Is it common for charge recombination to be faster than charge separation?

Attaining long-lived charge-transfer (CT) states is of the utmost importance for energy science, photocatalysis, and materials engineering. When charge separation (CS) is slower than consequent charge recombination (CR), formation of a CT state is not apparent, yet the CT process provides parallel pathways for deactivation of electronically excited systems. The nuclear, or Franck-Condon (FC), contributions to the CT kinetics, as implemented by various formalisms based on the Marcus transition-state theory, provide an excellent platform for designing systems that produce long-lived CT states. Such approaches, however, tend to underestimate the complexity of alternative parameters that govern CT kinetics. Here we show a comparative analysis of two systems that have quite similar FC CT characteristics but manifest distinctly different CT kinetics. A decrease in the donor-acceptor electronic coupling during the charge-separation step provides an alternative route for slowing down undesired charge recombination. These examples suggest that, while infrequently reported and discussed, cases where CR is faster than CS are not necessarily rare occurrences.     

Is charge reduction in ESI really necessary?

The technique of charge reduction electrospray mass spectrometry (CREMS), which can reduce the charge state complexity produced in electrospray ionization (ESI), is discussed.     

Is bismuth subsalicylate an effective nontoxic catalyst for plga synthesis?

Poly(d,l ‐lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA) copolyesters are commonly used in biomedical applications. Researches were carried out on nontoxic or low‐toxic catalysts that are enough efficient to provide short polymerization times, adequate microstructure chains and similar properties than the commercial PLGA materials. In this study, PLGA were synthesized by ring‐opening copolymerization (ROP) using three different catalysts. Stannous octoate is the first catalyst we used, as it is very efficient, even its toxicity is still on debate. Two others low‐toxic catalysts [zinc lactate and bismuth subsalicylate (BiSS)] were also evaluated. The comparison of these ROP was realized in terms of kinetics and control of the polymerization. Then, the influence of the catalyst on the PLGA microstructure chains is reported. Finally, abiotic hydrolytic degradation rate is studied. Results described in this article show that BiSS is one very attractive catalyst to produce low toxic PLGA for biomedical applications. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 1130–1138     

Carbene stabilization by aryl substituents. Is bigger better?

The geometries and relative stabilities of the singlet and triplet states of phenyl- (Cs), diphenyl- (C2), 1-naphthyl- (Cs), di(1-naphthyl)- (C2), and 9-anthryl-substituted (Cs) carbenes were investigated at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) + ZPVE level of density functional theory. The singlet-triplet energy separations (DeltaEST), 2.7, 2.9, 3.4, 3.7, and 5.7 kcal/mol, respectively, after including an empirical correction (2.8 kcal/mol) based on the error in the computed singlet-triplet gap for methylene versus experiment, are in good agreement with available experimental values. Consistent with literature reports, triplet di(9-anthryl)carbene has a linear, D2d symmetrical, allene structure with 1.336 A C=C bond lengths and considerable biradical character. B3LYP favors such cumulene biradical structures and triplet spin states and predicts a large (>15 kcal/mol) "di(9-anthryl)carbene" singlet-triplet (biradical) energy gap. The resonance stabilization of both singlet and triplet carbenes increases modestly with the size of the arene substituent and overall, (di)arylcarbenes, both singlet and triplet, are better stabilized by bigger substituents. For example, methylene is stabilized more by a naphthyl than a phenyl group (singlets, 26.6 versus 24.4; and triplets, 20.9 versus 18.1 kcal/mol, respectively). The carbene geometries are affected by both steric effects and arene-carbene orbital interactions (sigma-p and p-pi). For instance, the central angles at the carbene are widened by a second arene group, which leads to increased s-character and shorter carbene bond lengths (i.e., C-C, C-H). In general, the aromaticity of the substituted rings in triplet carbenes is most affected by the presence of the unpaired electrons.     

Is hydrogen abstraction an important pathway in the reaction of alkenes with the OH radical?

