Oxidation process induced by 2-mercaptopyrimidine at a mercury electrode

The oxidation process induced by 2-mercaptopyrimidine (RSH) at a hanging mercury drop electrode was studied in aqueous media by normal and cyclic voltammetry. The results indicate the formation of a weakly adsorbed HgSR complex according to the reaction Hg+RSH-->HgSR+e(-)+H+. When the surface excess of HgSR is high, a two-dimensional condensation takes place if the potential is positive enough, as proved by phase-sensitive ac and cyclic voltammetry.     

A pyrimidine thiolate Rh(I) complex: structure, bonding and one-dimensional interactions in solid and in solution

The reaction of [Rh(micro-Cl)(COD)]2 with 4,6-dimethyl-pyrimidinethiolate (Me2-pymt) and subsequent substitution of COD by CO yields [Rh(Me2-pymt)(CO)2]. The stacking pattern found in this compound is in contradiction with previously studied comparable square-planar complexes of type d8-[M(chelate)(monodentate)2] in which each ligand has different pi-acidic character. A theoretical study of the intermolecular interactions and conformation of the title compound has been carried out, combining semi-empirical band calculations on the real chains and ab initio(MP2 level) calculations on a model dimer. The combination of electronic and steric effects determines the rotation of the successive monomers and the deviation from linearity of the one-dimensional stacks. Its behaviour in solution is also special, developing a blue colour and forming micelles, when adding water to acetone solutions.     

Quantitative analysis of six pesticides in fruits by capillary electrophoresis-electrospray-mass spectrometry

A method to identify and quantify six pesticide residues - dinoseb, pirimicarb, procymidone, pyrifenox, pyrimethanil, and thiabendazole - in peaches and nectarines using capillary electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-quadrupole ion trap-tandem mass spectrometry (CE-ESI-MS/MS) is described. Separation was carried out using a buffer of 0.3 M ammonium acetate at pH 4 with 10% methanol. Pesticide residues present in peach and nectarine samples were preconcentrated by solid-phase extraction using C(18), eluted with CH(2)Cl(2), concentrated to dryness, and redissolved in buffer to obtain lower detection limits. The recoveries of the analytes ranged from 58 to 99% and the relative standard deviations were 9 to 19%. Under optimized CE-MS/MS conditions the minimum detectable levels for the six pesticides in spiked peach samples were between 0.01 mg/kg for pirimicarb and 0.05 mg/kg for procymidone with pressure injection of 50 mbar for 5 s (5 nL) at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, which constitutes a severalfold increase in sensitivity compared to CE-MS, using a single quadrupole, and to conventional CE-UV. The potential of the method was demonstrated by analyzing different samples taken from regional agricultural cooperatives. The pesticides most often detected were thiabendazole and procymidone.     

Shape-complementarity in the recognition of tricarboxylic acids by a [3+3] polyazacyclophane receptor

[structure: see text] The interaction of a macrocycle containing three trans-(1R,2R)-diaminocyclohexane units connected by p-xylene spacers with the isomers 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic (1,3,5-BTC), 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic (1,2,4-BTC), and 1,2,3-benzenetricarboxylic (1,2,3-BTC) acids and their relevant anions is studied by means of potentiometric and NMR analysis. The interaction is highest for the isomer 1,3,5-BTC, which perfectly fits within the macrocyclic cavity of the host species. The studies have been extended to the triacid 1,3,5-benzenetriacetic observing in this case the effect of a size mismatch between host and guest species.     

Efficient, accurate calculation of rotational diffusion and NMR relaxation of globular proteins from atomic-level structures and approximate hydrodynamic calculations

The calculation of the rotational diffusion tensor and NMR relaxation times of quasi-rigid macromolecular structures with atomic detail can be made by means of bead/shell models. The computing time required for calculation of these properties for a single structure using rigorous hydrodynamic methods requires a moderate computing time. In possible applications of the methodology in which such a calculation had to be repeated for many structures, a faster method would be welcome. We have studied the effect of introducing a simplifying approximation in the treatment of hydrodynamic interaction, comparing the rigorous and approximate results for a set of 30 globular proteins. When the NMR relaxation times are combined in some relative form, the rigorous and approximate results are practically coincident. For absolute quantities, such as the correlation time, we find that the bias introduced by the approximation can be closely predicted and corrected. The differences between the results of the approximate-corrected and rigorous procedures are not greater than usual experimental errors, and the typical computing time is reduced from 5 min to 1 s.     

