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IUCrData Jun 2023The study of the oxidation of various proteins necessitates scrutiny of the amino acid sequence. Since me-thio-nine (Met) and tyrosine (Tyr) are easily oxidized,...
The study of the oxidation of various proteins necessitates scrutiny of the amino acid sequence. Since me-thio-nine (Met) and tyrosine (Tyr) are easily oxidized, peptides that contain these amino acids are frequently studied using a variety of oxidation methods, including, but not limited to, pulse radiolysis, electrochemical oxidation, and laser flash photolysis. To date, the oxidation of the Met-Tyr dipeptide is not fully understood. Several investigators have proposed a mechanism of intra-molecular electron transfer between the sulfide radical of Met and the Tyr residue. Our elucidation of the structure and absolute configuration of l-Met-l-Tyr monohydrate, CHNOS·HO (systematic name: (2)-2-{[(2)-2-amino-4-methyl-sulfanyl-butano-yl]amino}-3-(4-hy-droxy-phen-yl)propanoic acid monohydrate) is presented herein and provides information about the zwitterionic nature of the dipeptide. We suspect that the zwitterionic state of the dipeptide and its inter-action within the solvent medium may play a major role in the oxidation of the dipeptide. In the crystal, all the potential donor atoms inter-act strong N-H⋯O, C-H⋯O, O-H⋯S, and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.
PubMed: 37936870
DOI: 10.1107/S2414314623005515 -
Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England... Jun 2024First-of-a-kind temperature-controlled electron pulse radiolysis experiments facilitated the radiation-induced formation of Am(IV) in concentrated (6.0 M) HNO, and...
First-of-a-kind temperature-controlled electron pulse radiolysis experiments facilitated the radiation-induced formation of Am(IV) in concentrated (6.0 M) HNO, and enabled the derivation of Arrhenius and Eyring activation parameters for instigating the radical reaction between NO˙ and Am(III).
PubMed: 38776119
DOI: 10.1039/d4dt00991f -
The Journal of Chemical Physics Dec 2023Homogeneous solar fuels photocatalytic systems often require several additives in solution with the catalyst to operate, such as a photosensitizer (PS), Brønsted...
Homogeneous solar fuels photocatalytic systems often require several additives in solution with the catalyst to operate, such as a photosensitizer (PS), Brønsted acid/base, and a sacrificial electron donor (SED). Tertiary amines, in particular triethylamine (TEA) and triethanolamine (TEOA), are ubiquitously deployed in photocatalysis applications as SEDs and are capable of reductively quenching the PS's excited state. Upon oxidation, TEA and TEOA form TEA•+ and TEOA•+ radical cations, respectively, which decay by proton transfer to generate redox non-innocent transient radicals, TEA• and TEOA•, respectively, with redox potentials that allow them to participate in an additional electron transfer step, thus resulting in net one-photon/two-electron donation. However, the properties of the TEA• and TEOA• radicals are not well understood, including their reducing powers and kinetics of electron transfer to catalysts. Herein, we have used both pulse radiolysis and laser flash photolysis to generate TEA• and TEOA• radicals in CH3CN, and combined with UV/Vis transient absorption and time-resolved mid-infrared spectroscopies, we have probed the kinetics of reduction of the well-established CO2 reduction photocatalyst, fac-ReCl(bpy)(CO)3 (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine), by these radicals [kTEA• = (4.4 ± 0.3) × 109 M-1 s-1 and kTEOA• = (9.3 ± 0.6) × 107 M-1 s-1]. The ∼50× smaller rate constant for TEOA• indicates, that in contrast to a previous assumption, TEA• is a more potent reductant than TEOA• (by ∼0.2 V, as estimated using the Marcus cross relation). This knowledge will aid in the design of photocatalytic systems involving SEDs. We also show that TEA can be a useful radiolytic solvent radical scavenger for pulse radiolysis experiments in CH3CN, effectively converting unwanted oxidizing radicals into useful reducing equivalents in the form of TEA• radicals.
PubMed: 38146832
DOI: 10.1063/5.0180065 -
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. C,... Apr 2024A series of steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopies were performed on a set of eight carbene-metal-amide (cMa) complexes, where M = Cu and Au, that have been used...
A series of steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopies were performed on a set of eight carbene-metal-amide (cMa) complexes, where M = Cu and Au, that have been used as photosensitizers for photosensitized electrocatalytic reactions. Using ps-to-ns and ns-to-ms transient absorption spectroscopies (psTA and nsTA, respectively), the excited-state kinetics from light absorption, intersystem crossing (ISC), and eventually intermolecular charge transfer were thoroughly characterized. Using time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) and psTA with a thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) model, the variation in intersystem crossing (ISC), ( → ) rates (∼3-120 × 10 s), and Δ values (73-115 meV) for these compounds were fully characterized, reflecting systematic changes to the carbene, carbazole, and metal. The psTA additionally revealed an early time relaxation (rate ∼0.2-0.8 × 10 s) attributed to solvent relaxation and vibrational cooling. The nsTA experiments for a gold-based cMa complex demonstrated efficient intermolecular charge transfer from the excited cMa to an electron acceptor. Pulse radiolysis and bulk electrolysis experiments allowed us to identify the character of the transient excited states as ligand-ligand charge transfer as well as the spectroscopic signature of oxidized and reduced forms of the cMa photosensitizer.