In this paper, we report the first temperature dependent kinetic measurements of the reaction of C(> or =5) 1-alkenes with OH radicals and also report the first room temperature measurements for 1-alkenes between C(8-11). The rate coefficients at room temperature and between 75 and 100 Torr for the reaction of OH with 1-pentene, 1-octene, 1-nonene, 1-decene and 1-undecene are (2.74 +/- 0.38) x 10(-11), (3.62 +/- 0.68) x 10(-11), (4.20 +/- 0.41) x 10(-11), (7.00 +/- 0.96) x 10(-11) and (12.44 +/- 1.62) x 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), respectively, at 298 K. No pressure dependence is observed, suggesting that these reactions are at their high pressure limit. Inspection of the variation of rate coefficient with temperature over the temperature range 262-300 K shows a weak negative temperature dependence, suggesting that adduct formation is taking place, however, a curved Arrhenius plot is clearly seen for 1-decene and theoretical analysis suggests that abstraction by OH is a non-negligible channel. An estimation of products formed from OH oxidation suggests that abstraction will lead to products that have a lower photochemical ozone creation potential than those formed via addition.     

Is a strain an order parameter in the α-β phase transition of solid oxygen?

Theoretical arguments have been presented supporting an elastic strain as an order parameter of the α-β phase transition. Simple numerical calculations have been made to illustrate such a model.     

Is the 31P chemical shift anisotropy of aluminophosphates a useful parameter for NMR crystallography?

The ³¹P chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) offers a potential source of new information to help determine the structures of aluminophosphate (AlPO) framework materials. We investigate how to measure the CSAs, which are small (span of ~20–30 ppm) for AlPOs, demonstrating the need for CSA-amplification experiments (often in conjunction with ²⁷Al and/or ¹H decoupling) at high magnetic field (20.0 T) to obtain accurate values. We show that the most shielded component of the chemical shift tensor, δ₃₃, is related to the length of the shortest P─O bond, whereas the more deshielded components, δ₁₁ and δ₂₂ can be related more readily to the mean P─O bond lengths and P─O─Al angles. Using the case of Mg-doped STA-2 as an example, the CSA is shown to be much larger for P(OAl)_4–n(OMg)_n environments, primarily owing to a much shorter P─O(Mg) bond affecting δ₃₃, however, because the mean P─O bond lengths and P─O─T (T = Al, Mg) bond angles do not change significantly between P(OAl)₄ and P(OAl)_4–n(OMg)_n sites, the isotropic chemical shifts for these species are similar, leading to overlapped spectral lines. When the CSA information is included, spectral assignment becomes unambiguous, therefore, although the specialist conditions required might preclude the routine measurement of ³¹P CSAs in AlPOs, in some cases (particularly doped materials), the experiments can still provide valuable additional information for spectral assignment.     

Is There an Entrance Complex for the F+NH3 Reaction?

Challenges associated with the theoretical and experimental kinetics of the F+NH₃→HF+NH₂ reaction suggest the need for a more‐precise potential surface. We have investigated the reactants and the products of the reaction, as well as the transition state and two complexes, with rather rigorous ab initio methods. The F????NH₃ complex existing in the entrance valley is predicted to lie 13.7 kcal mol^?1 below the reactants. A small classical barrier of 2.0 kcal mol^?1 separates this entrance well from products HF+NH₂. These results explain the observation by Persky of unprecedented inverse temperature dependence for the F+NH₃ rate constants. The strong hydrogen‐bonded complex FH????NH₂ exists in the exit valley, and with a binding energy of 9.9 kcal mol^?1 relative to separated products. The vibrational frequencies of all stationary points are predicted with the CCSD(T)/aug‐cc‐pVQZ method.     

Is osmium diboride an ultra-hard material?

We report first-principles calculations of ideal tensile and shear strength for the recently synthesized orthorhombic OsB2 that is a primary example of a new class of ultra-hard materials synthesized by combining small, light, and covalent elements with large, electron-rich transition metals. Our calculations show that the shear strength on the (001) plane is highly anisotropic with a low peak stress of 9.1 GPa in the (001)[010] shear direction but a much higher peak stress of 26.9 GPa in the (001)[100] direction. The strong resistance against (001)[100] shear deformation prevents the indenter from making a deep imprint, giving rise to a high Vickers hardness on the (001) plane, despite the weak shear strength in the (001)[010] shear direction. The calculated peak stress of 26.9 GPa in the (001)[100] shear direction agrees well with the 30 GPa Vickers hardness observed experimentally on the (001) plane in OsB2. However, the weak shear strength (9.1 GPa) in the (001)[010] shear direction severely limits its application as abrasives and cutting tools for ferrous metals as well as scratch-resistance coatings. Our results highlight the importance of understanding atomistic deformation modes under various loading conditions in designing new ultra-hard materials.     

