Icosahedral B12, macropolyhedral boranes, β-rhombohedral boron and boron-rich solids

The preference for icosahedral B₁₂ amongst polyhedral boranes and elemental boron is explained based on an optimization of overlap model. The ingenious ways in which elemental boron and boron-rich solids achieve icosahedron-related structures are explained by a fragment approach. The Jemmis mno rules are used to get the electron requirements. The extra occupancies and vacancies in β-rhombohedral structures are shown to be inevitable results of electron requirements. The detailed understanding of the structure suggests ways of doping β-rhombohedral boron with metals for desired properties. Theoretical studies of model β-rhombohedral solids with metal dopings provide support for the analysis.     

Mössbauer spectroscopy of neptunyl species

Systematics of hyperfine parameters from ²³⁷Np Mössbauer resonance data of compounds with Np in a high formal charge state are discussed with respect to electronic structure properties. In neptunyl(VI) species, we find a linear correlation between the isomer shift and the strength of quadrupole interaction. Both scale linearly with the actinide-oxygen bond length, stressing the central role of this parameter. Some compounds show paramagnetic relaxation spectra which makes their analysis difficult. The hyperfine interactions are often not rotational symmetric indicating a deviation from the simple linear O-Np-O configuration. Mössbauer spectra of NpO₃·2H₂O reveal that this compound should be described as a neptunyl. A comparison of hyperfine parameter systematics indicates that the Np valence electron properties in Np(VII) species are basically similar to those in Np(VI) neptunyls.     

Molecular dynamics in polyethylene and ethylene-1-butene copolymer investigated by NMR methods

1H and 13C NMR spectra and 1H spin-lattice relaxation times T₁ and T_1ρ have been employed to study the structure and molecular dynamics in polyethylene and ethylene-1-butene copolymer in the temperature range from 100 to 370 K. Results are interpreted in terms of α, β and γ -relaxation, as well as methyl group rotation. The activation energies for all motions were established. The incorporation of 1-butene into ethylene chain leads to an increase of mobility in amorphous and crystalline phases as well as appearance the 13C resonance characteristic to the monoclinic structure in addition to the orthorhombic observed in both polymers. The crystallinity degree derived from T_1ρ in studied polymers is close to that determined using DSC method.     

Evidence of four light-induced metastable states in iron-nitrosyl complexes

Thermodynamic measurements on irradiated Na₂[Fe(CN)₅NO]⋅ 2H₂O reveal the existence of four light-induced long-lived metastable states, which decay exponentially in time. The activation energies and frequency factors of the four independent states are determined from isothermal calorimetric and differential scanning calorimetric measurements.     

Using modulated DSC to investigate the origin of multiple thermal transitions in frozen 10% sucrose solutions

Modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC) was used to investigate the effect of annealing on multiple thermal transitions in frozen aqueous sucrose solutions. Two thermal transitions were detected from the reversing heat flow. Here, to maintain consistency with terminology used in the practice of freeze-drying [1], the higher temperature is denoted, T^′g, and the lower transition is given the symbol, T^″g. The transition at low temperature is usually believed to be a true glass transition. However, the origin of the transition at high temperature is still highly controversial. Based upon a study of 10% sucrose solutions with different cooling histories and annealing conditions, we suggest that the transition at high temperature is also a glass transition. We conclude that the lower transition is a glass transition of a phase plasticized by a higher than equilibrium amount of unfrozen water, and the higher transition, T^′g, corresponds to a glass transition in a maximally freeze-concentrated solute phase.     

First separation and characterization of cis and trans 1,2-bisaryloxy perfluorocyclobutanes

4-Bromotrifluorovinyloxybenzene (4-Br-TFVE) undergoes cyclodimerization upon heating at 150 °C affording cis and trans isomers of 1,2-bis(4-bromophenoxy)hexafluorocylcobutane. Stereoisomers were separated by selective crystallization, confirmed by single crystal X-ray, and further characterized by NMR. Remarkable difference in the solid state structures include aryl to aryl dihedral angles of 12° for the trans isomer and 88° for the cis isomer. Polymers containing roughly equal amounts of cis and trans fused perfluorocyclobutyl (PFCB) rings should be expected to have low crystallinity due to the marked difference in the two unit cells as is observed.     

A unified approach to the density-potential mapping in a family of time-dependent density functional theories

It is shown that the density-potential mapping and the V-representability problems in the time-dependent current density functional theory (TDCDFT) are reduced to the solution of a certain many-body nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE). The derived NLSE for TDCDFT links the earlier NLSE-based formulations of the time-dependent deformation functional theory (TDDefFT) and the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). We establish a close relation between the nonlinear many-body problems which control the existence of TDCDFT, TDDFT, and TDDefFT, and thus develop a unified point of view on the whole family of the TDDFT-type theories.     

