A comparison of numerical and analytical radiative-transfer solutions for plane albedo of natural waters

Several numerical and analytical solutions of the radiative transfer equation (RTE) were compared for plane albedo in a problem of solar light reflection by sea water. The study incorporated the simplest case—a semi-infinite one-dimensional plane—parallel absorbing and scattering homogeneous layer illuminated by a monodirectional light beam. Inelastic processes (such as Raman scattering and fluorescence), polarization and air-water surface refraction-reflection effects, were not considered. Algorithms were based on the invariant imbedding method and two different variants of the discrete ordinate method (DOM). Calculations were performed using parameters across all possible ranges (single-scattering albedo ω₀ and refracted solar zenith angle θ₁), but with a special emphasis on natural waters. All computations were made for two scattering phase functions, which included an almost isotropic Rayleigh phase function and strongly anisotropic double-peaked Fournier-Forand-Mobley phase function. Models were validated using quasi-single-scattering (QSSA) and exponential approximations, which represent the extreme cases of ω₀→0 and ω₀→1, respectively. All methods yielded relative differences within 1.8% for modeled natural waters. An analysis of plane albedo behavior resulted in the development of a new extended QSSA approximation, which when applied in conjunction with the extended Hapke approximation developed earlier, resulted in a maximum relative error of 2.7%. The study results demonstrated that for practical applications, the estimation of inherent optical properties from observed reflectance can best be achieved using an extended Hapke approximation.     

Catalytic properties of supported gold nanoparticles in organic syntheses

Gold nanoparticles exhibit unique properties due to their ability to form aggregates of atoms of diverse morphology shapes and sizes of which depend, to a considerable extent, on specific features of the nearest environment. The nature of gold nanoparticles varies in a wide range: from the particles with pronounced Lewis acidic properties to the negatively charged particles bearing a formal zero-valence charge. The most examples of new reactions catalyzed by gold nanoparticles include unsaturated compounds and strong nucleophiles (such as amines) as substrates. This short review provides a digest of the catalytic properties of gold nanoparticles. The main attention is paid to the possible role of certain forms of the metal in catalytic reactions. Of special interest are reactions in which effects of synergism of gold and other active species or second metals present in the catalyst are revealed or a size effect is established.     

The Use of tert-Butyl Vinyl Ether in Stepwise Electrophilic Addition Reactions

tert-Butyl vinyl ether (1) reacts with p-TolSCl to give 2-tert-butoxy-2-chloroethyl p-tolyl sulfide (2). In the presence of SnCl₄, 2 reacts with silyl enol ethers, allyltrimethylsilane, and vinyl ethers to form a C-C bond. In the case of vinyl ethers, the reaction proceeds through the formation of the 5-membered sulfonium salt intermediate which in turn can react with H₂O, TMSCN, allyltrimethylsilane, and Grignard reagents.     

Effect of adamantane-containing additives on the isomerization of n-heptane in the ionic liquid trimethylammonium hydrochloride-aluminum chloride

We study the effect of adamantane-containing additives on the process of isomerization of n-heptane in the ionic liquid trimethylammonium hydrochloride-aluminum chloride (1 : 2 mol). It is shown that introducing 1-cyanomethyl-3-cyanoadamantane (5.0 wt %) into the reaction mixture slows conversion and lowers the yield of iso-products by a factor of more than 1.5, while adding adamantylpolyimide (0.5–5.0 wt %) substantially accelerates the isomerization of n-heptane and increases the yield of iso-products. In addition, this reaction proceeds under mild conditions at 40°C in the absence of hydrogen and precious metals.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of LiY(CN2)2, Having a Structure Related to That of NiAs

The new ternary carbodiimide LiY(CN₂)₂ was synthesized by solid state metathesis reaction between YF₃ and Li₂(CN₂) in a silica tube at 550 °C. The X‐ray single‐crystal structure determination yielded an orthorhombic crystal system (Pbcn, Z = 4, a = 982.0(3), b = 698.5(2), c = 613.4(2) pm). The crystal structure can be considered related to the NiAs structure. The carbodiimide ions are arranged in layers following the motif of a hexagonal closest packing of sticks. Lithium and yttrium cations occupy all octahedral voids in an ordered fashion, alternating on top of each other along the hcp stacking direction.     

The New Carbodiimide Li2Gd2Sr(CN2)5 Having a Crystal Structure Related to That of Gd2(CN2)3

The new carbodiimide compounds Li₂RE₂Sr(CN₂)₅ (RE = Sm, Gd, Eu, Tb) were prepared by a straight forward solid state metathesis reaction of REF₃, SrF₂, and Li₂(CN₂) at around 600 °C. The crystal structure of Li₂Gd₂Sr(CN₂)₅ was solved based on X‐ray single‐crystal diffraction data. Corresponding Li₂RE₂Sr(CN₂)₅ compounds were analyzed by isotypic indexing of their powder patterns. The crystal structure of Li₂Gd₂Sr(CN₂)₅ can be well related to that of Gd₂(CN₂)₃, because both structures are based on layered structures composed of close packed layers of [N=C=N]^2– sticks, alternating with layers of metal ions. The crystal structure of Li₂Gd₂Sr(CN₂)₅ can be considered to contain an ABC layer sequence of [N = C=N]^2– layers with the interlayer voids being occupied by (three) distinct types of cations.     

Selectin Receptors 4: Synthesis of Tetrasaccharides Sialyl Lewis A and Sialyl Lewis X Containing A Spacer Group1,2

ABSTRACT

Synthesis of two isomeric tetrasaccharides, namely Neu5Acα(2→3)Galβ(1→3)[Fucα(1→4)GlcNAcβ (sLe^a) and Neu5Acα(2→3)Galβ(1→4)[Fucα(1→3)]GlcNAcβ (sLe^x) as 3-aminopropyl glycosides is described. Preparation of these compounds was performed by sialylation of selectively protected trisaccharides Le^a and Le^x which contain three unsubstituted OH groups at positions 2, 3 and 4 of Gal residue. Glycosylation of Le^x trisaccharide with ethylthio sialoside under promotion by NIS and TfOH in acetonitrile was effective and regio- and stereoselective to give sLe^x derivative in 81% yield. In contrast, sialylation of the Lc^a acceptor was accompanied by a variety of undesirable by-processes, namely. N-thioethylation of the GlcNAc residue, β-sialylation, and lactonisation. In order to improve the yield of sLc^a tetrasaccharide the glycosylation of Le^a acceptor by sialyl donors of ethyl and phenyl thioglycoside (promoted by NIS-TfOH or NBS-Bu₄NBr), xanthate (promotion by NIS-TfOH mixture or MeOTf) and phosphite (promoted by TMSOTf) types was also studied. Among the reactions investigated the glycosylation by phenyl thioglycoside sialoside promoted by NIS-TfOH gives the best yield (39%) of sLe^a tetrasaccharide product.