Theoretical studies of homogeneous catalysts mimicking nitrogenase

The conversion of molecular nitrogen to ammonia is a key biological and chemical process and represents one of the most challenging topics in chemistry and biology. In Nature the Mo-containing nitrogenase enzymes perform nitrogen 'fixation' via an iron molybdenum cofactor (FeMo-co) under ambient conditions. In contrast, industrially, the Haber-Bosch process reduces molecular nitrogen and hydrogen to ammonia with a heterogeneous iron catalyst under drastic conditions of temperature and pressure. This process accounts for the production of millions of tons of nitrogen compounds used for agricultural and industrial purposes, but the high temperature and pressure required result in a large energy loss, leading to several economic and environmental issues. During the last 40 years many attempts have been made to synthesize simple homogeneous catalysts that can activate dinitrogen under the same mild conditions of the nitrogenase enzymes. Several compounds, almost all containing transition metals, have been shown to bind and activate N? to various degrees. However, to date Mo(N?)(HIPTN)?N with (HIPTN)?N= hexaisopropyl-terphenyl-triamidoamine is the only compound performing this process catalytically. In this review we describe how Density Functional Theory calculations have been of help in elucidating the reaction mechanisms of the inorganic compounds that activate or fix N?. These studies provided important insights that rationalize and complement the experimental findings about the reaction mechanisms of known catalysts, predicting the reactivity of new potential catalysts and helping in tailoring new efficient catalytic compounds.     

The low-lying electronic states of YCu

The spectroscopic constants for the singlet and tripletstates of YCu below about 15 000 cm⁻¹ are determined using an internally contracted multireference configuration-interaction approach. These calculations are calibrated by studies of fewer states using higher levels of correlation treatment and/or basis sets. The computed T_c values and radiative lifetimes are in reasonable agreement with experiment. The calculations confirm the previous experimental assignment for all but one state, where theory helps resolve between two possible assignments.     

HS-SPME-GC×GC-qMS volatile metabolite profiling of Chrysolina herbacea frass and Mentha spp. leaves

Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) comprehensive two-dimensional (2D) gas chromatography combined with quadrupole-mass spectrometry (GC×GC-qMS) with dedicated comparative data elaboration was applied to separate chemical patterns arising from the interaction between some Mentha species and the herbivore Chrysolina herbacea, also known as the mint bug. Upon feeding on different Mentha species (Mentha spicata L., Mentha × piperita L. and Mentha longifolia L.), C. herbacea produced frass (faeces) which were characterized by a typical volatile fraction. HS-SPME GC×GC-qMS analysis of the complex volatile fraction of both mint leaf and C. herbacea frass was submitted to advanced fingerprinting analysis of 2D chromatographic data. 1,8-Cineole, found in the leaves of all the Mentha species examined, was oxidized, and C. herbacea frass yielded high rates of several hydroxy-1,8-cineoles, including 2α-hydroxy-, 3α-hydroxy-, 3β-hydroxy- and 9-hydroxy-1,8-cineole. Upon insect feeding, several unknown oxidized monoterpenes, a p-menthane diol and three unknown phenylpropanoids were also detected in the frass volatiles. In M. longifolia, the occurrence of the monoterpene piperitenone oxide was found to be toxic and associated with insect death. The results of this work show that high throughput techniques such as HS-SPME and GC×GC-qMS fingerprint analysis are ideal tools to analyze complex volatile matrices, and provide a sensitive method for the direct comparison and chemical visualization of plant and insect emitted volatile components.     

Synthesis and herbicidal properties of 3-(2-oxo-1-imidazolidinyliminomethyl)indoles

The reaction of 1-substituted 2-chloroindole-3-carboxaldehydes with 1-amino-2-imidazolidinone gave a series of 1-substituted 2-chloro-3-(2-oxo-1-imidazolidinyliminomethyl)indoles which were evaluated as potential herbicides. The level of biological activity was not sufficient to warrant further investigation.     

