Bonding mixed polycations

Kobayashi J, Anson FC (1991) Association of electroactive counterions with polyelectrolytes. 2. Comparison of electrostatic and coordinative bonding to a mixed polycation-polypyridine. J Phys Chem 95 2595-2601... 

Prior to any work on heteroatom clusters the notion was expressed (20) that heteroatom placement within the polyatomic clusters would lead to a decrease In delocalization and bonding and thence stability. Although this may lessen stability the substitution clearly does not preclude It. Furthermore, many of the likely polyhedra already have Inequlvalent atom positions, the 5, 7, 9 and 10 atom examples already considered here for example, and mixed species especially with elements from different groups may be quite stable within the discrimination provided by Inequlvalent positions. Even the nominally equivalent atom positions In a tetrahedron can obviously accommodate substantial differences. Additional examples of mixed element polycations are certainly to be expected. An Inadequate foresight was revealed In a review of polycations (20) written for a 1974 award symposium, about one year before the crypt discoveries, by the expectation that polycations should be more stable than polyanions for the metallic elements. In hindsight, metallic behavior Is a property of the dense solid state and has little to do with the stability of small clusters where electronic and geometric factors are far more important. 

Early experiments showed that a transferrin-polycation complex transported bacterial DNA into cells [12]. Ions are taken up by cells as an iron-transferrin complex by receptor-mediated endocytosis. Protamine or poly-lysine ligated by disulfide bonds to transferring and mixed with a lu-ciferase-encoding plasmid may bind the DNA because of the cationic properties of the complex [12]. Subsequently, avian ery-throblasts and human K-562 cells were incubated with the transferrin-polycation peptide-DNA complex, and the complexes were recognized and transported into the cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis and taken up into endosome-Hke intracellular vesicles [12]. Treatment with chloroquine (an agent that affects the endosomal pH) enhanced the uptake considerably. In contrast to other transfection methods, the transfection of cells with transferrin-mediated endocytosis did not cause significant cell death, because of the physiologi-... 

The gegenions can be mono-, bi-, or polyvalent, so that, theoretically, macrogegenions should also exist. However, if polyanions and polycations are mixed at a finite concentration, intermolecular salt bonds are formed before complete ionic dissociation can be achieved. A cross-linked network results, and the substance becomes insoluble. Conversely, it is to be expected that small concentrations of polyelectrolytes with monovalent gegenions are particularly soluble in water. 

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