How important are temperature effects for cluster polarizabilities?

State-of-the-art first-principle all-electron density functional theory calculations on small sodium clusters are performed to study the temperature dependency of their polarizabilities. For this purpose Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations with more than 100,000 time steps (>200 ps) are recorded employing gradient corrected functionals in combination with a double-zeta valence polarization basis set. For each cluster 18 trajectories between 50 and 900 K are collected. The cluster polarizabilities are then calculated along these trajectories employing a triple-zeta valence polarization basis set augmented with field-induced polarization functions. The analysis of these calculations shows that the temperature dependency of the sodium cluster polarizabilities varies strongly with cluster size. For several clusters characteristic changes in the polarizability per atom as a function of temperature are observed. It is shown that the inclusion of finite temperature effects resolves the long-standing mismatch between calculated and measured sodium cluster polarizabilities.     

Is graphene formed on WC surface under glycerol lubrication? Yes

Recently, most of the researchers focused on investigating the superlubricity of glycerol or glycerin/water solutions, yet all of them have no attempt to follow with performance about their lubricity under high load and fast rotational speed. In this article, the lubricity of glycerol was systematically investigated under 98 N and 1,450 rpm using a four-ball wear machine. Interestingly, results showed that friction-induced graphene layers were first discovered during sliding, meanwhile, friction-induced graphene layers were closely related to the high flush temperature rise and catalysts. The synergy of graphene and glycerol elastohydrodynamic film on wear scar played an important role in obtaining low friction and wear-less.     

Is nitric oxide (NO) an antioxidant or a prooxidant for lipid peroxidation?

Antioxidant and prooxidant effects of nitric oxide (NO) on lipid peroxidation in aqueous and non-aqueous media were examined. In an aqueous solution, NO did not induce peroxidation of unoxidized methyl linoleate (ML) and suppressed the radical initiator-induced oxidation of ML. NO suppressed the Fe(II) ion-induced oxidation of mouse liver microsomes. NO reduced the O2 consumption during the radical initiator-induced oxidation of linoleic acid in an aqueous medium. NO conversion into NO2- in an aqueous medium was not affected by unoxidized ML and was slightly reduced by peroxidizing ML. On the other hand, as well as pure NO2, NO induced peroxidation of unoxidized ML in n-hexane in a dose-dependent fashion. NO did not suppress the radical initiator-induced oxidation of ML in n-hexane. Nitrogen oxide species (NO2 or N2O3) formed by autoxidation was dramatically lost in n-hexane in the presence of unoxidized ML. The results indicated that NO terminated lipid peroxidation in an aqueous medium, whereas NO induced lipid peroxidatiton in a non-aqueous medium. Hence, NO showed both antioxidant and prooxidant effects on lipid peroxidation depending on the solvents.     

May 3D nickel foam electrode be the promising choice for supercapacitors?

The manganese oxide (MnO₂) nanowires and cobalt hydroxide (Co(OH)₂) nanosheets are successfully electrodeposited on nickel foam (NF), respectively (referred to as MnO₂/NF and Co(OH)₂/NF electrode hereinafter). Both electrodes show higher specific capacitance (C _s) and more excellent rate performance than that of most reported corresponding materials. In addition, our previous study of Ni(OH)₂/NF electrodes also exhibited conspicuous results. Combined with the outstanding properties of NF, it is noticeable that the NF electrodes may be a promising choice for supercapacitors.     

Is the ring conformation the most critical parameter in lipase-catalysed acylation of cycloalkanols?

CAL-B catalysed the resolution of several five and six-membered cyclic beta-hydroxy esters efficiently with the exception of the cis-cyclohexanol (+/-)-4. When employing molecular modelling techniques the conformation turned out to be the most important determinant for their reactivity towards O-acetylation. In all cases, the R enantiomers reacted faster than the S enantiomers since the reactive intermediates of the former can adopt more favourable ring conformations and thus experience less steric hindrance in the active site. Furthermore, the minimised structure for the main conformer of R-4 showed that the axial hydrogens in the 3 and 5-positions with respect to the hydroxyl group prevent the enzymatic reaction.