Photoinduced electron transfer in platinum(II) terpyridinyl acetylide complexes connected to a porphyrin unit

A series of six new dyads consisting of a zinc or magnesium porphyrin appended to a platinum terpyridine acetylide complex via a para-phenylene bisacetylene spacer are described. Different substituents on the 4' position of the terpyridinyl ligand were explored (OC7H15, PO3Et2, and H). The ground-state electronic properties of the dyads are studied by electronic absorption spectroscopy and electrochemistry, and they indicate some electronic interactions between the porphyrin subunit and the platinum complex. The photophysical properties of these dyads were investigated by steady-state, time-resolved, and femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy in N,N-dimethylformamide solution. Excitation of the porphyrin unit leads to a very rapid electron transfer (2-20 ps) to the nearby platinum complex followed by an ultrafast charge recombination, thus preventing any observation of the charge separated state. The variation in the rate of the photoinduced electron transfer in the series of dyads is consistent with Marcus theory. The results underscore the potential of the para-phenylene bisacetylene bridge to mediate a rapid electron transfer over a long donor-acceptor distance.     

Mixtures of sodium dodecyl sulfate/dodecanol at the air/water interface by computer simulations

Molecular dynamics simulations of monolayers of surfactant mixtures at the air/water interface were performed where the binary mixture was composed of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecanol molecules. At the same ratio of SDS and dodecanol molecules, two monolayer mixtures were prepared. In the first monolayer, all the dodecanol molecules were placed together in the center of the simulation box, whereas in the second monolayer, those molecules were uniformly distributed in the surface area in such a way that they were far from each other. Simulations of both systems indicate that the dodecanol tails in the first monolayer are straighter and more ordered than those in the second monolayer. From the present results, we observed new insights of how the different molecules should array or distribute at the interface in real systems. Finally, studies of the interfacial water around the different surfactants were also analyzed, showing that they are closer to the polar headgroups of dodecanol than to the SDS headgroups.     

Preparation, characterization, and structural systematics of diphosphane and diarsane complexes of gallium(III) halides

The diphosphane o-C6H4(PMe2)2 reacts with GaX3 (X = Cl, Br, or I) in a 1:1 molar ratio in dry toluene to give trans-[GaX2{o-C6H4(PMe2)2}2][GaX4], the cations of which contain the first examples of six-coordinate gallium in a phosphane complex. The use of a 1:2 ligand/GaCl3 ratio produced [GaCl2{o-C6H4(PMe2)2}][GaCl4], containing a pseudotetrahedral cation, and similar pseudotetrahedral [GaX2{o-C6H4(PPh2)2}][GaX4] complexes are the only products isolated with the bulkier o-C6H4(PPh2)2. On the other hand, Et2P(CH2)2PEt2, which has a flexible aliphatic backbone, formed [(X3Ga)2{mu-Et2P(CH2)2PEt2}], in which the ligand bridges two pseudotetrahedral gallium centers. The diarsane, o-C6H4(AsMe2)2, formed [GaX2{o-C6H4(AsMe2)2}][GaX4], also containing pseudotetrahedral cations, and in marked contrast to the diphosphane analogue, no six-coordinate complexes form; a very rare example where these two much studied ligands behave differently towards a common metal acceptor. The complexes [(I3Ga)2{mu-Ph2As(CH2)2AsPh2}] and [GaX3(AsMe3)] are also described. The X-ray structures of trans-[GaX2{o-C6H4(PMe2)2}2][GaX4] (X = Cl, Br or I), [GaCl2{o-C6H4(PPh2)2}][GaCl4], [GaX2{o-C6H4(AsMe2)2}][GaX4] (X = Cl or I), [(I3Ga)2{mu-Ph2As(CH2)2AsPh2}], and [GaX3(AsMe3)] (X = Cl, Br or I) are reported, and the structural trends are discussed. The solution behavior of the complexes has been explored using a combination of 31P{1H} and 71Ga NMR spectroscopy.     

