Stereoselective [2+2] photocycloaddition in bispseudosandwich complexes of bis(18-crown-6) stilbene with alkanediammonium ions

Due to hydrogen bonding, bis(18-crown-6) stilbene forms 1 : 1, 1 : 2, and 2 : 2 complexes with H₃N⁺(CH₂) _n NH₃ ⁺ 2ClO₄ ⁻ salts (n = 2—10, 12). The length of the polymethylene chain in the diammonium ions affects the phototransformation direction of stilbene and the composition of the products. In the 2: 2 bispseudosandwich complexes with relatively short alkanediammonium ions (n = 2—4), the stereoselective reaction of [2+2] photocycloaddition proceeds to form mainly the rctt-isomer of the cyclobutane derivative. The structure of rctt-cyclobutane derivative as a complex with H₃N⁺(CH₂)₄NH₃ ⁺2ClO₄ ^- was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis.     

Certified reference material IAEA-418: 129I in Mediterranean Sea water

A certified reference material designed for the determination of ¹²⁹I in seawater, IAEA-418 (Mediterranean Sea water) is described and the results of certification are presented. The median of ¹²⁹I concentration with 95% confidence interval was chosen as the most reliable estimates of the true value. The median, given as the certified value, is 2.28 × 10⁸ atom L^?1 (95% confidence interval is (2.16–2.73) 10⁸ atom L^?1), or 3.19 × 10^?7 Bq L^?1 (95% confidence interval is (3.02–3.82) × 10^?7 Bq L^?1). The material is intended to be used for standardization procedures applied in accelerator mass spectrometric laboratories. It is available in 1 L units and may be ordered via IAEA web side (www.iaea.org).     

Effect of counterions on photoprocesses of thiacarbocyanine in a binary solvent blend

A model describing the effect of counterion X⁻ (X = Cl, I) on the deactivation kinetics of the S ₁ state of thiacarbocyanine Cy⁺X⁻ is presented. According to the model, the ion pair Cy⁺X⁻ in a binary solution is characterized by a distribution function f(r) over interatomic distances r, which depends on the composition of the mixture. The assumption of kinetically independent local states of the ion pair, which decay with the rate constants k _i(r)(i = 1–4 is the index of the decay channel), is made. The statistic analysis of the experimental data in terms of the model permitted us to find the functions f(r) and to estimate the parameters of the constants k _i(r).     

Complexation of crown-containing butadienyl dyes with alkali and alkaline earth metal cations in the ground and excited electron states

Spectrophotometry and steady-state fluorimetry were used for the study of complexation of crown-containing butadienyl dyes with alkali and alkaline earth metal cations in acetonitrile, as well as protonation of these dyes with trifluoroacetic acid. Complexation of the compounds studied with the metal cations leads to the 1: 1 product, whereas protonation with trifluoroacetic acid affords the 1: 2 product containing 2 moles of the acid per 1 mole of the dye. Stability constants of the complexes are varied from 10 to 10⁶ L mol⁻¹, basicity of the crown-containing dyes in the reaction with trifluoroacetic acid increases with the increase in the macrocycle size. On complexation, the fluorescence spectra are shifted considerably less than the absorption spectra. This indicates that photorecoordination of the cation in the complex excited molecules occurred. Based on the correlation of the spectral shifts with the metal cation charge density, three types of complexes differing in the extent of influence of the cation charge on the spectral shifts can be singled out: “tight”, “loose”, and “solvent-separated”.     

New dithiacrown–ether butadienyl dyes: synthesis,structure, and complex formation with heavy metal cations

Benzothiazole type butadienyl dyes containing a dithia‐15‐crown‐5 ( 2a ) or dithia‐18‐crown‐6 ether ( 2b ) moieties were synthesized. The structures of dyes 2a , b and their complexes with Ag⁺ and Pb²⁺ were studied by an X‐ray crystallography. It was found that the conformations of dithiacrown–ether moieties of dyes 2a , b are unfavorable for complex formation and change significantly upon binding of Ag⁺ or Pb²⁺. The complexation of 2a , b with Ag⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Hg²⁺ in water–acetonitrile mixtures with different contents of water (P_W = 0–75%, v/v) was studied by ¹H NMR, UV–Vis spectroscopy, and polarography. In anhydrous acetonitrile, the stability constants of 1:1 complexes change in the sequence Cd²⁺ < Pb²⁺ ≤ Ag⁺ << Hg²⁺ in the case of 2a and in the sequence Cd²⁺ < Ag⁺ < Pb²⁺ << Hg²⁺ in the case of 2b . As P_W increases, the thermodynamic stability of Ag⁺ complexes increases. The opposite effect is observed for the complexes with Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Hg²⁺. When P_W ～ 50%, the stability constants of complexes with Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ become too small to be measured. The selectivity of ligands 2a , b toward Hg²⁺ versus Ag⁺ is very high at any P_W values (selectivity coefficients > 10⁴). The complexation of 2a , b with Hg²⁺ at P_W ≤ 50% is accompanied by a substantial hypsochromic effect. This allows dithiacrown‐containing butadienyl dyes to be used as selective optical molecular sensors for heavy metal ions, in particular, in aqueous solutions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Highly nonlinear photonic-crystal fibers for the spectral transformation of Cr: forsterite laser pulses

