New class of highly stable nonaromatic tautomers.

A new and efficient one-pot synthesis of highly stable bridged-bisphenazine-type molecules with loss of their aromaticity in the ground state in favor of a quinoid-type structure is described (either in solution or in solid-state).

Cationic nucleoside lipids derived from universal bases: A rational approach for siRNA transfection.

Cationic nucleoside lipids (CNLs) derived from 5-nitroindole and 4-nitroimidazole bases were prepared from d-ribose by using a straightforward chemical synthesis. TEM experiments indicate that these amphiphilic molecules self-assemble to form supramolecular organizations in aqueous solutions. Electrophoresis and standard ethidium bromide (EB) fluorescence displacement assay shows that CNLs are able to bind siRNA. We demonstrated that both the nature of the universal bases and the stereochemistry of the anomeric position (alpha, beta) have an impact on the CNLs-siRNA complex formation. Correlations among chemical structure, stereochemistry, siRNA knockdown effect, and binding affinities for all the compounds were shown and analyzed with a simple molecular modeling study. The best binding affinities for siRNA were found for the beta anomer of the 5-nitroindole CNL which exhibits protein knockdown activity similar to the standard siPORT NeoFX positive control. It is noteworthy that no significant cytotoxicity at the tested concentration was observed for the novel CNLs.

Acetylenic spacers in phenylene end-substituted oligothiophene core for highly air-stable organic field-effect transistors.

Two thiophene-phenylene semiconductors, bis(2-phenylethynyl) end-substituted oligothiophenes (diPhAc-nTs, n = 2, 3), were synthesized and studied with respect to their optical, electrochemical, structural and electrical properties. The optical and electrochemical properties of the oligomers in solution were investigated by UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies, and cyclic voltammetry. High vacuum evaporated thin films were investigated by optical absorption, X-ray diffraction and AFM, and implemented as p-type semiconducting layers into organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). A comparative study in solution and in the solid state with distyryl-oligothiophenes (DSnTs, n = 2, 3) reveals the great influence of acetylenic (-C[triple bond]C-) vs. olefinic (-C=C-) spacers in thiophene-phenylene derivatives on electronic structure, physical properties, and device efficiencies. Substituting olefinic for acetylenic pi-spacers in terthiophene-based conjugated semiconductors leads to one of incontrovertible attributes of OTFTs for low cost applications, a high mobility at low substrate temperature (T(sub)) i.e. typically 25 degrees C. Fine-tuning in the HOMO/LUMO levels by reducing the HOMO level introduces increased air-oxidation strength of thin films where OTFTs provide exactly the same hole mobility value after 100 days in air. All the results suggested that introduction of carbon-carbon triple bonds provided an efficient route to highly air-stable organic thin film transistors.

Mechanistic study of the collision-induced dissociation of sodium-cationized polylactide oligomers: a joint experimental and theoretical investigation.

The low-kinetic energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) behavior of different sodium-cationized polylactide (PLA) oligomers was thoroughly investigated to shed some light on the analytical potentialities of CID experiments in the context of polymer characterization. Indeed, investigation of several end-groups modified PLA reveals that, in addition to the expected end-group specific dissociations, collisionally-excited PLA.Na(+) suffer from a backbone cleavage. The so-obtained sodium-bound dimer cations consecutively undergo the loss of a monomeric residue that corresponds to neutral acrylic acid. The experimental observations, performed on a hybrid Q-ToF instrument, were totally corroborated by a theoretical study involving DFT calculations, molecular mechanics, and molecular dynamics calculations.

Single molecule probing of the local segmental relaxation dynamics in polymer above the glass transition temperature.

