Unraveling Water Structure Inside and Between Nanocapsules

Among Achim Müller's prolific crystal structure database, we have selected two crystalline phases in order to perform a whole and complete characterization of water structure at the nanometer scale. The first chosen example involves the Na₃(NH₄)₁₂[Mo₅₇Fe₆(NO)₆O₁₇₄(OH)₃(H₂O)₂₄] 76H₂O compound synthesized and characterized in 1994. Some very interesting yet unnoticed water clusters may be evidenced in the voids generated by the stacking of the polyanionic units. Among them, we have been able to characterized a pure water crown (H₂O)₁₈, a loose association of three strongly solvated ammonium ions [H₃N–HOH₂]⁺ mediated by two water dimers and one water molecule, a perfectly planar alternating six-member ring [(NH₄)₃(H₂O)₃]³⁺, a puckered chair-shaped hexagonal ring [(NH₄)₂(H₂O)₄]³⁺ and two triangular pyramidal water tetramers (H₂O)₄. It was also shown that the crown and the chair ring was involved through further hydrogen bonding into the formation of a quite novel supramolecular layer modeling the structure of water in contact with a polyelectrolyte. The second example involves the (gua)₃₂[Mo₁₃₂O₃₇₂(H₂O)₇₂(SO₄)₁₀(H₂PO₂)₂₀(gua)₂₀]nH₂O compound synthesized and characterized in 2002. Here, we provide for the first time a complete structural analysis of all the various hydrogen bond patterns encountered in this system. Among them we may cite, an intramolecular web covering the internal cavity, an intramolecular finite system involving the guanidinium cations and the nine-member ring pores of the Mo₁₃₂ shell and a central pure water cluster of one hundred water molecules. In this last case, the evolution of the hydrogen bond strengths on a per H-bond basis or within supramolecular aggregates ([H₂O]₂₀, [H₂O]₄₀, and [H₂O]₁₀₀) is quantitatively studied from standpoints involving both geometry (H–OO bond angles distribution) and energy (partition functions). A survey of other crystalline phases involving water clusters is also presented. It is hoped that the study of these new clusters in a very next future will allow us to solve the well-known water puzzling behaviors.     

Some difficulties in the application of the concept of density of states

The problem of defining N(E), the density of states, for molecular systems is discussed. It is shown that a numeric evaluation of N(E) is often only approximate, even for continuous data, and is not well defined for quantized systems. The application of the concept of density of states is discussed, particularly with regard to the RRKM theory of unimolecular reactions. The sum of states, W(E), and density of states curves are evaluated for several harmonic and anharmonic model systems and the results discussed in order to illustrate the foregoing considerations.     

环境水中甲基对硫磷、对硫磷和辛硫磷农药残留的SPE-HPLC分析

采用离线固相萃取 (SPE)富集 -高效液相色谱(HPLC)分离和紫外分光光度法检测 ,对环境水中甲基对硫磷、对硫磷和辛硫磷3种有机磷农药进行分析;固相萃取用C18 萃取柱 ,用甲醇洗脱 ,高效液相色谱分离以Shim_PackCLCODS柱(150mm×4.6mmid,5μm)为分离柱 ,流动相为甲醇 -水(体积比70∶30) ,紫外检测波长为280nm;该法稳定可靠 ,回收率高     

The evolution of poly(lactic acid) degradability by dielectric spectroscopy measurements

Dielectric spectroscopy is a powerful method that allows the study of the dynamics of polymers in a wide frequency range. The different regimes of the dielectric spectra can be observed and the dynamics of the primary and secondary relaxations can be found.In this work, the systems investigated included industrial and purified poly(lactic acid), PLA. This is an aliphatic polyester, one of the most important biocompatible and biodegradable material that has received increasing attention in the last 10 years.Thermal analyses indicated that the glass transition temperature of the polymer was about 320 K.The β relaxation was observed between −150 °C and −30 °C, depending on the measurement frequency (1 Hz-100 kHz), and was assigned to the secondary relaxation in the glassy state. We studied the changes that are connected with the water penetration in the polymer, and directly affect that relaxation process. Water molecules confined by polymer chains and in the polymer networks play an important role in the degradation of the matrix, and then we can observe the evolution of that degradation during some weeks, in a controlled humidity environment. It is accepted that water preferentially enters in the amorphous zones, but also affects the crystalline regions. It is observed a clear evolution of the relaxation activation energy during the degradation of the polymer.The dielectric relaxation results are complemented with molar mass measurements during the degradation process with time.     

