Degradation of paracetamol in a bubble column reactor with ozone generated in electrolyte-free water using a solid polymer electrolyte filter-press electrochemical reactor

A porous anode composed of β-PbO₂ was electrochemically deposited onto a carbon cloth substrate (e.g., CC/β-PbO₂) aiming for the electrochemical ozone production (EOP) in electrolyte-free water using a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) filter-press reactor. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed the presence of a three-dimensional oxide structure necessary to obtain a fluid-permeable anode. X-ray analysis showed the predominance of the β-PbO₂ phase. The maximum current efficiency for the EOP was 9.5% with an ozone production rate of 1.40 g h^?1. Using a constant ozone production rate of 0.5 g h^?1, the oxidative degradation of paracetamol (PCT) dissolved in water was accomplished as a function of the PCT concentration (20, 30, and 50 mg L^?1) and the pH (acid, natural (without adjustment), and alkaline). The UV-Vis spectrophotometric analysis showed that the degradation process is more pronounced in alkaline media with a strong reduction in the electrical energy per order (E _EO). A reduction of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of up to 80% was observed. A linear correlation between data referring to COD and HPLC measurements with the UV absorbance measured at 243 nm (UV₂₄₃) was verified indicating that these different techniques can be complementary to each other. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study of the ozonation by-products revealed that the oxidation of PCT occurred through the rupture of the aromatic ring. The major part of phenol’s ring was oxidized to CO₃ ^2? while no reaction occurs in the acetamide group of paracetamol during the ozonation reaction.     

Ionic Liquid-Induced Structural and Activity Changes in Hen Egg White Lysozyme

Lysozyme crystals in the presence of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([C₄mim]BF₄), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C₄mim]Cl), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide([C₄mim]Br), and 1,3-dimethylimidazolium iodine([dmim]I) were prepared, and the influence of ionic liquids (ILs) on the structure and activity change of lysozyme was investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the major secondary structures of α-helix and β-sheet for lysozyme. It was interesting to note that increases of the band near 2,935 and 1,656 cm^?1 from Raman spectroscopy are attributed to the unfolding of lysozyme molecules. A shift in amide III from 1,230 to 1,270 cm^?1 in adding [dmim]I occurs, indicating a transformation from β-sheet to random coil. With regard to adding [C₄mim]BF₄, [C₄mim]Cl, and [C₄mim]Br, α-helix and β-sheet are the predominant structures for lysozyme. The activity study showed that the ILs used brought a positive effect. Especially, [dmim]I leads to a drastic increase in relative activity, and its value reaches 50 %.     

Ab Initio rovibrational spectrum of the NaH2 + ion–quadrupole complex

The electronic and rovibrational structure of (¹A₁) NaH₂ ⁺ has been investigated using a relativistically-corrected, all-electron coupled-cluster with singles, doubles and perturbative triples (CCSD(T)) ansatz. For the electronic ground state this ansatz yielded equilibrium Na–H bond lengths (R _e ) of 2.4208 Å and an equilibrium H–Na–H bond angle (θ_e) of 17.8°. An analytical potential energy surface (PES) was embedded in the rovibrational Hamiltonian. The PES was constructed using 118 CCSD(T) points and exhibited a residual error of 1.2 cm^?1. The rovibrational Hamiltonian was diagonalised using variational techniques. The vibrational and rovibrational eigenvectors were assigned using a configuration weight scheme in terms of normal modes and the Mulliken assignment scheme, respectively. For the ground vibrational state of (¹A₁) NaH₂ ⁺, the vibration-averaged bond lengths 〈R〉 and angle 〈θ〉 were 2.4995 Å and 17.1°, respectively. The ab initio (¹A₁) NaH₂ ⁺ PES yielded a dissociation energy (D ₀) value of 10.3 kJ mol^?1, which is in excellent agreement with the experimental value of 10.3 ± 0.8 kJ mol^?1 (Bushnell et al. in J Phys Chem 98:2044, 1994). An analytical dipole moment surface was constructed using 90 CCSD(T) points. Rovibrational spectra of (¹A₁) NaH₂ ⁺, (¹A′) NaHD⁺ and (¹A₁) NaD₂ ⁺ for v ≤ 10, J ≤ 5 were constructed using rovibrational transition moment matrix elements calculated in a novel manner that employs the analytical dipole moment surface (DMS). The rovibrational structure of the Na⁺–H₂ v _HH = 1 ← v _HH = 0 band was calculated and compared to that of Li⁺–H₂.     

