Vesicle adsorption and lipid bilayer formation on glass studied by atomic force microscopy

The adsorption of phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles (30, 50, and 100 nm nominal diameters) and of dye-labeled PC vesicles (labeled with 6% Texas Red fluorophore (TR) and encapsulated carboxy fluorescein (CF)) to glass surfaces was studied by contact mode atomic force microscopy in aqueous buffer. These studies were performed in part to unravel details of the previously observed isolated rupture of dye-labeled PC vesicles on glass (Johnson, J. M.; Ha, T.; Chu, S.; Boxer, S. G. Biophys. J. 2002, 83, 3371-3379), specifically to differentiate partial rupture, that is, pore formation and leakage of entrapped dye, from full rupture to form bilayer disks. In addition, the adhesion potential of PC vesicles on glass was calculated based upon the adhesion-driven flattening of adsorbed vesicles and a newly developed theoretical model. The vesicles were found to flatten considerably upon adsorption to glass (width-to-height ratio of approximately 5), which leads to an estimate for the adhesion potential and for the critical rupture radius of 1.5 x 10(-4) J/m2 and 250 nm, respectively. Independent of vesicle size and loading with dye molecules, the adsorption of intact vesicles was observed at all concentrations below a threshold concentration, above which the formation of smooth lipid bilayers occurred. In conjunction with previous work (Johnson, J. M.; Ha, T.; Chu, S.; Boxer, S. G. Biophys. J. 2002, 83, 3371-3379), these data show that 6% TR 20 mM CF vesicles adsorb to the surface intact but undergo partial rupture in which they exchange content with the external buffer.     

New colorimetric and fluorimetric methods for the determination of 1,4-cyclohexanedione

1,4-Cyclohexanedione has been determined by reaction with o-phthalaldehyde in sulfuric acid. The determinations depend on the formation of a dicationic salt of pentacenequinone. A sensitive and highly selective fluorimetric method is recommended, but the reaction can also be used spectrophotometrically. Many organic compounds, as well as the isomers of 1,4-cyclohexanedione, give negative results. A spot test is described which can be used for quick preliminary investigations of complex mixtures for I,4-cyclohexanedione.     

Homolytic displacement at carbon: XI. Intramolecular homolytic displacement as a route to cyclopentane and tetrahydrofuran derivatives from hex-5-enyl- andhex-3-oxo-5-enylcobaloximes

5-Methylhex-5-enylcobaloxime reacts with carbon tetrachloride and with fluorotrichloromethane at 80–100°C to give substantially pure 1-methyl-1-(β,β,β-trichloroethyl)- and 1-methyl-1-β-fluoro-β,β-dichloroethyl)-cyclopentane. Hex-5-enylco-baloxime also gives trichloroethylcyclopentane from carbon tetrachloride, but the yield is dependent on the concentration of carbon tetrachloride. Similar cyclisation to give trichloroethyl- or fluorodichloroethyltetrahydrofuran is observed in the reactions of hex-3-oxo-5-enylcobaloxime with carbon tetrachloride and fluorotrichloromethane. However, no cyclisation was observed in the reactions of the ester, hex-2-one-3-oxo-5-enylcobaloxime, with carbon tetrachloride. These reactions are believed to take place by attack of a polyhalogenomethyl radical at the terminal unsaturated carbon of the organic ligand, followed either by an intramolecular homolytic displacement in which the carbon radical at position-5 attacks carbon-1 with displacement of cobaloxime(II), or by a halogen atom abstraction.     

What crystals of small analogs are trying to tell us about cellulose structure

The molecular geometries from crystal structures of 23 small molecules such as cellobiose were reviewed and extrapolated to give model cellulose chains. Within a given model, all monosaccharide units and their linkages are identical so the models are regular helices. Despite fairly large ranges for the glycosidic linkage torsion angles and , 29° and 57°, respectively, there is little variation in the n and h parameters of the model helices. They are extended, with h values (the advance per residue along the helix axis) of 5.04–5.27 Å. Some models were slightly right-handed, with n values up to 2.12 residues per helix turn. Left-handed models were in the majority, and their n values were as large as –2.91. These results are consistent with known structures of cellulose and its derivatives. An exception comes from a heavily derivatized cellobiose molecule. It yields right-handed helices with n 4.5 and h 3 Å. Because one half turn of this helix reverses the direction of the chain in a compact region, the linkage geometry is a model for chain-folding. Other derivatives that are unable to form the O3O5 hydrogen bond gave left-handed helices. The puckering of the glucose rings was also surveyed. A number of rings in small molecule structures are puckered to a degree that is similar to the puckering determined for methyl cellotrioside, cellotetraose, cellulose I and cellulose II.     

