Infrared absorption of methanol-water clusters (CHOH)(HO), n = 1-4, recorded with the VUV-ionization/IR-depletion technique.

We recorded infrared (IR) spectra in the CH- and OH-stretching regions of size-selected clusters of methanol (M) with one water molecule (W), represented as MW, n = 1-4, in a pulsed supersonic jet using the photoionization/IR-depletion technique. Vacuum ultraviolet emission at 118 nm served as the source of ionization in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer to detect clusters MW as protonated forms MWH. The variations in intensities of MWH were monitored as the wavelength of the IR laser light was tuned across the range 2700-3800 cm.

Structural properties of methanol-water binary mixtures within the quantum cluster equilibrium model.

Density functional theory (B3LYP-D3, M06-2X) has been used to calculate the structures, interaction energies and vibrational frequencies of a set of 93 methanol-water clusters of different type (cubic, ring, spiro, lasso, bicyclic), size and composition. These interaction energies have been used within the framework of the Quantum Cluster Equilibrium Theory (QCE) to calculate cluster populations as well as thermodynamic properties of binary methanol-water mixtures spanning the whole range from pure water to pure methanol. The necessary parameters amf and bxv of the QCE model were obtained by fitting to experimental isobars of MeOH-H2O mixtures with different MeOH content.

Interaction of ochratoxin A with quaternary ammonium beta-cyclodextrin.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a widely spread nephrotoxic food contaminant mycotoxin. Unfortunately, attenuation or prevention of the toxic effects of OTA is still an unresolved problem. Molecular inclusion of OTA by cyclodextrins (CDs) results in complexes with low stability.

Further aspects of ochratoxin A-cation interactions: complex formation with zinc ions and a novel analytical application of ochratoxin A-magnesium interaction in the HPLC-FLD system.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by different Aspergillus and Penicillium species. Since its mechanism of action is not fully understood yet, it is important to gain further insight into different interactions of OTA at the molecular level. OTA is found worldwide in many foods and drinks.

Coordination of methanol clusters to benzene: a computational study.

Benzene-methanol cluster structures were investigated with theoretical chemistry methods to describe the microsolvation of benzene and the benzene-methanol azeotrope. Benzene-methanol (MeOH) clusters containing up to six methanol molecules have been calculated by ab initio [MP2/6-311++G(d,p)//MP2/6-31+G(d,p) + BSSE correction] method. The BSSE was found quite large with this basis set, hence, different extrapolation schemes in combination with the aug-cc-pVxZ basis sets have been used to estimate the complete basis set limit of the MP2 interaction energy [ΔE(MP2/CBS)].