A selective and cost-effective method for the reductive deuteration of activated alkenes

A new single electron transfer reaction for the reductive deuteration of activated alkenes has been developed for the selective synthesis of α,β-dideuterio compounds. A cheap, stable and commercially-available sodium dispersion with high specific surface area is employed as the electron donor to replace the traditionally used sodium/liquid ammonium system. Deuterium source is provided by EtOD-d₁. Excellent yields and deuterium incorporations were obtained across a broad range of activated alkenes with good functional group tolerance. This method provided a cheap, efficient and operationally-simple method for the synthesis of deuterium labeled compounds.     

Microwave assisted synthesis of 2,3-dihydro-4H-benzo[4,5]thiazolo[3,2-a]furo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-ones and 6,7-dihydro-5H-furo[2,3-d]thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-5-ones using Mn(OAc)3

2-Hydroxy-4H-benzo[4,5]thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-4-one 2a and 7-hydroxy-5H-thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-5-one 2b, were obtained in high yields under mild conditions from the cyclization reactions of bis-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) malonate and 2-aminobenzothiazole or 2-aminothiazole, respectively. A new class of compounds, 2,3-dihydro-4H-benzo[4,5]thiazolo[3,2-a]furo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-ones and 6,7-dihydro-5H-furo[2,3-d]thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-5-ones, were synthesized via the microwave assisted radical addition of compounds 2a and 2b to various alkenes using manganese(III) acetate. A preliminary acetylcholine esterase (AchE) inhibition test of compound 4e showed excellent (92%) inhibitory potential, comparable with the standard drug Donapezil®.     

Expansion of Germanato‐Polyoxovanadate Cluster Cores: Solvothermal Syntheses and Selected Properties of (trenH2)2[{M(tren)}4V15Ge6O48(H2O)] (M = Co and Zn)

Two germanato‐polyoxovanadates with the {V₁₅Ge₆O₄₈} cluster core are extended by covalent bonds to four transition metal amine complexes [M(tren)]²⁺ (M = Co and Zn, tren = tris(2‐aminoethyl)amine). The complexes have bonds to terminal atoms of the Ge₂O₇ units and such expansion of a germanato‐polyxovanadate was never observed before. The characterization of these compounds revealed the presence of two protonated tren molecules charge balancing the negative charges of the [{M(tren)}₄V₁₅Ge₆O₄₈(H₂O)]^4– anion.     

Phase Equilibria in the System CuO‐NiO‐P4O10 and Synthesis,Crystal Structure,and Characterization of the New Copper Nickel Oxide Phosphate Cu3NiO(PO4)2

The system CuO‐NiO‐P₄O₁₀ was investigated using a solid state reaction between CuO, NiO, and (NH₄)₂HPO₄ in quartz crucibles at 900 °C. The powder samples were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, TG/DTA, electrochemical measurements, IR, and UV/Vis spectroscopy. Single crystals of a new quaternary phase Cu₃NiO(PO₄)₂ were achieved by cooling the melted compound in a sealed, evacuated quartz ampoule. Cu₃NiO(PO₄)₂ crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/n (no 14) with a = 8.2288(2) Å, b = 9.8773(2) Å, c = 8.2777(3) Å, β = 107.82(2)°, Z = 4. The three‐dimensional framework consists of distorted tetragonal pyramides [Cu1O₅], distorted planar squares [Cu2O₄], octahedra [Cu3O₆], and [NiO₆] and [PO₄] tetrahedra. The TG‐DTA of the new phase showed an incongruent melting at 1055 °C. The open circuit voltage of this material was measured to determine the electrochemical properties. The measurement revealed an initial capacity of 236 Ah · g^–1 and a voltage plateau at 2.05 V. Furthermore, it was possible to identify the phase equilibria and to obtain the phase diagram at 900 °C.     

A new expertness index for assessment of secondary structure prediction engines

Improvement of prediction accuracy of the protein secondary structure is essential for further developments of the whole field of protein research. In this paper, the expertness of protein secondary structure prediction engines has been studied in three levels and a new criterion has been introduced in the third level. This criterion could be considered as an extension of the previous ones based on amino acid index. Using this new criterion, the expertness of some high score secondary structure prediction engines has been reanalyzed and some hidden facts have been discovered. The results of this new assessment demonstrated that a noticeable harmony has been existed among each amino acid prediction behavior in all engines. This harmony has also been seen between single global propensity and prediction accuracy of amino acid types in each secondary structure class. Moreover, it is shown that Proline and Glycine amino acids have been predicted with less accuracy in alpha helices and beta strands. In addition, regardless of different approaches used in prediction engines, beta strands have been predicted with less accuracy.     

