Theoretical study of hydrogen bonding interaction in nitroxyl (HNO) dimer: interrelationship of the two N-H...O blue-shifting hydrogen bonds

The hydrogen bonding interactions of the HNO dimer have been investigated using ab initio molecular orbital and density functional theory (DFT) with the 6-311++G(2d,2p) basis set. The natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis and atom in molecules (AIM) theory were applied to understand the nature of the interactions. The interrelationship between one N-H...O hydrogen bond and the other N-H...O hydrogen bond has been established by performing partial optimizations. The dimer is stabilized by the N-H...O hydrogen bonding interactions, which lead to the contractions of N-H bonds as well as the characteristic blue-shifts of the stretching vibrational frequencies nu(N-H). The NBO analysis shows that both rehybridization and electron density redistribution contribute to the large blue-shifts of the N-H stretching frequencies. A quantitative correlations of the intermolecular distance H...O (r(H...O)) with the parameters: rho at bond critical points (BCPs), s-characters of N atoms in N-H bonds, electron densities in the sigma*(N-H), the blue-shift degrees of nu(N-H) are presented. The relationship between the difference of rho (|Deltarho|) for the one hydrogen bond compared with the other one and the difference of interaction energy (DeltaE) are also illustrated. It indicates that for r(H...O) ranging from 2.05 to 2.3528 A, with increasing r(H...O), there is the descending tendency for one rho(H...O) and the ascending tendency for the other rho(H...O). r(H...O) ranging from 2.3528 to 2.85 A, there are descending tendencies for the two rho(H...O) with increasing r(H...O). On the potential energy surface of the dimer, the smaller the difference between one rho(H...O) and the other rho(H...O) is, the more stable the structure is. As r(H...O) increases, the blue-shift degrees of nu(N-H) decrease. The cooperative descending tendencies in s-characters of two N atoms with increasing r(H...O) contribute to the decreases in blue-shift degrees of nu(N-H). Ranging from 2.05 to 2.55 A, the increase of the electron density in one sigma*(N-H) with elongating r(H...O) weakens the blue-shift degrees of nu(N-H), simultaneously, the decrease of the electron density in the other sigma*(N-H) with elongating r(H...O) strengthens the blue-shift degrees of nu(N-H). Ranging from 2.55 to 2.85 A, the cooperative ascending tendencies of the electron densities in two sigma*(N-H) with increasing r(H...O) contribute to the decreases in blue-shift degrees of nu(N-H).     

Asymptotically linear Schrödinger equations with sign-changing potential

In this paper, we show that the following system:

(0.1)     

Effect of Non‐Ideal Mixed Solvents on Dimensions of Poly(N‐Vinylpyrrolidone) and Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Coils

An addition of a small amount of non‐solvent tetrahydrofuran (THF) to good solvent water gave rise to a strong solvent power for poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). It was found that PVP coils in mixtures of water and THF first swelled as the fraction of THF was increased, and then the coils contracted after a critical composition of the solvent mixture based on the measurement of dilute solution viscosities. It was reached that the power of the mixed solvents was not the simple average of the power of individual components. The influence of the non‐ideal mixing of water and THF on the power of these mixtures for PVP and the dimensions of PVP coils was taken into account. Especially the formation of pseudo‐clathrate hydrate structure with the composition φ _THF ≈ 0.44 was found to be an important factor to change the solvation and dimensions of PVP coils. Some other solvent mixtures for PVP and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were also found to be non‐ideal mixtures. The viscosities of these solvent mixtures could show positive or negative deviation from the values obtained from the addition rule. It was shown again that the influence of the non‐ideality of these solvent mixtures on the dimensions of polymer coils was great. The action of mixed solvents changed the dimension of polymer coils, not only because of excluded volume effects but also because of the different molecular interactions present in these mixed solvents.     

