Photophysical properties of 5-hydroxyflavone

To investigate the role of the excited triplet state in the deactivation process of 5-hydroxyflavone (5HF), the photophysical process of 5HF was studied by transient absorption, phosphorescence spectroscopies, and semiempirical calculations. The triplet–triplet absorption (T–T) spectra of 5HF and 5-methoxyflavone (5MF) were observed upon direct and triplet-sensitized excitation. The T–T spectrum of 5HF (λ_max=350 nm, τ_T=2.8 μs) was different from that of 5MF (λ_max=360 nm, τ_T=6.8 μs). Estimations of the triplet energies of 5HF and 5MF by quenching experiments, phosphorescence, and semiempirical (PM3/CI4) calculation revealed that 5HF underwent an intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer and formed the tautomer in the excited triplet state. The triplet energy of the normal form of 5HF was 260 kJ mol⁻¹, while that of the tautomer form (5HF′) was 197 kJ mol⁻¹. The triplet energy of 5MF, the model compound of the normal form of 5HF, was 261 kJ mol⁻¹. The PM3/CI4 calculation supported the experimental observations and suggested that the most stable conformer in the triplet state of 5HF is the tautomer form.     

Jahn–Teller coupling and the influence of strain in Tg and Eg ground and excited states – A ligand field and DFT study on halide MIIIX6 model complexes [M = TiIII–CuIII; X = F−, Cl−]

In contrast to well established experimental results of vibronic coupling effects in octahedral dⁿ complexes with E_g ground states (Cu²⁺, Ag²⁺; Cr²⁺, Mn³⁺ etc.), not much useful material is available for the Jahn–Teller (JT) effect in orbital triplet ground states. The present study is concerned with this deficiency, providing data for octahedral halide model complexes with 3dⁿ cations – in particular for Ti^III, V^III and high-spin Co^III, Ni^III with T_2g and T_1g ground states, which involve, to first-order, solely splitting of the π-antibonding t_2g MOs. Besides experimental results – structural and spectroscopic, mainly from d–d spectra – data from computations are needed for a quantitative treatment of the T_g ? (?_g + τ_2g) vibronic interaction as well as in the E_g ? ?_g coupling case (Mn^III, low-spin Ni^III); DFT was the method of choice, if only critically selected outcomes are utilised. The theoretical bases of the treatment are the dⁿ ligand field matrices in O_h, extended by the inclusion of lower-symmetry distortion parameters, and the conventional theory of vibronic coupling. Caution is needed when classifying the effects of interelectronic repulsion; DFT does not reproduce the magnitudes of the Racah parameters B, C, as deduced from the d–d spectra, properly – the presumed reasons are analysed. DFT even allows one to deduce reliable vibronic coupling constants via the analysis of orbitally degenerate excited states (Cr^III, ⁴A_2g ground state). The group-theoretical analysis of the interaction with the JT-active ?_g and τ_2g modes yields D_4h, D_3d and D_2h as the possible distortion symmetries in the case of a T_g ground state. The DFT-calculations give clear evidence, that the D_4h stationary points represent the absolute minima in the T_g ? (?_g + τ_2g) potential surface – in agreement with experiment, where available. For the first time, vibronic coupling constants, characterising JT splitting of ground and excited T_g states, can be presented for trivalent 3dⁿ cations in octahedral halide ligand fields. They turn out to be smaller by a factor of almost 3 in comparison to those, which determine the coupling in σ-antibonding e_g MOs.The tetragonal splitting of T_g states is typically only small, around 0.1 eV, and suggests that strain influences from a specific ligand arrangement and/or the presence of different ligands may modify the potential surface considerably. We have studied such effects via compounds A^IM^IIIF₄, where an elastic strain induced by the host structure, and a binding strain, due to the simultaneous existence of (largely) terminal and of bridging ligands, are active. A novel strain model, in its interplay with JT coupling, is proposed and applied – using energies from the d–d spectra, structural results and data from DFT.Chloride complexes are only known for Ti^III to Fe^III; the rather small electronegativity already of Co^III suggests a reducing ligand-to-metal (3dⁿ) electron transfer for n ≥ 6. Similarly, the low-lying ligand-to-metal charge transfer bands in the d–d spectra of the Cu^IIIF₆^3? complex and the reduced T_g ? ?_g coupling strength suggest a pronounced covalency of the Cu^III–F, and, even more distinctly, of the Cu^III–O bond, which is of interest for superconductivity. The Ni^IIIF₆^3? polyhedron possesses a low-spin configuration in the elpasolite structure. The spectroscopic evidence and the DFT data indicate, that the minimum positions of the alternative _a²A_1g(_a²E_g) and _a⁴A_2g (_a⁴T_1g) potential curves are only ≤0.02 eV apart, giving rise to interesting high-spin/low-spin phenomena. It is the strong E_g ? ?_g as compared to the T_1g ? ?_g coupling, which finally stabilises a spin-doublet ground state in D_4h.We think, that the selected class of solids is unique particularly for the study of Jahn–Teller coupling in T ground states, with model character for other systems. In our overview a procedure is sketched, which uses reliable computational results (here from DFT) for supplementing incomplete experimental data, and presents – on a semiquantitative scale – convincing statements, consistent with chemical intuition. It is also a pleading for ligand field theory, which rationalises d-d spectra in terms of chemical bonding; though the latter spectra provide frequently only rather coarse information, their assistance in the energy analysis is crucial.     

