Use of Sacrificial Nanoparticles to Remove the Effects of Shot-noise in Contact Holes Fabricated by E-beam Lithography.

Nano-patterns fabricated with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) or electron-beam (E-beam) lithography exhibit unexpected variations in size. This variation has been attributed to statistical fluctuations in the number of photons/electrons arriving at a given nano-region arising from shot-noise (SN). The SN varies inversely to the square root of a number of photons/electrons. For a fixed dosage, the SN is larger in EUV and E-beam lithographies than for traditional (193 nm) optical lithography. Bottom-up and top-down patterning approaches are combined to minimize the effects of shot noise in nano-hole patterning. Specifically, an amino-silane surfactant self-assembles on a silicon wafer that is subsequently spin-coated with a 100 nm film of a PMMA-based E-beam photoresist. Exposure to the E-beam and the subsequent development uncover the underlying surfactant film at the bottoms of the holes. Dipping the wafer in a suspension of negatively charged, citrate-capped, 20 nm gold nanoparticles (GNP) deposits one particle per hole. The exposed positively charged surfactant film in the hole electrostatically funnels the negatively charged nanoparticle to the center of an exposed hole, which permanently fixes the positional registry. Next, by heating near the glass transition temperature of the photoresist polymer, the photoresist film reflows and engulfs the nanoparticles. This process erases the holes affected by SN but leaves the deposited GNPs locked in place by strong electrostatic binding. Treatment with oxygen plasma exposes the GNPs by etching a thin layer of the photoresist. Wet-etching the exposed GNPs with a solution of I2/KI yields uniform holes located at the center of indentations patterned by E-beam lithography. The experiments presented show that the approach reduces the variation in the size of the holes caused by SN from 35% to below 10%. The method extends the patterning limits of transistor contact holes to below 20 nm.

Pyridoxylamine reactivity kinetics as an amine based nucleophile for screening electrophilic dermal sensitizers.

Chemical allergens bind directly, or after metabolic or abiotic activation, to endogenous proteins to become allergenic. Assessment of this initial binding has been suggested as a target for development of assays to screen chemicals for their allergenic potential. Recently we reported a nitrobenzenethiol (NBT) based method for screening thiol reactive skin sensitizers, however, amine selective sensitizers are not detected by this assay. In the present study we describe an amine (pyridoxylamine (PDA)) based kinetic assay to complement the NBT assay for identification of amine-selective and non-selective skin sensitizers. UV-Vis spectrophotometry and fluorescence were used to measure PDA reactivity for 57 chemicals including anhydrides, aldehydes, and quinones where reaction rates ranged from 116 to 6.2 × 10(-6) M(-1) s(-1) for extreme to weak sensitizers, respectively. No reactivity towards PDA was observed with the thiol-selective sensitizers, non-sensitizers and prohaptens. The PDA rate constants correlated significantly with their respective murine local lymph node assay (LLNA) threshold EC3 values (R(2) = 0.76). The use of PDA serves as a simple, inexpensive amine based method that shows promise as a preliminary screening tool for electrophilic, amine-selective skin sensitizers.

Kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation of N-acetyl homocysteine thiolactone with aqueous iodine and iodate.

The kinetics of N-acetyl homocysteine thiolactone (NAHT) oxidation by aqueous iodine and iodate were studied by spectrophotometric techniques. The iodate-NAHT reaction is slow and results in the formation of N-acetyl homocysteine thiolactone sulfoxide as the sole product (NAHTSO). The stoichiometry of the reaction was deduced as: IO3(-) + 3NAHT → I(-) + 3NAHTSO (S1). In excess iodate conditions, the iodide produced in S1 is oxidized to give iodine: IO3(-) + 5I(-) + 6H(+) → 3I2 + 3H2O (S2). Thus in excess iodate conditions the overall stoichiometry of the reaction is a linear combination of S1 and S2 that eliminates iodide, 5S1 + S2: 2IO3(-)+ 5NAHT+ 2H(+) → I2 + 5NAHTSO + H2O. There was a 1:1 stoichiometry for the NAHT - I2 reaction: NAHT+ I2 + H2O → NAHTSO +2I(-) + 2H(+) (S3). All reactions, S1, S2 and S3 occur simultaneously and since they are all comparable in rate; complex dynamics were observed. Iodide catalyzes S1 and S2 but inhibits S3. Iodide is a product of both S1 and S3. It has the most profound effect on the overall global dynamics observed. The overall reaction scheme which involved S1, S2 and S3 was modeled by a simple 12-reaction mechanistic scheme which gave a very good fit to experimental data.