Extraction of cesium into nitrobenzene by using ammonium and thallium dicarbollylcobaltates in the presence of polypropylene glycol PPG 425

Extraction of microamounts of cesium by nitrobenzene solutions of ammonium dicarbollylcobaltate (NH₄ ⁺B^?) and thallium dicarbollylcobaltate (Tl⁺B^?) in the presence of polypropylene glycol PPG 425 (L) has been investigated. The equilibrium data have been explained assuming that the complexes ML⁺ (M⁺ = NH ₄ ⁺ , TI⁺, Cs⁺; L = PPG 425) are present in the organic phase. Furthermore, the stability constants of the cationic complex species NH₄L⁺ and TlL⁺ in nitrobenzene saturated with water have been determined as log β (NH₄L _org ⁺ ) = 4.58 and log β (TlL _org ⁺ ) = 5.27.     

Synthesis,thermal decomposition and dielectric behavior of bis(thiourea)silver(I)nitrate

New semi-organic bis(thiourea)silver(I)nitrate (TuAgN) single crystals have been grown from slow evaporation solution growth technique. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study reveals that the crystal belongs to orthorhombic system with the non-centrosymmetric space group C2221 and the calculated cell parameters are a = 33.3455 (6) Å, b = 45.2957 (7) Å, c = 20.3209 (5) Å, α = β = γ = 90°, and V = 30692.8 (10) Å ³. The thermal stability and decomposition behavior of TuAgN compound have been studied by thermogravimetric analysis at three different heating rates 5, 10, and 15 °C min^?1. The effective activation energy (E _a) and pre-exponential factor (ln A) of thermal decomposition of thiourea from TuAgN compound at three different heating rates are estimated by model free methods: Arrhenius, Flynn–Wall, Kissinger, and Kim–Park. The calculated effective activation energies were found to vary with the fraction (α) reacted. The compensation effect between the (ln A) and (E _a) has also been studied. Dielectric properties of TuAgN crystal have been studied in a wide range of frequencies and temperatures. AC conductivity has also been carried out.     

A Novel β-Glucosidase from Humicola insolens with High Potential for Untreated Waste Paper Conversion to Sugars

Humicola insolens produced a new β-glucosidase (BglHi2) under solid-state fermentation. The purified enzyme showed apparent molecular masses of 116 kDa (sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) and 404 kDa (gel-filtration), suggesting that it is a homotetramer. Mass spectrometry analysis showed amino acid sequence similarity with a β-glucosidase from Chaetomium thermophilum. Optima of pH and temperature were 5.0 and 65 °C, respectively, and the enzyme was stable for 60 min at 50 °C, maintaining 71 % residual activity after 60 min at 55 °C. BglHi2 hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl-β-d-glucopyranoside and cellobiose. Cellobiose hydrolysis occurred with high apparent affinity (K _M?=?0.24?±?0.01 mmol L^?1) and catalytic efficiency (k _cat/K _M?=?1,304.92?±?53.32 L mmol^?1 s^?1). The activity was insensitive to Fe⁺³, Cr⁺², Mn⁺², Co⁺², and Ni²⁺, and 50–60 % residual activities were retained in the presence of Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Cu²⁺. Mixtures of pure BglHi2 or H. insolens crude extract (CE) with crude extracts from Trichoderma reesei fully hydrolyzed Whatman no. 1 paper. Mixtures of H. insolens CE with T. reesei CE or Celluclast 1.5 L fully hydrolyzed untreated printed office paper, napkin, and magazine papers after 24–48 h, and untreated cardboard was hydrolyzed by a H. insolens CE/T. reesei CE mixture with 100 % glucose yield. Data revealed the good potential of BglHi2 for the hydrolysis of waste papers, promising feedstocks for cellulosic ethanol production.     

