A theoretical study of the gas-phase chemi-ionization reaction between uranium and oxygen atoms

The U+O chemi-ionization reaction has been investigated by quantum chemical methods. Potential-energy curves have been calculated for several electronic states of UO and UO(+). Comparison with the available spectroscopic and thermodynamic values for these species is reported and a mechanism for the chemi-ionization reaction U+O-->UO(+)+e(-) is proposed. The U+O and Sm+O chemi-ionization reactions are the first two metal-plus-oxidant chemi-ionization reactions to be studied theoretically in this way.     

Mass spectrometric studies of 2-aryl-5-acetylthiazole derivatives

Electron ionisation mass spectrometry was usefully used to characterize structurally 2-aryl-5-acetylthiazole derivatives in the gas phase. The compounds show characteristic fragmentation pathways depending on the chemical nature of the substituent at position 2, consisting mainly in the cleavage of both the 1,2- and 3,4-bonds of the thiazole ring. Liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry was applied to study the effects of protonation on the gas-phase unimolecular reactions of this class of compound. Tandem mass spectrometric experiments, carried out on molecular and protonated molecular ions, and also on fragment ions produced in the source, allowed the elucidation of gas-phase decompositions of low-internal energy ions.     

Interaction of Hydrogen with MOF-5

Hydrogen storage is among the most demanding challenges in the hydrogen-based energy cycle. One proposed strategy for hydrogen storage is based on physisorption on high surface area solids such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Within this class of materials, MOF-5 has been the first structure studied for hydrogen storage. The IR spectroscopy of adsorbed H2 performed at 15 K and ab initio calculations show that the adsorptive properties of this material are mainly due to dispersive interactions with the internal wall structure and to weak electrostatic forces associated with O13Zn4 clusters. Calculated and measured binding enthalpies are between 2.26 and 3.5 kJ/mol, in agreement with the H2 rotational barriers reported in the literature. A minority of binding sites with higher adsorption enthalpy (7.4 kJ/mol) is also observed. These species are probably associated with OH groups on the external surfaces present as termini of the microcrystals.     

DFT study of the EPR spectral pattern of propagating methacrylic radicals

The EPR spectral pattern observed in the bulk polymerization of methacrylic monomers was theoretically investigated by DFT methodology. The conformational analysis of the propagating radical by the rotation around the C–C_β bond, was performed using the B3LYP/6-31G^* computational scheme. To obtain accurate values of the isotropic hyperfine coupling constants (hfccs) a higher level protocol, B3LYP/TZVP//B3LYP/6-31G^*, was applied. The experimental 13-line spectrum registered at the first stage of the polymerization was assumed to correspond to a free rotating radical in a fluid medium and it was simulated just considering the most stable conformation. The 9-line spectrum registered at high conversions was interpreted in terms of highly hindered rotational conformers frozen in the very viscous medium. This spectrum was well reproduced by a model which considers the sum of the individual spectra of the conformations spread around the most probable. Each of these contributing spectra was obtained on the basis of the computed hfccs for the considered conformations and weighted by his relative Boltzmann population according to the DFT analysis. Besides, the calculated hfccs showed an excellent agreement with those predicted by the Heller–McConnell relationship, which confirms the coherence of the DFT methodology for this kind of calculations.     

Intramolecular energy transfer involving heisenberg spin-coupled dinuclear iron-oxo complexes

