DeltaH Degrees Research Articles

Hydrogen peroxide in artificial photosynthesizing systems

From the point of view of the concepts of hydrogen peroxide as a source of photosynthetic oxygen (hydrogen) coordination and photochemical properties of chlorophyll and its aggregates towards hydrogen peroxide were considered. The binding energy of H2O and H2O2 with chlorophyll and chlorophyllide depending on their form (monomers, dimers and trimers) was estimated by quantum chemical calculations. It is shown that at an increase of the degree of the pigment aggregation binding energy of H2O2 was more than the energy of H2O. Analysis of experimental results of the photochemical decomposition of hydrogen peroxide using chlorophyll was carried out. Estimates of the thermodynamic parameters (deltaG degrees and deltaH degrees) of the formation of organic compounds from CO2 with water and hydrogen peroxide were compared. The interaction of CO2 with H2O2 requires much less energy consumption than with water for all considered cases. The formation of organic products (formaldehyde, alcohols, carboxylic and carbonylic compounds) and simultaneous production of O2 under the influence of visible light in the systems of inorganic carbon--hydrogen peroxide--chlorophyll (phthalocyanine) is detected by GC/MS method, FTIR spectroscopy, and chemical analysis.

Adsorption of Chromium onto Activated Alumina: Kinetics and Thermodynamics Studies

In this study, the removal of chromium (VI) by adsorption on activated alumina was investigated and the results were fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Redushkevich, and Temkin adsorption models at various temperatures. The constants of each model were evaluated depending on temperature. Thermodynamic parameters for the adsorption system were determined at 10, 25 and 40 degrees C. (deltaH degrees = -21.18 kJ x mol(-1); deltaG degrees = -8.75 to -7.43 kJ x mol(-1) and deltaS degrees = -0.043 kJ x K(-1) x mol(-1)). The obtained values showed that chromium (VI) adsorption is a spontaneous and exothermic process. The kinetic process was evaluated by first-order, second-order and Elovich kinetic models.

Neutral Transition Metal Hydrides as Acids in Hydrogen Bonding and Proton Transfer: Media Polarity and Specific Solvation Effects

Structural, spectroscopic, and electronic features of weak hydrogen-bonded complexes of CpM(CO)(3)H (M = Mo (1a), W (1b)) hydrides with organic bases (phosphine oxides R(3)PO (R = n-C(8)H(17), NMe(2)), amines NMe(3), NEt(3), and pyridine) are determined experimentally (variable temperature IR) and computationally (DFT/M05). The intermediacy of these complexes in reversible proton transfer is shown, and the thermodynamic parameters (DeltaH degrees , DeltaS degrees ) of each reaction step are determined in hexane. Assignment of the product ion pair structure is made with the help of the frequency calculations. The solvent effects were studied experimentally using IR spectroscopy in CH(2)Cl(2), THF, and CH(3)CN and computationally using conductor-like polarizable continuum model (CPCM) calculations. This complementary approach reveals the particular importance of specific solvation for the hydrogen-bond formation step. The strength of the hydrogen bond between hydrides 1 and the model bases is similar to that of the M-H...X hydrogen bond between 1 and THF (X = O) or CH(3)CN (X = N) or between CH(2)Cl(2) and the same bases. The latter competitive weak interactions lower the activities of both the hydrides and the bases in the proton transfer reaction. In this way, these secondary effects shift the proton transfer equilibrium and lead to the counterintuitive hampering of proton transfer upon solvent change from hexane to moderately polar CH(2)Cl(2) or THF.

