Tetrathiafulvalene-acetylene scaffolding: new pi-electron systems for advanced materials

Novel extended tetrathiafulvalenes (TTFs) with hexa-2,4-diyne-1,6-diylidene spacers between the two 1,3-dithiole rings and laterally appended alkynyl moieties for one- and two-dimensional scaffolding were synthesised and investigated for their electronic properties.     

Fast-atom-bombardment and tandem mass spectrometry for determining structures of fatty acids as their picolinyl ester derivatives

Picolinyl ester derivatives of common fatty acids can be readily desorbed by fast atom bombardment (FAB) as positive ions and then collisionally activated. Collisionally activated spectra of the (M + H)⁺ ions of the derivatives reveal that structurally informative remote-charge-site fragmentations occur. The presence of substitutents such as double bond, branch points, cyclopropane rings, hydroxy groups, and epoxy rings interrupts the fragmentation process in such a way that the substituent can be identified and its location on the alkyl chain can be determined. This method is also applicable to the picolinyl esters of short-chain fatty acids and to the analysis of mixtures of fatty acid derivatives. The approach is advantageous becasue the epicolinyl ester derivatives are also amenable to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Therefore, the FAB-MS/MS approach developed here is complementary to GC/MS.     

Frequency-dependent linear response of superconducting systems

We present a density functional scheme for calculating the frequency-dependent linear response of superconductors. The central result is a set of integral equations determining the linear response of the normal and anomalous densities to external perturbations. Analytic solutions of these integral equations are obtained for homogeneous systems with separable effective interactions. For inhomogeneous superconductors, the formalism leads to a scheme for calculating the critical temperature without explicitly solving the gap equation. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

One-dimensional rigorous hole theory of fluids: Internally constrained ensembles

A hole in a fluid is specified in a well-defined manner. The concentration of holes is a thermodynamic property of the fluid and we derive this concentration in three different ensembles for a one-dimensional fluid of hard rods. The thermodynamics of these rigorously defined holes is developed, and the properties of holes are explored. The ensemble in which the concentration of holes is maintained fixed exhibits dramatic properties. Finally, pair correlation functions for hard rods in the various ensembles are computed. Contrary to a frequently made assumption, the equilibrium number of holes is found to never be proportional to the probability of finding a single hole in the fluid. Constraining the concentration of holes as well as the density leads to dramatic structural effects prominently displayed by the pair correlation function. The ensemble in which the concentration of holes is fixed is an example of an internally constrained metastable system.     

Examining the role of surfactant packing in phase transformations of periodic templated silica/surfactant composites

In this work, we examine the role of curvature and surfactant packing in controlling the structure of periodic silica/surfactant composites by driving such materials through a transformation from a hexagonal to a lamellar phase. We focus on how the interplay of desired packing and volume constraints dictates the resulting structures. In general, surfactants expand in a complex way upon heating, and this can cause a change in the optimal packing geometry. However, the presence of a rigid silica framework may prevent surfactants from reaching this preferred volume and/or curvature. Real-time in situ X-ray diffraction is used to monitor the structural evolution of these materials heated under hydrothermal treatments. Because the thermal-driven disorder of the surfactant tails drives the phase transition, we examine four types of composites with varying tail density. Ordinarily, composites consist of surfactants with one 20-carbon tail and one positively charged ammonium headgroup. Tail density is varied by replacing a small amount (0-16%) of these single-tail, single-head surfactants with single-tail, double-head 'gemini' surfactants. A greater head--tail ratio indeed produces different results, causing the phase transition to occur at higher temperatures. Using simple geometric models to gain better understanding of our experimental results, we find that, while both unfavorable curvature and limited volume may exist for the surfactants in these composites, the constrained curvature appears to be the dominant effect in driving structural rearrangement.     

The utilization of classical spin Monte Carlo methods to simulate the magnetic behavior of extended three-dimensional cubic networks incorporating M(II) ions with an S = 5/2 ground state spin

The numerical simulations of the magnetic properties of extended three-dimensional networks containing M(II) ions with an S = 5/2 ground-state spin have been carried out within the framework of the isotropic Heisenberg model. Analytical expressions fitting the numerical simulations for the primitive cubic, diamond, together with (10-3) cubic networks have all been derived. With these empirical formulas in hands, we can now extract the interaction between the magnetic ions from the experimental data for these networks. In the case of the primitive cubic network, these expressions are directly compared with those from the high-temperature expansions of the partition function. A fit of the experimental data for three complexes, namely [(N(CH(3))(4)][Mn(N(3))] 1, [Mn(CN(4))](n)() 2, and [Fe(II)(bipy)(3)][Mn(II)(2)(ox)(3)] 3, has been carried out. The best fits were those obtained using the following parameters, J = -3.5 cm(-)(1), g = 2.01 (1); J = -8.3 cm(-)(1), g = 1.95 (2); and J = -2.0 cm(-)(1), g = 1.95 (3).     

Ion chromatographic determination of nitrate and nitrite in vegetable and fruit baby foods

An ion chromatographic method was developed for the determination of nitrate and nitrite in vegetable and fruit baby foods. The introduction of nitrate or nitrite to food may be natural or artificial as a preservative. Because of the higher pH found in babies' stomachs, nitrate can act as a reservoir for the production of nitrite by nitrate-reducing bacteria that can be harbored in the intestinal tract. This problem does not exist in adults because of the lower pH of the adult stomach. Exposure to nitrite by infants can result in methemoglobinemia (blue baby syndrome). There are also indications that carcinogenic nitrosamines can be formed from nitrates at the higher pH. These gastric conditions disappear at approximately 6 months of age. In this method, nitrate and nitrite were separated on a hydroxide-selective anion exchange column using online electrolytically generated high-purity hydroxide eluant and detected using suppressed conductivity detection. Average recoveries of spiked nitrite residue ranged from 91 to 104% and spiked nitrate residue ranged from 87 to 104%. This method and the AOAC Official Method yield comparable results for samples containing incurred nitrate residue. In addition, this method eliminates the hazardous waste associated with the use of cadmium found in the AOAC Official Method.     

Time-dependent density functional theory: past, present, and future

Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) is presently enjoying enormous popularity in quantum chemistry, as a useful tool for extracting electronic excited state energies. This article discusses how TDDFT is much broader in scope, and yields predictions for many more properties. We discuss some of the challenges involved in making accurate predictions for these properties.     

Stöber synthesis of monodispersed luminescent silica nanoparticles for bioanalytical assays

We have developed a simple method to prepare bright and photostable luminescent silica nanoparticles of different sizes and narrow size distribution in high yield. The method is based on the use of St?ber synthesis in the presence of a fluorophore to form bright silica nanoparticles. Unlike micro-emulsion-based methods often used to prepare luminescent silica particles, the St?ber method is a one-pot synthesis that is carried out at room temperature under alkaline conditions in ethanol:water mixtures and avoids the use of potentially toxic organic solvents and surfactants. Our luminescent particles contained the transition metal complex tris(1,10-phenanthroline) ruthenium(II) chloride, [Ru(phen)3]Cl2. They showed higher photostability and a longer fluorescence lifetime compared to free Ru(phen)3 solutions. Leakage of dye molecules from the silica particles was negligible, which was attributed to strong electrostatic attractions between the positively charged ruthenium complex and the negatively charged silica. To demonstrate the utility of the highly luminescent silica nanoparticles in bioassays, we further modified their surface with streptavidin and demonstrated their binding to biotinylated glass slides. The study showed that digital counting of the luminescent nanoparticles could be used as an attractive alternative to detection techniques involving analogue luminescence detection in bioanalytical assays.