Influences of alrylamino (R) substituents on the herbicidal activity ($pI_{50}$) of 1-(4-chloro-2-fluoro-5-propargyloxypheny)-3-(R)-thiourea analogues (1 ~ 35) against the barnyard grass (Echinochloa crusgalli) in the pre-emergence step were discussed quantitatively using comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) as the three dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) method. The statistically most satisfactory CoMFA models for the herbicidal activity against the barnyard grass had the better predictability ($r^2{_{cv.}}$) and correlativity ($r^2{_{ncv.}}$) than those of CoMSIA models. The optimized CoMFA model 1($r^2{_{cv.}}$ = 0.531 & $r^2{_{ncv.}}$ = 0.931) with the sensitivity to the perturbation (${d_q}^{2'}{dr^2}_{yy'}$ = 1.081) and the prediction ($q^2$ = 0.475) produced by a progressive scrambling analyses were not dependent on chance correlation. And statistical qualities with the atom based fit alignment (AF) were slightly higher than those of the field fit alignment (FF). According to the optimized CoMFA model 1, the contribution ratio (%) of the steric field (76.9%) on the herbicidal activity of the Thioureas was three-fold higher than that of the electrostatic field (20.1%) and the hydrophobic field (3.0%) had the least influence. A steric favor group is on the vicinity of the nitrogen atom in alrylamino (R) substituent, and a steric disfavor group is on the outer side of alrylamino (R) substituent. Thus, as the size of alrylamino (R) substituent increases, so does the herbicidal activity of the substituent.

An efficient method for labeling individual proteins in live cells is required for investigations into biological mechanisms and cellular processes. Here we describe the preparation of small quantum dots (QDs) that target membrane surface proteins bearing a hexahistidine-tag ($His_6$-tag) via specific binding to an nitrilotriacetic acid complex of nickel(II) ($NTA{\cdot}Ni^{2+}$) on the QD surfaces. We showed that the $NTA{\cdot}Ni^{2+}$-QDs bound to His-tag functionalized beads as a cellular mimic with high specificity and that QDs successfully targeted $His_6$-tagged vesicle-associated membrane proteins (VMAP) on cell surfaces. This strategy provides an efficient approach to monitoring synaptic protein dynamics in spatially restricted and confined biological environments.

Photosynthesis uses light energy to drive the oxidation of water at an oxygen-evolving catalytic site within photosystem II (PSII). Chlorophyll binding by the photosystem II subunit S protein, PsbS, was found to be necessary for energy-dependent quenching (qE), the major energy-dependent component of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) in Arabidopsis thaliana. It is proposed that PsbS acts as a trigger of the conformational change that leads to the establishment of nonphotochemical quenching. However, the exact structure and function of PsbS in PSII are still unknown. Here, we clone and express the recombinant PsbS gene from Arabidopsis thaliana in E. coli and purify the resulting homogeneous protein. We used various biochemical and biophysical techniques to elucidate PsbS structure and function, including circular dichroism (CD), fluorescence, and DSC. The protein shows optimal stability at $4^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.5. The CD spectra of PsbS show that the conformational changes of the protein were strongly dependent on pH conditions. The CD curve for PsbS at pH 10.5 curve had the deepest negative peak and the peak of PsbS at pH 4.5 was the least negative. The fluorescence emission spectrum of the purified PsbS protein was also measured, and the ${\lambda}_{max}$ was found to be at 328 nm. PsbS revealed some structural changes under varying temperature and oxygen gas condition.

Novel photoluminescent graphene, graphene/europium/picolinate, was made from the reaction of the graphene carboxylate, europium(III) and $\alpha$-pyridoin anion in methanol solution. There was evidence on IR spectroscopic data that europium metal was coordinated by graphene carboxylate. The graphene/europium/picolinate materials emitted the red luminescence with main peaks at 609 and 695 nm, when solid sample was excited by an UV light at the wavelength of 254 nm. The surface morphology and physical properties of the graphene/europium/picolinate product have been investigated by IR, PL, SEM, TEM and TGA measurements.

A porous coordination solid of nickel(II) dihydroxyterephthalate has been synthesized by the microwave-assisted (MW) method. The synthesized nickel(II) dihyroxylterephthalate was designated by the general formula of [$Ni_2$(dhtp) $(H_2O)_2]{\cdot}8H_2O$ (where, dhtp = 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalate, denoted by Ni-DHTP). The effect of microwave-irradiation temperature and time of irradiation on the porosity and morphological changes in the solids have also been investigated. The catalytic performance of Ni-DHTP synthesized by MW method has been studied in the oxidation of cyclohexene with aqueous $H_2O_2$, which gave cyclohexene oxide as the primary product and 2-cyclohexene-1-ol as a major product.

