Barrier-free intermolecular proton transfer in the uracil-glycine complex induced by excess electron attachment

The photoelectron spectra (PES) of anions of uracil-glycine and uracil-phenylalanine complexes reveal broad features with maxima at 1.8 and 2.0 eV. The results of ab initio density functional B3LYP and second order M?ller-Plesset theory calculations indicate that the excess electron occupies a π^* orbital localized on uracil. The excess electron attachment to the complex can induce a barrier-free proton transfer (BFPT) from the carboxylic group of glycine to the O8 atom of uracil. As a result, the four most stable structures of the anion of uracil-glycine complex can be characterized as the neutral radical of hydrogenated uracil solvated by the anion of deprotonated glycine. The similarity between the PES spectra for the uracil complexes with glycine and phenylalanine suggests that the BFPT is also operative in the case of the latter anionic species. The BFPT to the O8 atom of uracil may be related to the damage of nucleic acid bases by low energy electrons because the O8 atom is involved in a hydrogen bond with adenine in the standard Watson-Crick pairing scheme. Received 6 April 2002 Published online 13 September 2002     

Spectroscopy of the regenerative soot

The mechanisms and processes of the formation of the regenerative soot in a graphite hollow cathode discharge that produces and emits carbon clusters are presented. Mass spectrometry with a specially designed E×B velocity filter analyzes the entire range of the charged clusters from C ₁ to ∼C ₄₃₀₀. The state of the carbon vapour within the source is evaluated by using the characteristic line emissions from the carbonaceous discharge whose formative mechanisms depend upon the kinetic and potential sputtering of the sooted cathode. The carbonaceous discharge generates atomic and ionic C and its clusters C _m (m≥ 2), noble gas metastable atoms and ions, energetic electrons and photons in the cavity of the graphite hollow cathode. The parameters of soot formation and its recycling depend critically on the discharge parameters, the geometry of the hollow cathode and 3D profile of the cusp magnetic field contours. Received 2nd July 2001 and Received in final form 10 September 2001     

Simultaneous Measurement of Droplet Size and Three-Components of Velocity in Spray

The combination of the optical diagnostics and image processing technique has produced various methods of practical measurement in engineering. The measurement of size and velocity of droplets in fuel spray is one typical example. In general, the spray is a complicated and three-dimensional two-phase flow; therefore multi-dimensional field measurement of the spray field is indispensable. In the present paper, a technique of simultaneous measurement of droplet size and three-components of velocity is proposed and applied to spray issuing from the swirl nozzle as a practical application. The focused image of glare points is captured by a stereoscopic arrangement, and droplet size and the three-components of velocity are evaluated from the doublet image. Fundamental optical arrangements to capture the image of the glare points with a stereo view are established, and the feasibility and the accuracy of the technique are confirmed. © 2004 The Optical Society of Japan     

Sterically stabilized emulsion polymerization of styrene: Pseudo‐semicontinuous approach

The sterically stabilized emulsion polymerization of styrene initiated by a water‐soluble initiator at different temperatures has been investigated. The rate of polymerization (R_p) versus conversion curve shows the two non‐stationary‐rate intervals typical for the polymerization proceeding under non‐stationary‐state conditions. The shape of the R_p versus conversion curve results from two opposite effects—the increased number of particles and the decreased monomer concentration at reaction loci as the polymerization advances. At elevated temperatures the monomer emulsion equilibrates to a two‐phase or three‐phase system. The upper phase is transparent (monomer), and the lower one is blue colored, typical for microemulsion. After stirring such a multiphase system and initiation of polymerization, the initial coarse polymer emulsion was formed. The average size of monomer/polymer particles strongly decreased up to about 40% conversion and then leveled off. The initial large particles are assumed to be highly monomer‐swollen particles formed by the heteroagglomeration of unstable polymer particles and monomer droplets. The size of the “highly monomer” swollen particles continuously decreases with conversion, and they merge with the growing particles at about 40–50% conversion. The monomer droplets and/or large highly monomer‐swollen polymer particles also serve as a reservoir of monomer and emulsifier. The continuous release of nonionic (hydrophobic) emulsifier from the monomer phase increases the colloidal stability of primary particles and the number of polymer particles, that is, the particle nucleation is shifted to the higher conversion region. Variations of the square and cube of the mean droplet radius with aging time indicate that neither the coalescence nor the Ostwald ripening is the main driving force for the droplet instability. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 804–820, 2003     

