Temperature-dependent competition between adsorption and aggregation of a cellulose ether--simultaneous use of optical and acoustical techniques for investigating surface properties

Adsorption of the temperature-responsive polymer hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) from an aqueous solution onto hydrophobized silica was followed well above the bulk instability temperature (T(2)) in temperature cycle experiments. Two complementary techniques, QCM-D and ellipsometry, were utilized simultaneously to probe the same substrate immersed in polymer solution. The interfacial processes were correlated with changes in polymer aggregation and viscosity of polymer solutions, as monitored by light scattering and rheological measurements. The simultaneous use of ellipsometry and QCM-D, and the possibility to follow layer properties up to 80 °C, well above the T(2) temperature, are both novel developments. A moderate increase in adsorbed amount with temperature was found below T(2), whereas a significant increase in the adsorbed mass and changes in layer properties were observed around the T(2) temperature where the bulk viscosity increases significantly. Thus, there is a clear correlation between transition temperatures in the adsorbed layer and in bulk solution, and we discuss this in relation to a newly proposed model that considers competition between aggregation and adsorption/deposition. A much larger temperature response above the T(2) temperature was found for adsorbed layers of HPMC than for layers of methyl cellulose. Possible reasons for this are discussed.     

Pertubation theory for systems with strong short-ranged interactions

We propose a variant of thermodynamic perturbation theory based on the Mayer f-function which is applicable to strongly repulsive, and even singular interactions. The expansion of the free energy is successfully tested against known ‘exact results’ for hard-sphere fluids, and then applied to binary mixtures of particles with non-additive hard cores or shouldered potentials. The resulting phase diagrams agree well with existing simulation data and theoretical predictions.     

Synthesis and arylation of unprotected sulfonimidamides

Herein we evaluate different methodologies for the synthesis of unprotected sulfonimidamides. Three different procedures that allow orthogonal deprotection of the imine nitrogen under acidic, nucleophilic, and basic conditions were established. Moreover, we present a highly efficient methodology for functionalization of the imine nitrogen through Pd-catalyzed C–N arylation. RuPhos ligand was shown to allow short reaction time, excellent yields, and allowed coupling of both aryl halides and heteroaryl bromides.     

Chromobacterium violaceum ω-transaminase variant Trp60Cys shows increased specificity for (S)-1-phenylethylamine and 4'-substituted acetophenones, and follows Swain-Lupton parameterisation

For biocatalytic production of pharmaceutically important chiral amines the ω-transaminase enzymes have proven useful. Engineering of these enzymes has to some extent been accomplished by rational design, but mostly by directed evolution. By use of a homology model a key point mutation in Chromobacterium violaceum ω-transaminase was found upon comparison with engineered variants from homologous enzymes. The variant Trp60Cys gave increased specificity for (S)-1-phenylethylamine (29-fold) and 4'-substituted acetophenones (～5-fold). To further study the effect of the mutation the reaction rates were Swain-Lupton parameterised. On comparison with the wild type, reactions of the variant showed increased resonance dependence; this observation together with changed pH optimum and cofactor dependence suggests an altered reaction mechanism.     

Magnetic behavior of Cd2+ substituted cobalt ferrites

The effect of Cd-substitution on the variation of saturation magnetization M_s, Curie temperature T_c, and magnetic moments n_B of Co_1?xCd_xFe₂O₄ (x=0.0–1.0 in steps of 0.1) ferrites have been investigated using SQUID magnetometer and impedance analyzer. The samples were prepared by conventional double sintering ceramic technique and found to be single-phase cubic spinel structure by X-ray diffraction. Saturation magnetization M_s, is found to increase with increase of Cd substitution attaining a maximum value at x=0.4 and decreases thereafter. Curie temperature decreases almost linearly with increasing x content up to x=0.7. Samples having x≥0.8 display complex magnetic behavior with competing antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic interactions with the manifestation of large hysteresis at low temperature and no sign of saturation. Samples with x>0.8 show paramagnetic characteristic at T=5 K with no spontaneous magnetization revealed through Arrot-Belov-Kouvel (ABK) plots.     

Amontonian frictional behaviour of nanostructured surfaces

With nanotextured surfaces and interfaces increasingly being encountered in technological and biomedical applications, there is a need for a better understanding of frictional properties involving such surfaces. Here we report friction measurements of several nanostructured surfaces using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). These nanostructured surfaces provide well defined model systems on which we have tested the applicability of Amontons' laws of friction. Our results show that Amontonian behaviour is observed with each of the surfaces studied. However, no correlation has been found between measured friction and various surface roughness parameters such as average surface roughness (R(a)) and root mean squared (rms) roughness. Instead, we propose that the friction coefficient may be decomposed into two contributions, i.e., μ = μ(0) + μ(g), with the intrinsic friction coefficient μ(0) accounting for the chemical nature of the surfaces and the geometric friction coefficient μ(g) for the presence of nanotextures. We have found a possible correlation between μ(g) and the average local slope of the surface nanotextures.     

In vivo trapping of polyketide intermediates from an assembly line synthase using malonyl carba(dethia)-N-acetyl cysteamines

Early-stage intermediates in the biosynthesis of erythromycin A by Saccharopolyspora erythraea were intercepted by malonyl carba(dethia)-N-acetyl cysteamines, generated in vivo from the hydrolysis of the corresponding methyl esters.     

Orientation and conformation of cell-penetrating peptide penetratin in phospholipid vesicle membranes determined by polarized-light spectroscopy

The orientation and conformation of the cell-penetrating peptide "penetratin" associated with phospholipid vesicle membranes has been determined using polarized-light spectroscopy. The magnitude of orientation of penetratin is unprecedented for a solute in our membrane system, which we believe indicates a strong, specific interaction with the membrane. To validate the spectroscopic technique for studying the orientation of the two tryptophan residues of penetratin, we applied tryptophan octyl ester as a model compound. It is found to be incorporated in the membrane and preferentially oriented with its hydrophobic benzene edge of the indole chromophore pointing into the membrane and its hydrophilic groups oriented toward the water. For penetratin, the results indicate that a central alpha-helical part of the peptide is aligned parallel with the membrane surface, while the ends of the peptide adopt a planar structure. The planes of the two tryptophan side chains show a preferred orientation parallel with the membrane surface, indicating that they are not inserted into the membrane.