Methyl 3-methyl-2H-azirine-2-carboxylate photochemistry studied by matrix-isolation FTIR and DFT calculations

The aliphatic 2H-azirine, methyl 3-methyl-2H-azirine-2-carboxylate (MMAC), has been synthesized and its monomeric form investigated by IR spectroscopy in an argon matrix, at 10 K, as well as theoretically (DFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)). Two low-energy conformers of MMAC (Ct and Cc) were found in the matrix, both exhibiting the cis conformation around the C-O bond but differing in the arrangement around the C-C(alpha) bond. The two conformers were photoreactive upon in situ broadband UV excitation (lambda > 235 nm), yielding nitrile ylide (P1) and ketene imine (P2) type products, which resulted from cleavage of the C-C or C-N bond, respectively. The kinetics of the reactions leading to the formation of P1 and P2 are of first order, with the processes being favored when the reactant is in the Cc conformation. Very interestingly, the C-N bond photocleavage, which is unusual for aliphatic 2H-azirines, was found to be preferred over the generally favored in 2H-azirines C-C bond breakage. This behavior is attributed to the presence in the molecule of the electron-withdrawing methoxycarbonyl substituent, which accelerates the intersystem crossing toward the T(1) triplet state and, in this way, favors the C-N bond cleavage. In addition to the primary photoprocesses leading to formation of P1 and P2, secondary photoprocesses leading to the decarboxylation and decarbonylation of P2 have been also observed.     

Unusual photochemical C-N bond cleavage in the novel methyl 2-chloro-3-methyl-2H-azirine-2-carboxylate

The structure, preferred conformers, vibrational spectrum, and photochemical behavior of the novel azirine, methyl 2-chloro-3-methyl-2H-azirine-2-carboxylate (MCMAC) were investigated in low-temperature matrixes and in the neat solid amorphous state by infrared spectroscopy and quantum-chemical calculations. Two conformers of the compound were observed in argon, krypton, and xenon matrixes, in agreement with the DFT(B3LYP)/6-311++G(d,p) and MP2/6-311++G(d,p) theoretical calculations. Both conformers were found to exhibit the carboxylic ester group in the cis conformation, differing in the arrangement defined by the O=C-C-Cl dihedral angle (cis and trans, for Ct and Cc forms, respectively). The Ct conformer was found to be the most stable conformer in the gaseous phase as well as in both argon and krypton matrixes, whereas the more polar Cc conformer became the most stable form in the xenon matrix and in the neat solid amorphous phase. In situ broadband UV (lambda > 235 nm) excitation of matrix-isolated MCMAC led to azirine ring C-C and C-N bond cleavages, the latter process corresponding to the most efficient reaction channel. The photochemical cleavage of the C-N bond had never been previously observed in the case of aliphatic 2H-azirines. Two electron withdrawing substituents (methoxycarbonyl group and chlorine atom) are connected to the azirine ring in the novel MCMAC azirine. The simultaneous presence of these two groups accelerates intersystem crossing toward the triplet state where cleavage of the C-N bond takes place. The primary photoproducts resulting from the C-N and C-C ring-opening reactions were also found to undergo further photochemical decarbonylation or decarboxylation reactions.     

Robust Wavelet-Domain Estimation of the Fractional Difference Parameter in Heavy-Tailed Time Series: An Empirical Study

We investigate the performance of several wavelet-based estimators of the fractional difference parameter. We consider situations where, in addition to long-range dependence, the time series exhibit heavy tails and are perturbed by polynomial and change-point trends. We make detailed study of a wavelet-domain pseudo Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE), for which we provide an asymptotic and finite-sample justification. Using numerical experiments, we show that unlike the traditional time-domain estimators, estimators based on the wavelet transform are robust to additive trends and change points in mean, and produce accurate estimates even under significant departures from normality. The Wavelet-domain MLE appears to dominate a regression-based wavelet estimator in terms of smaller root mean squared error. These findings are derived from a simulation study and application to computer traffic traces.     

Analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons extracted from air particulate matter using a temperature programmable injector coupled to GC–C–IRMS†

Compound specific isotopic analysis (CSIA) can provide information about the origin of analysed compounds – in this case, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In the study, PAHs were extracted from three dust samples: winter and summer filter dust and tunnel dust. The measurement was performed using the method validated in our laboratory using pure, solid compounds and EPA 610 reference assortment.

CSIA required an appropriate clean-up method to avoid an unresolved complex in the gas chromatographic analysis usually found in the chromatography of PAHs. Extensive sample clean-up for this particular matrix was found to be necessary to obtain good gas chromatography–combustion–isotope ratio mass spectrometry analysis results. The sample purification method included two steps in which the sample is cleaned up and the aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons are separated.

