Synthesis and Properties of Surfactants derived from N‐Acetyl‐D‐Glucosamine

The synthesis of 2‐acetamido‐2‐deoxy‐6‐O‐octanoyl‐D‐glucono‐1,5‐lactone 9 and 2‐acetamido‐2‐deoxy‐6‐O‐octanoyl‐α‐D‐glucopyranose 7 from 2‐acetamido‐2‐deoxy‐α‐D‐glucopyranose is reported. For both targets, the key intermediate was allyl 2‐acetamido‐3,4‐di‐O‐benzyl‐2‐deoxy‐6‐O‐octanoyl‐α‐D‐glucopyranoside 5. Surface tension measurements (critical micellar concentration of 22.3 mM and 5 mM for 9 and 7, respectively) showed up the surface activity of both compounds, while enzyme inhibition assays indicated that 9 could inhibit bovine β‐N‐acetylglucosaminidase (K_i=6.5 µM) but not Serratia marcescens chitobiase nor hen egg‐white lysozyme. Moreover, 7 was shown to induce chitinase production of S. marcescens and to be readily metabolized by these bacteria.      

Structure‐Based Optimization of the Terminal Tripeptide in Glycopeptide Dendrimer Inhibitors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms Targeting LecA

The galactopeptide dendrimer GalAG2 ((β‐Gal‐OC₆H₄CO‐Lys‐Pro‐Leu)₄(Lys‐Phe‐Lys‐Ile)₂Lys‐His‐Ile‐NH₂) binds strongly to the Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) lectin LecA, and it inhibits PA biofilms, as well as disperses already established ones. By starting with the crystal structure of the terminal tripeptide moiety GalA‐KPL in complex with LecA, a computational mutagenesis study was carried out on the galactotripeptide to optimize the peptide–lectin interactions. 25 mutants were experimentally evaluated by a hemagglutination inhibition assay, 17 by isothermal titration calorimetry, and 3 by X‐ray crystallography. Two of these tripeptides, GalA‐KPY (dissociation constant (K_D)=2.7 μM ) and GalA‐KRL (K_D=2.7 μM ), are among the most potent monovalent LecA ligands reported to date. Dendrimers based on these tripeptide ligands showed improved PA biofilm inhibition and dispersal compared to those of GalAG2 , particularly G2KPY ((β‐Gal‐OC₆H₄CO‐Lys‐Pro‐Tyr)₄(Lys‐Phe‐Lys‐Ile)₂Lys‐His‐Ile‐NH₂). The possibility to retain and even improve the biofilm inhibition in several analogues of GalAG2 suggests that it should be possible to fine‐tune this dendrimer towards therapeutic use by adjusting the pharmacokinetic parameters in addition to the biofilm inhibition through amino acid substitutions.     

钒钼协同作用下杂多酸催化阻聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯

利用一锅法制备了Dawson型钨磷酸和钼钒磷酸,并用红外光谱和X-射线衍射表征了其结构.采用沸腾法研究了合成的杂多酸对甲基丙烯酸甲酯(MMA)的催化阻聚性能,考察了杂多酸结构、杂多酸用量和反应温度等因素对MMA本体聚合反应的影响.结果表明:钒钼元素在杂多酸催化阻聚MMA的反应中具有明显的协同作用,而且,杂多酸对MMA的催化阻聚作用随钒原子数的增加而增强,杂多酸的用量和反应温度对MMA自聚反应的速率影响较大.在过氧化苯甲酰(BPO)为0.04 g,MMA为10 mL,H9P2Mo15V3O62质量为MMA的0.06%,反应温度为101.2℃或H9P2Mo15V3O62质量为MMA的0.03%,反应温度为89.4℃时,MMA自聚反应被抑制.与传统和常用酚阻聚剂相比,Dawson型钼钒磷酸具有阻聚效果好、后处理简单、无腐蚀和污染问题等优点,能够作为MMA的阻聚剂使用.     

Integrating open‐source software applications to build molecular dynamics systems

Three open‐source applications, NanoEngineer‐1, packmol, and mis2lmp are integrated using an open‐source file format to quickly create molecular dynamics (MD) cells for simulation. The three software applications collectively make up the open‐source software (OSS) suite known as MD Studio (MDS). The software is validated through software engineering practices and is verified through simulation of the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol‐a and isophorone diamine (DGEBA/IPD) system. Multiple simulations are run using the MDS software to create MD cells, and the data generated are used to calculate density, bulk modulus, and glass transition temperature of the DGEBA/IPD system. Simulation results compare well with published experimental and numerical results. The MDS software prototype confirms that OSS applications can be analyzed against real‐world research requirements and integrated to create a new capability. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Adsorption and Corrosion Inhibition Behavior of Schiff Base-Based Cationic Gemini Surfactant on Mild Steel in Formic Acid

The adsorption and corrosion inhibition behavior of synthesized Schiff base-based cationic gemini surfactant bis[p-(N,N,N-tetradecyldimethylammonium bromide)benzylidene]thiourea (14-S-14) on mild steel in 20% formic acid in the temperature range of 30°C to 60°C was evaluated using weight loss measurements, solvent analysis of iron ions and potentiodynamic polarization measurements. The synthesized inhibitor was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and thin layer chromatography (TLC). The surface morphology of the corroded mild steel specimen was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDAX), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Thermodynamic/kinetic parameters were calculated to elaborate the adsorption and corrosion inhibition mechanism of the inhibitor. The inhibition efficiency of the compound was found to vary with inhibitor concentration, immersion time, and temperature. The adsorption of the compound on the steel surface was found to obey Langmuir adsorption isotherm.      

