An EXAFS spectroscopic study of Am(III) complexation with lactate

The pH dependence (1–7) of Am(III) complexation with lactate in aqueous solution is studied using extended X‐ray absorption fine‐structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. Structural data (coordination numbers, Am—O and Am—C distances) of the formed Am(III)–lactate species are determined from the raw k³‐weighted Am L_III‐edge EXAFS spectra. Between pH 1 and pH 6, Am(III) speciation shifts continuously towards complexed species with increasing pH. At higher pH, the amount of complexed species decreases due to formation of hydroxo species. The coordination numbers and distances (3.41–3.43 Å) of the coordinating carbon atoms clearly point out that lactate is bound `side‐on' to Am(III) through both the carboxylic and the α‐hydroxy function of lactate. The experimentally determined coordination numbers are compared with speciation calculations on the basis of tabulated thermodynamic stability constants. Both EXAFS data and thermodynamic modelling are in very good agreement. The EXAFS spectra are also analyzed by iterative transformation factor analysis to further verify the determined Am(III) speciation and the used structural model.     

EXAFS study of size dependence of atomic structure in palladium nanoparticles

Dependence of atomic structure of Palladium nanoparticles on supports Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ upon their size, changed from 1.3 to 10.5 nm, was studied by Pd K-edge EXAFS. To determine the structure of the interior (core) and the near surface regions of nanoparticle, the fitting technique of the Fourier-transforms F(R) of spectra was used, which enabled to overcome instabilities of the obtained structural parameters values. The processing of experimental data was performed using results of the study of features formation in │F(R)│ of Pd K-EXAFS in Pd foil. By this approach it was revealed that the local structure of Pd atoms in the core is similar to fcc structure of bulk Pd, irrespective of size. The percentage of Pd atoms, which can be attributed to the core, upon the particles size was determined and the obtained dependence was described by the “cluster size equation”. In the near surface region of nanoparticles, nearest-neighbors Pd–Pd distances show a large Debye–Waller parameters and the mean bond length slightly contracted for nanoparticles of sizes less than ~2 nm. The effect of small structural distortions in the vicinity of absorbing Pd atom in the near surface region was studied using the cluster model of nanoparticle.     

(K,Mo)Y分子筛中钼组分的EXAFS研究

应用同步辐射Eextended X-ray Ab sorption Fine S tructure(EXAFS)技术研究固态法制备的KHMoY分子筛的氧化态和硫化态样品以及硫化态KHY／MoO3样品中钼组分的局域配位环境结构,并与KHMoY和KHY／MoO3 样品催化加氢活性结果进行对照。结果表明,随原子比（K＋2Mo）／Al的变化,钼原子周围的配位环境有显著的差异。当（K＋2Mo）／Al时,KHMoY和KHY/MoO3硫化后,钼组分主要以MoS2小原子簇分散在分子筛超笼中;（K＋2Mo)/Al>1时,钼组分则有两种存在环境,即分子筛超笼中的和分子筛外表的钼组分。分子筛超笼中的Mo S2原子簇的催化加氢合成醇选择性较高;分子筛外表面的MoS2微小颗粒的尺寸相对于超笼中的要大许多,其合成醇选择 性较低。     

Towards the origin of effective An(III)/Ln(III) separation by tridentate N-donor ligands: a theoretical study on atomic charges and polarisabilities for Cm(III)/Gd(III) separation

Soft N-donor ligand have shown to separate An(III) from Ln(III). The origin of the selectivity has not been entirely identified, and similar ligands show very different separation qualities. In this study we present a theoretical investigation of several relevant N-donor ligands in terms of atomic charges and polarisabilities obtained from an atoms in molecules approach. These allow new insights into the bonds between the ligands’ nitrogen atoms and the metal cation and explain a major part of the selectivity towards actinide ions. We deduct the superiority of 2,6-bis(1,2,4-triazine-3-yl)pyridines in separation quality compared to similar ligands for the Cm(III)/Gd(III) separation. Furthermore, improvements of existing ligands are developed that allow not only a direct experimental confirmation but also a systematic experimental study of the interactions and their influence on the selectivity.     

The SAMBA quick‐EXAFS monochromator: XAS with edge jumping

Results and performances of the QEXAFS double monochromator of the SAMBA beamline (Synchrotron SOLEIL) are presented. The device is capable of speeds of up to 40 Hz, while giving the user the possibility to choose the amplitude of the scan from 0.1° to 4° in a few seconds. The device is composed of two independent units and it is possible to perform scans alternating between two different crystals, literally jumping from low (4 keV) to high (37 keV) energies.     

