Improvement of the Derjaguin-Broekhoff-de Boer theory for the capillary condensation/evaporation of nitrogen in spherical cavities and its application for the pore size analysis of silicas with ordered cagelike mesopores

In a previous work, we proposed an improvement of the Derjaguin-Broekhoff-de Boer (DBdB) theory for capillary condensation/evaporation in open-ended cylindrical mesopores. In this paper, we report a further extension of this approach to the capillary condensation/evaporation of nitrogen in siliceous spherical cavities. The main idea of this improvement is to employ the Gibbs-Tolman-Koenig-Buff equation to predict the variation of the surface tension in spherical mesopores. In addition, the statistical film thickness (the so-called t-curve), which is evaluated accurately on the basis of adsorption isotherms measured for MCM-41 materials, is used instead of the originally proposed t-curve to take into account the excess chemical potential due to the surface forces. It is shown that the aforementioned modifications of the original DBdB theory that was refined by Ravikovitch and Neimark have significant implications for the pore size analysis of cagelike mesoporous silicas. To verify the proposed improvement of the DBdB pore size analysis (IDBdB), two series of FDU-1 samples, which are well-defined cagelike mesoporous materials (composed of siliceous spherical cavities interconnected by short necks), were used for the evaluation of the pore size distributions (PSDs). The correlation between the spinodal condensation point in the spherical pores predicted by the nonlocal density functional theory (NDFT) developed by Ravikovitch and Neimark and that predicted by the IDBdB theory is very good in the whole range of mesopores. This feature is mirrored to the realistic PSD characterized by the bimodal structure of pores computed from the IDBdB theory. As in the case of open-ended cylindrical pores, the improvement of the classical DBdB theory preserves its simplicity and simultaneously ensures a significant improvement of the pore size analysis, which is confirmed by the independent estimation of the average pore size by the NDFT and the powder X-ray diffraction method.     

Formal Mathematical Analysis of the Existence of the Common Intersection Point in Relation to Determining the Parameters Describing Ion Adsorption at the Oxide/Electrolyte Interface: Comparison of the Triple and Four-Layer Models

For most oxide/electrolyte systems potentiometric titration curves measured for different ionic strengths have a Common Intersection Point (CIP) which corresponds to the Point of Zero Charge (PZC). However, there are systems where a CIP exists but the surface charge at this point does not equal zero (PZC CIP). In this paper theoretical analysis of the systems in which the PZC and CIP do not coincide is presented. It is based on the well-known 2-pK surface charging approach and Triple Layer Model (TLM) as well as the Four Layer Model (FLM) of the electric double layer. The appropriate mathematical criterion for CIP existence was applied with detailed derivations, both for TLM and FLM. Having determined in this manner the parameter values, one can draw proper conclusions about the features of oxide/electrolyte adsorption systems, in which PZC and CIP do not coincide. The values of adsorption parameters are found by fitting simultaneously the obtained theoretical expressions to both of the experimental titration isotherms, and to the individual isotherms of electrolyte cation adsorption measured using radiometric methods.     

Solvent-mediated folding of a doubly charged anion

The microsolvation of the suberate dianion, -O2C(CH2)6CO2-, with two separate charge centers was studied by photoelectron spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation one solvent molecule at a time for up to 20 waters. It is shown that the two negative charges are solvated in the linear suberate alternately. As the solvent number increases, the negative charges are screened and a conformation change occurs at 16 waters, where the cooperative hydrogen bonding of water is large enough to overcome the Coulomb repulsion and pull the two negative charges closer through a water bridge. This conformation change, revealed both from the experiment and from the simulation, is a manifestation of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic forces at the molecular level.     

