Vibrational spectra of (NH4)3ZnCl5

IR and Raman spectra of (NH₄)₃ZnCl₅ have been recorded. The observed spectra have been analysed on the basis of the vibrations of ZnCl ₄ ²⁻ and NH ₄ ⁺ ions. The appearance of multiple Raman bands indicates the presence of two different types of ammonium ions. The effect of anisotropic crystalline field over the ZnCl₄ and NH₄ tetrahedra is also discussed. The assignment of internal modes has been verified by the potential energy distribution calculations.     

Cyclic networks with general blocking and starvation

We introducegeneral starvation and consider cyclic networks withgeneral blocking and starvation (GBS). The mechanism of general blocking allows the server to process a limited number of jobs when the buffer downstream is full, and that of general starvation allows the server to perform a limited number of services in anticipation of jobs that are yet to arrive. The two main goals of this paper are to investigate how the throughput of cyclic GBS networks is affected by varying (1) the total number of jobsJ, and (2) the buffer allocationk=(k₁..., k_m) subject to a fixed total buffer capacityK=k ₁ +... + k_m. In particular, we obtain sufficient conditions for the throughput to be symmetric inJ and to be maximized whenJ=K/2. We also show that the equal buffer allocation is optimal under the two regimes of light or heavy usage. In order to establish these results, we obtain several intermediate structural properties of the throughput, using duality, reversibility, and concavity, which are of independent interest.Research supported in part by NSF Grant No. ECS-8919818.     

Kinetics of thermal depolymerization of trimethylsiloxy end-blocked polydimethylsiloxane and polydimethylsiloxane-N-phenylsilazane copolymer

The thermal degradation of Me₃SiO end-blocked polydimethylsiloxane (eb-PDMS) and polydimethylsiloxane-N-phenylsilazane (eb-PDMS–NPhSz) copolymer was studied. For both polymers relative degree of polymerization (DP /DP ₀) as a function of conversion (1 – W/W₀) data were obtained. For eb-PDMS the results were consistent with a mechanism involving a rate determining random siloxane bond cleavage initiation step followed by a rapid and complete depropagation of the active fragments evolving volatile cyclic oligomers. Rate constants (k) for initiation were obtained at four temperatures from plots of DP ^?1 vs. time. An Arrhenius activation energy of approximately 80 kcal/mol was determined and is consistent with a SiOSi scission transition state. The degradation of eb-PDMS–NPhSz appears to follow the same depolymerization process evolving cyclic oligomers. Although DP /DP ₀ vs. C data suggest a random cleavage–complete depolymerization mechanism, an Arrhenius plot suggests a more complex degradation mechanism. The role of impurities as degradation catalysts is discussed.     

Stereochemical preference of Candida parapsilosis ATCC 7330 mediated deracemization: E- versus Z-aryl secondary alcohols

The stereochemical preference of the biocatalyst, Candida parapsilosis ATCC 7330, was investigated with respect to the E/Z configuration in the deracemization and the asymmetric reduction of aryl secondary alcohols and prochiral ketones, respectively. The biocatalyst preferred the E-isomers over Z-isomers as substrates as evidenced from the experimental results of >99% ee and up to 86% isolated yield for E-secondary alcohols. The synthesis of enantiomerically pure E-4-phenylbut-3-ene-1,2-diol (ee >99%, isolated yield 86%) by whole cell mediated deracemization is reported here for the first time. The geometric preference of the enzymes was confirmed by using the cell free extract of this biocatalyst. Mechanistic insights using in silico studies showed that the E-isomers when located in the active site are favourably placed with respect to the catalytic triad (Ser-Tyr-Lys) for hydride transfer from NADPH.     

Growth and characterization of semiorganic NLO crystal of l-glutamic acid hydrochlorobromide (LGHCB)

Single crystals of nonlinear optical material l-glutamic acid hydrochlorobromide (LGHCB) were grown by slow evaporation technique from its aqueous solution. Optically good quality crystals of dimension 20 × 10 × 2 mm³ were obtained. The lattice parameters for the grown crystals were determined using single crystal X-ray diffraction study. The LGHCB crystal belongs to non-centrosymmetric P2₁2₁2₁ space group. The crystal structure was resolved by direct method and refined by full matrix least-square method using SHELXL-97. Using the powder X-ray diffraction study, the crystallinity of the grown crystal was confirmed and the diffraction peaks are indexed. From Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy study, the various functional groups present in LGHCB crystal were elucidated. The UV–Vis-NIR absorption spectrum was recorded in the range of 200–2,000 nm, and the lower cut off wavelength is ~235 nm. Optical band gap of the grown crystal was found to be 5.22 eV. Thermal properties of LGHCB crystal were studied by thermogravimetric analysis and derivative thermogravimetric analysis. The second harmonic generation efficiency of LGHCB crystal was confirmed by Kurtz’s powder technique.     

