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Year 2019
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Structural changes of a simple peptide—Trpzip-1—in aqueous solutions and the corresponding hydration phenomena under the influence of temperature
PublicationTrpzip-1, a simple β-hairpin, is a rare example of peptide with stable secondary structure and can be a convenient model to study temperature-related processes that potential prion or amyloid proteins undergo. Although its sequence is simple, the exact processes which the peptide undergoes in aqueous solutions are quite complex and not well understood. The selection of well-established experimental (DSC, FTIR) and theoretical methods...
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Structure and evolution of the 4-helix bundle domain of Zuotin, a J-domain protein co-chaperone of Hsp70
PublicationThe J-domain protein Zuotin is a multi-domain eukaryotic Hsp70 co-chaperone. Though it is primarily ribosome-associated, positioned at the exit of the 60S subunit tunnel where it promotes folding of nascent polypeptide chains, Zuotin also has off-ribosome functions. Domains of Zuotin needed for 60S association and interaction with Hsp70 are conserved in eukaryotes. However, whether the 4-helix bundle (4HB) domain is conserved remains...
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Symulacje biomolekularne jako narzędzie do badania mechanizmów rozpoznania i wiązania pomiędzy białkami
PublicationBiałka pełnią wielorakie funkcje w organizmach żywych, jednak rzadko działają samodzielnie. W zdecydowanej większości przypadków współpracują one między sobą tworząc makrokompleksy o precyzyjnie zorientowanych podjednostkach. Oddziaływania międzybiałkowe wzbudzają więc duże zainteresowanie, jako że w istotny sposób odpowiadają za aktywność biologiczną białek. Choć do tej pory opracowano wiele metod doświadczalnych badania oddziaływań...
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Termodynamika oddziaływań i przejść strukturalnych DNA w układach wodnych na podstawie symulacji metodą dynamiki molekularnej
PublicationKwas deoksyrybonukleinowy jest jednym z najistotniejszych elementów każdej żywej komórki ze względu na rolę głównego nośnika informacji genetycznej. Posiada on instrukcje potrzebne do wzrostu, budowy, funkcjonowania oraz namnażania się wielu żywych organizmów, w tym także wirusów. Okazuje się, że w zależności od warunków środowiskowych, DNA może przyjmować wiele różnych struktur drugorzędowych, z których większość stanowi formy...
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Termodynamika oddziaływań substancji tetrafenylowych z wodą w świetle teorii funkcjonału gęstości
PublicationW termodynamice roztworów elektrolitów istotne jest zagadnienie podziału eksperymentalnie wyznaczanych wielkości termodynamicznych na udziały jonowe. Z uwagi na niemożność niezależnego wyznaczenia jonowych wielkości cząstkowych, podział wielkości charakteryzujących elektrolit musi być z konieczności dokonany w oparciu o założenie pozatermodynamiczne. Obecnie przyjmuje się, że najbardziej uzasadnionym teoretycznie i eksperymentalnie...
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The hydration of selected biologically relevant molecules – the temperature effect on apparent molar volume and compression
PublicationThe densities and sound velocities at T = (288.15, 293.15, 298.15, 303.15 and 308.15) K were measured for aqueous solutions of glycine, trimethylamine-N-oxide, taurine and N-methylacetamide. From these data, the apparent molar volumes, V the apparent molar isentropic compressions, KS,, and the Passynski hydration numbers of solutes were determined. The concentration dependencies of the calculated quantities, their limiting values...
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The interpretation of the parameters of the equation used for the extrapolation of apparent molar volumes of the non-electrolyte (solutes) to the infinite dilution
PublicationThe paper discusses how to interpret the parameters of the basic equation used for the extrapolation of the apparent molar volume of the solute to infinite dilution. The common misunderstandings and oversimplifications have been pointed out. We present the alternative ways of the data interpretation that can be used to eliminate these obvious but frequent mistakes.
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Vapor correction of FTIR spectra – A simple automatic least squares approach
PublicationFTIR spectroscopy is one of the best techniques to study intermolecular interactions. However, such an application requires high quality spectra with as little noise as possible, which are often difficult to obtain. One of the main sources of unwanted interference is water vapor. Here a robust method is proposed for automatic, fast and reliable vapor correction of FTIR spectra. The presented least squares approach of vapor subtraction...
