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Zhiwu Yu

Publications and source records attributed to Zhiwu Yu.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Phase diagram of stigmasterol-dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine mixtures dispersed in excess water.

As a simple model of rafts in plant cells, the effect of stigmasterol, one of the predominant sterols in plant plasma membranes, on the phase behavior of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) multilayers has been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and freeze-fracture electron microscopy (FFEM) techniques. A partial phase diagram of the binary system has been constructed. Particularly, the stigmasterol concentrations of the "left endpoint" and "right endpoint" of the three-phase line have been determined using the newly developed linear and nonlinear fitting method. They are 6.2 and 23.7 mol%, respectively. Furthermore, the resemblance and difference of phase diagrams of DPPC/stigmasterol, DPPC/cholesterol, and DPPC/ergosterol have been compared and the efficiency of these sterols in promoting the formation of the liquid-ordered domains (rafts) have also been discussed.

1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine↗
PubMed2006

The role of methyl groups in the formation of hydrogen bond in DMSO-methanol mixtures.

When examining the formation energetics of a hydrogen-bonded complex R-X-H...Y-R', focus has been almost always on the atoms directly involved, namely the atoms X, Y, and H. Little attention has been paid to the effects of the secondary alkyl groups R and R'. Taking dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-methanol binary system as an example, we have studied the roles of the alkyl groups in stabilizing the hydrogen bonds by employing FTIR and NMR techniques and quantum chemical calculations. We found that methyl groups play different roles in response to the hydrogen-bonding interactions. The methyl groups of DMSO are electron-donating, whereas that of methanol is electron-withdrawing, both making positive contributions. The findings reveal non-negligible effects of secondary alkyl groups in hydrogen bonding interaction and may shed light on the understanding of other more complicated hydrogen-bonded systems in chemical and biological systems.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Crystal structures and spectroscopic characterization of galactitol complexes of trivalent lanthanide and divalent alkaline earth chlorides.

Crystal structures and FT-IR spectra of metal ion-galactitol (C6H14O6, the ligand here abbreviated as L) complexes: 2LaCl3*C6H14O6*10H2O and SrCl2*C6H14O6 complexes are reported. Crystal data of lanthanide chlorides (La3+, Nd3+, Sm3+, Eu3+, Tb3+)-galactitol complexes and alkaline earth chlorides (Ca2+, Sr2+)-galactitol complexes published earlier are summarized. Unlike other lanthanide ion-galactitol complexes (2MCl3*C6H14O6*14H2O), lanthanum ions give rise to two different structures: LaCl3*C6H14O6*6H2O (LaL1) and 2LaCl3*C6H14O6*10H2O (LaL2). Sr2+-galactitol complexes also crystallized with two structures: SrCl2*C6H14O6*4H2O (SrL1) and SrCl2*C6H14O6 (SrL2). These metal ions thus give different coordination structures with galactitol. The crystal structures and FT-IR spectra of lanthanide ion and alkaline earth ion-galactitol complexes were integrated to interpret the coordination modes of different metal ions. Similar IR spectra demonstrate the same coordination modes of the complexes.

Crystallization↗
PubMed2005

New, rapid fluorescence stain method for histologic sections using lanthanide complexes.

A new stain method for histologic sections different from traditional hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) methodology used two newly developed stain reagents from the lanthanide series, the antibiotic ofloxacin chelate of europium(III) and the ciprofloxacin hydrochloride chelate of terbium(III), exhibiting excellent fluorescence. These complexes are unique due to their nontoxicity, attractive fluorescent properties, rapid staining, and high water solubility. In this article, we focus on the interactions between biomolecules and synthesized lanthanide complexes and on the staining effect applied for tissue staining.

Ciprofloxacin↗