Synthesis,renal vasodilator and dopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase activities of O-Methyl derivatives of 6-chloro-2,3,4,5-tetr ahydro-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1H-3-benzazepin-7,8-diol (SK&F 82526)

The three possible mono-O-methyl derivatives of 6-chloro-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1H-3-benzazepin-7,8-diol (SK&F 82526) ( 1 ) have been synthesized to facilitate the isolation and characterization of metabolites of this compound and for biological testing. The syntheses generally involved preparation of appropriately substituted benzaldehydes, conversion of these to phenylacetic acids and use of these to N-acylate arylethanolamines. The phenylacetamides thus formed were reduced to amines and these were deprotected and cyclized to the desired final products. In one case deprotection followed cyclization. These compounds were tested as activators of dopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase (a measure of DA-1 agonist activity) and as renal vasodilators. All three O-methyl derivatives were much less potent than 1 in cyclase activation and as renal vasodilators. Weak inhibition of adenyl cyclase was also observed for all three compounds and one showed weak renal vasoconstrictor activity. Preliminary investigation of the metabolism of 1 disclosed that two of the three monomethoxy compounds were formed in trace amounts in the rat and the dog. In a related investigation, the trimethoxy derivative of 1 was subjected to acid-catalyzed hydrolysis conditions. The relative ease of cleavage of methoxy groups was 7 > > 4′ > 8.     

Colorful Friedel-Crafts chemistry of meso-tetraarylporphyrins. An unexpected route to porphyrinic spiro dimers

Under Friedel-Crafts conditions, meso-tetraarylporphyrins give porphyrin spiro dimers in good yield. This reaction involves acylation, acid-catalyzed cyclization, and dimerization. A stable dimer possessing three additional six-membered rings could be isolated and its structure determined. By modifying the substrate and reagents, intermediates could be isolated and characterized. The reactivity of the substrates, the side-reactions, and the concentration requirements to form the dimers, all explain why this reaction remained apparently unexplored in the widely used meso-tetraarylporphyrin series. [reaction: see text]     

Shot noise sets the limit of quantification in electrochemical measurements

Detection of single molecules, particles, and rapid redox events is a challenge of electrochemical investigations and requires either an amplification strategy or significant averaging for the electrochemical current to exceed the noise level. We consider the minimum number of electrons required to reach the limit of quantification in these electrochemical measurements. A survey of the literature indicates that the state-of-the-art limit in current detection for different types of measurements (e.g. voltammetry, single-molecule redox cycling, ion channel recordings of single molecules, metal nanoparticle collision, and phase nucleation) is independent of the nature of the measurement and increases linearly with reciprocal response time, Δt^?1, over ～5 orders of magnitude (from ～10 to ～10⁶ s^?1). We demonstrate that the practical limit of quantification requires cumulative measurement of ～2100 electrons during Δt and is determined by statistics of counting electrons, that is, the shot noise in the current.     

Acid-Catalyzed Amine-Borane Reduction of Nitrite

The rate of reduction of nitrite by trimethylamine-borane was followed by observing the decrease in nitrite absorbance under pseudo-first-order conditions. The reaction is acid-catalyzed and exhibits a first-order dependence on both amine-borane and total nitrite concentration. The molar equivalence of NaNO(2) to (CH(3))(3)NBH(3) = 2:1. Equimolar amounts of hydrogen and nitrous oxide are formed, and the molar ratio of nitrite reacted to N(2)O produced is 2:1. In concentrated HCl or H(2)SO(4), a correlation of rate with the Hammett acidity function, h(o), is observed. The reaction is subject to a pronounced inversesolvent isotope effect (k(D)()2(O)/k(H)()2(O) approximately 2.7) and a modest normal substrate effect (k((CH)()3())()3(N.BH)()3/k((CH)()3())()3(N.BD)()3 approximately 1.4). The reaction is first-order in H(3)O(+) in the region pH 0.7-2.7, but a second-order dependence is observed above pH 4 with the transition occurring at pH approximately pK(a) for HNO(2). Results are consistent with a mechanistic model involving preequilibration protonation of molecular nitrous acid followed by rate-limiting hydride attack on H(2)ONO(+) or free NO(+) to produce nitrosyl hydride as a reactive intermediate.