Change of the Binding Mode of the DNA/Proflavine System Induced by Ethanol

The equilibria and kinetics of the binding of proflavine to poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) and poly(dA-dT).poly(dA-dT) were investigated in ethanol/water mixtures using spectrophotometric, circular dichroism, viscometric, and T-jump methods. All methods concur in showing that two modes of interaction are operative: intercalation and surface binding. The latter mode is favored by increasing ethanol and/or the proflavine content. Both static and kinetic experiments show that, concerning the poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC)/proflavine system, intercalation largely prevails up to 20% EtOH. For higher EtOH levels surface binding becomes dominant. Concerning the poly(dA-dT).poly(dA-dT)/proflavine system, melting experiments show that addition of proflavine stabilizes the double stranded structure, but the effect is reduced in the presence of EtOH. The DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees values of the melting process, measured at different concentrations of added proflavine, are linearly correlated, revealing the presence of the enthalpy-entropy compensation phenomenon (EEC). The nonmonotonicity of the "entropic term" of the EEC reveals the transition between the two binding modes. T-jump experiments show two relaxation effects, but at the highest levels of EtOH (>25%) the kinetic curves become monophasic, confirming the prevalence of the surface complex. A branched mechanism is proposed where diffusion controlled formation of a precursor complex occurs in the early stage of the binding process. This evolves toward the surface and/or the intercalated complex according to two rate-determining parallel steps. CD spectra suggest that, in the surface complex, proflavine is bound to DNA in the form of an aggregate.

Enolates in 3-D: An Experimental and Computational Study of Deprotonated 2-Adamantanone

Deprotonation of 2-adamantanone (1) in the gas phase affords the corresponding beta-enolate anion. This ion was independently prepared by the fluoride-induced desilylation of 4-trimethylsilyl-2-adamantanone, and its reactivity and thermodynamic properties were measured (DeltaH degrees(acid) = 394.7 +/- 1.4, EA = 16.8 +/- 1.6, and BDE = 97.9 +/- 2.1 kcal mol(-1)). Density functional theory calculations with B3LYP and M06-2X, and G3 energies are also reported. The computed relative stabilities of the conjugate bases of 1 are as follows: beta > gamma > alpha > delta. An attempt to prepare the gamma-anion, however, resulted in the formation of its ring-opened isomer (i.e., deprotonated 7-methylenebicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-2-one).

Effects of Cyano Substituents on Cyclobutadiene and Its Isomers

The effects of cyano substitution on cyclobutadiene are explored using density functional, coupled-cluster, CASSCF, and CASPT2 calculations. An isodesmic reaction is employed to gauge the relative stabilization (DeltaH(rxn) degrees) of cyclobutadienes with varying numbers of cyano groups. Although density functional theory predicts a relatively large stabilization for the addition of four cyano substituents to cyclobutadiene (18.5 kcal/mol), coupled-cluster theory predicts a smaller stabilization (9.3 kcal/mol). The effect of the number of cyano groups on the singlet-triplet gaps is also investigated. NBO calculations lend insight into the structural trends of the triplets, and the comparison of coupled-cluster and CASSCF calculations sheds light on the multireference electronic character in these systems. The effect of tetracyano substitution on tetrahedrane and other C(4)H(4) isomers is also explored.

Photocatalytic Degradation of 2,4-Dinitrophenol Using TiO<SUB>2</SUB> in Aqueous Solution

A new method was developed to synthesize uniform anatase TiO2 nanocrystals by the hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide in nitric acid-isopropyl alcohol aqueous solutions at 353 K. The samples were characterized by XRD, TEM, FE-SEM, and specific surface area determination. In this work, the photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dinitrophenol in the presence of TiO2 using ultraviolet (UV) light source was investigated in a batch reactor. The effects of various factors, namely TiO2, pH, temperature and concentration, on the degradation performance of 2,4-DNP were studied. The photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-DNP follows the pseudo-first-order kinetics. In acidic or alkaline conditions, the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of 2,4-DNP was greater than that in neutral conditions. Thermodynamic studies have also been carried out and values of standard free energy (deltaG degrees), enthalpy (deltaH degrees) and entropy (deltaS degrees) were calculated.

Thermodynamics of Hydrogen in fcc Pd−Au Alloys

Hydrogen isotherms have been measured for a series of solid solution Pd-Au alloys in the temperature range from 393 to 523 K. Standard partial thermodynamic parameters at infinite dilution of H, DeltaH(H) degrees, and DeltaS(H) degrees, have been determined from these equilibrium data; both standard values for H(2) absorption become more negative with increase of atom fraction Au, X(Au). An interesting result is that the dilute phase isotherms at 423 and 523 K are all very similar for alloys with X(Au) = 0.15 to about 0.30 although their DeltaH(H) degrees and DeltaS(H) degrees differ. This is due to a compensating effect of the two thermodynamic parameters leading to (partial partial differentialDeltaG(H)/partial partial differentialr) = RT(partial partial differential ln p(1/2)/partial partial differentialr) approximately constant for the alloys from X(Au) approximately 0.15 to 0.30 at low r where r = H-to-metal atom ratio. Calorimetric enthalpies and isotherms at 303 K have been determined for a series of Pd-Au alloys over a range of H contents including, for some of the low Au content alloys, the plateau regions. These calorimetric data are the most complete reported for the Pd-Au-H system.