PubMed: 38690534
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.4c01994 -
ChemSusChem Nov 2023The use of hydrocarbon-based proton conducting membranes in fuel cells is currently hampered by the insufficient durability of the material in the device. Membrane aging...
The use of hydrocarbon-based proton conducting membranes in fuel cells is currently hampered by the insufficient durability of the material in the device. Membrane aging is triggered by the presence of reactive intermediates, such as HO⋅, which attack the polymer and eventually lead to chain breakdown and membrane failure. An adequate antioxidant strategy tailored towards hydrocarbon-based ionomers is therefore imperative to improve membrane lifetime. In this work, we perform studies on reaction kinetics using pulse radiolysis and γ-radiolysis as well as fuel cell experiments to demonstrate the feasibility of increasing the stability of hydrocarbon-based membranes against oxidative attack by implementing a Nature-inspired antioxidant strategy. We found that metalated-porphyrins are suitable for damage transfer and can be used in the fuel cell membrane to reduce membrane aging with a low impact on fuel cell performance.
PubMed: 37551734
DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202300775 -
Environmental Science & Technology May 2024Photoexcitation of sulfite (SO) is often used to generate hydrated electrons (e) in processes to degrade perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)....
Photoexcitation of sulfite (SO) is often used to generate hydrated electrons (e) in processes to degrade perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). Conventional consensus discourages the utilization of SO concentrations exceeding 10 mM for effective defluorination. This has hindered our understanding of SO chemistry beyond its electron photogeneration properties. In contrast, the radiation-chemical study presented here, directly producing e through water radiolysis, suggests that SO plays a previously overlooked activation role in the defluorination. Quantitative Co gamma irradiation experiments indicate that the increased SO concentration from 0.1 to 1 M enhances the defluorination rate by a remarkable 15-fold, especially for short-chain perfluoroalkyl sulfonate (PFSA). Furthermore, during the treatment of long-chain PFSA (CF-SO) with a higher concentration of SO, the intermediates of CH-SO and CF-COO were observed, which are absent without SO. These observations highlight that a higher concentration of SO facilitates both reaction pathways: chain shortening and H/F exchange. Pulse radiolysis measurements show that elevated SO concentrations accelerate the bimolecular reaction between e and PFSA by 2 orders of magnitude. F NMR measurements and theoretical simulations reveal the noncovalent interactions between SO and F atoms, which exceptionally reduce the C-F bond dissociation energy by nearly 40%. As a result, our study offers a more effective strategy for degrading highly persistent PFSA contaminants.
Topics: Sulfites; Electrons; Fluorocarbons; Water
PubMed: 38747404
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c01444 -
Journal of Hazardous Materials Sep 2023Recovery of platinum group metals (PGMs) including palladium (Pd), rhodium (Rh), and ruthenium (Ru) from high-level radioactive liquid waste (HLLW) possesses enormous...
Recovery of platinum group metals (PGMs) including palladium (Pd), rhodium (Rh), and ruthenium (Ru) from high-level radioactive liquid waste (HLLW) possesses enormous environmental and economic benefits. A non-contact photoreduction method was herein developed to selectively recover each PGM from HLLW. Soluble Pd(II), Rh(III), and Ru(III) ions were reduced to insoluble zero-valent metals and separated from simulated HLLW containing neodymium (Nd) as a representative for lanthanides, another main component in HLLW. Detailed investigation on the photoreduction of different PGMs revealed that Pd(II) could be reduced under 254- or 300-nm UV exposure using either ethanol or isopropanol as reductants. Only 300-nm UV light enabled the reduction of Rh(III) in the presence of ethanol or isopropanol. Ru(III) was the most difficult to reduce, which was only realized by 300-nm UV illumination in isopropanol solution. The effects of pH was also studied, suggesting that lower pH favored the separation of Rh(III) but hindered the reduction of Pd(II) and Ru(III). A delicate three-step process was accordingly designed to achieve the selective recovery of each PGM from simulated HLLW. Pd(II) was reduced by 254-nm UV light with the help of ethanol in the first step. Then Rh(III) was reduced by 300-UV light in the second step after the pH was adjusted to 0.5 to suppress the Ru(III) reduction. In the third step, Ru(III) was reduced by 300-nm UV light after isopropanol was added and the pH was adjusted to 3.2. The separation ratios of Pd, Rh, and Ru exceeded 99.8%, 99.9%, and 90.0%, respectively. Meanwhile, all Nd(III) still remained in the simulated HLLW. The separation coefficients between Pd/Rh and Rh/Ru exceeded 56,000 and 75,000, respectively. This work may provide an alternative method to recover PGMs from HLLW, which minimize the secondary radioactive wastes compared with other approaches.
PubMed: 37331059
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131852 -
Medical Physics Nov 2023Hydrated electrons, which are short-lived products of radiolysis in water, increase the optical absorption of water, providing a pathway toward near-tissue-equivalent...
