Reactivity of 3d transition metal cations in diethylene glycol solutions. Synthesis of transition metal ferrites with the structure of discrete nanoparticles complexed with long-chain carboxylate anions

Study of the reactivity of 3d transition metal cations in diethylene glycol solutions revealed several key features that made it possible to develop a new method for synthesis of the nanocrystalline transition metal ferrites. The 3-7 nm particles of [MFe2O4]n[O2CR]m, where M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Zn, ligated on their surface with long-chain carboxylate anions, have been obtained in an isolated yield of 75-90%. The key features are the following. Complexation of the first-row transition metal cations with diethylene glycol at a presence of alkaline hydroxide is sufficient to enable control over the rate of their hydrolysis. The reaction of hydrolysis leads to the formation of metal oxide nanocrystals in colloidal solution. The nanoparticles growth is terminated by an added long-chain carboxylic acid, which binds to their surface and acts as a capping ligand. The isolated nanocrystalline powders are stable against agglomeration and highly soluble in nonpolar organic solvents.     

Effect of included guest molecules on the normal state conductivity and superconductivity of beta''-(ET)(4)[(H(3)O)Ga(C(2)O(4))(3)].G (G = pyridine,nitrobenzene)

Normal state conductivity and superconductivity together with bulk magnetic susceptibility and magnetization measurements have been measured for two molecular charge-transfer salts: beta' '-(ET)4[(H3O)Ga(C2O4)3]G (ET = bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene, G = pyridine for compound I and nitrobenzene for compound II). With the exception of the included guest molecules (G) the crystal structures are almost identical. Both show minima in their electrical transport at 130 K for I and at 160 K for II, but at lower temperatures their behaviors differ markedly. The resistance of I reaches a maximum at 50 K with a further small peak at 2 K and possible superconductivity only below 2 K, whereas that of II increases continuously down to 7.5 K, where an abrupt transition to a superconducting state occurs.     

Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance study of ion-molecule reactions of [M – OCH3]+ ions of methyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methyl-d-hexopyranosides with ammonia

Glycosidic oxocarbenium ions A₁⁺ were formed by isobutane chemical ionization from methyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methyl-β-D -mannopyranoside, methyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-0-methyl-β-D -galactopyranoside and methyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methyl-β-D -glucopyranoside (the ring - O-being converted into ? O ? ), and then- reaction with ammonia was studied by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance Spectrometry. Very slow formation (reaction efficiency 0.6-1.4%) of the adduct ion [A₁ + NH₃]⁴ was observed as the main process for carefully thermalized ions A₁⁺. Interestingly, the efficiency of the adduct ion formation depends on the sterochemistry of ions A₁⁺.     

Luminescent Zn and Pd tetranaphthaloporphyrins

Zn and Pd complexes of meso-tetraphenyltetranaphthaloporphyrins (Ph(4)TNP) exhibit strong infrared absorption bands and luminesce in solutions at room temperature. S1 --> S0 fluorescence (lambda(max) = 732 nm, phi = 5.3%) is the predominant emission in the case of ZnPh(4)TNP (1). This emission is in part due to the delayed fluorescence (phi = 1.1%). Phosphorescence (T1 --> S0) of 1 (lambda(max) = 973 nm) is very weak (phi = 0.04%) and occurs with lifetime of about 440 micros in deoxygenated DMF. In the case of PdPh(4)TNP (2), almost no S1 --> S0 fluorescence could be observed, while the main emission detected was T1 --> S0 phosphorescence (lambda(max) = 938 nm). The phosphorescence of 2 occurs with lifetime of about 65 micros and (phi=6.5%) in deoxygenated DMF solution. Metalloporphyrins 1 and 2 are promising near infrared dyes biomedical applications.     

The beta-fluorine effect. Electronic versus steric effects in radical deoxygenations of fluorine-containing pentofuranose nucleosides

Stereoselective pyramidalization of free radicals by a vicinal fluorine substituent, the beta-fluorine effect, was invoked to rationalize a 77:23 anti/syn ratio of 2-deuterio-1-fluorocyclopentanes obtained by radical reduction of trans-2-fluoro-1-bromocyclopentane with tributyltin deuteride (Dolbier, W. R., Jr.; Bartberger, M. D. J. Org. Chem. 1995, 60, 4984-4985). We have evaluated analogous reductions of the four possible stereoisomers of some adenine 2'(3')-fluoro-3'(2')-O-phenoxythiocarbonyl nucleoside derivatives. In all cases, the steric effect of adenine on the beta face directs deuterium transfer from the stannane to C2'(C3') on the alpha face of the furanose ring. However, the beta-fluorine effect enhances ratios of deuterium transfer anti to the vicinal fluorine substituent.     