We investigate the temporal dynamics of terrylene diimide molecule with four phenoxy rings (TDI) in a poly(styrene) (PS) matrix in the supercooled regime by use of single molecule spectroscopy. By recording both fluorescence lifetime and linear dichroism observables simultaneously, we show that the TDI dye molecule is a versatile probe of the local dynamics in the polymer. The molecule is able to undergo conformational changes, as indicated by lifetime fluctuations and/or reorientation jumps, as indicated by both observables on different time scales. Owing to molecular mechanics and quantum calculations, we could assign the conformational changes to folding/unfolding event(s) of one or more arms with respect to the conjugated core. We tentatively attribute the different spatial extents of the locally probed motions to the alpha and beta relaxation processes occurring in the PS matrix.

Mechanism of the antioxidant action of silybin and 2,3-dehydrosilybin flavonolignans: a joint experimental and theoretical study.

Flavonolignans from silymarin, the standardized plant extract obtained from thistle, exhibit various antioxidant activities, which correlate with the other biological and therapeutic properties of that extract. To highlight the mode of action of flavonolignans as free radical scavengers and antioxidants, 10 flavonolignans, selectively methylated at different positions, were tested in vitro for their capacity to scavenge radicals (DPPH and superoxide) and to inhibit the lipid peroxidation induced on microsome membranes. The results are rationalized on the basis of (i) the oxidation potentials experimentally obtained by cyclic voltammetry and (ii) the theoretical redox properties obtained by quantum-chemical calculations (using a polarizable continuum model (PCM)-density functional theory (DFT) approach) of the ionization potentials and the O-H bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) of each OH group of the 10 compounds. We clearly establish the importance of the 3-OH and 20-OH groups as H donors, in the presence of the 2,3 double bond and the catechol moiety in the E-ring, respectively. For silybin derivatives (i.e., in the absence of the 2,3 double bond), secondary mechanisms (i.e., electron transfer (ET) mechanism and adduct formation with radicals) could become more important (or predominant) as the active sites for H atom transfer (HAT) mechanism are much less effective (high BDEs).

Theoretical investigation of the formation of a new series of antioxidant depsides from the radiolysis of flavonoid compounds.

This paper deals with the formation of a series of antioxidant depsides obtained from flavonoid solutions irradiated with gamma rays. These reactions take place in radiolyzed alcohol solutions, a medium that is very rich in many different highly reactive species and that hosts specific reactions. We focus on the first step of those reactions, i.e., reactivity of the solute (flavonoid) with the alkoxy radicals CH(3)O(*) and CH(3)CH(2)O(*) formed in methanol and ethanol, respectively, and their carbon-centered isomers: the 1-hydroxy-methyl ((*)CH(2)OH) and the 1-hydroxy-ethyl (CH(3)(*)CHOH) radicals. Among the different flavonoid groups of molecules, only flavonols are transformed. To establish the structure-reactivity relationship that explains why the radiolytic transformation occurs only for those compounds, the process is rationalized theoretically, with Density Functional Theory calculations, taking into account the solvent effects by a Polarizable Continuum Model and a microhydrated environment (one or two water molecules surrounding the active center). The first redox reaction, occurring between the flavonol and the reactive species formed upon irradiation of the solvent, is studied in terms of (1) the O-H bond dissociation enthalpy of each OH group of the flavonoids and (2) electron abstraction from the molecule. We conclude that the reaction, initiated preferentially by the alkoxy radicals, first occurs at the 3-OH group of the flavonol. It is then followed by the formation of a peroxyl radical (after molecular oxygen or superoxide addition). The different cascades of reactions, which lead to the formation of depsides via C-ring opening, are discussed on the basis of the corresponding calculated energetic schemes.

Density functional theory study of the conformational, electronic, and antioxidant properties of natural chalcones.

Chalcones are natural compounds that are largely distributed in plants, fruits, and vegetables. They belong to the flavonoid group of molecules, and some of them exhibit numerous biological activities. The results of quantum chemical calculations (based on density functional theory, using the B3P86 exchange-correlation potential) are reported for 11 chalcones, in the gas phase and in the presence of an implicit solvent (using the conductor-like polarizable continuum model, C-PCM). These results are discussed in regard to the capacity of these chalcones to scavenge the 2,2-diphenyl-1-pycril-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical. The O-H bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE) parameter, which is calculated for each OH group, seems to be the best indicator of the anti-radical property of these compounds. This demonstrates the importance of the H atom transfer mechanism to explain their capacity to scavenge the free radicals. The active sites are identified as the 6'-OH group and the 3,4-dihydroxy-catechol. The alpha,beta-double bond is influential in determining the activity.