BACKGROUND
Hydrated electrons, which are short-lived products of radiolysis in water, increase the optical absorption of water, providing a pathway toward near-tissue-equivalent clinical radiation dosimeters. This has been demonstrated in high-dose-per-pulse radiochemistry research, but, owing to the weak absorption signal, its application in existing low-dose-per-pulse radiotherapy provided by clinical linear accelerators (linacs) has yet to be investigated.
PURPOSE
The aims of this study were to measure the optical absorption associated with hydrated electrons produced by clinical linacs and to assess the suitability of the technique for radiotherapy (⩽ 1 cGy per pulse) applications.
METHODS
40 mW of 660-nm laser light was sent five passes through deionized water contained in a 10 2 cm glass-walled cavity by using four broadband dielectric mirrors, two on each side of the cavity. The light was collected with a biased silicon photodetector. The water cavity was then irradiated by a Varian TrueBeam linac with both photon (10 MV FFF, 6 MV FFF, 6 MV) and electron beams (6 MeV) while monitoring the transmitted laser power for absorption transients. Radiochromic EBT3 film measurements were also performed for comparison.
RESULTS
Examination of the absorbance profiles showed clear absorption changes in the water when radiation pulses were delivered. Both the amplitude and the decay time of the signal appeared consistent with the absorbed dose and the characteristics of the hydrated electrons. By using literature value for the hydrated electron radiation chemical yield (3.0±0.3), we inferred doses of 2.1±0.2 mGy (10 MV FFF), 1.3±0.1 mGy (6 MV FFF), 0.45±0.06 mGy (6 MV) for photons, and 0.47±0.05 mGy (6 MeV) for electrons, which differed from EBT3 film measurements by 0.6%, 0.8%, 10%, and 15.7%, respectively. The half-life of the hydrated electrons in the solution was ∼ 24 s.
CONCLUSIONS
By measuring 660-nm laser light transmitted through a cm-scale, multi-pass water cavity, we observed absorption transients consistent with hydrated electrons generated by clinical linac radiation. The agreement between our inferred dose and EBT3 film measurements suggests this proof-of-concept system represents a viable pathway toward tissue-equivalent dosimeters for clinical radiotherapy applications.
Topics: Electrons; Radiation Dosimeters; Photons; Phantoms, Imaging; Particle Accelerators; Water; Radiotherapy Dosage; Radiometry
PubMed: 37334736
DOI: 10.1002/mp.16555 -
Nature Communications Nov 2023Time-resolved identification of surface-bound intermediates on metallic nanocatalysts is imperative to develop an accurate understanding of the elementary steps of CO...
Time-resolved identification of surface-bound intermediates on metallic nanocatalysts is imperative to develop an accurate understanding of the elementary steps of CO reduction. Direct observation on initial electron transfer to CO to form surface-bound CO radicals is lacking due to the technical challenges. Here, we use picosecond pulse radiolysis to generate CO via aqueous electron attachment and observe the stabilization processes toward well-defined nanoscale metallic sites. The time-resolved method combined with molecular simulations identifies surface-bound intermediates with characteristic transient absorption bands and distinct kinetics from nanosecond to the second timescale for three typical metallic nanocatalysts: Cu, Au, and Ni. The interfacial interactions are further investigated by varying the important factors, such as catalyst size and the presence of cation in the electrolyte. This work highlights fundamental ultrafast spectroscopy to clarify the critical initial step in the CO catalytic reduction mechanism.
PubMed: 37932333
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42936-6 -
Biomolecules Oct 2023We examined the reaction of hydroxyl radicals (HO) and sulfate radical anions (SO), which is generated by ionizing radiation in aqueous solutions under anoxic...
We examined the reaction of hydroxyl radicals (HO) and sulfate radical anions (SO), which is generated by ionizing radiation in aqueous solutions under anoxic conditions, with an alternating GC doubled-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide (ds-ODN), i.e., the palindromic 5'-d(GCGCGC)-3'. In particular, the optical spectra of the intermediate species and associated kinetic data in the range of ns to ms were obtained via pulse radiolysis. Computational studies by means of density functional theory (DFT) for structural and time-dependent DFT for spectroscopic features were performed on 5'-d(GCGC)-3'. Comprehensively, our results suggest the addition of HO to the G:C pair moiety, affording the [8-HO-G:C] detectable adduct. The previous reported spectra of one-electron oxidation of a variety of ds-ODN were assigned to [G(-H):C] after deprotonation. Regarding 5'-d(GCGCGC)-3' ds-ODN, the spectrum at 800 ns has a completely different spectral shape and kinetic behavior. By means of calculations, we assigned the species to [G:C/C:G], in which the electron hole is predicted to be delocalized on the two stacked base pairs. This transient species was further hydrated to afford the [8-HO-G:C] detectable adduct. These remarkable findings suggest that the double-stranded alternating GC sequences allow for a new type of electron hole stabilization via delocalization over the whole sequence or part of it.
Topics: Oligonucleotides; Hydroxyl Radical; Electrons; Free Radicals; Oxidation-Reduction; Oligodeoxyribonucleotides
PubMed: 37892175
DOI: 10.3390/biom13101493