Characterization of gold films by surface plasmon spectroscopy: Large errors and small consequences

Evaporated gold films have a smooth interface with their substrate and a rougher top surface. We investigate the optical response of such a film by excitation of surface plasmons both on the rough and on the smooth side. The smooth side, although polycrystalline, has an optical response that is very similar to a monocrystalline surface. The film can be modeled as two-layers with significantly different optical constants. For investigations on thin dielectric films though, this heterogeneity introduces only a negligible error.     

Feasibility of using ultrasound contrast agents to increase the size of thermal lesions induced by non-focused transducers: in vitro demonstration in tissue mimicking phantom

Miniature flat ultrasound transducers have shown to be effective for a large variety of thermal therapies, but the associated superficial heating implicates developing original strategies in order to extend therapeutic depth. The goal of the present paper is to use ultrasound contrast agents (UCA) to increase remote attenuation and heating. Theoretical simulations demonstrated that increasing attenuation from 0.27 to 0.8 Np/cm at 10 MHz beyond a distance of 18 mm from the transducer should result in longer thermal damages due to protein coagulation in a tissue mimicking phantom. Contrast agents (BR14, Bracco, Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland) were embedded in thermo-sensitive gel and attenuations ranging from 0.27 to 1.33 Np/cm were measured at 10 MHz for concentrations of BR14 between 0 and 4.8%. Thermal damages were then induced in several gels, which had different layering configurations. Thermal damages, 12.8 mm in length, were obtained in homogeneous gels. When mixing contrast agents at a concentration of 3.2% beyond a first 18 mm-thick layer of homogeneous gel, the thermal damages reached 21.5 mm in length. This work demonstrated that contrast agents can be used for increasing attenuation remotely and extending therapeutic depth induced by a non-focused transducer. Additional work must be done in vivo in order to verify the remote-only distribution of bubbles and associated increase in attenuation.     

Oxidative DNA cleavage by copper ternary complexes of 1,10-phenanthroline and ethylenediamine-sulfonamide derivatives

Ternary copper(II) complexes (1–3) of 1,10-phenanthroline and ethylenediamine-R-sulfonamide derivatives (R = benzene, toluene and naphthalene rings) have been synthesized and characterized with the aid of X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. The crystal structures of the complexes show that the coordination polyhedron around copper(II) is distorted square planar. Both 1,10-phenanthroline and ethylenediamine-R-sulfonamide act as bidentate ligands. The three structures are stabilized by π–π stacking interactions. The interaction of the complexes with calf thymus DNA has been investigated by thermal denaturation studies which indicated that DNA was stabilized in the presence of the compounds. The increase in DNA stability induced by the complexes follows the order: 3 > 2 > 1. All three complexes were found to be very efficient agents of plasmid DNA cleavage in the presence of ascorbate as reducing agent. Mechanistic studies of the DNA cleavage process performed with radical scavengers show that the reactive oxygen species involved in the DNA damage are the hydroxyl radical, singlet oxygen-like species, the superoxide* and hydrogen peroxide.     

Iridium(III) Complexes with Sulfonyl and Fluorine Substituents: Synthesis,Stereochemistry and Effect of Functionalisation on their Photophysical Properties

The synthesis and photophysical and electrochemical characterisation of new heteroleptic iridium complexes with electron‐withdrawing sulfonyl groups and fluorine atoms bound to phenylpyridine ligands are reported. The emission energy of these materials strongly depends on the position of the sulfonyl groups and on the number of fluorine substituents. A 90 nm wide tuning range of photoluminescence from the blue‐green (λ_em=468 nm) of iridium(III)bis[2‐(4′‐benzylsulfonyl)phenylpyridinato‐N,C2′][3‐(pentafluorophenyl)‐pyridin‐2‐yl‐1,2,4‐triazolate] to the orange (λ_em=558 nm) of iridium(III)bis[2‐(3′‐benzylsulfonyl)phenylpyridinato‐N,C2′](2,4‐decanedionate) has been achieved. Emission quantum yields ranging from 47 to 71 % have also been found for degassed solutions of the complexes, and a surprisingly high value of 16 % was recorded for iridium(III)bis[2‐(5′‐benzylsulfonyl‐3′,6′‐difluoro)phenylpyridinato‐N,C2′](2,4‐decanedionate) in air‐equilibrated dichloromethane. A unusual stereochemistry of the benzylsulfonyl‐substituted dimer and heteroleptic complexes has been detected by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, and is characterised by the mutual cis disposition of the pyridyl nitrogen atoms of the phenylpyridine ligands, which differs from the most common trans arrangement reported in the literature.     

Boron coordination compounds derived from 2-phenyl-benzimidazole and 2-phenyl-benzotriazole bidentate ligands

