Simulated cosmic strings in a “big bang” in superfluid3He at 100 μK

During studies of the impact of single neutrons on superfluid³He at around 100μK we have measured the thermal energy released in the superfluid following the nuclear reaction, n+³He→p+³H+764keV. However, we find that the measured energy deposited in the quasiparticle system shortly after this reaction is substantially less than what we expect. We believe that this energy deficit represents that energy which has gone into the creation of vortices, in analogy to the creation of cosmic strings in the early universe via the Kibble mechanism. Furthermore, from the magnitude of the deficit, we can infer the vortex density which compares favorably with that predicted in Zurek’s scenairo.     

The electronic properties of isocyanides at rhenium—dinitrogen binding sites. Preparation and redox properties of the isocyanide complexes trans-[ReCl(CNR)(Ph2PCH2CH2PPh2)2]

The isocyanide complexes trans-[ReCl(CNR)(dppe)₂] (R  Me, Bu^t, C₆H₄CH₃-4, C₆H₄CH₃-2, C₆H₄Cl-4, C₆H₄OCH₃-4 and C₆H₃Cl₂-2,6; dppe  Ph₂PCH₂CH₂PPh₂) have been prepared by isocyanide displacement of dinitrogen from the parent complex trans-[ReCl(N₂)(ddpe)₂]. Their redox properties have been studied by cyclic voltammetry and are interpreted on the basis of the electronic properties and the geometry of the ligating isocyanides which are believed to be bent in these complexes, appearing to exhibit ligand parameter (P_L) values ca. +0.3 V higher than those which would be expected for linear geometry. A very high polarisability (B ? 3.4) is observed for the {ReCl(dppe)₂} site.     

The fluoride ion effect in the reactions of singlet oxygen with enols

The fluoride ion effect in the reactions of enolic systems with singlet oxygen has been investigated. β-Dicarbonyl compounds yielded 1,2,3-tricarbonyl derivatives, some of which underwent further hydration, whereas α-diketones suffered oxidative decarboxylation to give open-chain aldehydo-acids or keto-acids.     

Probing the intrinsic electronic structure of the cubane [4Fe-4S] cluster: nature's favorite cluster for electron transfer and storage

The cubane [4Fe-4S] is the most common multinuclear metal center in nature for electron transfer and storage. Using electrospray, we produced a series of gaseous doubly charged cubane-type complexes, [Fe4S4L4]2- (L = -SC2H5, -SH, -Cl, -Br, -I) and the Se-analogues [Fe4Se4L4]2- (L = -SC2H5, -Cl), and probed their electronic structures with photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional calculations. The photoelectron spectral features are similar among all the seven species investigated, revealing a weak threshold feature due to the minority spins on the Fe centers and confirming the low-spin two-layer model for the [4Fe-4S](2+) core and its "inverted level scheme". The measured adiabatic detachment energies, which are sensitive to the terminal ligand substitution, provide the intrinsic oxidation potentials of the [Fe4S4L4]2- complexes. The calculations revealed a simple correlation between the electron donor property of the terminal thiolate as well as the bridging sulfide with the variation of the intrinsic redox potentials. Our data provide intrinsic electronic structure information of the [4Fe-4S] cluster and the molecular basis for understanding the protein and solvent effects on the redox properties of the [4Fe-4S] active sites.