Stability-Indicating HPTLC Method for Analysis of Moclobemide, and Use of the Method to Study Degradation Kinetics

A sensitive, selective, precise, and stability-indicating HPTLC method for analysis of moclobemide in the bulk drug and in formulations has been established and validated. Aluminium TLC plates precoated with silica gel 60 F₂₅₄ were used with benzene–methanol–40% ammonia 7:3:0.1 (v/v) as mobile phase. Densitometric analysis was performed in absorbance mode at 238 nm. Compact bands were obtained for moclobemide (R _F 0.67 ± 0.02; n = 6). The drug was subjected to acidic and alkaline hydrolysis, oxidation, dry heat treatment, and photodegradation. The drug undergoes degradation under acidic, basic, and oxidising conditions. The degradation products were well resolved from the pure drug with significantly different R _F values, so the method can be regarded as stability-indicating. Response to moclobemide was a linear function of amount in the range 50–600 ng per band, with a correlation coefficient, r ², of 0.9967 ± 0.51. LOD and LOQ, determined experimentally, were 10 and 30 ng per band, respectively. Statistical analysis proves the method is repeatable and specific for analysis of moclobemide. The method was used to investigate the kinetics of alkaline degradation. The Arrhenius plot was constructed and the activation energy calculated.     

Analysis of a failure of the CC2 coupled-cluster method for bond lengths of SnO and PbO

CC2 model is found to overestimate bond lengths of SnO and PbO by about 0.25 Å, while both second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory and coupled-cluster singles and doubles give reasonable results. Previously, analysis shows that the [[U, T ₁], T ₁] term in the doubles equation of CC2 is the origin of failure for CC2 and some truncated CC models have been suggested to achieve reasonable result for ozone, where CC2 is unable to obtain a stable structure. However, these remedies are unable to afford reasonable bond lengths of SnO and PbO. Based on a term-wise analysis, our results indicate that the [U, T ₁] term results in failure of CC2. CC2 model by removing this term will provide results that agree well with those of MP2. Furthermore, the [[U, T ₂], T ₁] term absent in the CC2 while present in doubles equation of CCSD can balance this [U, T ₁] term and CC2 model augmented with this term is able to afford reasonable results for PbO, SnO and ozone.     

Computational study on the crystal structure, thermodynamic properties, detonation performance and pyrolysis mechanism of a novel high density cage compound 10-(5-nitrimino-1,2,3,4-tetrazol-1-yl)methyl-2,4,6,8,12-pentanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane

A novel polynitro cage compound 10-(5-nitrimino-1,2,3,4-tetrazol-1-yl)methyl-2,4,6,8,12-pentanitro-hexaazaisowurtzitane, composed of CL-20 and tetrazole framework, has been designed. DFT-B3LYP/6-31G(d) and molecular mechanics methods are employed to calculate its IR spectrum, heat of formation, thermodynamic properties, and crystal structure. Besides, the stability of this compound is evaluated using the bond dissociation energy. The result shows that the initial step of thermal decomposition is the rupture of N–NO₂ bond in the side chain. This compound is most likely to crystallize in the P-1 space group, and corresponding cell parameters are Z = 2, a = 7.65 Å, b = 14.30 Å, c = 10.36 Å, α = 91.53°, β = 50.83°, γ = 89.44°, and ρ = 2.025 g cm^?3. Detonation velocity and detonation pressure of this compound are estimated to be 9.090 km s^?1 and 38.078 GPa using the Kamlet–Jacobs equation, similar to those of CL-20. Considering detonation performance and thermal stability, this compound meets the requirements of exploitable high energy density materials.     

A Validated Quantification of Benzocaine in Lozenges Using TLC and a Flatbed Scanner

We present a video-densitometric quantification method for benzocaine in lozenges. The quantification is based on a derivatisation reaction with 4-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde. Measurements were carried out using a 16-bit flatbed scanner. Benzocaine was separated to a distance of 50 mm in a vertical developing chamber without vapour saturation. We present an RP-18 phase separation on a cyanopropyl plate (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) using water, CH₃CN, dioxane, ethanol, and NH₃ (25 %) (8 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 0.05, v/v) as the mobile phase. We also separated benzocaine in a normal phase system on silica gel 60 LiChrospere^® plates (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) with the mobile phase MTBE/cyclohexane (1 + 1, v/v). The calibration functions for benzocaine in both separations were linear in the range from 1 to 1,000 ng per spot. The range of linearity covers two magnitudes of power because the Kubelka–Munk expression was used for data transformation. In the cyanopropyl-system, the benzocaine amount was quantified as 242.5 ± 18.2 ng in a spot or 6.86 ± 0.52 mg in a single lozenge. The amount of 7.0 mg benzocaine per lozenge was labelled. The combined uncertainty of sample and calibration measurements was statistically calculated using a significance level of α = 0.05 to a total relative uncertainty of 7.49 %. The separation method is inexpensive, fast and reliable.     

