The dangers of using KBr,KI and CaI2 as mulling agents during the preparation of infrared discs of complexes

Tribochemical reactions of KBr, KI and CaI₂ with [Cu(L)Cl₂(EtOH)_3/2(H₂O)]1/2H₂O (L = formylhydrazine) give novel Cu^I and Cu^II complexes, which have been characterized by elemental analyses, spectral (i.r., u.v.–vis., ¹H-n.m.r.) and magnetic measurements. The i.r. spectra indicate that (L) behaves in a monodentate manner, coordinating via the azomethine nitrogen (C-N) group in the Cu^II complexes, but behaving as a bidentate ligand, via the carbonyl oxygen and NH₂ groups in the Cu^I complexes. KI and CaI₂ react with [Cu(L)Cl₂(EtOH)_3/2(H₂O)]-1/2H₂O in the solid state, accompanied by a colour change, substitution of the chloride by iodide ions, and reduction of Cu^II to Cu^I to give complexes with formulae [Cu(L)I(EtOH)_1/2] and [Cu_1.7(L)I_1.7(EtOH)_1/2]. On the other hand, the tribochemical reaction of KBr with [Cu(L)Cl₂(EtOH)_3/2(H₂O)]1/2H₂O is accompanied by a colour change; substitution of the chloride by bromide ions, but without reduction of Cu^II and yields a complex of formula [Cu(L)₂Br₂(EtOH)(H₂O)]1/2EtOH. The spectral and magnetic results suggest a distorted octahedral geometry for the Cu^II complexes while a tetrahedral geometry around the Cu^I ion. The non-stoichiometric structure of [Cu_1.7(L)I_1.7(EtOH)_1/2] is discussed.     

Catalysis with transition metal nanoparticles in colloidal solution: nanoparticle shape dependence and stability

While the nanocatalysis field has undergone an explosive growth during the past decade, there have been very few studies in the area of shape-dependent catalysis and the effect of the catalytic process on the shape and size of transition metal nanoparticles as well as their recycling potential. Metal nanoparticles of different shapes have different crystallographic facets and have different fraction of surface atoms on their corners and edges, which makes it interesting to study the effect of metal nanoparticle shape on the catalytic activity of various organic and inorganic reactions. Transition metal nanoparticles are attractive to use as catalysts due to their high surface-to-volume ratio compared to bulk catalytic materials, but their surface atoms could be so active that changes in the size and shape of the nanoparticles could occur during the course of their catalytic function, which could also affect their recycling potential. In this Feature Article, we review our work on the effect of the shape of the colloidal nanocatalyst on the catalytic activity as well as the effect of the catalytic process on the shape and size of the colloidal transition metal nanocatalysts and their recycling potential. These studies provide important clues on the mechanism of the reactions we studied and also can be very useful in the process of designing better catalysts in the future.     

Thermodynamics of Ion-Association of NaClO4 in Aqueous-Methanol and Aqueous-Glycerol Using Conductance Measurements

The conductance of NaClO₄ at (25–45)°C in methanol-H₂O, and glycerol-H₂O mixtures in a concentration range up to 10^?2 M has been measured. The association constant, K_A, values have been determined, where the conductometric data were analysed by a M S X computer using the Fuoss-Aprano method. The K_A values for NaClO₄ in methanol-H₂O are higher than in glycerel-H₂O mixtures, Also K_A values increase as the proportional of methanol or glycerol increases in mixture. The thermodynamic parameters ΔH°, ΔG°, and ΔS° were also calculated. It is obvious that the entire process of the ionic association in those systems are endothermic ones. The Walden products, Λ_oη were calculated for all systems investigated.     

Honeycomb nets with interpenetrating frameworks involving iminodiacetato-copper(II) blocks and bipyridine spacers: syntheses, characterization, and magnetic studies

Three coordination polymers of copper(II), viz. ([Cu(ida)(4,4'-bipyH)]ClO(4))( proportional, variant ) (1), ([Cu(2)(ida)(2)(micro-4,4'-bipy)].2H(2)O)( proportional, variant ) (2), and [Cu(2)(ida)(2)(bpa)]( proportional, variant ) (3) have been synthesized by the process of self-assembly using Cu(ida) [ida = iminodiacetate(2-)] as the building block and 4,4'-bipyridyl and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane (bpa) as linkers. Crystals of 1 are orthorhombic, of space group Pna2(1), with a = 13.8956(12) A, b = 16.3362(16) A, c = 7.3340(12), and Z = 4. Both compounds 2 and 3 crystallize in monoclinic space group P2(1)/a with a = 10.1887(8) A (9.6779(10) A for 3), b = 8.0008(11) A (9.1718(10) A), c = 11.6684(9) A (12.9144(12) A), beta = 98.307(11) degrees (102.796(18) degrees ), and Z = 2 (2). Compound 1 has a zigzag chain structure with an extensive hydrogen-bonded network while compounds 2 and 3 are honeycomb (6,3) nets with interpenetrating structures. Variable temperature (2-300 K) magnetic study indicates the presence of weak antiferromagnetic interactions (J = 0.82 +/- 0.01 cm(-)(1)) in 1 and ferromagnetic in 2 (J = -0.45 +/- 0.05 cm(-)(1)) and 3 (J = -0.21 +/- 0.02 cm(-)(1)). The extent of planarity of the bridging "Cu-O-C-O-Cu" moiety, acting as the super-exchange pathway between the neighboring copper centers, probably controls the sign of the magnetic exchange coupling in these compounds.     

