Luís G. Dias

Modulation of methylene blue photochemical properties based on adsorption at aqueous micelle interfaces

Methylene Blue (MB+) is a sensitizer that has been used for a variety of applications including energy conversion and photodynamic therapy (PDT). Although its photochemical properties in isotropic solution are well established, its effect in vivo and in restricted reaction environments is somewhat erratic. In order to understand its photochemical behavior when it interacts with biomolecules, in particular with membranes, MB+ properties were studied in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) solutions. Because of an electrostatic attraction, SDS and MB+ form complexes, changing the properties of both the micelles and the MB+ solutions. Surface tension measurements show that the c.m.c. of SDS decreases from ∼7 mM to ∼70 μM when the MB+ concentration increases from 0 to 45 μM. Above the c.m.c., binding of nMB+ in the micelle pseudo-phase causes the formation of aggregates (mostly dimers) as attested by the increase in the absorption at 580 nm and the decrease in fluorescence emission. The extent of dimer formation is dependent on the relative concentrations of MB+ and SDS. In the presence of excess of SDS, MB+ is mainly in the monomer form and at low SDS concentration dimers are favored. Such effect, which was not observed in CTAB micelles, was modeled qualitatively by considering that MB+ molecules partition to the micelle pseudo-phase which favors or disfavors dimers as a function of its volume. MB+ transient species were characterized by laser flash photolysis and NIR emission showing the presence of triplets and subsequently singlet oxygen at high SDS concentration and semi-reduced and semi-oxidized MB+ radicals at low SDS concentration. Therefore it was shown that, depending on the nground state MB+ monomer/dimer equilibrium, induced by the micelles, the photochemical properties of MB+ can be shifted from a Type II (energy transfer to oxygen forming singlet oxygen) to a Type I mechanism (electron transfer forming the semi-reduced and the semi-oxidized radicals of MB+).

A Mixed Culture of Endophytic Fungi Increases Production of Antifungal Polyketides

Secondary metabolites produced by endophytic microorganisms can provide benefits to host plants, such as stimulating growth and enhancing the plant’s resistance toward biotic and abiotic factors. During its life, a host plant may be inhabited by many species of endophytes within a restrictive environment. This condition can stimulate secondary metabolite production that improves microbial competition and may consequently affect both the neighboring microorganisms and the host plant. The interactions between the endophytes that co-habit the same host plant have been studied. However, the effect of these interactions on the host plant has remained neglected. When using mixed microbial cultures, we found that the endophytic fungus Alternaria tenuissima significantly increased the production of some polyketides, including antifungal stemphyperylenol in response to the endophytic Nigrospora sphaerica. Biological activity assays revealed that stemphyperylenol can cause cytotoxic effects against N. sphaerica, although no phytotoxicity was observed in the host plant Smallanthus sonchifolius, even at concentrations much higher than those toxic to the fungus. The polyketides produced by A. tenuissima may be important for the ecological relationships between endophyte-endophyte and endophytes-host plants in the natural environment.

A computational study of substituted flavylium salts and their quinonoidal conjugate-bases: S0 -> S1 electronic transition, absolute pKa and reduction potential calculations by DFT and semiempirical methods

The electronic transitions for flavylium cations and quinonoidal bases of 17 substituted flavylium salts have been studied at semiempirical and DFT (density functional theory) levels. Solvent effect on electronic spectra was included by Polarizable Continuum Model, PCM. We assigned longest-wavelength absorption maxima to HOMO ® LUMO transition. Both levels of theory gave good results for electronic transitions of flavylium cations whereas only TDDFT-PCM calculations could be used for electronic transitions of their quinonoidal bases. We also performed absolute pKa calculations of nine flavylium salts at DFT level. The pKa calculated values by our PCM parameterization gave excellent results with mean absolute deviation less than a half of one pKa unit. One-electron reduction potentials were carried out for 5 flavylium cations at DFT level. The theoretical results found were in good agreement with experimental values after adjustment for a systematic deviation.

Parameterization of the electronegativity equalization method based on the charge model 1

Fast calculation of charge distributions in molecules is feasible in the electronegativity equalization method, EEM. Atomic electronegativities and hardnesses, fundamental parameters in EEM, were obtained here by using CM1 atomic charges at semiempirical PM3 level as targets. A new optimization approach composed of Genetic and Simplex algorithms is also described. The correlation between EEM and CM1 charges improved considerably (correlation coefficient improved from 0.931 to 0.977, standard deviation from 0.079 to 0.032 and Fishers F from 31u2006627 to 102u2006977, for 4093 data points) in comparison to previous EEM parameters (L. G. Dias et al., Chem. Phys., 2002, 282, 237, ref. 23). Atomic parameters obtained here are discussed and compared to other EEM schemes and to parameters derived from empirical approaches.

Single-beam interface thermal lensing.

A single-beam photothermal-lensing technique to study interfaces is presented. By analysis of the reflection from a quartz-solution interface with a low-power laser in a single-beam configuration, a photothermal signal is detected. The data were fitted with a conventional thermal lens model, and the results show that the optical element formed at the interface resembles an inverted thermal lens.

