Thiol-Functionalized Palladium Nanoparticles Networks: Synthesis,Characterization, and Room Temperature (Toxic) Vapor Detection

The preparation of three different functionalized palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) systems for room temperature BTX (benzene, toluene, p-xylene) sensing detection and their morphostructural characterization is described. PdNPs are prepared through a two-phase water/toluene wet chemical reduction method in the presence of bifunctional organic thiols as stabilizing agents suitable for the formation of covalently linked PdNPs networks: p-terphenyl-4,4″-dithiol (PdNPs-TR), biphenyl-4,4′-dithiol (PdNPs-BP), or with 9,9-didodecyl-2,7-bis(acetylthio)fluorene (PdNPs-FL). Comparing the hydrodynamic diameter values, TR and BP ligands help to obtain networks consisting of spherical NPs of about 2 nm, in which each bifunctional ligand act as a bridge between PdNPs. In contrast, PdNPs-FL show a population centered at <2R_H> = 45 ± 5 nm. To perform preliminary gas sensing measurements, PdNPs networks are cast deposited on interdigitated electrodes to study their resistive response toward volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene (0–5%), toluene (0–1.7%), and p-xylene (0–0.4%) (BTX) and common interfering gases (H₂S, NH₃, SO₂, and relative humidity, RH). PdNPs-FL show enhanced response to BTX with an appreciable response also toward H₂S and RH. PdNPs-TR exhibit a better ability to discriminate benzene gas with a negligible response after H₂S exposure. Moreover, all the PdNPs systems show little to no response to NH₃ and SO₂ gases, offering an interesting perspective in practical sensing applications.     

Phthalimides as exceptionally efficient single electron transfer acceptors in reductive coupling reactions promoted by samarium diiodide

Experimental and theoretical evidence shows that phthalimides are highly efficient single electron transfer acceptors in reactions promoted by samarium diiodide, affording ketyl radical anion intermediates, which participate in high-yielding inter- and intramolecular reductive coupling processes with different radicophiles including imides, oxime ethers, nitrones, and Michael acceptors.     

Anion doping as a probe of cooperativity in the molecular spin-crossover compound [FeL2][BF4]2 (L = 2,6-di{pyrazol-1-yl}pyridine)

The complex dications in the cooperative spin-crossover compound [FeL(2)][BF(4)](2) (2,6-di(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine) pack through pi-pi interactions into a 2-D layered structure (a "terpyridine embrace" motif). The effects of doping the larger ClO(4)(-) ion into this lattice have been investigated. The bulk solids [FeL(2)][ClO(4)](x)[BF(4)](2-x) are isostructural with [FeL(2)][BF(4)](2) when x = 0.30 and 0.98, and isostructural with (structurally distinct) [FeL(2)][ClO(4)](2) when x = 1.89. When x = 1.68, powder samples are a mixture of both phases, but crystalline material adopts purely the ClO(4)(-) structure. Increasing the perchlorate content in the lattice for 0 < or =x< or = 1.68 causes a small decrease in T(1/2) and a narrowing of hysteresis in their spin-crossover, but with no significant reduction in cooperativity. It also leads to more pronounced decreases in DeltaH [by up to 3.2(5) kJ mol(-1)] and DeltaS [by up to 10(2) J mol(-1) K(-1)] for the transition by DSC. Single crystals of formula [FeL(2)][ClO(4)](y)[BF(4)](2-y) (y = 0.44 and 1.13) are isostructural with the pure BF(4)(-) salt. While their molecular structures are indistinguishable, the distances between cations in the lattice increase in the doped materials. Weakening of intermolecular pi-pi interactions between cations is the likely reason for the reduced enthalpy of spin-crossover as x increases. However, the biggest stuctural change is an increase in the spacing between the 2-D layers with increased ClO(4)(-). These results suggest that cooperativity in this material is transmitted within the terpyridine embrace layers.     

Intramolecular vibrational force fields for linear carbon chains through an adaptative linear scaling scheme

In this work, the vibrational force fields of hydrogen-capped oligoynes of increasing chain lengths are investigated by means of density functional theory calculations. It is shown that the interaction force constants between CC stretching coordinates decrease slowly with the distance between the two bonds considered. The consequence for the frequency dispersion of longitudinal optical (LO) phonons of an infinite polyyne chain is discussed and related to the observed behavior of the spectra of finite-size molecules. Effects of the exchange-correlation functional and of the basis set on the vibrational force constants are also investigated and the need for a scaling procedure is pointed out. Accordingly, new force fields which allow predictions in very good quantitative agreement with the available experimental data for oligoynes have been obtained, providing a sound assignment of alpha and beta lines.     

