Unexpected NO transfer reaction between trans-[Ru(II)(NO+)(NH3)4(L)]3+ and Fe(III) species: observation of a heterobimetallic NO-bridged intermediate.

The reaction between trans-[Ru(II)(NO(+))(NH3)4(L)](3+), L = ImN, IsN, Nic, P(OMe)3, P(OEt)3, and P(OH)(OEt)2, and the Fe(III) species [Fe(III)(TPPS)], metmyoglobin, and hemoglobin was monitored by UV-vis, EPR, and electrochemical techniques (DPV, CV). No reaction was observed when L = ImN, IsN, Nic, and P(OH)(OEt)2. However, when L = P(OMe)3 and P(OEt)3, the reaction was quantitative and the products were trans-[Ru(III)(H2O)(NH3)4(P(OR)3)](3+) and [Fe(II)(NO(+))] species. Reaction kinetics data and DFT calculations suggest a two-step reaction mechanism with the initial formation of a bridged [Ru-(µNO)-Fe] intermediate, which was confirmed through electrochemical techniques (E(0)' = -0.47 V vs NHE). The calculated specific rate constant values for the reaction were in the ranges k1 = 1.1 to 7.7 L mol(-1) s(-1) and k2 = 2.4 × 10(-3) to 11.4 × 10(-3) s(-1) for L = P(OMe)3 and P(OEt)3. The oxidation of the ruthenium center (Ru(II) to Ru(III)) containing the nitrosonium ligand suggests that NO can act as an electron transfer bridge between the two metal centers.

Probing structural properties and antioxidant activity mechanisms for eleocarpanthraquinone.

In this work, we present a computational investigation on the structure and energetics of eleocarpanthraquinone, a newly isolated polyphenolic anthrone-antraquinone. Properties such as bond lengths, angles, atomic charges, bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs), and ionization potential (IP) were determined through the use of density functional theory (DFT). The B3LYP and M06-2X exchange-correlation functionals were employed along with the 6-31+G(d,p), 6-31+ +G(d,p), and 6-311+G(d,p) basis sets for performing computations in the gas-phase, water, methanol, and ethanol. The conformation presenting all the hydroxyl groups undergoing hydrogen-bond interactions with neighboring oxygen atoms (conformation 5) was assigned as the most stable structure while its counterpart presenting no hydrogen-bond interaction was found to be 36.45 kcal/mol less stable than conformation 5 in the potential energy surface probed at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory in the gas-phase, for instance. More importantly, the lowest O-H bond dissociation enthalpy was determined to be 93.80 kcal/mol at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory in water against the 146.58 kcal/mol regarding the IP computed at the same approach, suggesting the hydrogen atom transfer mechanism as being preferred over the single electron transfer mechanism in regards to the antioxidant potential for the case of eleocarpanthraquinone; the same conclusion was drawn from the outcomes of all the other approaches used.

Photoinduced degradation of indigo carmine: insights from a computational investigation.

In this work, we present a computational investigation on the photoexcitation of indigo carmine (IC). Physical insights regarding IC photoexcitation and photolysis were obtained from a fundamental perspective through quantum chemistry computations. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to investigate the ground state while its time-dependent formalism (TD-DFT) was used for probing excited state properties, such as vertical excitation energies, generalized oscillator strengths (GOS), and structures. All the computations were undertaken using two different approaches: M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p) and CAM-B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p), in water. Results determined using both methods are in systematic agreement. For instance, the first singlet excited state was found at 2.28 eV (with GOS = 0.4730) and 2.19 eV (GOS = 0.4695) at the TD-DFT/CAM-B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) and TD-DFT/M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p) levels of theory, respectively. Excellent agreement was observed between the computed and the corresponding experimental UV-Vis spectra. Moreover, results suggest IC undergoes photodecomposition through excited state chemical reaction rather than via a direct photolysis path. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first to tackle the photoexcitation, and its potential connections to photodegradation, of IC from a fundamental chemical perspective, being presented with expectations to motivate further studies.

A computational study on the reaction between fisetin and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH).

