The Crystal Structure of ζ2‐Al3Cu4‐δ

The crystal structure of the ζ₂‐phase Al₃Cu_4‐δ was determined by means of X‐ray powder diffraction: a = 409.72(1) pm, b = 703.13(2) pm, c = 997.93(3) pm, space group Imm2, Pearson symbol oI24‐3.5, R_I = 0.0696. ζ₂‐Al₃Cu_4‐δ forms a distinctive a × √3a × 2c superstructure of a metal deficient Ni₂In‐type‐related structure. The phase is meta‐stable at ambient temperature. Between 400 °C and 450 °C it decomposes into ζ₁‐Al₃Cu₄ and η₂‐AlCu. Entropic contributions to the stability of ζ₂‐Al₃Cu_4‐δ are reflected in three statistically or partially occupied sites.     

Ein alternativer Weg zur Darstellung von Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox,YBa2Cu3O7−δ, und YBa2Cu3−xMxO7−δ (M  Ni,Ag und x ≤ 33 Mol%)

An Alternative Method for Preparation of Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₃O_x, YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ, and YBa₂Cu_3?xM_xO_7?δ (M ? Ni, Ag and x ≤ 33 Mol%) Oxidation of quenched melts of metals in a well defined argon/oxygen atmosphere has been found as an alternative method to prepare hight purity samples of Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_x without Pb-stabilization. A special equipment for the oxidation of powder samples will be described. By our new method it is also possible to prepare YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ and derivatives of this compound, where Cu is substituted by high amounts of Ni or Ag.     

The Plausible Motion's Confinement of Electrons by the Structure in YBa2Cu3O7‐x

A hypothesis is proposed that tryies to correlate the observed structure transitions of YBa₂Cu₃O_7‐x for x from 0 to 1 with measured super‐conductivity and electric properties.     

Band structures of al-doped superconductors YBa2Cu3–xALxO7 + δ

Based on the EHMO approach, an approximate treatment of electronic energy-band structures is suggested. By employing this treatment, computations of the band structures for the Al-doped superconductors YBa₂Cu_3–xAl_xO_{7 + δ} were carried out. It is shown by analysis of the band structures and the density of states that the 2D Cu–O planes in the Y? Ba–Cu? O superconducting system play a dominant role in superconductivity, whereas the 1D Cu? O ribbons have indirectly an influence on superconductivity through the connection of the O(4) atoms to two Cu? O planes. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Reactions between YBa2Cu3O7−δ and La2O3 and SrCO3

Solid state reactions at 925°C between the high-T _c ceramic superconductor YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ and La₂O₃ and SrCO₃, respectively, mixed in various molar ratiosr=MeO_n/YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ, were studied using X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The reaction between YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ and La₂O₃ yielded (La_1?xBa_x)₂CuO_4?δ, withx≈0.075?0.10. La_2?xBa_1+xCu₂O_6?δ, withx≈0.2?0.25 and La-doped (Y_1?xLa_x)₂BaCuO₅, withx≈0.10?0.15. Forr=3.0, Y-doped La₂BaCuO₅ resulted also. The reaction between YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ and SrCO₃ yielded (Sr_1?zBa_z)₂CuO₃, withz≈0.1, Y₂(Ba_1?zSr_z)CuO₅, withz=0.1?0.15, and a nonsuperconducting compound with an approximate composition of Y(Ba_0.5Sr_0.5)₅Cu_3.5O_10±δ. At values ofr≤2.0, unsubstituted YBa₂Cu₃O_7?delta was found in the reaction products.     

Continuous Dehydrogenation of n‐Pentanol over a Cr Modified Cu/γ‐Al2O3‐La2O3 Catalyst

The oxidant‐free dehydrogenation of n‐pentanol over copper based catalysts was investigated in this paper. The effect of metal modification on the activity and stability of the copper catalyst supported on γ‐Al₂O₃ and La₂O₃ (Cu/γ‐Al₂O₃‐La₂O₃) was clarified and a Cr modified Cu/Al₂O₃‐La₂O₃ (Cu‐Cr/γ‐Al₂O₃‐La₂O₃) showed the best catalytic performance. The conversion of n‐pentanol was 70.0% and the selectivity for n‐pentanal increased to 97.1% over Cu‐Cr/γ‐Al₂O₃‐La₂O₃. X‐ray diffraction and temperature programmed reduction of H₂ indicated that the addition of Cr favors the formation and reduction of the copper oxide, and the dispersion of the active Cu⁰ species, accounting for the good activity and stability of this catalyst. Furthermore, the lower amount of acidic sites in Cu‐Cr/γ‐Al₂O₃‐La₂O₃ is suggested to suppress the dehydration in oxidant‐free dehydrogenation of n‐pentanol, accounting for the higher selectivity for n‐pentanal.     

