The present work reports the electrical properties of polycrystalline Ta‐doped TiO2 (0.39 at.% Ta) determined in situ at elevated temperatures (1173‐1323 K) in the gas phase of controlled oxygen activity (10−12 Pa to 105 Pa). The effect of oxygen activity on the electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power of TiO2 is discussed in terms of defect disorder, including (1) the intrinsic electronic disorder that is governed by electronic compensation in the strongly reducing regime, (2) the extrinsic electronic disorder that is governed by electronic charge compensation in the reducing regime, and (3) the extrinsic ionic disorder that is governed by ionic compensation in the oxidizing regime. It is shown that tantalum ions are incorporated into the titanium sublattice of TiO2 leading to the formation of donor‐type energy levels. The Arrhenius‐type plot of the electrical conductivity data leads to the determination of the formation enthalpy terms. The obtained results are considered in terms of the effect of tantalum and oxygen activity on the defect disorder and the associated key performance‐related properties in the light‐induced partial water oxidation.

A family of halogen-substituted Schiff base iron(II) complexes, [FeII (qsal-X)2 ], (qsal-X=5-X-N-(8-quinolyl)salicylaldimines)) in which X=F (1), Cl (2), Br (3) or I (4) has been investigated in detail. Compound 1 shows a temperature invariant high spin state, whereas the others all show abrupt spin transitions, at or above room temperature, namely, 295 K (X=I) up to 342 K (X=Br), these being some of the highest T1/2 values obtained, to date, for FeII N/O species. We have recently reported subtle symmetry breaking in [FeII (qsal-Cl)2 ] 2 with two spin transition steps occurring at 308 and 316 K. A photomagnetic study reveals almost full HS conversion of [FeII (qsal-I)2 ] 4 at low temperature (T(LIESST)=54 °K). The halogen substitution effects on the magnetic properties, as well as the crystal packing of the [FeII (qsal-X)2 ] compounds and theoretical calculations, are discussed in depth, giving important knowledge for the design of new spin crossover materials. In comparison to the well known iron(III) analogues, [FeIII (qsal-X)2 ]+ , the two extra π-π and P4AE interactions found in [FeII (qsal-X)2 ] compounds, are believed to be accountable for the spin transitions occurring at ambient temperatures.

Within the endoplasmic reticulum, immature glycoproteins are sorted into secretion and degradation pathways through the sequential trimming of mannose residues from Man9 GlcNAc2 to Man5 GlcNAc2 by the combined actions of assorted α-1,2-mannosidases. It has been speculated that specific glycoforms encode signals for secretion and degradation. However, it is unclear whether the specific signal glycoforms are produced by random mannosidase action or are produced regioselectively in a sequenced manner by specific α-1,2-mannosidases. Here, we report the identification of a set of selective mannosidase inhibitors and development of conditions for their use that enable production of distinct pools of Man8 GlcNAc2 isomers from a structurally defined synthetic Man9 GlcNAc2 substrate in an endoplasmic reticulum fraction. Glycan processing analysis with these inhibitors provides the first biochemical evidence for selective production of the signal glycoforms contributing to traffic control in glycoprotein quality control.

The uptake of inhalation anesthetics by three topologically identical frameworks is described. The 3D network materials, which possess square channels of different dimensions, are formed from the relatively simple combination of ZnII centres and dianionic ligands that contain a phenolate and a carboxylate group at opposite ends. All three framework materials are able to adsorb N2O, Xe and isoflurane. Whereas the framework with the widest channels is able to adsorb large quantities of the various guests from the gas phase, the frameworks with the narrower channels have superior binding enthalpies and exhibit higher levels of retention. The use of ligands in which substituents are bound to the aromatic rings of the bridging ligands offers great scope for tuning the adsorption properties of the framework materials.

We report the first example of an alkene with two carbon‐bound substituents (imidazole and imidazolium rings) where the Z‐isomer has a greater thermodynamic stability than the E‐isomer which persists in both the gas phase and in solution. Theoretical calculations, solution fluorescence spectroscopy and gas‐phase ion mobility mass spectrometry studies confirm the preference for the Z‐isomer, the stability of which is traced to a non‐covalent interaction between the imidazole lone pair and the imidazolium ring.

