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G de Petris

Publications and source records attributed to G de Petris.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Experimental detection of tetranitrogen.

Tetranitrogen (N4), which has been the subject of great theoretical interest, has been prepared from the N4+ cation and positively detected as a gaseous metastable molecule with a lifetime exceeding 1 microsecond in experiments based on neutralization-reionization mass spectrometry. An examination of the geometry of N4+ and the fragmentation pattern of the (14)N2(15)N2 neutral molecule has revealed that the latter is characterized by an open-chain geometry with two distinct, closely bound N2 units joined by a longer weaker bond.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

S3O, a new sulfur oxide identified in the gas phase.

S3O, a novel, linear sulfur oxide has been detected in the gas phase by means of neutralization reionization mass spectrometry; the upper limit of stability of acyclic forms of SnO oxides has been set by theoretical calculations.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

Gas-phase NO+ affinities.

A scale of relative gas-phase NO+ binding energies (BEs) has been constructed by evaluation of NO+-transfer equilibria LINO+ + L2 <==> L2NO+ + L1 by Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and by application of the kinetic method, based on the metastable fragmentation of L1(NO+)L2 nitryl-ion bound dimers. The relative scale, anchored to the NO+ affinity of water, for 52 ligands, including alkyl halides, alkyl nitrates, alcohols, nitroalkanes, nitriles, aldehydes, ketones, and aromatic and heterocyclic compounds, led to an absolute NO+ affinity scale. The results are compared with those of an earlier study, and the apparent discrepancies are traced to a different choice of the absolute BE value used as the reference standard. The NO+ BEs fit a satisfactorily linear correlation when plotted versus the corresponding proton affinities (PAs). The NO+ BEs, while much lower than the PAs, are nevertheless higher than the corresponding BEs of the strictly related NO2+ cation, a result consistent with the experimental and theoretical results currently available on the structure and the stability of NO+ and NO2+ complexes. The NO+ BE vs. PA correlation allows one to estimate within 1-2 kcal x mol(-1) the NO+ BE of the molecules included in the comprehensive PA compilations currently available. For example, the correlation gives the following NO+ affinities of the DNA bases, in kcal x mol(-1) (1 kcal = 4.18 kJ): adenine, 40.3; cytosine, 40.4; guanine, 40.1; and thymine, 34.9. The experimental NO+ BE of thymine, the only one accessible to direct measurement, amounts to 35.6 +/- 2 kcal x mol(-1), which underlines the predictive value of the correlation. This study reports the second successful extension of the kinetic method to the evaluation of the absolute BEs of polyatomic cations, following our recent application to the strictly related NO2+ ion.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1995

Gas-phase nitronium ion affinities.

Evaluation of nitronium ion-transfer equilibria, L1NO2+ + L2 = L2NO2+ + L1 (where L1 and L2 are ligands 1 and 2, respectively) by Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and application of the kinetic method, based on the metastable fragmentation of L1(NO2+)L2 nitronium ion-bound dimers led to a scale of relative gas-phase nitronium ion affinities. This scale, calibrated to a recent literature value for the NO2+ affinity of water, led for 18 ligands, including methanol, ammonia, representative ketones, nitriles, and nitroalkanes, to absolute NO2+ affinities, that fit a reasonably linear general correlation when plotted vs. the corresponding proton affinities (PAs). The slope of the plot depends to a certain extent on the specific nature of the ligands and, hence, the correlations between the NO2+ affinities, and the PAs of a given class of compounds display a better linearity than the general correlation and may afford a useful tool for predicting the NO2+ affinity of a molecule based on its PA. The NO2+ binding energies are considerably lower than the corresponding PAs and well below the binding energies of related polyatomic cations, such as NO+, a trend consistent with the available theoretical results on the structure and the stability of simple NO2+ complexes. The present study reports an example of extension of the kinetic method to dimers, such as L1(NO2+)L2, bound by polyatomic ions, which may considerably widen its scope. Finally, measurement of the NO2+ affinity of ammonia allowed evaluation of the otherwise inaccessible PA of the amino group of nitramide and, hence, direct experimental verification of previous theoretical estimates.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

Distinct muscarinic receptors and signal transduction pathways in gallbladder muscle.

Acetylcholine (ACh) caused a dose-dependent contraction of gallbladder muscle cells in either a normal (1.9 mM) Ca2+, zero-Ca2+ or 4 mM Sr2+ medium, with a maximal contraction about 21 +/- 1% at 10(-6) M. Pirenzepine, methoctramine and p-fluoro-hexahydro-sila-difenidol (the M1, M2 and M3 antagonist, respectively) alone had no inhibitory effect on ACh-induced contraction in normal Ca2+ medium, which was blocked by the combination of methoctramine and p-F-HHSiD. In the 4 mM Sr2+ medium, methoctramine dose dependently inhibited ACh-induced contraction and shifted the ACh dose-response curve to the right. The contraction induced by ACh was further blocked by 10(-4) M propranolol (phosphatidic acid phosphohydrolase inhibitor that prevents the production of diacylglycerol from phospholipase D activation), 10(-5) M H-7 and chelerythrine (the protein kinase C inhibitors) by 64%, 75% and 77%, respectively. In contrast, in the zero-Ca2+ medium, p-fluoro-hexahydro-sila-difenidol dose-dependently inhibited ACh-induced contraction and shifted the ACh dose-response curve to the right. The action of ACh was further blocked by 10(-6) M U-73122 (phospholipase C inhibitor) and 10(-5) M CGS 9343B (calmodulin antagonist) by 95% and 77%, respectively. In conclusion, ACh contracts the gallbladder muscle by stimulating the M2 and M3 muscarinic receptors. The M2 receptors are linked to Ca2+ influx, activation of phospholipase D and protein kinase C-dependent pathway, whereas the M3 receptors are preferentially associated with the activation of phospholipase C, intracellular Ca2+ release and calmodulin-dependent pathway.

Acetylcholine↗