Sibutramine enantiomers were separated successfully by capillary zone electrophoresis using substituted cyclodextrins as chiral selectors. The effects of cyclodextrin concentration, pH, voltage, buffer type, and electrolyte concentration on the migration time and resolution of enantiomers were examined. Separation of sibutramine enantiomers on an unmodified fused silica capillary (total length, 54 cm; effective length, 45 cm) was achieved using a mixed buffer of 20 mM phosphate/10 mM citrate containing either 5 mM methyl-${\beta}$-cyclodextrin (pH 4.3) or 5 mM carboxymethyl-${\beta}$-cyclodextrin (pH 6.5). Samples were injected with a pressure of 50 mbar for 5 s and were detected at a wavelength of 223 nm. The established method showed good precision and accuracy, with intra- and inter-day variations of less than 2.9 and 4.7%, respectively, and recoveries of 95.7 - 103.8%. The stability constants of (R)- and (S)-sibutramine demonstrated that the resolution of sibutramine enantiomers was attributable primarily to the difference in stability constants. When this optimized method was applied to the determination of sibutramine enantiomers in commercial drug formulations, it proved to be economical and convenient, affording sufficient accuracy, precision, and reproducibility as well as sensitivity and selectivity.

We report design and synthesis of the novel TRPV1 ligands through a rational approach. Simplified analogues of 12(S)-HPETE showing TRPV1 agonistic effect are disclosed. Biological evaluation revealed that substitution of functional groups without any change in conformation converted agonist into antagonist. Our work provided key information with regard to TRPV1 agonist/antagonist switching.

$LiMnBO_3$ was successfully synthesized by a solid-state reaction method both with and without a carbon coating. Adipic acid was used as source material for the carbon coating. $LiMnBO_3$ was composed of many small polycrystalline particles with a size of about 50 - 70 nm, which showed a very even particle morphology and highly ordered crystalline particulates. Whereas the carbon coated $LiMnBO_3$ was well covered by mat-like, fine material consisting of amorphous carbon derived from the carbonization of adipic acid during the synthetic process. Carbon coated cell exhibited improved and stable discharge capacity profile over the untreated. Two cells delivered an initial discharge capacity of 111 and 58 mAh/g for $LiMnBO_3$/C and $LiMnBO_3$, respectively. Carbon coating on the surface of the $LiMnBO_3$ drastically improved discharge capacity due to the improved electric conductivity in the $LiMnBO_3$ material.

Methyl 3,4-di-(2'-hydroxyethoxy)benzylidenecyanoacetate (3) was prepared and condensed with terephthaloyl chloride to yield novel Y-type polyester (4) containing 3,4-dioxybenzylidenecyanoacetate groups as NLO-chromophores, which constituted parts of the polymer main chains. The resulting polymer 4 is soluble in common organic solvents such as acetone and N,N-dimethylformamide. Polymer 4 shows thermal stability up to $280^{\circ}C$ in thermogravimetric analysis with glass-transition temperature obtained from differential scanning calorimetry near $105^{\circ}C$. The second harmonic generation (SHG) coefficient ($d_{33}$) of poled polymer films at the 1064 nm fundamental wavelength is around 2.42 pm/V. The dipole alignment exhibits high thermal stability up to near $T_g$, and there is no SHG decay below $100^{\circ}C$ due to the partial main-chain character of polymer structure, which is acceptable for NLO device applications.

Regio- and diastereoselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrones {(Z)-${\alpha}$-phenyl-N-methylnitrone (1a) and (Z)-${\alpha}$-propyl-N-butylnitrone (1b)} with electron-deficient perfluoro-2-methyl-2-pentene (2) lead to novel isoxazolidines {5-fluoro-5-pentafluoroethyl-4,4-bis-trifluoromethyl-2-methyl-3-phenyl-isoxazolidine (3a) and 2-butyl-5-fluoro-5-pentafluoroethyl-4,4-bis-trifluoromethyl-3-propyl-isoxazolidines (3b) respectively} as major constituents. These derivatives were characterized by IR, $^1H$ and $^{19}F$ NMR, GC-MS and NOE measurements, and the absolute structure of 3a was confirmed by X-ray crystallography.