A major challenge is the development of multifunctional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), wherein magnetic and electronic functionality can be controlled simultaneously. Herein, we rationally construct two 3D MOFs by introducing the redox active ligand tetra(4-pyridyl)tetrathiafulvalene (TTF(py)4 ) and spin-crossover FeII centers. The materials exhibit redox activity, in addition to thermally and photo-induced spin crossover (SCO). A crystal-to-crystal transformation induced by I2 doping has also been observed and the resulting intercalated structure determined. The conductivity could be significantly enhanced (up to 3 orders of magnitude) by modulating the electronic state of the framework via oxidative doping; SCO behavior was also modified and the photo-magnetic behavior was switched off. This work provides a new strategy to tune the spin state and conductivity of framework materials through guest-induced redox-state switching.

Biophysical studies were undertaken to investigate the binding and release of short interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) from lyotropic liquid crystalline lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) by using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). These carriers are based on phytantriol (Phy) and the cationic lipid DOTAP (1,2‐dioleoyloxy‐3‐(trimethylammonium)propane). The nonlamellar phase LNPs were tethered to the surface of the QCM chip for analysis based on biotin–neutravidin binding, which enabled the controlled deposition of siRNA–LNP complexes with different lipid/siRNA charge ratios on a QCM‐D crystal sensor. The binding and release of biomolecules such as siRNA from LNPs was demonstrated to be reliably characterised by this technique. Essential physicochemical parameters of the cationic LNP/siRNA lipoplexes—such as particle size, lyotropic phase behaviour, cytotoxicity, gene silencing and uptake efficiency—were also assessed. The SAXS data show that when the pH was lowered to 5.5 the structure of the lipoplexes did not change, thus indicating that the acidic conditions of the endosome were not a significant factor in the release of siRNA from the cationic lipidic carriers.

A ZnII complex of the dianionic tetradentate ligand formed by deprotonation of glyoxal‐bis(4‐phenyl‐3‐thiosemicarbazone) (H2gtsp) is a [3+3] trinuclear triangular prism. Recrystallization of this complex in the presence of either CO2, CS2, or CH3CN leads to the formation of [4+4] open‐ended charge‐neutral tetranuclear coordination nanotubes, approximately 2 nm in length and with internal dimensions large enough to accommodate linear guest molecules, which serve to template their formation. Upon removal of the templating molecules the nanotubes demonstrated reversible sorption of CO2 with an isosteric enthalpy of sorption of 28 kJ mol−1 at low loading.

Design of new bimetallic catalysts requires an understanding of how cooperative effects of the metal sites influences reactivity. Here we show how switching one or both of the silver atoms in binuclear silver hydride cations, [dppmAg2(H)]+ (dppm=1,1‐Bis(diphenylphosphino)‐methane), with all combinations of copper and/or gold maintains selective dehydrogenation of formic acid, enhancing reactivity by up to 2 orders of magnitude. This is a key step in the selective, catalyzed extrusion of carbon dioxide from formic acid, HO2CH, with important applications in hydrogen storage and in situ generation of H2. Decarboxylation of [dppmMM′(O2CH)]+ through collision induced dissociation regenerates [dppmMM′(H)]+. DFT calculations provide insights into these cooperative effects. The copper homobinuclear catalyst performs best overall.

The efficiencies of the hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells have been rapidly approaching the benchmarks held by the leading thin-film photovoltaic technologies. Arguably, one of the most important factors leading to this rapid advancement is the ability to manipulate the microstructure of the perovskite layer and the adjacent functional layers within the device. Here, an analysis of the nucleation and growth models relevant to the formation of perovskite films is provided, along with the effect of the perovskite microstructure (grain sizes and voids) on device performance. In addition, the effect of a compact or mesoporous electron-transport-layer (ETL) microstructure on the perovskite film formation and the optical/photoelectric properties at the ETL/perovskite interface are overviewed. Insight into the formation of the functional layers within a perovskite solar cell is provided, and potential avenues for further development of the perovskite microstructure are identified.

