Hydration structure and free energy of biomolecularly specific aqueous dications, including Zn2+ and first transition row metals

The hydration of some of the alkaline earth divalent metal cations and first row transition metal cations is considered within the quasi-chemical theory of solutions. Quantum chemical calculations provide information on the chemically important interactions between the ion and its first-shell water molecules. A dielectric continuum model supplies the outer-shell contribution. The theory then provides the framework to mesh these quantities together. The agreement between the calculated and experimental quantities is good. For the transition metal cations, it is seen that the ligand field contributions play an important role in the physics of hydration. Removing these bonding contributions from the computed hydration free energy results in a linear decrease in the hydration free energy along the period. It is precisely such effects that molecular mechanics force fields have not captured. The implications and extensions of this study to metal atoms in proteins are suggested.     

Synthesis and reactivity of some 6-substituted-2,4-dimethyl-3-pyridinols, a novel class of chain-breaking antioxidants

The synthesis and study of a series of 6-substituted-2,4-dimethyl-3-pyridinols having interesting antioxidant properties is reported. The general synthetic strategy leading to the compounds involved a low-temperature aryl bromide-to-alcohol conversion as the last step. 2,4-dimethyl-3-pyridinol (1a), 2,4,6-trimethyl-3-pyridinol (1b), and 2,4-dimethyl-6-(dimethylamino)-3-pyridinol (1d) were thus prepared from the corresponding 3-bromopyridine precursor. The methoxy derivative 2,4-dimethyl-6-(methoxy)-3-pyridinol (1c) was also prepared by an alternate route via a Baeyer-Villiger reaction on the substituted benzaldehyde precursor. Novel bicyclic pyridinols 2 and 3 required prior construction of the ring structure. Thus, 2 was prepared by the use of a 6-step intramolecular Friedel-Crafts strategy, and 3 required an 11-step sequence with a thermolytic intramolecular inverse-demand Diels-Alder reaction between a pyrimidine ring and an alkyne as the key step. Basicities of the pyridinols approached physiological pH with increasing electron density in the ring. Pyridinols 1a-d were found to be indefinitely stable to air oxidation while 2 and 3 decomposed upon extended exposure to the atmosphere. The reactivities of the pyridinols toward chain-carrying peroxyl radicals in homogeneous organic solution were examined by studying the kinetics of radical-initiated styrene autoxidations under controlled conditions. These experiments revealed that some of the newly synthesized pyridinols are the most effective phenolic chain-breaking antioxidants reported to date.     

Thermal decomposition of O-benzyl ketoximes; role of reverse radical disproportionation

Thermolyses of seven dialkyl, two alkyl-aryl and two diaryl O-benzyl ketoxime ethers, R(1)R(2)C[double bond, length as m-dash]NOCH(2)Ph, have been examined in three hydrogen donor solvents: tetralin, 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene, and 9,10-dihydroanthracene. All the oxime ethers gave the products expected from homolytic scission of both the O-C bond (viz., R(1)R(2)C[double bond, length as m-dash]NOH and PhCH(3)) and N-O bond (viz., R(1)R(2)C[double bond, length as m-dash]NH and PhCH(2)OH). The yields of these products depended on which solvent was used and the rates of decomposition of the O-benzyl oxime ethers were greater in 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene and 9,10-dihydroanthracene than in tetralin. These results indicated that a reverse radical disproportionation reaction in which a hydrogen atom was transferred from the solvent to the oxime ether, followed by [small beta]-scission of the resultant aminoalkyl radical, must be important in the latter two solvents. Benzaldehyde was found to be an additional product from thermolyses conducted in tetralin. This, and other evidence, indicated that another induced decomposition mode involving abstraction of a benzylic hydrogen atom, followed by [small beta]-scission of the resulting benzyl radical, became important for some substrates. Participation by minor amounts of enamine tautomers of the oxime ethers was shown to be negligible by comparison of thermolysis data for the O-benzyloxime of bicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-9-one, which cannot give an enamine tautomer, with that of the O-benzyloxime of cyclohexanone.     

Cu(HCO2)2(pym) (pym = pyrimidine): low-dimensional magnetic behavior and long-range ordering in a quantum-spin lattice

We synthesized and structurally and magnetically characterized the novel 3D coordination polymer Cu(HCO2)2(pym) (pym = pyrimidine). The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with a = 14.4639(8) A, b = 7.7209(4) A, c = 8.5172(5) A, beta = 126.076(2) degrees, and V= 768.76(7) A3. In the structure buckled layers of Cu(HCO2)2 are interconnected by pym ligands to afford 1D Cu-pym-Cu chains. Bulk magnetic susceptibility measurements show a broad maximum at 25 K that is indicative of short-range magnetic ordering. Between 12 and 300 K a least-squares fit of the chi(T) data to a mean-field-corrected antiferromagnetic chain model yielded excellent agreement for g = 2.224(3), J/kB = -26.9(2) K, and zJ'/kB = -1.1(3) K. Below approximately 3 K a transition to long-range magnetic ordering is observed, as suggested by a sharp and sudden decrease in chi(T). This result is corroborated by muon spin relaxation measurements that show oscillations in the muon asymmetry below T(N) = 2.802(1) K and rapidly fluctuating moments above T(N).     