The Roles of Three Serratia marcescens Chitinases in Chitin Conversion Are Reflected in Different Thermodynamic Signatures of Allosamidin Binding

Binding of allosamidin to the three family 18 chitinases of Serratia marcescens has been studied using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Interestingly, the thermodynamic signatures of allosamidin binding were different for all three chitinases. At pH 6.0, chitinase A (ChiA) binds allosamidin with a K(d) value of 0.17 +/- 0.06 microM where the main part of the driving force is due to enthalpic change (DeltaH(r) degrees = -6.2 +/- 0.2 kcal/mol) and less to entropic change (-TDeltaS(r) degrees = -3.2 kcal/mol). A large part of DeltaH is due to allosamidin stacking with Trp(167) in the -3 subsite. Binding of allosamidin to both chitinase B (ChiB) (K(d) = 0.16 +/- 0.04 microM) and chitinase C (ChiC) (K(d) = 2.0 +/- 0.2 microM) is driven by entropy (DeltaH(r) degrees = 3.8 +/- 0.2 kcal/mol and -TDeltaS(r) degrees = -13.2 kcal/mol for ChiB and DeltaH(r) degrees = -0.6 +/- 0.1 and -TDeltaS(r) degrees = -7.3 kcal/mol for ChiC). For ChiC, the entropic term is dominated by changes in solvation entropy (DeltaS(conf) = 1 cal/K.mol and DeltaS(solv) = 31 cal/K.mol), while, for ChiB, changes in conformational entropy dominate (DeltaS(conf) = 37 cal/K x mol and DeltaS(solv) = 15 cal/K x mol). Corresponding values for ChiA are DeltaS(conf) = 4 cal/K x mol and DeltaS(solv) = 15 cal/K x mol. These remarkable differences in binding parameters reflect the different architectures of the catalytic centers in these enzymes that are adapted to different types of actions: ChiA and ChiB are processive enzymes that move in opposite directions, meaning that allosamidin binds in to "product" subsites in ChiB, while it binds to polymer-binding subsites in ChiA. The values for ChiC are compatible with this enzyme being a nonprocessive endochitinase with a much more open and solvated substrate-binding-site cleft.

Adsorptive separation of phosphate oxyanion from aqueous solution using an inorganic adsorbent

Phosphate removal from aqueous solution was explored using granular ferric hydroxide (GFH) as an inorganic adsorbent. Adsorption, desorption and kinetic studies were conducted on laboratory scale to evaluate the performance of GFH as an adsorbent for low concentrations of phosphate solution. The effect of pH on adsorption was investigated, and phosphate uptake was shown to decrease with an increase in solution pH, with maximum removal seen to occur at pH 3. The experimental data best fit the Temkin isotherm at both pH 3 and 4. Uptake of phosphate by GFH follows second-order kinetics, with the small particle range (76-200 microm) removing phosphate from the solution more rapidly than the larger particle range (710-850 microm). The kinetic results suggest that intra-particle diffusion is an important factor in phosphate adsorption onto GFH. Thermodynamic parameters (DeltaG degrees, DeltaH degrees, DeltaS degrees) were evaluated, and the results indicated that the adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous. This study demonstrates that GFH has potential to be used as a cost-effective adsorbent for phosphate removal from aqueous solution.

