Lacitemzine, a novel sesquiterpene acid from the Tunisian plant Pulicaria laciniata (Coss. et Kral.) Thell.

The flowers of Pulicaria laciniata (Coss. et Kral.) Thell. (Asteraceae) afforded a new sesquiterpene acid 1, named lacitemzine together with the three known compounds, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxypyridine 2, β-sitosterol-3-O-β-d-glucoside 3 and 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene 4. The structure of compound 1, 2-(2,6-dimethyl-3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10-octahydro-5,8-oxaazulen-9-yl)acrylic acid, contains a guaiane skeleton and was elucidated by spectroscopic procedures including 2D-NMR and X-ray diffraction.     

Uncertainty Principles for the Continuous Dunkl Gabor Transform and the Dunkl Continuous Wavelet Transform

In this paper we consider the Dunkl operators T _j , j = 1, . . . , d, on and the harmonic analysis associated with these operators. We define a continuous Dunkl Gabor transform, involving the Dunkl translation operator, by proceeding as mentioned in [20] by C.Wojciech and G. Gigante. We prove a Plancherel formula, an inversion formula and a weak uncertainty principle for it. Then, we show that the portion of the continuous Dunkl Gabor transform lying outside some set of finite measure cannot be arbitrarily too small. Similarly, using the basic theory for the Dunkl continuous wavelet transform introduced by K. Trimèche in [18], an analogous of this result for the Dunkl continuous wavelet transform is given. Finally, an analogous of Heisenberg’s inequality for a continuous Dunkl Gabor transform (resp. Dunkl continuous wavelet transform) is proved.      

New antioxidant bibenzyl derivative and isoflavonoid from the Tunisian Salsola tetrandra Folsk

Two new phytochemical compounds, Tetranins A and B, 1-(3,5'-dihydroxy-4'-méthoxyphenyl)-2-phenylethanol 1 and 5,2'-dihydroxy-5'-methoxy-6,7-methylenedioxy-isoflavone 2, were isolated from the EtOAc extract of Salsola tetrandra roots. They exhibited a significant antioxidant effect in 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical and 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) assays. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods including 1-D-((1)H and (13)C) and 2-D-NMR experiments (CHcorr, HMBC, (1)H-(1)H COSY and NOESY) as well as high-resolution ES-MS and they were found to be quite active as antioxidants in the DPPH and ABTS assays.     

Hydrogen bonding and π–π interactions in 1‐benzofuran‐2,3‐dicarboxylic acid and its 1:1 cocrystals with pyridine,phenazine and 1,4‐phenylenediamine

The structure of 1‐benzofuran‐2,3‐dicarboxylic acid (BFDC), C₁₀H₆O₅, (I), exhibits an intramolecular hydrogen bond between one –COOH group and the other, while the second carboxyl function is involved in intermolecular hydrogen bonding to neighbouring species. The latter results in the formation of flat one‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded chains in the crystal structure, which are π–π stacked along the normal to the plane of the molecular framework, forming a layered structure. 1:1 Cocrystallization of BFDC with pyridine, phenazine and 1,4‐phenylenediamine is associated with H‐atom transfer from BFDC to the base and charge‐assisted hydrogen bonding between the BFDC⁻ monoanion and the corresponding ammonium species, while preserving, in all cases, the intramolecular hydrogen bond between the carboxyl and carboxylate functions. The pyridinium 2‐carboxylato‐1‐benzofuran‐3‐carboxylic acid, C₅H₆N⁺·C₁₀H₅O₅⁻, (II), and phenazinium 3‐carboxylato‐1‐benzofuran‐2‐carboxylic acid, C₁₂H₉N₂⁺·C₁₀H₅O₅⁻, (III), adducts form discrete hydrogen‐bonded ion‐pair entities. In the corresponding crystal structures, the two components are arranged in either segregated or mixed π–π stacks, respectively. On the other hand, the structure of 4‐aminoanilinium 2‐carboxylato‐1‐benzofuran‐3‐carboxylic acid, C₆H₉N₂⁺·C₁₀H₅O₅⁻, (IV), exhibits an intermolecular hydrogen‐bonding network with three‐dimensional connectivity. Moreover, this fourth structure exhibits induction of supramolecular chirality by the extended hydrogen bonding, leading to a helical arrangement of the interacting moieties around 2₁ screw axes. The significance of this study is that it presents the first crystallographic characterization of pure BFDC, and manifestation of its cocrystallization with a variety of weakly basic amine molecules. It confirms the tendency of BFDC to preserve its intramolecular hydrogen bond and to prefer a monoanionic form in supramolecular association with other components. The aromaticity of the flat benzofuran residue plays an important role in directing either homo‐ or heteromolecular π–π stacking in the first three structures, while the occurrence of a chiral architecture directed by multiple hydrogen bonding is the dominant feature in the fourth.     

Electrochemical deposition of cerium on porous silicon to improve photoluminescence properties

In this work, we present results for Cerium (Ce) doping effects on photoluminescence (PL) properties of porous silicon (PS). Cerium was deposited using electrochemical deposition on porous silicon prepared by electrochemical anodization of P-type (100) Si. From the photoluminescence spectroscopy, it was shown that porous silicon treated with cerium can lead to an increase of photoluminescence when they are irradiated by light compared to the porous silicon layer without cerium. In order to understand the contribution of cerium to the enhanced photoluminescence, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were performed, and it was shown that the improved photoluminescence may be attributed to the change of Si–H bonds into Si–O–Ce bonds and to a newly formed PS layer during electrochemical Ce coating.