The first synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid materials with chiral bis(oxazoline) ligands

Condensation of tetraethoxysilane with silane-functionalized bis(oxazolines) in the presence of dodecylamine leads to hybrid materials whose textural and catalytic properties depend on both the ligand and the spacer structure.     

Highly stereoselective synthesis, structure, and application of (E)-9-[2-(silyl)ethenyl]-9H-carbazoles

(E)-N-(Silyl)vinylcarbazole has been easily prepared via a new catalytic route, silylative coupling (SC) of vinylcarbazole with vinyltrisubstituted silanes catalyzed by [RuH(Cl)(CO)(PCy3)2]. X-ray structures of two silylvinylcarbazoles as first N-vinylcarbazole derivatives have been resolved. The Pd-catalyzed Hiyama coupling reaction (also as the tandem reaction with SC) of synthesized (E)-N-(triethoxysilyl)vinylcarbazole with iodobenzene has been performed to afford (E)-N-(phenylvinyl)carbazole with high yield and stereoselectivity.     

Role of anions on the crystal structures of copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes of a tunable butterfly cyclophane macrocycle

Three crystal structures of a ditopic cyclophane ligand (L) in which two 1,5,8,12-tetraamine molecules have been attached through methylene spacers to the ortho positions of a benzene ring are reported. The first one (1) corresponds to the tetraprotonated free macrocycle (H4L4+) having two tetrachlorozincate(II) counteranions (C24H54O2N8Cl8Zn2, a = 9.1890(2) A, b = 14.0120(3) A, c = 15.3180(3) A, alpha = 89.2320(7) degrees , beta = 82.0740(6) degrees , gamma = 83.017(1) degrees , Z = 2.00, triclinic, P); the second one (2) is of a binuclear Cu2+ complex having coordinated chloride anions and perchlorate counteranions (C24H58O14N8Cl4Cu2 a = 9.9380(2) A, b = 30.2470(6) A, c = 53.143(1) A, orthorhombic, F2dd, Z = 18), and the third one (3) corresponds to an analogous Zn2+ complex that has been crystallized using triflate as counteranion (C26H(51.2)O(6.6)N8Cl2F6S2Zn2 a = 8.472(5) A, b = 9.310(5), c = 13.745(5) A, alpha = 84.262(5) degrees , beta = 77.490(5) degrees , gamma = 73.557(5) degrees , triclinic, P, Z = 2). The analysis of the crystallographic data clearly shows that the conformation of the macrocycle and, in consequence, the overall architecture of the crystals are controlled by the anions present in the moiety, pi-pi-stacking associations, and hydrogen bonding interactions. The protonation and stability constants for the formation of the Cu2+ and Zn2+ complexes in aqueous solution have been determined potentiometrically in 0.15 mol dm(-3) NaClO4 at 298.1 K. Intramolecular hydrogen bonding defines the protonation behavior of the compound. Positive cooperativity is observed in the formation of the Cu2+ complexes.     

Emerging approaches to estimate retention factors in high performance liquid chromatography

The retention factor is one of the most universally used parameters in chromatography. The errors associated with the conventional ways to determine the retention factor of compounds in liquid chromatography are studied and compared with those corresponding to new approaches. The later avoid the use of extra-column time and hold-up time values, which have proven to be tedious and ambiguous. Simulations and real data, used to examine the accuracy of four different approaches (two classic and two new), suggest that the new approaches could be considered more satisfactory than the classic ones.     

Analysis of the response of suspended colloidal soft particles to a constant electric field

A network model, originally designed for an electrokinetic study of soft particle suspensions, has been used for an in-depth analysis of the physical behavior of these systems under the action of an externally applied DC electric field. The versatility of the network simulation method used makes it possible to obtain information readily not only about the electrophoretic mobility, but also about any physical variable of interest at all points around the suspended particle: electric potential, ion concentrations, fluid velocity. The field-induced polarization of the double layer is described in terms of the dependence of these and other derived variables (volume charge density, electric field components, ion flux components) on the distance to the membrane-solution interface. In contrast to colloidal suspensions of hard particles, which basically depend on just two parameters (the reciprocal Debye length multiplied by the particle radius, kappaa, and the zeta potential, zeta), soft particle suspensions require a wider parameter set. First, there are two characteristic diffusion lengths in the system (one inside the membrane and the other in the solution) and two geometrical lengths (the core radius a and the membrane thickness (b-a)). Furthermore, there is the fixed charge density inside the membrane (and possibly a surface charge density over the core) that cannot be represented by a zeta potential. Finally, the parameter that characterizes the interaction between the fluid and the permeable membrane, gamma, strongly influences the behavior of the system. Dependences on all these parameters (except the geometrical ones) are included in this study.