Heuristic intermolecular potential function for the methane–water interaction based on ab initio quantum-mechanical calculations

An analytical potential function for the pairwise interaction of methane and water is reported. The function is representative of 225 ab initio quantum-mechanical calculations of the intermolecular interaction using 6–31G self-consistent-field molecular-orbital theory. The statistical parameters of the curve fitting are given and isoenergy contour maps of the interaction energy are presented and discussed.     

The effects of molecular reorientation on the absorption of intense light by organic-dye solutions

Equations are presented for the spectral and orientational distribution of unexcited dye molecules in the field of an intense giant laser pulse. The solute dye molecules are linear oscillators that may be broadened either homogeneously or inhomogeneously, and may reorient by sudden jumps over large angles or by small angular steps (brownian rotational motion). The equations are employed to analyze the intensity dependence of fluorescence polarization observed by Mourou and Denariez-Roberge for the system cryptocyanine-glycerin. Their data are consistent with an excited-state deactivation time T₁ = 0.4 ± 1.0 ns and a rotational diffusion constant D = 20/T₁ = 5.0 × 10⁹ s⁻¹     

Structural and rate studies of the 1,2-additions of lithium phenylacetylide to lithiated quinazolinones: influence of mixed aggregates on the reaction mechanism

The 1,2-addition of lithium phenylacetylide (PhCCLi) to quinazolinones was investigated using a combination of structural and rate studies. (6)Li, (13)C, and (19)F NMR spectroscopies show that deprotonation of quinazolinones and phenylacetylene in THF/pentane solutions with lithium hexamethyldisilazide affords a mixture of lithium quinazolinide/PhCCLi mixed dimer and mixed tetramer along with PhCCLi dimer. Although the mixed tetramer dominates at high mixed aggregate concentrations and low temperatures used for the structural studies, the mixed dimer is the dominant form at the low total mixed aggregate concentrations, high THF concentrations, and ambient temperatures used to investigate the 1,2-addition. Monitoring the reaction rates using (19)F NMR spectroscopy revealed a first-order dependence on mixed dimer, a zeroth-order dependence on THF, and a half-order dependence on the PhCCLi concentration. The rate law is consistent with the addition of a disolvated PhCCLi monomer to the mixed dimer. Investigation of the 1,2-addition of PhCCLi to an O-protected quinazolinone implicates reaction via trisolvated PhCCLi monomers.     

Rationalisation of unusual changes in efficiency and retention with temperature shown for bases in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography at intermediate pH

Despite the possibility of poorer peak shapes, analysis of pharmaceuticals and other bases using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) at intermediate pH gives useful increases in retention, selectivity and column loading capacity compared with low pH. Retention times of some bases showed anomalous increases with column temperature. Peak shapes for bases improved significantly at elevated temperature (up to 70 degrees C), with the weakest bases studied (pKa approximately 8) giving greater improvement than the strongest bases (pKa approximately 10). In contrast, quaternary ammonium compounds showed reduced retention with increasing column temperature (normal behaviour) and only modest improvements in peak shape. Considering these results, and pKa measurements of the bases made using capillary electrophoresis, it appears that increases in retention and improvement in efficiency may be influenced significantly by reduction in the pKa of bases with temperature, leading to reduction in protonation. It is less likely that efficiency improvements are due to the speeding up of the kinetics of silanol ion exchange, at least in the temperature range studied here.     

On the choice of active space orbitals in MCSCF calculations

We describe a procedure which may be used to aid selection of the active space in multiconfigurational self-consistent field (MCSCF) calculations for general chemical systems. Starting from a restricted Hartree-Fock calculation, we define a hierarchy of interacting virtual orbitals for every occupied orbital. The most strongly interacting orbitals are then taken to constitute the active space in a configuration interaction (CI) calculation. The natural orbital occupation numbers obtained from the CI calculation are then used to choose the active space to be used in a subsequent MCSCF calculation. We illustrate our method on a number of systems (Li₂, B₂, C₂, carbonyl oxide and the transition state for oxidation of H₂S by dioxirane). In all these cases, ‘intuitive’ active spaces are inadequate, as are active spaces derived from the natural orbitals of unrestricted Hartree-Fock calculations.     