Amide Cis−Trans Isomerization in Aqueous Solutions of Methyl N-Formyl-d-glucosaminides and Methyl N-Acetyl-d-glucosaminides: Chemical Equilibria and Exchange Kinetics

Amide cis-trans isomerization (CTI) in methyl 2-deoxy-2-acylamido-d-glucopyranosides was investigated by (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. Singly (13)C-labeled methyl 2-deoxy-2-formamido-d-glucopyranoside (MeGlcNFm) anomers provided standard (1)H and (13)C chemical shifts and (1)H-(1)H and (13)C-(13)C spin-coupling constants for cis and trans amides that are detected readily in aqueous solution. Equipped with this information, doubly (13)C-labeled methyl 2-deoxy-2-acetamido-d-glucopyranoside (MeGlcNAc) anomers were investigated, leading to the detection and quantification of cis and trans amides in this biologically important aminosugar. In comparison to MeGlcNFm anomers, the percentage of cis amide in aqueous solutions of MeGlcNAc anomers is small ( approximately 23% for MeGlcNFm versus approximately 1.8% for MeGlcNAc at 42 degrees C) but nevertheless observable with assistance from (13)C-labeling. Temperature studies gave thermodynamic parameters DeltaG degrees , DeltaH degrees , and DeltaS degrees for cis-trans interconversion in MeGlcNFm and MeGlcNAc anomers. Cis/trans equilibria depended on anomeric configuration, with solutions of alpha-anomers containing less cis amide than those of beta-anomers. Confirmation of the presence of cis amide in MeGlcNAc solutions derived from quantitative (13)C saturation transfer measurements of CTI rate constants as a function of solution temperature, yielding activation parameters E(act), DeltaG degrees (), DeltaH degrees (), and DeltaS degrees () for saccharide CTI. Rate constants for the conversion of trans to cis amide in MeGlcNFm and MeGlcNAc anomers ranged from 0.02 to 3.59 s(-1) over 31-85 degrees C, compared to 0.24-80 s(-1) for the conversion of cis to trans amide over the same temperature range. Energies of activation ranged from 16-19 and 19-20 kcal/mol for the cis --> trans and trans --> cis processes, respectively. Complementary DFT calculations on MeGlcNFm and MeGlcNAc model structures were conducted to evaluate the effects of an acyl side chain and anomeric structure, as well as C2-N2 bond rotation, on CTI energetics. These studies show that aqueous solutions of GlcNAc-containing structures contain measurable amounts of both cis and trans amides, which may influence their biological properties.

Kinetics and thermodynamics of adsorption of ionizable aromatic compounds from aqueous solutions by as-prepared and oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes

The adsorption of 1-naphthylamine, 1-naphthol and phenol on as-prepared and oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) has been investigated. The results illustrated that both as-prepared and oxidized MWCNTs showed high adsorption capacity for the three ionizable aromatic compounds (IACs) studied. Oxidation of MWCNTs increased the surface area and the pore volume, and introduced oxygen-containing functional groups to the surfaces of MWCNTs, which depressed the adsorption of IACs on MWCNTs. Both Langmuir and Freundlich models described the adsorption isotherms very well and the adsorption thermodynamic parameters (DeltaG degrees, DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees) were measured. The adsorption for 1-naphthylamine, 1-naphthol and phenol is general spontaneous and thermodynamically favorable. The adsorption of phenol is an exothermic process, whereas the adsorption of 1-naphthylamine and 1-naphthol is an endothermic process. Results of this work are of great significance for the environmental application of MWCNTs for the removal of IACs from large volume of aqueous solutions.

Impact of sugar pucker on base pair and mispair stability.

The selection of nucleoside triphosphates by a polymerase is controlled by several energetic and structural features, including base pairing geometry as well as sugar structure and conformation. Whereas base pairing has been considered exhaustively, substantially less is known about the role of sugar modifications for both nucleotide incorporation and primer extension. In this study, we synthesized oligonucleotides containing 2'-fluoro-modified nucleosides with constrained sugar pucker in an internucleotide position and, for the first time, at a primer 3'-end. The thermodynamic stability of these duplexes was examined. The nucleoside 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoroarabinofuranosyluracil [U(2'F(ara))] favors the 2'-endo conformation (DNA-like), while 2'-deoxy-2'-fluororibofuranosyluracil [U(2'F(ribo))] favors the 3'-endo conformation (RNA-like). Oligonucleotides containing U(2'F(ara)) have slightly higher melting temperatures (T(m)) than those containing U(2'F(ribo)) when located in internucleotide positions or at the 3'-end and when correctly paired with adenine or mispaired with guanine. However, both modifications decrease the magnitude of DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees for duplex formation in all sequence contexts. In examining the thermodynamic properties for this set of oligonucleotides, we find entropy-enthalpy compensation is apparent. Our thermodynamic findings led to a series of experiments with DNA ligase that reveal, contrary to expectation based upon observed T(m) values, that the duplex containing the U(2'F(ribo)) analogue is more easily ligated. The 2'-fluoro-2'-deoxynucleosides examined here are valuable probes of the impact of sugar constraint and are also members of an important class of antitumor and antiviral agents. The data reported here may facilitate an understanding of the biological properties of these agents, as well as the contribution of sugar conformation to replication fidelity.

