13C NMR investigations of molecular order of rod-like,bent-core,and thiophene mesogens

In this review, methods to obtain the orientational order of topologically variant molecular mesogens using by one- and two-dimensional (2D) solid-state ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy are described. Besides ¹³C chemical shifts, the ¹³C─¹H dipolar couplings measured from 2D-separated local field (SLF) technique are used for computing the order parameters of a variety of mesogens. The investigated molecules are composed of a variable number of rings in the core, that is, core ranging from simply one ring to five rings. Among the mesogens investigated, a special focus has been placed on mesogens with thiophene rings, which are gaining popularity as liquid crystalline organic semiconductors. The replacement of a phenyl ring by thiophene in the core has a dramatic influence on molecular topology, as observed from the measured order parameters. The review highlights the advantages of the 2D SLF method for understanding the local dynamics and for mapping the topology of mesogens through the measured order parameters. SLF NMR studies of as many as 24 molecular mesogens that vary in terms of the molecular structure as well as topology are covered in the review. Order parameters of the rings have been estimated from the ¹³C─¹H dipolar couplings in the nematic, smectic A, smectic C, and tilted hexatic phases as well as in B₁ and B₂ mesophases of various mesogens. It is anticipated that, in the years to come, the 2D SLF method would provide advanced molecular information on structurally complex mesogens that are emerging in liquid crystal science through the incessant efforts of synthetic chemists. The mini review covers the orientational order of topologically variant molecular mesogens determined by 1D and 2D solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Accordingly, rod-like, bent-core, and thiophene mesogens were subjected to 2D SLF measurements to get the order parameters from which the topology was established. The replacement of phenyl ring by thiophene and its influence on order parameters as well as on molecular topology is also discussed.     

Excited-State Dynamics of Non-Luminescent and Luminescent π-Radicals

Recently, the potential use of organic π-radicals and related spin systems has been expanded to modern technological applications. The unique excited-state dynamics of organic π-radicals can be useful to improve the stability of photochemically unstable organic compounds, make the polarization transfer applicable to information technology, and achieve effective up-conversion of interest for luminescence bioimaging, among others. Furthermore, highly luminescent stable π-radicals have been recently reported, which are especially interesting for application in organic light-emitting devices owing to their potential to provide an internal quantum efficiency of 100 %. Thus, the excited-state nature of stable π-radicals as well as the control of their excited-state spin dynamics are emerging topics both in terms of fundamental science and related technological applications. In this minireview, we focus on the excited-state dynamics of both photostable non(weakly)-luminescent and luminescent π-radicals, which are opposites of each other. In particular, we cover the following topics: 1) effective generation of high-spin photoexcited states and control of the excited-state dynamics by using non-luminescent π-radicals, 2) unique excited-state dynamics of luminescent π-radicals and radical excimers, and 3) applications utilizing excited-state dynamics of π-radicals.     

A self-penetrating and chemically stable zinc (ii)-organic framework as multi-responsive chemo-sensor to detect pesticide and antibiotics in water

Guided by the self-penetrating features can improve the stability of metal organic frameworks (MOFs), an unprecedented 3D self-penetrated framework, {[Zn (tptc)_0.5(bimb)]·H₂O}_n ( NUC-6 , here NUC corresponding to North University of China), with 3D (4,4)-c {8⁶} net, was designed. Benefit from the high chemical stability and excellent luminescent property, NUC-6 can be act as an efficient multi-response chemo-sensor in detecting dichloronitroaniline pesticide and nitrofuran antibiotics in water with the detection limits are 116 ppb for DCN pesticide, 16 ppb for NFT antibiotic, and 12 ppb for NTZ antibiotic. Besides, the mechanisms of luminescence quenching were revealed from the viewpoint of internal filter effect (IFE) and photo-induced electron transfer (PET), implied by the optical spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculation. This work provides a promising strategy to design stable MOFs by improving the self-penetrating features and to expand their practical applications in the detection of organic pollutants in aqueous medium.     

