Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Two-photon Absorption and Biological Imaging Application of a Water Soluble Carbazole Quaternary Ammonium Compound

A novel carbazole quaternary ammonium compound（abbreviated as T_2） had been synthesized and characterized by ~1H NMR, ^（13）C NMR and Mass spectrometry. The single-crystal structure has been determined by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The electrochemical and two-photon absorption properties of T_2 were systematically studied by cyclic voltammetry and Z-scan determination methods, respectively. The results suggested that T_2 had a good oxidation-reduction and excellent nonlinear optical property. The two-photon absorption（TPA） value has a maximum corresponding to cross section σ = 7963.3 GM（Goeppert-Mayer units） at 700 nm, indicating potential applications in nonlinear optical materials. Furthermore, attributing to the excellent water solubility and low cytotoxicity, the compound was explored on its primary application in biological imaging.

A TD-DFT Study for the Excited State Calculations of Microhydration of N-Acetyl-Phenylalaninylamide (NAPA)

Investigating the impact of microhydration on the excited-states and electronic excitation properties of biomolecules has remained one of the important yet challenging aspects of science because of the complexity of developing models. However, with the advent of computational chemistry methods such as TD-DFT, many useful insights about the electronic excitation energy and excited-state nature of biomolecules can be explored. Accordingly, in our study, we have incorporated the TD-DFT/wB97XD/cc-pVTZ method to study the excited state properties of N-acetyl phenylalanine amide (NAPA-A(H2O) n) (n = 1 to 4) clusters from ground to the tenth lowest gaseous singlet excited state. We found that the C=O bond length gradually increases both in N-terminal amide and C-terminal amide after the sequential addition of water molecules because of intermolecular H-bonding and this intermolecular H-bonding becomes weaker after the sequential addition of H2O molecules. The UV absorption maxima of NAPA-A (H2O)n (n = 1 - 4) clusters consisted of two peaks that are S5←S0 (1st absorption) and S6←S0 (2nd absorption) excitations. The first absorption maxima were blue-shifted with the increase in oscillator strength. This means that strong H-bonds reduce the charge transfer and make clusters more rigid. On the other hand, the second absorption maxima were red-shifted with the decrease in oscillator strength. In the ECD spectra, the negative bands indicate the presence of an amide bond and L-configuration of micro hydrated NAPA-A clusters. Finally, our calculated absorption and fluorescence energy confirm that all the NAPA-A (H2O) n (n = 0 - 4) clusters revert to the ground state from the fluorescent state by emitting around 5.490 eV of light.

Responsive mechanism and molecular design of di-2-picolylamine-based two-photon fluorescent probes for zinc ions

The properties of one-photon absorption（OPA）, emission and two-photon absorption（TPA） of a di-2-picolylaminebased zinc ion sensor are investigated by employing the density functional theory in combination with response functions.The responsive mechanism is explored. It is found that the calculated OPA and TPA properties are quite consistent with experimental data. Because the intra-molecular charge transfer（ICT） increases upon zinc ion binding, the TPA intensity is enhanced dramatically. According to the model sensor, we design a series of zinc ion probes which differ by conjugation center, acceptor and donor moieties. The properties of OPA, emission and TPA of the designed molecules are calculated at the same computational level. Our results demonstrate that the OPA and emission wavelengths of the designed probes have large red-shifts after zinc ions have been bound. Comparing with the model sensor, the TPA intensities of the designed probes are enhanced significantly and the absorption positions are red-shifted to longer wavelength range. Furthermore, the TPA intensity can be improved greatly upon zinc ion binding due to the increased ICT mechanism. These compounds are potential excellent candidates for two-photon fluorescent zinc ion probes.

Sulfur speciation and bioaccumulation in camphor tree leaves as atmospheric sulfur indicator analyzed by synchrotron radiation XRF and XANES

Analyzing and understanding the effects of ambient pollution on plants is getting more and more attention as a topic of environmental biology.A method based on synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence and X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy was established to analyze the sulfur concentration and speciation in mature camphor tree leaves （CTLs）,which were sampled from 5 local fields in Shanghai,China.Annual SO2 concentration,SO42-concentration in atmospheric particulate,SO42-and sulfur concentration in soil were also analyzed to explore the relationship between ambient sulfur sources and the sulfur nutrient cycling in CTLs.Total sulfur concentration in mature camphor tree leaves was 766-1704 mg/kg.The mainly detected sulfur states and their corresponding compounds were ＋6 （sulfate,include inorganic sulfate and organic sulfate）,＋5.2 （sulfonate）,＋2.2 （suloxides）,＋0.6 （thiols and thiothers）,＋0.2 （organic sulfides）.Total sulfur concentration was strongly correlated with sulfate proportion with a linear correlation coefficient up to 0.977,which suggested that sulfur accumulated in CTLs as sulfate form.Reduced sulfur compounds （organic sulfides,thiols,thioethers,sulfoxide and sulfonate） assimilation was sufficed to meet the nutrient requirement for growth at a balanced level around 526 mg/kg.The sulfate accumulation mainly caused by atmospheric sulfur pollution such as SO2 and airborne sulfate particulate instead of soil contamination.From urban to suburb place,sulfate in mature CTLs decreased as the atmospheric sulfur pollution reduced,but a dramatic increase presented near the seashore,where the marine sulfate emission and maritime activity pollution were significant.The sulfur concentration and speciation in mature CTLs effectively represented the long-term biological accumulation of atmospheric sulfur pollution in local environment.

Synthesis and Properties of Novel Hemicyanine Dye-β-Cyclodextrin

A series of novel hemicyanine dye-β-cyclodextrin compounds： mono-6-deoxy-β-cyclodextrin-6-[p-（p-substituted styryl）pyridium] p-totylfulfonates were synthesized by the condensation of mono-6-deoxy-β- cyclodextrin-6-（p-methyl pyridinium） p-toluenesulfonate with （un）substituted benzaldehydes. Their structures were established by 1^H NMR, IR, UV-Vis and elemental analysis. The absorption and fluorescence properties of the novel compounds were measured in solution and the photostability of a selected hemicyanine dye-β-cyclodextrin compound was also investigated.

Oblique angle deposition and its applications in plasmonics

Plasmonics based on localized surface plasmon resonance （LSPR） has found many exciting appli- cations recently. Those applications usually require a good morphological and structural control of metallic nanostructures. Oblique angle deposition （OAD） has been demonstrated as a powerful technique for various plasmonic applications due to its advantages in controlling the size, shape, and composition of metallic nanostructures. In this review, we focus on the fabrication of metallic nanostructures by OAD and their applications in plasmonics. After a brief introduction to OAD technique, recent progress of applying OAD in fabricating noble metallic nanostructures for LSPR sensing, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, surface-enhanced infrared absorption, metal-enhanced fluorescence, and metamaterials, and their corresponding properties are reviewed. The future requirements for OAD plasmonics applications are also discussed.