An N,N′-Diamidocarbene: Studies in C−H Insertion, Reversible Carbonylation, and Transition-Metal Coordination Chemistry

Treatment of dimethylmalonyl dichloride with N,N'-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-N-trimethylsilylformamidine followed by trimethylsilyl triflate (TMS.OTf) afforded the pyrimidinium salt [1H][OTf] in >99% yield. Subsequent deprotonation of this salt led to the formation of the corresponding free N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) 1. Exhibiting a reactivity profile that is characteristic of traditional electrophilic carbenes, 1 was found to insert into a tertiary C-H bond and reversibly fix carbon monoxide (CO) under mild conditions to afford the first example of a diamidoketene. Remarkably, the aforementioned carbonylation reaction was found to be thermally reversible (K(eq) = 2.62 M(-1) at 30 degrees C; DeltaH degrees = -35.33 kJ mol(-1) and DeltaS degrees = -109.5 J mol(-1) K(-1)). NHC 1 also displayed nucleophilic characteristics. Treatment of 1 with [Ir(COD)Cl](2) (COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) afforded 1-[Ir(COD)Cl], a complex with bond lengths and angles that were in accord with known NHC analogues. Treatment of 1-[Ir(COD)Cl] with CO afforded the carbonyl complex 1-[Ir(CO)(2)Cl]. IR studies of this complex revealed a Tolman Electronic Parameter of 2057 cm(-1), a value similar to those for analogous metal complexes containing tricyclohexylphosphine.

Investigation on the Interaction of Newly Designed Anticancer Pd(II) Complexes with Different Aliphatic Tails and Human Serum Albumin

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of any drug will depend, largely, on the interaction that it has with human serum albumin (HSA), the most abundant plasma protein. The interaction between newly synthesized Pd(II) complexes, 2,2'-bipyridin octyl dithiocarbamato Pd(II) nitrate (Octpd), 2,2'-bipyridin butyl dithiocarbamato Pd(II) nitrate (ButPd), 2,2'-bipyridin ethyl dithiocarbamato Pd(II) nitrate (EtPd), antitumor components, with human serum albumin, a carrier protein, were studied at different temperatures of 27 and 37 degrees C by fluorescence spectroscopy, far UV circular dichroism (CD), and spectrophotometric and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. By the analysis of fluorescence intensity, it was observed that Pd(II) complexes have strong abilities to quench the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA through a dynamic quenching procedure. The binding parameters were evaluated by the fluorescence quenching method. The thermodynamic parameters, including DeltaH degrees , DeltaS degrees , and DeltaG degrees , were calculated by the fluorescence quenching method and indicated that hydrophobic forces play a major role in the interaction of Pd(II) complexes with HSA. Far-UV-CD results represented that Pd(II) complexes induced a decrease in content of the alpha helical structure of protein. The binding of newly designed drugs (Pd(II) complexes) on the blood carrier protein of HSA resulted in significant alterations on the structure and conformation of protein via decreasing stability of HSA by decreasing the T(m), a red shift in maximum fluorescence intensity, a decrease in content of the alpha-helical structure, and the increase of the nonpolar or accessible hydrophobic surface of HSA to solvent.