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Why do G-quadruplexes dimerize through the 5’-ends? Driving forces for G4 DNA dimerization examined in atomic detail
PublicationG-quadruplexes (G4) are secondary structures formed by guanine-rich nucleic acid sequences and shown to exist in living cells where they participate in regulation of gene expression and chromosome maintenance. G-quadruplexes with solvent-exposed guanine tetrads show the tendency to associate together through cofacial stacking, which may be important for packaging of G4-forming sequences and allows for the design of higher-order...
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Why is the cubic structure preferred in newly formed ice?
PublicationMolecular dynamics was employed to explain the preference for the cubic structure in newly formed crystals of ice. The results showed that in supercooled liquid water the molecules connected by hydrogen bonds are more likely to adopt relative orientations similar to the ones characteristic for cubic ice. The observed preference for certain relative orientations of molecules in the hydrogen-bonded pairs results in the higher probability...
Year 2018
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Aqueous solutions of NMA, Na2HPO4 , and NaH2PO4 as models for interaction studies in phosphate–protein systems
PublicationPhosphate buffers are essential for many areas of studies. However, their influence on buffered systems is often ignored. The phosphate salts can interact with biologically important macromolecules (e.g. proteins) and stabilize or destabilize them. With our research, we want to answer question what kind of interactions, if any, occur between phosphate ions and a protein backbone model — N-methylacetamide (NMA). ATR-FTIR spectroscopy...
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Birch sap concentrate as a potential modern food product
PublicationThis paper presents birch sap concentrate obtained by the reverse osmosis method. It is characterized by sweet taste, high content of minerals and no risk to consumers in terms of content of heavy metals standardized in the European Union food legislation. This beverage has all the features of a modern food product, i.e. it has an attractive taste, is obtained using new technology, meets the clean label requirements and can be...
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Communication: Inside the water wheel: Intrinsic differences between hydrated tetraphenylphosphonium and tetraphenylborate ions
PublicationTetraphenylphosphonium tetraphenylborate (TPTB) is a common reference electrolyte in physical chemistry of solutions allowing for a convenient partitioning of thermodynamic properties into single-ion contributions. Here, we compute on the basis of ab initio molecular dynamics simulations the infrared (IR) spectra for hydrated constituent ions of the TPTB assumption. Using spectral decomposition techniques, we extract important...
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Effect of Amino Acids and Sodium Chloride on d-Sorbitol in Aqueous Solutions at Different Temperatures: Volumetric and Acoustic Approach
PublicationApparent molar volumes and apparent molar compressibilities for d-sorbitol in (0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3) mol·kg−1 aqueous solutions of l-alanine, l-cysteine and l-histidine and NaCl have been determined from measurements of solution density at T = (288.15, 298.15, 308.15 and 318.15) K and sound velocity at T = 298.15 K, as a function of the concentration of the sugar alcohol. The data were used to obtain the limiting apparent molar...
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Effect of osmolytes of different type on DNA behavior in aqueous solution. Experimental and theoretical studies
PublicationOsmolytes, the small organic molecules accumulated in cells under environmental stress, can modulate the stability of biopolymers such as proteins and DNA. In spite of many years of research, there is no established molecular mechanism of the influence of osmolytes on DNA structure. Here, we used two model osmolytes that denature (urea) or stabilize (trimethylglycine, TMG) proteins to study their effect on DNA in aqueous solutions...
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Effect of osmolytes on the thermal stability of proteins: replica exchange simulations of Trp-cage in urea and betaine solutions
PublicationAlthough osmolytes are known to modulate the folding equilibrium, the molecular mechanism of their effect on thermal denaturation of proteins is still poorly understood. Here, we simulated the thermal denaturation of a small model protein (Trp-cage) in the presence of denaturing (urea) and stabilizing (betaine) osmolytes, using the all-atom replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations. We found that urea destabilizes Trp-cage...
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Ludzkość-technologia: organizm symbiotyczny
PublicationFelieton popularnonaukowy dotyczący filozofii techniki.
