Fluorescence study of the sol-gel process in hybrid precursors: evidence of concentration fluctuations at the local scale

Hybrid sol-gel materials have been prepared by hydrolytic polycondensation of an alkoxysilane. The sol-gel process of methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MAPTMS) has been followed by fluorescence spectroscopy with 2-naphthol as a probe. The experimental results showed that this photoprobe was dramatically sensitive to the microenvironment polarity. Spectroscopic studies revealed fluctuations of the maximum emission intensity and wavelength as a function of time. These fluctuations were attributed to the amphiphilic behavior of the hydrolyzed precursor. The maximum emission wavelength of the probe corresponding to its protonated form was higher than in pure water. All the results suggest that the presence of water molecules, tightly bonded to the polar head of the silanols, increased locally the sol polarity and induced a red-shifted emission. Fluorescence spectroscopy emphasized the reversibility of monomeric silanol aggregates and the changes in hydroxy group number of the silica network during the sol maturation. The behavior of this system upon shaking confirmed this statement.     

Gas chromatography/combustion/isotope-ratio-monitoring mass spectrometric analysis of methylboronic derivatives of monosaccharides: a new method for determining natural 13C abundances of carbohydrates

Monosaccharides were derivatized using methylboronic acid and N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA), and the delta13C values of these derivatives measured by gas chromatography/combustion/isotope-ratio-monitoring mass spectrometry to determine the original 13C-content of the monosaccharides. Comparison with the measured off-line delta13 values of the monosaccharides shows that no fractionation in 13C takes place during derivatization. The methylboronic derivatization method has proven to be a new method for natural abundance isotopic analysis of intact monosaccharides (arabinose, xylose, fucose, fructose and glucose). The method is rapid, does not involve isotopic fractionation during derivatization, and gives more precise delta13C values than other methods reported. The method was successfully applied to determine the delta13C value of glucose of the freshwater alga Scenedesmus communis.     

Insoluble eggshell matrix proteins--their peptide mapping and partial characterization by capillary electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography

Avian eggshell matrix proteins were studied by two analytical approaches. Peptide mapping was done by trypsin and pepsin followed by collagenase cleavage; analyses were carried out by capillary electrophoresis and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Comparison of peptide maps obtained by both methods revealed a complex mixture of peptides in the insoluble layers of the eggshell; it was concluded that there are at least three different insoluble protein/peptide layers in the avian eggshell (cuticle, palisade, and mammillary layer). Partial characterization of peptides in each layer was made by HPLC-mass spectrometry analysis. There is an evidence that the eggshell insoluble proteins contain species susceptible to collagenase cleavage, however, the sequences split by this enzyme probably are not those typical for the main triple-helical core of collagenous proteins. It is proposed that the action of collagenase upon eggshell proteins is caused by the side effect of collagenase described previously with synthetic peptides. Some of the proteins present are probably glycosylated. Fatty acid content in the insoluble eggshell layers (after decalcification) was in the range of 2-4% (which reflected both lipid and lipoproteins bound fatty acids). Porphyrin pigments are dominant in the cuticle layer.     

Structural study of pyrimidine nucleoside analogues. I: Molecular mechanics and semiempirical calculations of 2′-deoxy-2′-fluoroarabinofuranosyluracils

Molecular mechanics (MM) calculations have been performed on the title compounds. For the MM minimum energy conformation obtained by conformational analysis, molecular orbital (MO) calculations (MNDO and AM1) have also been performed. The geometries obtained have been compared with the experimental ones extracted from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD). A qualitative structure-activity relationship has been pointed out based on the electrostatic potentials calculated at different positions on the electronic surface.     

Double aromaticity: aromaticity in orthogonal planes. The 3,5-dehydrophenyl cation.

The $\text{D}$_$\text{3h}$ 3,5-dehydrophenyl cation (I), which may represent the structure of C₆H₃ ions observed mass spectroscopically, illustrates $\text{double aromaticity}$: two different aromatic systems in orthogonal planes.     