Oxyhalogen-sulfur chemistry: kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of N-acetyl homocysteine thiolactone by acidified bromate and aqueous bromine.

N-acetyl homocysteine thiolactone (NAHT), medically known as citiolone, can be used as a mucolytic agent and for the treatment of certain hepatic disorders. We have studied the kinetics and mechanisms of its oxidation by acidic bromate and aqueous bromine. In acidic bromate conditions the reaction is characterized by a very short induction period followed by a sudden and rapid formation of bromine and N-acetyl homocysteine sulfonic acid. The stoichiometry of the bromate-NAHT reaction was deduced to be: BrO3(-) + H2O + CH3CONHCHCH2CH2SCO → CH3CONHCHCH2CH2(SO3H)COOH + Br(-) (S1) while in excess bromate it was deduced to be: 6BrO3(-) + 5CH3CONHCHCH2CH2SCO + 6H(+) → 3Br2 + 5CH3CONHCHCH2CH2(SO3H)COOH + 2H2O (S2). For the reaction of NAHT with bromine, a 3:1 stoichiometric ratio of bromine to NAHT was obtained: 3Br2 + CH3CONHCHCH2CH2SCO + 4H2O → 6Br(-) + CH3CONHCHCH2CH2(SO3H)COOH + 6H(+) (S3). Oxidation occurred only on the sulfur center where it was oxidized to the sulfonic acid. No sulfate formation was observed. The mechanism involved an initial oxidation to a relatively stable sulfoxide without ring-opening. Further oxidation of the sulfoxide involved two pathways: one which involved intermediate formation of an unstable sulfone and the other involves ring-opening coupled with oxidation through to the sulfonic acid. There was oligooscillatory production of aqueous bromine. Bromide produced in S1 reacts with excess bromate to produce aqueous bromine. The special stability associated with the sulfoxide allowed it to coexist with aqueous bromine since its further oxidation to the sulfone was not as facile. The direct reaction of aqueous bromine with NAHT was fast with an estimated lower limit bimolecular rate constant of 2.94 ± 0.03 × 10(2) M(-1) s(-1).

Detailed mechanistic investigation into the S-nitrosation of cysteamine.

The nitrosation of cysteamine (H2NCH2CH2SH) to produce cysteamine-S-nitrosothiol (CANO) was studied in slightly acidic medium by using nitrous acid prepared in situ. The stoichiometry of the reaction was H2NCH2CH2SH + HNO2 → H2NCH2CH2SNO + H2O. On prolonged standing, the nitrosothiol decomposed quantitatively to yield the disulfide, cystamine: 2H2NCH2CH2SNO → H2NCH2CH2S-SCH2CH2NH2 + 2NO. NO2 and N2O3 are not the primary nitrosating agents, since their precursor (NO) was not detected during the nitrosation process. The reaction is first order in nitrous acid, thus implicating it as the major nitrosating agent in mildly acidic pH conditions. Acid catalyzes nitrosation after nitrous acid has saturated, implicating the protonated nitrous acid species, the nitrosonium cation (NO+) as a contributing nitrosating species in highly acidic environments. The acid catalysis at constant nitrous acid concentrations suggests that the nitrosonium cation nitrosates at a much higher rate than nitrous acid. Bimolecular rate constants for the nitrosation of cysteamine by nitrous acid and by the nitrosonium cation were deduced to be 17.9 ± 1.5 (mol/L)-1 s-1 and 6.7 × 104 (mol/L)-1 s-1, respectively. Both Cu(I) and Cu(II) ions were effective catalysts for the formation and decomposition of the cysteamine nitrosothiol. Cu(II) ions could catalyze the nitrosation of cysteamine in neutral conditions, whereas Cu(I) could only catalyze in acidic conditions. Transnitrosation kinetics of CANO with glutathione showed the formation of cystamine and the mixed disulfide with no formation of oxidized glutathione (GSSG). The nitrosation reaction was satisfactorily simulated by a simple reaction scheme involving eight reactions.

