Electronic properties of polyoxometalates: a DFT study of alpha/beta-[XM(12)O(40)](n-) relative stability (M=W, Mo and X a main group element)

Keggin heteropolyanions [XM(12)O(40)](n-) have various isomeric structures, alpha and beta being the most common. Conventionally, the alpha structure appears to be the most stable, but calculations carried out at the DFT level for X = P(V), Si(IV), Al(III), As(V), Ge(IV), and Ga(III) and M = W(VI) and Mo(VI) show that this stability depends on several factors, particularly on the nature of the heteroatom (X) and the total charge of the cluster. In this paper, we apply the clathrate model to the Keggin molecule to carry out a fragment-interaction study to elucidate when and why the traditional relative stability of various isomers can be inverted. The fully oxidized anions that have inverted the traditional stability trend in this series are [AlW(12)O(40)](5-) and [GaW(12)O(40)](5-), both of which contain a third-group heteroatom and an overall charge of -5. beta-isomers are always more easily reduced than alpha-isomers. This experimental observation suggests that reduction favors the stability of beta-isomers and one of the most important results of this study is that the alpha/beta inversion is achieved in most cases after the second reduction. The alpha- and beta-isomers may have different properties because the energy of the LUMO, a symmetry-adapted d(xy)-metal orbital, is different.     

Surface plasmon resonance study of the interaction of a beta-cyclodextrin polymer and hydrophobically modified poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique is used to follow, both in real time and in situ, the association between a physically adsorbed polymer of beta-cyclodextrin (pbetaCD) and different hydrophobically modified poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) copolymers containing either adamantyl or dodecyl groups. This association is due to the complex formation between the hydrophobic groups and the betaCD cavities. Therefore, the adsorbed amount of PNIPAM onto the pbetaCD layer depends on the substituent and on its substitution level. The association and dissociation rate constants are evaluated from the kinetics of PNIPAM adsorption. An estimation of the association constants leads to values higher than 10(4) M(-1), reflecting the strong interaction between these polymers.     

Introduction of heteroatom-based substituents into 1,4-dihydropyridines by means of a halogen-mediated, oxidative protocol: diamination, sulfonylation, sulfinylation, bis-sulfanylation, and halo-phosphonylation processes

The natural tendency of 1,4-dihydropyridines to undergo "biomimetic" oxidation to afford pyridinium salts can be switched off and, through the use of reagents that interact electrophilically with the enamine moiety present in the heterocyclic system, it is possible to promote alternative oxidations. In this way, efficient regio- and stereocontrolled synthetic methods have been developed that lead to diversely substituted di- and tetrahydropyridines. These include iodoazidation, diamination, bis-sulfonamidation, sulfonylation, sulfinylation, thiocyanation, sulfanylation, bis-sulfanylation, and halo-phosphonylation processes.     

Sequential transition States and the valley-ridge inflection point in the formation of a semibullvalene

[structure: see text] Two sequential transition states are calculated at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level for the deazetization of 3b. The intrinsic reaction coordinate for loss of nitrogen passes through a transition state and then a valley-ridge inflection point and ultimately leads to the transition state for the Cope rearrangement of semibullvalene 4b. The energetic and geometrical consequences are discussed.     

Vibrational circular dichroism: a new spectroscopic tool for biomolecular structural determination

Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) in the past two decades has developed into a powerful new structural tool. A concise review of the applications of VCD to determine the structures of various biological molecules, namely peptides and proteins, nucleic acids and carbohydrates, is provided.