Rotating ring-disk electrode studies of the reaction of stable radical cations with styrene and isobutyl vinyl ether

An electroanalytical technique has been utilized in a new method for the study of reactive intermediates in polymerization reactions. A ring-disk electrode system generated persistent carbocation radicals whose stability decreased in the order: 1,3,6,8-tetraphenylpyrene (TPP), rubrene (Ru), 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA), and 9,10-dimethylanthracene (DMA). Radical cations from these parent compounds flowed to a collecting ring which was controlled potentiostatically to reduce unreacted cations. When styrene or isobytyl vinyl ether was added to the solution, the concentration of carbocation radicals reaching the electrode was reduced. Current collection efficiencies N were determined as a function of rotation speed ω for each monomer concentration. Plots of N^?1 as ω^?1 in the absence of monomer show no dependence on ω (indicative of stable intermediates), but a linear dependence is found with each concentration of monomer. This indicates a first-order dependence on radical cation concentration. The rate constants show a trend in cation reactivities which is in agreement with that obtained by other methods. This technique, however, extends the range of investigation to a much shorter time scale.     

The dichlorovinylation of enolates

The condensation of certain ketone and ester enolates with trichloroethylene proceeds with surprising ease to yield dichlorovinylation products. The $\text{trans}$ stereochemistry for one such product is established by X-ray, and subsequent transformations of these initial products to ethinyl or ω-chloroethinyl derivatives is described.     

A Deterministic Method for Robust Estimation of Multivariate Location and Shape

Abstract

The existence of outliers in a data set and how to deal with them is an important problem in statistics. The minimum volume ellipsoid (MVE) estimator is a robust estimator of location and covariate structure; however its use has been limited because there are few computationally attractive methods. Determining the MVE consists of two parts—finding the subset of points to be used in the estimate and finding the ellipsoid that covers this set. This article addresses the first problem. Our method will also allow us to compute the minimum covariance determinant (MCD) estimator. The proposed method of subset selection is called the effective independence distribution (EID) method, which chooses the subset by minimizing determinants of matrices containing the data. This method is deterministic, yielding reproducible estimates of location and scatter for a given data set. The EID method of finding the MVE is applied to several regression data sets where the true estimate is known. Results show that the EID method, when applied to these data sets, produces the subset of data more quickly than conventional procedures and that there is less than 6% relative error in the estimates. We also give timing results illustrating the feasibility of our method for larger data sets. For the case of 10,000 points in 10 dimensions, the compute time is under 25 minutes.     

Phase transformation in Sm2O3 at high pressure: In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction study and ab initio DFT calculation

Sm₂O₃ was compressed at room temperature up to 44.0 GPa and then decompressed back to ambient pressure. In situ X-ray diffraction was used to monitor the structural changes in the sample. A cubic to hexagonal phase transformation was observed in Sm₂O₃ for the first time. After decompression back to ambient pressure, the hexagonal phase was not quenchable and transformed to a monoclinic phase. Ab initio Density- Functional-Theory (DFT) calculations were performed to obtain theoretical data for comparison with the experimental results and elucidation of the transformation mechanism. A possible phase transformation mechanism that is consistent with the experimental results and theoretical calculations is proposed.     

Morphological characterization of the antennal sensilla of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), with reference to their probable functions

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), is one of the most significant economic pests of citrus worldwide. This insect vectors three phloem-restricted bacteria in the genus Candidatus Liberibacter that cause huanglongbing (citrus greening), the most severe disease limiting citrus production worldwide. We examined the external morphology of the antennal sensilla of male and female D. citri using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and determined the putative functions of the identified sensilla using transmission electron microscopic (TEM) techniques. The filiform antennae of D. citri were of the conventional type comprised of a basal scape, pedicel and a long, thread-like flagellum, which is composed of eight flagellomeres. Eleven morphologically unique sensillar types were found and described on the antennae of male and female D. citri. Of those identified, the two apical setae, multiporous types I and II sensilla trichoidea, and the antennal rhinaria were porous and may be involved in perception of host- and mate-related volatile chemicals. However, the aporous types I, II and III sensilla trichoidea may have mechanosensory functions and the chaetica sensilla, cavity sensilla and unidentified uniporous sensilla may be involved in proprioception, thermo-hygroreception and cold detection, respectively. The shape, external morphology and array of sensilla on the antennae of male and female D. citri were similar. The only major difference observed was in the morphology of the short apical setae, whose tips were recessed inward in females but not so in males. The results are discussed in relation to plausible roles of the identified sensilla in mate and host location by this species.     