The strategy of investigating the antioxidant potential of flavonols through the explicit modeling of chemical reactions (initiated to be employed in a previous work from our group) was taken further in this work. Therefore, a theoretical investigation on the reaction between fisetin and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) is presented. All the computations were performed using the density functional theory with the B3LYP functional along with the 6-31G(d,p) basis set. Structural, energetic quantities (ΔG and ΔG++), and reaction rates were probed in order to provide information on the antioxidant activity and to explore the contributions of each hydroxyl group to the referred property. According to the results obtained for the thermodynamic properties, fisetin presents antioxidant potential similar to quercetin (behavior that is also observed experimentally). In addition, the order of contribution of each OH group to the antioxidant potential was found to be 4'-ArOH (the most contributor, presenting ΔG = -5.17 kcal/mol) → 3'-ArOH (ΔG = -3.35 kcal/mol) → 3-ArOH (ΔG = -1.64 kcal/mol) → 7-ArOH (ΔG = 7.72 kcal/mol). These observations are in consistent agreement with the outcomes of other computational investigations performed using bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) as descriptors for the antioxidant activity. Therefore, the methodology employed in this work can be used as an alternative for probing antioxidant potential of compounds derived from fisetin. Graphical Abstract Illustrative scheme of the PES mapping in terms of hydrogen atom transfer from fisetin 3-ArOH to the nitrogen centered DPPH.

Examining the reaction between antioxidant compounds and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) through a computational investigation.

In this work, we present a computational investigation on the reactions between two well-known antioxidants (quercetin and morin) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). A density functional theory (DFT) approach with the B3LYP functional and the 6-31G(d,p) basis set was used for the simulations. The structural and energetic parameters (Gibbs free-energy, ΔG, and Gibbs free-energy of activation, ΔG++) were determined to provide information on the antioxidant activity as well as to evaluate the contributions of each hydroxyl group to the referred property. According to the results obtained, quercetin presented three hydroxyls as being thermodynamically spontaneous in the reaction with DPPH (4[Formula: see text]-ArOH, 3[Formula: see text]-ArOH, and 3-ArOH, with ΔG = -4.93 kcal/mol, -2.89 kcal/mol, and -1.87 kcal/mol, respectively) against only two in the case of morin (2[Formula: see text]-ArOH and 3-ArOH, with ΔG = -7.56 kcal/mol and -4.57 kcal/mol, respectively). Hence, quercetin was found to be a more efficient antioxidant, which is in agreement with different experimental and computational investigations of bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs). However, the order of contribution of the OH groups of each compound to the antioxidant potential present some differences when compared to what was seen in the previous investigations, especially for morin. These findings are in contrast to what was observed in studies based on the determinations of BDEs. Therefore, experimental investigations on the hydrogen-atom transfer mechanism (HAT) for both compounds are encouraged in order to clarify these observations.

Prognostic factors for temporal lobe epilepsy surgery in a tertiary center.

BACKGROUND: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) represents the most common type of partial epilepsy. Early age of onset, a history of febrile convulsions, epileptiform discharges on electroencephalography, duration of epilepsy, number of generalized seizures and severity of psychiatric disorders are possible prognostic factors in patients with mesial temporal sclerosis. The aim of this study is to review the findings of clinical research, semiotic, psychological, electrophysiological and neuroradiological, and to relate these findings with the prognosis of patients with TLE who underwent anteromedial temporal lobectomy (ATL). METHODS: Of 1214 patients evaluated for surgery in the epilepsy Center of the São Jose do Rio Preto Faculty of Medicine (Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto - FAMERP), a tertiary Brazilian epilepsy center, 459 underwent ATL for TLE. Exams and clinical data were analyzed and compared with Engel classification for outcome. RESULTS: Of all the items analyzed, the MRI showed a greater influence on the outcome of patients and for clinical evaluation and pathological antecedents, age at surgery, the epilepsy duration, seizure frequency, mesial temporal sclerosis, dysplasia, perinatal insults, vascular insults, a family history of epilepsy, febrile seizures, neuropsychological abnormalities and presence of generalized tonic-clonic seizure has a statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: In order to identify the most appropriate candidates for ATL, it is very important to consider the prognostic factors associated with favorable for counseling patients in daily practice.

Cyanate as an Active Precursor of Ethyl Carbamate Formation in Sugar Cane Spirit.

The thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of ethyl carbamate (EC) formation through the reaction between cyanate and ethanol were investigated. The rate constant values for cyanate ion decay and EC formation are (8.0 ± 0.4) × 10(-5) and (8.9 ± 0.4) × 10(-5) s(-1), respectively, at 25 °C in 48% aqueous ethanolic solution at pH 4.5. Under the investigated experimental conditions, the rate constants are independent of the ethanol and cyanate concentrations but increase as the temperature increases (ΔH1(⧧) = 19.4 ± 1 kcal/mol, ΔS1(⧧) = −12.1 ± 1 cal/K, and ΔG1(⧧) = 23.0 ± 1 kcal/mol) and decrease as the solution pH increases. According to molecular modeling (DFT) that was performed to analyze the reaction mechanism, the isocyanic acid (HNCO) is the active EC precursor. The calculated ΔG1(⧧), ΔH1(⧧), and ΔS1(⧧) values are in very good agreement with the experimental ones.