Structural characterization and ferroelectric ordering in (C3N2H5)5Sb2Br11

A ferroelectric crystal (C₃N₂H₅)₅Sb₂Br₁₁ has been synthesized. The single crystal X-ray diffraction studies (at 300, 155, 138 and 121 K) show that it is built up of discrete corner-sharing bioctahedra and highly disordered imidazolium cations. The room temperature crystal structure has been determined as monoclinic, space group, P2₁/n with: , and and β=96.19^°. The crystal undergoes three solid-solid phase transitions: ) discontinuous, continuous and discontinuous. The dielectric and pyroelectric measurements allow us to characterize the low temperature phases III and IV as ferroelectric with the Curie point at 145 K and the saturated spontaneous polarization value of the order of along the a-axis (135 K). The ferroelectric phase transition mechanism at 145 K is due to the dynamics of imidazolium cations.     

The 160.44 day Lu as a new gamma calibration standard

Gamma emissions in the decay of 160.44 day isomer ^177mLu were analyzed with a 60 cc, coaxial HPGe detector. The energies and intensities of 50 gamma transition - 40 of which belong to the daughter ¹⁷⁷Hf, that was excited by beta decay of the isomer, and 10 to the isomeric transition in ¹⁷⁷Lu were precisely determined. These precise values have resulted in an internally consistent decay scheme for ^177mLu. These gamma intensity and gamma emission probability measurements will help in making the long lived ^177mLu available as a calibration standard for HPGe detectors and also for other applications.     

Dilute solution behaviour of progressively hydrolyzed polyacrylamide in water-N, N dimethylformamide mixtures

The intrinsic viscosities [η’s] of anionic (hydrolyzed; low and high carboxyl content) and nonionic polyacrylamide (unhydrolyzed) were measured in water-N, N dimethylformamide mixtures at various temperatures. Non-polyelectrolyte behavior of low carboxyl content polyacrylamide was observed in mixed solvent system. The plots of [η] vs. solvent composition in a mixed solvent system pass through minima for both high as well as low carboxyl content polymers but through a maximum for nonionic polyacrylamide. Observed minimum for charged polymers may be attributed to the loss of polymer sites available to interact with solvent for H-bonding interaction between neighboring amide and the acid groups. The maximum for nonionic polymer at the particular solvent composition arises for the most powerful cosolvent effect. Existence of two antagonistic effects is apparent in [η] values of nonionic polymer at various temperatures. Huggins constant (K_H) also indicates a significant variation of cosolvency as a function of solvent composition. Activation parameters of viscous flow were calculated using Frenkel-Eyring equation. The volume related parameter and the shape factor were also computed. Shape factor data indicate that polymer molecules are more or less rigid spheres and are not affected by temperature and composition of solvent.     

H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analysis for simultaneous determination of levodopa, carbidopa and methyldopa in human serum and pharmaceutical formulations

A method utilizing NMR spectroscopy has been developed to confirm the identity and quantity of levodopa, carbidopa and methyldopa in human serum and pharmaceutical preparations. The method is based on 500 MHz proton NMR spectra of individual catecholamine molecules. Qualitative and quantitative analyses are based on resonance characteristics of the functional groups present in their structures and the integral ratio of selected signals belonging to different compounds with respect to those of an internal standard, respectively. Experiments are performed to validate the quantitative NMR method, and the linearity and reproducibility of the proposed method are verified. The detection limit of the proposed method was estimated as 4.2, 1.7 and 1.6  μg ml⁻¹ for levodopa, carbidopa and methyldopa, respectively. The recovery studies performed on human serum samples ranged from about 82-96% with relative standard deviations of <4%. The method was also applied successfully to the determination of each active compound in real pharmaceutical samples, and compared with the results obtained by the reference methods. The method is rapid, precise, accurate, and suitable for routine analyses.     

Synthesis and properties of PPE-type conjugated polymers containing tricarbonyl(arene)chromium unit in the main chain

Novel π-conjugated polymers containing (η6-arene)Cr(CO)₃ in the main chain based on poly(p-phenylene-ethynylene) were prepared by the Sonogashira coupling reaction of η6-(1,4-diethynylbenzene)tricarbonylchromium with 1,4-diiodo-2,5-dialkoxybenzenes. The polymers were soluble in common organic solvents and characterized by NMR and FT-IR spectra. The polymers exhibited an absorption maximum at around 390 nm, which showed a red shift of approximately 30 nm compared to that of the model compound. Cyclic voltammogram showed a single reversible oxidation peak derived from the (η6-arene)Cr(CO)₃ unit.     

On the diffusion of free carriers in β-rhombohedral boron

To determine the diffusion of untrapped carriers in β-rhombohedral boron, we constructed a feedback pico-ammeter based on pulse integration technique. This enabled measuring deviations from the bias in a 10⁹ Ω sample in the order of 1 nA with 0.7 ms time resolution. For the first time, we obtained the drift velocity of optically generated untrapped electron-hole pairs 106(20) cm s⁻¹ yielding for the band-determined diffusion coefficient and for the carrier mobility . Fitting Fick's second law to the measured trap-determined dispersion of carriers yields the ambipolar diffusion coefficient D^*=0.043(14) and 0.28(10) cm² s⁻¹ at 260 and 340 K, respectively. The thermal activation energy of 0.18 eV agrees with the well-known trapping levels in β-rhombohedral boron.     