catena‐Poly[copper(II)‐di‐μ‐acetylacetonato‐copper(II)‐bis(μ‐4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxybenzaldehyde picoloylhydrazonato)] and (acetylacetonato)(4‐methoxybenzaldehyde picoloylhydrazonato)copper(II)

In the two title copper(II) complexes, [CuL(C₅H₇O₂)]_n, (I), and [CuL′(C₅H₇O₂)], (II), respectively, where HL is 4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxybenzaldehyde picoloylhydrazone, C₁₄H₁₂N₃O₃, and HL′ is 4‐methoxybenzaldehyde picoloylhydrazone, C₁₄H₁₂N₃O₂, the Cu^II ions display a highly Jahn–Teller‐distorted octahedral and a square‐planar coordination geometry, respectively. In complex (I), two neighbouring Cu^II atoms are bridged by L⁻ and acetylacetonate, alternately, giving rise to a one‐dimensional chain of CuN₂O₄ octahedra interconnected by these two ligands along the a axis. In addition, the hydroxy H atom of the vanillin group connects to the carboxyl O atom of the adjacent chain via an O—H...O hydrogen bond, giving rise to a three‐dimensional supramolecular assembly. Complex (II) displays a discrete structure.     

Synthesis and ac susceptibility of YCa2Cu3O7−δ

The bulk superconducting YCa₂Cu₃O_7−δ compounds are prepared at an ordinary pressure of oxygen by conventional solid-state reaction method. The formation of sample is tested by means of XRD and is studied for their ac susceptibility below room temperature up to 77.5 K. The samples are found single-phase orthorhombic structure and found superconducting at 83.5 K. It is shown that the analysis is consistent with published data on YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ oxide superconductor.     

Preparation and characterization of highly densified YBa2Cu3O7-δ Ceramics used for electrochemical oxidation

An appropriate treatment called “Vacuum-Oxygen Cycle” (V.O.C.) has been carried out in order to obtain highly densified YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δceramics. The obtained materials exhibit a homogeneous oxygen distribution and their feature have been characterized using relevant physical measurements. Preliminary electrochemical experiments have been performed and this treatment seems to improve their superconducting properties.     

SC-MEH-MO calculations on high Tc superconductors. 1: The YBa2Cu8O cluster in YBa2Cu3O7

SC-MEH-MO calculations have been carried out on select clusters of the YBa₂Cu₃O₇ lattice structure. The results of an earlier computation on small CuO clusters are presented for comparison with the finding obtained on a YBa₂Cu₈O₂₆⁺ extended cluster. In the latter, the antiferromagnetic coupling of singularly occupied Cu and O levels is analyzed.     

{4‐[(Carbamimidoylhydrazono)methyl‐κ2N1,N4]‐5‐hydroxymethyl‐2‐methylpyridinium‐3‐olate‐κO}(methanol‐κO)copper(II) dinitrate

The title compound, [Cu(C₉H₁₃N₅O₂)(CH₄O)](NO₃)₂, consists of square‐planar cationic complex units where the Cu^II centre is coordinated by an N,N′,O‐tridentate pyridoxal–aminoguanidine Schiff base adduct and a methanol molecule. The tridentate ligand is a zwitterion exhibiting an almost planar conformation. The dihedral angles between the mean planes of the pyridoxal ring and the six‐ and five‐membered chelate rings are all less than 2.0°. The charge on the complex cation is neutralized by two nitrate counter‐ions. Extensive N—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonding connects these ionic species and leads to the formation of layers. The pyridoxal hydroxy groups are the only fragments that deviate significantly from the flat layer structure; these groups are involved in O—H...O hydrogen bonding, connecting the layers into a three‐dimensional crystal structure.     

Ba2Cu3O5+δ as an intermediate phase during the synthesis of YBa2Cu4O8

We propose a reaction model for the synthesis of YBa₂Cu₄O₈ under normal pressure conditions, which contains 4 partial reaction steps. In a first step bariumnitrate and copperoxide react to Ba₂Cu₃O_5+δ. This substance will be formed for each mixtures Ba:Cu=2∶3...3∶2. The following two partial reaction steps are connected to Ba₂Cu₃O_5+δ, which reacts with Y₂O₃ and CuO to YBa₂Cu₄O₈ or decomposes to BaCuO₂ and CuO. In a last step parts of BaCuO₂ reacts with Y₂O₃ and CuO to YBa₂Cu₄O₈.     

