Dimers of 1,8a-Dihydro-1,8-Naphthyridine Derivatives as Models of Chiral Self-Recognition

A theoretical study of the dimer formation of chiral 1,8a-dihydro-1,8-naphthyridine derivatives has been carried out by means of DFT calculations. In the cases treated, the heterochiral dimers (RS or SR) are always more stable than the homochiral ones (RR or SS). Two possible proton transfer processes have been studied, the concerted and the non-concerted ones. The non-concerted TS corresponds to a true TS while the concerted one presents two imaginary frequencies. The geometrical characteristics of the hydrogen bonds in all the structures calculated have been correlated using the Steiner–Limbach model.     

Screening method for pesticides in air by gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A multiresidue method for determining more than 70 pesticides in air has been validated using a single injection with gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (GC/MS/MS). The method validation considered both stages of sampling and analysis. The sampling method, based on active sampling using sorption in sorbent cartidges, was validated by generating standard atmospheres. Performance parameters of the method were evaluated, with a reduction in the limits of quantification by injecting a higher volume of sample extract, and increase of selectivity by the use of MS/MS detection mode. The method was based on solid-phase extraction, which permits a degree of automation. The best adsorbents were found to be Chromosorb 106 and Tenax TA. The retention capacity of these sampling sorbents allows up to 1440 L of air to be sampled without any breakthrough for most of the compounds. Data were generated for assessing the potential exposure of bystanders. The application of the method to the analysis of the air in urban locations near agricultural areas showed that pesticides were present in most of the samples.     

Selectfluor: mechanistic insight and applications

The replacement of hydrogen atoms with fluorine substituents in organic substrates is of great interest in synthetic chemistry because of the strong electronegativity of fluorine and relatively small steric footprint of fluorine atoms. Many sources of nucleophilic fluorine are available for the derivatization of organic molecules under acidic, basic, and neutral conditions. However, electrophilic fluorination has historically required molecular fluorine, whose notorious toxicity and explosive tendencies limit its application in research. The necessity for an electrophilic fluorination reagent that is safe, stable, highly reactive, and amenable to industrial production as an alternative to very hazardous molecular fluorine was the inspiration for the discovery of selectfluor. This reagent is not only one of the most reactive electrophilic fluorinating reagents available, but it is also safe, nontoxic, and easy to handle. In this Review we document the many applications of selectfluor and discuss possible mechanistic pathways for its reaction.     

Activity coefficients for NaCl in ethanol-water mixtures at 25°C

Activity coefficient values for NaCl in ethanol-water mixtures containing 20, 40, 60, 70, 80 and 90 weight % ethanol are calculated from the emf for the galvanic cell $$Na - glass|NaCl(m), H_2 O (100 - Y), EtOH(Y), AgCl|Ag$$ in which the weight % of the corresponding solvent is indicated in parenthesis. The results obtained are analyzed by using different theoretical models. Chemical models which take into account the presence of ion pairs in solutions of high ethanol content are also used. There is good agreement between the results obtained from all the models.     

On the origin of the thermostabilization of proteins induced by sodium phosphate

The B1 domain of protein L shows a linear rise in thermostability with increasing concentrations of sodium phosphate. Equal behavior is observed for a set of mutant proteins where surface lysines are mutated to noncharged residues, but the mutant's thermostabilities show different sensitivities to phosphate, encoded in the varying slopes observed (mi). The melting temperature in the absence of the cosolute also correlates linearly with mi. The stabilizing effect of the phosphate ion reaches a saturation point, which has been experimentally determined for protein L (1610 mM phosphate). These results indicate that the phosphate-induced stabilization is an inherent property of the protein, encoded in the amino acid sequence. Changes in stability upon mutation are attributed to a redistribution of the overall network of solvated surface charges. Stabilization by phosphate is understood in terms of interactions with the protein surface, reducing the unfavorable contacts between like charges, maximizing the number of accessible conformations of the surface-charged side chains, and optimizing solvation.     

The direct determination of cadmium in biological samples by selective volatilization and graphite tube reservoir atomic absorption spectrometry

The utilization of modifications of the rate of metal-catalyzed reactions (mainly redox reactions involving organic dyes of relatively high molar absorptivities) by other organic species (ligands) is outlined. This extension of catalytic reaction-rate methods in solution is of recent development and suggests the possibility of further analytical procedures. Three main types of modifications, (a) inhibition, (b) true metal complex catalysis, and (c) promotion, are distinguished, and their applications to analytical determinations are discussed.     

