New europium coordination polymers with efficient energy transfer from conjugated tetracarboxylate ligands to Eu3+ ion: syntheses, structures, luminescence and magnetic properties

Two novel lanthanide coordination polymers, [Eu(2)(EBTC)(DMF)(5)(NO(3))(2)]·DMF (1) and [Eu(2)(BBTC)(1.5)(CH(3)OH)(2)(H(2)O)(2)]·7DMF·HNO(3) (2) (EBTC(4-) = 1,1'-ethynebenzene-3,3',5,5'-tetracarboxylate; BBTC(4-) = 1,1'-butadiynebenzene-3,3',5,5'-tetracarboxylate), were successfully synthesized from conjugated ligands of EBTC(4-) and BBTC(4-). Although the two tetracarboxylate ligands have similar structures, their different rigidity/flexibility results in quite different networks upon complexation. Complex 1 has a two-dimensional (2-D) layered structure with two crystallographically independent Eu(3+) ions, one in a distorted monocapped square-antiprism and the other in a distorted square-antiprism coordination geometry. Complex 2 exhibits a three-dimensional (3-D) porous framework, with one type of Eu(3+) in a distorted square-antiprism and the other in a trigondodecahedron environment. Both 1 and 2 emit the intensely red characteristic luminescence of Eu(3+) ion at room temperature, with a long lifetime of up to 1.3 and 0.7 ms, respectively, during which the ligand emission of EBTC(4-)/BBTC(4-) was quenched by the Eu(3+) ion, indicating the existence of efficient energy transfer between the conjugated ligand of EBTC(4-)/BBTC(4-) and the Eu(3+) ion. Thus, both EBTC(4-) and BBTC(4-) are ideal ligands with an "antenna" effect for the Eu(3+) ion. The two complexes show the single-ion magnetic behaviors of Eu(3+) with strong spin-orbit coupling interactions even if there are shorter distances (5.714 ? for 1 versus 4.275 and 5.360 ? for 2) between the neighboring Eu(3+) ions connected by oxygen atoms of the tetracarboxylates.     

External quality assessment in microbiology: comparison of results from Belgian and Canadian laboratories with regard to their ability to identify <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptococcus pyogenes</Emphasis>

Clinical Microbiology Proficiency Testing (CMPT; Canada) and the Institute of Public Health (IPH; Belgium) set up a joint external quality assessment (EQA) project in which they sent identical simulated clinical samples to their respective participants. Samples were sent out as throat swabs containing Streptococcus pyogenes (as pathogen) and viridans streptococci (as commensal). Results from identification by the Belgian laboratories were excellent: 99.5% detected the group A streptococci. About 10% of the Canadian laboratories reported the absence of reportable β-haemolytic streptococci, although for most of them the issue was one of non-examination of small or pin-point streptococci. Overall, Canadian and Belgian laboratories performed well in this EQA; the joint project clearly showed that although many similarities exist, there are differences between laboratories in treating EQA samples and reporting results.