The synthesis, structure, and physical properties of a series of oxo-bridged dinuclear Fe(III) complexes containing pendant naphthalene groups are described. The compounds [Fe(2)O(O(2)CCH(2)-C(10)H(7))(tren)(2)](BPh(4))(NO(3))(2) (8), [Fe(2)O(O(2)CCH(2)-C(10)H(7))(TPA)(2)](ClO(4))(3) (9), Fe(2)O(O(2)CCH(2)-C(10)H(7))(2)(Tp)(2) (10), and Fe(2)O((O(2)CCH(2)CH(2))(2)-C(10)H(6))(Tp)(2) (11) (where tren is tris(2-aminoethyl)amine, TPA is tris(2-pyridyl)amine, and Tp is hydrotrispyrazolylborate) have been characterized in terms of their structural, spectroscopic, magnetic, and photophysical properties. All four complexes exhibit moderately strong intramolecular antiferromagnetic exchange between the high-spin ferric ions (ca. -130 cm(-)(1) for H = -2JS(1).S(2)). Room-temperature steady-state emission spectra for compounds 8-11 in deoxygenated CH(3)CN solution reveal spectral profiles similar to methyl-2-naphthyl acetate and [Zn(2)(OH)(O(2)CCH(2)-C(10)H(7))(2)(TACN-Me(3))(2)](ClO(4)) (13, where TACN-Me(3) is N,N,N-1,4,7-trimethyltriazacyclononane) but are significantly weaker in intensity relative to these latter two compounds. Time-resolved emission data for the iron complexes following excitation at 280 nm can be fit to simple exponential decay models with tau(obs)(S)()1 = 36 +/- 2, 32 +/- 4, 30 +/- 5, and 39 +/- 3 ns for compounds 8-11, respectively. The decays are assigned to the S(1) --> S(0) fluorescence of naphthalene; all of the lifetimes are less than that of the zinc model complex (tau(obs)(S)()1 = 45 +/- 2 ns), indicating quenching of the S(1) state by the iron-oxo core. Nanosecond time-resolved absorption data on [Zn(2)(OH)(O(2)CCH(2)-C(10)H(7))(2)(TACN-Me(3))(2)](ClO(4)) reveal a feature at lambda(max) = 420 nm that can be assigned as the T(1) --> T(n) absorption of the naphthalene triplet; the rise time of 50 +/- 10 ns corresponds to an intersystem crossing rate of 2 x 10(7) s(-1). A similar feature (though much weaker in intensity) is also observed for compound 8. The order-of-magnitude reduction in the T(1) lifetime of the pendant naphthalene for all of the iron-oxo complexes (tau(obs)(T)1 = 5 +/- 2 micros vs 90 +/- 10 micros for [Zn(2)(OH)(O(2)CCH(2)-C(10)H(7))(2)(TACN-Me(3))(2)](ClO(4))) indicates quenching of the naphthalene triplet with an efficiency of >90%. Neither the naphthalene radical cation nor the reduced Fe(II)Fe(III) species were observed by transient absorption spectroscopy, implying that energy transfer is the most likely origin for the quenching of both the S(1) and T(1) states. Spectral overlap considerations strongly support a F?rster (i.e., dipolar) mechanism for energy transfer from the S(1) state, whereas the lack of phosphorescence from either the free naphthyl ester or the Zn model complex suggests Dexter transfer to the diiron(III) core as the principal mechanism of triplet quenching. The notion of whether spin exchange within the diiron(III) core is in part responsible for the unusual ability of the iron-oxo core to engage in energy transfer from both the singlet and triplet manifolds of naphthalene is discussed.     

Crystallization behavior of poly(l-lactic acid)

This article contains a detailed analysis of the crystallization behavior of poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA). Crystallization rates of PLLA have been measured in a wide temperature range, using both isothermal and non-isothermal methods. The combined usage of multiple thermal treatments allowed to obtain information on crystallization kinetics of PLLA at temperatures almost ranging from glass transition to melting point. Crystallization rate of PLLA is very high at temperatures between 100 and 118 °C, showing a clear deviation from the usual bell-shaped curve. This discontinuity has been ascribed to a sudden acceleration in spherulite growth, and is not associated to morphological changes in the appearance of PLLA spherulites. Experimental data of spherulite growth rates of PLLA have been analyzed with Hoffman-Lauritzen method. Applicability and limitations of this theoretical treatment have been discussed.     

Cyclometalated N,N-dimethylbenzylamine ruthenium(II) complexes [Ru(C6HRRR-o-CH2NMe2)(bpy)(RCN)2]PF6 for bioapplications: synthesis, characterization, crystal structures, redox properties, and reactivity toward PQQ-dependent glucose dehydrogenase

