Probing the Catalytic Activity of Reduced Graphene Oxide Decorated with Au Nanoparticles Triggered by Visible Light

Hybrid materials in which reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is decorated with Au nanoparticles (rGO–Au NPs) were obtained by the in situ reduction of GO and AuCl₄^?_(aq) by ascorbic acid. On laser excitation, rGO could be oxidized as a result of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) excitation in the Au NPs, which generates activated O₂ through the transfer of SPR‐excited hot electrons to O₂ molecules adsorbed from air. The SPR‐mediated catalytic oxidation of p‐aminothiophenol (PATP) to p,p′‐dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB) was then employed as a model reaction to probe the effect of rGO as a support for Au NPs on their SPR‐mediated catalytic activities. The increased conversion of PATP to DMAB relative to individual Au NPs indicated that charge‐transfer processes from rGO to Au took place and contributed to improved SPR‐mediated activity. Since the transfer of electrons from Au to adsorbed O₂ molecules is the crucial step for PATP oxidation, in addition to the SPR‐excited hot electrons of Au NPs, the transfer of electrons from rGO to Au contributed to increasing the electron density of Au above the Fermi level and thus the Au‐to‐O₂ charge‐transfer process.     

Diastereoselective Cyclobutenol Synthesis: A Heterogeneous Palladium-Catalyzed Oxidative Carbocyclization-Borylation of Enallenols

A highly selective and efficient oxidative carbocyclization/borylation of enallenols catalyzed by palladium immobilized on amino-functionalized siliceous mesocellular foam (Pd-AmP-MCF) was developed for diastereoselective cyclobutenol synthesis. The heterogeneous palladium catalyst can be recovered and recycled without any observed loss of activity or selectivity. The high diastereoselectivity of the reaction is proposed to originate from a directing effect of the enallenol hydroxyl group. Optically pure cyclobutenol synthesis was achieved by the heterogeneous strategy by using chiral enallenol obtained from kinetic resolution.     

Stereochemistry of the citrate anion in compounds containing guanidinium and citrate ions

Journal of Structural Chemistry - An analysis is presented for the results obtained in the studies initiated by A. E. Shvelashivili, Corresponding Member, Academy of Sciences of Georgia, and...     

What do we need to Probe Upper Ocean Stratification Remotely?

Radiophysics and Quantum Electronics - We consider whether it is possible in principle to retrieve the key parameters of the mixed layer in the upper ocean (its thickness, bulk eddy viscosity and...     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">FCC/BCC</Emphasis> competition and enhancement of saturation magnetization in nanocrystalline Co-Ni-Fe films

The structure, chemical composition, and magnetic properties of electrochemically deposited nanocrystalline Co-Ni-Fe films were investigated using a number of techniques. A high saturation magnetic induction up to B _s = 21 kG was attained. An enhancement of the saturation magnetization compared to the ideal anticipated one was revealed, which correlated with the nonlinear behavior of the structural phase composition and lattice parameters with the change of the composition. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Phase state stabilization of ammonium nitrate for creating an oxidizing agent for smokeless gas-generating formulations yielding no toxic combustion products

Methods for phase stabilization of ammonium nitrate were sought for in order to considerably expand the application area of this oxidizing agent in various-purpose self-combustible formulations, including that in a new generation of gas-generating formulations for automobile air bags. New methods for stabilization of ammonium nitrate were studied and, in particular, a search was made for organic compounds that can stabilize ammonium nitrate even at their low content. The mechanism of phase state stabilization of ammonium nitrate by compounds of this kind was examined.     

Carbon adsorbents for the sorpting and concentrating nobel metals

Kinetic, sorption and selectivity properties of commercial adsorbents are improved by adding petroleum residues (tar asphaltene concentrates) 13% of whole mass. Obtained adsorbents can be used for selective extraction of nobel metals from multicomponent polymetallic solutions of heavy metals and fro sewages purification for removing arsenic.     

Rigidity and flexibility of virtual polytopes

All 3-dimensional convex polytopes are known to be rigid. Still their Minkowski differences (virtual polytopes) can be flexible with any finite freedom degree. We derive some sufficient rigidity conditions for virtual polytopes and present some examples of flexible ones. For example, Bricard's first and second flexible octahedra can be supplied by the structure of a virtual polytope.