Synthesis, characterization and crystal structures of the tetrachlorocuprate and tetrabromocadmate salts of the antimalarial mefloquine

Two new compounds, bis (DL-erythro-α-2-piperydylium-2,8-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4-quinolinemethanol) tetrachlorocuprate(II) tetrahydrate [LH⁺]₂[CuCl₄]^2??4H₂O 1 [L = mefloquine] and bis(DL-erythro-α-2-piperydylium-2,8-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4-quinolinemethanol) tetrabromocadmate (II) bis(methanol) [LH⁺]₂[CdBr₄]^2?·2CH₃OH 2, have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, ¹H-NMR and IR spectroscopy. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of 1 showed the structure to be ionic with formula unit comprising two protonated monocationic mefloquine molecules of opposite chirality, a tetrachlorocuprate (II) anion and a complement of four water molecules, disordered over several sites. The crystals are orthorhombic, space group Pnma, a = 9.6975(1) Å, b = 29.5385(3) Å, c = 15.9423(1) Å, V = 4566.67(7) ų, Z = 4. The formula unit of compound 2 comprises two protonated monocationic mefloquine molecules, a tetrabromocadmate(II) anion and two molecules of methanol. The crystals are orthorhombic, space group Fdd2, a = 17.2185(5) Å, b = 55.456(2) Å, c = 9.5140(3) Å, V = 9084.6(5) ų, Z = 8. The mefloquine molecule is protonated at the piperidinyl N atom and extensive hydrogen bonding occurs in both crystal structures. The conformation of the mefloquine cation in 1 and 2 is very similar to that recently observed in other salts of the drug, confirming its relevance in the context of antimalarial action.     

Polar steroid derivatives from the Vietnamese starfish Astropecten polyacanthus

Five polar steroid derivatives, including one new glycosylated polyhydroxysteroid namely polyacanthoside A (1), were isolated from the water-soluble materials from the MeOH extract of the Vietnamese starfish Astropecten polyacanthus using various chromatographic separations. The structure elucidation was confirmed by spectroscopic experiments such as HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR. Among the isolated compounds, (20R,24S)-3β,6α,8,15β,24-pentahydroxy-5α-cholestane (3) showed significant cytotoxic effect against five human cancer cell lines as HepG2, KB, LNCaP, MCF7 and SK-Mel2 with the IC₅₀ values from 18.03 ± 2.63 to 21.59 ± 3.23 μM.     

Synthesis and crystal structure of methyl 2-(2,4-dichloro-5-fluorobenzoyl)-3-(pyrimidin-2-ylamino)acrylate

Methyl 2-(2,4-dichloro-5-fluorobenzoyl)-3-(pyrimidin-2-ylamino)acrylate has been prepared. Its crystal structure is discussed. The compound crystallizes in the triclinic space group P-1 with a = 11.6259 (7) Å, b = 11.8789 (7) Å, c = 13.9206 (5) Å, α = 68.0250 (10)°, β = 77.5660 (10)°, γ = 62.4950 (10)°, V = 1579.18 (14) ų, Z = 4. There are two independent but chemically identical molecules in the asymmetric unit. The molecules are packed in the crystal structure by weak intermolecular C–H···O and C–H···F interactions.     

Growth,structural, crystallisation,thermal decomposition and dielectric behaviour of melaminium bis(hydrogen oxalate) single crystal

