Ab initio torsional potential and transition frequencies of acetaldehyde

High-level ab initio electronic structure calculations, including extrapolations to the complete basis set limit as well as relativistic and diagonal Born-Oppenheimer corrections, resulted in a torsional potential of acetaldehyde in its electronic ground state. This benchmark-quality potential fully reflects the symmetry and internal rotation dynamics of this molecule in the energy range probed by spectroscopic experiments in the infrared and microwave regions. The torsional transition frequencies calculated from this potential and the ab initio torsional inverse effective mass function are within 2 cm(-1) of the available experimental values. Furthermore, the computed contortional parameter rho of the rho-axis system Hamiltonian is also in excellent agreement with that obtained from spectral analyses of acetaldehyde.     

Affinity adsorption of recombinant human interferon-α on a porous dye-affinity adsorbent

Interferons are potent biologically active proteins synthesized and secreted by somatic cells of all mammalian species. Dye-affinity adsorption is increasingly used for protein separation. Hollow fibers have several advantages as adsorbents in comparison to conventional bead supports because they are not compressible and they eliminate internal diffusion limitations. The aim of this study was to explore in detail the performance of polyamide hollow fibers to which Cibacron Blue F3GA was attached for adsorption of recombinant interferon-α (rHuIFN-α). The hollow fiber was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. These dye-carrying hollow fibers (35.8 μmol/g) were used in the rHuIFN-α adsorption-elution studies. The effects of initial concentration of rHuIFN-α, medium pH, ionic strength and temperature on the adsorption efficiency of dye-attached hollow fibers were studied in a batch system. The non-specific adsorption of rHuIFN-α on the hollow fibers was 1.2 mg/g. Cibacron Blue F3GA attachment significantly increased the rHuIFN-α adsorption up to 99.8 mg/g. Significant amount of the adsorbed rHuIFN-α (up to 94.8%) was eluted in 1 h in the elution medium containing 1.0 M NaCl. In order to determine the effects of adsorption conditions on possible conformational changes of rHuIFN-α structure, fluorescence spectrophotometry was employed. We resulted that dye-affinity hollow fibers can be applied for rHuIFN-α adsorption without causing any significant conformational changes. Repeated adsorption/elution processes showed that these dye-attached hollow fibers are suitable for rHuIFN-α adsorption.     

Preparation and structural studies on the Bu2Sn(IV) complexes with aromatic mono- and dicarboxylic acids containing hetero {N} donor atom

Nine complexes of ^tBu₂Sn(IV)²⁺ were obtained in the solid state with ligands containing -COOH group(s) and aromatic {N} donor atom. The binding sites of the ligands were identified by FT-IR spectroscopic measurements. It was found that in most cases the -COO⁻ groups are co-ordinated in monodentate manner. Nevertheless, in some of our complexes, the -COO⁻ group forms bridges between two central {Sn} atoms resulting in the formation of an oligomeric structure, a motif that is characteristic only to the nicotinate compound. These pieces of information and the rationalisation of the experimental ¹¹⁹Sn Mössbauer nuclear quadrupole splittings, Δ, - according to the point charge model formalism - support the formation of octahedral (O_h) or trigonal bipyramidal (TBP) molecular structures. The X-ray diffraction analysis of one complex obtained as single crystal revealed the distortion of the TBP geometry towards square pyramidal (SP) one. This was rationalised by PM3 molecular modelling of the ^tBu₂Sn(pdc) complex. In the asymmetric unit, the two chemically similar but symmetry independent molecules form pseudo-dimers, in which the Sn?Sn separation amounts to ca. 6.4 Å. The crystal lattice is stabilised by C-H?O hydrogen bonding between individual molecules.     

Voltammetry of Benzo[a]pyrene in Aqueous and Nonaqueous Media: Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetric Determination at Pencil Graphite Electrode

A detailed study of the electrochemical oxidation of Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) at the glassy carbon and pencil graphite electrodes was carried out in aqueous and nonaqueous media. Using square‐wave stripping mode, the compound yielded a well‐defined voltammetric response at pencil graphite electrode in acetate buffer, pH 4.8 at +1.13 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) (a preconcentration step being carried out at a fixed potential of +0.70 V for 180 s). The process could be used to determine BaP concentrations in the range 0.25–1.25 μM, with a detection limit of 0.027 μM (6.82 μg L^?1). The applicability to assay of spiked human urine samples was also illustrated.     