Vibrational and electronic properties of single-walled and double-walled boron nitride nanotubes

We calculated IR, nonresonance Raman spectra and vertical electronic transitions of the zigzag single-walled and double-walled boron nitride nanotubes ((0,n)-SWBNNTs and (0,n)@(0,2n)-DWBNNTs). In the low frequency range below 600 cm⁻¹, the calculated Raman spectra of the nanotubes showed that RBMs (radial breathing modes) are strongly diameter-dependent, and in addition the RBMs of the DWBNNTs are blue-shifted reference to their corresponding one in the Raman spectra of the isolated (0,n)-SWBNNTs. In the high frequency range above ∼1200 cm⁻¹, two proximate Raman features with symmetries of the A_1g (∼1355 ± 10 cm⁻¹) and E_2g (∼1330 ± 25 cm⁻¹) first increase in frequency then approach a constant value of ∼1365 and ∼1356 cm⁻¹, respectively, with increasing tubes’ diameter, which is in excellent agreement with experimental observations. The calculated IR spectra exhibited IR features in the range of 1200–1550 cm⁻¹ and in mid-frequency region are consistent with experiments. The calculated dipole allowed singlet–singlet and triplet–triplet electronic transitions suggesting a charge transfer process between the outer- and inner-shells of the DWBNNTs as well as, upon irradiation, the possibility of a system that can undergo internal conversion (IC) and intersystem crossing (ISC) processes, besides the photochemical and other photophysical processes.     

The state energy and the displacements of the potential minima of the 2Ag− state in all-trans-β-carotene as determined by fluorescence spectroscopy

The fluorescence spectrum of all-trans-β-carotene was recorded at 170 K. The 1B_u⁺ → 1A_g⁻ fluorescence exhibited clear vibrational structures constituting a mirror image with those of the 1B_u⁺ ← 1A_g⁻ absorption, and the deconvolution of the entire spectrum identified the 2A_g⁻(0) → 1A_g⁻(0) transition at 14 500 cm⁻¹. The displacements of the 1B_u⁺ and 2A_g⁻ potential minima along ν₁ and ν₂ (the CC stretching and C–C stretching normal coordinates, respectively) were determined to be 1.2 and 0.9, and 1.6 and 1.5, respectively. Thus, much larger potential displacements in the 2A_g⁻ state than in the 1Bu⁺ state have been shown.     

VO2 nano-sheet negative electrodes for lithium-ion batteries

Vanadium dioxide (VO₂) nano-sheets were directly synthesized via a continuous hydrothermal process and were investigated as electrodes in a wide potential range of 0.05–3 V vs. Li/Li⁺. The nano-sheets showed excellent capacity retention, with a specific capacity of 350 mAh g^− 1 at an applied current of 0.1 A g^− 1 and 95 mAh g^− 1 at 10 A g^− 1. Further electrochemical testing suggested that a significant proportion of the charge storage in the cells was due to pseudocapacitive processes.     