Stress dependence of sapphire cathodoluminescence from optically active oxygen defects as a function of crystallographic orientation

The cathodoluminescence (CL) spectrum of the synthetic sapphire single crystal has been studied with respect to the different crystallographic planes of the crystal in order to describe the tensorial stress dependence of the band related to oxygen defects. Experiments provide the link between CL spectral shift and stress, which is referred to as the piezo-spectroscopic (PS) relationship. Using the biaxial stress field developed at the tip of cracks generated from the corners of a Vickers indentation, we clearly detected stress dependence for the cumulative band arising from the F+-center transition of optically active oxygen vacancies. The matrix of PS coefficients along different crystallographic axes of single-crystal sapphire could be precisely determined. The shallow nature of the electron probe may enable the characterization of surface stress fields with a spatial resolution that may not be easily available by conventional laser probes. The PS calibration results collected on oxygen-defect bands allow the direct determination of unknown surface residual stress fields stored in sapphire substrates for electronics applications.     

A novel method for evaluating the critical nucleus and the surface tension in systems with first order phase transition

We introduce a novel method for calculating the size of the critical nucleus and the value of the surface tension in systems with first order phase transition. The method is based on classical nucleation theory, and it consists in studying the thermodynamics of a sphere of given radius embedded in a frozen metastable surrounding. The frozen configuration creates a pinning field on the surface of the free sphere. The pinning field forces the sphere to stay in the metastable phase as long as its size is smaller than the critical nucleus. We test our method in two first order systems, both on a two-dimensional lattice: a system where the parameter tuning the transition is the magnetic field, and a second system where the tuning parameter is the temperature. In both cases the results are satisfying. Unlike previous techniques, our method does not require an infinite volume limit to compute the surface tension, and it therefore gives reliable estimates even by using relatively small systems. However, our method cannot be used at, or close to, the critical point, i.e., at coexistence, where the critical nucleus becomes infinitely large.     

Intracellular distribution of fluorescent probes delivered by vesicles of different lipidic composition

In order to study mechanisms involved in liposome–cell interaction, this work attempted to assess the influence of vesicle composition on the delivery of liposomal content to Hela cells. In particular, to evaluate pH-sensitive properties and cell interaction of the prepared liposomes, the lipid formulations contained cholesterol (Chol) and they were varied by using phosphatidylcholines with different purity degree: soy lecithin (SL; 80% phosphatidylcholine), a commercial mixture of soy phosphatidylcholine (P90; 90% phosphatidylcholine) or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC; 99% of purity). A second series of liposomes also contained stearylamine (SA). Dehydration-rehydration vesicles (DRV) were prepared and then sonicated to decrease vesicle size. Vesicle–cell interactions and liposomal uptake were examined by fluorescence microscopy using carboxyfluorescein (CF) and phosphatidylethanolamine-dioleoyl-sulforhodamine B (Rho-PE) as fluorescent markers. Fluorescence dequenching assay was used to study the influence of pH on CF release from the liposomal formulations. Liposome adhesion on the cell surface and internalization were strongly dependent on vesicle bilayer composition. SA vesicles were not endocytosed. DPPC/Chol liposomes were endocytosed but did not release their fluorescent content into the cytosol. SL/Chol and P90/Chol formulations displayed a diffuse cytoplasmic fluorescence of liposomal marker.     

Rh-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate addition of arylboronic acids with a dynamic library of chiral tropos phosphorus ligands

A library of 19 chiral tropos phosphorus ligands, based on a free-to-rotate (tropos) biphenol unit and a chiral P-bonded alcohol (11 phosphites, 1-P(O)(2)O to 11-P(O)(2)O) or secondary amine (8 phosphoramidites, 12-P(O)(2)N to 19-P(O)(2)N), were screened, individually and in combinations of two, in the rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of arylboronic acids to enones and enoates. High enantioselectivities (up to 99 % ee) and excellent yields were obtained in the addition to either cyclic or acyclic substrates. The flexible biphenolic P ligands outperformed the analogous rigid binaphtholic P ligands. Variable-temperature (31)P NMR studies revealed that the biphenolic ligands are tropos even at low temperature. Only below 190 K was a coalescence observed; upon further cooling, two atropisomers were detected. The Rh homocomplexes ([Rh(L(a))(2)](+)) were also studied: in general, a single doublet (P-Rh coupling) was observed in the case of the biphenolic phosphite ligands, over the temperature range 380-230 K, demonstrating their tropos nature in the rhodium complexes even at low temperatures. On the other hand, the phosphoramidites showed different behaviors depending on the structure of the ligand and on the nature of the rhodium source. The spectrum at 230 K of the mixture of [Rh(acac)(eth)(2)] (eth=C(2)H(4)) with phosphite 6-P(O)(2)O and phosphoramidite 19-P(O)(2)N (the most enantioselective ligand combination in the conjugate addition reaction) revealed the presence of four homocomplexes (total approximately 40 %: [Rh{6-P(O)(2)O}(2)], [Rh{(aR)-19-P(O)(2)N}(2)], [Rh{(aS)-19-P(O)(2)N}(2)], [Rh{(aR)-19-P(O)(2)N}{(aS)-19-P(O)(2)N}]) and one heterocomplex, [Rh{6-P(O)(2)O}{(aR)-19-P(O)(2)N}] (approximately 60 %) In the heterocomplex, the biphenol-derived phosphite is free to rotate (tropos) while the biphenol-derived phosphoramidite shows a temperature-dependent tropos/atropos behavior (coalescence temperature=310 K).