Preparation of single-walled carbon nanotube fiber coating for solid-phase microextraction of organochlorine pesticides in lake water and wastewater

The feasibility of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as adsorbents for solid-phase microextraction was investigated by using organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) as model compounds. SWCNTs were attached onto a stainless steel wire through organic binder. Potential factors affecting the extraction efficiency were optimized, including extraction time, extraction temperature, desorption time, desorption temperature, and salinity. The developed method has a linear range of 2-800 ng/L for most analytes, with coefficients of correlation ranging from 0.9911 to 0.9996, LODs ranged from 0.19 to 3.77 ng/L (S/N = 3), and RSDs in the range of 3.5-13.9% (n = 5). Compared with the commercial PDMS fiber, the SWCNT fiber has better thermal stability (over 350 degrees C) and longer life span (over 150 times). The developed method was applied to determine trace OCPs in lake water and wastewater samples with external standard calibration. Results showed that OCP contamination was very low in these samples, and HCHs were detected in almost all water samples while DDT concentrations were almost under detection limits in these samples. Recoveries obtained at 20 ng/L spiking level were in the range of 88.4-111% for OCPs in lake water. For wastewater samples, however, the recoveries were satisfactory for HCHs (63.6-97.1%) but relatively low for DDTs (44.7-116%) due to the high content of organic matter in wastewater.     

The effect of the chemical,biological, and physical environment on quorum sensing in structured microbial communities

As researchers attempt to study quorum sensing in relevant clinical or environmental settings, it is apparent that many factors have the potential to affect signaling. These factors span a range of physical, chemical, and biological variables that can impact signal production, stability and distribution. Optimizing experimental systems to natural or clinical environments may be crucial for defining when and where quorum sensing occurs. These points are illustrated in our case study of S. aureus signaling in biofilms, where signal stability may be affected by the host environment. The basic signaling schemes have been worked out at the molecular level for a few of the major quorum-sensing systems. As these studies continue to refine our understanding of these mechanisms, an emerging challenge is to identify if and when the local environment can affect signaling.     

Determining if a System is Heterogeneous: The Analysis of Single Molecule Rotational Correlation Functions and Their Limitations

Single molecule spectroscopy can be utilized to measure distributions of individual molecular properties that may be averaged out in the ensemble measurement. For example, complex dynamics in disordered systems can be investigated by observing single molecule rotations via fluorescence spectroscopy. The rotational time of a single transient can be calculated from the correlation function of the reduced linear dichroism signal which fluctuates over time as the molecule reorients in its surroundings. Distributions of rotational time constants can be used to characterize the heterogeneity of molecular environments in the material. This paper reviews some theoretical studies on (1) the high numerical aperture effects on the final correlation function, and how it can be related to optical anisotropy decays in a bulk measurement; (2) the statistical errors resulting from the finite observation length that will propagate into distributions of rotational times. These lead to the discussions on how to interpret correctly the distribution of properties measured from a set of single molecule data, and to determine if in fact the system is heterogeneous.     

纳米α-Al2O3磨料抛光单晶硅片光滑表面的形成机理

"将纳米α-Al2O3粉体配制成抛光液并冷冻成冰结抛光垫对单晶硅片进行了抛光,用原子力显微镜观察了抛光表面的微观形貌并测量了其表面粗糙度,采用透射电镜观察了单晶硅片抛光后的断面形貌．为进一步分析抛光过程中的化学作用机理,采用X射线光电子能谱分析了单晶硅片抛光后表面的化学成分．利用纳米压痕仪的划痕附件对单晶硅片进行了划痕测试,研究了抛光过程中的机械作用机理．结果表明纳米α-Al2O3磨料冰冻抛光单晶硅片时,在1 mm￡1 mm的范围内得到了微观表面粗糙度为0.367 nm的超光滑表面,亚表面没有任何损伤,材     

Direct observation and control of hydrogen-bond dynamics using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy

Hydrogen(H)-bond dynamics are involved in many elementary processes in chemistry and biology. Because of its fundamental importance, a variety of experimental and theoretical approaches have been employed to study the dynamics in gas, liquid, solid phases, and their interfaces. This review describes the recent progress of direct observation and control of H-bond dynamics in several model systems on a metal surface by using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). General aspects of H-bond dynamics and the experimental methods are briefly described in chapter 1 and 2. In the subsequent four chapters, I present direct observation of an H-bond exchange reaction within a single water dimer (chapter 3), a symmetric H bond (chapter 4) and H-atom relay reactions (chapter 5) within water–hydroxyl complexes, and an intramolecular H-atom transfer reaction (tautomerization) within a single porphycene molecule (chapter 6). These results provide novel microscopic insights into H-bond dynamics at the single-molecule level, and highlight significant impact on the process from quantum effects, namely tunneling and zero-point vibration, resulting from the small mass of H atom. Additionally, local environmental effect on H-bond dynamics is also examined by using atom/molecule manipulation with the STM.