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Mechanism of Binding of Antifungal Antibiotic Amphotericin B to Lipid Membranes: An Insight from Combined Single-Membrane Imaging, Microspectroscopy, and Molecular Dynamics
PublicationAmphotericin B is a lifesaving polyene antibiotic used in the treatment of systemic mycoses. Unfortunately, the pharmacological applicability of this drug is limited because of its severe toxic side effects. At the same time, the lack of a well-defined mechanism of selectivity hampers the efforts to rationally design safer derivatives. As the drug primarily targets the biomembranes of both fungi and humans, new insights into the...
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Molecular dynamics study on the role of solvation water in the adsorption of hyperactive AFP to the ice surface
PublicationUsing computer simulations, the early stages of the adsorption of the CfAFP molecule to the ice surface were analyzed. We found that the ice and the protein interact at least as early as when the protein is about 1 nm away from the ice surface. These interactions are mediated by interfacial solvation water and are possible thanks to the structural ordering of the solvent. This ordering leads to positional preference of the protein...
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New data acquisition system for birch sap concentrate production using the reverse osmosis technology
PublicationThe work presents a simple electronic device that helps to monitor the basic parameters of the reverse osmosis (RO) system during the concentration of birch tree sap. The construction costs are low (around 150 Euro) but the functionality of the device is high. It has an in-build two channel conductometer and can measure the volumetric flow rate of two streams of liquids. The collected data are transmitted wirelessly via Bluetooth...
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Novel 2-(2-arylmethylthio-4-chloro-5-methylbenzenesulfonyl)-1-(1,3,5-triazin-2-ylamino)guanidine derivatives: Inhibition of human carbonic anhydrase cytosolic isozymes I and II and the transmembrane tumor-associated isozymes IX and XII, anticancer activity, and molecular modeling studies
PublicationA series of novel 2-(2-arylmethylthio-4-chloro-5-methylbenzenesulfonyl)-1-(6-substituted-4-chloro-1,3,5-triazin-2-ylamino)guanidine derivatives 9–20 have been synthesized by substitution of chlorine atom at the 1,3,5-triazine ring in compounds 5–8 with 3- or 4-aminobenzenesulfonamide and 4-(aminomethyl)benzenesulfonamide hydrochloride. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory activity toward hCA I, II,...
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On the relationship between the structural and volumetric properties of solvated metal ions in O-donor solvents using new structural data in amide solvents
PublicationThe structures of the N,N-dimethylformamide (dmf), N,N-dimethylacetamide (dma), and N,N-dimethylpropionamide (dmp) solvated strontium and barium ions have been determined in solution using large angle X-ray scattering and EXAFS spectroscopy. The strontium ion has a mean coordination number (CN) between 6.2 and 6.8, and the barium ion has a mean CN between 7.1 and 7.8 in these amide solvents. The non-integer numbers indicates that...
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Preparation and characterization of dummy-template molecularly imprinted polymers as potential sorbents for the recognition of selected polybrominated diphenyl ethers
PublicationThe main aim of this work was to conduct the preliminary/basic research concerning the preparation process of a new dummy molecularly imprinted polymer (DMIP) materials. Developed DMIPs were proposed as a sorption material in solid-phase extraction (SPE) technique for recognition of selected low mass polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) e PBDE-47 and PBDE-99. Four new DMIPs were synthesized employing bulky polymerization technique...
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Solvation of ionic liquids based on N -methyl- N -alkylmorpholinium cations in N,N -dimethylformamide and N,N -dimethylacetamide – Volumetric and compressibility studies
PublicationDensity and sound velocity of the solutions of ionic liquids based on N-alkyl-N-methyl- morpholinium cations: N-ethyl- -methylmorpholinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, N-butyl-Nmethylmorpholinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, N-octyl-N-methyl -morpholinium bis(trifluor omethanesulfonyl)imide and N-decyl-N-methylmorpholinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide in N, N-dimethylformamide and N,N-dimethylacetamide were...