Spectroscopic and Quantum Mechanical Studies of Substituted Anilines and their Charge-Transfer Complexes with Iodine in Different Solvents

Summary. Equilibrium constants and molar extinction coefficients for 1:1 charge-transfer complexes between 2-hydroxyaniline (HA), 5-chloro-2-hydroxyaniline (CHA), and 4-bromo-2,6-dimethylaniline (BMA) as donors and iodine, as a typical σ-acceptor were determined spectrophotometrically in chloroform, dichloromethane, and carbontetrachloride solutions. Spectral characteristics and formation constants are discussed in terms of donor molecular structure and solvent polarity. The stoichiometry of the complexes was established to be 1:1. For this purpose, optical data were subjected to the form of the Rose-Drago equation for 1:1 equilibria. Electronic absorption spectra of the studied anilines were measured in different solvents. Spectral data were reported and band maxima were assigned to the appropriate molecular orbital transitions (π–π^* and n–π^* electronic transition). Solvent effects on the electronic transitions were discussed. Optimized geometry of the studied anilines was obtained at B3LYP/6-31 + G(d). The effect of the electronic factors of the substituents on the geometrical parameters of the ring has been explored. Geometrical values of the ring deviate from the regular hexagonal ring. Intramolecular H-bonds in HA and CHA have been computed at B3LYP/6-31 + G(d) and MP2/6-31 + G(d) levels. The H-bonding distance was calculated to be 2.105 ? in HA and 2.127 ? in CHA. Abstracted from her M.Sc. thesis     

A robust-adaptive fuzzy coverage control for robotic swarms

In this paper, a decentralized adaptive control scheme for multi-robot coverage is proposed. This control method is designed based on centroidal Voronoi configuration integrated with robust adaptive fuzzy control techniques. We consider simple single integrator mobile robots used for covering dynamical environments, where an adaptive fuzzy logic system is used to approximate the unknown parts of control law. A robust coverage criterion is used to attenuate the adaptive fuzzy approximation error and measurement noises to a prescribed level. Therefore, the robots motion is forced to obey solutions of a coverage optimization problem. The advantages of the proposed controller can be listed as robustness to external disturbances, computation uncertainties, and measurement noises, while applicability on dynamical environments. A Lyapunov-function based proof is given of robust stability, i.e. convergence to the optimal positions with bounded error. Finally, simulation results are demonstrated for a swarm coverage problem simultaneous with tracking mobile intruders.     

Investigation of the Electroreduction Behavior,Electroreduction Mechanism and Voltammetric Determination of Medetomidine on the Graphene Paste Electrode

This paper presents a method for the construction of a graphene paste electrode (GPE) from reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The GPE was successfully used for the determination of medetomidine. The influence of some experimental variables such as pH, supporting electrolyte, scan rate, and possible interferences were studied. Differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) peak currents of medetomidine increased linearly with its concentration in the range from 0.009 to 2.5 µM. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) values for the determination of medetomidine were 2.8 and 9.2 nM, respectively. Also, for the first time, the electroreduction behavior of medetomidine was investigated.     

Metal complexes of novel Schiff base derived from the condensation of 2‐quinoline carboxaldehyde and ambroxol drug with some transition metal ions

A new Schiff base was prepared as the condensation product of the reaction of 2‐quinoline carboxaldehyde and ambroxol drug. The Schiff base ligand thus obtained (HL; trans‐4‐[(2‐(2‐quinolinoimino)‐3,5‐dibromobenzyl)amino]cyclohexanol) was further employed as a tridentate ligand for the synthesis of new complexes through reaction with Cr(III), Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) metal ions. The synthesized HL and its metal complexes were characterized using various physicochemical techniques including elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared and UV–visible spectroscopies, conductimetric and magnetic susceptibility measurements, mass spectrometry and thermal analyses. ¹H NMR data indicated that complex formation was through the amino group rather than the aliphatic hydroxyl group. Thermal analysis gave an idea about the decomposition pattern of HL and its complexes. Also, it revealed the number of water molecules in the inner and outer spheres of the complexes. An octahedral geometry for all the complexes has been suggested. HL and its complexes were screened for their antimicrobial activity against various species of bacteria and fungi using the disc diffusion method. The Cr(III) complex had the highest antimicrobial activity.