Single crystals of melaminium bis (hydrogen oxalate) (MOX) single crystals have been grown from aqueous solution by slow solvent evaporation method at room temperature. X-ray powder diffraction analysis confirms that MOX crystallises in monoclinic system with space group C2/c. The calculated lattice parameters are a = 20.075 ± 0.123 Å b = 8.477 ± 0.045 Å, c = 6.983 ± 0.015 Å, α = 90°, β = 102.6 ± 0.33°, γ = 90° and V = 1,159.73 (Å)³. Thermogravimetric analysis at three different heating rates 10, 15 and 20 °C min^?1 has been done to study the thermal decomposition behaviour of the crystal. Non-isothermal studies on MOX reveal that the decomposition occurs in two stages. Kinetic parameters [effective activation energy (E _a), pre-exponential factor (ln A)] of each stage were calculated by model-free method: Kissinger, Kim–Park and Flynn–Wall method and the results are discussed. A significant variation in effective activation energy (E _a) with conversion progress (α) indicates that the process is kinetically complex. The linear relationship between the ln A and E _a was established (compensation effect). DTA analyses were conducted at different heating rates and the activation energy was determined graphically from Kissinger and Ozawa equation. The average effective activation energy is calculated as 276 kJ mol^?1 for the crystallization peak. The Avrami exponent for the crystallization peak temperature determined by Augis and Bennett method is found to be 1.95. This result indicates that the surface crystallization dominates overall crystallization. Dielectric study has also been done, and it is found that both dielectric constant and dielectric loss decreases with increase in frequency and is almost a constant at high frequency region.     

A Fast and Effective Method for Packing Nano-LC Columns with Solid-Core Nano Particles Based on the Synergic Effect of Temperature, Slurry Composition, Sonication and Pressure

Nano-LC columns of different lengths (14–35 cm), 75 μm i.d., were packed with solid-core C18 particles using a conventional HPLC system at low pressure (375 bar) and without expensive tools and fittings. Solid-core particles consist of a solid, non-porous core surrounded with a shell of a porous layer with a very narrow particle size distribution. This geometry allows a faster diffusion of the analytes compared to porous particles, reducing the C term of the Knox plot. Different slurries of packing material were evaluated and tested. The packing procedure was carried out at room temperature and at 70 °C to evaluate the influence of this parameter on the overall process. The synergic action of pressure, temperature and sonication contributed to columns of various lengths in the packing process. The columns were tested at room temperature taking into account the following parameters: Knox plots, specific permeability and peak capacity. Reduced heights of theoretical plates, h, ranged between 3.8 and 5.1 at ν between 2 and 6. An LC-MS test was carried out with a Direct-EI LC-MS instrument.     

Theoretical study in gas phase of linear and nonlinear optical properties of the ortho-, meta- and para-nitrophenol isomers

The linear (α), and nonlinear (β, γ) optical NLO properties of ortho-, meta- and para-nitrophenol (ONP, MNP and PNP) isomers have been calculated in gas phase by using ab initio (HF, MP2 and MP4) and density functional theory (DFT) (B3LYP, CAM-B3LYP) methods, with the 6-31+G(d,p) and 6-311+G(3d,3p) standard and the Sadlej specialized basis sets. These properties were evaluated both at static and at dynamic regime within the finite field FF numerical techniques and the time-dependent-Hartree–Fock approach at 1,910 nm, respectively. Additional calculations were performed for the β static hyperpolarizability of these isomers in presence of p-dioxane solvent with the Onsager Model and the SCRF-PCM approach, using B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) and MP2/6-31+G(d,p) levels of theory. Additionally, CCSD/6-31+G(d,p) calculations were performed for the α, β and γ properties of PNP isomer. The B3LYP and MP2 α _ave results of the nitrophenol isomers are comparable to the experimental α _ave reports; while the tendency for the β _v calculated values (β _v PNP > β _v MNP > β _v ONP), that can be explained in terms of the O _x atomic charge of the –NO₂ group, does not follow exactly the experimental ones. The B3LYP γ _ave results are in correspondence to the experimental measurements, the correlation of which is r ² = 0.99. The use of FF methodology in conjunction with the B3LYP and MP2 methods and the 6-31+G(d,p) basis set show to be appropriate approaches to predict qualitative optical properties of Push–Pull like organic molecules, provided are considered the solvent effects or frequency dependence. However, to have a clear picture of the NLO properties of an isolated molecule, higher order correlation effects combined with specialized basis sets, frequency and solvent effects should be employed. We have demonstrated that MP4/Sadlej level of theory is able to reproduce NLO properties that can be considered equivalent to those from more sophisticated approaches, such as CCSD together with extended basis sets.     