Spirobifluorene bridged Ir(III) and Os(II) polypyridyl arrays: synthesis, photophysical characterization, and energy transfer dynamics

The synthesis, characterization, photophysics, and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations of spirobifluorene-bipyridine based iridium(III), osmium(II), and mixed Ir/Os complexes are presented. The preparation of the reference and mixed complexes proceeded step-by-step and microwave irradiation facilitated the complexation of osmium. The absorption of the target heterobimetallic derivative, Ir-L-Os, is described by linear combination of half of the absorption spectra of the homobimetallic analogues, Ir-L-Ir and Os-L-Os, due to the occurrence of mixed ligand and metal based transitions when the spirobifluorene-(bpy)(2) bridging ligand L is linked to the metal, confirming a negligible interaction between the substituted metallic chromophores. TD-DFT calculations on monometallic, homo- and hetero-bimetallic complexes fully disentangled the origin of the absorption features. Noticeably, in the mixed Ir-L-Os complex an almost quantitative energy transfer from the (3)Ir to the (3)Os MLCT state is occurring, with a rate constant of 4.1 × 10(8) s(-1) and nearly exclusively via a Dexter-type mechanism mediated by the orbitals of the spiroconjugated ligand. This result, together with the outcomes of the TD-DFT calculations, supports the existence of spiroconjugation and evidences the interesting role of this kind of bridge in the energy transfer dynamics of the arrays. In all the complexes, moreover, the ligand fluorescence is heavily quenched by energy transfer processes toward the metallic appended units; the rate constant is estimated in the order of 10(10) s(-1) for Ir-L-Os and higher than 10(12) s(-1) for the other complexes. In the heterometallic array, both at room temperature and at 77 K, all photons are thus funneled to the emissive Os (3)MLCT state, which acts as energy trap for the antenna cascade.     

Tunable Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties from Room Temperature Phosphorescent Cyclic Triimidazole-Pyrene Bio-Probe

Organic materials with multiple emissions tunable by external stimuli represent a great challenge. TTPyr, crystallizing in different polymorphs, shows a very rich photophyisics comprising excitation-dependent fluorescence and phosphorescence at ambient conditions, and mechanochromic and thermochromic behavior. Transformation among the different species has been followed by thermal and X-ray diffraction analyses and the emissive features interpreted through structural results and DFT/TDDFT calculations. Particularly intriguing is the polymorph TTPyr(HT), serendipitously obtained at high temperature but stable also at room temperature, whose non-centrosymmetric structure guarantees an SHG efficiency 10 times higher than that of standard urea. Its crystal packing, where only the TT units are strongly rigidified by π-π stacking interactions while the Pyr moieties possess partial conformational freedom, is responsible for the observed dual fluorescence. The potentialities of TTPyr for bioimaging have been successfully established.     

How Does Diet Influence Our Lives? Evaluating the Relationship between Isotopic Signatures and Mortality Patterns in Italian Roman Imperial and Medieval Periods

The present research investigates the relationship between dietary habits and mortality patterns in the Roman Imperial and Medieval periods. The reconstructions of population dynamics and subsistence strategies provide a fascinating source of information for understanding our history. This is particularly true given that the changes in social, economic, political, and religious aspects related to the transition from the Roman period to the Middle Ages have been widely discussed. We analyzed the isotopic and mortality patterns of 616 individuals from 18 archeological sites (the Medieval Latium sites of Colonna, Santa Severa, Allumiere, Cencelle, and 14 Medieval and Imperial funerary contexts from Rome) to compile a survivorship analysis. A semi-parametric approach was applied, suggesting variations in mortality patterns between sexes in the Roman period. Nitrogen isotopic signatures influenced mortality in both periods, showing a quadratic and a linear effect for Roman Imperial and Medieval populations, respectively. No influence of carbon isotopic signatures has been detected for Roman Imperial populations. Conversely, increased mortality risk for rising carbon isotopic values was observed in Medieval samples.