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Structural changes of water caused by non-electrolytes: Volumetric and compressibility approach for urea-like analogues
PublicationHydration of thiourea (TU), hydroxyurea (HU, hydroxycarbamide), acetone (AC, 2-propanone) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) has been investigated with the help of the volumetric and compression measurement. The apparent molar volumes and the apparent molar isentropic (adiabatic) compression have been calculated from the density and speed of sound data at temperatures ranging from 288.15 to 308.15 K at atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa)....
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Taurine as a water structure breaker and protein stabilizer
PublicationThe enhancing effect on the water structure has been confirmed for most of the osmolytes exhibiting both stabilizing and destabilizing properties in regard to proteins. The presented work concerns osmolytes, which should be classified as “structure breaking” solutes: taurine and N,N,N-trimethyltaurine (TMT). Here, we combine FTIR spectroscopy, DSC calorimetry and DFT calculations to gain an insight into the interactions between...
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The energy consumption during the birch tree sap concentration process using the reverse osmosis system
PublicationBirch tree sap was concentrated by mens of the reversed osmosis technique. The energy consumption in a small-scale pilot apparatus was estimated. The threshold value for the water removal above which the specific energy consumption significantly increased was identified. Below the threshold value the reversed osmosis had low energy demand and could be an attractive method for the production of birch tree sap-based beverages.
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The relationship between standard reduction potentials of catechins and biological activities involved in redox control
PublicationRedox homeostasis involves factors that ensure proper function of cells. The excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) leads to oxidative stress and increased risk of oxidative damage to cellular components. In contrast, upon reductive stress, insufficient ROS abundance may result in faulty cell signalling. It may be expected that dietary antioxidants, depending on their standard reduction potentials (E°), will affect both scenarios....
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The significance of the properties of water for the working cycle of the kinesin molecular motor
PublicationExplicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations were performed in this study to investigate and discuss several aspects of the influence of the properties of water on the working cycle of a molecular motor from the kinesin superfamily. The main objects of attention were: the binding of the neck linker and the association of the kinesin and the tubulin. The docking of the neck linker is considered a crucial event during the working...
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Unusual Influence of Fluorinated Anions on the Stretching Vibrations of Liquid Water
PublicationInfrared (IR) spectroscopy is a commonly used and invaluable tool in the studies of solvation phenomena in aqueous solutions. Concurrently, ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations deliver the solvation shell picture at a molecular detail level and allow for a consistent decomposition of the theoretical IR spectrum into underlying spatial correlations. Here, we demonstrate how the novel spectral decomposition techniques...
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Wpływ osmolitów na stabilność białek w oparciu o metodę dynamiki molekularnej
PublicationCelem niniejszej pracy było zbadanie molekularnego mechanizmu wpływu biologicznie znaczących związków, tzw. osmolitów na stabilność białek. Aby zweryfikować istniejące hipotezy i dostarczyć spójnego obrazu działania osmolitów na poziomie molekularnym, wykorzystano metodę dynamiki molekularnej do zasymulowania mechanicznej denaturacji modelowych białek – lizozymu i ubikwityny. W tym podejściu odtworzony został efekt stabilizujący...
Year 2017
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Characteristic of Morpholinium Ionic Liquids as Gas Chromatography Stationary Phases with McReynolds Constants and Activity Coefficients at Infinite Dilution
PublicationIn this work, four ionic liquids based on N-alkyl-N-methylmorpholinium cation ([Mor1,R] where R= 2, 4, 8, 10) and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide anion [TFSI] were synthesized. Using gas-liquid chromatography a number of parameters describing the sorption properties of the investigated ionic liquids were determined. The values of Kovats indices, McReynolds constants, and activity coefficients at infinite dilution were the basis...
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Dominant Pathways of Adenosyl Radical-Induced DNA Damage Revealed by QM/MM Metadynamics
PublicationBrominated nucleobases sensitize double stranded DNA to hydrated electrons, one of the dominant genotoxic species produced in hypoxic cancer cells during radiotherapy. Such radiosensitizers can therefore be administered locally to enhance treatment efficiency within the solid tumor while protecting the neighboring tissue. When a solvated electron attaches to 8-bromoadenosine, a potential sensitizer, the dissociation of bromide...