Coupled chemoenzymatic transfer hydrogenation catalysis for enantioselective reduction and oxidation reactions

Stereoselective reductions of prochiral ketones were performed using a new thermophilic, NAD-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase from Thermus sp. (TADH). The enzyme was produced on 2L-scale from recombinant Escherichia coli and purified by a simple, one-step heat treatment procedure yielding 220 mg of pure enzyme. Regeneration of NADH was catalyzed by the organometallic complex [Cp*Rh(bpy)(H₂O)]²⁺ using formate as a reducing agent. The catalytic performance of [Cp*Rh(bpy)(H₂O)]²⁺ in terms of total number of catalytic cycles and number of catalytic cycles per hour achieved herein (up to 1500 and more than 400 h⁻¹, respectively), are the highest reported for a non-enzymatic nicotinamide regeneration system so far. Chemoenzymatic reduction reactions in a two liquid phase setup were performed on a gramme-scale, for example, 1.3 g of enantiopure (1S,3S)-3-methylcyclohexanol was obtained after purification. The volumetric productivity reached up to 3.9 mM h⁻¹ with an average of 2.6 mM h⁻¹ (5.3 g L⁻¹ d⁻¹) over 10 h. In addition, chemoenzymatic oxidations utilizing the same catalyst set and molecular oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor were performed. Thus, the preparative value of chemoenzymatic transfer hydrogenations with [Cp*Rh(bpy)(H₂O)]²⁺ as a regeneration catalyst coupled especially to thermophilic ADHs was demonstrated.     

The role of spin states of dimethylgermylene in photoinduced processes

A joint consideration of the previous references and our own data has pointed to the possibility of the appearance of both S₀ and T₁ spin states of Me₂Ge: in photoinduced processes. The absorption band at 430 nm should be attributed to the ground S₀ state of Me₂Ge:, and the absorption band at 480 nm should relate to the excited T₁ state of Me₂Ge:. In addition, the rate constants of addition to multiple bonds amount to 10⁴–10⁷ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for the singlet particles and ∼10¹⁰ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ (diffusion controlled) for the triplet particles, respectively.     

A time-resolved study of the multiphase chemistry of excited carbonyls: Imidazole-2-carboxaldehyde and halides

Imidazole-2-carboxaldehyde (IC) reactivity in the presence of halide anions (Cl^–, Br^–, I^–) has been studied by laser flash photolysis in aqueous solution at room temperature. The absorption spectrum of the triplet state of IC has been measured with a maximum absorption at 330 nm and a weaker absorption band around 650 nm. Iodide anions proved to be efficient quenchers of the triplet state IC, with a rate coefficient k_q of (5.33 ± 0.25) × 10⁹ M⁻¹ s⁻¹. Quenching by bromide and chloride anions was less efficient, with k_q values of (6.27 ± 0.53) × 10⁶ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ and (1.31 ± 0.16) × 10⁵ M⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively. The halide (X^–) quenches the triplet state; the resulting transient absorption feature matches that of the corresponding radical anion (X₂^–). We suggest that this type of quenching reactions is a driving force of oxidation reactions in the oceanic surface microlayer (SML) and a source of halogen atoms in the atmosphere.     

Efficient synthesis of an ε-hydroxy ester in a space–time yield of 1580 g L−1 d−1 by a newly identified reductase RhCR

A new NADH-dependent carbonyl reductase RhCR capable of efficiently reducing the ε-ketoester ethyl 8-chloro-6-oxooctanoate (ECOO) to give ethyl (S)-8-chloro-6-hydroxyoctanoate [(S)-ECHO], an important chiral precursor for the synthesis of (R)-α-lipoic acid, was identified from Rhodococcus sp. ECU1014. Using recombinant Escherichia coli cells expressing RhCR and glucose dehydrogenase used for the regeneration of cofactor, 440 g L⁻¹ (2 M) of ECOO were stoichiometrically converted to (S)-ECHO in a space–time yield of 1580 g L⁻¹ d⁻¹ without the external addition of any expensive cofactor.     