Influence of Molecular Weight on Mild Steel Corrosion Inhibition Effect by Polyvinyl Alcohol in Hydrochloric Acid Solution

The corrosion inhibition of mild steel in hydrochloric acid solution in the presence of three different molecular weights of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) designated as PVA-I, PVA-II, and PVA-III corresponding to 14,000, 72,000, and 125,000 g mol^?1, respectively, was investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear polarization resistance (LPR), and potentiodynamic polarization techniques at 25°C. It was found that PVA of different molecular weights inhibited the corrosion of mild steel in the acid environment. Inhibition efficiency (η%) increases with increase in concentration of the polymers. LPR measurements clearly show that inhibition efficiency increases with increasing molecular weight in the order PVA-III > PVA-II > PVA-I. Polarization curves indicate that PVA functions as a mixed inhibitor affecting both the anodic metal dissolution and cathodic hydrogen evolution partial reactions of the corrosion process. The experimental data obtained fitted well into Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. Physical adsorption mechanism is proposed from the thermodynamic (free energy of adsorption) parameters obtained.     

Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Synthesized Compounds as Corrosion Inhibitor for Mild Steel in Hydrochloric Acid Solution

Imidazole derivatives, namely, 1-((1-(piperazinomethyl)-1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)methyl)-2-phenylhydrazine (PBIP), and 1-((1-(morpholinomethyl)-1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)methyl)-2-phenylhydrazine (MBIP) were synthesized and investigated as inhibitors for mild steel corrosion in 15% HCl solution using weight loss, potentiodynamic polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. It was found that the inhibition efficiency of both the inhibitors increases with increase in concentration of inhibitors and decreases with increase in temperature. The inhibitors, PBIP and MBIP, show corrosion inhibition efficiency of 92.6% and 91.4% at 300 ppm concentration, respectively, at 303 K. Polarization studies showed that both the studied inhibitors were of mixed type in nature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were performed for surface study of uninhibited and inhibited mild steel samples. The semi-empirical AM1 method was employed for theoretical calculations.     

Miniaturized molecularly imprinted polymer extraction method for the gas chromatographic analysis of flavonoids

In this study, the use of monolithic molecularly imprinted polymers in a micropipette tip format allowing the simple and fast extraction of flavonoids from standard solutions and a black tea sample is demonstrated. The imprinted polymer employed quercetin, methacrylic acid or 4‐vinylpyridine, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as template, functional monomer, and cross‐linker, respectively. Surface morphologies of the quercetin‐imprinted polymers and the corresponding nonimprinted polymers were characterized by SEM. Extraction of flavonoid standards was performed to evaluate the selectivity and recovery with these imprinted and nonimprinted polymers. Flavonoid compositions in aliquots eluted from the tips were identified using fast GC with flame ionization detection. Maximum specific capacities of 0.2, 5.7, and 16.0 mg/g for catechin, morin, and quercetin, respectively, were obtained with the imprinted polymer prepared with methacrylic acid, with the corresponding recoveries of 99.8, 98.8, and 95.4%, respectively. Efficient extraction by the quercetin‐imprinted polymer of epicatechin, catechin, and quercetin from an apple‐flavored black tea sample was achieved, with GC–MS employed for compound identification for both the tea and extracted samples.     

Enhanced in vitro anticancer activity of quercetin mediated by functionalized CdTe QDs

We report in this study the effects of red-emitting CdTe QDs capped with cysteamine(Cys-CdTe) on the in vitro anticancer activity of the well-known flavenoid quercetin(Qu). Various techniques, including the methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay, the real-time cell electronic sensing system, the optical and fluorescence imaging, and electrochemical methods have been utilized to study the potential interactions of Cys-CdTe QDs with Qu. The observations demonstrate that the safe-dosage Cys-CdTe QDs can greatly improve the drug uptake and enhance the inhibition efficiency of Qu towards the proliferation of cancer cells such as HepG2 cells. This study implies that Cys-CdTe QDs may be used for cancer therapy and that they exert a synergic anticancer effect when bound to drug molecules.     

热力学数据对1, 3-丁二烯燃烧特性的影响

基于G4方法, 计算了1,^{3-丁二烯框架燃烧反应机理中102个物种的热力学数据, 并考察了振动非谐性、 频率校正因子以及受阻内转动对结果的影响. 结果表明, 考虑振动非谐性或采用不同的频率校正因子, 对热力学数据的影响不大; 考虑内转动后, 对热力学数据有较大影响. 而且考虑内转动后, 得到的热力学数据与实验热力学数据吻合得更好. 用所得热力学数据模拟了1,3-丁二烯的绝热燃烧温度以及点火延迟时间, 结果显示, 要得到可靠的绝热火焰温度, 对小分子(如CO和CO₂等)的热力学数据需要采用实验结果. 将用所得热力学数据模拟得到的点火延迟时间, 与机理本身的热力学数据所得点火延迟时间进行对比, 二者差别显著, 表明所得热力学数据主要通过改变一些反应的逆反应速率常数来影响点火延迟时间. 进一步确定了用所得热力学数据对点火延迟时间有显著影响的一些物种.}