Partial filling multiple injection affinity capillary electrophoresis (PFMIACE) to estimate binding constants of receptors to ligands

Partial filling multiple injection affinity capillary electrophoresis (PFMIACE) is used to determine binding constants between vancomycin (Van) from Streptomyces orientalis, teicoplanin (Teic) from Actinoplanes teicomyceticus and ristocetin (Rist) from Nocardia lurida to d-Ala-d-Ala terminus peptides and carbonic anhydrase B (CAB, E.C.4.2.1.1) to arylsulfonamides. Two variations of PFMIACE are described herein. In the first technique, the capillary is partially filled with ligand at increasing concentrations, a non-interacting standard, three or four separate plugs of receptor each separated by small plugs of buffer, a plug containing a second non-interacting standard, and then electrophoresed in buffer. Upon continued electrophoresis, equilibrium is established between the ligand and receptors causing a shift in the migration time of the receptors with respect to the non-interacting standards. This change in migration time is utilized for estimating multiple binding constants (K_b) for the same interaction. In the second technique, separate plugs of sample containing non-interacting standards, peptide one, buffer, and peptide two, were injected into the capillary column. The capillary is partially filled with a series of buffers containing an antibiotic at increasing concentrations and electrophoresed. Peptides migrate through the column at similar electrophoretic mobilities since their charge-to-mass ratios are approximately the same but remain as distinct zones due to the buffer plug between peptides. Upon electrophoresis, the plug of antibiotic flows into the peptide plugs affecting a shift in the migration time of the peptides with respect to the non-interacting standards occurs due to formation of the of the antibiotic-peptide complex. The shift in the migration time of the peptides upon binding to the antibiotic is used for the Scatchard analysis and measurement of a K_b. The PFMIACE technique expands the functionality and potential of ACE as an analytical tool to examine receptor-ligand interactions. In PFMIACE, a smaller amount of sample is required in the assay compared to both conventional ACE and MIACE. Furthermore, a wide array of data is obtained from a single experiment, thus, expediting the assay of biological species.     

Self-aggregation of the SDS surfactant at a solid-liquid interface

Molecular dynamics simulations of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) molecules on a graphite surface are presented. The simulations were conducted at low and high surface coverage to study aggregation at the water/graphite interface. Results showed that at low surface coverage, the SDS molecules form hemicylindrical aggregates, in agreement with AFM experiments, whereas at high surface coverage, the surfactants form full cylinders. The latter aggregates have not been reported in systems of SDS on hydrophobic substrates, such as graphite. The unexpected results are explained in terms of a water layer adsorbed at the solid surface which was the responsible for the formation of these aggregates. Moreover, the SDS tails in the full cylindrical configuration became straighter than those of the hemicylindrical aggregate. Hydrogen bond formation between water and surfactant head groups was also studied, and it was found that they did not depend on the surfactant concentration.     

Hydrogen‐bonding patterns in rac‐1‐acetyl‐5‐methyl‐2‐thioxoimidazolidin‐4‐one

In the title compound, C₆H₈N₂O₂S, also known as N‐acetyl‐2‐thiohydantoin–alanine, the molecules are joined by N—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming centrosymmetric R₂²(8) dimers; these dimers are linked by C—H...O interactions to form R₂²(10) rings, thus forming C₂²(10) chains that run along the [101] direction.     

Determination of fat-soluble vitamins in yogurt by HPLC with electrochemical detection

A method employing HPLC with electrochemical detection for the rapid and simultaneous determination of vitamins A, D(3) and E is described. The method uses a C-18 reverse phase column and 2.5 mM HAcO-NaAcO in methanol-water (99:1, v/v) solution as the mobile phase. The compounds are quantified using amperometric detection with a glassy carbon electrode at a potential of + 1300 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl) and the results are compared with those obtained using UV detection at a wavelength of 280 nm. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of vitamins A, D(3) and E in yogurt samples. After saponification, fat-soluble vitamins were extracted and the methanolic solution of the extracts was injected directly into the chromatographic system, avoiding the clean-up step which is necessary when no electrochemical detection is used. Good recovery percentages were obtained.     

Spectrophotometric determination of indium in nickel alloys and zinc ores with 1-(2-pyridylmethylideneamine)-3-(salicylideneamine)thiourea

A sensitive method for the spectrophotometric determination of indium with 1-(2-pyridylmethylideneamine)-3-(salicylideneamine)thiourea is proposed. A yellow complex is formed at pH 4.5 (succinate buffer) in a medium containing 40% dimethylformamide, and the absorbance is measured at 415 nm. The molar absorptivity is 6.2 x 10(4)l.mole(-1).cm(-1). The relative standard deviation of the procedure is 1.5%. The method has been applied to determination of indium in a nickel alloy and three zinc ores, with prior isolation of indium by co-precipitation with ammonia and extraction into n-butyl acetate from 5M hydrobromic acid.