The effect of the bridge group on the thermal stability of nitro-substituted aromatic polyamides

The effect of introducing a bridge group into the diamine moiety on the thermal stability of aromatic polyamides substituted with nitro group in the diamine ring at the ortho position to the amide group was studied. Our present work showed that the bridge group, whether it was electron withdrawing or releasing, did not have a significant effect on the activity of the nitro group for the intramolecular cyclization reaction to poly(benzoxazole)s.     

Preparation of Silver Nanoparticles through Alcohol Reduction with Organoalkoxysilanes

Silver nanoparticles of narrow size distribution were prepared through the chemical reduction in an alcohol solution with several organoalkoxysilanes. In this system, organoalkoxysilanes served as a stabilizer, protecting silver nanoparticles from aggregation. The changes in size and morphology of colloidal silver nanoparticles were investigated with the addition of organoalkoxysilanes such as 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS), methyltriethoxysilane (MTS), phenyltrimethoxysilane (PTS), vinyltriethoxysilane (VTS), and 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPS) as stabilizers. The organic functional groups of organoalkoxysilanes interact with silver ions and clusters, which stabilize silver nanoparticles in the system. The silver nanoparticles obtained were characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis spectroscopy, etc.     

Kinetic and thermodynamic characterization of the cobalt and manganese oxyhydroxide cores formed in horse spleen ferritin

Horse spleen ferritin (HoSF) containing 800-1500 cobalt or 250-1200 manganese atoms as Co(O)OH and Mn(O)OH mineral cores within the HoSF interior (Co-HoSF and Mn-HoSF) was synthesized, and the chemical reactivity, kinetics of reduction, and the reduction potentials were measured. Microcoulometric and chemical reduction of HoSF containing the M(O)OH mineral core (M = Co or Mn) was rapid and quantitative with a reduction stoichiometry of 1.05 +/- 0.10 e/M forming a stable M(OH)(2) mineral core. At pH 9.0, ascorbic acid (AH(2)), a two-electron reductant, effectively reduced the mineral cores; however, the reaction was incomplete and rapidly reached equilibrium. The addition of excess AH(2) shifted the reaction to completion with a M(3+)/AH(2) stoichiometry of 1.9-2.1, consistent with a single electron per metal atom reduction. The rate of reaction between M(O)OH and excess AH(2) was measured by monitoring the decrease in mineral core absorbance with time. The reaction was first order in each reactant with second-order rate constants of 0.53 and 4.74 M(-1) min(-1), respectively, for Co- and Mn-HoSF at pH 9.0. From the variation of absorbance with increasing AH(2) concentration, equilibrium constants at pH 9.0 of 5.0 +/- 1.9 for Co-HoSF and 2.9 +/- 0.9 for Mn-HoSF were calculated for 2M(O)OH + AH(2) = 2M(OH)(2) + D, where AH(2) and D are ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid, respectively. Consistent with these equilibrium constants, the standard potential for the reduction of Co(III)-HoSF is 42 mV more positive than that of the ascorbic acid reaction, while the standard potential of Mn(III)-HoSF is 27 mV positive relative to AH(2). Fe(2+) in solution with Co- and Mn-HoSF under anaerobic conditions was oxidized to form Fe(O)OH within the HoSF interior, resulting in partial displacement of the Co or Mn by iron.     

Comparative molecular field analysis study of stilbene derivatives active against A549 lung carcinoma

A series of 43 stilbene derivatives that showed cytotoxicity against human lung carcinoma (A549) was analyzed using comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) for defining the hypothetic pharmacophore model. The polyoxylated stilbenes were found to be active inhibitors of tubulin polymerization. Several cis-stilbenes are structurally similar to combretastatins. However, the trans-stilbenes are assumed to be close to resveratrol found in grapes and have been reported to be potential cancer chemopreventive agents by modulating the initiation, promotion, and progression of the carcinogenic process. With several synthesized compounds that were evaluated for antitumor cytotoxicity against human lung tumor cells (A549), the stilbene derivatives were subjected to CoMFA. To perform systematic molecular modeling of these compounds, a conformational search was carried out based on the precise dihedral angle analysis of the lead compound (1p). The X-ray crystallographic structure of combretastatin A-1 was also used for defining the active conformers of the compounds. After determining the energy-minimized conformers of the lead compound (1p), CoMFA was performed using five different alignments. The three dimensional (3D)-quantitative structure-activity relationship study resulted in reasonable cross-validated, conventional r(2) values equal to 0.640 and 0.958, respectively.     

