Crystal and molecular structure and magnetic exchange properties of bis(di-micro-ethoxo-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsemiquinonato)dicopper(II)) complex. A synergy between DFT and experimental magnetochemistry

The compound bis(di-micro-ethoxo-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsemiquinonato)dicopper(II)) has been synthesized and its structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group C2/c, with a = 37.736(8) A, b = 9.173(2) A, c = 23.270(5) A, beta = 122.24(3) degrees. The structure can be described as a Lewis adduct between two dinuclear [Cu(DBSQ)(C(2)H(5)O)](2) units (DBSQ = 3,5-di-tert-butyl-semiquinonato). The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility was efficiently analyzed by a combined DFT/experimental approach, showing that a rather strong ferromagnetic interaction exists between the DBSQ(-) and the copper(II) ions modulated by an antiferromagnetic interaction between the two copper(II) ions of the dinuclear units. Weak antiferromagnetism between the two units in the unit cell was measured.     

Role of secondary structure in the asymmetric acylation reaction catalyzed by peptides based on chiral C alpha-tetrasubstituted alpha-amino acids

In a recent series of papers, Miller and co-workers were able to show that His(pi-Me)-based, terminally protected peptides are potent catalysts of the asymmetric acyl transfer reaction, useful for the kinetic resolution of alcohols. In a structure-supporting solvent, one of the most active compounds, an Aib-containing tetrapeptide, is folded in a doubly intramolecularly H-bonded beta-hairpin motif incorporating a type-II' beta-turn conformation. In this work, we have expanded the study of the Miller tetrapeptide by examining a set of analogues and shorter sequences (dipeptide amides), characterized by chiral C(alpha)-tetrasubstituted alpha-amino acids of diverging bulkiness and optical configuration. Peptide synthesis in solution, conformational analysis by FT-IR absorption and (1)H NMR techniques, and screening of catalytic activity as well have been performed. Our results confirm the close relationship between the beta-hairpin 3D-structure and the catalytic activity of the peptides. A tetrapeptide analogue slightly more selective than the Miller compound has been found. However, the terminally protected, industrially more appealing, dipeptide amides are poorly effective.     

Dioxomolybdenum(VI) Complexes with New Enantiomerically Pure Amino Diol Ligands

(R)-Phenylglycinol is shown to be an efficient building block for the synthesis of chiral amino diols in pure diastereomeric form by epoxide ring-opening reactions. The reaction with rac-trans-stilbene oxide gives [HOCH(2)-(R)-PhCH]NH[(S)-PhCH-(R)-PhCHOH] [2(R)-3(R)-4(S)-HNO(2)H(2)] in 32% yield, which can be methylated at nitrogen to give enantiomerically pure [HOCH(2)-(R)-PhCH]NCH(3)[(S)-PhCH-(R)-PhCHOH] [2(R)-3(R)-4(S)-MeNO(2)H(2)]. These amino diol ligands have been used to prepare chiral dioxomolybdenyl complexes of the formula N(R)-2(R)-3(R)-4(S)-(HNO(2))MoO(2) (1) and N(R)-2(R)-3(R)-4(S)-(MeNO(2))MoO(2) (2). The absolute configuration at each stereocenter in the Mo(VI) complexes has been established by (1)H NOESY spectroscopy. The configuration determined for 1 has been confirmed by an X-ray analysis. Crystal data: orthorhombic P2(1)2(1)2(1), a =7.620(3), b = 13.589(2), c = 20.339(3) ?, Z = 4, R = 0.0336. The structure consists of a polymeric chain of N(R)-2(R)-3(R)-4(S)-(HNO(2))MoO(2) molecules connected through unsymmetrical Mo=O --> Mo bridges. Each metal center is coordinated in a distorted octahedral geometry by a cis dioxo unit and by two trans alkoxo atoms. The coordination polyhedron is completed by a nitrogen atom and by a bridging oxo oxygen atom from an adjacent molecule. Compound 2 catalyzes the oxidation of PPh(3) to OPPh(3) by DMSO through a mechanism that involves the intermediacy of a Mo(IV) species.     

Silylating Agents Grafted onto Silica Derived from Leached Chrysotile

Silica from leached chrysotile fibers (SILO) was silanized with trialkoxyaminosilanes to yield inorganic–organic hybrids designated SILx (x=1–3). The greatest amounts of the immobilized agents were quantified as 2.14, 1.90, and 2.18 mmol g⁻¹ on SIL1, SIL2, and SIL3 for –(CH₂)₃NH₂,–(CH₂)₃NH(CH₂)₂NH₂, and –(CH₂)₃NH(CH₂)₂NH(CH₂)₂NH₂ groups attached to the inorganic support. The infrared spectra for all modified silicas showed the absence of the Si–OH deformation mode, originally found at 950 cm⁻¹, and the appearance of asymmetric and symmetric C–H stretching bands at 2950 and 2840 cm⁻¹. Other important bands associated with the organic moieties were assigned to ν_as(NH) at 3478 and ν_sym(NH) at 3418 cm⁻¹. The NMR spectrum of the solid precursor material suggested two different kinds of silicon atoms: silanol and siloxane groups, between −90 and 110 ppm; however, additional species of silicon that contain the organic moieties bonded to silicon at −58 and −66 ppm appeared after chemical modification. These modified silicas showed a high adsorption capacity for cobalt and copper cations in aqueous solution, in contrast to the original SILO matrix, confirming the unequivocal anchoring of silylating agents on the silica surface.     

