Noble-gas hydrides: new chemistry at low temperatures

Noble-gas chemistry has been undergoing a renaissance in recent years, due in large part to noble-gas hydrides, HNgY, where Ng = noble-gas atom and Y = electronegative fragment. These molecules are exceptional because of their relatively weak bonding and large dipole moments, which lead to strongly enhanced effects of the environment, complexation, and reactions. In this Account, we discuss the matrix-isolation synthesis of noble-gas hydrides, their spectroscopic and structural properties, and their stabilities.This family of species was discovered in 1995 and now has 23 members that are prepared in noble-gas matrices (HXeBr, HKrCl, HXeH, HXeOH, HXeO, etc.). The preparations of the first neutral argon molecule, HArF, and halogen-free organic noble-gas molecules (HXeCCH, HXeCC, HKrCCH, etc.) are important highlights of the field. These molecules are formed by the neutral H + Ng + Y channel. The first addition reaction involving HNgY molecules was HXeCC + Xe + H --> HXeCCXeH, and this led to the first hydride with two noble-gas atoms (recently extended by HXeOXeH). The experimental synthesis of HNgY molecules starts with production of H and Y fragments in solid noble gas via the UV photolysis of suitable precursors. The HNgY molecules mainly form upon thermal mobilization of the fragments.One of the unusual properties of these molecules is the hindered rotation of some HNgY molecules in solid matrices; this has been theoretically modeled. HNgY molecules also have unusual solvation effects, and the H-Xe stretching mode shifts to higher frequencies (up to about 150 cm-1) upon interaction with other species.The noble hydrides have a new bonding motif: HNgY molecules can be represented in the form (H-Ng)+Y-, where (H-Ng)+ is mainly covalent, whereas the interaction between (HNg)+ and Y- is predominantly ionic. The HNgY molecules are highly metastable species representing high-energy materials. The decomposition process HNgY --> Ng + HY is always strongly exoergic; however, the decomposition is prevented by high barriers, for instance, about 2 eV for HXeCCH. The other decomposition channel HNgY --> H + Ng + Y is endothermic for all prepared molecules.Areas that appear promising for further study include the extension of argon chemistry, preparation of new bonds with noble-gas atoms (such as Xe-Si bond), and studies of radon compounds. The calculations suggest the existence of related polymers, aggregates, and even HNgY crystals, and their experimental preparation is a major challenge. Another interesting task, still in its early stages, is the preparation of HNgY molecules in the gas phase.     

The expression of plasma membrane Ca2+ pump isoforms in cerebellar granule neurons is modulated by Ca2+

Plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA) pump isoforms 2, 3, and 1CII are expressed in large amounts in the cerebellum of adult rats but only minimally in neonatal cerebellum. These isoforms were almost undetectable in rat neonatal cerebellar granule cells 1-3 days after plating, but they became highly expressed after 7-9 days of culturing under membrane depolarizing conditions (25 mM KCl). The behavior of isoform 4 was different: it was clearly detectable in adult cerebellum but was down-regulated by the depolarizing conditions in cultured cells. 25 mM KCl-activated L-type Ca2+ channels, significantly increasing cytosolic Ca2+. Changes in the concentration of Ca2+ in the culturing medium affected the expression of the pumps. L-type Ca2+ channel blockers abolished both the up-regulation of the PMCA1CII, 2, and 3 isoforms and the down-regulation of PMCA4 isoform. When granule cells were cultured in high concentrations of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid, a condition that increased cytosolic Ca2+ through the activation of glutamate-operated Ca2+ channels, up-regulation of PMCA1CII, 2, and 3 and down-regulation of PMCA4 was also observed. The activity of the isoforms was estimated by measuring the phosphoenzyme intermediate of their reaction cycle: the up-regulated isoforms, the activity of which was barely detectable at plating time, accounted for a large portion of the total PMCA activity of the cells. No up-regulation of the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium pump was induced by the depolarizing conditions.     

使用电容和红外线接近感应开发新一代人机界面

预计2010年具有先进人机界面的电子产品出货量将超过十亿.这些人机界面利用电容和红外线接近感应等技术使终端用户体验显著改善,同时增加了系统可靠性、降低了总体成本.除了使产品更易使用、更具视觉吸引力之外,这些人机界面屏蔽掉了电子产品日益增长的复杂性,使得制造商能够把具有先进功能的产品更决推向市场.