Interaction of Isoquinoline Alkaloids with an RNA Triplex: Structural and Thermodynamic Studies of Berberine, Palmatine, and Coralyne Binding to Poly(U).Poly(A)*Poly(U)

The interaction of two natural protoberberine alkaloids berberine and palmatine and the synthetic derivative coralyne with the RNA triplex poly(U).poly(A)(*)poly(U) was studied using various biophysical and calorimetric techniques. All the three alkaloids bind noncooperatively to the triplex. The affinity of berberine and palmatine was in the order of 10(5) M(-1), while that of coralyne was one order higher as inferred from spectroscopic studies. The alkaloids stabilized the Hoogsteen base-paired third strand of the triplex without affecting the stability of the duplex. Fluorescence quenching and viscosity studies gave convincing evidence for the partial intercalation of berberine and palmatine and a true intercalative binding of coralyne to the triplex. This was further supported from the significant polarization of the emission spectra of the complex and the energy transfer from the base triplets to the alkaloids. Circular dichroic studies suggested that the conformation of the triplex was perturbed significantly by the binding of the alkaloids, being more by coralyne compared to berberine and palmatine and also evidenced by the generation of strong induced optical activity in the bound coralyne molecules. Isothermal titration calorimetric studies revealed that the binding to the triplex was favored by a predominantly large negative enthalpy change (DeltaH degrees = -5.42 kcal/mol) with small favorable entropy contribution (TDeltaS degrees = 2.02 kcal/mol) in berberine, favored by almost equal negative enthalpy (DeltaH degrees = -3.93 kcal/mol) and entropy changes (TDeltaS degrees = 3.89 kcal/mol) in palmatine and driven by predominant entropy contributions (DeltaH degrees = -1.84 and TDeltaS degrees = 7.44 kcal/mol) in coralyne. These results advance our knowledge on the binding of small molecule isoquinoline alkaloids that are specific binders of RNA structures, particularly triplexes.

Heat of Formation of the Allyl Ion by TPEPICO Spectroscopy

The 0 K onset of C(3)H(6) --> C(3)H(5)(+) + H(*) is measured by threshold photoelectron-photoion coincidence (TPEPICO) spectroscopy. From the onset (11.898 +/- 0.025 eV) the heat of formation of the allyl ion (CH(2)CHCH(2)(+)) is determined to be DeltaH degrees (f,0K) = 967.2; DeltaH degrees (f,298K) = 955.4 +/- 2.5 kJ mol(-1). The value is significantly more positive than prior determinations, and resolves a discrepancy between measurements of the allyl radical and allyl ion heats of formation and recent highly precise measurements of the allyl radical adiabatic ionization energy. The new allyl ion heat of formation leads to a new proton affinity for propadiene (allene) of 765.0 +/- 2.6 kJ mol(-1). An attempt is made to determine the CH(3)CCH(2)(+) heat of formation by measuring the 0 K onset of 2-ClC(3)H(5) --> C(3)H(5)(+) + Cl(*). However, C(3)H(5)(+) appears at too low an energy to be the higher energy CH(3)CCH(2)(+) structure. Rather, 2-ClC(3)H(5)(+) undergoes a concerted hydrogen transfer and Cl-loss via an intramolecular S(N)2 like mechanism to produce the allyl ion. The 0 K onset of 3-ClC(3)H(5) --> C(3)H(5)(+) + Cl(*) (11.108 +/- 0.010 eV) is measured to determine the 3-ClC(3)H(5) heat of formation (DeltaH degrees (f,0K) = 14.9; DeltaH degrees (f,298K) = 1.1 +/- 2.7 kJ mol(-1)). 3-ClC(3)H(5)(+) is suggested to readily isomerize to trans 1-ClC(3)H(5)(+) prior to dissociation.