High resolution protein separations using affinity ultrafiltration with small charged ligands

Although the feasibility of affinity ultrafiltration was demonstrated more than 20 years ago, commercial applications have not developed due to the high cost and practical limitations of the large macroligands needed for highly selective separations. The objective of this study was to examine the use of small charged affinity ligands for protein purification by exploiting electrostatic interactions between the charged complex and an electrically-charged membrane. Experiments were performed using bovine serum albumin and ovalbumin with Cibacron Blue as the affinity ligand. Negatively charged versions of a composite regenerated cellulose membrane were generated by covalent attachment of a sulfonic acid functionality. Binding experiments were used to identify appropriate conditions for protein separations. The selectivity for the separation of BSA and ovalbumin was a function of the solution conditions, Cibacron Blue concentration, and membrane charge, with the addition of Cibacron Blue causing a 30-fold increase in selectivity. A diafiltration process was performed at the optimal conditions, giving a BSA product with a purification factor of more than 90-fold and a yield greater than 90%. These results clearly demonstrate the potential of using a small charged affinity ligand for high resolution protein separations.     

A novel measurement method of Donnan potential at an interface between a charged membrane and mixed salt solution

We developed a novel measurement method of the Donnan potential difference at a charged membrane/salt solution interface. The method can measure the potential under the condition that the membrane charge density is much lower than the KCl concentration of the salt bridge. This method is very useful for obtaining the effective charge density of each layer of a bipolar membrane. The present experiments in a system of a negatively charged poly(vinyl alcohol) membrane and a single salt solution of KCl, NaCl, LiCl, CaCl₂ and LaC₃ revealed that the membrane effective charged density has the same value for all the ions. The experiments in mixed KCl and CaCl₂ solution revealed that the potential in the system is governed mainly by the concentration of the counterion having the highest valence in the system.     

Dissociation equilibrium between uncharged and charged local anesthetic lidocaine in a surface-adsorbed film

The dissociation equilibrium between uncharged local anesthetic lidocaine (LC) and charged local anesthetic LC (LCH⁺) in a surface-adsorbed film was investigated by measuring the surface tension and pH of aqueous solutions of a mixture of hydrochloric acid and LC. The surface tension values decreased slightly with increasing total molality m_t at 0X₂0.5, where X₂ is the mole fraction of LC in the mixture, while they decreased rapidly with increasing m_t at 0.5<X₂1. It was shown from the pH measurements that almost all LC molecules were changed into LCH⁺ ions by protonation at 0X₂0.5 and both forms coexisted only at 0.5<X₂1. The quantities of the respective LC and LCH⁺ transferred from the aqueous solution to the adsorbed film, i.e., their surface densities, were calculated by applying the thermodynamic equations derived to the surface tension and pH data. A greater quantity of LC than LCH⁺ existed in the adsorbed film at the coexisting composition. The partitioning behavior of LC and LCH⁺ in the adsorbed film was characterized by three composition regions: (1) slight partitioning of low surface-active LCH⁺ in the region at 0X₂0.5, (2) preferential partitioning of LC at 0.5<X₂<around 0.7, and (3) negative partitioning of LCH⁺ at around 0.7X₂1. The present results clearly indicate that uncharged local anesthetics transfer into hydrophobic environments such as cell membranes more than charged ones.     

Deposition pattern of drying droplets

The drying of liquid droplets is a common daily life phenomenon that has long held a special interest in scientific research. When the droplet includes nonvolatile solutes, the evaporation of the solvent induces rich deposition patterns of solutes on the substrate. Understanding the formation mechanism of these patterns has important ramifications for technical applications,ranging from coating to inkjet printing to disease detection. This topical review addresses the development of physical understanding of tailoring the specific ring-like deposition patterns of drying droplets. We start with a brief introduction of the experimental techniques that are developed to control these patterns of sessile droplets. We then summarize the development of the corresponding theory. Particular attention herein is focused on advances and issues related to applying the Onsager variational principle (OVP) theory to the study of the deposition patterns of drying droplets. The main obstacle to conventional theory is the requirement of complex numerical solutions, but fortunately there has been recent groundbreaking progress due to the OVP theory. The advantage of the OVP theory is that it can be used as an approximation tool to reduce the high-order conventional hydrodynamic equations to first-order evolution equations,facilitating the analysis of soft matter dynamic problems. As such, OVP theory is now well poised to become a theory of choice for predicting deposition patterns of drying droplets.