Fluorescence of crystalline 4-(dimethylamino)benzonitrile. Absence of dual fluorescence and observation of single-exponential fluorescence decays

The fluorescence spectrum of crystals grown from newly synthesized 4-(dimethylamino)benzonitrile (DMABN), measured from 25 down to −112 °C, consists of a single emission band originating from a locally excited (LE) state. The fluorescence decay of the DMABN crystals is single exponential at all temperatures investigated. These results show that intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) does not occur in crystalline DMABN. The additional red-shifted emission bands and multiexponential fluorescence decays previously reported for DMABN crystals are attributed to a minor amount of the impurity 4-(dimethylamino)benzaldehyde, the synthetic precursor of commercial DMABN.     

Dependency of thermal and electrical conductivity on temperature and composition of Sn in Pb–Sn alloys

The variations of thermal conductivity with temperature for Pb–Sn alloys were measured using a radial heat flow apparatus. The variations of electrical conductivity with the temperature for same alloys were determined from the Wiedemann–Franz law by using the measured values of thermal conductivity. According to present experimental results, the thermal and electrical conductivity of Pb–Sn alloys linearly decrease with increasing temperature but exponentially increase with increasing the composition of Sn. The enthalpy of fusion and the change of specific heat for Pb–Sn alloys were also determined by means of differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) from heating trace during the transformation from eutectic liquid to eutectic solid.     

Hydrogen bonding in the urea dimers and adenine–thymine DNA base pair: anharmonic effects in the intermolecular H-bond and intramolecular H-stretching vibrations

The equilibrium structures, binding energies, vibrational harmonic frequencies, and the anharmonic corrections for two different (cyclic and asymmetric) urea dimers and for the adenine–thymine DNA base pair system have been studied using the second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) method and different density functional theory (DFT) exchange–correlation (XC) functionals (BLYP, B3LYP, PBE, HCTH407, KMLYP, and BH and HLYP) with the D95V, D95V**, and D95V++** basis sets. The widely used a posteriori Boys–Bernardi or counterpoise correction scheme for basis set superposition error (BSSE) has been included in the calculations to take into account the BSSE effects during geometry optimization (on structure), on binding energies and on the different levels of approximation used for calculating the vibrational frequencies. The results obtained with the ab initio MP2 method are compared with those calculated with different DFT XC functionals; and finally the suitability of these DFT XC functionals to describe intermolecular hydrogen bonds as well as harmonic frequencies and the anharmonic corrections is assessed and discussed.     

Reactions of 1S, 1D,and 3P carbon atoms with water. Oxygen abstraction and intermolecular formaldehyde generation mechanisms; An MCSCF study

Reactions of singlet and triplet carbon atoms with water are explored theoretically using CASSCF–MCQDPT2, CCSD, and DFT methodologies. The ¹S carbons are found to be unreactive. Depending on the carbon atom generation method and the reaction medium, gas‐phase C(³P) attacking water may generate CO and atomic hydrogen as the end products. Reaction paths of the C(¹D) + H₂O system are complicated due to the involvement of two reactive potential energy surfaces with branchings occurring along each. Modifications in product distributions for reactions taking place in condensed phases are elaborated. The decisive reaction conditions, under which the oxygen abstraction and intermolecular formaldehyde generation dominate, are suggested to clarify the discrepancy related with experimental CO observation. The findings are consistent with available experimental data on this system. Oxygen abstraction and intermolecular formaldehyde generation mechanisms suggested here are capable of serving as models for similar reactions of alcohols. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012     

LIQUID-LIQUID PHASE EQUILIBRIUM OF POLYMER SOLUTIONS AND POLYMER BLENDS UNDER POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PRESSURE

In this paper we would like to give a brief review about the extensibility of the liquid-liquid locus into the negativepressure region. Negative pressure states are hardly explored; most researchers believe that the pressure scale ends at p = 0.We would like to show that this is not true, the p = 0 point is not a special point for liquids, it can be "easily" crossed. We aregoing to give a few example, where the extension of liquid-liquid locus for polymer blends and solutions below p = 0 givesus some interesting results, like the merging of UCST and LCST branches in weakly interacting polymer solutions or thereason why most UCST blends exhibit pressure induced immiscibility. Also, we will see what happens with the immiscibilityisland of aqueous polymer solutions when -- reaching the critical molar mass -- it "disappears".     

A novel synthetic approach for the synthesis of pyridocarbazole alkaloids

The synthesis of 11‐methyl‐6H‐pyrido[4,3‐b]carbazole‐1(2H)‐one (5), which can be important for the synthesis of other pyridocarbazole alkaloids and especially 1‐substituted ellipticines, is described. Construction of the tetracyclic structure was achieved by a new route and two important precursor compounds (4a and 4b) for the synthesis of pyridocarbazole alkaloids and also many new tetrahydrocar‐bazole derivatives (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) were synthesized.