Modulation of homocysteine toxicity by S-nitrosothiol formation: a mechanistic approach.

The metabolic conversion of homocysteine (HCYSH) to homocysteine thiolactone (HTL) has been reported as the major cause of HCYSH pathogenesis. It was hypothesized that inhibition of the thiol group of HCYSH by S-nitrosation will prevent its metabolic conversion to HTL. The kinetics, reaction dynamics, and mechanism of reaction of HCYSH and nitrous acid to produce S-nitrosohomocysteine (HCYSNO) was studied in mildly to highly acidic pHs. Transnitrosation of this non-protein-forming amino acid by S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) was also studied at physiological pH 7.4 in phosphate buffer. In both cases, HCYSNO formed quantitatively. Copper ions were found to play dual roles, catalyzing the rate of formation of HCYSNO as well as its rate of decomposition. In the presence of a transition-metal ions chelator, HCYSNO was very stable with a half-life of 198 h at pH 7.4. Nitrosation by nitrous acid occurred via the formation of more powerful nitrosating agents, nitrosonium cation (NO(+)) and dinitrogen trioxide (N(2)O(3)). In highly acidic environments, NO(+) was found to be the most effective nitrosating agent with a first-order dependence on nitrous acid. N(2)O(3) was the most relevant nitrosating agent in a mildly acidic environment with a second-order dependence on nitrous acid. The bimolecular rate constants for the direct reactions of HCYSH and nitrous acid, N(2)O(3), and NO(+) were 9.0 x 10(-2), 9.50 x 10(3), and 6.57 x 10(10) M(-1) s(-1), respectively. These rate constant values agreed with the electrophilic order of these nitrosating agents: HNO(2) < N(2)O(3) < NO(+). Transnitrosation of HCYSH by GSNO produced HCYSNO and other products including glutathione (reduced and oxidized) and homocysteine-glutathione mixed disulfide. A computer modeling involving eight reactions gave a good fit to the observed formation kinetics of HCYSNO. This study has shown that it is possible to modulate homocysteine toxicity by preventing its conversion to a more toxic HTL by S-nitrosation.

Rapid and simple kinetics screening assay for electrophilic dermal sensitizers using nitrobenzenethiol.

The need for alternatives to animal-based skin sensitization testing has spurred research on the use of in vitro, in silico, and in chemico methods. Glutathione and other select peptides have been used to determine the reactivity of electrophilic allergens to nucleophiles, but these methods are inadequate to accurately measure rapid kinetics observed with many chemical sensitizers. A kinetic spectrophotometric assay involving the reactivity of electrophilic sensitizers to nitrobenzenethiol was evaluated. Stopped-flow techniques and conventional UV spectrophotometric measurements enabled the determination of reaction rates with half-lives ranging from 0.4 ms (benzoquinone) to 46.2 s (ethyl acrylate). Rate constants were measured for seven extreme, five strong, seven moderate, and four weak/nonsensitizers. Seventeen out of the 23 tested chemicals were pseudo-first order, and three were second order. In three out of the 23 chemicals, deviations from first and second order were apparent where the chemicals exhibited complex kinetics whose rates are mixed order. The reaction rates of the electrophiles correlated positively with their EC3 values within the same mechanistic domain. Nonsensitizers such as benzaldehyde, sodium lauryl sulfate, and benzocaine did not react with nitrobenzenethiol. Cyclic anhydrides, select diones, and aromatic aldehydes proved to be false negatives in this assay. The findings from this simple and rapid absorbance model show that for the same mechanistic domain, skin sensitization is driven mainly by electrophilic reactivity. This simple, rapid, and inexpensive absorbance-based method has great potential for use as a preliminary screening tool for skin allergens.