Computer Modeling of {110} Adjacent Reentry of Polyethylene Molecules

A Synthetic Isoprenoid Lipoquinone, Menaquinone-2, Adopts a Folded Conformation in Solution and at a Model Membrane Interface

Menaquinones (naphthoquinones, MK) are isoprenoids that play key roles in the respiratory electron transport system of some prokaryotes by shuttling electrons between membrane-bound protein complexes acting as electron acceptors and donors. Menaquinone-2 (MK-2), a truncated MK, was synthesized, and the studies presented herein characterize the conformational and chemical properties of the hydrophobic MK-2 molecule. Using 2D NMR spectroscopy, we established for the first time that MK-2 has a folded conformation defined by the isoprenyl side-chain folding back over the napthoquinone in a U-shape, which depends on the specific environmental conditions found in different solvents. We used molecular mechanics to illustrate conformations found by the NMR experiments. The measured redox potentials of MK-2 differed in three organic solvents, where MK-2 was most easily reduced in DMSO, which may suggest a combination of solvent effect (presumably in part because of differences in dielectric constants) and/or conformational differences of MK-2 in different organic solvents. Furthermore, MK-2 was found to associate with the interface of model membranes represented by Langmuir phospholipid monolayers and Aerosol-OT (AOT) reverse micelles. MK-2 adopts a slightly different U-shaped conformation within reverse micelles compared to within solution, which is in sharp contrast to the extended conformations illustrated in literature for MKs.

Assembling semiconducting molecules by covalent attachment to a lamellar crystalline polymer substrate

We have investigated the potential of polymers containing precisely spaced side-branches for thin film applications, particularly in the context of organic electronics. Upon crystallization, the side-branches were excluded from the crystalline core of a lamellar crystal. Thus, the surfaces of these crystals were covered by side-branches. By using carboxyl groups as side-branches, which allow for chemical reactions, we could functionalize the crystal with semiconducting molecules. Here, we compare properties of crystals differing in size: small nanocrystals and large single crystals. By assembling nanocrystals on a Langmuir trough, large areas could be covered by monolayers consisting of randomly arranged nanocrystals. Alternatively, we used a method based on local supersaturation to grow large area single crystals of the precisely side-branched polymer from solution. Attachment of the semiconducting molecules to the lamellar surface of large single crystals was possible, however, only after an appropriate annealing procedure. As a function of the duration of the grafting process, the morphology of the resulting layer of semiconducting molecules changed from patchy to compact.