The behavior of peptide or protein solutes in saline aqueous solution is a fundamental topic in physical chemistry. Addition of ions can strongly alter the thermodynamic and physical properties of peptide molecules in solution. In order to study the effects of added ionic salts on protein conformation and dynamics, we have used the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the behavior of Staphylococcus aureus Hfq protein under two different ionic concentrations: 0.1 M NaCl and 1.0 M NaCl in presence and absence of RNA (a hepta-oligoribonucleotide AU5G). Hfq, a global regulator of gene expression is highly conserved and abundant RNA-binding protein. It is already reported that in vivo the increase of ionic strength results in a drastic reduction of Hfq affinity for $Q{\beta}$ RNA and reduces the tendency of aggregation of Escherichia coli host factor hexamers. Our results revealed the crucial role of 0.1 M NaCl Hfq system on the bases with strong hydrogen bonding interactions and by stabilizing the aromatic stacking of Tyr42 residue of the adjacent subunits/monomers with the adenine and uridine nucleobases. An increase in RNA pore diameter and weakened compactness of the Hfq-RNA complex was clearly observed in 1.0 M NaCl Hfq system with bound RNA. Aggregation of monomers in Hfq and the interaction of Hfq with RNA are greatly affected due to the presence of high ionic strength. Higher the ionic concentration, weaker is the aggregation and interaction. Our results were compatible with the experimental data and this is the first theoretical report for the experimental study done in 1980 by Uhlenbeck group for the present system.

The conventional peptide modification process of guanidination, in which the amino groups of lysine residues are converted to guanidino groups using O-methylisourea to create more basic homoarginine residues, is often used to improve the signal intensity of lysine-containing peptides in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Here, we used three different protease enzymes (trypsin, Lys-C, and Glu-C) to evaluate the effects of guanidination on the MS signals of two enzymatically digested proteins. Horse heart myoglobin and bovine serum albumin were guanidinated either before or after digestion with trypsin, Lys-C, or Glu-C. The resulting peptides were subjected to MALDI-MS, and signal intensities and sequence coverage were systematically evaluated for each digest. Guanidination prior to Glu-C digestion improved sequence coverage for both proteins. For myoglobin, guanidination before enzymatic digestion with trypsin or Lys-C also enhanced sequence coverage, but guanidination after enzymatic digestion enhanced sequence coverage only with Lys-C. For albumin, guanidination either before or after Glu-C digestion increased sequence coverage, whereas pre- or post-digestion guanidination decreased sequence coverage with trypsin and Lys-C. The amino acid composition of a protein appears to be the major factor determining whether guanidination will enhance its MALDI-MS sequence coverage.

Spectrophotometric micro determination of allopurinol (ALP) via charge-transfer formation is described. This includes the utility of some $\pi$-acceptors such as 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-p-benzoquinone (DDQ) and 3,6-dichloro-2,5-dihydroxy-p-benzoquinone (p-CLA) for estimation of ALP drug (act as $\grave{e}$-donor). These reactions are applied for determination of ALP in its pharmaceutical preparations coming from different companies. Elucidation of the chemical structure of the solid CT complexes formed via reaction between drugs under study and $\pi$-acceptors, using elemental analyses (C, H, N), I. R., $^1H$ NMR and mass spectrometry.

This work presents oxidation of formic acid on Bi-modified Pt nanoparticles of various sizes. The sizes of the studied Pt nanoparticles range from 1.5 to 5.6 nm (detailed in Rhee, C. K.; Kim, B.-J.; Ham, C.; Kim, Y.-J.; Song, K.; Kwon, K. Langmuir 2009, 25, 7140-7147), and the surfaces of the Pt nanoparticles are modified with irreversibly adsorbed Bi. The investigated coverages of Bi on the Pt nanoparticles are 0.12 and 0.25 as determined by coulometry of the oxidation of adsorbed hydrogen and Bi, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The cyclic voltammetric behavior of formic acid oxidation reveals that the adsorbed Bi enhances the catalytic activity of Pt nanoparticles by impeding a poison-forming dehydration path with a concomitant promotion of a dehydrogenation path. The chronoamperometric results indicate that elemental Bi and partially oxidized Bi are responsible for the catalytic enhancement, when the Bi coverages on Pt nanoparticles are 0.12 and 0.25, respectively. The size effect of Bi-modified Pt nanoparticles in formic acid oxidation is discussed in terms of specific activity (current per unit surface area) and mass activity (current per unit mass).