Er -Li ion exchange in lithium niobate crystals: an EXAFS study

Lithium niobate crystals doped with erbium by the ion exchange process were studied by means of extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry. The study of the local atomic order allowed the determination of the erbium environment in the crystal matrix and the investigation on the role of preparation conditions. Received 21 November 2002 Published online 1st April 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: sada@padova.infm.it     

Electrocyclic [1,5] hydrogen shift in the thermal elimination kinetics of phenyl acetate and p-tolyl acetate in the gas phase: a density functional theory study

The kinetics and mechanisms of thermal decomposition of phenyl acetate and p-tolyl acetate in the gas phase were studied by means of electronic structure calculations using density functional theory methods: B3LYP/6-31G(d,p), B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p), B3PW91/6-31G(d,p), B3PW91/6-31++G(d,p), MPW1PW91/6-31G(d,p), MPW1PW91/6-31++G(d,p), PBE/6-31G(d,p) and PBE/6-31++G(d,p). Two possible mechanisms have been considered: mechanism A is a stepwise process involving electrocyclic [1,5] hydrogen shift to eliminate ketene through concerted six-membered cyclic transition-state structure, followed by tautomerisation of cyclohexadienone or by 4-methyl cyclohexadienone intermediate to give the corresponding phenol. Mechanism B is a one-step concerted [1,3] hydrogen shift through a four-membered cyclic transition-state geometry, to produce ketene and phenol or p-cresol. Theoretical calculations showed reasonable agreement with experimental activation parameters when using the Perdew, Burke and Ernserhof (PBE)functional, through the stepwise [1,5] hydrogen-shift mechanism. For mechanism B, large deviation for the entropy of activation was observed. No experimental data were available for p-tolyl acetate; however, theoretical calculations showed similar results to phenyl acetate, thus supporting the stepwise mechanism for both phenyl acetate and p-tolyl acetate.     

Negative thermal expansion in crystals with the zincblende structure: an EXAFS study of CdTe

The extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) has been measured at both the K edges of cadmium and tellurium in CdTe, from liquid helium to room temperature, in order to investigate the local thermodynamic behaviour. The temperature dependences of the structural parameters obtained from the separate analysis of the two edges are perfectly consistent. The positive contribution to the thermal expansion due to the bond stretching and the negative contribution due to the tension effects are disentangled and quantified in terms of the bond thermal expansion and the perpendicular mean square relative displacement. The comparison with previous EXAFS results for Ge and CuCl shows that relevant correlations can be established between a number of local parameters measured by means of EXAFS and the properties of the lattice negative thermal expansion of tetrahedrally bonded semiconductors. The effective force constants derived from the EXAFS are compared with the force constants of a valence force field model.     

The microwave spectrum of isopropenyl acetate - An asymmetric molecule with two internal rotors

The Fourier transform microwave spectrum of isopropenyl acetate (CH₃COOC(CH₃)CH₂) has been measured under molecular beam conditions. The experimental data as well as quantum chemical calculations have shown that this molecule exists as only one conformer of C₁ symmetry, in which the vinyl group is tilted by an angle of approximately 70° against the plane containing the ester group. Due to internal rotation of the acetyl methyl group, we found large A-E splittings of all lines (from a few MHz up to 1 GHz or more). We also were able to resolve the splitting due to the internal rotation of the second isopropenyl methyl group. The A species lines split into doublets and the E species lines into triplets. These splittings vary from 10 kHz up to 1 MHz, much smaller than the splittings due to the acetyl methyl group. By analyzing the spectrum with the program Xiam, a torsional barriers of 135.3498(38) and 711.7(73) cm⁻¹ for the acetyl methyl group and the isopropenyl methyl group were observed, respectively. All lines in the spectrum were also fitted with the program Erham to a standard deviation of only 2.3 kHz.     

Stimuli-responsive poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymers and complexation with poly(acrylic acid) at low pH

The self-organization of the double hydrophilic triblock copolymer poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine)-b-poly(ethylene oxide), PEO-b-P2VP-b-PEO, was investigated in dilute aqueous solution under several experimental conditions using turbidimetry, as well as static and dynamic light scattering. As a result of the temperature-sensitive properties of the end PEO blocks and the p H-responsive properties of the middle P2VP block, the formation of large star-like micellar nanostructures is observed at high p H, while at low p H, but in the presence of salt and at high temperature, flower-like micelles are formed. Moreover, the viscosimetric and dynamic light scattering studies at low p H revealed that micelle-like nanostructures are formed upon mixing the triblock copolymer with poly(acrylic acid), PAA, due to hydrogen bonding interpolymer complexation.     

