Coordination compounds of indium : XIV. The insertion of indium(I) iodide into carbon-iodide bonds

Alkylindium(III) diiodides can be conveniently prepared in high yield by the insertion of indium(I) iodide into the CI bond of alkyl iodides. The products are halogen-bridged neutral dimers, except for the methyl compound, which is believed to be [(CH₃)₂In][InI₄ in the solid state. One of the intermediates isolated from the reaction mixture is (CH₃)₂InI₂INI(CH₃); the vibrational spectrum of this compound, and of (CH₃IInI₂INI₂, have been investigated. The mechanism of the initial reaction, and the subsequent rearrangement processes, are discussed.     

Studies of organotin(IV)-orthoquinone systems

The primary process in the reaction of hexaphenylditin with various substituted orthoquinones (Q) is shown to involve attack by the quinone at a phenyl ligand. The intermediate thus formed decomposes to yield Ph₃Sn(SQ^·), where S(Q^·−) is the corresponding semiquinonate. Rearrangement of these species in solution gives rise to biradicals, while intramolecular electron transfer may lead to the formation and precipitation of Ph₂Sn(CAT), where CAT²⁻ is the corresponding substituted catecholate. The identification of these processes depends in part on electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The reaction of Ph₃SnCl or Ph₂SnCl₂ with Na(TBSQ^·) (TBSQ^·−=3,5-di-tert-butyl-orthobenzosemiquinonate) results in the formation of Ph₂Sn(TBSQ^·), which can undergo redistribution and intramolecular electron transfer, so that the solution chemistry of these latter systems is similar to that of the products of the Sn₂Ph₆+Q reaction.     

Coordination compounds of indium : XXXVI. The direct electrochemical synthesis of neutral and anionic organoindium halides

The electrochemical oxidation of indium metal in cells of the type leads to the formation of RInX₂ compounds; if 2,2′-bipyridine is also present, the products are the adducts RInX₂·bipy (R = CH₃, C₂H₅, C₆H₅, C₆H₅CH₂, C₆F₅; X = Cl, Br, I (not all combinations)). When R′₄NX is present instead of bipy, the products are the salts R′₄N[RInX₃]. The electrochemical oxidation apparently proceeds via the general mechanism discussed previously. Anomalous results with CH₃I or C₂H₅I are discussed in the light of the known solution chemistry of organoindium(III) compounds.     

The synthesis of luminescent lanthanide-based chemosensors for the detection of zinc ions

Herein, we report the synthesis of two lanthanide-based chemosensors, Tb-5 and Eu-6, designed to sense free zinc ions (Zn²⁺) in aqueous solutions. The Tb-5 complex features a bis(2-pyridinylmethyl)amine moiety as a zinc(II)-responsive lanthanide-sensitising ‘antenna’, while Eu-6 incorporates a quinoline-based moiety for this purpose. Luminescence enhancements of 210% and 340% are observed upon addition of Zn²⁺ ions to Tb-5 and Eu-6, respectively. Both sensors are selective for Zn²⁺ ions over several other cations of environmental significance.     

Stepwise elimination of methane in the reaction of dimethylindium(III) compounds with dibasic acids

The reaction between acetato(dimethyl)indium(III) and toluene-3,4-dithiol (H₂TDT) involves elimination of either one or two moles of methane, depending on experimental conditions; the unusual intermediate [CH₃In(OAc)(HTDT)]₂ has been identified. The stepwise elimination reaction appears to be common to other dimethylindium(III) species.     

Sound radiation around a flying fly

Many insects produce sounds during flight. These acoustic emissions result from the oscillation of the wings in air. To date, most studies have measured the frequency characteristics of flight sounds, leaving other acoustic characteristics--and their possible biological functions--unexplored. Here, using close-range acoustic recording, we describe both the directional radiation pattern and the detailed frequency composition of the sound produced by a tethered flying (Lucilia sericata). The flapping wings produce a sound wave consisting of a series of harmonics, the first harmonic occurring around 190 Hz. In the horizontal plane of the fly, the first harmonic shows a dipolelike amplitude distribution whereas the second harmonic shows a monopolelike radiation pattern. The first frequency component is dominant in front of the fly while the second harmonic is dominant at the sides. Sound with a broad frequency content, typical of that produced by wind, is also recorded at the back of the fly. This sound qualifies as pseudo-sound and results from the vortices generated during wing kinematics. Frequency and amplitude features may be used by flies in different behavioral contexts such as sexual communication, competitive communication, or navigation within the environment.     

Evaporative Preconcentration of Fluorescent Protein Samples in Capillary Based Microplates

The preconcentration of analytes is important in biochemical analysis as it offers the ability to detect for trace species, and increase signal-to-noise ratios when using optical sensing on fluorophores. A strong advantage of the evaporation technique lies in its ability to operate without the need of any energy source; albeit major challenges exist on how to increase the surface area exposure to air for heightened evaporation, ensure no further increases once specified analyte concentrations have been achieved, and not needing any intervening membranes. We demonstrate here that the droplet creation and retraction approach in capillary based microplates offers such abilities whilst at the same time facilitating mixing.     

Increased stability and size of a bubble on a superhydrophobic surface

Computational and theoretical models of millimeter-sized bubbles placed on upright hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces are compared with experimental data here. Although the experimental data for a hydrophobic surface corroborated the computational and theoretical data, the case of a superhydrophobic surface showed the bubbles to be able to contain significantly larger volumes than predicted. This is attributed to the greater ability of the bubble contact line to advance compared with its tendency to detach from the surface because of buoyancy. We surmise that a static model therefore describes only an unstable equilibrium for these bubbles, which unless heavily isolated from external influences are more likely to assume a larger stable size.