Partial molal volumes of ions in organic solvents from ultrasonic vibration potential and density measurements. III. Dimethylsulfoxide

The partial molal volumes of Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, Cs⁺, Cl^–, Br^–, I^–, and NO ₃ ^- in DMSO at 25°C have been determined from ultrasonic vibration potential data and density data for solutions of uni-univalent electrolytes. Hepler's semiemprirical equation has been used to split ionic partial molal volumes into geometric and electrostrictive contributions. The results obtained in this work confirm the conclusion of our previous studies, namely, that the contribution of electrostriction is essentially determined by the properties of that layer of atoms, 0.3 to 0.4 nm thick, in contact with the ion and by the degree of steric hindrance of the poles of the dipole of the solvent molecule. On the other hand, the geometric contribution depends on the size of the solvent molecule and also on the arrangement of the solvent molecules about the ions. It is shown that the geometric contribution to the partial molal volume of ions is largely increased when ions cannot come close enough to the poles of the solvent-molecule dipole, owing to steric hindrance.     

A semiempirical approach to ligand‐binding affinities: Dependence on the Hamiltonian and corrections

We present a combination of semiempirical quantum‐mechanical (SQM) calculations in the conductor‐like screening model with the MM/GBSA (molecular‐mechanics with generalized Born and surface‐area solvation) method for ligand‐binding affinity calculations. We test three SQM Hamiltonians, AM1, RM1, and PM6, as well as hydrogen‐bond corrections and two different dispersion corrections. As test cases, we use the binding of seven biotin analogues to avidin, nine inhibitors to factor Xa, and nine phenol‐derivatives to ferritin. The results vary somewhat for the three test cases, but a dispersion correction is mandatory to reproduce experimental estimates. On average, AM1 with the DH2 hydrogen‐bond and dispersion corrections gives the best results, which are similar to those of standard MM/GBSA calculations for the same systems. The total time consumption is only 1.3–1.6 times larger than for MM/GBSA. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Solvent‐assisted anionic ring opening polymerization of glycidol: Toward medium and high molecular weight hyperbranched polyglycerols

Hyperbranched polyglycerols (HPGs) are globular structures with a large number of functionalizable hydroxyl groups and have excellent in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility profiles comparable to polyethylene glycol. This work introduces a facile method for the synthesis of medium molecular weights (M_ws) (50–300 kDa) HPGs, which has been difficult to synthesize with low polydispersity, with the assistance of solvents by ring opening polymerization. The influence of different solvents (1,4‐dioxane, tetrahydropyran (THP), ethylene glycol diethyl ether (EGDE) and decane), solvent to glycidol ratio, concentration of glycidol and the time of polymerization on M_w and polydispersity of HPGs has been studied. The M_w and polydispersity of HPGs are significantly affected by the nature of the polymerization phase (homogeneous or heterogeneous) and chemical structure of the solvent. The differences in the solvation of the potassium cations and change in the nucleophilicity of the alkoxide anion in various solvents may be responsible for the changes in M_w and PDI of the HPG. The M_w of the HPG decreases in the order 1,4‐dioxane > THP > EGDE >decane. The microstructure, solution and thermal properties of the HPG do not depend on the nature of solvent. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2614–2621     

Low-Temperature Electrolyte Design for Lithium-Ion Batteries: Prospect and Challenges

Lithium-ion batteries have dominated the energy market from portable electronic devices to electric vehicles. However, the LIBs applications are limited seriously when they were operated in the cold regions and seasons if there is no thermal protection. This is because the Li+ transportation capability within the electrode and particularly in the electrolyte dropped significantly due to the decreased electrolyte liquidity, leading to a sudden decline in performance and short cycle-life. Thus, design a low-temperature electrolyte becomes ever more important to enable the further applications of LIBs. Herein, we summarize the low-temperature electrolyte development from the aspects of solvent, salt, additives, electrolyte analysis, and performance in the different battery systems. Then, we also introduce the recent new insight about the cation solvation structure, which is significant to understand the interfacial behaviors at the low temperature, aiming to guide the design of a low-temperature electrolyte more effectively.     

Generating Excess Protons in Microsolvated Acid Clusters under Ambient Conditions: An Issue of Configurational Entropy versus Internal Energy

Acid dissociation, and thus liberation of excess protons in small water droplets, impacts on diverse fields such as interstellar, atmospheric or environmental chemistry. At cryogenic temperatures below 1 K, it is now well established that as few as four water molecules suffice to dissociate the generic strong acid HCl, yet temperature-driven recombination sets in simply upon heating that cluster. Here, the fundamental question is posed of how many more water molecules are required to stabilize a hydrated excess proton at room temperature. Ab initio path integral simulations disclose that not five, but six water molecules are needed at 300 K to allow for HCl dissociation independently from nuclear quantum effects. In order to provide the molecular underpinnings of these observations, the classical and quantum free energy profiles were decomposed along the dissociation coordinate in terms of the corresponding internal energy and entropy profiles. What decides in the end about acid dissociation, and thus ion pair formation, in a specific microsolvated water cluster at room temperature is found to be a fierce competition between classical configurational entropy and internal energy, where the former stabilizes the undissociated state whereas the latter favors dissociation. It is expected that these are generic findings with broad implications on acid–base chemistry depending on temperature in small water assemblies.     

Probing the Structure of Lysozyme–Carbon‐Nanotube Hybrids with Molecular Dynamics

Lysozyme has been successfully used to solvate carbon nanotubes (CNT). Extensive molecular dynamics simulations show that 1) a favorite site of adsorption exists, 2) the protein–tube interaction region is located far from the active site, 3) two protein helices act as a tweezer that grips the nanotube, 4) a localized protein re‐arrangement hides the tube from the solvent, and 5) aminic and amidic moieties of lysozyme behave similarly to surfactants in the solvation of the tube.     

Solvation Dynamics of a Radical Ion Pair in Micro‐Heterogeneous Binary Solvents: A Semi‐Quantitative Study Utilizing MARY Line‐Broadening Experiments

This work aims at elucidating the mechanism of solvation of a radical ion pair (RIP) in a micro‐heterogeneous binary solvent mixture using magnetically affected reaction yield (MARY) spectroscopy. For the exciplex‐forming 9,10‐dimethylanthracene/N,N‐dimethylaniline system a comparative, composition‐dependent MARY line‐broadening study is undertaken in a heterogeneous (toluene/dimethylsulfoxide) and a quasi‐homogenous (propyl acetate/butyronitrile) solvent mixture. The half‐saturation field extrapolated to zero‐quencher concentration, B_1/2, and the self‐exchange rate constants are analyzed in the light of solvent dynamical properties of the mixtures and a dielectric continuum solvation model. The dependence of B_1/2 on the solvent composition is explained by cluster formation giving rise to shortened RIP lifetimes. The results are in qualitative agreement with the continuum solvation model suggesting that it could serve as a theoretical basis for quantitative modeling.