Nano palladium supported on high‐surface‐area metal–organic framework MIL‐101: an efficient catalyst for Sonogashira coupling of aryl and heteroaryl bromides with alkynes

Palladium nanoparticle‐incorporated metal–organic framework MIL‐101 (Pd/MIL‐101) was successfully synthesized and characterized using X‐ray diffraction, nitrogen physisorption, X‐ray photoelectron, UV–visible and infrared spectroscopies, and transmission electron microscopy. The characterization techniques confirmed high porosity and high surface area of MIL‐101 and high stability of nano‐size palladium particles. Pd/MIL‐101 nanocomposite was investigated for the Sonogashira cross‐coupling reaction of aryl and heteroaryl bromides with various alkynes under copper‐free conditions. The reusability of the catalyst was tested for up to four cycles without any significant loss in catalytic activity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental investigation on the thermophysical properties of beryllium oxide-based nanofluid and nano-enhanced phase change material

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Low thermal conductivity is a primary issue in the development of efficient heat transfer fluids and materials required for the thermal management of...     

Water-induced formation of an alkali-ion dimer in cryptomelane nanorods

Tunneled metal oxides such as α-Mn₈O₁₆ (hollandite) have proven to be compelling candidates for charge-storage materials in high-density batteries. In particular, the tunnels can support one-dimensional chains of K⁺ ions (which act as structure-stabilizing dopants) and H₂O molecules, as these chains are favored by strong H-bonds and electrostatic interactions. In this work, we examine the role of water molecules in enhancing the stability of K⁺-doped α-Mn₈O₁₆ (cryptomelane). The combined experimental and theoretical analyses show that for high enough concentrations of water and tunnel-ions, H₂O displaces K⁺ ions from their natural binding sites. This displacement becomes energetically favorable due to the formation of K²⁺ dimers, thereby modifying the stoichiometric charge of the system. These findings have potentially significant technological implications for the consideration of cryptomelane as a Li⁺/Na⁺ battery electrode. Our work establishes the functional role of water in altering the energetics and structural properties of cryptomelane, an observation that has frequently been overlooked in previous studies.

Water displaces potassium ions and initiates the formation of a homonuclear dimer ion (K²⁺) in the tunnels of hollandite.     

Effect of absorbed pump power on the quality of output beam from monolithic microchip lasers

The dependence of the beam propagation factor (M ² parameter) with the absorbed pump power in the case of monolithic microchip laser under face-cooled configuration is extensively studied. Our investigations show that the M ₂ parameter is related to the absorbed pump power through two parameters (α and β) whose values depend on the laser material properties and laser configuration. We have shown that one parameter arises due to the oscillation of higher order modes in the microchip cavity and the other parameter accounts for the spherical aberration associated with the thermal lens induced by the pump beam. Such dependency of M ² parameter with the absorbed pump power is experimentally verified for a face-cooled monolithic microchip laser based on Nd³⁺ -doped GdVO₄ crystal and the values of α and β parameters were estimated from the experimentally measured data points.     

Hydromagnetic instability of streaming fluids in porous medium

The instability of the plane interface between two uniform, superposed, electrically conducting and counter-streaming fluids through a porous medium is considered in the presence of a horizontal magnetic field. In the absence of surface tension, perturbations transverse to the direction of streaming are found to be unaffected by the presence of streaming if perturbations in the direction of streaming are ignored. For perturbations in all other directions there exists instability for a certain wavenumber range. The instability of this system is postponed by the presence of magnetic field. The magnetic field and surface tension are able to suppress this Kelvin-Helmholtz instability for small wavelength perturbations and the medium porosity reduces the stability range given in terms of a difference between the streaming velocities and the Alfvén velocity.This research forms a part of the research project awarded to the first author (R.C.S.) by the University Grants Commission.     

Rapid and efficient synthesis of optically active pyrazoles under solvent-free conditions

2-Formyl glycals undergo rapid condensation with arylhydrazines under solvent-free conditions to give the corresponding optically pure 4-substituted pyrazoles in good yields with high selectivity. The stereochemistry of the products was assigned by various NMR experiments.     

Contact hypersurfaces of Kaehler manifolds

Contact hypersurfaces of a Kaehler manifold have been characterized and classified, assuming the second fundamental form to be Codazzi (in particular, parallel). We have also discussed the special cases when the ambient space is a (i) Calabi-Yau manifold and (ii) a complex space-form.     

Magnetic and martensitic transitions in Ni-Fe-Ga alloy

The ferromagnetic shape memory alloy with nominal composition Ni₅₄Fe₁₉Ga₂₇ is investigated by Ac susceptibility and resistivity measurements. The alloy shows long-range ferromagnetic order below 290 K. The anomaly due to the martensitic transition is observed in the susceptibility and resistivity data in the temperature range around 220 K, which is associated with clear thermal hysteresis. Minor hysteresis loop technique was used to investigate the phase coexistence across the martensitic transition, and our analysis indicate that both martensite and austenite phases mutually coexist in the region of hysteresis.     

Imino Diels–Alder adducts. XII. Two pyrano[3,2‐c]quinolines

The crystal structures of pyrano­quinolines 9‐fluoro‐5‐phenyl‐3,4,4a,5,6,10b‐hexa­hydro‐2H‐pyrano[3,2‐c]quinoline, C₁₈H₁₈FNO, and 9‐methyl‐5‐phenyl‐3,4,4a,5,6,10b‐hexa­hydro‐2H‐pyrano­[3,2‐c]quinoline, C₁₉H₂₁NO, are isomorphous. In both structures, the pyran ring is exo to the six‐membered N‐heterocyclic ring formed in the cyclo­addition step. The torsion angles across the phenyl linkage for the two structures are −91.2 (1) and −88.3 (2)°. The striking feature in both crystal packings is that they do not contain the expected conventional hydrogen bonds, in spite of the presence of good hydrogen‐bonding functionalities. Possible C—H⋯π inter­actions are, however, observed.