The concentration of PAHs in the measured samples was low; so a large volume injection technique (100 μl) was applied. The δ_VPDB ¹³C was measured with a final uncertainty smaller than 1 ‰. Comparison of the δ_VPDB ¹³C signatures of PAHs extracted from different dust samples was feasible with this method and, doing so, significant differences were observed.     

Radiolabeled Nanogels for Nuclear Molecular Imaging

An efficient and simple synthesis approach to form stable ⁶⁸Ga‐labeled nanogels is reported and their fundamental properties investigated. Nanogels are obtained by self‐assembly of amphiphilic statistical prepolymers derivatised with chelating groups for radiometals. The resulting nanogels exhibit a well‐defined spherical shape with a diameter of 290 ± 50 nm. The radionuclide ⁶⁸Ga is chelated in high radiochemical yields in an aqueous medium at room temperature. The phagocytosis assay demonstrates a highly increased internalization of nanogels by activated macrophages. Access to these ⁶⁸Ga‐nanogels will allow the investigation of general behavior and clearance pathways of nanogels in vivo by nuclear molecular imaging.

     

A Review of Infrared Spectra from Wood and Wood Components Following Treatment with Liquid Ammonia and Solvated Electrons in Liquid Ammonia

ABSTRACT

The chemical changes that occur in wood and wood components (cellulose, holocellulose and lignin) following treatment with liquid ammonia and solvated electrons (e^? _s,) in liquid ammonia have been investigated using FTIR spectroscopy.

When ammonia penetrates into a wood structure, all carboxylate groups will react with ammonia to form ammonium salts, aldehydic and ketonic groups will follow a similar reaction to produce imines, and ester groups will react to forni amides.

After treatment with (e^? _s) in liquid ammonia, wood samples show diminished absorption around 15 13 cm^?1, a position corresponding to aromatic groups, and diminished absorption peaks associated with aldehydic, ketonic, and ester groups.

The overall changes in the IR spectra of cellulose in liquid ammonia and (e^? _s) in liquid ammonia are not dramatic. The IR spectra of the isolated holocellulose after treatment with (e^? _s) in liquid ammonia have intensities and band shape similar to those of cellulose. The isolated lignin behaves in a manner similar to wood, in that the liquid ammonia causes some decrease in the intensities of absorptions associated with C-O and C=O bands, and increase in strength of the amide functional group at 1600 cm^?1. The resulting extracts of wood, following treatment with (e^? _s) in liquid ammonia, appear to loose their “aromaticity”.

Because wood has long been used, and still is used extensively as an important constructional material, the changes in mechanical characteristics caused by the action of various reducing agents appears to have been an important area of scientific interest. The following review focuses on the chemical changes in the functional groups of the surface moieties of wood when treated with a reducing agent, such as (e^? _s + NH_3liq), using infrared spectroscopy.     

Molecular properties with dual basis set methods

The dual basis set approach has proven to be very successful for accurately estimating total energies with large basis sets. This study extends the applications of this technique to the calculation of molecular properties, including energy derivatives with respect to nuclear positions and to an external electric field. All energy derivatives have been calculated numerically via finite-differences. Molecular gradients and Hessians as well as dipole moments and polarizabilites have been calculated at the HF and MP2 levels using two alternative versions of the dual basis set method. The accuracy of these approaches is discussed in the context of quality of basis sets used in calculations. It is shown that even quite poor results obtained with the 6-311G basis set are significantly improved in dual basis set calculations with the 6-311G(d,p) and 6-311G(3df,3dp) basis sets.     

Uniqueness of minimal Fourier-type extensions in L_1-spaces

We give a characterization of uniqueness of finite rank Fourier-type minimal extensions in $L_1$ -norm. This generalizes the main result obtained by Lewicki (Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Function Spaces, Lecture Notes in Pure and Applied Mathematics, vol. 213, pp. 337–345, 1998) to the case of $n$ -circular sets in $\mathbb{C }^n$ .     

High-power laser diodes emitting light above 1100 nm with a small vertical divergence angle of 13 degrees

Laser diodes with highly strained InGaAs quantum wells, emitting at 1130 nm, embedded in a GaAs waveguide were investigated. This Letter reviews the design of the vertical structure for enclosing high output power in angles smaller than 18 degrees . Example designs were processed to 200 microm stripe-width lasers with an 8-mm-long optical cavity. When these are mounted on C mounts, they give an output power of 38 W under quasi-cw operation from a single emitter.