Overview of Allelopathic Potential of Lemna minor L. Obtained from a Shallow Eutrophic Lake

Allelopathy is an interaction that releases allelochemicals (chemicals that act allelopathically) from plants into the environment that can limit or stimulate the development, reproduction, and survival of target organisms and alter the environment. Lemna minor L. contains chemicals that are allelopathic, such as phenolic acids. Chemical compounds contained in L. minor may have a significant impact on the development and the rate of multiplication and lead to stronger competition, which may enhance the allelopathic potential. Allelopathic potential may exist between L. minor and C. glomerata (L) Kütz. because they occupy a similar space in the aquatic ecosystem, have a similar preference for the amount of light, and compete for similar habitat resources. L. minor and C. glomerata can form dense populations on the water surface. Allelopathy can be seen as a wish to dominate one of the plants in the aquatic ecosystem. By creating a place for the development of extensive mats, an interspecific interaction is created and one of the species achieves competitive success. It is most effective as a result of the release of chemicals by macrophytes into the aquatic environment. Therefore, allelopathy plays a significant role in the formation, stabilization, and dynamics of the structure of plant communities.     

Influence of carbazol-9-yl substitution in polysilanes on charge carrier trapping and recombination

A series of poly{[3-(carbazol-9-yl)propyl]silane-co-methylphenylsilane}s were investigated by optical absorption, photoluminescence and thermoluminescence measurements. It was found that the optical absorption bands of the carbazolyl side groups superimpose on those of the Si backbones in the ultraviolet range. This feature reduces photodegradability of Si-Si bonds during UV irradiation. The TL spectra recorded in the 15 - 325 K temperature range after photoexcitation at 15 K show that the carbazolyl side groups act as trapping sites in polysilanes. Increasing density of carbazolyl groups results in increasing population of deeper (ca. 150 meV) traps. Spectral analyses of the thermoluminescence at different temperatures are discussed and compared with analogous results for poly(9-vinylcarbazole) (PVK). It is concluded that the monomeric mechanism of luminescence dominates at low temperatures while the excimeric mechanism prevails at higher temperatures, similarly to PVK.     

Partial Methane Oxidation to Methanol on Ru-Porphyrins – on the Role of Non-Innocent Ligands and Spin Crossover

The partial oxidation reaction of CH₄ led to the formation of CH₃OH in the presence of Ru-porphyrin oxo complexes (denoted as POR, POR-O and POR-OH where in the case of the last two, oxygen atom and the OH group were attached to the active site, respectively), in which Ru was present on different oxidation states. The simulations were performed based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) with extended geometric and electronic structure analyses of each reaction step. Moreover, the reaction pathways were investigated in different spin states. The Spin Crossover (SCO) phenomenon was found to play an important role in the kinetics of the reaction in the presence of POR and POR-O. Harmonic Oscillator Model of Aromaticity (HOMA) index was applied for different spin states to estimate the aromaticity changes of the pyrrole rings in the Ru-porphyrin complexes. In order to characterize the nature of bonding, the Natural Bond Orbitals (NBO) analysis including the Wiberg Bond Index (WBI) and Natural Population Analysis (NPA) was carried out. Finally, the Non-Covalent Interactions (NCI) index was employed to gain insight into interactions between the components of the reaction. It was found that the non-covalent interactions cannot be neglected in the studied reaction paths.