Recognition of silver nanoparticles surface-adsorbed citrate anions by macrocyclic polyammonium cations: a spectrophotometric approach to study aggregation kinetics and evaluation of association constant.

In this report, we have studied the recognition of citrate anions adsorbed on the surface of silver nanoparticles (cit-Ag-NPs), by macrocyclic polyammonium cations (MCPACs): Me6 [14]ane-N4 H8 (4+) (Tet-A/Tet-B cations) and [32]ane-N8 H16 (8+) , which are well reputed anion recognizers and are treated as to mimic of biological polyamines. The study was monitored on ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy by performing a titration of the aqueous dispersion of the cit-Ag-NPs by the aqueous solution of MCPACs. The ultraviolet-visible time-scan plots over the reduction of the absorption band of surface plasmon resonance of cit-Ag-NPs at 390 nm are well fitted with fourth-order polynomial equation and are employed to determine the initial aggregation rate constants. It has been stated that the aggregation is the result in electrostatic attraction followed by H-bond formation between the surface-adsorbed citrate anions and added MCPACs. The atomic force microscopy results have evidenced aggregation of cit-Ag-NPs in presence of MCPACs. The evaluated H-bonded association constant (Kasso ) using Benesi-Hildebrand method reveals that [32]ane-N8 H16 (8+) cations form stronger association complex, as expected, with the citrate anions than the Me6 [14]ane-N4 H8 (4+) cations. The study would thus provide the insight of molecular interactions involved in nanoparticle surface-adsorbed anions with biological polyamines. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Synthesis, structure and study of azo-hydrazone tautomeric equilibrium of 1,3-dimethyl-5-(arylazo)-6-amino-uracil derivatives.

Azo dyes, 1,3-dimethyl-5-(arylazo)-6-aminouracil (aryl=-C6H5 (1), -p-CH3C6H4 (2), -p-ClC6H4 (3), -p-NO2C6H4 (4)) were prepared and characterized by UV-vis, FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR spectroscopic techniques and single crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis. In the light of spectroscopic analysis it evidences that of the tautomeric forms, the azo-enamine-keto (A) form is the predominant form in the solid state whereas in different solvents it is the hydrazone-imine-keto (B) form. The study also reveals that the hydrazone-imine-keto (B) form exists in an equilibrium mixture with its anionic form in various organic solvents. The solvatochromic and photophysical properties of the dyes in various solvents with different hydrogen bonding parameter were investigated. The dyes exhibit positive solvatochromic property on moving from polar protic to polar aprotic solvents. They are fluorescent active molecules and exhibit high intense fluorescent peak in some solvents like DMSO and DMF. It has been demonstrated that the anionic form of the hydrazone-imine form is responsible for the high intense fluorescent peak. In addition, the acid-base equilibrium in between neutral and anionic form of hydrazone-imine form in buffer solution of varying pH was investigated and evaluated the pKa values of the dyes by making the use of UV-vis spectroscopic methods. The determined acid dissociation constant (pKa) values increase according to the sequence of 2>1>3>4.