Characterization of Disulfide-Linked Peptides Using Tandem Mass Spectrometry Coupled with Automated Data Analysis Software

Disulfide bond formation is critical for maintaining structure stability and function of many peptides and proteins. Mass spectrometry has become an important tool for the elucidation of molecular connectivity. However, the interpretation of the tandem mass spectral data of disulfide-linked peptides has been a major challenge due to the lack of appropriate tools. Developing proper data analysis software is essential to quickly characterize disulfide-linked peptides. A thorough and in-depth understanding of how disulfide-linked peptides fragment in mass spectrometer is a key in developing software to interpret the tandem mass spectra of these peptides. Two model peptides with inter- and intra-chain disulfide linkages were used to study fragmentation behavior in both collisional-activated dissociation (CAD) and electron-based dissociation (ExD) experiments. Fragments generated from CAD and ExD can be categorized into three major types, which result from different S–S and C–S bond cleavage patterns. DiSulFinder is a computer algorithm that was newly developed based on the fragmentation observed in these peptides. The software is vendor neutral and capable of quickly and accurately identifying a variety of fragments generated from disulfide-linked peptides. DiSulFinder identifies peptide backbone fragments with S–S and C–S bond cleavages and, more importantly, can also identify fragments with the S–S bond still intact to aid disulfide linkage determination. With the assistance of this software, more comprehensive disulfide connectivity characterization can be achieved.

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Graphical Abstract ?

     

Structural evolution of a recoverable rhodium hydrogenation catalyst

A recoverable, water soluble, hydrogenation catalyst was synthesized by reacting poly-N-isopropylacrylamide containing a terminal amino group (H₂N-CH₂CH₂-S-pNIPAAm) with [Rh(CO)₂Cl]₂ in organic solvents to form the square planar rhodium complex (Rh(CO)₂Cl(H₂N-CH₂CH₂-S-pNIPAAm)). The catalyst-ligand structure was characterized using in situ multinuclear NMR, XAFS and IR spectroscopic methods. Model complexes containing glycine (H₂NCH₂COOH), cysteamine (H₂NCH₂CH₂SH) and methionine methyl ester (H₂NCH(CH₂CH₂SCH₃)COOCH₃) ligands were studied to aid in the interpretation of the coordination sphere of the rhodium catalyst. The spectroscopic data revealed a switch in ligation from the amine bound (Rh-NH₂-CH₂CH₂-S-pNIPAAm) to the thioether bound (Rh-S(-CH₂CH₂NH₂)(-pNIPAAm)) rhodium when the complex was dissolved in water. The evolution of the structure of the rhodium complex dissolved in water was followed by XAFS. The structure changed from the expected monomeric complex to form a rhodium cluster of up to four rhodium atoms containing one SRR′ ligand and one CO ligand per rhodium center. No metallic rhodium was observed during this transformation. The rhodium-rhodium interactions were disrupted when an alkene (3-butenol) was added to the aqueous solution. The kinetics of the hydrogenation reaction were measured using a novel high-pressure flow-through NMR system and the catalyst was found to have a TOF of 3000/Rh/h at 25 °C for the hydrogenation of 3-butenol in water.     

Molecular structure and dynamics in the low temperature (orthorhombic) phase of NH3BH3

Variable temperature 2H NMR experiments on the orthorhombic phase of selectively deuterated NH3BH3 spanning the static to fast exchange limits of the borane and amine motions are reported. New values of the electric field gradient (EFG) tensor parameters have been obtained from the static 2H spectra of V(zz) = 1.652 (+/-0.082) x 10(21) V/m(2) and eta = 0.00 +/- 0.05 for the borane hydrogens and V(zz) = 2.883 (+/-0.144) x 10(21) V/m(2) and eta = 0.00 +/- 0.05 for the amine hydrogens. The molecular symmetry inferred from the observation of equal EFG tensors for the three borane hydrogens and likewise for the three amine hydrogens is in sharp contrast with the C(s) symmetry derived from diffraction studies. The origin of the apparent discrepancy has been investigated using molecular dynamics methods in combination with electronic structure calculations of NMR parameters, bond lengths, and bond angles. The computation of parameters from a statistical ensemble rather than from a single set of atomic Cartesian coordinates gives values that are in close quantitative agreement with the 2H NMR electric field gradient tensor measurements and are more consistent with the molecular symmetry revealed by the NMR spectra.