Basis-Set dependence of exterior electron distributions of molecular orbitals

Interior electron densities are divided from exterior electron densities (EED ), when an effective boundary is introduced. The EED concept was used to study the quality of wavefunction tails; the basis-set dependence of ab initio MO for NH₃ was studied from EED . The EED for the nonbonding orbital (3a₁) increases dramatically with the size of basis sets, whereas that for the bonding orbital (1e) shows saturation even at the double zeta class. Although inclusion of polarization functions always gives the better total energy the EED (3a₁) may either increase or decrease or decrease depending on the choice of the smaller or the larger exponents. The conventional choice of the polarization functions for 6-311G* and 6-311G* was found to yield worse wavefunction tails than the case of 6-311G. Much better results were obtained with the more diffuse polarization functions. The (11s7p)/[5s4p] set designed for Rydberg states as well as the 6-311 + G set proposed for negative ions gave excellent results comparable to the case of the near Hartree-Fock calculation with 56 CGTO. Considerable improvements were also achieved for 4-31G and 6-311G sets, when the exponent for the outermost s-type function was modified. The largest EED (3a₁) gave the best agreement with the experimental ratio of EED 's derived from Penning ionization electron spectroscopy.     

Proton and electron conductivity in hydrous ruthenium oxides evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy: the origin of large capacitance

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was conducted on a series of hydrous ruthenium oxides, RuO(2).xH(2)O, (x = 0.5, 0.3, 0) and a layered ruthenic acid hydrate (H(0.2)RuO(2.1).nH(2)O) in order to evaluate their protonic and electronic conduction. The capacitor response frequency was observed at lower frequency for RuO(2).xH(2)O with higher water content, which was suggested to be due to electrolyte exhaustion within the film and/or utilization of hydrated interparticle micropores that have high ionic resistance. Analysis of the impedance data indicated that the charge-transfer resistance through the film is not significantly affected by the water content in RuO(2).xH(2)O, and the capacitor frequency response is dominated by the protonic conduction. The capacitor response frequency of layered H(0.2)RuO(2.1).nH(2)O was comparable to RuO(2).0.5H(2)O. The high specific capacitance at low frequency for layered H(0.2)RuO(2.1).nH(2)O is attributed to the utilization of the expandable hydrous interlayer, which accounts for the ionic conduction. The present results demonstrate the importance of hydrous regions (either interparticle or interlayer) to allow appreciable protonic conduction for high energy and high power electrochemical capacitors.     

Selective preconcentration of rare earth elements by substoichiometric precipitation of calcium oxalate and its application to the neutron activation analysis of biological material

A preconcentration method for trace amounts of rare earth elements (REs) based on the substoichiometric precipitation of calcium oxalate was developed. RE(III) was quantitatively coprecipitated with calcium oxalate which had been precipitated from the calcium of a macrocomponent in a biological sample by addition of a substoichiometric amount of oxalate. In this way high selectivity for RE(III) from other elements was achieved. The method was applied to the neutron activation analysis of a biological sample (NBS SRM 1572 Citrus Leaves), and Sc, La, Ce, Pf, Nd, Sm, Eu, Th, Dy, Ho, Yb and Lu were determined with a relative standard deviation of less than 5%.     

Determinations of silicon and phosphorus in rice planted in a district of high incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by neutron activation and X-ray fluorescence analyses

Silicon and phosphorus contents in polished and unpolished rice planted in a district of high incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have been determined by neutron activation and X-ray fluorescence methods, and compared with those from control areas. In the neutron activation analysis, beta-ray spectra of 32P produced by the 31P(n, gamma)32P reaction on polished and unpolished rice were measured with a low background beta-ray spectrometer. In the X-ray fluorescence analysis, characteristic X-rays were analyzed with a wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. Silicon contents in polished and unpolished rice from the ALS area are 42 micrograms.g-1 and 370 micrograms.g-1, respectively, and the corresponding phosphorus contents are 1,210 micrograms.g-1, and 3,370 micrograms.g-1, respectively. The data for ALS area are equal to those for the control area within standard deviation.     

NMR conformational analysis of biosynthetic precursor-type lipid A: monomolecular state and supramolecular assembly

The detailed conformational analysis of a single molecule of the tetraacyl biosynthetic precursor-type lipid A and its characteristic supramolecular assembly in aqueous SDS-micelles are described. Regular molecular arrangements were observed by detailed analysis of the NMR spectra of synthetically pure specimens, including regiospecifically 13C-labeled ones. NMR analysis of a biologically inactive precursor-type analogue with four shorter acyl chains demonstrated its conformational flexibility, indicating the importance of hydrophobic interactions for maintaining the conformation of such molecules.     

Voltammetry at microcylinder electrodes: Part III. Chronopotentiometry

Expressions for chronopotentiometry at stationary microcylinder electrodes are presented. The transition time, τ, is expressed as a function of a single parameter λ ( = nFc^*_RD / ia, where a is the radius of the electrode, D is the diffusion coefficient, i is the current density, n is the number of transferred electrons, F is the Faraday constant and c^*_R is the bulk concentration. When the values of λ are small, the transition-time constant, i√τ / c^*_R, depends linearly on λ, with the intercept predicted from the Sand equation. Conversely, when values of λ increase, the transition time also increases exponentially. Therefore transition necessarily occurs no matter how small a current flows. An approximate equation for the transition time is presented, from which one can evaluate the diffusion coefficient. Equations for the potential-time curve and the quarter-wave potential are also obtained. The equations were tested experimentally using carbon fiber electrodes (a = 4.1 μ m) and platinum wire electrodes (a = 10-100μ m). The transition times obtained experimentally were in good agreement with those predicted theoretically for various values of the applied current, for several different radii of the electrodes.     

