Robert J. Faragher

In Situ PM-IRRAS Studies of an Archaea Analogue Thiolipid Assembled on a Au(111) Electrode Surface

Polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) has been applied to determine the conformation, orientation, and hydration of a monolayer of 2,3-di-O-phytanyl-sn-glycerol-1-tetraethylene glycol-dl-alpha-lipoic acid ester (DPTL) self-assembled at a gold electrode surface. This Archaea analogue thiolipid has been recently employed to build tethered lipid bilayers. By synthesizing DPT(d16)L, a DPTL molecule with a deuterium substituted tetraethylene glycol spacer, it was possible to differentiate the C-H stretch vibrations of the phytanyl chains from the tetraethylene glycol spacer and acquire the characteristic IR spectra for the chains, spacer, and lipoic acid headgroup separately. Our results show that the structure of the monolayer displays remarkable stability in a broad range of electrode potentials and that the phytanyl chains remain in a liquid crystalline state. The tetraethylene glycol chains are coiled, and the IR spectrum for this region shows that it is in the disordered state. The most significant result of this study is the information that in contrast to expectations the spacer region is poorly hydrated. Our results have implications for the design of a tethered lipid membrane based on this thiolipid.

New Deuterated Oligo(ethylene glycol) Building Blocks and Their Use in the Preparation of Surface Active Lipids Possessing Labeled Hydrophilic Tethers

For the introduction of additional analysis protocols of tethered molecules, a method is presented to prepare functionalized, deuterated oligo(ethylene glycols) from ethylene glycol-d4. Partial oligomerization of ethylene glycol-d4 and conversion to ditosylates is accompanied by coupling reactions to prepare doubly benzyl protected oligo(ethylene glycols) with two to five repeating units. The tetramer bearing 16 deuteria was elaborated at both ends to eventually prepare 2,3-di-O-phytanyl-sn-glycerol-1-tetraethylene glycol-d,l-alpha-lipoic acid ester (DPTL), which bears a fully deuterated tetra(ethylene glycol) spacer group. Through linking of functionalized components, an analogue of DPTL possessing an octa(ethylene glycol) spacer group was prepared, both in deuterated and unlabeled form.

Neutron reflectivity studies of field driven transformations in a monolayer of 4-pentadecyl pyridine at Au electrode surfaces

Neutron reflectometry (NR) has been employed to study the structure and composition of thin films formed by 4-pentadecylpyridine (C15-4Py) at a gold electrode surface. The thickness and the water content of films of C15-4Py have been measured as a function of the potential applied to the electrode. At positive potentials, where condensed film is formed, the monolayer contains defects that are filled with water. At very negative potentials, the film is desorbed from the electrode surface. NR has demonstrated that, at these potentials, the amphiphilic molecules remain in close proximity to the gold surface as a thicker and water rich film. # 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of the hydrophilic spacer length on the functionality of a mercury-supported tethered bilayer lipid membrane.

A biomimetic membrane consisting of a thiolipid monolayer tethered to a mercury electrode, with a dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) monolayer on top of it, was fabricated. The thiolipid, referred to as DPOL, consisted of an octaethyleneoxy (OEO) chain terminated at one end with a lipoic acid residue and covalently linked at the other end to two phytanyl chains. The functionality of this biomimetic membrane, referred to as a tethered bilayer lipid membrane (tBLM), was tested by incorporating gramicidin and alamethicin and verifying their ion channel activity. Advantages and drawbacks with respect to a tBLM using a thiolipid, referred to as DPTL, with a tetraethyleneoxy (TEO) chain were examined by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potential-step chronocoulometry and cyclic voltammetry. The maximum charge surface density of potassium ions stored in the OEO spacer amounts to 70μCcm(-2), as compared to a charge surface density of 45μCcm(-2) in the TEO spacer. The lipid bilayer moiety of the DPOL/DOPC tBLM is somewhat leakier than that of the DPTL/DOPC tBLM at potentials negative of about -0.65V vs. the saturated calomel electrode. The estimated value of the surface dipole potential of the OEO spacer amounts to -0.180V and is, therefore, smaller than that, -0.230V, of the TEO spacer.

Determination of the Z 1H NMR chemical shift substituent parameters for the sulfinyl chloride and sulfinate ester functionalities

Using established and new 1H NMR data for sulfinate esters and sulfinyl chlorides, the parameters required for predicting position-dependent alkene 1H NMR chemical shifts of vinylic sulfinate esters and vinylic sulfinyl chlorides have been obtained. Standard deviations of the new Z parameters lie in the range 0.08 to 0.15 ppm. Sulfinyl chloride and cyclohexyl sulfinate derivatives of (E) and (Z)-2-cyanoethenesulfinic acids have been prepared for the first time.