Using nanoparticles to deliver drugs to cells has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of many diseases, including HIV, cancer, and diabetes. One of the major challenges facing this field is controlling where the drug is trafficked once the nanoparticle is taken up into the cell. In particular, if drugs remain localized in an endosomal or lysosomal compartment, the therapeutic can be rendered completely ineffective. To ensure the design of more effective delivery systems we must first develop a better understanding of how nanoparticles and their cargo are trafficked inside cells. This needs to be combined with an understanding of what characteristics are required for nanoparticles to achieve endosomal escape, along with methods to detect endosomal escape effectively. This review is focused into three sections: first, an introduction to the mechanisms governing internalization and trafficking in cells, second, a discussion of methods to detect endosomal escape, and finally, recent advances in controlling endosomal escape from polymer- and lipid-based nanoparticles, with a focus on engineering materials to promote endosomal escape. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2017, 9:e1452. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1452 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.

We describe the reaction of anion [RhCl6]3− with a series of hydantoin ligands (HL1, HL2 and HL3 = 5‐methyl‐5‐(2‐, 3‐ and 4‐pyridyl)‐2,4‐imidazolidenedione, respectively). Based on spectroscopic, cyclic voltammetric, elemental and MS analyses, the complexes have the general formula K[RhCl2(L1)2] (1), cis‐ and trans‐K[RhCl4(HL2)2] (2a and 2b) and cis‐ and trans‐K[RhCl4(HL3)2] (3a and 3b). Complexes 2a, 2b, 3a and 3b were characterized successfully using infrared, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectral analyses. Dissolution of complex 1 in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) led to elimination of one KL1 ligand and coordination of two DMSO molecules as ligands and transformation of this complex to cis‐ and trans‐[RhCl2L1(DMSO)2] (1a and 1b). Recrystallization led to separation and isolation of crystals of 1a from the initial mixture. X‐ray analysis results showed that this complex was crystallized as solvated complex cis‐[RhCl2L1(DMSO)2]DMSO. The catalytic activity of these complexes was then evaluated for the hydrogenation of various ketones.

The human relaxin peptide family consists of seven cystine-rich peptides, four of which are known to signal through relaxin family peptide receptors, RXFP1-4. As these peptides play a vital role physiologically and in various diseases, they are of considerable importance for drug discovery and development. Detailed structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies towards understanding the role of important residues in each of these peptides have been reported over the years and utilized for the design of antagonists and minimized agonist variants. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the SAR of human relaxin 2 (H2 relaxin), human relaxin 3 (H3 relaxin), human insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) and human insulin-like peptide 5 (INSL5). LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on Recent Progress in the Understanding of Relaxin Family Peptides and their Receptors. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v174.10/issuetoc.