Stable iminonitroxide biradicals: Building blocks for organic heterospin,heteromolecular complexes

A stable cationic biradical has been designed and synthesized, and its magnetic property and crystal structure have been examined. An iminonitroxide derivative of 3,5-disubstituted pyridine (1) with a triplet ground state has been cationized by a reaction with methyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (MeTfO), which gave a salt of N-methylated pyridinium 2⁺, 2⁺ · TfO⁻. The ground state of the cation 2⁺ has been found to be triplet with 2J/k_B = 7.5 K from magnetic susceptibility measurements for 2⁺ · TfO⁻ in a magnetically diluted organic matrix. The magnetic susceptibility of neat crystalline solids of 2⁺ · TfO⁻ has been explained by an exchange coupling model based on the X-ray crystal structure. It is well known that the energy preference for a high-spin ground state for a m-phenylene coupling unit is disturbed by heteroatomic substitution and an ionic charge. The present experimental results show that the high-spin preference in 1 is little affected by the ionic charge in 2⁺. The ground-state triplet biradical serves as building blocks for molecule-based magnets of S > 1/2 of molecular assemblages based on electrostatic interactions between molecular ions.     

Thermodynamic properties of Na2Ti6O13 and Na2Ti3O7: electrochemical and calorimetric determination

Standard values of Gibbs free energy, entropy, and enthalpy of Na₂Ti₆O₁₃ and Na₂Ti₃O₇ were determined by evaluating emf-measurements of thermodynamically defined solid state electrochemical cells based on a Na–β″-alumina electrolyte. The central part of the anodic half cell consisted of Na₂CO₃, while two appropriate coexisting phases of the ternary system Na–Ti–O are used as cathodic materials. The cell was placed in an atmosphere containing CO₂ and O₂. By combining the results of emf-measurements in the temperature range of 573⩽T/K⩽1023 and of adiabatic calorimetric measurements of the heat capacities in the low-temperature region 15⩽T/K⩽300, the thermodynamic data were determined for a wide temperature range of 15⩽T/K⩽1100. The standard molar enthalpy of formation and standard molar entropy at T=298.15 K as determined by emf-measurements are Δ_fH_m⁰=(−6277.9±6.5) kJ · mol⁻¹ and S_m⁰=(404.6±5.3) J · mol⁻¹ · K⁻¹ for Na₂Ti₆O₁₃ and Δ_fH_m⁰=(−3459.2±3.8) kJ · mol⁻¹ and S_m⁰=(227.8±3.7) J · mol⁻¹ · K⁻¹ for Na₂Ti₃O₇. The standard molar entropy at T=298.15 K obtained from low-temperature calorimetry is S_m⁰=399.7 J · mol⁻¹ · K⁻¹ and S_m⁰=229.4 J · mol⁻¹ · K⁻¹ for Na₂Ti₆O₁₃ and Na₂Ti₃O₇, respectively. The phase widths with respect to Na₂O content were studied by using a Na₂O-titration technique.     

Short chain lead (II) alkanoates as ionic liquids and glass formers: A d.s.c., X-ray diffraction and FTIR spectroscopy study

Three members of the lead (II) n-alkanoates (from etanoate to n-butanoate) have been synthesized, purified and studied by d.s.c., X-ray diffraction, and FTIR spectroscopy. Lead (II) acetate, propanoate, and butanoate present only a melting transition at T = (452.6, 398.2, and 346.5) K, with Δ_fH = (16.0, 13.1, and 15.6) kJ · mol⁻¹, and Δ_fS = (35.3, 32.8, and 45.1) J · mol⁻¹ · K⁻¹, respectively. These temperature data correct to a great extent the historical values reported in the literature. These three members readily quench into a glass state. Their corresponding T_g values are (314.4, 289.0, and 274.9) K, respectively, measured by d.s.c. at a heating rate of 5 K · min⁻¹.     