Differentiation of Boc‐protected α,δ‐/δ,α‐ and β,δ‐/δ,β‐hybrid peptide positional isomers by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Two new series of Boc‐N‐α,δ‐/δ,α‐ and β,δ‐/δ,β‐hybrid peptides containing repeats of L ‐Ala‐δ⁵‐Caa/δ⁵‐Caa‐L ‐Ala and β³‐Caa‐δ⁵‐Caa/δ⁵‐Caa‐β³‐Caa (L ‐Ala = L ‐alanine, Caa = C‐linked carbo amino acid derived from D ‐xylose) have been differentiated by both positive and negative ion electrospray ionization (ESI) ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). MSⁿ spectra of protonated isomeric peptides produce characteristic fragmentation involving the peptide backbone, the Boc‐group, and the side chain. The dipeptide positional isomers are differentiated by the collision‐induced dissociation (CID) of the protonated peptides. The loss of 2‐methylprop‐1‐ene is more pronounced for Boc‐NH‐L ‐Ala‐δ‐Caa‐OCH₃ (1), whereas it is totally absent for its positional isomer Boc‐NH‐δ‐Caa‐L ‐Ala‐OCH₃ (7), instead it shows significant loss of t‐butanol. On the other hand, second isomeric pair shows significant loss of t‐butanol and loss of acetone for Boc‐NH‐δ‐Caa‐β‐Caa‐OCH₃ (18), whereas these are insignificant for its positional isomer Boc‐NH‐β‐Caa‐δ‐Caa‐OCH₃ (13). The tetra‐ and hexapeptide positional isomers also show significant differences in MS² and MS³ CID spectra. It is observed that ‘b’ ions are abundant when oxazolone structures are formed through five‐membered cyclic transition state and cyclization process for larger ‘b’ ions led to its insignificant abundance. However, b₁⁺ ion is formed in case of δ,α‐dipeptide that may have a six‐membered substituted piperidone ion structure. Furthermore, ESI negative ion MS/MS has also been found to be useful for differentiating these isomeric peptide acids. Thus, the results of MS/MS of pairs of di‐, tetra‐, and hexapeptide positional isomers provide peptide sequencing information and distinguish the positional isomers. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermal analysis and thermal expansion studies on high density YBa2−xLaxCu3O7−δ, 0x0.2

The compositions in the YBa_2−xLa_xCu₃O_7−δ (0x0.2) system were prepared by the solid state reaction, employing a novel high-temperature oxygen sintering route. The modified sintering route yields dense slab like microstructures with large grains. The decomposition (incongruent melting) temperature of the YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ (Y-123) phase was found to shift to higher temperatures with increasing oxygen partial pressure and lanthanum content. Structure remained orthorhombic up to x=0.2 with a decrease in the orthorhombic strain ((b−a)/b). Iodometric titration indicated a systematic increase in the oxygen content with increasing lanthanum content. Thermo-gravimetric studies in various oxygen partial pressures revealed that the oxygen diffusion in to the YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ (δ>0.5) lattice is an exothermic event and takes place at temperatures not less than 573 K. High-temperature thermal-expansion measurements in air indicated that the nonlinearity in thermal expansion behaviour was reduced by the substitution of lanthanum.     

A novel crystal polymorph of volborthite,Cu3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O

A new polymorph of volborthite [tricopper(II) divanadium(V) heptaoxide dihydroxide dihydrate], Cu₃V₂O₇(OH)₂·2H₂O, has been discovered in a single crystal prepared by hydrothermal synthesis. X‐ray analysis reveals that the monoclinic structure has the space group C2/c at room temperature, which is different from that of the previously reported C2/m structure. Both structures have Cu₃O₆(OH)₂ layers composed of edge‐sharing CuO₄(OH)₂ octahedra, with V₂O₇ pillars and water molecules between the layers. The Cu atoms occupy two and three independent crystallographic sites in the C2/m and C2/c structures, respectively, likely giving rise to different magnetic interactions between Cu^II spins in the kagome lattices embedded in the Cu₃O₆(OH)₂ layers.     

catena‐Poly­[bis­[(2,2‐bi­pyridine‐κ2N,N′)­copper(II)]‐μ4‐1,2,4,5‐benzene­tetra­carboxyl­ato‐κ4O1:O2:O3:O4]

In the title complex, [Cu₂(C₁₀H₂O₈)(C₁₀H₈N₂)₂]_n, the Cu^II cation has a four‐coordinated environment, completed by two carboxyl O atoms belonging to two 1,2,4,5‐benzene­tetra­carboxyl­ate anions (TCB⁴⁻) and two N atoms from one 2,2′‐bi­pyridine (2,2′‐bipy) ligand, forming a distorted square‐planar geometry. The [Cu(2,2′‐bipy)]²⁺ moieties are bridged by TCB⁴⁻ anions, which lie about inversion centres, forming an infinite one‐dimensional coordination polymer with a double‐chain structure along the a axis. A two‐dimensional network structure is formed via a face‐to‐face π–π interaction between the 2,2′‐bipy rings belonging to two adjacent double chains, at a distance of approximately 3.56 Å.     

