David S. Jordan

Specific and Nonspecific Metal Ion—Nucleotide Interactions at Aqueous/Solid Interfaces Functionalized with Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine Oligomers

This article reports nonlinear optical measurements that quantify, for the first time directly and without labels, how many Mg(2+) cations are bound to DNA 21-mers covalently linked to fused silica/water interfaces maintained at pH 7 and 10 mM NaCl, and what the thermodynamics are of these interactions. The overall interaction of Mg(2+) with adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine is found to involve -10.0 ± 0.3, -11.2 ± 0.3, -14.0 ± 0.4, and -14.9 ± 0.4 kJ/mol, and nonspecific interactions with the phosphate and sugar backbone are found to contribute -21.0 ± 0.6 kJ/mol for each Mg(2+) ion bound. The specific and nonspecific contributions to the interaction energy of Mg(2+) with oligonucleotide single strands is found to be additive, which suggests that within the uncertainty of these surface-specific experiments, the Mg(2+) ions are evenly distributed over the oligomers and not isolated to the most strongly binding nucleobase. The nucleobases adenine and thymine are found to bind only three Mg(2+) ions per 21-mer oligonucleotide, while the bases cytosine and guanine are found to bind eleven Mg(2+) ions per 21-mer oligonucleotide.

Interactions of Al(III), La(III), Gd(III), and Lu(III) with the Fused Silica/Water Interface Studied by Second Harmonic Generation

The interactions of the trivalent metal cations Al(III), La(III), Gd(III), and Lu(III) with the silica/water interface were studied using the nonlinear optical technique of second harmonic generation (SHG). Specifically, the Eisenthal chi(3) technique was used to quantify the thermodynamics of trivalent ion adsorption to the bare fused silica surface. SHG adsorption isotherms were measured and fit with the triple layer surface complexation model to obtain adsorption free energies, binding constants, and interfacial charge densities. The adsorption free energy for Al(III) was found to be -37.2(5) kJ/mol, while the adsorption free energies for the three trivalent lanthanide cations ranged from -29.9(9) to -32.2(7) kJ/mol. Despite identical ionic charges, the metals under investigation displayed different affinities for the fused silica/water interface, and this finding is analyzed and interpreted in the context of size-dependent metal cation properties and metal ion speciation. The thermodynamic results from this work are valuable benchmarks for computer simulations of trivalent metal transport in the environment.

Uranyl adsorption at the muscovite (mica)/water interface studied by second harmonic generation

Uranyl adsorption at the muscovite (mica)/water interface was studied by second harmonic generation (SHG). Using the nonresonant χ(3) technique and the Gouy-Chapman model, the initial surface charge density of the mica surface was determined to be -0.022(1) C/m(2) at pH 6 and in the presence of dissolved carbonate. Under these same conditions, uranyl adsorption isotherms collected using nonresonant χ(3) experiments and resonantly enhanced SHG experiments that probe the ligand-to-metal charge transfer bands of the uranyl cation yielded a uranyl binding constant of 3(1) × 10(7) M(-1), corresponding to a Gibbs free energy of adsorption of -52.6(8) kJ/mol, and a maximum surface charge density at monolayer uranyl coverage of 0.028(3) C/m(2). These results suggest favorable adsorption of uranyl ions to the mica interface through strong ion-dipole or hydrogen interactions, with a 1:1 uranyl ion to surface site ratio that is indicative of monovalent cations ((UO(2))(3)(OH)(5)(+), (UO(2))(4)(OH)(7)(+), UO(2)OH(+), UO(2)Cl(+), UO(2)(CH(3)COO(-))(+)) binding at the interface, in addition to neutral uranyl species (UO(2)(OH)(2) and UO(2)CO(3)). This work provides benchmark measurements to be used in the improvement of contaminant transport modeling.

Exponential Sensitivity and Speciation of Al(III), Sc(III), Y(III), La(III), and Gd(III) at Fused Silica/Water Interfaces

The binding contants, adsorption free energies, absolute adsorbate number densities, and interfacial charge densities of Al(III), Sc(III), Y(III), La(III), and Gd(III) interacting with fused silica/water interfaces held at pH 4 were determined using second harmonic generation and the Eisenthal χ((3)) technique. By examining the relationship between the measured adsorption free energies and the electric double layer interfacial potential at multiple electrolyte concentrations, we elucidate the charge state and possible binding pathways for each ion at the fused silica surface. Al(III) and Sc(III) ions are found to bind to the fused silica surface as fully hydrated trivalent species in a bidentate geometry. In contrast, the Y(III), La(III), and Gd(III) ions are each shown to adsorb to the silica surface in a decreased charge state, but the extent and mode of binding varies with each ion. By quantifying the exponential sensitivity of the surface coverage of the adsorbed ions to their charge state directly at the fused silica/water interface, we provide benchmarks for theory calculations describing the interactions of metal ions with oxide interfaces in geochemistry and hope to improve the prediction of trivalent metal ion transport through groundwater environments.

Divalent metal cation speciation and binding to surface-bound oligonucleotide single strands studied by second harmonic generation.

The binding of Sr(II), Ca(II), Mg(II), Ba(II), Mn(II), Zn(II), and Cd(II) to silica/water interfaces functionalized with A(15)T(6) oligonucleotides was quantified at pH 7 and 10 mM NaCl using the Eisenthal χ((3)) technique. The binding free energies range from -31.1(6) kJ/mol for Ba(II) to -33.8(4) kJ/mol for Ca(II). The ion densities were found to range from 2(1) ions/strand for Zn(II) to 11(1) ions/strand for Cd(II). Additionally, we quantified Mg(II) binding in the presence of varying background electrolyte concentrations which showed that the binding free energies changed in a linear fashion from -39.3(8) to -27(1) kJ/mol over the electrolyte concentration range of 1-80 mM, respectively. An adsorption free energy versus interfacial potential analysis allowed us to elucidate the speciation of the bound Mg(II) ions and to identify three possible binding pathways. Our findings suggest that Mg(II) binds as a fully hydrated divalent cation, most likely displacing DNA-bound Na ions. These measurements will serve as a benchmark for computer simulations of divalent metal cation/DNA interactions for geochemical and biosensing applications.

13 C nuclear magnetic resonance studies of some fluorinated and trifluoromethylated aromatic compounds. Studies on 13C–19F coupling constants

Carbon-13 n.m.r. spectra of a wide variety of carbocyclic and heterocyclic fluoro-, difluoro-, trifluoromethyl-, and fluoro-trifluoromethyl-substituted aromatic compounds have been examined and assigned. Substituent effects on the 13C chemical shifts and one-bond and long range 13C–19F scalar coupling constants have been extracted. Experimental coupling constant data are compared with representative calculated results using INDO semi-empirical molecular orbital theory. The poorest agreement is for geminal and long range 13C–19F coupling, which can only be partially attributable to the neglect of orbital and spin dipolar mechanisms. By means of a valence-bond bond-order formulation for coupling constants, an expression is derived for the relationship between 13C–19F and 1H–19F coupling constants. The previously used proportionality is shown to be an over-simplification. Systematic trends of the great variety of experimental 13C–19F coupling constant data with structural and electronic factors are discussed qualitatively. The substituent effect of the trifluoromethyl group on the 13C chemical shifts in benzene and naphthalene is discussed and it is proposed that field effects are important in explaining the chemical shift trends.