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At least 883 records · Page 49

Photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical studies of PCSe-, AsCS-, AsCSe-, and NCSe-: Insights into the electronic structures of the whole family of ECX- anions (E = N, P, and As; X = O, S, and Se)

The newly synthesized, phosphorus- and arsenic-containing analogues of the thio- and seleno-cyanate anions, PCSe-, AsCS-, and AsCSe-, as well as the known ion NCSe-, were investigated in the gas phase by negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy (NIPES), velocity-map imaging (VMI) spectroscopy, and quantum chemical computations. The electron affinities (EA), spin-orbit (SO) splittings, and “symmetric” / “antisymmetric” stretching frequencies (?1 and ?2) of the neutral radicals ECX• (E = N, P and As, X = S and Se), generated by electron detachment from the corresponding anions, were obtained from the spectra. The calculated EAs, SO splittings, and vibrational frequencies are in excellent agreement with the measured values. These newly obtained values, when combined with those previously determined for the lighter analogues, show interesting trends on descending the pnictogen and chalcogen series. These trends are rationalized on the basis of electronegativity arguments, the electron distribution in the HOMO, and NBO/NRT analyses.

Yuan, Qinqin↗

Molecular simulation as a tool for studying lignin

Lignocellulosic biomass provides a sustainable source of sugars for biofuel and biomaterial production. However, biomass resistance to degradation imposes difficulties for economical conversion of plant carbohydrates to fermentable sugars. One of the key contributors to recalcitrance is lignin. Understanding the properties of lignin macromolecules in the cell wall matrix is useful for manipulating biomass structure to generate more easily degradable biomass. Along with experimental techniques such as 2D-NMR and mass spectrometry, computational techniques can be useful for characterizing the structural and energetic properties of the biomass assembly and its individual constituents. Here, we provide a brief introduction to lignin, review some of the recent, relevant scientific literature, and give our perspectives on the role of molecular simulation in understanding lignin structure.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Structural, kinetic, and thermodynamic studies of specificity designed HIV-1 protease

HIV-1 protease recognizes and cleaves more than 12 different substrates leading to viral maturation. While these substrates share no conserved motif, they are specifically selected for and cleaved by protease during viral life cycle. Drug resistant mutations evolve within the protease that compromise inhibitor binding but allow the continued recognition of all these substrates. While the substrate envelope defines a general shape for substrate recognition, successfully predicting the determinants of substrate binding specificity would provide additional insights into the mechanism of altered molecular recognition in resistant proteases. We designed a variant of HIV protease with altered specificity using positive computational design methods and validated the design using X-ray crystallography and enzyme biochemistry. The engineered variant, Pr3 (A28S/D30F/G48R), was designed to preferentially bind to one out of three of HIV protease's natural substrates; RT-RH over p2-NC and CA-p2. In kinetic assays, RT-RH binding specificity for Pr3 increased threefold compared to the wild-type (WT), which was further confirmed by isothermal titration calorimetry. Crystal structures of WT protease and the designed variant in complex with RT-RH, CA-p2, and p2-NC were determined. Structural analysis of the designed complexes revealed that one of the engineered substitutions (G48R) potentially stabilized heterogeneous flap conformations, thereby facilitating alternate modes of substrate binding. Our results demonstrate that while substrate specificity could be engineered in HIV protease, the structural pliability of protease restricted the propagation of interactions as predicted. These results offer new insights into the plasticity and structural determinants of substrate binding specificity of the HIV-1 protease.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Point defects in Cu 2 ZnSnSe 4 (CZTSe): Resonant X-ray diffraction study of the low-temperature order/disorder transition: Point defects in Cu 2 ZnSnSe 4 (CZTSe)

The interest in Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTS) for photovoltaic applications is motivated by similarities to Cu(In,Ga)Se2 while being comprised of non-toxic and earth abundant elements. However, CZTS suffers from a Voc deficit, where the Voc is much lower than expected based on the band gap, which may be the result of a high concentration of point-defects in the CZTS lattice. Recently, reports have observed a low-temperature order/disorder transition by Raman and optical spectroscopies in CZTS films and is reported to describe the ordering of Cu and Zn atoms in the CZTS crystal structure. To directly determine the level of Cu/Zn ordering, we have used resonant-XRD, a site, and element specific probe of long range order. We used CZTSe films annealed just below and quenched from just above the transition temperature; based on previous work, the Cu and Zn should be ordered and highly disordered, respectively. Our data show that there is some Cu/Zn ordering near the low temperature transition but significantly less than high chemical order expected from Raman. To understand both our resonant-XRD results and the Raman results, we present a structural model that involves antiphase domain boundaries and accommodates the excess Zn within the CZTS lattice.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