Application of the slurry technique to biological materials: a survey of literature

Summary The literature on the application of the slurry technique to biological materials is reviewed. It is obvious from the various applications that the most frequently employed atomization method for slurry analysis in biological materials is electrothermal atomization using either graphite tube or platform atomizers. The slurry technique is particularly useful when certified reference materials are not available and when the standard addition method is to be avoided. The literature survey revealed that this technique compares favourably with other methods for the determination of trace metals in biological materials.     

The Reduction of Benzofuroxans by Ferrous Salts and by Thiophenol

Treatment of benzofuroxan derivatives with ferrous sulphate in DMSO/water solution affords in high yield o-nitroanilines. o-Nitroaniline was also obtained by reduction of benzofuroxan with thiophenol in presence of catalytic amount of Fe²⁺ or Fe³⁺ salts.     

Type I Photosensitization of 2′‐deoxyadenosine 5′‐monophosphate (5′‐dAMP) by Biopterin and its Photoproduct Formylpterin

Biopterin (Bip) and its photoproducts 6‐formylpterin (Fop) and 6‐carboxypterin (Cap) accumulate in the skin of patients suffering from vitiligo, a chronic depigmentation disorder where the protection against UV radiation fails because of the lack of melanin. These compounds absorb in the UV‐A inducing a potential photosensitizing action that can cause damage to DNA and other biomolecules. In this work, we have investigated the capability of these pterin derivatives (Pt) to act as photosensitizers under UV‐A irradiation for the degradation of 2′‐deoxyadenosine 5′‐monophosphate (5′‐dAMP) in aqueous solutions, as model DNA target. Steady‐state and time‐resolved experiments were performed and the effect of pH was evaluated. The results showed that photosensitized degradation of 5′‐dAMP was only observed under acidic conditions, and a mechanistic analysis revealed the participation of the triplet excited state of the pterin derivatives (³Pt*) by electron transfer yielding the corresponding pair of radical ions (Pt^?? and 5′‐dAMP^?+), with successive photosensitizer recovery by electron transfer from Pt^?? to O₂. Finally, 5′‐dAMP^?+ participates in subsequent reactions to yield degradation products.     

Design study and heat transfer analysis of a neutron converter target for medical radioisotope production

A worldwide challenge in the near future will be to find a way of producing radioisotopes in sufficient quantity without relying on research reactors. The motivation for this innovative work on targets lies in the accelerator-based production of radioisotopes using a neutron converter target as in the transmutation by adiabatic resonance crossing concept. Thermal analysis of a multi-channel helium cooled device is performed with the computational fluid dynamics code CFX. Different boundary conditions are taken into account in the simulation process and many important parameters such as maximum allowable solid target temperature as well as uniform inlet velocity and outlet pressure changes in the channels are investigated. The results confirm that the cooling configuration works well; hence such a solid target could be operated safely and may be considered for a prototype target.     

DFT Simulations as Valuable Tool to Support NMR Characterization of Halide Perovskites: the Case of Pure and Mixed Halide Perovskites

Solid state NMR spectroscopy is swiftly emerging as useful tool to characterize the structure, composition and dynamic properties of lead halide perovskites. On the other hand, interpretation of solid state NMR signatures is often challenging, because of the potential presence of many overlapping signals in small range of chemical shifts, hence complicating the extraction of detailed structural features. Here, we demonstrate the reliability of periodic Density Functional Theory in providing theoretical support for the NMR characterization of halide perovskite compounds, considering nuclei with spin I=1/2. For light ¹H and ¹³C nuclei, we predict NMR chemical shifts in good agreement with experiment, further highlighting the effects of motional narrowing. Accurate prediction of the NMR response of ²⁰⁷Pb nuclei is comparably more challenging, but we successfully reproduce the downshift in frequency when changing the halide composition from pure iodine to pure bromine. Furthermore, we confirm NMR as ideal tool to study mixed halide perovskite compounds, currently at the limelight for tandem solar cells and color-tunable light emission.     

Non-linear optics in liquid-crystalline phases A 4 × 4 matrix formalism

The 4 × 4 matrix formalism of Berreman has been extended to include nonlinear optical terms. A non-linear source has to be added to the original homogeneous differential equation, giving an inhomogeneous equation that can be solved by standard procedures. The final expression can be given in a compact form by applying the Hamilton-Cayley theorem. The formalism is illustrated in the treatment of three-wave mixing in cholesteric phases.