Mimicking photosynthesis in a computationally designed synthetic metalloprotein

While advances in protein design have made possible the construction of protein architectures with nativelike properties and predictable structures and function, there are as of yet no examples of functional, protein-based, solar energy conversion systems. This communication describes the design and characterization of an artificial reaction center (RC) protein that closely resembles the function of the natural photosynthetic RC. The synthetic protein, designed by the protein design program CORE, participates in multiple reduction/oxidation cycles with exogenous acceptors/donors following photoexcitation. The designed metalloprotein, aRC, consists of a tetrahelical bundle functionalized with two bis-histidine bound metal cofactors: a Ru(bpy)2 moiety and a heme group. Two distinct bis-histidine binding sites were engineered for each of these metal centers. Photoexcitation of aRC results in rapid ET from the RuII complex to the heme group (kET >/= 5 x 1010 s-1) yielding a long-lived (70 ns) charge-separated state (CSS), RuIII/FeII. This long-lived CSS participates in subsequent ET reactions with exogenous donors and acceptors in multiple photocycles, thus mimicking the basic function of native photosynthetic RCs. This study illustrates the successful design and construction of a protein-based functional charge separation device using a combination of automated computational protein design and knowledge of the engineering principles of biological electron tunneling extracted from natural electron-transfer systems. To our knowledge, this represents the first example of a functional protein-based artificial reaction center.     

Comparative Evaluation of CE and HPLC for Determination of Cotinine in Human Urine

Two rapid and popular methods—capillary electrophoresis (CE) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) have been compared for analysis of cotinine in human urine. Cotinine was analyzed in less than 7 min, with detection limits of 5 and 3.2 ng mL⁻¹ for CE and HPLC, respectively. The performance of the methods was evaluated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, precision, accuracy, and limits of detection and quantification. Calibration plots were linear in the range 50–4,000 ng mL⁻¹, at least, and mean recoveries were satisfactory for both techniques. The methods were successfully used for quantification of cotinine in urine.     

The first structurally characterized nonorganometallic titanium(III) alkoxo-bridged dinuclear complexes

The reaction of [Ti4(OMe)14Cl2] (1) with an excess of AlMe3 gave the cocrystallite [Ti2(mu-OMe)2(mu-Cl)Cl3(thf)3].[Ti2(mu-OMe)3Cl3(thf)3] (2.3) species in a 1:1 ratio. Similar to 2, [Ti2(mu-OEt)2(mu-Cl)Cl3-(thf)3] (4) was obtained in the reaction of an equimolar mixture of TiCl4 and Ti(OEt)4 with Al/AlMe3. The short distance [2.543(1)av A in 2.3 and 2.599(1) A in 4] between "Ti(+3)" atoms, their diamagnetism, and ELF analysis indicate the presence of a Ti-Ti bond.     

Structural and Adsorptive Characteristics of Pyrocarbon/Silica Gel Si-60

Pyrocarbon/silica gel adsorbents (carbosils, CS) with mesoporous Si-60 (Merck, granule size 0.2–0.5 mm) modified by pyrolysis of CH₂Cl₂ at 823 K and reaction time from 0.5 to 6 h and then hydrothermally treated at 473 K for 6 h were studied by means of TEM, adsorption and ¹H NMR methods. Changes in the structural and adsorptive characteristics of hybrid adsorbents before and after hydrothermal treatment, which depend on pyrocarbon content (C _C), were analyzed on the basis of TEM micrographs and p-nitrophenol and nitrogen adsorption isotherms treated using a constrained regularization method. Interfacial water layers in aqueous suspension of CS were investigated by means of ¹H NMR with freezing-out of bulk water at T < 273 K showing nonlinear changes in the Gibbs free energy of interfacial water with increasing C _C because of nonlinear dependence of the structural characteristics of pyrocarbon deposits and CS as a whole on C _C.     

Studies of the Factors Controlling Regioselective Nucleophilic Addition to Dienylium-Iron Complexes

Tricarbonyl(4-alkoxyl-1-alkylcyclohexadienylium)iron complexes (I) react with metal-cation enolate nucleophiles to give in most cases a mixture of products (II) and (III), resulting from attack at the C-1 and C-5 termini of the dienylium ring. Factors that control the regioselectivity of nucleophilic addition, including the steric and electronic effects of the 4-alkoxyl and 1-alkyl substituents, the degree of association between the enolate nucleophiles and their counterions, and the polarity of the solvents, were investigated.