Divalent [Yb(DippForm)2 (thf)n ] (n=2 (1 a), or 1 (1 b), DippForm=N,N'-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)formamidinate) complexes were treated with the ketones: 9-fluorenone (fn), or 2,3,4,5-tetraphenylcyclopentadienone (tpc, tetracyclone), giving ketyl complexes: [Yb(DippForm)2 (fn. -O)(thf)] (2), and [Yb(DippForm)2 (tpc. -O)] (3), respectively (ketyl=a radical anion containing a C. -O(-) group. By contrast, when perfluorobenzophenone (pfb) was treated with either 1 a or 1 b, transitory ketyl formation was followed by rapid decomposition through a C-F activation pathway, giving [YbF(DippForm)2 (thf)] (4 a) and a highly unusual fluoride/oxide-bridged species: [Yb5 F6 O2 (DippForm)5 ] (4 b). The reduction of diketones: 3,5-di-tert-butyl-1,2-benzoquinone (tbbq), 9,10-phenanthrenequinone (phen), or 1,2-acenaphthenequinone (acen), was also examined giving ketyl complexes: [Yb(DippForm)2 (tbbq. -O2 )] (5), [Yb(DippForm)2 (phen. -O2 )] (6), and [Yb(DippForm)2 (acen. -O2 )(thf)] (7). An unsolvated derivative of 7, namely [Yb(DippForm)2 (acen. -O2 )] (8), was obtained from PhMe. All ketyl complexes had suitably elongated C. -O bonds, were stable in both polar and non-polar solvents-an uncommon trait for rare-earth ketyl complexes-and, with the exception of 3, showed radical signals in ESR spectra. To investigate the reactivity of the tpc. -O ketyl complex, 3 was treated with oxidants (CS2 , Se) and reducing agents (Mg0 , KH, or [SmI2 (thf)2 ]). Thus 3 was oxidised to tpc by Se. Treatment of 3 with KH led to a ligand exchange process giving an unusual diketyl species [Yb(DippForm)(tpc. -O)2 (thf)2 ] (10), which has two cisoid tpc. -O- ligands in very close proximity. When treated with [SmI2 (thf)2 ], the tpc. -O ketyl was further reduced to a dianion (1-oxido-2,3,4,5-tetraphenylcyclopentadianide2- ), ({C5 Ph4 }-O)2- by [SmI2 (thf)2 ], giving dimeric [{SmI({C5 Ph4 }-O)(thf)2 }2 ] (Sm11) and monomeric complexes [YbI(DippForm)2 (thf)] (11 b) and [YbI2 (DippForm)(thf)2 ] (11 c). Activated Sm metal reduced neutral tetracyclone to the dianion, ({C5 Ph4 }-O)2- , in THF, giving tetranuclear [{SmII2 ({C5 Ph4 }-O)2 (thf)3 }2 ] (Sm13). Treatment of Sm13 with iodine in situ provided access to [{SmI({C5 Ph4 }-O)(thf)2 }2 ] (Sm11), in good yield.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis produces dideoxymycobactin-838 (DDM-838), a lipopeptide that potently activates T cells upon binding to the MHC-like antigen-presenting molecule CD1a. M. tuberculosis produces DDM-838 in only trace amounts and a previous solid-phase synthesis provided sub-milligram quantities. We describe a high-yielding solution-phase synthesis of DDM-838 that features a Mitsunobu substitution that avoids yield-limiting epimerization at lysine during esterification, and amidation conditions that prevent double-bond isomerization of the Z-C20:1 acyl chain, and provides material with equivalent antigenicity to natural DDM-838. Isomers of DDM-838 that varied in stereochemistry at the central lysine and the C20:1 acyl chain were compared for their ability to be recognised by CD1a-restricted T cell receptors (TCRs). These TCRs, derived from unrelated human donors, exhibited a similar spectrum of reactivity towards the panel of DDM-838 isomers, highlighting the exquisite sensitivity of lipopeptide-reactive T cells for the natural DDM stereochemistry.

Two series of branched tetramers of the proline-rich antimicrobial peptide (PrAMP), Chex1-Arg20, were prepared to improve antibacterial selectivity and potency against a panel of Gram-negative nosocomial pathogens including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. First, tetramerization was achieved by dithiomaleimide (DTM) conjugation of two C-terminal-cysteine bearing dimers that also incorporated C-terminal peptide chemical modification. DTM-linked tetrameric peptides containing a C-terminal hydrazide moiety on each dimer exhibited highly potent activities in the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) range of 0.49-2.33 μm. A second series of tetrameric analogues with C-terminal hydrazide modification was prepared by using alternative conjugation linkers including trans-1,4-dibromo-2-butene, α,α'-dibromo-p-xylene, or 6-bismaleimidohexane to determine the effect of length on activity. Each displayed potent and broadened activity against Gram-negative nosocomial pathogens, particularly the butene-linked tetrameric hydrazide. Remarkably, the greatest MIC activity is against P. aeruginosa (0.77 μm/8 μg mL-1 ) where the monomer is inactive. None of these peptides showed any cytotoxicity to mammalian cells up to 25 times the MIC. A diffusion NMR study of the tetrameric hydrazides showed that the more active antibacterial analogues were those with a more compact structure having smaller hydrodynamic radii. The results show that C-terminal PrAMP hydrazidation together with its rational tetramerization is an effective means for increasing both diversity and potency of PrAMP action.

