Efficient trapping of silver cations in a rare gas matrix: Ag3+ in argon

Mass selected cations of Ag clusters are deposited, together with Ar seeded with CO2 (or other electron scavengers such as O2, N2O, or CCl4), on a cold substrate, while being flooded with low energy electrons. Optical absorption measurements reveal an efficient trapping of Ag cluster cations in the Ar matrix, provided that CO2 or another electron scavenger is present to ensure charge neutrality of the matrix. The spectrum of Ag3+ thus obtained is in excellent agreement with previous predictions from quantum chemical calculations.     

Interaction of nonionic dextrans with silver bromide hydrosols

Summary The effects of nonionic dextrans of different molecular weights on the stability of silver bromide solsin statu nascendi in aqueous solutions and watermethanol mixtures have been studied. Regardless of the molecular weight of the polymer no flocculation of the sol is observed. In the presence of indifferent electrolytes sols are destabilized over a given concentration range of the polymer, which depends little on the molecular weight of the latter. The concentration of the electrolytes required to cause destabilization in the presence of dextrans depends on the counterion charge (theSchulze-Hardy rule) but in each case the critical coagulation concentration is lower for the same sol than in the absence of the polymers. At still higher dextran concentrations the sols are protected toward electrolytes. In the presence of methanol more polymer and less electrolyte is needed to destabilize the sol. An explanation of these effects is offered.

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Zusammenfassung Die Effekte der nichtionogenen Dextran-Polymeren von verschiedenen Molekulargewichten auf die Stabilität von Silberbromid Solenin statu nascendi in wässerigen Lösungen und in Wasser-Methylalkohol Gemischen wurden untersucht. Die Makromoleküle allein konnten die Sole nicht koagulieren. Die Sole wurden jedoch destabilisiert in Anwesenheit von bestimmten Mengen von Polymeren wenn Neutralelektrolyte zugesetzt wurden: Die kritischen Koagulationskonzentration der Gegenionen hängt von deren Ladung ab (Schulze-Hardy Regel); jedoch in allen Fällen ist die für die Koagulation notwendige Salzmenge beträchtlich niedriger als in der Abwesenheit von Dextran in denselben Solen. Bei höheren Polymerkonzentrationen werden die Silberhalogenidsole gegen Elektrolytkoagulation geschützt. In Wassser-Alkohol Lösungen ist mehr Polymer und weniger Elektrolyt zur Koagulation der Sole notwendig. Eine Erklärung dieser Beobachtungen wurde angeboten.

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With 14 figures and 2 tables

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1) Supported by the NSF grant GP 42331X.

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2) A part of a Ph.D. thesis byDavid Lindsay.     

Visible light-induced thiocyanation of gem-difluorinated phosphonium salts

gem-Difluorinated phosphonium salts were generated from nitrones by methylation and reaction with (triphenylphosphonio)difluoroacetate. The phosphonium salts were subjected to visible light-induced phosphonium–thiocyanate exchange in the presence of ammonium thiocyanate, copper thiocyanate, and an iridium photocatalyst. The sequence of the reactions was performed in one pot affording thiocyanates attached to the difluoromethylene fragment.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of some water insoluble drugs in silver hydrosols

An extraction method has been used to obtain surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of water insoluble drugs such as aspirin, salicylic acid, acetaminophen, and vitamin A acid. This method is based on the strong affinity of the sample molecules to the silver particle surfaces. Results from the present study indicate that the method can be extended to identify and analyze many other water insoluble compounds by SERS. The high sensitivity of SERS and the linear calibration curve make it feasible in the trace quantitative analysis; the low limit of detection is comparable or better than those of calorimetric and spectrophotometric methods.     

Visible light-induced 4-phenylthioxanthone-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of triarylphosphines

We report herein a visible light-induced oxidation of triarylphosphines under aerobic condition with excellent functional group tolerance. In this transformation, the photo catalyst 4-phenylthioxanthone acted as a photosensitizer for the in situ generation of singlet oxygen. This new approach provided a cheaper and greener method for the preparation of phosphine oxide, showing great advantages in environmental protocols.     