Two diastereomeric chiral stationary phases (CSPs) were applied to the liquid chromatographic resolution of various racemic ${\alpha}$-amino methyl esters, ${\alpha}$-amino N,N-diethylamides and ${\alpha}$-amino N-propylamides. The CSP incorporating (R)-3,3'-diphenyl-1,1'-binaphtyl and (R,R)-tartaric acid unit as chiral barriers did not show any chiral recognition. In contrast, the CSP incorporating (R)-3,3'-diphenyl-1,1'-binaphtyl and (S,S)-tartaric acid unit as chiral barriers was found to show excellent chiral recognition especially for the two enantiomers of ${\alpha}$-amino N-propylamides. Some of ${\alpha}$-amino methyl esters and ${\alpha}$-amino N,N-diethylamides were also resolved on the CSP incorporating (R)-3,3'-diphenyl-1,1'-binaphtyl and (S,S)-tartaric acid unit. From these results it was concluded that the two chiral units composing the diastereomeric CSPs can show "matched" or "mismatched" effect on the chiral recognition according to their absolute stereochemistry.

Quantum dots (QDs) are extensively employed for biomedical research as a fluorescence reporter and their use for various labeling applications will continue to increase as they are preferred over conventional labeling methods for various reasons. However, concerns have been raised over the toxicity of these particles in the biological system. Till date no thorough investigation has been carried out to identify the molecular signatures of QD mediated toxicity. In this study we evaluated the toxicity of CdSe, $Cd_{1-x}Zn_xS$/ZnS and CdSe/ZnS quantum dots having different spectral properties (red, blue, green) using human embryonic kidney fibroblast cells (HEK293). Cell viability assay for both short and long duration exposure show concentration material dependent toxicity, in the order of CdSe > $Cd_{1-x}Zn_xS$/ZnS > CdSe/ZnS. Genome wide changes in the expression of genes upon QD exposure was also analyzed by wholegenome microarray. All the three QDs show increase in the expression of genes related to apoptosis, inflammation and response towards stress and wounding. Further comparison of coated versus uncoated CdSe QD-mediated cell death and molecular changes suggests that ZnS coating could reduce QD mediated cytotoxicity to some extent only.

In this study, we have developed a new detection method using Si field effect transistor (FET)-type biosensors, which enables the direct monitoring of antigen-antibody binding within very high-ionic-strength solutions such as 1$\times$PBS and human serum. In the new method, as no additional dilution or desalting processes are required, the FET-type biosensors can be more suitable for ultrasensitive and real-time analysis of raw sample solutions. The new detection scheme is based on the observation that the strength of antigen-antibody-specific binding is significantly influenced by the ionic strength of the reaction solutions. For a prostate specific antigen (PSA), in some conditions, the binding reaction between PSA and anti-PSA in a low-ionic strength reaction solution such as 10 ${\mu}M$ phosphate buffer is weak (reversible), while that in high-ionic strength reaction solutions such as 1$\times$PBS or human serum is strong.

The selective isolation of specific proteins from complex protein mixtures by nanoparticles is reported. Glutathionemodified superparamagnetic nanoparticles were used to purify specific proteins fused with glutathione S-transferase via enzyme-substrate interactions. They demonstrated greatly improved selectivity and efficiency over micron sized capturing beads. The ultra-specific enrichment of target proteins was confirmed by both SDS-PAGE and LC/MS/MS experiments.

Bacillus subtilis PerR is a metal-dependent peroxide-sensing transcription factor which uses metal-catalyzed histidine oxidation for peroxide-sensing. PerR contains two metal binding sites, one for structural $Zn^{2+}$ and the other for the regulatory/peroxide-sensing metal. Here we investigated the effect of mutations at both the structural and regulatory metal binding sites on the oxidation of either H37 or H91, two of the peroxide-sensing ligands. All four serine substitution mutants at the structural $Zn^{2+}$ site (C96S, C99S, C136S and C139S) exhibited no detectable oxidation at histidine residues. Two of the alanine substitution mutants at regulatory metal site (H37A and D85A) exhibited selective oxidation preferentially at the H91-containing tryptic peptide, whereas no oxidation was detected in the other mutants (H91A, H93A and D104A). Our results suggest that the cysteine residues coordinating structural $Zn^{2+}$ are essential for peroxide sensing by PerR, and that the C-terminal regulatory metal binding site composed of H91, H93 and D104 can bind $Fe^{2+}$, providing a possible explanation for the peroxide sensing mechanisms by PerR.

A 20 wt % Pt/C is fabricated and characterized for use as the cathode catalyst in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). By using the polyol method, the fabrication process is optimized by modifying the carbon addition sequence and precursor mixing conditions. The crystallographic structure, particle size, dispersion, and activity toward oxygen reduction of the as-prepared catalysts are compared with those of commercial Pt/C catalysts. The most effective catalyst is obtained by ultrasonic treatment of ethylene glycol-carbon mixture and immediate mixing of this mixture with a Pt precursor at the beginning of the synthesis. The catalyst exhibits very uniform particle size distribution without agglomeration. The mass activities of the as-prepared catalyst are 13.4 mA/$mg_{Pt}$ and 51.0 mA/$mg_{Pt}$ at 0.9 V and 0.85 V, respectively, which are about 1.7 times higher than those of commercial catalysts.

