pH responsiveness of block copolymer vesicles with a polypeptide corona

The aggregation behavior of polybutadiene165-block-poly(L-lysine)88 in saline solution was studied by combined static and dynamic light scattering analyses. Vesicles were observed if the polypeptide segment was in a 100% coil conformation (pH 7.0) or in an 80% alpha-helical conformation (pH 10.3). At the higher pH, aggregates were smaller in size (hydrodynamic radius: 364 nm --> 215 nm) and chains were more densely packed at the core-corona interface (interchain distance: 3.2 nm --> 2.4 nm). Changes in size and structure could be explained in basic terms of colloid stabilization without considering a secondary structure effect.     

Massenspektrometrische Untersuchung von Amiden: III—Intramolekulare Nucleophile Substitution bei der Methyl-Abspaltung aus Crotonsaurepiperidid und Vinylogen Derivaten

The methyl cleavage from piperidides of type CH₃(CH?CH)_nCONC₅H₁₀ with n = 1 to 3 does not proceed via ring contraction as shown earlier with n = 0. The fragmentation can be formulated with the concept of neighbouring group participation of the amide function which leads to a cyclic transition state. Investigations with a ²H-labelled compound in the case of n = 1 as well as energy measurements (AP, IP, E_k) agree with this assumption.     

Kinetics of J-aggregation of cyanine dyes in the presence of gelatin

The kinetics of formation of J-aggregates for 3,3'-bis[sulfopropyl]-R-4',5'-dibenzo-9-ethylthiacarbocyanines (R=5-methoxy; R=4,5-dibenzo) and 3,3'-bis[sulfopropyl]-5,5'-diphenyl-9-ethyloxacarbocyanine were studied in aqueous solution in the presence of gelatin at different pH values and at room and elevated temperatures. Addition of gelatin at concentrations of 0.0005-0.05 wt % to solutions of dyes results in the production of J-aggregates in the tens of seconds to tens of minutes range. The rate of J-aggregate formation increases with increasing concentrations of dye and gelatin, correlates with the rate of decay of dimers, and is also dependent on the dye structure, temperature, and pH. The rate of J-aggregation is increased for and decreased for with an increase in temperature. For and, the rate increases with increasing [H+] and reaches the maximum value at pH 3.3-4.3 for 3. The interaction of with gelatin is considered to be a cooperative binding process, and J-aggregation is characterized by the time-dependent rate constant. Sigmoidal- and nonsigmoidal-type kinetic curves of both formation of J-aggregates and decay of the dimers are best fitted with a stretched exponential function.     

Theory-enforced Re-investigation of the Origin of the Large Metal–Carbon Bond Strength in PdCH2I+ and its reactions with unsaturated hydrocarbons

State-of-the-art ab initio studies demonstrate that the reaction Pd⁺ + CH₃I → PdCH₂I⁺ + H^. is endothermic by ca. 20 kcal/mol, which translates into a bond dissociation energy (BDE) of ca. 83 kcal/mol for the Pd⁺? CH₂I bond. This figure is in agreement with an experimental bracket of 68 kcal/mol < BDE(Pd⁺? CH₂I) < 92 kcal/mol. Based on these findings, the previously studied Pd⁺/CH₃I system was re-investigated, and double-resonance experiments demonstrate that the formation of PdCH₂I⁺ occurs stepwise via PdCH as a reactive intermediate. Further, ion/molecule reactions of PdCH₂I⁺ with unsaturated hydrocarbons are studied, which reveal the formation of carbon–carbon bonds in the gas phase.     

In situ investigation of complex BaSO4 fiber generation in the presence of sodium polyacrylate. 1. Kinetics and solution analysis

Simple solution analysis of the formation mechanism of complex BaSO(4) fiber bundles in the presence of polyacrylate sodium salt, via a bioinspired approach, is reported. Titration of the polyacrylate solution with Ba(2+) revealed complex formation and the optimum ratio of Ba(2+) to polyacrylate for a slow polymer-controlled mineralization process. This is a much simpler and faster method to determine the appropriate additive/mineral concentration pairs as opposed to more common crystallization experiments in which the additive/mineral concentration is varied. Time-dependent pH measurements were carried out to determine the concentration of solution species from which BaSO(4) supersaturation throughout the fiber formation process can be calculated and the second-order kinetics of the Ba(2+) concentration in solution can be identified. Conductivity measurements, pH measurements, and analytical ultracentrifugation revealed the first formed species to be Ba-polyacrylate complexes. A combination of the solution analysis results and optical microscopic images allows a detailed picture of the complex precipitation and self-organization process, a particle-mediated process involving mesoscopic transformations, to be revealed.     

Absence of an Almeida-Thouless line in three-dimensional spin glasses

We present results of Monte Carlo simulations of the three-dimensional Edwards-Anderson Ising spin glass in the presence of a (random) field. A finite-size scaling analysis of the correlation length shows no indication of a transition, in contrast with the zero-field case. This suggests that there is no Almeida-Thouless line for short-range Ising spin glasses.     

Kinetics of salt-induced J-aggregation of cyanine dyes

The addition of monovalent, divalent, and trivalent metal ions to three anionic ethyl meso-thiacarbocyanine dyes, an ethyl meso-oxacarbocyanine, and an imidacarbocyanine in aqueous solution at room temperature results in the production of J-aggregates within the range of tens to hundreds of seconds. The rate of formation of J-aggregates correlates with the rate of decay of dimers or monomers and is dependent on the type of metal ion, dye structure, and temperature. The rate of formation of J-aggregates increases as the temperature decreases and the dye and salt concentrations increase, and the rate is highest for trivalent ions and smallest for monovalent ions, independent of the type of anion. The time course of formation of J-aggregates is described in most cases by a sigmoidal curve, and the kinetics and mechanism are discussed within the framework of autocatalysis. Computer simulations reveal that the sigmoidal time dependence is transferred to an exponential-like curve by substantially increasing the rate constant for the noncatalytic step. The reaction pathway into J-aggregates can be switched from dimeric ion pairs as the reactant to monomeric ion pairs, when the rate constant for the catalytic step via the monomer becomes larger with respect to that via the dimer.