The reduction of Ag+ in metallic silver on pseudomelanin films allows for antibacterial activity but does not imply unpaired electrons

Dopamine-melanin films produced through the oxidation of dopamine in the presence of oxygen as an oxidant allow to reduce silver ions onto silver particles as already described in the paper by Lee et al. (H. Lee, S.M. Dellatore, W.M. Miller, P.B. Messersmith, Science 318 (2007) 426.). This reduction process has to occur through the oxidation of moieties present in the melanin film. This investigation shows that the free radicals present in the pseudomelanin film, quantified by means of electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR) for the first time, are not used in the transformation of Ag(+) cations to deposit silver. The ESR signal is hardly affected by the deposition of silver particles. On the other hand, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows a small increase in the density of quinone groups and a small decrease of catechol groups on the surface of the film during the deposition of silver. This suggests that the deposited pseudomelanin films contain a significant fraction of catechol groups able to trigger reduction processes of metallic cations. These silver nanoparticles remain adherent to the melanin films and allow for a quantitative killing of Escherichia coli over a broad range of bacterial dilutions. However, the presence of the bacteria induces a release of the nanoparticles. The pseudomelanin films cannot be reused again for a silver ion reduction step. Nevertheless, the easy preparation of the pseudomelanin-silver composite and its effective one shot bacterial killing activity renders the strategy presented in this paper attractive. Some fundamental questions about redox process allowed by the pseudomelanin films will also be asked.     

Ab initio study on the adsorption of hydrated Na+ and Ag+ cations on a Ag(111) surface

The interactions of Na(+) and Ag(+) cations with an Ag(111) surface in the presence and absence of water molecules were investigated with cluster models and ab initio methods. The Ag surface was described with two-layered Ag(10) and Ag(18) cluster models, and MP2/RECP/6-31+G(d) was used as the computational method. The effect of the basis set superposition error (BSSE) was taken into account with counterpoise (CP) correction. The interactions between Na(+) and Ag(111) surface were found to be primarily electrostatic, and the interaction energies and equilibrium distances at the different adsorption sites were closely similar. The largest CP-corrected MP2 adsorption energy for Na(+) was -190.2 kJ/mol. Owing to the electrostatic nature of the Na(+)-Ag(111) interaction, Na(+) prefers to be completely surrounded by water molecules rather than directly adsorbed to the surface. Ag(+)-Ag(111) interactions were much stronger than Na(+)-Ag(111) interactions because they were dominated by orbital contributions. The largest CP-corrected MP2 adsorption energy for Ag(+) was -358.9 kJ/mol. Ag(+) prefers to adsorb on sites where it can bind to several surface atoms, and in the presence of water molecules, it remains adsorbed to the surface while the water molecules form hydrogen bonds with one another. The CP correction had an effect on the interaction energies but did not change the relative trends.     

Visible light-induced photopolymerization of an in situ macroporous sol-gel monolith

A one-step, in situ, photopolymerization of a mixture of methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane in the presence of an acid catalyst, water, and toluene is accomplished in a 75 microm id polyimide-coated capillary using visible light (460 nm) for a 15 min irradiation time. The mixture is a two-component photosystem comprising Irgacure 784 photosensitizer and diphenyliodonium chloride photoinitiator. The visible photopolymerized sol-gel (vis-PSG) column shows RP chromatographic behavior. The analytical potential of these columns is demonstrated with the isocratic separation of small, neutral alkyl phenyl ketones. Operational parameters, such as mobile phase composition, field strength, and column temperature were varied to assess how they affect the separation performance of the monolith.     

Coordination chemistry of silver cations

While in pure solvents Ag(+) is known to be tetrahedrally coordinated, in the presence of ligands such as ammonia it forms linear complexes, usually explained by the ion's tendency toward sd-hybridization. To explore this disparity, we have investigated the reaction of ammoniated silver cations Ag(+)(NH(3))(n)(), n = 11-23, with H(2)O as well as the complementary process, the reaction of Ag(+)(H(2)O)(n)(), n = 25-45, with NH(3) by means of FT-ICR mass spectrometry. In both cases, ligand exchange reactions take place, leading to clusters with a limited number of NH(3) ligands. The former reaction proceeds very rapidly until only three NH(3) ligands are left, followed by a much slower loss of an additional ligand to form Ag(+)(NH(3))(2)(H(2)O)(m)() clusters. In the complementary process, the reaction of Ag(+)(H(2)O)(n)() with NH(3) five ammonia ligands are very rapidly taken up by the clusters, with a much less efficient uptake of a sixth one. The accompanying DFT calculations reveal a delicate balance between competing effects where not only the preference of Ag(+) for sd-hybridization, but also its ability to polarize the ligands and thus affect the strength of their hydrogen bonding, as well as the ability of the solvent to form extended hydrogen-bonded networks are important.     

