Subtle Changes in Lipid Environment Have Profound Effects on Membrane Oxidation Chemistry.

Nature carefully designs the components of amphiphile-composed monolayer and bilayer membranes to deliver specific functions. The compositions of these interfacial layered structures are so delicate that minute modifications can result in huge changes in function. Great effort has been expended to understand membrane physical properties, with only minimum attention given to associated chemical properties.

Structural investigation of HCN polymer isotopomers by solution-state multidimensional NMR.

Hydrogen cyanide is considered as an important precursor to amino acids and nucleic acids, and its polymers could have profound implications on prebiotic chemistry. Several structures of HCN polymers are speculated, but these structures are disparate both chemically as well as structurally. Here, we employ solution-state NMR spectroscopy to investigate the structure of HCN polymers with (13)C and (15)N isotopic enrichment.

Structural investigation of Titan tholins by solution-state 1H, 13C, and 15N NMR: one-dimensional and decoupling experiments.

Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, is enveloped in a reddish brown organic haze. Titan haze is presumed to be formed from methane and nitrogen (CH(4) and N(2)) in Titan's upper atmosphere through energetic photochemistry and particle bombardment. Though Titan haze has been directly investigated using methods including the Cassini mission, its formation mechanism and the contributing chemical structures and prebiotic potential are still not well developed.