The syntheses and structural analyses of a series of boron heterocycles derived from 2-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)-phenylamine (1), 2-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)-phenol (2), 2-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)-benzenedisulfide (3), 2-[3-(1,1,1,3,-tetramethyl-butyl)-phenyl]-2H-benzotriazole (4), 2-[3,5-bis-(1-methyl-1-phenylethyl)-phenyl]-2H-benzotriazole (5) and (C₆H₅)₂BOH or BF₃·OEt₂ are reported. The new boron compounds: diphenyl-[2-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl-κN)-phenylamide-κN]-boron (6), diphenyl-[2-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl-κN)-phenolate-κO]-boron (7), diphenyl-[2-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl-κN)-benzenethiolate-κS]-boron (8), diphenyl-[2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl-κN)-4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-butyl)-phenolate-κO]-boron (9), diphenyl-[2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl-κN)-4,6-(1-methyl-1-phenylethyl)-phenolate-κO]-boron (10), difluoro-[2-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl-κN)-phenolate-κO]-boron (11), difluoro-[2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl-κN)-4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)-phenolate-κO]-boron (12) and difluoro-[2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl-κN)-4,6-(1-methyl-1-phenylethyl)-phenolate-κO]-boron (13) have four fused rings, with boron included in a six-membered ring and bound to N, O or S atoms and strongly coordinated by a nitrogen atom from the imidazole or triazole rings. Their structures are zwitterionic, with a negative charge on the boron and a delocalized positive charge on the ligand. Compounds 6-12 were studied by NMR, IR, mass spectrometry, and 6-10 and 12 by X-ray diffraction analyses.     

A simple and sensitive detection of diquat herbicide using a dental amalgam electrode: A comparison using the chromatographic technique

This paper describes the use of a dental amalgam electrode (DAE) to evaluate the electrochemical behaviour and to develop an electroanalytical procedure for determination of diquat herbicide in natural water and potato samples. The work was based on the square wave voltammetry responses of diquat, which presented two well-defined and reversible reduction peaks, at −0.56 V (peak 1) and −1.00 V (peak 2). The experimental and voltammetric parameters were optimised, and the analytical curves were constructed and compared to similar curves performed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometric detector (HPLC/UV-vis). The responses were directly proportional to diquat concentration in a large interval of concentration, and the calculated detection limits were very similar, around 10 μg L⁻¹ (10 ppb) for voltammetric and chromatographic experiments. These values were lower than the maximum residue limit established for natural water by the Brazilian Environmental Agency. The recovery percentages in pure electrolyte, natural water and potato samples showed values from 70% to 130%, demonstrating that the voltammetric methodology proposed is suitable for determining any contamination by diquat in different samples, minimising the toxic residues due to the use of liquid mercury or the adsorptive process relative to use of other solid surfaces.     

BaTiO3 and PbTiO3 perovskite as catalysts for methane combustion

Unsupported and γ-Al₂O₃-supported Ba and Pb titanate catalysts were prepared, characterized and studied in the combustion of methane, as a test reaction for VOCs’ catalytic combustion. They present good catalytic activities, and after dispersion (5%) on γ-Al₂O₃ the specific activity of the supported perovskite phase increased 25 and 30 times, respectively, compared with the unsupported samples. PbTiO₃/γ-Al₂O₃ shows the best catalytic properties among the tested samples.     

Histamine Molecule and Dianion Oxalate are Efficient Blocks for Building 2D Supramolecular Networks

Abstract  

One salt and two Cu(II) complexes (H₂hsm)(ox), 1, [Cu(hsm)(ox)], 2, and [Cu(hsm)(ox)H₂O], 3, have been synthesized and X-ray characterized (hsm is histamine and ox²⁻ is the oxalate dianion). Starting from the prochiral tetracoordinated complex 2, pentacoordinated complex 3 crystallizes as a racemic mixture of the enantiomeric Δ and Λ isomers, in space group P2₁/c. In all cases, the side chain of the hsm group is gauche, allowing the formation of strong hydrogen bonds in the salt 1, and to chelate the metal center in complexes 2 and 3. The combination hsm/ox seems to favor the formation of 2D supramolecular structures (planes or wavy planes), through efficient networks of N–H···O hydrogen bonds. Cell parameters: 1, P2₁/c, a = 6.260 (2) ?, b = 11.500 (4) ?, c = 12.525 (4) ?, β = 104.047 (17)o; 2, C2/c, a = 10.7966 (13) ?, b = 15.5622 (16) ?, c = 11.3996 (15) ?, β = 106.261 (11)o; 3, P2₁/c, a = 7.0627 (6) ?, b = 7.1323 (6) ?, c = 20.0296 (19) ?, β = 91.529 (7)o.     

The one-dimensional cutting stock problem with usable leftover – A heuristic approach

In this work we consider a one-dimensional cutting stock problem in which the non-used material in the cutting patterns may be used in the future, if large enough. This feature introduces difficulties in comparing solutions of the cutting problem, for example, up to what extent a minimum leftover solution is the most interesting one when the leftover may be used. Some desirable characteristics of good solutions are defined and classical heuristic methods are modified, so that cutting patterns with undesirable leftover (not large enough to be used, nor too small to be acceptable waste) are redesigned. The performance of the modified heuristics is observed by solving instances from the literature, practical instances and randomly generated instances.     

Inactivation of vascular smooth muscle cells photosensitised by liposome-delivered Zn(II)-phthalocyanine

Photodynamic therapy is a promising approach for the prevention of arterial restenosis, which frequently occurs after balloon angioplasty, largely owing to abnormal proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and their migration from the media to the intima, where they originate intimal hyperplasia (IH). We investigated the efficacy of Zn(II)-phthalocyanine-photosensitised processes in promoting the inactivation of VSMC. This liposome delivered phthalocyanine is readily taken up by VSMC, largely partitions in the Golgi apparatus, and upon photoactivation causes >95% cell mortality using mild irradiation conditions (e.g. 5 min irradiation at 1 microM ZnPc). Cell death occurs through the parallel development of random necrotic and apoptotic processes.