Studies of sample preparation for surface-enhanced raman spectrometry on silver hydrosols

Surface-enhanced Raman spectra (SERS) on silver hydrosols of p-nitrobenzoic acid, p-aminobenzoic acid and aniline are reported. Several theoretical and practical aspects of the hydrosol preparation protocols and sample preparation procedures, and their effects on the sensitivity and reproducibility of the Raman signals are discussed. The effect of acidity on SERS signal intensity is shown to depend on the time of observation of the Raman spectra, illustrating the relevance of time to quantitative SERS data. the identification power of SERS at trace levels for closely related compounds (p-nitrobenzoic acid, p-aminobenzoic acid and aniline) is illustrated.     

Visible light-induced release of nitrogen monoxide from a nitrosylrhodium complex

The important roles that nitric oxide (NO) plays in biological environments, and the need for precise and targeted delivery of NO for medicinal and other purposes have led to intense research in the area of metal nitrosyl complexes as thermal and photochemical sources of NO. Complexes with a good combination of chemical stability and high quantum yield for photochemical release of NO upon irradiation with visible light in aqueous solutions are rare. Here we report that a simple macrocyclic nitrosylrhodium complex [L(2)(H(2)O)Rh(NO)](2+) (L(2)=Me(6)[14]aneN(4)) exhibits unique chemical and photochemical properties that make it an excellent photochemical precursor of NO. The complex is highly soluble in water, thermally stable, and resistant toward O(2). Irradiation in the 648 nm band generates NO and [L(2)(H(2)O)Rh](2+) in aqueous solutions with a quantum yield of 1.00±0.07, the highest ever reported for a nitrosyl complex under any conditions. In the absence of O(2), the two fragments combine to regenerate [L(2)(H(2)O)Rh- (NO)](2+), but in O(2)-containing solutions, [L(2)(H(2)O)RhOO](2+) is formed as determined in spectral and kinetic measurements. The kinetics of the reaction of this superoxo complex with NO were measured by laser flash photolysis, k=(3.9±0.4)×10(7) M(-1) s(-1). Steady-state photolysis of [L(2)(H(2)O)Rh(NO)](2+) under O(2) yielded [L(2)(H(2)O)Rh(ONO(2))](2+), a long-lived nitrato intermediate that can also be generated in a direct reaction between NO and genuine [L(2)(H(2)O)RhOO](2+). Thus, visible-light photolysis of the [L(2)(H(2)O)Rh(NO)](2+)/O(2) system converts it to the [L(2)(H(2)O)RhOO](2+)/NO combination.     

Interaction of dextran sulfates with positively and negatively charged silver bromide hydrosols

Summary The effects of dextran sulfates of different molecular weights and charge densities on the stability of positively and negatively charged silver bromide solsin statu nascendi have been studied by means of light scattering.The plots of scattering intensities of a positively charged sol against the concentration of the added dextran sulfates show one pronounced maximum, the position which is independent on the molecular weight of the polyelectrolyte used. The maximum shifts to lower polyion concentrations with dilution of the sol.The effect of polyanions on the stability of silver bromide sols of the same sign of charge were investigated as a function of molecular weight of the polymers, the sol concentration, the charge and the concentration of counterions, and the addition of methanol. Destabilization only occurred if sufficient amount of indifferent electrolyte was present in the system. However, the concentration of counterions necessary to produce a flocculation maximum was lower in the presence of the polyelectrolytes than in their absence. The results obtained were compared with the data on sols containing nonionic dextrans reported earlier.

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Zusammenfassung Der Einfluß der Dextransulfate von verschiedenen Molekulargewichten und Ladungsdichten auf die Stabilität der positiv und negativ geladenen Silberbromid-Solein statu nascendi wurden durch Lichtstreuung untersucht. Wenn die Intensitäten der Lichtstreuung eines positiv geladenen Silberbromid-Sols gegen die Konzentration der zugesetzten DextranSulfate aufgetragen werden, tritt ein ausgeprägtes Maximum auf, dessen Lage von dem Molekulargewicht des angewandten Polyelektrolyten unabhängig ist. Bei Verdünnung des Sols wird das Maximum zur niedrigeren Konzentration des Polyanions verschoben.Der Einfluß der Polyanionen auf die Stabilität der Silberbromid-Sole mit gleichem Ladungsvorzeichen wurde in Abhängigkeit von dem Molekulargewicht des zugesetzten Dextransulfats, der Solkonzentration, der Ladung und Konzentration der Gegenionen und dem Zusatz von Methylalkohol untersucht. Destabilisierung wird nur in Anwesenheit einer genügenden Menge von Neutralelektrolyten in den untersuchten Systemen beobachtet. Die Konzentration der Gegenionen, die ein Flockungsmaximum verursachen, ist immer niedriger als die kritische Koagulationsmenge derselben Ionen für das gleiche Sol in Abwesenheit von Makroionen. Die Resultate wurden mit den Wechselwirkungen der Silberbromid-Sole mit nichtionogenen Dextranen verglichen, und der Mechanismus der Flockung durch Polyelektrolyte wurde diskutiert.

