Doublet Chirality Transfer and Reversible Helical Transition in Poly(3,5‐disubstituted phenylacetylene)s with Pyrene as a Probe Unit†

A novel doublet chirality transfer (DCT) model was demonstrated in cis poly(3,5‐disubstituted phenylacetylene)s, i.e., S‐I , R‐I , and S‐I‐NMe . The chiral message from the stereocenter of alkylamide substituent at 3‐position induced the polyene backbone to take cis‐transoid helical conformation with a predominant screw sense. And in turn the helical backbone acted as a scaffold to orient the pyrene probes, which was linked to phenyl rings through 5‐position, to array in an asymmetric manner. A combinatory analyses of ¹H NMR, Raman, FTIR, UV‐vis absorption, CD, and computer simulation suggested that the main‐chain stereostructure, solvent nature, and intramolecular hydrogen bonds played important and complex roles on DCT. High cis‐structure content and intramolecular hydrogen bonds were beneficial for the realization of DCT. Reversible helix‐helix transition was observed in S‐I by changing the nature of solvents. In DMF, S‐I adopted a relatively contracted helix, where the main chain exhibited strong optical activity, but that of pyrene was weak. In contrast, a relatively stretched helix formed in CHCl₃, in which the optical activity of pyrene was much larger, whereas that of the polyene backbone was the weakest. This helix‐helix transition was attributed to the intramolecular hydrogen bonds, which was confirmed by solution‐state FTIR spectra and computer calculations.     

Total cross sections for electron scattering by polyatomic molecules at 10–1000 eV: C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, C3H6, C3H8 and C4H8

A model complex optical potential (composed of static, exchange, polarization and absorption terms) is employed to calculate the total (elastic and inelastic) electron-atom scattering cross sections from the corresponding atomic wave function at the Hartree-Fock level. The total cross sections (TCS) for electron scattering by their corresponding molecules (C₂H₂, C₂H₄, C₂H₆, C₃H₆, C₃H₈ and C₄H₈) are firstly obtained by the use of the additivity rule over an incident energy range of 10–1000 eV. The qualitative molecular results are compared with experimental data and other calculations wherever available, good agreement is obtained in intermediate-and high-energy region.     

First experiments on transmutation studies of129I and237Np using relativistic protons of 3.7 GeV

First experiments on the transmutation of long-lived¹²⁹I and²³⁷Np using relativistic protons of 3.7 GeV are described. Relativistic protons generate in extended Pb-targets substancial neutron fluences. These neutrons get moderated in paraffin and are used for transmutation as follows:¹²⁹I(n,)¹³⁰I and²³⁷Np(n,)²³⁸Np. The isotopes¹³⁰I (T _1/2-12.36 h) and²³⁸Np (T _1/2=2.117 d) were identified radiochemically. One can estimate the transmutation cross-section (n,) in the given neutron field as (¹²⁹I(n,))=(10±2)b and (²³⁷Np(n,))=(140±30)b The experiments were carried out in November 1996 at the Synchrophasotron, LHE, Dubna, Russia. The investigation has been performed at the Laboratory of High Energies, JINR, Dubna.     

Effect of Sulfate on an Iron Manganese Catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

The effect of sulfate on Fischer-Tropsch synthesis performance was investigated in a slurry- phase continuously stirred tank reactor(CSTR)over a Fe-Mn catalyst.The physiochemical properties of the catalyst impregnated with different levels of sulfate were characterized by N_2 physisorption,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),H_2(or CO)temperature-programmed reduction(TPR),Mφssbauer spectroscopy,and CO_2 temperature-programmed desorption(TPD).The characterization results indicated that the impregnated sulfate slightly decreased the BET surface area and pore volume of the catalyst, suppressed the catalyst reduction and carburization in CO and syngas,and decreased the catalyst surface basicity.At the same time,the addition of small amounts of sulfate improved the activities of Fischer- Tropseh synthesis(FTS)and water gas shift(WGS),shifted the product to light hydrocarbons(C_1-C_(11)) and suppressed the formation of heavy products(C_(12 )).Addition of SO_4~(2-)to the catalyst improved the FTS activity at a sulfur loading of 0.05-0.80 g per 100 g Fe,and S-05 catalyst gave the highest CO conversion(62.3%),and beyond this sulfur level the activity of the catalyst decreased.     

Alternating DNA and pi-conjugated sequences. Thermophilic foldable polymers

Foldable polymers with alternating single-strand deoxyribonucleic acid and planar conjugated organic perylene tetracarboxylic diimide units were found to self-organize into loosely folded nanostructures. Upon heating, the loosely folded structures become more ordered as evidenced by pi-stacking in the perylene segments. The folding and unfolding processes driven by the molecular interactions of adjacent perylenes were monitored in both aqueous and organic solutions. Heat-promoted folding, or inverse temperature behavior, which originates from positive enthalpy changes, was only observed in water. Therefore, we attributed this inverse temperature dependence to hydrophobic effects rather than pi-pi molecular orbital overlap between the perylene planes. These findings shed light on the design of new thermophiles in protein engineering as well as the construction of macromolecular-based nanodevices with actuator and sensory properties.     