Aqueous dispersions of single-wall and multiwall carbon nanotubes with designed amphiphilic polycations

Poor solubility of single-walled and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (NTs) in water and organic solvents presents a considerable challenge for their purification and applications. Macromolecules can be convenient solubilizing agents for NTs and a structural element of composite materials for them. Several block copolymers with different chemical functionalities of the side groups were tested for the preparation of aqueous NT dispersions. Poly(N-cetyl-4-vinylpyridinium bromide-co-N-ethyl-4-vinylpyridinium bromide-co-4-vinylpyridine) was found to form exceptionally stable NT dispersions. It is suggested that the efficiency of macromolecular dispersion agents for NT solubilization correlates with the topological and electronic similarity of polymer-NT and NT-NT interactions in the nanotube bundles. Raman spectroscopy and atomic force and transmission electron microcopies data indicate that the polycations are wrapped around NTs forming a uniform coating 1.0-1.5 nm thick. The ability to wind around the NT originates in the hydrophobic attraction of the polymer backbone to the graphene surface and topological matching. Tetraalkylammonium functional groups in the side chains of the macromolecule create a cloud of positive charge around NTs, which makes them hydrophilic. The prepared dispersions could facilitate the processing of the nanotubes into composites with high nanotube loading for electronic materials and sensing. Positive charge on their surface is particularly important for biological and biomedical applications because it strengthens interactions with negatively charged cell membranes. A high degree of spontaneous bundle separation afforded by the polymer coating can also be beneficial for NT sorting.     

Identification of extracellular nanoparticle subsets by nuclear magnetic resonance

Exosomes are a subset of secreted lipid envelope-encapsulated extracellular vesicles (EVs) of 50–150 nm diameter that can transfer cargo from donor to acceptor cells. In the current purification protocols of exosomes, many smaller and larger nanoparticles such as lipoproteins, exomers and microvesicles are typically co-isolated as well. Particle size distribution is one important characteristics of EV samples, as it reflects the cellular origin of EVs and the purity of the isolation. However, most of the physicochemical analytical methods today cannot illustrate the smallest exosomes and other small particles like the exomers. Here, we demonstrate that diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method enables the determination of a very broad distribution of extracellular nanoparticles, ranging from 1 to 500 nm. The range covers sizes of all particles included in EV samples after isolation. The method is non-invasive, as it does not require any labelling or other chemical modification. We investigated EVs secreted from milk as well as embryonic kidney and renal carcinoma cells. Western blot analysis and immuno-electron microscopy confirmed expression of exosomal markers such as ALIX, TSG101, CD81, CD9, and CD63 in the EV samples. In addition to the larger particles observed by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) in the range of 70–500 nm, the DOSY distributions include a significant number of smaller particles in the range of 10–70 nm, which are visible also in transmission electron microscopy images but invisible in NTA. Furthermore, we demonstrate that hyperpolarized chemical exchange saturation transfer (Hyper-CEST) with ¹²⁹Xe NMR indicates also the existence of smaller and larger nanoparticles in the EV samples, providing also additional support for DOSY results. The method implies also that the Xe exchange is significantly faster in the EV pool than in the lipoprotein/exomer pool.

Diffusion and xenon NMR based methods to determine a very broad range of sizes and sub-sets of extracellular vesicles.     

Cluster Build-up Reactions using Di-gold Cationic Fragments: Synthesis and Structural Characterization of [Os7(CO)19(Au2dppm)]

The reaction of the di-gold cation [Au₂(dppx)]²⁺ with the heptanuclear cluster dianion [Os₇(CO)₂₀]^2– affords the mixed metal cluster [Os₇(CO)₂₀{Au₂(dppx)}] (x=m (1), e (2), b (3)). On standing, in solution, this complex undergoes decarbonylation to give the cluster [Os₇(CO)₁₉{Au₂(dppx)}] (x=m (4), e (5), b (6)). The complexes have been characterised spectroscopically, and an X-ray structure determination of the dppm derivative shows that it contains a metal core based on an Os₇ edge-bridged bicapped tetrahedron with the two ₃-Au atoms capping adjacent triangular Os₃ faces of the central tetrahedron. In an analogous reaction, the carbido anion [Os₇(H)C(CO)₁₉]^– affords the neutral cluster [Os₇C(CO)₁₉{Au₂(dppm)}] (7) when treated with [Au₂(dppm)]²⁺ in the presence of base.     

Density functional based structure optimization for molecules containing heavy elements: analytical energy gradients for the Douglas-Kroll-Hess scalar relativistic approach to the LCGTO-DF method

The self-consistent scalar-relativistic linear combination of Gaussian-type orbitals density functional (LCGTO-DF) method has been extended to calculate analytical energy gradients. The method is based on the use of a unitary second order Douglas-Kroll-Hess (DKH) transformation for decoupling large and small components of the full four-component Dirac-Kohn-Sham equation. The approximate DKH transformation most common in molecular calculations has been implemented; this variant employs nuclear potential based projectors and it leaves the electron-electron interaction untransformed. Examples are provided for the geometry optimization of a series of heavy metal systems which feature a variety of metal-ligand bonds, like Au₂, AuCl, AuH, Mo(CO)₆ and W(CO)₆ as well as the d¹⁰ complexes [Pd(PH₃)₂O₂] and [Pt(PH₃)₂O₂]. The calculated results, obtained with several gradient-corrected exchange-correlation potentials, compare very well with experimental data and they are of similar or even better accuracy than those of other high quality relativistic calculations reported so far.