Economics and Performance of 10 Gb/s Metro Transport Over Mixed Fiber Plant of G.655 NZDF and G.652.C Zero Water-Peak Fibers

Using lower-cost lasers, 30% savings are possible for 10-Gb/s uncompensated metro transmission over NZDF, compared to G.652 fiber. We present WDM transmission results for a mixed plant of NZDF rings interconnected to G.652.C-fiber access laterals.     

Electron transfer reactions of nickel(III) and nickel(IV) complexes

This review narrates the electron transfer reactions of various nickel(III) and nickel(IV) complexes reported during the period 1981 until today. The reactions have been categorized mainly with respect to the type of nickel complexes. The reactivity of nickel(III) complexes of macrocycles, 2,2′-bipyridyl and 1,10-phenanthroline, peptides and oxime–imine, and of nickel(IV) complexes derived from oxime–imine, oxime and miscellaneous ligands with various organic and inorganic electron donors have been included. Kinetic and mechanistic features associated with such interactions have been duly analyzed. The relevance of Marcus cross-relation equations in the delineation of the electron transfer paths has also been critically discussed.     

Coordination-based self-assembled capsules (SACs) for protein,CRISPR–Cas9, DNA and RNA delivery

Biologics, such as functional proteins and nucleic acids, have recently dominated the drug market and comprise seven out of the top 10 best-selling drugs. Biologics are usually polar, heat sensitive, membrane impermeable and subject to enzymatic degradation and thus require systemic routes of administration and delivery. Coordination-based delivery vehicles, which include nanosized extended metal–organic frameworks (nMOFs) and discrete coordination cages, have gained a lot of attention because of their remarkable biocompatibility, in vivo stability, on-demand biodegradability, high encapsulation efficiency, easy surface modification and moderate synthetic conditions. Consequently, these systems have been extensively utilized as carriers of biomacromolecules for biomedical applications. This review summarizes the recent applications of nMOFs and coordination cages for protein, CRISPR–Cas9, DNA and RNA delivery. We also highlight the progress and challenges of coordination-based platforms as a promising approach towards clinical biomacromolecule delivery and discuss integral future research directions and applications.

SACs can be efficiently used to load biologics such as proteins, CRISPR–Cas9, DNA and RNA and release them on-demand.     

Studies towards the total synthesis of (−)-borrelidin: a strategy for the construction of the C11-C15 cyanodiene fragment and the utility of RCM for macrocyclization using model systems

We report here a methodology for the construction of a conjugated cyanodiene synthon and the propensity of such synthons to participate in the olefin metathesis reaction. To this end, we have developed a strategy for the construction of the C11-C15 fragment of borrelidin and demonstrated the utility of the RCM reaction in the preparation of the final macrolide. To our knowledge, this is the first example of a RCM with a nitrile functionality on a diene.     

Resolving the different dynamics of the fluorine sublattices in the anionic conductor BaSnF(4) by using high-resolution MAS NMR techniques

19F and (119)Sn MAS NMR spectroscopy have been used to investigate the fluoride ion conductor, BaSnF(4), a member of the MSnF(4) family of fluorite-related anionic conductors containing double layers of Sn(2+) and M(2+) cations. Two fluorine sublattices were observed by (19)F MAS NMR, which could be assigned to specific sites in the lattice. The first sublattice is due to fluorine atoms located in Ba(2+) double layers and is rigid on the MAS NMR time scale at room temperature. The second sublattice comprises the fluoride ions between the Ba(2+) and Sn(2+) layers, and the few fluorine atoms that inhabit the Sn(2+)-Sn(2+) double layers. These ions are in rapid exchange with each other, and an extremely short correlation time tau(C) for the motion of these ions of <3 x 10(-)(5) s is obtained at -100 degrees C. T(1) measurements indicate that tau(C) approaches 10(-)(8) s at room temperature. (19)F-to-(119)Sn cross-polarization (CP) experiments confirmed the assignments of the resonances, and that the fluorine atoms located next to the tin atoms are extremely mobile at room temperature (and thus do not contribute to the CP process). Two-dimensional (19)F exchange experiments showed that exchange between the rigid and mobile lattice does occur, but at a much slower rate (tau(C) approximately 10 ms at 250 degrees C). Low-temperature (19)F MAS and (19)F-to-(119)Sn CP NMR spectra demonstrate that the motion of the fluoride ions has almost completely frozen out by -150 degrees C. The results are consistent with rapid two-dimensional (anisotropic) conductivity involving the fluoride ions between the Ba and Sn layers. Conductivity in three dimensions requires hops between the ions in the BaF(2)-like layers and the mobile ions. This process does occur, but with exchange rates that are at least 6-7 orders of magnitude slower.     

A Two‐Dimensional Coordination Compound as a Zinc Ion Selective Luminescent Probe for Biological Applications

A 2D coordination compound {[Cu₂(HL)(N₃)]?ClO₄}_∞ ( 1 ; H₃L=2,6‐bis(hydroxyethyliminoethyl)‐4‐methyl phenol) was synthesized and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction to be a polymer in the crystalline state. Each [Cu₂(HL)(N₃)]⁺ species is connected to its adjacent unit by a bridging alkoxide oxygen atom of the ligand to form a helical propagation along the crystallographic a axis. The adjacent helical frameworks are connected by a ligand alcoholic oxygen atom along the crystallographic b axis to produce pleated 2D sheets. In solution, 1 dissociates into [Cu₂(HL)₂(H₃L)]?2H₂O ( 2 ); the monomer displays high selectivity for Zn²⁺ and can be used in HEPES buffer (pH 7.4) as a zinc ion selective luminescent probe for biological application. The system shows a nearly 19‐fold Zn²⁺‐selective chelation‐enhanced fluorescence response in the working buffer. Application of 2 to cultured living cells (B16F10 mouse melanoma and A375 human melanoma) and rat hippocampal slices was also studied by fluorescence microscopy.     

Ab initio study of the tautomeric forms of some quinolinediones

7,8-dihydroquinoline-4,5 (1H,6H)-dione (1) and 7,8-dihydroquinoline-2,5-(1H,6H)-dione (2) in their tautomeric oxo and hydroxy forms have been studied by ab initio Hartree-Fock calculations; tautomerization energies predict a more stable hydroxy structure having an intramolecular hydrogen bond for compound 1, whereas the oxo form is slightly-preferred for compound 2. Fourier Transform-Infra Red (FT-IR) spectra in CHCl₃ solution indicate that the predicted most stable tautomers in the vapour phase remain as such.     

Ionic discotic liquid crystals: synthesis and characterization of pyridinium bromides containing a triphenylene core

Five novel pyridinium salts tethered with hexaalkoxytriphenylene molecules were synthesized by the quaternization of pyridine with ω-bromo-substituted triphenylene derivatives. Their chemical structures were determined by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, IR, UV spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The thermotropic liquid crystalline properties of these salts were investigated by polarizing optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. These triphenylene-based pyridinium salts with bromide as counterion were found to be mesomorphic over a wide temperature range.