Beam‐size‐related phenomena and effective normalization in energy‐dispersive EXAFS for the study of heterogeneous catalysts,powder materials and the processes they mediate: observations and (some) solutions

The effects of focal spot size and the nature of powder samples (such as heterogeneous catalysts) on the quality of data obtainable from a dispersive EXAFS experiment are characterized at ID24 of the ESRF. Using examples of supported Pd catalysts, it is shown that, for a given photon flux, massive improvements in data quality can be achieved by increasing the size of the dispersive beam in the vertical, whilst concurrently applying a methodology to account for scattering effects emanating from the samples under study. These improvements are demonstrated using progressively practical and demanding examples. Questions regarding optimal beam dimensions for the study of such materials, how to counter undesirable effects that arise from the coherence of the source, how to obtain similar results consistently across the 5–30 keV bandwidth of ID24, and whether a methodology for simultaneous normalization in dispersive EXAFS is of significant utility in such circumstances are discussed.     

红外光谱分析醋酸酯淀粉包膜尿素膜降解特征

采用傅里叶变换红外吸收光谱(FTIR)方法分析醋酸酯淀粉包膜尿素及与生化抑制剂结合的四种肥料在棕壤中膜降解特征,为包膜尿素肥料的应用提供科学依据。分析表明,膜化学成分,分子结构和膜组成没有因加入不同的抑制剂而改变。膜特征峰主要是H-O,—OH,CO2,C=O,—CH2,—CH3,C—O,C—O—H,C—O—C的不对称、对称伸缩振动吸收。在棕壤中,最高峰吸收强度总趋势0>15>30>60>90>120>150>310d,前15d降解相对缓慢。150d大部分膜物质已降解。经过310d,膜主要官能团或分子结构发生了实质性改变,不同抑制剂对膜降解速度没有显著影响。红外吸收光谱完全可以测定与描述醋酸酯淀粉膜降解特征,并可揭示膜降解速度差异。     

Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) study of CaSO4:Dy phosphors

Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements have been carried out on CaSO₄:Dy phosphors at the Dy L₃ edge with synchrotron radiation. The data have been analysed to find out the Dy-S and Dy-O bond lengths in the neighborhood of the Dy atoms. Measurements have been carried out over several samples thermally annealed for different cycles at 400 °C in air for 1 h and the change in bond lengths in samples with increasing number of annealing cycles have been studied by analyzing the EXAFS data.     

The reaction of vinyl acetate with Pd(1 1 0) studied with TPD and molecular beams

The adsorption and reaction of vinyl acetate with the clean Pd(1 1 0) surface has been investigated using temperature programmed desorption and molecular beam reaction measurements. These show that, under low pressure conditions, the main reaction pathway above 400 K is total dehydrogenation to yield hydrogen and carbon dioxide in the gas phase, and surface carbon. This occurs at a steady state, notwithstanding the fact that carbon is being deposited continuously onto the surface. The reaction continues because the vast majority of this carbon is lost from the surface to the bulk of the sample. Between about 320-380 K the reaction profile is somewhat different; the molecule dissociates at the CH₃COOCHCH₂ bond, producing the most stable intermediate, the acetate, and the reaction stops after the build-up of adsorbed acetate and surface carbonaceous species. At ∼300 K, the products are very similar to those for acetaldehyde adsorption (namely, methane, CO and some surface carbon), and they evolve in a non-steady state manner due to the build up of adsorbed CO on the surface. Thus the mechanism is dominated here by dissociation at the CH₃COOCHCH₂ bond, and formation of the acetyl intermediate. Consideration is given to the connection between these data and vinyl acetate synthesis.     

Theoretical study of Ir(III) complexes with cyclometalated alkenylquinoline ligands

Recently, it was reported that cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes of 2-((E)-2-phenyl-1-ethenyl)quinoline (PEQ) and 1-((E)-2-phenyl-1-ethenyl)isoquinoline (PEIQ) emitted saturated red light with high quantum efficiency and brightness. However, the energy difference between specific wavelengths due to the metal-to-ligand charge transfer (³MLCT) absorption and emission spectra showed rather large Stokes shifts, which originated at the predominant ³(π–π¹) ligand-based emission. In this paper, it is shown that these complexes are consistent with predominant ³(π–π¹) ligand-based emission. To develop the predominant ³MLCT emission of Ir complexes for a highly efficient phosphorescent complex suitable for red OLED devices, proper ligands having a highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level similar to that of 2-phenylpyridine (ppy) ligand were designed to lead to strong mixing between π-orbitals of ligands and the 5d orbital of the centric iridium atom. In order to decrease the HOMO energy level and the lowest an occupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level simultaneously to maintain the same HOMO–LUMO energy gap, an electron accepting group such as F or CF₃ was introduced. By such manipulation of ligands in Ir complexes, it was theoretically possible to change the origin of emission in Ir complex from the predominant ligand-centered ³(π–π¹) excited state to the predominant ³MLCT excited state.     