Atmospheric chemistry of diazomethane – an experimental and theoretical study

The kinetics of the O₃, OH and NO₃ radical reactions with diazomethane were studied in smog chamber experiments employing long-path FTIR and PTR-ToF-MS detection. The rate coefficients were determined to be k _CH2NN+O3?=?(3.2?±?0.4)?×?10^?17 and k _CH2NN+OH?=?(1.68?±?0.12)?×?10^?10 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 at 295?±?3?K and 1013?±?30 hPa, whereas the CH₂NN?+?NO₃ reaction was too fast to be determined in the static smog chamber experiments. Formaldehyde was the sole product observed in all the reactions. The experimental results are supported by CCSD(T*)-F12a/aug-cc-pVTZ//M062X/aug-cc-pVTZ calculations showing the reactions to proceed exclusively via addition to the carbon atom. The atmospheric fate of diazomethane is discussed.     

Change of evaporation rate of single monocomponent droplet with temperature using time-resolved phase rainbow refractometry

Droplet evaporation characterization, although of great significance, is still challenging. The recently developed phase rainbow refractometry (PRR) is proposed as an approach to measuring the droplet temperature, size as well as evaporation rate simultaneously, and is applied to a single flowing n-heptane droplet produced by a droplet-on-demand generator. The changes of droplet temperature and evaporation rate after a transient spark heating are reflected in the time-resolved PRR image. Results show that droplet evaporation rate increases with temperature, from ?1.28$\times {10}^{?8}$ m²/s at atmospheric 293 K to a range of (?1.5, ?8)$\times {10}^{?8}$ m²/s when heated to (294, 315) K, agreeing well with the Maxwell and Stefan–Fuchs model predictions. Uncertainty analysis suggests that the main source is the indeterminate gradient inside droplet, resulting in an underestimation of droplet temperature and evaporation rate. With the demonstration on simultaneous measurements of droplet refractive index as well as droplet transient and local evaporation rate in this work, PRR is a promising tool to investigate single droplet evaporation in real engine conditions.     

Path to achieving molecular dispersion in a dense reactive mixture

A uniform dispersion of reactants is necessary to achieve a complete reaction involving multicomponents. In this study, we have examined the role of plasticizer in the reaction of two seemingly unlikely reactants: a highly crystalline hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) and a strongly hydrogen bonded phenol formaldehyde resin. By combining information from NMR, infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry, we were able to determine the role of specific intermolecular interactions necessary for the plasticizer to dissolve the highly crystalline HMTA and to plasticize the phenol formaldehyde resin in this crosslinking reaction. The presence of the plasticizer increased the segmental mobility, disrupted the hydrogen bonded matrix, and freed the hydroxyl units, which further increased the solubility of the HMTA. Both the endothermic and exothermic transitions are accounted for in the calorimetric data obtained. For the first time, it is possible to obtain the effective molar ratio of each component needed to complete the crosslinking reaction efficiently. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 1519–1526     

Computational Analysis Reveals a Critical Point Mutation in the N-Terminal Region of the Signaling Lymphocytic Activation Molecule Responsible for the Cross-Species Infection with Canine Distemper Virus

Infection of hosts by morbilliviruses is facilitated by the interaction between viral hemagglutinin (H-protein) and the signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM). Recently, the functional importance of the n-terminal region of human SLAM as a measles virus receptor was demonstrated. However, the functional roles of this region in the infection process by other morbilliviruses and host range determination remain unknown, partly because this region is highly flexible, which has hampered accurate structure determination of this region by X-ray crystallography. In this study, we analyzed the interaction between the H-protein from canine distemper virus (CDV-H) and SLAMs by a computational chemistry approach. Molecular dynamics simulations and fragment molecular orbital analysis demonstrated that the unique His28 in the N-terminal region of SLAM from Macaca is a key determinant that enables the formation of a stable interaction with CDV-H, providing a basis for CDV infection in Macaca. The computational chemistry approach presented should enable the determination of molecular interactions involving regions of proteins that are difficult to predict from crystal structures because of their high flexibility.     

Sobolev Stability of Plane Wave Solutions to the Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation

This article explores the questions of long time orbital stability in high order Sobolev norms of plane wave solutions to the NLSE in the defocusing case.