Stereochemical Effects During [M − H] − Dissociations of Epimeric 11-OH-17β-Estradiols and Distant Electronic Effects of Substituents at C (11) Position on Gas Phase Acidity

The affinity of estradiol derivatives for the estrogen receptor (ER) depends strongly on nature and stereochemistry of substituents in C(11) position of the 17beta-estradiol (I). In this work, the stereochemistry effects of the 11alpha-OH-17beta-estradiol (III(alpha)) and 11beta-OH-17beta-estradiol (III(beta)) were investigated using CID experiments and gas-phase acidity (DeltaH degrees (acid)) determination. The CID experiments showed that the steroids decompose via different pathways involving competitive dissociations with rate constants depending upon the alpha/beta C(11) stereochemistry. It was shown that the fragmentations of both deprotonated [III(alpha)-H]- and [III(beta)-H]- epimers were initiated by the deprotonation of the most acidic site, i.e. the phenolic hydroxyl at C(3). This view was confirmed by H/D exchange and double resonance experiments. Furthermore, the DeltaH degrees (acid) of both epimers (III(alpha) and III(beta)), 17beta-estradiol (I), and 17-desoxyestradiol (II) was determined using the extended Cooks' kinetic method. The resulting values allowed us to classify steroids as a function of their gas-phase acidity as follows: (III(beta)) >> (II) > (I) > (III(alpha)). Interestingly, the alpha/beta C(11) stereochemistry appeared to influence strongly the gas-phase acidity. This phenomenon could be explained through stereospecific proton interaction with pi-orbital cloud of A ring, which was confirmed by theoretical calculation.

Spectroscopic Studies on the Binding of Cobalt(II) 1,10-Phenanthroline Complex to Bovine Serum Albumin

The binding interaction of the cobalt(II) 1,10-phenanthroline complex (Co(phen) (3) (2+) , phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy combined with UV-Vis absorption and circular dichroism measurements under simulative physiological conditions. The experiment results showed that the fluorescence intensity of BSA was dramatically decreased owing to the formation of Co(phen) (3) (2+) -BSA complex. The corresponding association constants (K (a)) between Co(phen) (3) (2+) and BSA at four different temperatures were calculated according to the modified Stern-Volmer equation. The enthalpy change (DeltaH degrees ) and entropy change (DeltaS degrees ) were calculated to be -2.73 kJ mol(-1) and 82.27 J mol(-1) K(-1), respectively, which suggested that electrostatic interaction and hydrophobic force played major roles in stabilizing the Co(phen) (3) (2+) -BSA complex. Site marker competitive experiments indicated that the binding of Co(phen) (3) (2+) to BSA primarily took place in site I of BSA. A value of 4.11 nm for the average distance r between Co(phen) (3) (2+) (acceptor) and tryptophan residues of BSA (donor) was derived from Förster's energy transfer theory. The conformational investigation showed that the presence of Co(phen) (3) (2+) resulted in the change of BSA secondary structure and induced the slight unfolding of the polypeptides of protein, which confirmed the microenvironment and conformational changes of BSA molecules.

Tuning the Thermodynamics of Association of Transmembrane Helices

Modular photosynthetic LH1 complex is applied as a model system to investigate the thermodynamics of a self-assembling membrane protein and the effects of cosolvents and cofactor (carotenoid) on the process. Native chromophores of LH1, bacteriochlorophyll, and carotenoid are excellent intrinsic spectroscopic reporter molecules. Their presence allows us to follow the association of transmembrane helices of LH1, without the use of any external markers, by electronic absorption/emission and circular dichroism. Furthermore, the assembly correctness can be monitored by the intracomplex energy transfer. Both the cosolvent and carotenoid markedly affect DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees associated with the complex formation in detergent, but the driving force of the process remains almost constant due to an efficient enthalpy-entropy compensation in the system. In the absence of cosolvent and cofactor, the energy of interactions between transmembrane helices in LH1 equals -580 kJ/mol. DeltaH degrees drastically increases upon the addition of acetone (-1160 kJ/mol) and carotenoid (-1900 kJ/mol), whereas DeltaS degrees lowers from +1.5 kJ/mol.K to -0.4 kJ/mol.K and to -2.6 kJ/mol.K, respectively. The stabilization of the ensemble by cofactor seems to be due to the pi-pi stacking of aromatic residues of LH1 polypeptides with the carotenoid pi-electron system. The cosolvent, lowering the medium permittivity and thus enhancing helix-helix interactions, has an ordering effect on the system (DeltaS degrees<0). This effect of cosolvent on DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees of association of transmembrane helices is relevant for crystallization of membrane proteins, as it explains in thermodynamic terms the action of amphiphiles used for crystallization of membrane proteins in the micellar phase.