Directed Evolution of a Bacterial Laccase (CueO) for Enzymatic Biofuel Cells

Escherichia coli's copper efflux oxidase (CueO) has rarely been employed in the cathodic compartment of enzymatic biofuel cells (EBFCs) due to its low redox potential (0.36 V vs. Ag/AgCl, pH 5.5) towards O₂ reduction. Herein, directed evolution of CueO towards a more positive onset potential was performed in an electrochemical screening system. An improved CueO variant (D439T/L502K) was obtained with a significantly increased onset potential (0.54 V), comparable to that of high‐redox‐potential fungal laccases. Upon coupling with an anodic compartment, the EBFC exhibited an open‐circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.56 V. Directed enzyme evolution by tailoring enzymes to application conditions in EBFCs has been validated and might, in combination with molecular understanding, enable future breakthroughs in EBFC performance     

5,10,15-三(五氟苯基)Corrole及其相似卟啉化合物的光物理特性

采用稳态和时间分辨的瞬态光谱技术对比研究了一种Corrole化合物5,10,15-三(五氟苯基)Corrole(FtsTPC)和一种卟啉化合物5,10,15,20-四(五氟苯基)卟啉(F20TPP)的光物理特性.结果表明:F15TPC的B带吸收峰较宽而F20TPP的强而窄,F15TPC的Q带有两个吸收峰而F20TPP有四个.F15TPC的荧光量子产率为0.15,荧光寿命为4.8 ns,F20TPP的荧光量子产率为0.05,荧光寿命为11.1 ns;与F20TPP相比F15TPC具有发光效率高、荧光寿命短的特点.F15TPC具有较大的发光速率常数和无辐射跃迁速率常数,这可能是由于F15TPC少了一个氟代苯基,致使其发色团本身的电子结构发生变化所致.另外空间结构的不对称性和非共面性也对其光物理性质有影响.     

Biocatalytic Feedback‐Controlled Non‐Newtonian Fluids

Non‐Newtonian fluids are ubiquitous in daily life and industrial applications. Herein, we report an intelligent fluidic system integrating two distinct non‐Newtonian rheological properties mediated by an autocatalytic enzyme reaction. Associative polyelectrolytes bearing a small amount of ionic and alkyl groups are engineered: by carefully balancing the charge density and the hydrophobic effect, the polymer solutions demonstrate a unique shear thickening property at low pH while shear thinning at high pH. The urea‐urease clock reaction is utilized to program a feedback‐induced pH change, leading to a strong upturn of the nonlinear viscoelastic properties. As long as the chemical fuel is supplied, two distinct non‐Newtonian states can be achieved with a tunable lifetime span. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate how the physical energy‐driven nonequilibrium properties can be manipulated by a chemical‐fueled process.     

Determination of Trimethylamine N-oxide and Betaine in Serum and Food by Targeted Metabonomics

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), as a gut-derived metabolite, has been found to be associated with enhanced risk for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. We presented a method for targeted profiling of TMAO and betaine in serum and food samples based on a combination of one-step sample pretreatment and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The key step included a processing of sample preparation using a selective solid-phase extraction column for retention of basic metabolites. Proton signals at δ 3.29 and δ 3.28 were employed to quantify TMAO and betaine, respectively. The developed method was examined with acceptable linear relationship, precision, stability, repeatability, and accuracy. It was successfully applied to detect serum levels of TMAO and betaine in TMAO-fed mice and high-fructose-fed rats and also used to determine the contents of TMAO and betaine in several kinds of food, such as fish, pork, milk, and egg yolk.     

Biocatalytic Feedback-Controlled Non-Newtonian Fluids

Non-Newtonian fluids are ubiquitous in daily life and industrial applications. Herein, we report an intelligent fluidic system integrating two distinct non-Newtonian rheological properties mediated by an autocatalytic enzyme reaction. Associative polyelectrolytes bearing a small amount of ionic and alkyl groups are engineered: by carefully balancing the charge density and the hydrophobic effect, the polymer solutions demonstrate a unique shear thickening property at low pH while shear thinning at high pH. The urea-urease clock reaction is utilized to program a feedback-induced pH change, leading to a strong upturn of the nonlinear viscoelastic properties. As long as the chemical fuel is supplied, two distinct non-Newtonian states can be achieved with a tunable lifetime span. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate how the physical energy-driven nonequilibrium properties can be manipulated by a chemical-fueled process.     