Self-Assembled Films from Chitosan and Poly(Vinyl Sulfonic Acid) on Nafion ® for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

Chitosan/poly(vinyl sulfonic acid) (PVS) films have been prepared on Nafion® membranes by the layer-by-layer (LbL) method for use in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). Computational methods and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra suggest that an ionic pair is formed between the sulfonic group of PVS and the protonated amine group of chitosan, thereby promoting the growth of LbL films on the Nafion® membrane as well as partial blocking of methanol. Chronopotentiometry and potential linear scanning experiments have been carried out for investigation of methanol crossover through the Nafion® and chitosan/PVS/Nafion® membranes in a diaphragm diffusion cell. On the basis of electrical impedance measurements, the values of proton resistance of the Nafion® and chitosan/PVS/Nafion® membranes are close due to the small thickness of the LbL film. Thus, it is expected an improved DMFC performance once the additional resistance of the self-assembled film is negligible compared to the result associated with the decrease in the crossover effect.

Aggregation of photosensitizers: the role of dispersion and solvation on dimer formation energetics

AbstractA detailed account for the dimer formation energetics is computed for two commonly used photosensitizers: metal-free phthalocyanine (Pc) and methylene blue (MB), a cationic phenothiazine. Gas-phase calculations were performed using the density functional theory augmented with dispersion corrections using both the dispersion-correcting atom-centred potentials and the D2/D3 methods. SCS-MP2/CBS results were also provided for comparison. Hydration free energies were determined using continuum methodologies: namely the conductor-like polarizable continuum model, the solvation model density and a reparametrized version of the polarizable continuum model. For methylene blue, the Langevin dipole model was also used. Our results showed that the nature of aggregation is remarkably different for these two molecules, being dispersion driven for Pc while solvent driven for MB. For water and ethanol our results are in good agreement with the experimental data available for MB. We also provide quantitative estimates to the popular explanation put out by Mukerjee and Ghosh more than 40xa0years ago that aggregation arises from solvent entropic and inter-species enthalpic contributions.n

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the Initial-State Predict Product Distributions of Dediazoniation of Aryldiazonium in Binary Solvents

The dediazoniation of aryldiazonium salts in mixed solvents proceeds by a borderline SN1 and SN2 pathway, and product distribution should be proportional to the composition of the solvation shell of the carbon attached to the -N2 group (ipso carbon). The rates of dediazoniation of 2,4,6-trimethylbenzenediazonium in water, methanol, ethanol, propanol, and acetonitrile were similar, but measured product distributions were noticeably dependent on the nature of the water/cosolvent mixture. Here we demonstrated that solvent distribution in the first solvation shell of the ipso carbon, calculated from classical molecular dynamics simulations, is equal to the measured product distribution. Furthermore, we showed that regardless of the charge distribution of the initial state, i.e., whether the positive charge is smeared over the molecule or localized on phenyl moiety, the solvent distribution around the reaction center is nearly the same.

Hydrolysis of 1,8- and 2,3-naphthalic anhydrides and the mechanism of cyclization of 1,8-naphthalic acid in aqueous solutions

Naphthalene-1,8-dicarboxylic acid, 1,8-Acid, cyclizes spontaneously in acidic aqueous solution to naphthalene-1,8-dicarboxylic anhydride, 1,8-An, and here we present an ab initio study of the reaction pathway. The effect of pH on the hydrolysis of 1,8-An was analysed and compared with the hydrolysis of naphthalene-2, 3-dicarboxylic anhydride, 2,3-An, to naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxylic acid, 2,3-Acid. The values of the pKas of 1,8-Acid and 2,3-Acid were ca. 3.5 and 3.0, for monoanion formation, pKa1, and 5.5 and 5.0 for dianion formation, pKa2, respectively. Fluorimetric titration demonstrated that the diprotonated 2,3-Acid, AH2, was further protonated to yield AH3+. The pH–rate constant profile for 2,3-An hydrolysis showed a water reaction between pHs 1.0 and 6.0 and a base catalysed hydrolysis above pH 7.0. Under no condition was 2,3-An nformed from 2,3-Acid. The pH dependent decomposition kinetics of 1,8-An is complex and, below pH 6.0, the pH–rate constant profile was fitted by assuming that both AH2 and AH3+ are in equilibrium with 1,8-An. The values of the equilibrium constants for 1,8-An formation from AH2 and AH3+ were ca. 4 and 100 in dilute and concentrated acid, respectively. Ab initio calculations for a possible reaction pathway connecting the undissociated 1,8-Acid to 1,8-An show a transition state where an intramolecular proton transfer is concerted with oxygen alignment towards the carbonyl centre. The planar intermediate is then dehydrated yielding a complex between water and 1,8-An.

A simple method for the fast calculation of charge redistribution of solutes in an implicit solvent model

Abstract We propose and demonstrate the usefulness of a method, defined as generalized Born electronegativity equalization method (GBEEM) to estimate solvent-induced charge redistribution. The charges obtained by GBEEM, in a representative series of small organic molecules, were compared to PM3-CM1 charges in vacuum and in water. Linear regressions with appropriate correlation coefficients and standard deviations between GBEEM and PM3-CM1 methods were obtained ( R =0.94,SD=0.15, F test =234, N =32, in vacuum; R =0.94,SD=0.16, F test =218, N =29, in water). In order to test the GBEEM response when intermolecular interactions are involved we calculated a water dimer in dielectric water using both GBEEM and PM3-CM1 and the results were similar. Hence, the method developed here is comparable to established calculation methods.