Characterization of low molecular weight components of [(ViMe2SiO1/2)x(PhSiO3/2)y(SiO4/2)z], [(ViMe2SiO1/2)x(SiO4/2)y], and [(SiO4/2)x(HO1/2)y(tBuO1/2)z] silsesquioxanes by electrospray ionization fourier transform mass spectrometry (ESI-FTMS)

This paper describes the characterization of low molecular weight components of four materials using electrospray ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry (ESI-FTMS). The materials in the current study are [(ViMe₂SiO_1/2)_x(PhSiO_3/2)_y(SiO_4/2)_z] (MTQ), [(ViMe₂SiO_1/2)_x(SiO_4/2)_y] (MQ), and [(SiO_4/2)_x(HO_1/2)_y(^tBuO_1/2)_z] (Q) silsesquioxanes. Accurate mass measurements coupled with knowledge of resin chemistry afforded siloxane composition determination that was used to propose specific structures for the oligomers. Branched or linear (T_nQ_mM_n+2m+2), and monocyclic (T_nQ_mM_n+2m) structures are predominant structures for the low molecular weight species in MTQ. For MQ and Q, more condensed structures, such as partially opened cage structures (Q_mM_2m?6 and Q_mM_2m?8), were identified. The differences between MQ, Q, and MTQ are likely attributed to differences in intrinsic structure and reactivity of T and Q building blocks. The structural information obtained for these oligomeric species will ultimately provide a better understanding of new resin materials and their associated physical properties.     

A semi-rigid bis(imidazolyl) ligand for the construction of nanoscopic supramolecules. From the molecular rectangle to the 1D coordination polymer

Reaction of the semi-rigid ligand 2,4-bis(1-imidazolylmethyl)-mesitylene (m-bimms) with CdCl₂ afforded a boat-like molecular rectangle [Cd(m-bimms)Cl₂]₂ · 1/2H₂O (1), with the orientation of the two imidazolyl arms of the ligand in syn-conformation and bridging chloride ions bisecting the macrocycle. Weak Cl· · ·H—C interations further extended the dimers into 1D infinite chains with nanoscopic channels. An analogous reaction with Cd(NO₃)₂ gave a 1D coordination polymer [Cd(m-bimms)₂(NO₃)₂]_n · 2nH₂O (2) composed of nanoscopic metallamacrocycles, where the two imidazolyl arms adopt an anti-conformation. Different anions result in different ligand conformations and thus determine the varied molecular architectures.     

Solvothermal Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Properties of the First Zinc Containing Thioantimonate(III) [Zn( tren)] 2Sb 4S 8·0.75 H 2O

Yellow crystals of the title compound were obtained under solvothermal conditions reacting elemental Zn, Sb, and S in a solution of tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (=tren) and water. The compound crystallises in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c with a=13.0247(7), b=22.308(2), c=12.1776(6) Å, and =105.352(6)°. In the structure of [Zn(tren)]₂Sb₄S₈·0.75 H₂O two [Zn(tren)]²⁺ cations are bound to the [Sb₄S₈]^4– anion via S atoms. The Zn²⁺ ions are in a trigonal bipyramidal environment of four N atoms of the tetradentate tren ligand and one S atom of the [Sb₄S₈]^4– anion. The anion is formed by SbS₃ and SbS₄ units which share common corners and edges. The interconnection mode yields three different non-planar Sb₂S₂ heterorings. The shortest intermolecular Sb–S distance amounts to about 3.7Å, and taking this long separation into account undulated chains running along [001] are formed with the water molecules residing in the pocket-like cavities. Upon heating the compound decomposes in one step starting at about 240°C. The final decomposition product was identified as ZnS and Sb₂S₃ by X-ray powder diffractometry. Additionally, spectroscopic data as well as synthetic procedures for [Zn(tren)]₂Sb₄S₈·0.75 H₂O are reported.     

Effect of operating parameters on selective separation of heavy metals from binary mixtures via polymer enhanced ultrafiltration

Performance of continuous polymer enhanced ultrafiltration (PEUF) method was investigated for removal of mercury and cadmium from binary mixtures. This method includes the addition of polyethyleneimine (PEI) as a water soluble polymer to bind the metals, which was followed by ultrafiltration operation performed on both laboratory and pilot scale systems. The influence of various operating parameters such as temperature, metal/polymer ratio, presence of calcium ions and pH on retention of metals and permeate flux was investigated. To investigate the possibility of selective separation of mercury and cadmium, experiments were conducted for binary solutions at different pH and loading ratios. It was seen that the retention of mercury decreased and permeate flux increased when the temperature increased. The increased pH and decreased metal/polymer ratio, loading (L), resulted in higher retention of both metals. Shapes of retention vs. pH or L curves were very similar for both metals. Retentions stay almost constant at a value very close to unity until a critical L or pH value was reached, then, R decreases almost linearly with L or pH. However, retention of cadmium was affected more than that of mercury as the pH decreased and L increased. This leads to the selective separation of mercury and cadmium. At low pH values (about 5) and at high L values (about 0.3), mercury was removed by ultrafiltration operation while almost all cadmium passed through the membrane. At pH 5.5 and cadmium/polymer ratio about 0.35 and mercury/polymer ratio about 0.39, the highest separation factor was obtained as 49.     