Influence of intermolecular orientation on the photoinduced charge transfer kinetics in self-assembled aggregates of donor-acceptor arrays.

The kinetics of photoinduced charge transfer reactions in covalently linked donor-acceptor molecules often undergoes dramatic changes when these molecules self-assemble from a molecular dissolved state into a nanoaggregate. Frequently, the origin of these changes is only partially understood. In this paper, we describe the intermolecular spatial organization of three homologous arrays, consisting of a central perylene bisimide (PERY) acceptor moiety and two oligo(p-phenylene vinylene) (OPV) donor units, in nanoaggregates and identify both face-to-face (H-type) and slipped (J-type) stacking of the OPV and PERY chromophores. For the J-type aggregates, short intermolecular OPV-PERY distances are created that give rise to a charge-transfer absorption band. The proximity of the donor and acceptor groups in the J-type aggregates enables a highly efficient photoinduced charge separation with a rate (k(cs) > 10(12) s(-1)) that significantly exceeds the rate of the intramolecular charge transfer of the same compounds when molecularly dissolved, even in the most polar media. In the H-type aggregates, on the other hand, the intermolecular OPV-PERY distance is not reduced compared to the intramolecular separation, and hence, the rates of the electron transfer reactions are not significantly affected compared to the molecular dissolved state. Similar to the forward electron transfer, the kinetics of the charge recombination in the aggregated state can be understood by considering the different interchromophoric distances that occur in the H- and J-type aggregates. These results provide the first consistent rationalization of the remarkable differences that are observed for photoinduced charge-transfer reactions of donor-acceptor compounds in molecularly dissolved versus aggregated states.

Single molecule spectroscopy as a probe for dye-polymer interactions.

Experimental (Single Molecule Spectroscopy) and theoretical (quantum-chemical calculations and Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations) techniques are combined to investigate the behavior and dynamics of a polymer-dye molecule system. It is shown that the dye molecule of interest (1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindo-dicarbocyanine) adopts two classes of conformations, namely planar and nonplanar ones, when embedded in a poly(styrene) matrix. From an in-depth analysis of the fluorescence lifetime trajectories, the planar conformers can be further classified according to the way their alkyl side chains interact with the surrounding poly(styrene) chains.

Phosphorescence and triplet state energies of oligothiophenes.

The phosphorescence spectra of a series of small oligothiophenes (nT, n = 1-3) incorporating a variety of substituents, end cappers, and functional groups have been recorded for the first time using gated detection in combination with nanosecond excitation in frozen solution at 80 K. The vibrationally resolved emission spectra provide accurate estimates of the T(1) and S(1) levels, and the singlet-triplet energy gap. Theoretical quantum chemical calculations performed at the DFT (B3LYP/6-31G*) level reproduce all experimental trends accurately and provide quantitative description of the S(0)-T(1) energy difference. The geometry relaxation in the excited state shows that the "natural" size of the triplet exciton is about 3-4 thiophene units.

Variational treatment of the vibrational Hamiltonian for NH(3) and H(2)NO.

The full vibrational Hamiltonian for the inversion of NH(3) and H(2)NO has been diagonalized in a basis set that is the direct product of functions of the inversion coordinate and of harmonic vibrational functions independent of this inversion coordinate. The kinetic part of the Hamiltonian matrix is constructed with the use of the closure relation for these vibrational functions. The method is tested with the potential function which is supposed to be harmonic for the vibrations orthogonal to the inversion coordinate: the first computed levels are in good agreement with experimental levels for NH(3). For higher levels, anharmonic terms should be included.