catena‐Poly[[tetra­kis(μ‐propionato‐κ2O:O′)dicopper(II)]‐μ‐3‐pyridylmethanol‐κ2N:O‐[bis­(propionato‐κO)bis­(3‐pyridylmethanol‐κN)copper(II)]‐μ‐3‐pyridylmethanol‐κO:N]

The title compound, [Cu₃(C₃H₅O₂)₆(C₆H₇NO)₄]_n, is composed of polymeric chains formed by alternating centrosymmetric Cu₂(μ‐CH₃CH₂CO₂)₄ and Cu(C₃H₅O₂)₂(C₆H₇NO)₂ units. These elemental units are linked by two bridging 3‐pyridylmethanol (3PM) ligands. The Cu₂(μ‐CH₃CH₂CO₂)₄ group presents a centrosymmetric tetra­bridged structure with four syn–syn bridging propionate ligands to which two 3PM mol­ecules are bonded (through N), occupying the apical positions of each square‐pyramidal polyhedron around the Cu^II ions. The remaining mononuclear group is centred around a third Cu^II ion, which lies on a symmetry centre and is bound to two monodentate propionate groups (through O), two monodentate 3PM mol­ecules (through N) and two bridging 3PM mol­ecules (through O), thus completing a square‐bipyramidal CuO₂N₂O₂ coordination.     

β‐K2Cr2O7

The monoclinic modification of dipotassium dichromate, β‐K₂Cr₂O₇, has been synthesized in the K₂Cr₂O₇–H₂O system. The structure consists of K⁺ cations and Cr₂O₇^2? dimers. In contrast with triclinic α‐K₂Cr₂O₇ [Kuz'min, Ilyukhin, Kharitonov & Belov (1969). Krist.Tech. 4 , 441–461], the Cr₂O₇^2? groups in β‐K₂Cr₂O₇ have twofold crystallographic symmetry and are parallel to each other.     

Three oxo complexes with a tetra­nuclear [Cu4(μ2‐Cl)6(μ4‐O)] unit

The three title compounds, namely 4‐phenyl‐1H‐imidazolium hexa‐μ₂‐chloro‐chloro‐μ₄‐oxo‐tris­(4‐phenyl‐1H‐imidazole‐κN¹)­tetra­copper(II) monohydrate, (C₉H₉N₂)[Cu₄Cl₇O(C₉H₈N₂)₃]·H₂O, hexa‐μ₂‐chloro‐μ₄‐oxo‐tetra­kis­(pyridine N‐oxide‐κO)tetra­copper(II), [Cu₄Cl₆O(C₅H₅NO)₄], and hexa‐μ₂‐chloro‐tetra­kis(2‐methyl‐1H‐imidazole‐κN¹)‐μ₄‐oxo‐tetra­copper(II) methanol trisolvate, [Cu₄Cl₆O(C₄H₆N₂)₄]·3CH₄O, exhibit the same Cu₄OCl₆ framework, where the O atom at the centre of an almost regular tetra­hedron bridges four copper cations at the corners. This group is in turn surrounded by a Cl₆ octa­hedron, leading to a rather globular species. This special arrangement of the Cu^II cations results in a diversity of magnetic behaviours.     

[{Cu(phen)2}(μ‐malato){Cu(phen)(NO3)}](NO3)·4H2O: malate acting as a tetra­dentate and dibridging ligand in a dinuclear copper complex

The crystal structure of the title compound, μ‐2‐hydroxy­butane­dioato‐1κ²O⁴,O^4′:2κ³O¹,O²,O⁴‐nitrato‐2κO‐tris­(1,10‐phen­anthroline)‐1κ⁴N,N′;2κ²N,N′‐dicopper(II) nitrate tetra­hydrate, [Cu₂(C₄H₃O₅)(NO₃)(C₁₂H₈N₂)₃](NO₃)·4H₂O, contains an unsymmetrical dinuclear copper complex with Cu(phen)₂ and Cu(phen)(NO₃) moieties (phen is 1,10‐phenanthroline) bridged by a malate (2‐hydroxy­butane­dioate) ligand, which acts as a double‐bridging and tetra­dentate ligand. As a result of this double‐bridging action, especially the direct coordination of the O atom of one carboxyl­ate group of malate to the two Cu atoms, the Cu⋯Cu distance is only 4.199 (1) Å and the two phen planes are roughly parallel [the shortest inter­planar distance is 3.28 (1) Å], exhibiting an obvious intra­molecular π–π stacking inter­action.