Effect of alkyl substitueras in hydrophobic 8-quinolinol on the extraction of gallium(III) and applications to the separation of gallium(III) from aluminum(III)

The extraction of gallium(III) with newly prepared 5-alkyloxymethyl-8-quinolinol derivatives with alkyl substituent at the 2-position in 8-quinolinol moiety has been studied. The Ga(III)-5-octyloxymethyl-8-quinolinol (HO(8)Q), Ga(III)-2-methyl-5-octyloxymethyl-8-quinolinol (HMO(8)Q), Ga(III)-2-methyl-5-hexyloxymethyl-8-quinolinol (HM-O(6)Q), and Ga(HI)-2-n-butyl-5-hexyloxymethyl-8-quinolinol (HNBO(6)Q) complexes extracted in heptane from a perchloric acid medium were Ga(O(8)Q)(3), Ga(OH)(H(2)O)(MO(8)Q)(2), Ga(OH)(H(2)O)(MO(6)Q)(2) and Ga(OH)H(2)O)(NBO(6)Q)(2), respectively. The 2-tert-butyl-5-hexyloxymethyl-8-quinolinol did not exhibit any reactivity toward gallium(III). The extraction constants for Ga(O(8)Q)(3) (K(ex) = [Ga(O(8)Q)(3)](org) [H(+)](3)/[Ga(3+)][HO(8)Q](org)(3)), Ga(OH)(H(2)O)(MO(8)Q)(2) (K(ex) = [Ga(OH) (H(2)O)(MO(8)Q)(2)](org) [H(+)](3)/[Ga(3+)][HMO(8)Q](org)(2)), Ga(OH)(H(2)O)(2)(MO(6)Q)(2) and Ga(OH)(H(2)O)(NBO(6)Q)(2), which were extracted in heptane from an acidic solution, are 10(3.21 +/- 0.12), 10(-4.24 +/- 0.16), 10(-3.84 +/- 0.16) and 10(-4.07 +/- 0.07), respectively at I = 0.1 M and 25 degrees C. HNBO(6)Q exhibited very high selectivity toward gallium(III) in the presence of aluminum(III). Even in the presence of a 100 fold excess of aluminum(III) to gallium(III) (1.43 x 10(-5) M), gallium(III) was completely extracted and the distribution ratio of aluminum(III) was found to be less than 2.0 x 10(-3).     

Synthesis and Complexing Ability of Azacrownophanes: The Cyclodextrin Catalysis of the Photochemical Cyclization Reaction

Azacrownophanes were efficiently prepared by the irradiation of precursor ammonium chlorides in the presence of -CD (-cyclodextrin) in aqueous solution, by repressing the amino group-quenching effect by inclusion of the styrene moieties in -CD. In liquid–liquid extraction, azacrownophanes (6 and 7) showed affinity toward both Ag⁺ and Pb²⁺ cations in a series of heavy metal nitrates. Both 6 and 7 formed 1:1 complexes with the above two cations, according to ¹³C NMR titration and ESI-MS analysis.     

Oxidation of polyethylene surface by corona discharge and the subsequent graft polymerization

Oxidation of a polyethylene (PE) surface by corona discharge and the subsequent graft polymerization of acrylamide (AAm) were studied. The maximum amount of peroxides introduced by corona treatment at a voltage of 15 kV was about 2.3 × 10^?9 mol cm^?2. The decomposition rate of peroxide and the dependence of graft amount on the storage period of the corona-treated PE films showed that there were several kinds of peroxides, the labile one being mainly responsible for the initiation of graft polymerization. When the corona-treated film was brought into contact with a deaerated aqueous solution of AAm, graft polymerization took place more strongly with the treatment time, but was reduced after passing a maximum. Although the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analyses of the corona-treated PE films showed homogeneous oxidation of the outer polymer surface by corona discharge, optical microscopy on the cross section of the grafted film revealed the graft polymerization to be limited to a very thin surface region.     

A reappraisal,based on (31)P NMR,of the direct coordination of a metal ion with the phosphoryl oxygen at the cleavage site of a hammerhead ribozyme

It has been generally accepted, on the basis of kinetic studies with phosphorothioate-containing substrates and analyses by NMR spectroscopy, that a divalent metal ion interacts directly with the pro-Rp oxygen at the cleavage site in reactions catalyzed by hammerhead ribozymes. However, results of our recent kinetic studies (Zhou, D.-M.; Kumar, P. K. R.; Zhang. L. H.; Taira, K. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1996, 118, 8969-8970. Yoshinari, K.; Taira, K. Nucleic Acids Res. 2000, 28, 1730-1742) demonstrated that a Cd(2+) ion does not interact with the sulfur atom at the Rp position of the scissile phosphate (P1.1) in the ground state or in the transition state. Therefore, in the present study, we attempted to determine by (31)P NMR spectroscopy whether a Cd(2+) ion binds to the P1.1 phosphorothioate at the cleavage site in solution. In the case of the R32-S11S (ribozyme-substrate) complex, neither the Rp- nor the Sp-phosphorothioate signal from the S11S substrate at the cleavage site was perturbed (the change was less than 0.1 ppm) upon the addition of Cd(2+) ions (19 equiv) at pH 5.9 and 8.5. By contrast, we detected the significant perturbation of the P9 phosphorothioate signal from another known metal-binding site (the A9/G10.1 metal-binding motif). The Rp-phosphorothioate signal from A9/G10.1 was shifted by about 10 ppm in the higher field direction upon the addition of Cd(2+) ions. These observations support the results of our kinetic analysis and indicate that a Cd(2+) ion interacts with the sulfur atom of the phosphorothioate at the A9/G10.1 site (P9) but that a Cd(2+) ion does not interact with the sulfur atom at the Rp- or at the Sp-position of the scissile phosphate (P1.1) in the ground state.