Magnetic and theoretical characterization of a ferromagnetic Mn(III) dimer

Reaction of 1,1,1-tris(hydroxymethyl)ethane (H₃thme) with the complex [Mn₂O₂(bpy)₄](ClO₄)₃ produces the dimeric species [Mn₂(Hthme)₂(bpy)₂](ClO₄)₂ in high yield. Magnetic measurements in the temperature range 1.8–300 K and in fields up to 7 T reveal weak ferromagnetic exchange between the metal centres with J = +2.13 cm⁻¹. A fit of the magnetization data, assuming only the ground state is populated, gives S = 4, g = 1.71 and D = −0.65 cm⁻¹. Low temperature single crystal measurements suggest the co-existence of SMM behaviour and strong intermolecular interactions. Density functional calculations also support a weak exchange interaction between the Mn ions.     

Investigation of anharmonicity in rotational phonon mode for BaWO4 crystal

Spontaneous Raman spectra in the BaWO₄ were measured in the temperature range from 4 K to 280 K, and the temperature dependence of the linewidth of the A_g (191 cm⁻¹) Raman mode was analyzed using the lattice dynamical perturbative approach and one-phonon density of states (PDOS). The linewidth slope for the 191 cm⁻¹ peak for an external mode is 7.2 times larger than that for the 926 cm⁻¹ peak for a breathing mode. The different behaviors of these two modes in the case of temperature broadening could be attributed to the large energy band gap in the one-phonon density of states (PDOS) resulting in different anharmonic interactions. The origin may be that the ratio of up-conversion TDOS to down-conversion TDOS for Eg mode (191 cm⁻¹) is more than that for A_g (926 cm⁻¹). The peak of the Eg mode (191 cm⁻¹) is attributed to the coupling mode both a rotation of the Barium and an out-of-phase rotation of the oxygen in x–y plane as a librational mode.     

Photo- and chemically-produced phylloquinone biradicals: EPR and ENDOR study

Phylloquinone biradical triplet species were generated by 300 nm irradiation of frozen (77 K) solutions or by treatment with AlCl₃. The shape of the (Δm_s=1) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal of the triplet is axially symmetric (E=0) with D=19±0.5 mT for photo-induced and D=11.2±0.5 mT for chemically induced radicals. A half-field signal (Δm_s=2) in the region of g≈4 was detected in both cases, confirming its assignment as a triplet. An additional line arising at the center of the (Δm_s=1) signal with g=2.0048±0.0002 was assigned to the phylloquinone radical anion (PhQ⁻). Electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) measurements of the triplet revealed the sign of the D parameter. For photo-generated radicals it appeared to be negative, which is the characteristic of radical dimers with well-separated partners (biradicals). Spin–spin distances of 5.3 and 6.3 Å, respectively, were estimated from the D parameter of photo-generated and chemically prepared phylloquinone biradicals.     

Diffusion of ferrocene methanol in super-cooled aqueous solutions using cylindrical microelectrodes

The diffusion of ferrocene methanol in super-cooled aqueous solutions containing sucrose has been studied, using disk and cylindrical microelectrodes, over a wide viscosity range. The solution viscosity and the reduced temperature T/T_g (T_g being the glass transition temperature) were varied by changing the sucrose concentration and the temperature of the system. The voltammetric limiting current obtained with a disk microelectrode and the i(t) response on a cylindrical microelectrode after a potential step were used to determine diffusion coefficients from 7 × 10⁻⁶ cm² s⁻¹ down to 2 × 10⁻¹¹ cm² s⁻¹. The electrochemical procedure described in this work allows a simple and accurate measurement of the dynamics of electroactive solutes in glass-forming liquids.     

Electronic structure and Raman spectroscopy study of dibarium magnesium orthoborate,Ba2Mg(BO3)2

The samples of dibarium magnesium orthoborate Ba₂Mg(BO₃)₂ were synthesized by solid-state reaction. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and Raman spectra of the samples were collected. Electronic structure and vibrational spectroscopy of Ba₂Mg(BO₃)₂ were systematically investigated by first principle calculation. A direct band gap of 4.4 eV was obtained from the calculated electronic structure results. The top valence band is constructed from O 2p states and the low conduction band mainly consists of Ba 5d states. Raman spectra for Ba₂Mg(BO₃)₂ polycrystalline were obtained at ambient temperature. The factor group analysis results show the total lattice modes are 5E_u + 4A_2u + 5E_g + 4A_1g + 1A_2g + 1A_1u, of which 5E_g + 4A_1g are Raman-active. Furthermore, we obtained the Raman active vibrational modes as well as their eigenfrequencies using first-principle calculation. With the assistance of the first-principle calculation and factor group analysis results, Raman bands of Ba₂Mg(BO₃)₂ were assigned as E_g (42 cm⁻¹), A_1g (85 cm⁻¹), E_g (156 cm⁻¹), E_g (237 cm⁻¹), A_1g (286 cm⁻¹), E_g (564 cm⁻¹), A_1g (761 cm⁻¹), A_1g (909 cm⁻¹), E_g (1165 cm⁻¹). The strongest band at 928 cm⁻¹ in the experimental spectrum is assigned to totally symmetric stretching mode of the BO₃ units.     