Cascade alkenyl amination/Heck reaction promoted by a bifunctional palladium catalyst: a novel one-pot synthesis of indoles from o-haloanilines and alkenyl halides

A novel approach for the synthesis of the important indole ring is described. Indoles are obtained from o-bromoanilines and alkenyl halides in a Pd-catalyzed cascade process that involves an alkenyl amination followed by an intramolecular Heck reaction. The overall process represents the first example of the participation of alkenyl amination reactions in Pd-catalyzed cascade reactions. Initially, the relative reactivity of aryl and alkenyl bromides and chlorides towards Pd-catalyzed amination was investigated. Competition experiments were carried out in the presence of primary and secondary amines, and these revealed the reactivity order alkenyl bromides > aryl bromides > alkenyl chlorides > aryl chlorides, as well as very high chemoselectivity; the more reactive halide was always favored. Thereafter, optimized reaction conditions for the sequential alkenyl amination/Heck cyclization to give indoles were investigated with the model reaction of o-bromoaniline with alpha-bromostyrene. An extensive screening of ligands, bases, and reaction conditions revealed that the [Pd2(dba)3]/DavePhos, NaOtBu, toluene combination at 100 degrees C were the optimized reaction conditions to carry out the cascade process (dba=dibenzylideneacetone, DavePhos=2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2'-N,N-dimethylaminobiphenyl). The reaction proceeds with aryl, alkyl, and functionalized substitutents in both starting reactants. The cyclization was also studied with N-substituted o-bromoanilines (which would give rise to N-substituted indoles); however, in this case, indole formation occurred only with 1-substituted-2-bromoalkenes. Finally, the application of this methodology to o-chloroanilines required further optimization. Although the catalyst based on DavePhos failed to promote the cascade process, a catalytic combination based on [Pd2(dba)3]/X-Phos promoted the formation of the indole ring also from the less reactive chloroanilines.     

Multiple-steering QM-MM calculation of the free energy profile in chorismate mutase

A novel technique for computing free energy profiles in enzymatic reactions using the multiple steering molecular dynamics approach in the context of an efficient QM-MM density functional scheme is presented. The conversion reaction of chorismate to prephenate catalyzed by the Bacillus subtilis enzyme chorismate mutase has been chosen as an illustrative example.     

Phase Equilibria in the Ni–Al–W System at 900°C

Multicomponent Ni-base alloys exhibit good mechanical properties even at elevated temperatures and they are widely used for industrial production of exertion-resistive parts of engines. These properties are mainly determined by the coexistence of a disordered γ matrix with a face centred cubic lattice and cuboidal domains of its ordered γ′ structure. Therefore it is useful to study phase equilibria in Ni-base systems, namely in the regions involving both mentioned phases. One of the conclusions of our recent work on Ni–Al–Cr–W system was a necessity of modification of selected thermodynamic parameters of the ternary Ni–Al–W subsystem in order to achieve a better agreement of our experimental observations with theoretical modelling. This involves new measurements of the microstructure of selected samples of the Ni–Al–W system at 900°C and the comparison of the results with existing literature data in order to confirm our conclusions on higher order system investigated before. It is a first step on the way to an assessment of the Ni–Al–W system, which has not been done before.     

Application of Task-specific Ionic Liquids for Intensified Separations

Summary. Ionic liquids offer tremendous opportunities to intensify reactions and separations in process technologies by tuning their physical and chemical properties. Several ionic liquids are suitable for the separation of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons. CO₂ absorption behavior was influenced by the functionalized chains appended to the room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) cation. Ionic liquids seem able to combine the chemical features of amine solutions with the characteristic advantages of the physical solvents used for CO₂ absorption.     

Cyclodextrin effects on physical–chemical properties of novocaine

The UV-vis absorption and the fluorescence emission spectra of novocaine were analysed in aqueous cyclodextrin (CD) solutions. Either the absorbance read at λ_max 290 nm or the fluorescence emission intensity at λ_ems 346 nm increase in the presence of both α- and β-CD due to the formation of 1:1 inclusion complexes. The lower polarity of the CD-cavity sensed by the included drug enhances the emitted fluorescence; in fact, the same effect was observed in aqueous mixtures of acetonitrile, dioxane, or dimethylsulfoxide. The inclusion complex formation between the monocation of novocaine and CDs diminishes the electrical conductance of aqueous solutions of novocaine hydrochloride (NoHCl). Both the nitrosation reaction in aqueous acid medium and the ester hydrolysis in alkaline medium are retarded in the presence of CDs. The strongest effect was observed with β-CD as a consequence of the higher stability inclusion complex.