Lithium ion conduction and ion-polymer interaction in poly（vinyl pyrrolidone） based electrolytes blended with different plasticizers

Poly（ethylene oxide）, poly（vinyl pyrrolidone）（PEO/PVP）, lithium perchlorate salt（Li Cl O4） and different plasticizer based, gel polymer electrolytes were prepared by the solvent casting technique. XRD results show that the crystallinity decreases with the addition of different plasticizers. Consequently, there is an enhancement in the amorphousity of the samples responsible for the process of ion transport. FTIR spectroscopy is used to characterize the structure of the polymer and confirms the complexation of plasticizer with host polymer matrix. The ionic conductivity has been calculated using the bulk impedance obtained through impedance spectroscopy. Among the various plasticizers, the ethylene carbonate（EC） based complex exhibits a maximum ionic conductivity value of the order of2.7279 10 4S cm 1. Thermal stability of the prepared electrolyte films shows that they can be used in batteries at elevated temperatures. PEO（72%）/PVP（8%）/Li Cl O4（8%）/EC（12%） has the maximum ionic conductivity value which is supported by the lowest optical band gap and lowest intensity in photoluminescence spectroscopy near 400–450 nm. Two and three dimensional topographic images of the sample having a maximum ionic conductivity show the presence of micropores.     

Phytochemicals as Inhibitors of Bacterial Cell Division Protein FtsZ: Coumarins Are Promising Candidates

Naturally occurring phytochemicals with reported antibacterial activity were screened for their ability to inhibit the bacterial cell division protein Escherichia coli FtsZ. Among the representative compounds, coumarins inhibit the GTPase and polymerization activities of this protein effectively. Further screening with ten coumarin analogs we identified two promising candidates, scopoletin and daphnetin. The former is found to inhibit the GTPase activity of the protein in a noncompetitive manner. Docking of these coumarins with the modeled protein indicate that they bind to T7 loop, which is different from the GTP-binding site (active site), thereby supporting the experimental data. Lowest binding energy is obtained with scopoletin. 3D QSAR indicates the need for groups such as hydroxyl, diethyl, or dimethyl amino in the 7th carbon for enhanced activity. None of the coumarins exhibited cytotoxicity against NIH/3T3 and human embryonic kidney cell lines. The length of Bacillus subtilis increases in the presence of these compounds probably due to the lack of septum formation. Results of this study indicate the role of coumarins in halting the first step of bacterial cell division process.     

Synthesis,characterization, and antiplasmodial efficacy of sulfonamide-appended [1,2,3]-triazoles

A series of benzenesulfonamide-appended [1,2,3]-triazole hybrids was synthesized by using [3 + 2] cycloaddition of primary, secondary, and tertiary sulfonamide azides with various phenoxymethylacetylenes under click reaction conditions. After structural characterization, the compounds were subjected to in-silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET) screening to evaluate their drug-likeness and other pharmacokinetic parameters. Furthermore, their in vitro antiplasmodial potential was assessed against Plasmodium falciparum (3D7) strain, and some of the synthesized compounds displayed promising antimalarial potency. On cytotoxicity evaluation using MTT cell viability assay, the most active candidate N-(4,6-dimethylpyridin-2-yl)-4-(4-(4-nitrophenoxy)methyl)-1H-[1,2,3]-triazol-1-yl)benzenesulfonamide ( 14 ; IC₅₀ 6.2 μg/mL) demonstrated CC₅₀ 7.5 μg/mL against human hepatocarcinoma (HUH-7) cells.     

Review on influencing parameters in the performance of concentrated solar power collector based on materials,heat transfer fluids and design

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The solar collector (reflector and receiver) is the primary device being used in the concentrating solar power technologies for tapping the solar...