Approaching supramolecular functionality

Functional molecules require a high degree of complexity which is difficult to achieve by covalent synthesis. This article discusses supramolecular approaches to the creation of larger architectures through noncovalent bonds, self-assembly, and template strategies. It highlights selected examples for the structural and conformational control of function and attempts to identify difficulties and challenges which may arise in future.     

New approach to calibrating conductivity meters in the low conductivity range

There is currently a major issue with the calibration of conductivity meters used for high purity water: the lack of availability of a reference material or reference methods for low conductivity ranges (conductivity below 1 S cm^–1 at 25.0 °C, resistivity >1 M cm at 25.0 °C). This paper describes the current status of conductivity measurements in high purity water. A new and improved approach, currently being investigated, should allow us to make the calibration of conductivity meters used for low conductivity ranges traceable to the SI.Milipore, Milli-Q and Elix are registered trademarks of Millipore Corporation.     

Composition and morphology of stack emissions from coal and oil fuelled boilers

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) together with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been used in the study of fly ash from large electric power and heating plants. Two basic kinds of fly ash originating either from brown coal or heavy-oil combustion can be characterized both by morphology and trace element composition. INAA technique used consisted of both short (1 min) and long (2 h) activations to ensure the determination of 30–40 elements in each fly ash sample. The average composition and determination limits obtained by INAA for coal fly ash produced in several electric power plants burning two kinds of brown coal have been compared with those obtained for fly ash originating from heating plants burning heavy-oil. Coal fly ash showed much higher concentrations of many elements especially of Sc. La, Th, Cs, Ce, Sm, Rb and Al in comparison with oil fly ash. On the other hand, the latter contained relatively high concentrations of V and Ni. The results of INAA of fly ash samples can be used for the projection of efficient separating devices and for the evaluation and prediction of contamination levels in the vicinity of large emission sources.     

FT-IR spectroscopic detection of pesticide after sorption onto modified pumice

Organoclays can be prepared by modification of the surface with a cationic surface active compound and used for the immobilisation or separation of non-polar contaminants from polluted waters. In this work pumice is used instead of clay material. Batch system experiments were performed for the modification of pumice surface with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide. Modification of pumice and then the sorption of pesticide, Fenvalerate, from water have been traced by FT-IR spectroscopy.     

Dielektrische Relaxation Polymerer bei Temperaturen bis 1 °K

Zusammenfassung Es werden Messungen des dielektrischen Verlustes tan im Temperaturbereich von 1 bis 80 °K und bei verschiedenen Frequenzen zwischen 10 Hz und 10 kHz an einer Reihe von Polymeren mitgeteilt.Der dielektrische Verlust sinkt im allgemeinen mit Annäherung an den absoluten Nullpunkt monoton ab. Es scheint dies anzudeuten, daß immer ein dielektrischer Untergrund, beruhend auf allgemeinen thermischen Fluktuationen, existiert, der im übrigen für Polymere mit polaren Gruppen höher liegt als für unpolar gebaute. Zu tiefsten Temperaturen hin überlagert sich diesem allgemeinen Trend oft noch ein Maximum, wenngleich bei Temperaturen bis 1 °K herab zuweilen nur erst in einer Konstanz der Verlustwinkel-Werte angedeutet. Es sieht also so aus, als ob auch noch bei tiefsten Temperaturen singuläre Relaxationsmechanismen eine Rolle spielen können. In einer Reihe von Fällen findet man weitere Relaxationsprozesse zwischen 15 und 40 °K.Soweit sich Aktivierungsgrößen aus der Auftragung der Maximallage in der Temperatur mit der Frequenz nach Abtrennung des allgemeinen Untergrundes abschätzen lassen, werden diese mit sinkender Temperaturlage immer kleiner.Die dielektrischen Verluste sind in allen Fällenextrem abhängig von der Vorgeschichte der Proben und zwar insofern, daß offensichtlich Verspannungen im Material infolge von Deformationsprozessen und anderen Behandlungen zu einer erheblichen Erhöhung der Verluste führen, sowohl des Untergrundes als der singulären Mechanismen.