A single step fabrication process of carbon nanotube/Prussian Blue (CNT/PB) paste electrodes based on screen printing technology has been studied as an amperometric sensor for the determination of hydrogen peroxide and free chlorine. Compared to the classical carbon paste (CP) electrode, the CNT paste electrode greatly enhanced the response in the presence of hydrogen peroxide due to the electrocatalytic activity of the CNT. Based on the CNT/binder paste, PB was also incorporated into a network of CNT paste and characterized. The best electroanalytical properties of PB-mixed sensors to hydrogen peroxide were obtained with PB ratio of 10 wt % composition, which showed fast response time ($t_{90}{\leq}5$ s; 0.2 - 0.3 mM), low detection limit of 1.0 ${\mu}M$, good linear response in the range from $5.0{\times}10^{-5}$ - $1.0{\times}10^{-3}$ mol $L^{-1}$ ($r^2$ = 0.9998), and high sensitivity of -8.21 ${\mu}AmM^{-1}$. In order to confirm the enhanced electrochemical properties of CNT/PB electrode, the sensor was further applied for the determination of chlorine in water, which exhibited a linear response behavior in the range of 50 - 2000 ppb for chlorine with a slope of 1.10 ${\mu}Appm^{-1}$ ($r^2$ = 9971).

In order to effective degradation of organic dye both under visible light or ultrasonic irradiation, the MWCNTs (multiwalled carbon nanotube) deposited with Fe and $TiO_2$ were prepared by a modified sol-gel method. The Fe/$TiO_2$-MWCNT catalyst was characterized by surface area of BET, scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. The low intensity visible light and low power ultrasound was as an irradiation source and the methylene blue (MB) was choose as the model organic dye. Then degradation experiments were carried out in present of undoped $TiO_2$, Fe/$TiO_2$ and Fe/$TiO_2$-MWCNT catalysts. Through the degradation of MB solution, the results showed the feasible and potential use of Fe/$TiO_2$-MWCNT catalyst under visible light and ultrasonic irradiation due to the enhanced formation of reactive radicals as well as the possible visible light and the increase of ultrasound-induced active surface area of the catalyst. After addition of $H_2O_2$, the MB degradation rates have been accelerated, especially with Fe/$TiO_2$-MWCNT catalyst, in case of that the photo-Fenton reaction occurred. The sonophotocatalysis was always faster than the respective individual processes due to the more formation of reactive radicals as well as the increase of the active surface area of Fe/$TiO_2$-MWCNT catalyst.

Surface functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) was carried out by means of acid treatment. The presence of oxygen functional groups on the surface of acid-treated MWNTs was confirmed with the aid of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray spectroscopy. In addition, carboxylic groups generally formed on the surface of acid-treated MWNTs, and the dispersion was increased by the duration of the acid treatment. The zeta-potential indicated the surface charge transfer and the dispersion of MWMTs. Morphological characteristics of acid-treated MWNTs were also observed using a transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman analysis, which was revealed the significantly unchanged morphologies of MWNTs by acid treatment. The hydrogen adsorption capacity of the MWNTs was evaluated by means of adsorption isotherms at 77 K/1 atm. The hydrogen storage capacity was dependent upon the acid treatment conditions and the formation of oxygen functional groups on the MWNT surfaces. The latter have an important effect on the hydrogen storage capacity.

A scandium(III) porphyrin-based fluoride-selective potentiometric sensor and its application in the analysis of hydrofluoric acid is described. Scandium(III) octaethylporphyrin, an ionophore recently developed for the optical fluoride sensor, was employed as a host molecule for the selective binding with fluoride in the plasticized PVC membrane. Nernstian response for $F^-$ between $10^{-4.6}$ to $10^{-1}$ M was observed at a glycine-phosphate buffer (pH 3.0). The selectivity pattern was observed as $F^-$, salicylate $\gg$ $SCN^-$ > $Cl^-$, $Br^-$, $NO_3{^-}$, $ClO_4{^-}$, which is consistent with the binding constant data measured in the plasticized PVC membrane based on a sandwich membrane method. This highly selective and reversible fluoride-sensitive electrode was employed for the analysis of hydrofluoric acid (HF). A disposable differential-type HF sensor was fabricated on the screen-printed electrode and demonstrated its ability to detect the neutral HF in the acidic solution.