DFT study on the electronic structure and chemical state of Americium in an (Am,U) mixed oxide

We investigated the electronic state of an (Am,U) mixed oxide with the fluorite structure using the all-electron full potential linear augmented plane wave method and compared it with those of Am₂O₃, AmO₂, UO₂, and La_0.5U_0.5O₂. The valence of Am in the mixed oxide was close to that of Am₂O₃ and the valence of U in the mixed oxide was pentavalent. The electronic structure of AmO₂ was different from that of Am₂O₃, particularly just above the Fermi level. In addition, the electronic states of Am and U in the mixed oxide were similar to those of trivalent Am and pentavalent U oxides. These electronic states reflected the high oxygen potential of AmO₂ and the heightened oxygen potential resulting from the addition of Am to UO₂ and also suggested the occurrence of charge transfer from Am to U in the solid solution process.     

The effect of complexation with platinum in polyfluorene derivatives: A photo- and electro-luminescence study

The synthesis and characterization of a polymeric structure containing fluorene units statistically linked to 3-cyclohexyl-thiophene and bipyridine PFOTBipy-poly[(4-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl)(9,9-dihexyl-fluoren-2,7-diyl)-co-(bipyridine-5.5′-diyl)(9,9-dihexyl-fluoren-2,7-diyl)], is reported. The complexation with platinum was possible through the bipyridil units present in 10%, 50% and 100% content. The structure has a fluorenyl moiety between each bipyridine and thiophene groups resulting in a stable and efficient light-emitting polymeric material combining the well known emissive properties of fluorene, the charge mobility generated by thiophene and the electron-transfer properties of a metal complex as well. All the polymers were photo and electroluminescent materials, and showed phosphorescence at low temperatures. Photoluminescence properties were studied by steady state and time resolved spectroscopy and showed changes of both emission peak and relative intensity of the emission bands depending on the relative amount of the platinum complex. The electroluminescence followed the trends found for photoluminescence. The blue emission of the copolymer without platinum is due to the fluorenyl segments and for higher complex contents the emission is characteristic of the aggregates involving the bipyridinyl moieties. Therefore, emission color can be tuned by the complex content. The turn-on voltage was strongly reduced from 22 to 8 V for the 100% complexed copolymer, as compared to the device made with the non complexed one, but the luminance decreased, due to quenching or trapping effects.     

The temperature dependence of Cu(2)O formation on a Cu(110) surface with an energetic O(2) molecular beam

We report a study of the surface temperature (T(s)) dependence of Cu(2)O formation on a Cu(110) surface induced by a hyperthermal O(2) molecular beam (HOMB), using x-ray photoemission spectroscopy in conjunction with synchrotron radiation. From the T(s) dependence of the O uptake curves, the direct dissociative adsorption process mainly contributes to the formation of the p(2?×?1)-O structure with an O coverage (Θ) of 0.5?ML for 2.2?eV HOMB incidence. On the other hand, the rate of oxidation at Θ?>?0.5?ML, particularly in Cu(2)O formation, strongly depends on the T(s). Thicker Cu(2)O islands were found inhomogeneously at 400 and 500?K, suggesting the dominant role of the migration of Cu atoms in the Cu(2)O formations on the Cu(110) surface.     

Eu(III) complexation of phenyltrisalanine and phenylbisalanine in aqueous solution studied by photoluminescence and UV spectroscopy

The Eu(III)-coordination of phenyltrisalanine (Pta) 1, in aqueous solution was investigated. The photoluminescence data suggested that the chelating effect of Pta places the metal ion on the face of the aromatic ring as proposed in 4. Furthermore, Eu(III) is usually used as a substitute for Ca(II) in spectroscopic studies and the formation of a 1:1 complex between Pta and Eu(III) indicated the possibility that Pta may be used as a Ca(II) binder. For comparison, phenylbisalanine (Pba) 2, was subjected to similar studies and was found to behave more like phenylalanine.