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Summary Investigations of dielectric loss in the temperature range 1–80 °K and with frequencies between 10 c/sec and 10 kc/sec for diverse polymers a presented. For all polymers the dielectric loss decreases in principle monotonely with the approximation of the absolute Zero-point.Thus we suppose the existence of a common dielectric background loss depending from the thermal fluctuations in the material. Moreover this background losses are higher for substances with polar groups.At the lowest temperatures in most cases there seems to appear a loss peak. For temperatures down to 1 °K often this can be only suggested from the constancy of losses. But it seems to be a quite normal fact, that for extremely deep temperatures something as a singular relaxation mechanism may exist.Further discrete mechanisms exist for the range between 15 and 40 °K. Activation energy evaluated formally from the experimental dates in the normal manner after separation of the peaks from the background becomes smaller and smaller with decreasing temperatures.In all investigated cases the dielectric losses are very sensible to prehistory of the samples. It seems, that expecially stress, by deformation and other treatments, gives rise for an increase of loss for the background as for discrete mechanisms.

     

Site-specific phenylation of pyridine catalyzed by phosphido-bridged ruthenium dimer complexes: a prototype for C-H arylation of electron-deficient heteroarenes

Direct and selective catalytic arylation of alpha-C-H bond in pyridine with iodobenzene was achieved in up to 70% yield. Phosphido-bridged bisruthenium complexes 6a and 6b arising from Ru3(CO)12 and PPh3 were identified as active catalysts. The formation of complexes 6a and 6b was investigated, a sequence of C-H and C-P bond cleavage, cluster fragmentation, and disproportionation was established, and the intermediate ruthenium complexes lying on this pathway were isolated and fully characterized.     

Oxidative dearomatization of phenols and anilines via lambda(3)- and lambda(5)-iodane-mediated phenylation and oxygenation

Treatment of 2-methylphenols with chloro(diphenyl)-lambda(3)-iodane led to their regioselective dearomatizing 2-phenylation into cyclohexa-2,4-dienone derivatives via a proposed ligand coupling reaction. In the same vein of investigation, treatment of 2-methylanilines with the lambda(5)-iodane 2-iodoxybenzoic acid IBX reagent led to their regioselective dearomatization into previously undescribed ortho-quinol imines.     

Determination of enantiomeric excess and degree of hydrogenation in the enantioselective hydrogenation of ketopantolactone

Summary A new gas chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of the degree of hydrogenation of ketopantolactone and the enantiomeric excess of pantolactone does not require any derivatisation.

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Bestimmung von Enantiomerenüberschuß und Hydriergrad bei der enantioselektiven Hydrierung von Ketopantolacton (Kurze Mitt.)

Zusammenfassung Zur Bestimmung des Hydriergrads von Ketopantolacton und des Enantiomerenüberschusses von Pantolacton wird ein neues gaschromatographisches Verfahren eingesetzt, das keine Derivatisierung erfordert.

     

Pressure- and temperature-induced valence tautomeric interconversion in a o-dioxolene adduct of a cobalt-tetraazamacrocycle complex

An electronic switch at the molecular level has been realized by using a class of ionic compounds of the formula [Co(L)(diox)]Y (L = tetraazamacrocyclic ligand, Y = mononegative anion). Such compounds undergo temperature- and pressure-induced intramolecular one-electron transfer equilibria. The transition temperature of interconversion varies with the nature of the counterions Y (Y = PF6, BPh4, I). Surprisingly the effect of the anion on the transition temperature is not only governed by its volume but also by its coulombic interaction.     

On the Chemistry of a Dibenzohypericin Derivative

Summary.  A hypericin derivative was synthesized in which instead of the methyl groups two benzene rings were condensed to the chromophoric system in order to extend its conjugation. This derivative showed lowered fluorescence and concomitantly enhanced sensitized production of active oxygen species as compared to hypericin. However, in contrast to intuition its long wavelength band remained unshifted in comparison to its parent compound hypericin. Geometry and absorption properties were also investigated by means of semiempirical calculations. Received July 27, 2001. Accepted August 9, 2001