The standard molar enthalpy of sublimation ofη5-bis-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl iron measured with an electrically calibrated vacuum-drop sublimation microcalorimetric apparatus

A heat-flow Calvet microcalorimeter was adapted for the measurement of sublimation enthalpies by the vacuum-drop method, with samples of masses in the range 1 mg to 5 mg. The electrically calibrated apparatus was tested by determining the enthalpies of sublimation of benzoic acid and ferrocene, at T =  298.15 K. The obtained results, Δ_cr^gH_m^o(C₇H₆O₂)  =  (88.3  ±  0.5)kJ · mol ^− 1and Δ_cr^gH_m^o(C₁₀H₁₀Fe) =  (73.3  ±  0.1)kJ · mol ^− 1, are in excellent agreement with the corresponding values recommended in the literature. Subsequent application of the apparatus to the determination of the enthalpy of sublimation of η⁵-bis-pentamethylcyclopentadyenyl iron, at T =  298.15 K, led to Δ_cr^gH_m^o(C₂₀H₃₀Fe)  =  (96.8  ±  0.6)kJ · mol ^− 1.     

Enhanced electrochemical performance of carbon-coated TiO2 nanobarbed fibers as anode material for lithium-ion batteries

We report the electrochemical performance of carbon-coated TiO₂ nanobarbed fibers (TiO₂@C NBFs) as anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The TiO₂@C NBFs are composed of TiO₂ nanorods grown on TiO₂ nanofibers as a core, coated with a carbon shell. These nanostructures form a conductive network showing high capacity and C-rate performance due to fast lithium-ion diffusion and effective electron transfer. The TiO₂@C NBFs show a specific reversible capacity of approximately 170 mAh g^− 1 after 200 cycles at a 0.5 A g^− 1 current density, and exhibit a discharge rate capability of 4 A g^− 1 while retaining a capacity of about 70 mAh g^− 1. The uniformly coated amorphous carbon layer plays an important role to improve the electrical conductivity during the lithiation–delithiation process.     

Theoretical study of the external heavy atom effect on phosphorescence of free-base porphin molecule

The radiative lifetime of phosphorescence of free-base porphin (H2P) molecule and its complexes with noble-gas atoms are calculated by time-dependent density functions theory (TD DFT) with quadratic response functions for account of spin-orbit coupling and electric dipole activity. The complexes with Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe are used to simulate the external heavy atom (EHA) effect on phosphorescence of the H2P molecule in the corresponding noble gas matrices. The B3LYP functional and small basis set (3-21G) are used throughout the study and comparison of all complexes but other basis sets are also utilized to support the chosen approach. A slow radiative rate constant of free-base porphin phosphorescence (about 10(-3) s(-1)) is obtained with all basis sets being in the order of magnitude agreement with experimental estimations. A strong enhancement of the H2P phosphorescence rate (by 360 times) is calculated for Xe complex; while for Ne, Ar, and Kr complexes, the enhancement is equal to 1.1, 1.3, and 10.3 times, respectively. In these complexes, the noble gas atom is disposed at 3.6 A above the center of the porphin ring. In spite of shortcomings of the chosen simple model, the TD DFT calculations explain the most important features of the EHA effect on phosphorescence of free-base porphin. Calculations of the hyperfine coupling tensors for all magnetic nuclei in the lowest triplet state of H2P molecule and its complexes with noble-gas atoms indicate an appreciable penetration of the spin density to the EHA region. This can be connected with the enhancement of spin-orbit coupling in the H2P molecule.