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A NOVEL BLUE LIGHT EMITTING ROD-COIL DIBLOCK OLIGOMER

Four new rod-coil diblock molecules, which had well-defined para-phenylene oligomers (PPP, from biphenyl toquinquephenyl) as rigid segments and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO, M_w ca. 750) as flexible segments, were synhesized. Thechemical structure and the number of repeating unit in PEO coil and PPP rod were characterized by ~1H-NMR and MALDI-TOF mass spectromeny. The diblock oligomers showed good solubility in common organic solvents and aggregated in wateras characterized by a blue shift in UV-vis absorption spectra, a red shift in emission spectra, quenching of the fluorescenceand formation of the microfibrilla and fractal-like structures. The formation of different supramolecular structures meant thatthis effort might lead to commercial important highly organized functional materials.     

Fragmentation mechanisms of oligodeoxynucleotides: Effects of replacing phosphates with methylphosphonates and thymines with other bases in T-rich sequences

This article reports another step in an ongoing effort to understand the fragmentation of T-rich oligodeoxynucleotides. We extended an earlier investigation of T-rich 4-mers to T-rich 6-mers, 8-mers and 10-mers by using four different tandem mass spectrometric methods. The methods include low-energy collisionally activated decomposition (CAD) of electrospray ionization (ESI)-produced ions, source-CAD of ESI-produced ions, post-source decay (PSD), and CAD of matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI)-generated ions. The most abundant fragment ions produced from [M - 2H]2- precursors upon low-energy CAD in an ion trap are the [a - B]- and their complementary w ions. The predominant cleavage sites for T-rich oligodeoxynucleotides are always the 3' C-O bonds adjoining a non-T nucleobase (i.e., a base with a higher proton affinity (PA) than that of T). The relative abundance of [a - B]- correlates with the PAs of the nucleobases, underscoring the importance of proton transfer to the base. The propensity to form [a - B]- ions falls in the order of G > C approximately A > T. Structural isomers up to 10-mers can be readily sequenced and distinguished with each of the four tandem mass spectrometric methods applied. The fragmentation of oligodeoxynucleotides in which various phosphates were replaced with methylphosphonate is a measure of the participation of the phosphate proton in the formation of [a - B] ions. For 4 and 5-mers, transfer of an acidic proton from the 5'-phosphate to the departing base is the initiating step in the formation of [a - B]- ions.     

Catalytic Asymmetric Propionate Aldol Reactions via Acyl Halide-Aldehyde Cyclocondensations

Catalyzed asymmetric acyl halide-aldehyde cyclocondensation (AAC) reactions afford highly enantiomerically enriched 3,4-disubstituted-2-oxetanones. These reactions constitute catalytic asymmetric propionate aldol additions. An optically active Al(III)-triamine complex (10 mol %) catalyzes the di(isopropyl)ethylamine-mediated cyclocondensation of propionyl bromide and a variety of aldehydes to afford beta-lactone adducts with uniformly high enantioselection (90 --> 98% ee), diastereoselection (74 --> 98% de), and chemical yields (78-90%). Lactone ring opening reveals that the enantiomerically enriched beta-lactones act as surrogates for syn propionate aldol adducts.     

Quantitative interrogation of protein co-aggregation using multi-color fluorogenic protein aggregation sensors

Co-aggregation of multiple pathogenic proteins is common in neurodegenerative diseases but deconvolution of such biochemical process is challenging. Herein, we developed a dual-color fluorogenic thermal shift assay to simultaneously report on the aggregation of two different proteins and quantitatively study their thermodynamic stability during co-aggregation. Expansion of spectral coverage was first achieved by developing multi-color fluorogenic protein aggregation sensors. Orthogonal detection was enabled by conjugating sensors of minimal fluorescence crosstalk to two different proteins via sortase-tag technology. Using this assay, we quantified shifts in melting temperatures in a heterozygous model protein system, revealing that the thermodynamic stability of wild-type proteins was significantly compromised by the mutant ones but not vice versa. We also examined how small molecule ligands selectively and differentially interfere with such interplay. Finally, we demonstrated these sensors are suited to visualize how different proteins exert influence on each other upon their co-aggregation in live cells.

A little leak will sink a great ship! We prepared a series of multi-color protein aggregation sensors and developed a dual-color thermal shift assay to simultaneously and quantitatively report on protein co-aggregation of two different proteins.     

镍基气凝胶催化CH4-CO2重整制取合成气反应的研究 Ⅲ.影响催化剂积碳性能因素的探讨

考察了823K焙烧的干凝胶xNCA550、气凝胶aNCA550及浸渍型催化剂iNCA550在923K、1073K、1173K反应温度下的积碳行为，对催化剂表面碳的活性及类型进行了分析，并探讨了影响催化剂积碳的因素。实验结果表明，随反应温度的提高，催化剂的积碳能力减弱，尤以气凝胶催化剂aNCA550明显。催化剂的积碳主要发生在反应的初期，反应温度越高，到达积碳量相对稳定期所需要的时间越短；随着反应时间的延续，催化剂积碳量缓慢增长，并且表面碳的活性降低。催化剂的酸性和镍晶粒大小是影响其积碳性能的主要内在因素，而它们对积碳的影响程度受反应温度的影响，反应温度越高，催化剂表达酸性中心利于积碳的作用越小，小晶粒镍抑制催化剂积碳的能力越强。