Search results for " Spin"
showing 10 items of 1036 documents
The structure of pumice: An XPS and27Al MAS NMR study
1992
In order to investigate the surface structure of pumice, an amorphous aluminosilicate, samples of pumice and of standards of silica and alumina have been studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effect of a mild acid leaching was also considered. The analysis of the Si 2p, Al 2p and O 1s photoelectron peaks and the Si KLL and O KLL Auger peaks indicated that pumice is formed by tetrahedral silica with some units being replaced by aluminate, AlO2−. The acid treatment decreases the alkali and the aluminate ions. X-ray photoelectron spectra of the valence band of pumices and of standards of Al2O3 and SiO2 agree with the core-level results. To support the conclusions from the XPS …
Experimental evidence of E’_gamma centers generation from oxygen vacancies in a-SiO2
2007
Abstract We report on the thermal treatment effects in a γ-ray irradiated oxygen deficient amorphous silicon dioxide (a-SiO2) containing Al impurities. We observed that by thermal treatments the intensity of the 7.6 eV optical absorption band, associated to an oxygen deficient center, and the EPR signal amplitude of irradiation induced [AlO4]0 centers gradually decrease. During these thermal treatments, the E γ ′ centers concentration is found to increase in a correlated way to the decrease of the 7.6 eV absorption amplitude. These results are interpreted assuming an hole-transfer process from the [AlO4]0 centers to the diamagnetic oxygen vacancies, resulting in the generation of E γ ′ cent…
More insight into characterization of the waterlogged wooden part of Acqualadroni Roman Rostrum by solid-state NMR
2016
Abstract Solid-state NMR spectroscopy was applied to characterize the wooden part of a roman Rostrum recovered in the Tyrrhenian Sea in the Acqualadroni area (Messina, Italy). The Acqualadroni Rostrum has been, in the recent past, investigated to establish its provenance and conservation. In this paper, solid-state NMR was used to obtain information on the conservation state of the wood as a preliminary step for the conservation process. A wooden sample of this artifact, collected by coring, was divided in four parts in order to correlate the conservation state to the depth. Results were compared with those obtained for a modern wood of the same species. A structural study was performed by …
Site-Specific Information on Membrane Protein Folding by Electron Spin Echo Envelope Modulation Spectroscopy
2010
Compared to folding of soluble proteins, folding of membrane proteins is complicated by the fact that it requires an amphiphilic environment. Few existing techniques can provide structurally resolved information on folding kinetics. For the major plant light harvesting complex LHCII, it is demonstrated that changes in water accessibility of a particular amino acid residue can be followed during folding by measuring the hyperfine interaction of spin labels with deuterium nuclei of heavy water. The incorporation of residue 196 into the hydrophobic core of a detergent micelle was investigated. The technique provides a time constant that is similar to the one found with fluorescence spectroscop…
Accessibility of Protein-Bound Chlorophylls Probed by Dynamic Electron Polarization
2018
The possibility to probe the accessibility of sites of proteins represents an important point to explore their interactions with specific substrates in solution. The dynamic electron polarization of nitroxide radicals induced by excited triplet states of organic molecules is a phenomenon that is known to occur in aqueous solutions. The interaction within the radical-triplet pair causes a net emissive dynamic electron polarization of the nitroxide radical, that can be detected by means of time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TR-EPR) spectroscopy. We have exploited this effect to prove the accessibility of chlorophylls bound to a protein, namely, the water-soluble chlorophyll protei…
Early folding events during light harvesting complex II assembly in vitro monitored by pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance
2016
Efficient energy transfer in the major light harvesting complex II (LHCII) of green plants is facilitated by the precise alignment of pigments due to the protein matrix they are bound to. Much is known about the import of the LHCII apoprotein into the chloroplast via the TOC/TIC system and its targeting to the thylakoid membrane but information is sparse about when and where the pigments are bound and how this is coordinated with protein folding. In vitro, the LHCII apoprotein spontaneously folds and binds its pigments if the detergent-solubilized protein is combined with a mixture of chlorophylls a and b and carotenoids. In the present work, we employed this approach to study apoprotein fo…
Localization of the N-terminal Domain in Light-harvesting Chlorophyll a/b Protein by EPR Measurements
2005
The conformational distribution of the N-terminal domain of the major light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b protein (LHCIIb) has been characterized by electron-electron double resonance yielding distances between spin labels placed in various domains of the protein. Distance distributions involving residue 3 near the N terminus turned out to be bimodal, revealing that this domain, which is involved in regulatory functions such as balancing the energy flow through photosystems (PS) I and II, exists in at least two conformational states. Models of the conformational sub-ensembles were generated on the basis of experimental distance restraints from measurements on LHCIIb monomers and then checked f…
Impact of acidic/hydrothermal treatment on pore structural and chromatographic properties of porous silicas
1991
Abstract A series of commercial silicas and a laboratory made product were subjected to acidic/hydrothermal treatment with solutions of HCI, HNO3, H2SO4 and HF. The concentration of acid and the temperature and duration of treatment were varied. The specific surface area, content of metal impurities, types and concentration of surface hydroxyl and siloxane groups and crystallinity were determined for native and treated silicas. Only changes in the structural order of the surface could be assessed by means of 19Si cross-polarization magic angle spinning NMR spectrometry and electron diffraction. The native and acid-treated silicas were surface modified to n-octyl derivatives and tested under…
Characterisation of phenolic compounds in Algerian honeys by RP-HPLC coupled to electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry
2017
Abstract A total of 35 honey samples from different regions of Algeria were studied to determine their phenolic profiles. Phenolic compounds, products of the secondary metabolism of plants, were extracted with amberlite XAD-4 and analysed by liquid chromatography, with diode array detection and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry in negative ion polarity. By using colorometric assays, Erica honeys showed the highest content of phenolic compounds and flavonoids (245 ± 54 mg GAE/100 g and 29 ± 6 mg QE/100 g, respectively). More than 30 compounds were identified in the honey samples studied including 14 phenolic acids and 16 flavonoids. In general, honey samples showed different chromato…
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin trapping of biological nitric oxide
2007
Nitric oxide (NO) is a free radical species with multiple physiological functions. Because of low concentrations and short half-life of NO, its direct measurement in living tissues remains a difficult task. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin trapping is probably one of the best suitable platforms for development of new methods for quantification of biological NO. The most reliable EPR-based approaches developed so far are based on the reaction of NO with various iron complexes, both intrinsic and exogenously applied. This review is focused on the current state and perspectives of EPR spin trapping for experimental and clinical NO biology.