The coordination chemistry ofN,N′-ethylenebis(2-acetylpyridine imine) andN,N′-ethylenebis(2-benzoylpyridine imine); two potentially tetradentate ligands containing four nitrogen atoms

Summary New complexes of the general formulae [ML_A(H₂O)₂]-Cl₂ (M=Ni or Cu), [ML_AX₂] (M=Co or Cu; X=Cl or Br), [NiL_ABr₂]·H₂O, [ML_A] [MCl₄] (M=Pd or Pt), [NiL_B(H₂O)₂]Cl₂·2H₂O, [ML_BCl₂] (M=Co, Ni, Cu, Pd or Pt; X=Cl or Br) and [ML_B] [MCl₄] (M=Pd or Pt), where L_A=N,N-ethylenebis(2-acetylpyridine imine) and L_B=N, N-ethylenebis(2-benzoylpyridine imine), have been isolated. The complexes were characterized by elemental analyses, conductivity measurements, t.g./d.t.g. methods, magnetic susceptibilities and spectroscopic (i.r., far-i.r., ligand field,¹Hn.m.r.) studies. Monomeric pseudo-octahedral stereochemistries for the Co^II, Ni^II and Cu^II complexes andcis square planar structures for the compounds [ML_BX₂] (M=Pd or Pt; X=Cl or Br) are assigned in the solid state. The molecules L_A and L_B behave as tetradentate chelate ligands in the Co^II, Ni^II, Cu^II and Magnus-type Pd^II and Pt^II complexes, bonding through both the pyridine and methine nitrogen atoms. A bidentateN-methine coordination of the Schiff base L_B is assigned in the [ML_BX₂] complexes (M=Pd or Pt; X=Cl or Br). The anomalous magnetic moment values of the Co^II complexes are discussed.     

Theoretical calculations of carbon-oxygen bond dissociation enthalpies of peroxyl radicals formed in the autoxidation of lipids

Theoretical calculations were carried out to provide a framework for understanding the free radical oxidation of unsaturated lipids. The carbon[bond]hydrogen bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) of organic model compounds and oxidizable lipids (R[bond]H) and the carbon[bond]oxygen bond dissociation enthalpies of peroxyl radical intermediates (R[bond]OO*) have been calculated. The carbon[bond]hydrogen BDEs correlate with the rate constant for propagation of free radical autoxidation, and the carbon[bond]oxygen BDEs of peroxyl radicals correlate with rate constants for beta-fragmentation of these intermediates. Oxygen addition to intermediate carbon radicals apparently occurs preferentially at centers having the highest spin density. The calculated spin distribution therefore provides guidance about the partitioning of oxygen to delocalized carbon radicals. Where the C[bond]H BDEs are a function of the extent of conjugation in the parent lipid and the stability of the carbon radical derived therefrom, C[bond]OO* BDEs are also affected by hyperconjugation. This gives way to different rates of beta-fragmentation of peroxyl radicals formed from oxygen addition at different sites along the same delocalized radical. We have also studied by both theory and experiment the propensity for benzylic radicals to undergo oxygen addition at their ortho and para carbons which, combined, possess an equivalent unpaired electron spin density as the benzylic position itself. We find that the intermediate peroxyl radicals in these cases have negative C[bond]OO* BDEs and, thus, have rate constants for beta-fragmentation that exceed the diffusion-controlled limit for the reaction of a carbon-centered radical with oxygen.     

Gas-chromatographic determination of nitrophenols after derivatisation with diazomethane

Summary A method is described to determine nitrophenols and two herbicides (Bromoxynil, Ioxynil) in precipitation, with GC-PND and GC-MS. First, the micropollutants were extracted by a mixture of pentane and ether (1/1), concentrated by rotary evaporator, then methylated by diazomethane. The extraction and reaction yields were measured. The resulting recoveries were between 75 and 100% for the mononitrophenols and about 70% for methylnitrophenols. The detection limits were about 0.25 g/l for most substances.     

Al2O3 coated LiCoO2 as cathode for high-capacity and long-cycling Li-ion batteries

In this study, we fabricated a Al₂O₃ layer coated on the surface of LiCoO₂ by a facile and scale-up sol-gel method. The proper thickness coating can improve the cycling life with the cut-off potential (4.5 V), which capacity retention is~73% after 500 cycles, and enhance the capacity, which shows~180 mAh/g.