How the immune system maintains peripheral tolerance under inflammatory conditions is poorly understood. Here we assessed the fate of gastritogenic T cells following inflammatory activation in vivo. Self-reactive T cells (A23 T cells) specific for the gastric H+ /K+ ATPase α subunit (HKα) were transferred into immunosufficient recipient mice and immunised at a site distant to the stomach with adjuvant containing the cognate HKα peptide antigen. Activation of A23 T cells by immunisation did not impact on either immune tolerance or protection from gastric autoimmunity in wild-type BALB/c mice. However, increased presentation of endogenously derived HKα epitopes by dendritic cells (DCs) in the gastric lymph node of IE-H+ /K+ β transgenic mice (IEβ) reduces A23 T-cell tolerance to gastric antigens after inflammatory activation, with subsequent development of gastritis. While HKα-specific A23 T cells from immunised wild-type mice were poorly responsive to in vitro antigen specific activation, A23 T cells from immunised IEβ transgenic mice were readily re-activated, indicating loss of T-cell anergy. These findings show that DCs of gastric lymph nodes can maintain tolerance of pathogenic T cells following inflammatory stimulation and that the density of endogenous antigen presented to self-reactive T cells is critical in the balance between tolerance and autoimmunity.

Molecular distortion of dynamic molecules gives a clear signature in the vibrational spectra, which can be modeled to give estimates of the energy barrier and the sensitivity of the frequencies of the vibrational modes to the reaction coordinate. The reaction coordinate method (RCM) utilizes ab initio-calculated spectra of the molecule in its ground and transition states together with their relative energies to predict the temperature dependence of the vibrational spectra. DFT-calculated spectra of the eclipsed (D5h ) and staggered (D5d ) forms of ferrocene (Fc), and its deuterated analogue, within RCM explain the IR spectra of Fc in gas (350 K), solution (300 K), solid solution (7-300 K), and solid (7-300 K) states. In each case the D5h rotamer is lowest in energy but with the barrier to interconversion between rotamers higher for solution-phase samples (ca. 6 kJ mol-1 ) than for the gas-phase species (1-3 kJ mol-1 ). The generality of the approach is demonstrated with application to tricarbonyl(η4 -norbornadiene)iron(0), Fe(NBD)(CO)3 . The temperature-dependent coalescence of the ν(CO) bands of Fe(NBD)(CO)3 is well explained by the RCM without recourse to NMR-like rapid exchange. The RCM establishes a clear link between the calculated ground and transition states of dynamic molecules and the temperature-dependence of their vibrational spectra.

The significance of imaging hypoxia with the positron emission tomography ligand [(18) F]FMISO has been demonstrated in a variety of cancers. However, the slow kinetics of [(18) F]FMISO require a 2-h delay between tracer administration and patient scanning. Labeled chloroethyl sulfoxides have shown faster kinetics and higher contrast than [(18) F]FMISO in a rat model of ischemic stroke. However, these nitrogen mustard analogues are unsuitable for routine production and use in humans. Here, we report on the synthesis and in vitro and in vivo evaluation of a novel sulfoxide, which contains an ester moiety for hydrolysis and subsequent trapping in hypoxic cells. Non-decay corrected yields of radioactivity were 1.18 ± 0.24% (n = 27, 2.5 ± 0.5% decay corrected radiochemical yield) based on K[(18) F]F. The radiotracer did not show any defluorination and did not undergo metabolism in an in vitro assay using S9 liver fractions. Imaging studies using an SK-RC-52 tumor model in BALB/c nude mice have revealed that [(18) F]1 is retained in hypoxic tumors and has similar hypoxia selectivity to [(18) F]FMISO. Because of a three times faster clearance rate than [(18) F]FMISO from normoxic tissue, [(18) F]1 has emerged as a promising new radiotracer for hypoxia imaging.