A theoretical evaluation of the synergetic capto-dative stabilisation of free radicals

$\text{Ab initio}$ molecular orbital calculations on the model capto-dative radicals, BH₂- CHNH₂^· and H₂NCHCN^·, demonstrate that simultaneous stabilisation by pi-donor and pi-acceptor substituents is significantly greater than the additive substituent stabilisation energies of the individual groups.     

Use of a SQUID array to detect T-cells with magnetic nanoparticles in determining transplant rejection

Acute rejection in organ transplant is signaled by the proliferation of T-cells that target and kill the donor cells requiring painful biopsies to detect rejection onset. An alternative non-invasive technique is proposed using a multi-channel superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer to detect T-cell lymphocytes in the transplanted organ labeled with magnetic nanoparticles conjugated to antibodies specifically attached to lymphocytic ligand receptors. After a magnetic field pulse, the T-cells produce a decaying magnetic signal with a characteristic time of the order of a second. The extreme sensitivity of this technique, 10(5) cells, can provide early warning of impending transplant rejection and monitor immune-suppressive chemotherapy.     

Activation of nitrite ion by biomimetic iron(III) complexes

The rate of reaction of NO ₂ ⁻ ion with various Fe^III porphyrins in the presence of PPh₃ is shown to depend on the redox potential of the Fe^III center. There is a linear relationship between the ease of reduction of the Fe^III to Fe^II and the kinetics for the formation of the Fe^II porphyrin nitrosyl adduct, with concomitant oxidation of PPh₃ to PPh₃O. Cyclic voltammograms show reversible one-electron reductions that can be ascribed to the Fe^III/Fe^II couple ranging from E_1/2 = −343 to −145 mV (versus Ag/AgCl). The order of increasing half-wave reduction potentials for the Fe^III/Fe^II porphyrin redox centers studied is octaethylporphyrin > etioporphyrin I > deuteroporphyrin IX dimethyl ester > protoporphyrin IX dimethyl ester > α,β,γ,δ-tetraphenylporphyrin. This sequence of redox potentials complements the pseudo first-order kinetics ( to m s ⁻¹) for the oxidation of PPh₃ and subsequent Fe^II porphyrin nitrosyl adduct formation. The rates of reaction of biomimetic Fe^III porphyrins with NO ₂ ⁻ ion demonstrate how metal center redox properties are influenced by the surrounding ligand. In this paper we have elucidated a possible mechanistic control for the rate of this reaction.     

Do probe molecules influence water in confinement?

The water inside reverse micelles can differ dramatically from bulk water. Some changes in properties can be attributed to the interaction of water molecules with the micellar interface, forming a layer of shell water inside the reverse micelle. The work reported here monitors changes in intramicellar water through chemical shifts and signal line widths in 51V NMR spectra of a large polyoxometalate probe, decavanadate, and from infrared spectroscopy of isotopically labeled water, to obtain information on the water in the water pool in AOT reverse micelles formed in isooctane. The studies reveal several things about the reverse micellar water pool. First, in agreement with our previous measurements, the proton equilibrium of the decavanadate solubilized within the reverse micelles differs from that in bulk aqueous solution, indicating a more basic environment compared to the starting stock solutions from which the reverse micelles were formed. Below a certain size, reverse micelles do not form when the polyoxometalate is present; this indicates that the polyanionic probe requires a layer of water to solvate it in addition to the water that solvates the surfactant headgroups. Finally, the polyoxometalate probe appears to perturb the water hydrogen-bonding network in a fashion similar to that in the interior surface of the reverse micelles. These measurements demonstrate the dramatic differences possible for water environments in confined spaces.     

Investigating the vanadium environments in hydroxylamido V(V) dipicolinate complexes using 51V NMR spectroscopy and density functional theory

Using (51)V magic angle spinning solid-state NMR, SSNMR, spectroscopy and quantum chemical DFT calculations we have characterized the chemical shift and quadrupolar coupling parameters of a series of eight hydroxylamido vanadium(V) dipicolinate complexes of the general formula VO(dipic)(ONR1R2)(H2O) where R1 and R2 can be H, CH3, or CH2CH3. This class of vanadium compounds was chosen for investigation because of their seven-coordinate vanadium atom, a geometry for which there is limited (51)V SSNMR data. Furthermore, a systematic series of compounds with different electronic properties are available and allows for the effects of ligand substitution on the NMR parameters to be studied. The quadrupolar coupling constants, C(Q), are small, 3.0-3.9 MHz, but exhibit variations as a function of the ligand substitution. The chemical shift tensors in the solid state are sensitive to changes in both the hydroxylamide substituent and the dipic ligand, a sensitivity which is not observed for isotropic chemical shifts in solution. The chemical shift tensors span approximately 1000 ppm and are nearly axially symmetric. On the basis of DFT calculations of the chemical shift tensors, one of the largest contributors to the magnetic shielding anisotropy is an occupied molecular orbital with significant vanadium d(z)2 character along the V=O bond.