Two inner-sphere electrocatalytic channels for quinone-mediated reduction of molecular oxygen to form hydrogen peroxide have been addressed by means of density functional theory. Each of the channels comprises an initial rate determining chemical step and a subsequent electrochemical reduction step by which peroxide is produced. The reduction mechanism was determined for 9,10-anthraquinone and 9,10-phenanthrenequinone and the quantum chemical results are compared with experimental results. Two distinctly different structures were determined for the critical chemical step depending on whether the catalytic site is present as HQ* or Q*-. While a superoxo species is formed on HQ*, a van der Waals (vdW) type compound is formed on Q*-. It is shown that the Gibbs energy of activation for the semiquinone/oxygen reaction is largely determined by the entropy term. The results explain the experimentally observed pH dependence of the O2 reduction rate on quinone functionalised electrodes.
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J Am Chem Soc
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China.
Effective delivery and controlled release of metallo-prodrugs with sustained activation and rapid response feed the needs of precise medicine in metal chemotherapeutics. However, gold-based anticancer drugs often suffer from detoxification binding and extracellular transfer by sulfur-containing peptides. To address this challenge, we integrate a thiol-activated prodrug strategy of newly prepared hypercoordinated carbon-centered gold(I) clusters (HCGCs) with their photosensitization character to augment the mitochondrial release of Au(I) in tumors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommun Phys
January 2025
Department of Physics and Astronomy, the University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Two-dimensional materials with flat electronic bands are promising for realising exotic quantum phenomena such as unconventional superconductivity and nontrivial topology. However, exploring their vast chemical space is a significant challenge. Here we introduce elf, an unsupervised convolutional autoencoder that encodes electronic band structure images into fingerprint vectors, enabling the autonomous clustering of materials by electronic properties beyond traditional chemical paradigms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRSC Adv
January 2025
Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University 3-11, Tsurukabuto, Nada-ku Kobe Hyogo 657-0011 Japan
Polyamide 6 (PA6) in its α and γ-forms was studied from 30 to 220 °C using Raman spectroscopy in the low- and high-wavenumber regions. Quantum chemical calculations were employed to assist with band assignments. In the low-wavenumber region, a peak at approximately 100 cm, attributable to a mixed mode of methylene lateral motion and amide group stretching, was observed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiophys J
January 2025
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom. Electronic address:
Photosynthetic organisms rely on a network of light-harvesting protein-pigment complexes to efficiently absorb sunlight and transfer excitation energy to reaction centre proteins where charge separation occurs. In photosynthetic purple bacteria, these complexes are embedded within the cell membrane, with lipid composition affecting complex clustering, thereby impacting inter-complex energy transfer. However, the impact of the lipid bilayer on intra-complex excitation dynamics is less understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFood Res Int
February 2025
College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Engineering Research Center of Food Thermal-Processing Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China. Electronic address:
Ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide (PO) are widely used as sterilizing agents in the food industry. However, their residues in food packaging can migrate into food and react with it, affecting the accuracy of residue detection in food. This study aims to explore the reaction mechanisms between EO and PO and aqueous food simulants using both experimental and computational methods.
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