Cyclometalated derivatives of ring-substituted N,N-dimethylbenzylamines with controlled redox potentials as potent mediators of bioelectrochemical electron transport are reported. The cycloruthenation of R¹R²R³C₆H₂CH₂NMe₂ (R¹, R², R³ = H, Me, ^tBuO, MeO, NMe₂, F, CF₃, CN, NO₂) by [(η⁶-C₆H₆)RuCl(μ-Cl)]₂ in the presence of NaOH/KPF₆ in acetonitrile or pivalonitrile affords cyclometalated complexes [(η⁶-C₆H₆)Ru(C₆HR¹R²R³-o-CH₂NMe₂)(RCN)]PF₆ [R = Me (1) and R = CMe₃ (2)] in good yields. Reactions of complexes 1 and 2 with 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) in acetonitrile or pivalonitrile result in dissociation of η⁶-bound benzene and the formation of [Ru(C₆HR¹R²R³-o-CH₂NMe₂)(bpy)(RCN)₂]PF₆ [R = Me (3) and R = CMe₃ (4)]. All new compounds have been fully characterized by mass spectrometry, ¹H/¹³C NMR, and IR spectroscopy. An X-ray crystal structural investigation of complex 1 (R¹/R²/R³ = H/H/H) and two complexes of type 3 (R¹/R²/R³ = MeO/H/H, MeO/MeO/H) has been performed. Acetonitrile ligands of 3 are mutually cis and the σ-bound carbon is trans to one of the bpy nitrogens. Measured by the cyclic voltammetry in MeOH as solvent, the redox potentials of complexes 3 for the Ru^II/III feature cover the range 320-720 mV (versus Ag/AgCl) and correlate linearly with the Hammett constants. Complexes 3 mediate efficiently the electron transport between the active site of PQQ-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (PQQ = pyrroloquinoline quinone) and a glassy carbon electrode. Determined by cyclic voltammetry the second order rate constant for the oxidation of the reduced (by d-glucose) enzyme active site by Ru^III derivative of 3 (R¹/R²/R³ = H) (generated electrochemically) is as high as 4.8 × 10⁷ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ at 25 °C and pH 7.     

On the iteration of the adjunction process for surfaces of negative Kodaira dimension

Let (X,L) be a pair consisting of a smooth, complex, projective surface X and L a very ample line bundle on it. Suppose that the Kodaira dimension K(X) of X is negative. Then using the results obtained by A.J.Sommese and A.Van de Ven in [11], we find that the sectional genus, g_k=g(L_k), of the successive iterated minimal reductions (X_k,L_k), see 1. for the definition, reach a maximum value and then monotonically decrease to a final value g_n=g(L_n)g=g(L). This result gives a concrete way to express any pair (X,L), with K(X)=–, in terms of a minimal model.     

On the flocks of Q+(3,q)

A complete characterization of the flocks of Q⁺(3, q) is given. As an application, it follows that if q is odd, q11, 23, 59, there exist no maximal exterior sets of Q⁺ (2n–1, q) for n>2.Paper written with partial financial support of M.P.I.; the authors are members of G.N.S.A.G.A. of C.N.R.     

Designing sequence to control protein function in an EF-hand protein

The extent of conformational change that calcium binding induces in EF-hand proteins is a key biochemical property specifying Ca(2+) sensor versus signal modulator function. To understand how differences in amino acid sequence lead to differences in the response to Ca(2+) binding, comparative analyses of sequence and structures, combined with model building, were used to develop hypotheses about which amino acid residues control Ca(2+)-induced conformational changes. These results were used to generate a first design of calbindomodulin (CBM-1), a calbindin D(9k) re-engineered with 15 mutations to respond to Ca(2+) binding with a conformational change similar to that of calmodulin. The gene for CBM-1 was synthesized, and the protein was expressed and purified. Remarkably, this protein did not exhibit any non-native-like molten globule properties despite the large number of mutations and the nonconservative nature of some of them. Ca(2+)-induced changes in CD intensity and in the binding of the hydrophobic probe, ANS, implied that CBM-1 does undergo Ca(2+) sensorlike conformational changes. The X-ray crystal structure of Ca(2+)-CBM-1 determined at 1.44 A resolution reveals the anticipated increase in hydrophobic surface area relative to the wild-type protein. A nascent calmodulin-like hydrophobic docking surface was also found, though it is occluded by the inter-EF-hand loop. The results from this first calbindomodulin design are discussed in terms of progress toward understanding the relationships between amino acid sequence, protein structure, and protein function for EF-hand CaBPs, as well as the additional mutations for the next CBM design.