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Evaluation of Gas Chromatography Stationary Phases Based on Morpholinium Ionic Liquids by McReynolds Constants and Activity Coefficients at Infinite Dilution
PublicationIn this work, four ionic liquids (ILs) based on the N-alkyl-N-methylmorpholinium cation ([Mor1,R], in which R = 2, 4, 8, or 10) and bis (trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide anion were synthesized. Using GLC, a number of parameters describing the sorption properties of the investigated ILs were determined. The values of Kovats indices, McReynolds constants, and activity coefficients at infinite dilution were the basis for the evaluation...
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Excess molar volume and viscosity deviation for binary mixtures of gamma-butyrolactone with dimethyl sulfoxide
PublicationThe densities of binary liquid mixtures of dimethyl sulfoxide and gamma-butyrolactone at (293.15, 298.15, 303.15 and 313.15) K and viscosity at T=298.15 K have been measured at atmospheric pressure over theentire range of concentration. From these data the excess molar volumes VE at (293.15, 298.15, 303.15 and 313.15) K and the viscosity deviation, the excess entropy, and the excess Gibbs energy of activation for viscous flow at...
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How proteins bind to DNA: target discrimination and dynamic sequence search by the telomeric protein TRF1
PublicationTarget search as performed by DNA-binding proteins is a complex process, in which multiple factors contribute to both thermodynamic discrimination of the target sequence from overwhelmingly abundant off-target sites and kinetic acceleration of dynamic sequence interrogation. TRF1, the protein that binds to telomeric tandem repeats, faces an intriguing variant of the search problem where target sites are clustered within short fragments...
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How water mediates the long-range interactions between remote protein molecules
PublicationThe high crowding of macromolecules in the cytoplasm affects the processes that occur inside a living cell. It can, for example, promote the forming of various loosely connected structures of proteins. It also means that bulk water is, essentially, not present there. The relatively thin layer of solvent that separates macromolecules may be able to participate in the long-range interactions between them and make them respond to...
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Localization and Orientation of Xanthophylls in a Lipid Bilayer
PublicationXanthophylls (polar carotenoids) play diverse biological roles, among which are modulation of the physical properties of lipid membranes and protection of biomembranes against oxidative damage. Molecular mechanisms underlying these functions are intimately related to the localization and orientation of xanthophyll molecules in lipid membranes. In the present work, we address the problem of localization and orientation of two xanthophylls...
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Mechanochemical Energy Transduction during the Main Rotary Step in the Synthesis Cycle of F1-ATPase
PublicationF1-ATPase is a highly efficient molecular motor that can synthesize ATP driven by a mechanical torque. Its ability to function reversibly in either direction requires tight mechanochemical coupling between the catalytic domain and the rotating central shaft, as well as temporal control of substrate binding and product release. Despite great efforts and significant progress, the molecular details of this synchronized and fine-tuned...
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Prosty aparat wykorzystujący technologię osmozy odwróconej do zagęszczania rodzimego soku brzozowego
PublicationW pracy przedstawiono prosty aparat laboratoryjny wykorzystujący technikę osmozy odwróconej, przewidziany do zagęszczania wiosennego soku brzozowego. Wyznaczono punkt pracy urządzenia i przetestowano go na syntetycznym soku drzewnym. Dokonano trójetapowego zagęszczenia pięciu próbek soku naturalnego przy jednoczesnym monitorowaniu procesu. Uzyskano ponad trzykrotne zagęszczenie soku, co dało produkt finalny zawierający 3,7 % suchej...
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Przegląd technik stosowanych do pomiaru potencjału redoks
PublicationPotencjał oksydacyjno-redukcyjny (redoks) charakteryzuje właściwości danej pary redoks, czyli zdolność, jaką posiada substancja do oddawania bądź przyjmowania elektronów. W ostatnich latach pojęcie to zyskuje rosnące zainteresowanie wśród naukowców, zajmujących się stresem oksydacyjnym. Niniejsza praca stanowi przegląd wybranych technik stosowanych do pomiaru potencjału oksydacyjno-redukcyjnego: w tym miareczkowania potencjometrycznego...