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5 figures and 1 table

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Supported by the NSF Grant GP 42331 X.

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A part of the Ph.D. Thesis by David Lindsay.     

Gas phase synthesis and reactivity of Agn+ and Ag(n-1)H+ cluster cations

Multi-stage mass spectrometry (MSn) on [(M + Ag - H)x + Ag]+ precursor ions (where M = an amino acid such as glycine or N,N-dimethylglycine) results in the formation of stable silver (Ag3+, Ag5+ and Ag7+) and silver hydride (Ag2H+, Ag4H+ and Ag6H+) cluster cations in the gas phase. Deuterium labelling studies reveal that the source of the hydride can be either from the alpha carbon or from one of the heteroatoms. When M = glycine, the silver cyanide clusters Ag4CN+ and Ag5(H,C,N)+ are also observed. Collision induced dissociation (CID) and DFT calculations were carried out on each of these clusters to shed some light on their possible structures. CID of the Agn+ and Ag(n-1)H+ clusters generally results in the formation of the same Ag(n-2)+ product ions via the loss of Ag2 and AgH respectively. DFT calculations also reveal that the Agn+ and Ag(n-1)H+ clusters have similar structural features and that the Ag(n-1)H+ clusters are only slightly less stable than their all silver counterparts. In addition, Agn+ and Ag(n-1)H+ clusters react with 2-propanol and 2-butylamine via similar pathways, with multiple ligand addition occurring and a coupled deamination-dehydration reaction occurring upon condensation of a third (for Ag2H+) or a fourth (for all other silver clusters) 2-butylamine molecule onto the clusters. Taken together, these results suggest that the Agn+ and Ag(n-1)H+ clusters are structurally related via the replacement of a silver atom with a hydrogen atom. This replacement does not dramatically alter the cluster stability or its unimolecular or bimolecular chemistry with the 2-propanol and 2-butylamine reagents.     

The influence of Ag+ ions on transformations of silver clusters in polyacrylate aqueous solutions

It is shown that transformations of unstable clusters, intermediates of the borohydride reduction of silver cations, in weakly alkaline polyacrylate aqueous solutions are governed by the competition between the processes of their oxidation, coalescence into larger particles, and reduction of silver cations. Moreover, these processes depend on the loading of a polyanion with cations and can be controlled by the addition of Ag⁺ ions.     

A novel 58-nuclei silver nanowheel encapsulating a subvalent Ag64+ kernel

The combination of CrO_4~(2-)anion and N,N′-dimethylformamide(DMF)-containing solvent helps to stabilize an atom-precise ultrasmall Ag_6 kernel into a 52-nuclei silver shell, giving a core-shell Ag_6@Ag_(52) wheel-like structure(SD/Ag58b). The solution behavior and photocurrent response property were investigated in details.     

Visible light-induced hydroxyalkylation of 2H-benzothiazoles with alcohols via selectfluor oxidation

A visible-light induced metal-free approach was described for the hydroxyalkylation of 2H-benzothiazoles with alcohols by using selectfluor as the oxidant. A variety of 2H-benzothiazoles and alcohols could be tolerated, providing a mild and simple method for the synthesis of C2-hydroxyalkylated 2H-benzothiazoles in moderate to good yields. Besides, ethers were also compatible in this reaction, leading to corresponding C2 ether-substituted 2H-benzothiazoles with high regioselectivity.     

Visible light-induced photoepoxidation of propene by molecular oxygen over chromia-silica catalysts

Highly dispersed chromate species on silica catalyse the selective epoxidation of propene to propene oxide (PO) by molecular oxygen under visible light irradiation with the same quantum yield as that under UV light irradiation.