Photopolymerization induced by a benzophenone derivative photoinitiator

A benzophenone derivative photoinitiator, HBP-TDI-HQ-TDI-HBP （HTCTH）, was synthesized based on 4-hydroxy benzophenone （HBP）, toluene-2,4-diisocyanate （TDI） and hydroquinone （HQ）. HTCTH was a more effective photoinitiator which had longer wavelength absorption in the UV-vis absorption spectra than the low molecular counterpart benzophenone （BP）. It showed that both rate of polymerization （Rp） and final conversion （P） increased with increase of amine and HTCTH concentration in photopolymerization.     

Biocomposites of covalently linked glucose oxidase on carbon nanotubes for glucose biosensor

The formation of covalently linked composites of multi–walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and glucose oxidase (GOD) with high-function density for use as a biosensing interface is described. The reaction intermediates and the final product were characterized by using FT–IR spectroscopy, and the MWCNT-coated GOD nanocomposites were examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Interestingly, it was found that the GOD–MWCNT composites are highly water soluble. Electrochemical characterization of the GOD–MWCNT composites that were modified on a glassy carbon electrode shows that the covalently linked GOD retains its bioactivity and can specifically catalyze the oxidation of glucose. The oxidation current shows a linear dependence on the glucose concentration in the solution in the range of 0.5–40 mM with a detection limit of 30 μM and a detection sensitivity of 11.3 μA/mMcm². The present method may provide a way to synthesize MWCNT related composites with other biomolecules and for the construction of enzymatic reaction-based biofuel cells and biosensors. Supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, No. 20125515; 90206037; 20375016) and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BK 2004210)     

含氮宾或卡宾的金属羰基簇合物的结构化学研究——Ⅰ.H_2Fe_3(N-C_6H_5)(CO)_9和Fe_3(N-C_6H_5)(μ_3-CO)(CO)_9的合成和结构

含氮宾的两个三核羰基铁簇合物是由[Et_3NH][HFe_3(CO)_(11)]与C_6H_5NCO在苯中反应获得。应用四园衍射仪测定了H_2Fe_3(N-C_6H_5)(CO)_9(Ⅰ)和Fe_3(N-C_6H_5)(μ_3-CO)(CO)_9(Ⅱ)的晶体结构。晶体数据为:C_(15)H_7NO_9Fe_3(Ⅰ),空间群P2_1/a,a=18.343(2),b=9.072(1),c=11.451(1)(?),β=102.03(1)°,V=1863.7(?)~3,Z=4,D_c=2.143g/cm~3;C_(16)H_5NO_(10)Fe_3(Ⅱ),空间群P2_1/c,a=8.634(1),b=13.026(1),c=17.642(2)(?),β=97.68(1)°,V=1966.3(?)~3,Z=4,D_c=1.820g/cm结构系用直接法解出,最后R_(Ⅰ)因子为0.033,R_(Ⅱ)因子为0.027。测定结果表明,(Ⅰ)和(Ⅱ)分子均具有C_s对称性,且三个Fe原子共面,呈近似等边三角形结构。(Ⅰ)中面桥N原子以不对称方式与三个Fe原子成键;(Ⅱ)中面桥羰基以不对称方式与三个Fe原子键连。Fe-N和Fe-C键长分别在1.896-1.938(?)和2.006-2.110(?)之间。     

Determination of the thiol redox state of organisms: new oxidative stress indicators

This study describes a new methodology by which the concentrations of non-protein (NP) thiols glutathione (GSH), cysteine (CSH), N-acetylcysteine (AcCSH), and protein (P) thiols (PSH), as well as the contribution of these components to symmetric and mixed disulfides (NPSSR, NPSSC, NPSSCAc, PSSR, PSSC, PSSCAc, PSSP) can reliably be measured. The methodology consists of a strict sequence of methods which are applied to every sample. Free thiols at any given state of the procedure are measured by Ellmans assay, the CSH fraction is measured by its unique response in the ninhydrin assay, AcCSH is selectively measured with ninhydrin after enzymatic deacylation, proteins are separated from non-protein thiols/disulfides by precipitation with trichloroacetic or perchloric acid, disulfides are reduced into free thiols with borohydride, mixed disulfides between a protein and a non-protein component are measured by extracting the non-protein thiol from the protein pellet after borohydride treatment, and protein thiols/disulfides are measured after resolubilization of the protein pellet.When this method was applied to animal and fungal tissue, new molecular indicators of the thiol redox state of living cells were identified. The findings of the present study clearly show that the new parameters are very sensitive indicators of redox state, while at the same time the traditional parameters GSH and GSSG often remain constant even upon dramatic changes in the overall redox state of biological tissue. Therefore, unbiased assessment of the redox state also requires explicit measurement of its most sensitive thiol indicators.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at . A link in the frame on the left on that page takes you directly to the supplementary material.     

Synthesis of macrocyclic tetraamides derived from α-amino acids and their investigations using ESI-MS technique

Chiral α,ω-diesters react under high-pressure conditions (10 kbar) with α,ω-diamines to give chiral cyclic tetraamides of C₂-symmetry. The complexation properties of tetraamides towards alkali metal cations (Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺ and Cs⁺) were estimated on the basis of ESI-MS spectra.