Reduction of Secondary Carboxamides to Imines

This article reports in detail on the discovery that zirconium(IV) salts of secondary amides and lactams are transformed by Cp(2)ZrHCl to N-substituted imines in one step. The method represents the first controlled reduction of amides and lactams to the corresponding imines, a transformation that is otherwise very difficult to achieve because imines are reduced more rapidly than carboxamides by most metal hydride reagents. No products of reductive cleavage of the carboxamides are observed. Efforts to replace 2 mol equiv of Cp(2)ZrHCl with simpler, less costly alternatives led to the finding that a diisobutylaluminum enolate can be substituted for the initial zirconium enolate. Such aluminum amides are smoothly reduced to the corresponding imine using Cp(2)ZrHCl in good yield. Moreover, aluminum amides are also reduced to imines using either low-valent titanium species or triethylsilane. In these alternative procedures, use of Cp(2)ZrHCl is eliminated altogether in the title transformation.     

THREE EXPONENTIAL FLUORESCENCE DECAY OF HORSE LIVER ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE REVEALED BY IODIDE QUENCHING

Abstract— The time resolved fluorescence decay of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase was measured using a frequency doubled picosecond dye laser and time-correlated single-photon counting detection. A flow-cell technique is described which eliminates the photodegradation artifacts which commonly occur with laser excitation. A procedure is introduced which uses fluorescence quenching to reveal minor fluorescence lifetime components. The decay of the unquenched tryptophanyl fluorescence could be described by a double exponential decay law, but experiments conducted in the presence of iodide ion showed that the fluorescence decay must be more complex than this. A model is presented in which the fluorescence decay consists of three exponential components, only two of which are susceptible to quenching by iodide ion. Several possibilities are presented for the origin of this minor decay component, the most reasonable of which is that it arises from conformational heterogeneity in the solvent-exposed tryptophanyl residue.     

The asymmetric syntheses of the C-1 sidechains of zaragozic acid A and zaragozic acid C

The asymmetric syntheses of the C-1 sidechains of zaragozic acid A and C are described. Aldol reaction defines the chirality at C-4′and C-5′in two independent routes. Multigram preparation as well as a route amenable to derivatization are highlights of these approaches.     

Improved quantitation of 2,4-dichlorophenol in plant tissues by high-performance liquid chromatography with amperometric detection

For the determination of 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP) residues in plant tissues, the use of high-performance liquid chromatography with amperometric detection decreases the quantitation limits by a factor of five compared to those obtained with gas chromatography with Hall conductivity detection. It also avoids the clean-up and derivatization procedures required for electron-capture detection. After extraction of DCP from plant tissue by steam distillation and collection in toluene, an alumina clean-up column is used to remove electroactive interferences from the samples. The DCP is then extracted into aqueous alkaline solution, neutralized, and diluted with acetonitrile to ca. 50% (v/v). An alternative clean-up made use of an in-line, pre-column electrochemical procedure, in which case the alumina column was not used. The components were separated with a reverse-phase column and detected with a polychlorotrifluoroethylene/graphite composite electrode at an applied potential of +1.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The quantitation limit for DCP in the plant tissues was 100 pg per injection (0.05 mg Kg^?1).     

Adhesion between graphite and modified polyester surfaces: a theoretical study

This study examines the adhesion of graphite to functionalized polyester surfaces using a range of qualitative and quantitative measures of theoretical adhesion. Modifications to the polyester surfaces include the addition of hydroxyl, carboxyl, or fluorine substituents with coverages of 0.4 and 0.9 groups per nm(2). In each case, the introduction of substituents to the surface of the polyester was calculated to lead to reduced adhesion to graphite. Effects of surface relaxation on adhesion are studied by employing different simulation protocols. The theoretical results suggest one mechanism to reduce adhesion to carbonaceous solids is to increase atomic roughness using strongly hydrophilic or alternatively strongly hydrophobic substituents.