Picosecond photoelectron studies of cluster dynamics

Time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy is proving to be a versatile tool for investigating dynamical properties of molecules and clusters. In this account we review our recent work involving studies of cluster reactivity by photoelectron spectroscopy. Two topics are discussed. The first, involves measurements of the rate of solvent reorganization and the magnitude of the solvent reorganization energy (i.e., the solute-solvent interaction). The solvent rearrangement is induced by an excited-state proton transfer in phenol-ammonia clusters. These studies are motivated by the opportunity to probe condensed-phase solvation effects on a molecular level in clusters. The second topic describes how the chemical properties of small clusters (e.g., dimers) provides detailed information regarding the collision complexes of bimolecular gas-phase reactions. We show an example of how the combination of photoelectron spectroscopy and ion fragmentation mass spectrometry can be used to determine barrier heights for bimolecular reactions.     

Ruthenium(II) complexes with 2-(benzylimino-methyl)-4-R-phenol containing the trans(PPh3),cis(CO,Cl)-{Ru(PPh3)2(CO)Cl} unit

Reactions of [Ru(PPh₃)₃Cl₂] with 2-(benzylimino-methyl)-4-R-phenol (H^RL, R = H, Cl, Br and OMe) in boiling methanol in presence of triethylamine afford ruthenium(II) complexes of general formula [Ru(^RL)(PPh₃)₂(CO)Cl] in 57-64% yield. Microanalysis, spectroscopic (infrared, electronic and NMR) and cyclic voltammetric measurements have been used for the characterization of the complexes. Crystal structures of two representative complexes have been determined by X-ray crystallography. The carbonyl, the chloride, the N,O-donor ^RL⁻ and the two mutually trans PPh₃ molecules assemble a distorted octahedral CClNOP₂ coordination sphere around the metal centre in each complex. The complexes display the Ru(II) → Ru(III) oxidation in the potential range 0.62-1.16 V (vs. Ag/AgCl).     

Molecular structure and spectral properties of thionaphthalimides

The molecular structure and absorption spectra of monothio- and dithio-naphthalimides were compared to their naphthalimide analogues using AM1, PM3 and ZINDO/S semiempirical quantum chemical methods. The substitution of the 4R-naphthalimide oxygen atoms by sulphur atoms resulted in a red-shift of the absorption spectra by Δλ_max60-65 and 100-140 nm, respectively. The thionated naphthalimide derivatives do not show observable fluorescence due to intersystem crossing to the triplet -states localised at the CS groups. The -absorption bands of monothioimides are located at 525-580 nm (ε=60-80) and those for dithioimides at 535-560 nm (ε=140-390) and 628-686 nm (ε=34-68). None of these transitions are solvent sensitive. The -transitions of N-phenylthioimides have also a small contribution from -states due to a partial conjugation between CS group and π-electronic system of the N-phenyl ring. As a result, the bands of aromatic substituted N-phenylthioimides are red-shifted as compared to those of the aliphatic N-methyl-thioimides.     

High-energy optical absorption in f-compounds

Over a large energy domain, the electronic spectra of f-compounds arise mainly from three types of electronic transitions: f-f transitions, f-d transitions and ligand to metal charge transfer. The first transitions can be predicted quite successfully via an empirical Hamiltonian exploiting the symmetry of the system under consideration and evaluating the radial dependence of the various interactions felt by the f-electron through adjustable phenomenological parameters. The two other electronic transitions can be modelled via the refined spin pairing theory. Both similarities and differences in chemical and spectroscopic behavior of lanthanides and actinides will be briefly discussed.     

Photodegradation of biodegradable polyesters: A comprehensive study on poly(l-lactide) and poly(?-caprolactone)

The photodegradation of melt-crystallized and amorphous-made poly(l-lactide) (PLLA-C and PLLA-A, respectively) and cast-crystallized poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL) was investigated comprehensively for the periods up to 200 h using gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, tensile testing, and polarization optical microscopy. The photodegradation of PLLA and PCL films proceeds via a bulk erosion mechanism, indicating that UV penetrates the specimens with no significant reduction in its intensity, irrespective of the chemical structure and the crystallinity of biodegradable polyesters. The photodegradability of PCL chains was higher than that of PLLA chains. This strongly suggests that the chemical structure of the two sequential groups adjacent to the ester oxygen rather than the density of ester group is crucial to determine the photodegradability of biodegradable polyesters. Although PLLA chains are photodegradable even in the crystalline regions, their photodegradability is lower than that in the amorphous regions. The significant increase in weight-average molecular weight (M_w)/number-average molecular weight (M_n) was observed for PLLA-A and PCL films, even when the decrease in M_n by UV irradiation was small. Most of the tensile properties of PLLA and PCL films remained unchanged during UV irradiation, while solely the elongation at break of PCL film significantly decreased. This result reflects that among the tensile properties the elongation at break was most sensitive to the change in molecular characteristics of biodegradable polyesters by UV irradiation. The contrast between bright and dark parts of Maltese crosses remained unchanged for the spherulites in PLLA-C and PCL films even after UV irradiation for 200 h. This result exhibits that the cleaved fraction of the tie chains was too low to cause the traceable disorientation of lamellae.