Acetylcholinesterase reactivators are crucial antidotes for the treatment of organophosphate intoxication. Standard in vitro test was chosen using a rat brain homogenate as the source of AChE. Screening of reactivation potency was performed with two concentration of reactivator (1000 ${\mu}M$ and 10 ${\mu}M$). Results were compared to established reactivators pralidoxime, methoxime, HI-6, trimedoxime and obidoxime. More than 30 novel reactivators performed equal or better reactivation ability of POX-inhibited AChE compared to currently used reactivators. The structure-activity relationship for reactivators of paraoxon-inhibited AChE was developed.

Bis-[dipyrido[3,2-$\alpha$:2',3'-c]phenazine)$_2$(1,10-phenanthroline)$_2Ru_2$]$^{2+}$ complexes (bis-Ru(II) complexes) tethered by linkers of various lengths were synthesized and their binding properties to DNA investigated by normal absorption and linear dichroism spectra, and fluorescence techniques in this study. Upon binding to DNA, the bis-Ru(II) complex with the longest linker (1,3-bis-(4-pyridyl)-propane), exhibited a negative $LD^r$ signal whose intensity was as large as that in the DNA absorption region, followed by a complicate $LD^r$ signal in the metal-to-ligand charge transfer region. The luminescence intensity of this bis-Ru(II) complex was enhanced. The observed $LD^r$ and luminescence results resembled that of the [Ru(1,10-phenanthroline)$_2$ dipyrido[3,2-$\alpha$:2',3'-c]phenazine]$^{2+}$ complex, whose dipyrido[3,2-$\alpha$:2',3'-c]phenazine (dppz) ligand has been known to intercalate between DNA bases. Hence, it is conclusive that both dppz ligands of the bis-Ru(II) complex intercalate. The binding stoichiometry, however, was a single intercalated dppz per ~ 2.3 bases, which violates the "nearest binding site exclusion" model for intercalation. The length between the two Ru(II) complexes may be barely long enough to accommodate one DNA base between the two dppz ligands, but not for two DNA bases. When the linker was shorter (4,4'-bipyridine or 1,2-bis-(4-pyridyl)-ethane), the magnitude of the LD in the dppz absorption region, as well as the luminescence intensity of both bis-Ru(II) complexes, was half that of the bis-Ru(II) complex bearing a long linker. This observation can be elucidated by a model whereby one of the dppz ligands intercalates while the other is exposed to the aqueous environment.

The investigation of the catalytic activity of supported rhodium(I) complex [Rh(P-S)$(CO)_2$] (P-S; polymer anchored salicylic acid) toward the reductive carbonylation of nitrobenzene in DMF medium has been reported. Use of basic cocatalysts in the reaction medium enhanced the percentage of more useful phenyl carbamates. Spectroscopic studies indicate that the reaction proceeds through a dimer species [Rh(HS)(CO)(C(O)$OCH_3$)(${\mu}-OCH_3)]_2$ and phenyl isocyanate is formed as an intermediate. A plausible reaction mechanism based on the identification of reactive intermediates from the soluble rhodium variety has been proposed for the carbonylation process.

Porous ${\eta}-Al_2O_3$ was synthesized by modified sol-gel method using ionic liquid as a templating material. The addition of ionic liquid assisted to increase the surface area of alumina. However, the acidity of aluminas prepared with ionic liquids was hardly affected regardless the change of its structural properties. Among the ionic liquids used in this study, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([Bmim][$PF_6$]) was the most effective ionic liquid to produce porous ${\eta}-Al_2O_3$ particles. The catalytic performance of these aluminas has been investigated in dehydration of methanol to produce dimethyl ether. The alumina prepared with [Bmim][$PF_6$] outperformed the other aluminas except ${\eta}-Al_2O_3$ without modification in this reaction.

The UV-vis absorption spectrum of protoporphyrin IX shows a very sharp and strong absorption maximum peak at 398 nm in acetonitrile-water mixture solution (1:1 v/v). When divalent metal ions such as $Cu^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$, and $Ca^{2+}$ ion were added to protoporphyrin IX, metal protoporphyrin IX complexes were thereby produced. Cu-protoporphyrin IX complexes have the largest formation constant ($K_f$) among them. The fluorescence intensity of protoporphyrin IX was diminished by the presence of $Cu^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$, $Ca^{2+}$, $Mn^{2+}$, and $Ni^{2+}$ ions as quenchers. However, $Mg^{2+}$, $Mn^{2+}$, and $Ni^{2+}$ ions are hardly combined with protoporphyrin IX. $Mg^{2+}$ ion does not take part in the fluorescence quenching process of protoporphyrin IX in acetonitrile-water mixture solution. According to the Stern-Volmer plots, fluorescence quenching by $Cu^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$, and $Ca^{2+}$ ions involves static quenching, which is due to complex formation. On the contrary, dynamic quenching has a large influence on the overall quenching process, when $Mn^{2+}$ and $Ni^{2+}$ ions were added to protoporphyrin IX in acetonitrile-water mixture solution.

