Sequence-defined positioning of amine and amide residues to control catechol driven wet adhesion

Catechol and amine residues, both abundantly present in mussel adhesion proteins, are known to act cooperatively by displacing hydration barriers before binding to mineral surfaces. In spite of synthetic efforts toward mussel-inspired adhesives, the effect of positioning of the involved functional groups along a polymer chain is not well understood. By using sequence-defined oligomers grafted to soft hydrogel particles as adhesion probes, we study the effect of catechol–amine spacing, as well as positioning relative to the oligomer terminus. We demonstrate that the catechol–amine spacing has a significant effect on adhesion, while shifting their position has a small effect. Notably, combinations of non-charged amides and catechols can achieve similar cooperative effects on adhesion when compared to amine and catechol residues. Thus, these findings provide a blueprint for the design of next generation mussel-inspired adhesives.

The catechol driven adhesion of precision macromolecules on glass surfaces is quantified by soft colloidal probe readout. Catechol moieties are shown to synergize with amine and amide residues depending on residue spacing and residue order.     

Bonding in β-diketiminate boron and its analogues

Bonding analysis in β-diketiminate boron and related systems has been performed. For the optimized geometries (MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ), the post-SCF electron density function has been produced and its topological parameters have been analyzed according to Atoms in Molecules Quantum Theory approach. The B–N bond has characteristics similar to those found for TM–ligand bonding. The symmetric character of the B–N interaction found for the β-diketiminate boron results from the fully π-electron delocalized character of the β-diketiminate moiety. If the π-electron system in NCCCN sequence of bonds is localized, the asymmetric B–N bonding is enforced. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

General Nonsymmetric Postbuckling of Orthotropic Annular Plates

ABSTRACT

The general postbuckling behavior of orthotropic annular plates subjected to uniformly distributed forces is studied through the use of the Bubnov-Galerkin method. The transverse diplacement function is assumed to be in the form w = h if /, £ a,,p”+A-’-J cos m8 (=1.1=0 Wheref, = multipliers to be determined, a₁₀= 1, a₁₁(j # 0) = constants depending on the boundary conditions, p, θ = polar coordinates, and m = number of diametral nodal lines. Deflections, bending, and membrane stresses are presented in charts and listed in tables for 12 cases of boundary conditions, 4 loading cases, and various ratios of orthotropy.     

Syntheses and crystal structures of lithium derivatives of diphosphanes R2P–P(SiMe3)Li · 3L, R = Ph, Pr and Pr2N, L = THF or DME

The reactions of R₂P–P(SiMe₃)₂ (R = Ph, ⁱPr and ⁱPr₂N) with BuLi in THF or DME solution lead to ion-contacted lithium derivatives R₂P–P(SiMe₃)Li · 3THF (R = ⁱPr, ⁱPr₂N) with tetrahedrally surrounded Li atoms and to the solvent-separated ionic [Li · 3DME]⁺[Ph₂P–PSiMe₃]⁻ with an octahedrally surrounded Li atom as confirmed by X-ray crystal structure analysis. The reaction of BuLi with Ph₂P–P(SiMe₃)₂ is accompanied with a significant side-reaction leading to Ph₂P–PPh₂ and to LiP(SiMe₃)₂.     

Separation of perfluorocarboxylic acids using capillary electrophoresis with UV detection

A capillary electrophoretic method with UV detection for separation and quantitation of perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) from C6-PFCA to C12-PFCA has been developed. The optimization of measurement conditions included the choice of the most appropriate type and concentration of buffer in the background electrolyte (BGE), as well as the type and the content of an organic modifier. The optimal separation of investigated PFCAs was achieved with 50 mM phosphate buffer and 40% isopropanol in the BGE using direct UV detection. The optimum wavelength for direct UV detection was optimized at 190 nm. For indirect detection, several chromophores were studied. Five mM 3,5-Dinitrobenzoic acid (3,5-DNBA) in 20 mM phosphate buffer BGE and indirect UV detection at 280 nm gave the optimal detection and separation performance for the investigated PFCAs. The possibility of on-line preconcentration of solutes by stacking has been examined for indirect detection. The detection limits (LODs) determined for direct UV detection ranged from 2 microg/mL for C6-PFCA to 33 microg/mL for C12-PFCA. The LODs obtained for indirect UV detection were comparable to those obtained for direct UV detection.     

Studies on enzymatic oxidation of 3′,4′-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine to dopachrome using kinetic isotope effect methods

We report the studies on the mechanism of oxidation of 3′,4′-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (l-DOPA) to neurotoxic dopachrome catalyzed by enzyme horseradish peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7) using the kinetic (KIE), and solvent (SIE), isotope effect methods. For kinetic studies two specifically deuterated isotopomers: [2′,5′,6′-²H₃]-l -DOPA was synthesized by the acid catalyzed isotopic exchange between native l-DOPA and heavy water, and [5′-²H]-l-DOPA was synthesized in two step reaction. The first step involved acid catalyzed isotopic exchange between l-tyrosine and deuterated water and resulting product [3′,5′-²H₂]-l-tyrosine was hydroxylated by enzyme tyrosinase (EC 1.14.18.1). The values of deuterium KIEs and SIE’s in the enzymatic oxidation of l-DOPA and its isotopomers are determined using non-competitive spectrophotometric method. The measured values were: KIE on V _max (1.1 and 2.2) and KIE on V _max/K _M (1.7 and 3.2) for [2′,5′,6′-²H₃]-l-DOPA and [5′-²H]-l-DOPA, respectively, while the corresponding values of SIE were: SIE on V _max (2.1, 2.4, and 2.1) and SIE on V _max/K _M (1.3. 1.6, and 1.1) for l-DOPA, [2′,5′,6′-²H₃]-l-DOPA, and [5′-²H]-l-DOPA, respectively. The size of KIE and SIE, typical for secondary isotope effects indicate that both the solvent and presence of deuterium at the 2′-, 5′, and 6′-positions of l-DOPA has the little impact on the enzymatic oxidation of this compound.     

Hirshfeld surface analysis and spectroscopic and DFT studies of p-acetotoluidide and p-thioacetotoluidide

The Hirshfeld surface analysis, theoretical calculation, and IR and Raman spectra of p-acetotoluidide and p-thioacetotoluidide were reported. Hirshfeld surfaces and fingerprint plot have been used for visualizing, exploring, and quantifying intermolecular interactions in the crystal lattice of the title compounds. The packing of the molecules in the crystal structure of p-acetotoluidide and p-thioacetotoluidide forms the chains of N–H···O and N–H···S hydrogen bonds, respectively. The close contacts are also dominated by H···H and H···C/C···H interactions. The analysis of Hirshfeld surface has been well correlated with the spectroscopic studies. Theoretical calculations of the title compounds’ isolated molecule have been carried out using DFT at the B3LYP level.