Mercury ion (Hg2+) is recognized as one of the most toxic metal ions for the environment and for human health. Techniques utilized in the detection of Hg2+ are an important factor. Herein, a simple thymine was successfully employed as the surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy sensor for Hg2+ ion detection. The limit of detection (LOD) of the developed sensor is better than 0.1 nM (0.02 ppb). This...

While it is evident that a metal ion in aqueous solution interacts electrostatically with water molecules and the anions present in the solution, it is equally apparent that often the metal ion chemically combines with varying numbers of ions or molecules to form complex species. This tendency towards coordination complexing is observed most often with the transition metals and results in a ser...

By utilizing different coordination properties of a lanthanide ion and a transition metal ion, a heterometallo-supramolecular polymer with Eu(III) and Fe(II) ions introduced alternately (polyEuFe) was precisely prepared via stepwise complexation of the metal ions to a new unsymmetrical ligand with both a dicarboxylate-substituted terpyridine and an unsubstituted terpyridine. The polymer showed ...

Transition metal oxides display various electronic and magnetic phases such as high-temperature superconductivity. Controlling such exotic properties by applying an external field is one of the biggest continuous challenges in condensed matter physics. Here, we demonstrate clear superconductor-insulator transition of LiTi2O4 films induced by Li-ion electrochemical reaction. A compact electroche...

In two-metal catalysis, metal ion A has been proposed to activate the nucleophile and metal ion B to stabilize the transition state. We recently reported crystal structures of RNase H-RNA/DNA substrate complexes obtained at 1.5-2.2 Angstroms. We have now determined and report here structures of reaction intermediate and product complexes of RNase H at 1.65-1.85 Angstroms. The movement of the tw...

The encapsulation behaviour and the resulting transition metal ion sensing capabilities of a 5-arm star-shaped polymer bearing terpyridine ligands on its periphery are described.

Attachment of three different fluorophores to an aza-oxa cryptand (L) gives a transition-metal ion induced two-step fluorescence resonance energy transfer system.

The hairpin ribozyme comprises two formally unpaired loops carried on two arms of a four-way helical RNA junction. Addition of divalent metal ions brings about a conformational transition into an antiparallel structure in which there is an intimate association between the loops to generate the active form of the ribozyme. In this study, we have used fluorescence resonance energy transfer to ana...

The U6 RNA intramolecular stem-loop (ISL) is a conserved component of the spliceosome, and contains an essential metal ion binding site centered between a protonated adenine, A79, and U80. Correlated with protonation of A79, U80 undergoes a base-flipping conformational change accompanied by significant helical movement. We have investigated the dynamics of the U6 ISL by analyzing the power depe...