Mesoporous carbon CMK-3s with different textural properties have been used for the adsorption of phenol to understand the necessary physicochemical properties of carbon for the efficient removal of phenol from contaminated water. The kinetic constants (both pseudo-second order and pseudo-first-order kinetics) increase with increasing pore size of carbons. The maximum adsorption capacities correlate well with micropore volume compared with surface area or total pore volume even though large pore (meso or macropore) may contribute partly to the adsorption. The pore occupancies also explain the importance of micropore for the phenol adsorption. For efficient removal of phenol, carbon adsorbents should have large micropore volume and wide pore size for high uptake and rapid adsorption, respectively.

Adenosine 5'-phosphonates have been reported as potential chain terminators against Hepatitis C virus (HCV); therefore, we developed convenient sequences for synthesis of modified adenosine 5'-phosphonates in which the hydroxyl group at 2' or 3'-position of the sugar moiety is substituted with the azido or amino group and the oxymethyl group at the 4'-position is modified by the ethylene or vinyl group. This synthetic sequence can provide six adenosine 5'-phosphonates via one protocol, and is considered to be very efficient and a convenient route of synthesis. An assay of adenosine 5'-phosphonate analogues (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) against HCV infection is now in progress.

Internal reorganization energy due to the structural relaxation in hole or electron hopping mechanism is one of the measurements of key indices in designing an organic thin film transistor (OTFT) for flexible display devices. In this study, the reorganization energies of dicyanoanthracenes for the hole and electron transfer were estimated by adiabatic potential energy surface and normal mode analysis method in order to examine the effect on the energies for the positional variation of the cyano substituents in the anthracene as a protocol of acenes to design an organic field effect transistor. The reorganization energy for the hole transfer was reduced considerably upon cyanation of anthracene, especially at the 9,10-positions of anthracene, and the origin of the reduction was interpreted in terms of understanding the coupling of vibrational modes to the hole transfer.

An efficient and novel one-pot synthesis of new 3,4-dihydro-3-substituted-2H-naphtho[2,1-e][1,3]oxazine derivatives from 1-naphthol, various anilines and formalin at room temperature grinding is presented. The six-membered N,O-heterocyclic skeleton was constructed via zirconyl(IV) chloride promoted Mannich type reaction. In vitro antimicrobial activities of synthesized compounds have been investigated against Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis, Gram negative Escherichia coli and two fungi Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger in comparison with standard drugs. The results of preliminary bioassay indicate that some of title compounds possess significant antibacterial and antifungal activity.

The photocatalytic decomposition of toluene vapor by bare and $TiO_2$-coated carbon fibers was studied. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used to perform the $TiO_2$ coating. We show that, under our conditions, the photocatalytic activity of bare carbon fibers was comparable with that of $TiO_2$ films, which are known to be good photocatalysts. The origin of the high photocatalytic activity of bare carbon fibers is discussed.

The spin exchange interactions of $(VO)_2(H_2O){O_3P-(CH_2)_3-PO_3}{\cdot}2H_2O$ were examined by spin dimer analysis based on extended Huckel tight binding method. The strongest spin exchange interaction occurs through the super-superexchange path $J_2$ and the second strongest spin exchange interaction occurs through the superexchange interaction path $J_1$. There are two strongly interacting spin exchange paths in $(VO)_2(H_2O){O_3P-(CH_2)_3-PO_3}{\cdot}2H_2O$. Therefore, magnetic susceptibility curve of $(VO)_2(H_2O){O_3P-(CH_2)_3-PO_3}{\cdot}2H_2O$ can be well reproduced by an alternating onedimensional antiferromagnetic chain model rather than an isolated spin dimer model.