We demonstrate novel photonic-crystal fibers (PCFs) fabricated of a highly nonlinear glass. Dispersion profiles and nonlinearity of these fibers are tailored with an array of submicron holes in the fiber core. With the PCF structure designed to provide a nonlinearity on the order of 10³ W⁻¹ km⁻¹ at the radiation wavelength of 1 μm and a fundamental-mode dispersion profile with zero group-velocity dispersion around 1.19 μm, unamplified femtosecond Cr: forsterite laser pulses are efficiently frequency-converted into the 540-1000-nm wavelength range through solitonic spectral-transformation mechanisms and four-wave mixing.     

Cross-phase-modulation-induced instability and efficient parametric frequency conversion of ultrashort light pulses

We experimentally demonstrate efficient controlled parametric frequency conversion of femtosecond laser pulses through cross-phase-modulation-induced instability in the presence of a copropagating pump field in a fused silica photonic-crystal fiber. The amplitudes and the frequency shifts of sidebands generated in the spectrum of the probe field at the output of the fiber as a result of parametric four-wave mixing are controlled by varying the intensity of the pump field.     

Third-harmonic and sum-frequency generation in a quadratically nonlinear polymer by time-ordered ultrashort laser pulses

Third-harmonic and sum-frequency generation in quadratically nonlinear azopolymer films is experimentally studied using femtosecond chromium forsterite laser pulses. A noncollinear geometry of sum-frequency and third-harmonic generation developed and implemented in this work allows the influence of the time ordering of ultrashort laser pump pulses on nonlinear-optical phenomena to be experimentally observed. Femtosecond laser pulses induce transitions of azopolymer molecules to an electronically excited state and produce vibrational wave packets, leading to an asymmetry in the dependence of the efficiency of second-and third-order nonlinear-optical processes on the delay time between the pump pulses.     

Self-assembly of a (benzothiazolyl)ethenylbenzocrown ether into a sandwich complex and stereoselective [2+2] photocycloaddition

In the presence of Ba²⁺ ions, (benzothiazolyl)ethenylbenzocrown ether forms the stable sandwich complex 2L⋅Ba²⁺ with an unusual structure, in which the benzothiazole fragments are arranged one above the other. Irradiation of the sandwich complex with visible light induces stereoselective [2+2] cycloaddition giving rise to two “head-to-head” isomers of biscrown-cyclobutane. The addition of dibasic dicarboxylic acids that additionally stabilize the sandwich complex in a favorable conformation affects the isomer ratio of the cyclobutanes formed. The conformational equilibria for the sandwich complex and cyclobutanes were studied by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1524–1533, July, 2005.     

Supramolecular assembler based on cucurbit[8]uril: Photodimerization of a styryl dye in water

Photolysis of aqueous solutions of styryl dye 1 in the presence of cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) has been studied by optical spectroscopic methods for the molar ratios n = c _CB[8]/c ₁ in the range of 0 ≤ n ≤ 6. It has been found that the inclusion complexes (1)₂@CB[8] dominate in the solution at n ≤ 0.5, whereas the complexes 1@CB[8] dominate at n ≥ 1. The stability constants have been determined for the 1: 1 (log K ₁ = 6.2 (L mol^?1)) and 2: 1 (log β = 11.9 (L² mol^?2)) complexes. The fluorescence decay kinetics of dye 1 in the presence of CB[8] is two-exponential, with the average lifetime increasing substantially at n ≥ 1. It has been shown that the system can operate in the cyclic mode as an assembler (or supramolecular catalyst) in the photodimerization reaction of dye 1 to form cyclobutane derivative 2. The stability constant of the complex 2@CB[8] (log K ₃ = 5.9 (L mol^?1)) and the quantum yield of cycloaddition (? ≈ 0.07 at n ≈ 0.5) have been determined.