Electrical Conductivity and Strong Luminescence in Copper Iodide Double Chains with Isonicotinato Derivatives

Direct reactions between CuI and isonicotinic acid (HIN) or the corresponding esters, ethyl isonicotinate (EtIN) or methyl isonicotinate (MeIN), give rise to the formation of the coordination polymers [CuI(L)]_n with L=EtIN ( 1 ), MeIN ( 2 ) and HIN ( 3 ). Polymers 1 – 3 show similar structures based on a CuI double chain in which ethyl‐, methyl isonicotinate or isonicotinic acid are coordinated as terminal ligands. Albeit, their supramolecular architecture differs considerably, affecting the distances and angles of the central CuI double chains and thereby their physical properties. Hence, the photoluminescence shows remarkable differences; 1 and 2 show a strong yellow emission, whereas 3 displays a weak emission; and 1 and 2 are semiconductors with moderate room temperature conductivities, whereas 3 has increased electrical conductivity up to 3×10^?3 S cm^?1. Additionally, 1 and 2 present an irreversible transition to a highly conducting phase with a conductivity almost 4 orders of magnitude higher and a quasi‐metallic behaviour. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) coupled to a mass spectrometer and magnetic measurements point to a partial thermally induced oxidation of the carboxylate groups of the ligands with Cu^I to Cu⁰ reduction. DFT calculations have been carried out to rationalise these observations.     

Astrophysical S-factors from asymptotic normalization coefficients

S-factors for direct capture reactions can be found at astrophysical energies from asymptotic normalization coefficients which provide the normalization of the tail of the overlap function. For example the overlap for ⁸B → ⁷Be+p defines the S-factor for ⁷Be (p, γ)⁸B. Peripheral transfer reactions offer a technique to determine these asymptotic normalization coefficients. As a test of the technique, the ¹⁶O(³He, d)¹⁷F reaction has been used to determine asymptotic normalization coefficients for transitions to the ground and first excited states of ¹⁷F. The S-factors for ¹⁶O(p, γ)¹⁷F calculated from these ¹⁷F → ¹⁶O+p asymptotic normalization coefficients are found to be in very good agreement with recent measurements. Following the same technique, the ¹⁰B(⁷Be, ⁸B)⁹Be and ¹⁴N(⁷Be, ⁸B)¹³C reactions have been used to measure the asymptotic normalization coefficient for ⁷Be(p, γ)⁸B. This result provides an indirect determination of S ₁₇(0).     

Gas-phase deprotonation of arylalkylamines. A collision-induced dissociation study

The collision-induced dissociation (CID) of deprotonated arylalkylamines of general formula R(1)C(6)H(4)CHR(2)CH(2)NR(3)(2) (where R(1) = H, OH, F or NO(2); R(2) = H or OH; R(3) = H or CH(3)) generated by negative chemical ionization with H(2)O and D(2)O as ionizing reagents, is discussed. The negative chemical ionization mass spectra show that, in the absence of a hydroxy group in the aromatic ring, deprotonation takes place at the benzylic position whereas the proton is lost from the OH group when present. The nitro compound forms only M(-.) ions. The CID spectra of the deprotonated molecules show that fragmentations are strongly dependent on the structural features of the molecules, namely the presence or absence of substituents in the aromatic ring or aliphatic chain. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isolation of NO(3)(-)-N as 1-phenylazo-2-naphthol (Sudan-1) for measurement of delta(15)N

The conversion of nitrate (NO(3)(-)) to 1-phenylazo-2-naphthol (Sudan-1) has been examined as a method for natural abundance measurement of delta(15)N of NO(3)(-). The reaction results in dilution of NO(3)(-)-N with only one reagent-derived N and the product is readily concentrated from dilute samples by reverse phase chromatography. There is systematic isotopic fractionation during the reaction, but this can be allowed for by analysing known NO(3)(-) standards along with each sample set. Sudan-1 prepared from surface water samples containing approximately 50 &mgr;g NO(3)(-)-N can be analysed by automated continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry with a precision of 0.2 per thousand (one standard deviation) and the accuracy is not affected by interference from other nitrogenous species in the sample or reagents. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Double electric layer influence on dynamic of EUV radiation from plasma of high-current pulse diode in tin vapor

Generation of high-power pulses of extreme ultraviolet radiation from multi-charged tin plasma is of great interest to many applications. We studied the electric potential distribution in the discharge gap in kind of the electric double layer and its effect on the extreme ultraviolet generation. The local plasma heating by electron beam, formed in the double layer, leads to generation of peak radiation pulses and as a result to an increase in the radiation power.     

Background gas collisional effects on expanding fs and ns laser ablation plumes

The collisional effects of a background gas on expanding ultrafast and short pulse laser ablation plumes were investigated by varying background pressure from vacuum to atmospheric pressure levels. For producing Cu ablation plumes, either 40 fs, 800 nm pulses from a Ti: Sapphire laser or 6 ns, 1,064 nm pulses from a Nd:YAG laser were used. The role of background pressure on plume hydrodynamics, spectral emission features, absolute line intensities, signal to background ratios and ablation craters was studied. Though the signal intensities were found to be maximum near to atmospheric pressure levels, the optimum signal to background ratios are observed ~20–50 Torr for both ns and fs laser ablation plumes. The differences in laser–target and laser–plasma couplings between ns and fs lasers were found to be more engraved in the crater morphologies and plasma hydrodynamic expansion features.     

DNA vaccine containing the mycobacterial hsp65 gene prevented insulitis in MLD-STZ diabetes

Background  

Our group previously demonstrated that a DNA plasmid encoding the mycobacterial 65-kDa heat shock protein (DNA-HSP65) displayed prophylactic and therapeutic effect in a mice model for tuberculosis. This protection was attributed to induction of a strong cellular immunity against HSP65. As specific immunity to HSP60 family has been detected in arthritis, multiple sclerosis and diabetes, the vaccination procedure with DNA-HSP65 could induce a cross-reactive immune response that could trigger or worsen these autoimmune diseases.