A comparison of SCF-Xα and extended Hückel methods for metal clusters

A comparison of some results from Xα-scattered wave (Xα-SW) and extended Hückel (EH) calculations for metal clusters is given. It is found that small clusters of atoms (≈ 13 atoms) using the Xα-SW method reproduce many of the features of the electronic structure of the bulk metals, whereas this is not the case for the same clusters using the EH method. A more systematic approach to EH parametrizations is suggested in order to make this method a more viable approach to treating metal clusters.     

A post-Hartree-Fock model of intermolecular interactions

Intermolecular interactions are of great importance in chemistry but are difficult to model accurately with computational methods. In particular, Hartree-Fock and standard density-functional approximations do not include the physics necessary to properly describe dispersion. These methods are sometimes corrected to account for dispersion by adding a pairwise C6R6 term, with C6 dispersion coefficients dependent on the atoms involved. We present a post-Hartree-Fock model in which C6 coefficients are generated by the instantaneous dipole moment of the exchange hole. This model relies on occupied orbitals only, and involves only one, universal, empirical parameter to limit the dispersion energy at small interatomic separations. The model is extensively tested on isotropic C6 coefficients of 178 intermolecular pairs. It is also applied to the calculation of the geometries and binding energies of 20 intermolecular complexes involving dispersion, dipole-induced dipole, dipole-dipole, and hydrogen-bonding interactions, with remarkably good results.     

Syntheses and configurations of some heterocyclic amidoximes. X-Ray crystal structure of 3-phenyl-5,6-dihydro-2(1H)-pyrazinone-O-methyloxime

O-Methyl-α-ketophenylacetohydroximoyl chloride ( 1 ) was prepared by the reaction of O-methyl-α-methoxyphenylacetohydroximoyl chloride ( 5 ) with N-bromosuccinimide and concentrated hydrobromic acid. Reaction of 1 with ethylenediamine gave 3-phenyl-5,6-dihydro-2(1H)-pyrazinone-O-methyloxime ( 6 ). 3-Phenyl-5,6-cyclohexano-5,6-dihydro-2(1H)-pyrazininone-O-methyloxime ( 7 ) was prepared by reaction of 1 with trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane. The X-ray structure of 6 has been determined. The crystals are orthorhombic, space group Pbca with a = 10.264(3), b = 18.262(4), c = 23.530(4)Å, V = 4411(2)ų, and Z = 16. The structure, which was refined to R = 0.038 using 1652 observed reflections, shows the amidoxime moiety to be the Z configuration. Reaction of benzohydroximoyl chloride with aziridine gave (Z)-aziridinylbenzaldoxime ( 16a ). Ultraviolet irradiation of a benzene solution of 16a gave a mixture of the Z and E isomers 16a and 16b . The E isomer 16b underwent thermal isomerization to 16a at 100°. Reaction of 16a with dimethyl sulfate in sodium hydroxide solution gave (Z)-O-methylaziridinylbenzaldoxime ( 17a ). Photoisomerization of a hexane solution of 17a gave a mixture of the Z and E isomers 17a and 17b which were separated by preparative glc. The isomers 17a and 17b are resistant to thermal Z = E isomerization. The mechanisms of thermal isomerization of benzamidoximes are discussed.     

Reduction of nitric oxide,nitrous acid and nitrogen dioxide at platinum electrodes in acidic solutions: Review and new voltammetric results

The literature concerning the chemical and electrochemical reactions of nitric oxide, nitrous acid and nitrogen dioxide in aqueous solutions is reviewed briefly, with emphasis on electrochemical reductions at platinum electrodes in acidic solutions. The voltammetric behavior of NO and NO₂ at a Pt electrode in perchloric acid is virtually identical to that for HNO₂ and this is explained on the basis of a common electroactive precursor concluded to be NO⁺. Three cathodic waves are obtained for acidic solutions of NO, HNO₂ and NO₂. The first two waves correspond to reduction of NO⁺ to NO and N₂O₃ to NO, respectively. The presence of N₂O₃ results from decomposition of the parent compounds. The presence of Br^- or Cl^- in acidic solutions of the title compounds promotes the voltammetric reductions at lower H⁺ concentrations. This probably results from formation of electroactive nitrosyl halides.     

Synthesis of mixed metal decaosmium carbido clusters: The X-ray structures of the monoanions [Os10C(CO)24Cu(NCMe)]− and [Os10C(CO)24AuPPh3]−

The high nuclearity mixed metal cluster monoanions [Os₁₀C(CO)₂₄Cu(NCMe)]^? (I) and [Os₁₀C(CO)₂₄AuPPh₃]^? (II) have been obtained by reaction of the carbido-dianion [Os₁₀C(CO)₂₄]^2? (III) with one equivalent of [Cu(NCMe)₄] [BF₄] and Ph₃PAuCl, respectively, in CH₂Cl₂. X-ray analysis of the [PPh₃Me]⁺ salts of I and II show that the Cu and Au ligands have added to capping tetrahedra of the dianion III in μ₃- and μ₂-bridging positions, respectively.