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Role of the disulfide bond in stabilizing and folding of the fimbrial protein DraE from uropathogenic Escherichia coli
PublicationDr fimbriae are homopolymeric adhesive organelles of uropathogenic Escherichia coli composed of DraE subunits, responsible for the attachment to host cells. These structures are characterized by enormously high stability resulting from the structural properties of an Ig-like fold of DraE. One feature of DraE and other fimbrial subunits that makes them peculiar among Ig-like domain-containing proteins is a conserved disulfide bond...
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Solvation of ionic liquids based on N-alkyl-N-methylmorpholinium cations in N,N-dimethylformamide and dimethyl sulfoxide – A volumetric and acoustic study
PublicationApparent molar volumes and molar isentropic compressibilities for N-ethyl-N-methylmorpholinium and N-decyl-N-methylmorpholinium tetrafluoroborates in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) have been determined from density and speed of sound measurements over the temperature range T = (298.15, 303.15, 308.15, 313.15, 318.15 and 328.15) K at experimental pressure p = 0.1 MPa. This data has been used to calculate...
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The accretion of the new ice layer on the surface of hexagonal ice crystal and the influence of the local electric field on this process
PublicationThe process of creation of a new layer of ice on the basal plane and on the prism plane of a hexagonal ice crystal is analyzed. It is demonstrated that the ordering of water molecules in the already existing crystal affects the freezing. On the basal plane, when the orientations of water molecules in the ice block are random, the arrangement of the new layer in a cubic manner is observed more frequently — approximately 1.7 times...
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Unique agreement of experimental and computational infrared spectroscopy: a case study of lithium bromide solvation in an important electrochemical solvent
PublicationInfrared (IR) spectroscopy is a widely used and invaluable tool in the studies of solvation phenomena in electrolyte solutions. Using state-of-the-art chemometric analysis of a spectral series measured in a concentration-dependent manner, the spectrum of the solute-affected solvent can be extracted, providing a detailed view of the structural and energetic states of the solvent molecules influenced by the solute. Concurrently,...
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Visualizing spatially decomposed intermolecular correlations in the infrared spectra of aprotic liquids
PublicationInfrared (IR) spectroscopy is commonly used to study intermolecular interactions in the liquid phase, including solvation phenomena. On the other hand, ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations offer the possibility to obtain IR spectra from first principles. Surpassing the experiment, AIMD simulations can deliver additional information on the spatial intermolecular correlations underlying the IR spectrum of the liquid. Although...
Year 2016
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Anion–water interactions of weakly hydrated anions: molecular dynamics simulations of aqueous NaBF4 and NaPF6
PublicationIn aqueous ionic solutions, both the structure and the dynamics of water are altered dramatically with respect to the pure solvent. The emergence of novel experimental techniques makes these changes accessible to detailed investigations. At the same time, computational studies deliver unique possibilities for the interpretation of the experimental data at the molecular level. Here, using molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate...
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Apparent Molar Volumes and Isentropic Compressibilities of Tetraalkylammonium Bromides in Aqueous Propane-1,2-diol. An Attempt to Design Hydraulic Liquids
PublicationApparent molar volumes and apparent molar compressibilities for tetramethylammonium, tetraethylammonium, tetrapropylammonium, and tetrabutylammonium bromides in water, propane-1,2-diol, and water−propane-1,2-diol mixtures (mass fraction: 0.25, 0.50, and 0.75) have been determined from solution density measurements at T = 288.15, 293.15, 298.15, 303.15, 308.15, 313.15, and 318.15 K and sound velocity measurements at T = 298.15 K...
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Application of Ionic Liquids in Amperometric Gas Sensors
PublicationThis article presents an analysis of available literature data on metrological parameters of the amperometric gas sensors containing ionic liquids as an electrolyte. Four mechanism types of signal generation in amperometric sensors with ionic liquid are described. Moreover, this article describes the influence of selected physico-chemical properties of the ionic liquids on the metrological parameters of these sensors. Some metrological...
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Ciecze jonowe w technikach mikroekstrakcyjnych - cz. I. Struktura i właściwości fizykochemiczne
PublicationCiecze jonowe stanowią bradzo rozbudowaną grupę substancji, cechującą się ogromnym potencjałem zastosowania w różnych dziedzinach chemii.