Illumination intensity dependence of the photovoltage in nanostructured TiO2 dye-sensitized solar cells

The open-circuit voltage (V(oc)) dependence on the illumination intensity (phi0) under steady-state conditions in both bare and coated (blocked) nanostructured TiO2 dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is analyzed. This analysis is based on a recently reported model [Bisquert, J.; Zaban, A.; Salvador, P. J. Phys. Chem. B 2002, 106, 8774] which describes the rate of interfacial electron transfer from the conduction band of TiO2 to acceptor electrolyte levels (recombination). The model involves two possible mechanisms: (1) direct, isoenergetic electron injection from the conduction band and (2) a two-step process involving inelastic electron trapping by band-gap surface states and subsequent isoenergetic transfer of trapped electrons to electrolyte levels. By considering the variation of V(oc) over a wide range of illumination intensities (10(10) < phi0 < 10(16) cm(-2) s(-1)), three major regions with different values of dV(oc)/d phi0 can be distinguished and interpreted. At the lower illumination intensities, recombination mainly involves localized band-gap, deep traps at about 0.6 eV below the conduction band edge; at intermediate photon fluxes, recombination is apparently controlled by a tail of shallow traps, while, for high enough phi0 values, conduction band states control the recombination process. The high phi0 region is characterized by a slope of dV(oc)/d log phi0 congruent with 60 mV, which indicates a recombination of first order in the free electron concentration. The study, which was extended to different solar cells, shows that the energy of the deep traps seems to be an intrinsic property of the nanostructured TiO2 material, while their concentration and also the density ([symbol: see text]t approximately 10(18)-10(19) cm(-3)) and distribution of shallow traps, which strongly affects the shape of the V(oc) vs phi0 curves, change from sample to sample and are quite sensitive to the electrode preparation. The influence of the back-reaction of electrons from the fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conducting glass substrate with electrolyte tri-iodide ions on the V(oc) vs phi0 dependence characteristic of the DSSC is analyzed. It is concluded that this back-reaction route can be neglected, even at low light intensities, when its rate (exchange current density, j0), which can vary over 4 orders of magnitude depending on the type of FTO used, is low enough (j0 < or = 10(-8)A cm(-2)). The comparison of V(oc) vs phi0 measurements corresponding to different DSSCs with and without blocking of the FTO-electrolyte contact supports this conclusion.     

Physico-chemical applications of liquid chromatography II. Investigations of the surface properties of chemically modified silica gels and of the adsorption of cardiac glycosides from solutions

Summary The chemical modification of silica surface using dichlorosilanes with methyl and phenyl groups and triethylamine as donor in the liquid phase was investigated. This modification leads to a dense coverage of the silica surface by the organic functional groups. Liquid chromatography permits the determination of the thermodinamic characteristics of intermolecular interactions of different molecules during adsorption from solutions on the modified surface of the silica. Silica gels modified with dichlorosilanes containing phenyl groups, possess high selectivity () and capacity (k) for the cardiac glycosides G-strophanthin, K-strophanthoside, K-strophanthin- and cymarin using water-alcohol mixture as the mobile phase, and the selectivity and capacity is much higher than observed on silica gels modified with methyl groups only.     

Large chiral recognition in hydrogen-bonded complexes and proton transfer in pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrrole dimers as model compounds

The chiral recognition in the formation of hydrogen-bonded (HB) dimers of 1,6a-dihydropyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrrole derivatives as well as in their proton-transfer processes have been studied by means of ab initio calculations. The heterochiral dimers are in general the most stable ones, but amphiprotic substituents that are able to form attactive interactions with twin groups revert this tendency. Energy differences up to 4.0 kcal/mol have been found favoring the homo- or heterochiral complexes. Two possible proton-transfer processes have been studied, the concerted one and the nonconcerted one. The compresion of the systems in the transition structures produce an increase in the energetic differences when compared to the corresponding minima complexes. A Steiner-Limbach relationship has been found for the geometrical properties of the HB in the minima and transition states calculated here. The electron density and its Laplacian at the bond critical point have been found to correlate with the HB distance.     

Spectrophotometric determination of silicon in thorium oxide

A method is described for the spcctrophotometric determination of microgram quantities of silicon in the presence of thorium. Thorium oxide is dissolved by heating it at 70 to 8o°C in 4M HNO₃ that contains 2 drops of HF. Under these conditions, no silicon is lost through volatilization. The silicon is estimated as the blue ailicomolybdate complex. Under the conditions selected for development of color, a precipitate of thorium molybdate is obtained ; the thorium molybdate is, however, dissolved without affecting the color of the complex by the addition of tartrate and adjusting the pH of the solution to 3.0. The lower limit of detection is about 5 p.p.m. of silicon.