The phase-shifted version of the multichannel quantum-defect theory (MQDT) was reformulated by disentangling the interloper spectrum from the perturbed dense Rydberg series for a systems involving 2 closed and more than 1 open channel. The theory was applied successfully to Martins and Zimmermann's photoionization spectra of the Rydberg series Cu I $3d^9\;4s(^1D_2)\;nd^2G_{9/2}$ perturbed by the interloper, $3d^9\;4p^2\;^4F_{9/2}$, for which Cohen's 4 channel QDT had failed. The zero surface graphic of the perturbed Fano's asymmetry parameter q of the autoionization spectrum of dense Rydberg series by the interloper was determined by only two parameters for this system. It was used as a map to trace the transformation route of the 3 channel autoionization spectra to the 4 channel spectra when the channel coupling of the closed channels with a newly added open channel was turned on progressively.

Density functional theory was adopted to study the various surface products and their reaction channels focusing on the on-dimer configuration which has not been suggested before. Energetic results show that the most stable on-dimer configuration is the 6,6-[2+2] structure which resembles the typical [2+2] cycloaddition product. The 6,6-[2+2] product is also more stable than any other possible surface structures of inter-dimer configuration further suggesting its existence. Potential energy surface scan along various possible initial surface reactions show that some of the possible on-dimer surface products require virtually no reaction barrier indicating that initial population of on-dimer surface products is thermodynamically determined. Various surface isomerization reaction channels exist further facilitating thermal redistribution of the initial surface products.

Substituent chemical shifts were examined for the 2- and 3-thiophene derivatives of chalcone and compared to the thiophene series of derivatives with the phenyl series. The chemical shift values for the ${\alpha}$-carbons of the enones showed and inverse correlation with the Hammett $\sigma$ values, but the correlation coefficients were moderate (r = 0.836 - 0.878). On the other hand, the $\beta$-carbons showed a normal correlation with excellent correlation coefficients (r = 0.994). The absolute magnitude of the $\rho$ values for the $\alpha$-carbon are about half of those of the $\beta$-carbon. The observation may be the result of a through-space transition of the electronic effect of the substituents in addition to the through bond transition.

Protulactones A (1) and B (2), two new polyketide-derived fungal metabolites, have been isolated from an EtOAc extract of the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus sp. SF-5044 by various chromatographic methods. The structures of 1 and 2 were mainly determined by analysis of the NMR spectroscopic data and MS data, along with chemical methods such as Mosher method. Protulactones A (1) and B (2) are new members of polyketide-derived secondary metabolites, possessing unique ring systems among the fungal metabolites produced by the genus Aspergillus.

The Schiff base N,N'-bis(pyridin-2-ylmethylene)benzene-1,2-diamine [BPBD] has been synthesized and explored as ionophore for preparing PVC-based membrane sensors selective to the silver ($Ag^+$) ion. Potentiometric investigations indicate high affinity of this receptor for silver ion. The best performance was shown by the membrane of composition (w/w) of ionophore: 1 mg, PVC: 33 mg, o-NPOE: 66 mg and additive were added 50 mol % relative to the ionophore in 1 mL THF. The sensor works well over a wide concentration range $1{\times}10^{-3}$ to $1.0{\times}10^{-7}$ M by pH 6 at room temperature (slope 58.6 mV/dec.) with a response time of 10 seconds and showed good selectivity to silver ion over a number of cations. It could be used successfully for the determination of silver ion content in environmental and waste water samples.

The structure of a 2D grid-like copper(II) complex [Cu$(NCO)_2$(pyz)](pyz=pyrazine) (1) consists of 1D chains of Cu-pyz units connected by double end-on (EO) cyanato bridges. Each Cu(II) ion has a distorted octahedral coordination, completed by the four EO cyanato and two pyrazine ligands. Magnetic interactions through EO cyanato and pyrazine bridges in 1 are discussed on the basis of DFT broken-symmetry calculations at the B3LYP level. For model dicopper(II) complexes I (bridged by cyanato) and II (bridged by pyrazine), electronic structure calculations reproduce very well the experimental couplings for the S = 1/2 ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic exchange-coupled 2D system: the calculated exchange parameters J are +1.25 $cm^{-1}$ and -3.07 $cm^{-1}$ for I and II, respectively. The $\sigma$ orbital interactions between the Cu $x^2-y^2$ magnetic orbitals and the nitrogen lone-pair orbitals of pyrazine are analyzed from the viewpoint of through-bond interaction. The energy splitting of 0.106 eV between two SOMOs indicates that the superexchange interaction should be antiferromagnetic in II. On the other hand, there are no bridging orbitals that efficiently connect the two copper(II) magnetic orbitals in I because the HOMOs of the basal-apical NCO bridge do not play a role in the formation of overlap interaction pathway. The energy separation in the pair of SOMOs of I is calculated to be very small (0.054 eV). This result is consistent with the occurrence of weakly ferromagnetic properties in I.