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Magnetic Property of a New Two-Dimensional Polymers with 4-Connected sql Topology

A new polymer [Mn₃(OAc)₆(H₂O)₁₂] _n (1) based on trinuclear manganese clusters has been synthesized under hydrothermal condition and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The compound crystallizes in monoclinic system, space group P2₁/c, with a = 10.401(5), b = 17.527(7), c = 9.073(4) Å, α = 90, β = 110.943(7), γ = 90°, V = 1544.8(12) Å³, Z = 2. Compound 1 is a two-dimensional (2D) structure with 4-connected sql topology, and is further extended to a 3D supramolecular framework by hydrogen bonds. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate antiferromagnetic couplings between Mn²⁺ ions. Furthermore, elemental analyses and powder X-ray diffraction properties of 1 are also investigated.     

Effect of Elicitors and Precursors on Azadirachtin Production in Hairy Root Culture of Azadirachta indica

The present study involved strategies for enhancement in in vitro azadirachtin (commercially used biopesticide) production by hairy root cultivation of Azadirachta indica. Improvement in the azadirachtin production via triggering its biosynthetic pathway in plant cells was carried out by the exogenous addition of precursors and elicitors in the growth medium. Among the different abiotic stress inducers (Ag⁺, Hg⁺², Co⁺², Cu⁺²) and signal molecules (methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid) tested, salicylic acid at 15 mg l^?1 of concentration was found to enhance the azadirachtin yield in the hairy roots to the maximum (up to 4.95 mg g^?1). Similarly, among the different biotic elicitors tested (filter-sterilized fungal culture filtrates of Phoma herbarium, Alternaria alternata, Myrothecium sp., Fusarium solani, Curvularia lunata, and Sclerotium rolfsii; yeast extract; and yeast extract carbohydrate fraction), addition of filter-sterilized fungal culture filtrate of C. lunata (1 %?v/v) resulted in maximum azadirachtin yield enhancement in hairy root biomass (up to 7.1 mg g^?1) with respect to the control (3.3 mg g^?1). Among all the biosynthetic precursors studied (sodium acetate, cholesterol, squalene, isopentynyl pyrophosphate, mavalonic acid lactone, and geranyl pyrophosphate), the overall azadirachtin production (70.42 mg l^?1 in 25 days) was found to be the highest with cholesterol (50 mg l^?1) addition as an indirect precursor in the medium.     

Characterization of the inclusion complex of β-cyclodextrin with sorbic acid in the solid state and in aqueous solution

Crystal structure of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) complexes with sorbic acid, usually as food preservative, has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction at 113 K. The space group of β-cyclodextrin-sorbic acid complex is P1 with unit cell dimensions of a = 15.284(3) Å, b = 15.402(3) Å, c = 17.981(4) Å, α = 99.67(3)°, β = 112.83(3)°, γ = 102.48(3)° and Z = 1. The result indicates that the β-CD molecules form head-to-head dimers which pack in the intermediate mode. Each dimer contains two guest molecules whose methyl groups are located at the dimer interface while the carboxyl groups protrude from the β-CD primary faces. Water molecules (25.5) are distributed outside the cyclodextrin cavity over 31 sites. Furthermore, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H NMR) has been employed to investigate the inclusion behavior between the host β-CD and guest sorbic acid in aqueous solution. The results obtained enabled us to structurally characterize the β-CD inclusion complex with sorbic acid.     

Two new organic borates with the large [B14O20(OH)6]4− oxoboron clusters

Two new borate clusters, [NH₃(CH₂)₃NH₃]₂[B₁₄O₂₀(OH)₆] (1) and [NH₃(CH₂)₆NH₃]₂[B₁₄O₂₀(OH)₆] (2), have been made under solvothermal conditions and characterized by single-crystal X-ray structural analysis. Also their IR and UV–Vis spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and elemental analysis have been investigated, respectively. Crystal data for 1: triclinic, P-1, a = 8.8049(4) Å, b = 9.1585(5) Å, c = 10.1912(5) Å, α = 74.925(4)°, β = 80.987(4)°, γ = 67.495(5)°, Z = 1. Crystal data for 2: triclinic, P-1, a = 9.2010(4) Å, b = 9.8663(4) Å, c = 11.4191(4) Å, α = 107.014(4)°, β = 92.514(3)°, γ = 107.265(4)°, Z = 1. The structures consist of isolated 8-membered boron ring made of the [B₇O₁₀(OH)₃]^2?cluster subunits. UV–Vis spectral investigation indicates that they are wide-band-gap semiconductors. Fluorescence spectroscopy indicates that they are potential blue light materials.