Initial State Interaction in the (π+,3p) Reaction on N, Ar and Xe

The pion absorption reaction (π^{+,3 p} ) on Ar was studied at pion energies of 70, 118, 162 and 239 MeV, and on N and Xe at 239 MeV. The 3p cross section with a 50 MeV cut on the missing energy is presented. The existence of an initial state interaction (ISI) component to the reaction was investigated. The portion of the 3p cross section assigned to the ISI process is less than one half and at lower energies significantly so. Received: 11 December 1997     

Rapid crack growth in a thermoelastic solid under mixed-mode thermomechanical loading

A two-dimensional steady-sate analysis of semi-infinite brittlecrack growth at a constant subcritical rate in an unboundedfully-coupled thermoelastic solid under mixed-mode thermomechanicalloading is made. The loading consists of normal and shear tractionsand heat fluxes applied as point sources (line loads in theout-of-plane direction). A related problem is solved exactly in an integral transformspace, and robust asymptotic forms used to reduce the originalproblem to a set of integral equations. The equations are partiallycoupled and exhibit operators of both Cauchy and Abel types,yet can be solved analytically. The temperature change field at a distance from the moving crackedge is then constructed, and its dominant term is found tobe controlled by the imposed heat fluxes. The role of this termis, indeed, enhanced if the heat fluxes serve to render thecrack as a net heat source/sink for the solid, as opposed tobeing a transmitter of heat across its plane. More generally,the influence of the thermoelastic coupling on this field, aswell as other functions, is found to increase with crack speed.     

Structural constraints in the design of silver sulfonate coordination networks: three new polysulfonate open frameworks

Three new silver sulfonate metal-organic frameworks are presented along with a design strategy for future generations. [[Ag6(mesitylenetrisulfonate)2(H2O)5].2H2O]infinity (1), [Ag4(durenetetrasulfonate)(H2O)2](infinity) (2), and [[Ag4(1,3,5,7-tetrakis(4,4'-sulfophenyl)adamantane)(H2O)2].1.3H2O]infinity (3) represent a series of open-framework silver sulfonate solids where the organic linker plays a key role in determining the overall structure. Compound 1 forms a pillared layered structure, while compounds 2 and 3 form 3-D nets derived from cross-linking of 1-D columns of silver sulfonates. All three solids incorporate water molecules, which can be removed to yield a solid stable to in excess of 300 degrees C. Powder X-ray diffraction studies and vapor sorption experiments show, for 1 and 2, that the solids retain their structure when guests are removed and, for all three, that water vapor is resorbed stoichiometrically by the solids. An idealized silver sulfonate framework is proposed, and upon comparison to the reported structures, guidelines are proposed for structural constraints in the design of future generations of 1-D and possibly 0-D aggregate structures.     

4,4'-Bipyridine-N-monoxide. A hybrid ligand for building networks using a combination of metal-ligand and hydrogen-bonding interactions

The ligand 4,4'-bipyridine-N-monoxide, (BIPYMO) coordinates through the pyridine N-donor to Pt(II) and Pd(II) to form square planar [ML(4)](2+) complexes and to Cu(II) and Zn(II) to form octahedral trans-[M(H(2)O)(2)L(4)](2+) complexes. Single crystal X-ray structures show that these individual building blocks are organized via hydrogen bonding through the external N-oxide O-atoms to form 2D and 3D networks.     

Escherichia coli quinolinate synthetase does indeed harbor a [4Fe-4S] cluster

Quinolinic acid is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of nicotinamide-containing redox cofactors. The ultimate step in the formation of quinolinic acid in prokaryotes is the condensation of iminosuccinate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate, which is catalyzed by the product of the nadA gene in Escherichia coli. A combination of UV-vis, M?ssbauer, and EPR spectroscopies, along with analytical methods for the determination of iron and sulfide, demonstrates for the first time that anaerobically purified quinolinate synthetase (NadA) from E. coli contains one [4Fe-4S] cluster per polypeptide. The protein is active, catalyzing the formation of quinolinic acid with a Vmax [ET]-1 of 0.01 s-1.     

Synthetic magnetic opals

We present studies of novel nanocomposites of BiNi impregnated into the structure of opals as well as inverse opals. Atomic force microscopy and high resolution elemental analyses show a highly ordered structure and uniform distribution of the BiNi filler in the matrix. These BiNi-based nanocomposites are found to exhibit distinct ferromagnetic-like ordering with transition temperature of about 675 K. As far as we know there exists no report in literature on any BiNi compound which is magnetic.     

Evidence for basic ferryls in cytochromes P450

Using a combination of M?ssbauer spectroscopy and density functional calculations, we have determined that the ferryl forms of P450(BM3) and P450cam are protonated at physiological pH. Density functional calculations were performed on large active-site models of these enzymes to determine the theoretical M?ssbauer parameters for the ferryl and protonated ferryl (Fe(IV)OH) species. These calculations revealed a significant enlargement of the quadrupole splitting parameter upon protonation of the ferryl unit. The calculated quadrupole splittings for the protonated and unprotonated ferryl forms of P450(BM3) are DeltaE(Q) = 2.17 mm/s and DeltaE(Q) = 1.05 mm/s, respectively. For P450cam, they are DeltaE(Q) = 1.84 mm/s and DeltaE(Q) = 0.66 mm/s, respectively. The experimentally determined quadrupole splittings (P450(BM3), DeltaE(Q) = 2.16 mm/s; P450cam, DeltaE(Q) = 2.06 mm/s) are in good agreement with the values calculated for the protonated forms of the enzymes. Our results suggest that basic ferryls are a natural consequence of thiolate-ligated hemes.