme superfamily. The promiscuous partitioning of this intermediate may also help to illuminate the evolutionary history of these enzymes.