Hydrogen peroxide oxidation of di(hydroxo)platinum(II) species in carboxylic acids

A facile procedure for synthesizing the mono(hydroxo)tris(carboxylato)platinum(IV) species has been achieved. The reaction of [Pt^II(OH)₂(dmpda)] (dmpda=2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine) with a 30% aqueous solution of H₂O₂ in the presence of a carboxylic acid produces a stable [Pt^IV(OOCR)₃(OH)(dmpda)] (R=Me, Et) complex in high yield. The crystal structures of [Pt^IV(OOCMe)₃(OH)(dmpda)] . H₂O (triclinic P1 bar, a=8.761(2) Å, b=9.245(3) Å, c=10.659(2) Å, =106.25(2)°, =93.90(2)°, =98.92(2)°, V=813.1(3) ų, Z=2, R= 0.0474) and [Pt^IV(OOCEt)₃(OH)(dmpda)] (monoclinic P2₁/c, a=12.777(4) Å, b=10.514(2) Å, c=14.971(3) Å, =107.40(2)°, V=1919.2(8) ų, Z=4, R=0.0611) show that the hydroxyl group has been selectively positioned at an axial site. The intramolecular hydrogen bond between the OH and C=O moiety exists (O(H)...=C, 2.83 Å for [Pt^IV(OOCMe)₃(OH)(dmpda)] · H₂O; 2.72 Å for [Pt^IV(OOCEt)₃(OH)(dmpda)]. Formation of the axial-mono(hydroxo)tris(carboxylato)platinum(IV) species may be ascribed to a combination of `reactive-equatorial effects' with `cis-addition' in the carboxylic acid.     

catena‐Poly[[copper(II)‐μ‐2‐[bis­(2‐pyridylmeth­yl)amino]butyrato‐κ4N,N′,N′′,O:κO′] perchlorate]

The copper(II) ion in the syn–anti carboxyl­ate‐bridged one‐dimensional zigzag chain title complex, {[Cu(C₁₆H₁₈N₃O₂)]ClO₄}_n, exhibits a distorted trigonal–bipyramidal environment. Two N atoms and one carboxyl­ate O atom of the ligand form the basal plane, while the axial positions are filled by an N atom of the ligand and one O atom belonging to the carboxyl­ate group of an adjacent mol­ecule. The crystal packing is enhanced by C—H⋯O(perchlorate) hydrogen bonds.     

Surface modification of γ-alumina membranes by silane coupling for CO2 separation

Top layers of γ-Al₂O₃ composite membranes have been modified by the silane coupling technique using phenyltriethoxysilane for improving the separation factor of CO₂ to N₂. The separation efficiency of the modified membranes was strongly dependent upon the hydroxylation tendency of the support materials and the amount of the special functional group (i.e. phenyl radical) which was coupled onto a top layer. The separation factor through the TiO₂ supported γ-Al₂O₃ membrane was found to be fairly enhanced by silane coupling, but in case of the -Al₂O₃ supported membrane was not. The CO₂/N₂ separation factor through the modified γ-Al₂O₃/TiO₂ composite membrane is 1.7 at 90°C and ΔP = 2 × 10⁵ Pa for the binary mixture containing 50 vol% CO₂. The separation factor is proportional to the CO₂ concentration in the gas mixture, and the modified membrane is stable up to 100°C. The main mechanism of the CO₂ transport through the modified γ-Al₂O₃ layer is known to be a surface diffusion.     

A ruthenium-catalyzed one-pot method for α-alkylation of ketones with aldehydes

Ketones react with an array of aldehydes in dioxane at 80 °C in the presence of a catalytic amount of RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃ along with KOH to give the corresponding α-alkylated ketones in moderate to good yields. A reaction pathway involving base-catalyzed cross-aldol reaction between ketones and aldehydes to form α,β-unsaturated ketones and regioselective reduction of carbon-carbon double bond of α,β-unsaturated ketones is proposed for this catalytic process.     

Particle interactions in electrophoresis: I. Motion of two spheres along their line of centers

The electrophoretic motion of two charged colloidal spheres with very thin electrical double layers in a constant applied electric field along their line of centers is considered. The particles may differ in radius and in zeta potential at the surface. The electrostatic and hydrodynamic governing equations are solved in the quasi-steady situation using bipolar coordinates and the electrophoretic velocities of particles are calculated for various cases. The interaction effect between particles can be very significant when the distance between particle surfaces gets close to zero. The particle with smaller zeta potential is speeded up by the motion of the other, which is retarded at the same time by the motion of the former one, if the two spheres have unequal zeta potentials of the same electrical sign. For two particles of different signs in zeta potential, motions of both are hindered by each other. The influence of the interaction between particles in general is stronger on the smaller one than on the larger one. For the special case of two electrophoretic spheres with identical zeta potentials, there is no particle interaction for all particle sizes and separations.     

Inhibitory effects of 1,3-selenazol-4-one derivatives on mushroom tyrosinase

This study reports depigmenting potency of 1,3-selenazol-4-one derivatives, which would be based upon the finding of direct inhibition to mushroom tyrosinase. 1,3-Selenazol-4-one derivatives exhibited inhibitory effect on dopa oxidase activity of mushroom tyrosinase. In this study, inhibitory effects of six kinds of 1,3-selenazol-4-one derivatives (A, B, C, D, E and F) on mushroom tyrosinase were investigated. Compounds at a concentration of 500 microM exhibited 33.4-62.1% of inhibition on dopa oxidase activity of mushroom tyrosinase. Their inhibitory effects were higher than that of kojic acid (31.7%), a well known tyrosinase inhibitor. 2-(4-Methylphenyl)-1,3-selenazol-4-one (A) exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect among them dose-dependently and in competitive inhibition manner.