类水滑石Mg3Al1-xFex负载Ir催化剂在肉桂醛加氢反应中的应用:Fe的促进作用

水滑石类化合物 (LDH) 的层板金属阳离子组成具有可调变性,通过将具有变价特性的过渡金属定量引入 LDH 层板,经热处理后可以得到具有高比表面积和层板金属原子级分散的混合金属氧化物,后者可广泛用作催化剂载体.如三元Mg-Al-Fe 类水滑石材料在光催化、H2S 选择性氧化和乙苯脱氢等反应中表现出较好的活性.Ir 催化剂在α,β-不饱和醛加氢反应中具有较好的活性,Fe 修饰 Ir 催化剂可提高不饱和醇选择性,但有关 Fe 的作用以及 Fe 与活性组分 Ir 间的相互作用本质还不是很清楚.本文以类水滑石材料 Mg3Al1–xFex为载体,采用等体积浸渍法制备了 Ir 催化剂,并用于肉桂醛加氢反应,通过考察 Fe的加入对 Ir 电子和几何结构的影响揭示了 Fe 的加入对活性和选择性的影响规律.结果表明,当 x 从 0 (Ir/Mg3Al) 增加到 1 (Ir/Mg3Fe) 时,肉桂醛加氢的反应速率在 x = 0.25 时达到最大值,肉桂醇选择性从 44.9% 增加到 80.3%,且不随肉桂醛转化率的增加而改变.透射电镜结果表明,Ir 纳米粒子的粒径随着 x 的增加未发生明显变化,均为 1.7±0.2 nm.H2程序升温还原结果发现 Ir 可以促进 Fe3+的还原且两者之间存在相互作用.X射线光电子能谱结果表明,Fe 的掺杂没有改变催化剂表面Ir0和 Ir4+含量的比值,但当 Fe 含量增加时,Fe2+2p3/2向高结合能方向偏移,且 Ir04f7/2向低结合能方向偏移,说明电子从 Fe2+转移到 Ir,形成了富电子的 Ir 物种和缺电子的 Fe 物种.富电子的 Ir 物种有利于肉桂醛分子中的 C=O 键在其表面吸附,并且和 Ir 相邻的 Fen+物种可以作为亲电位点吸附肉桂醛分子中氧,从而极化和活化 C=O 键,因而催化剂活性和选择性增大.采用吸附 CO 红外光谱表征了催化剂表面的几何结构,2058–2069 cm-1处出现了 CO 吸附峰,归属于 Ir0表面 CO 的线性吸附,高波数 2069 cm-1的吸附峰归属于 CO 在高配位 Ir 位点 (平台) 的吸附,低波数 2058 cm-1的吸附峰归属于 CO 在低配位Ir 位点 (台阶、角、楞) 的吸附.随着 Fe 含量的增加,CO 吸附峰蓝移 11 cm-1,表明 Fe 的加入改变了催化剂表面 Ir 的几何结构,低配位 Ir 位点减少,高配位 Ir 位点增多.高配位 Ir 位点 (平台) 有利于肉桂醛分子中 C=O 键的吸附,从而提高了肉桂醇的选择性.总之,Fe 的加入虽然没有明显改变 Ir 纳米粒子的粒径,但却改变了其电子和几何结构,从而提高了催化剂活性和选择性.     

Insights into the selective catalytic reduction of NO by NH_3 over Mn_3O_4(110):a DFT study coupled with microkinetic analysis

Nitric oxide(NO_x), as one of the main pollutants, can contribute to a series of environmental problems, and to date the selective catalytic reduction(SCR) of NO_x with NH_3 in the presence of excess of O_2 over the catalysts has served as one of the most effective methods, in which Mn-based catalysts have been widely studied owing to their excellent low-temperature activity toward NH3-SCR. However, the related structure-activity relation was not satisfactorily explored at the atomic level. By virtue of DFT+U calculations together with microkinetic analysis, we systemically investigate the selective catalytic reduction process of NO with NH_3 over Mn_3 O_4(110), and identify the crucial thermodynamic and kinetic factors that limit the catalytic activity and selectivity.It is found that NH3 prefers to adsorb on the Lewis acid site and then dehydrogenates into NH_2~* assisted by either the two-or three-fold lattice oxygen; NH_2~* would then react with the gaseous NO to form an important intermediate NH_2 NO that prefers to convert into N_2 O rather than N_2 after the sequential dehydrogenation, while the residual H atoms interact with O_2 and left the surface in the form of H_2 O. The rate-determining step is proposed to be the coupling reaction between NH_2~* and gaseous NO.Regarding the complex surface structure of Mn_3 O_4(110),the main active sites are quantitatively revealed to be O_(3 c) and Mn_(4 c).