Complexes of lanthanide nitrates with tri tert butylphosphine oxide

Reaction of lanthanide nitrates with (t)Bu(3)PO (=L) lead to the isolation of complexes Ln(NO(3))(3)L(2)·H(2)O·nEtOH (Ln = La (1), Nd(2)), Ln(NO(3))(3)L(2)?·nEtOH (Sm(3), Eu(4)), and Ln(NO(3))(3)L(2) (Dy(5), Er(6), Lu(7)). These have been characterized by elemental analysis, infrared and NMR((1)H, (13)C and (31)P) spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The structures show L to be positioned on opposite sides of the metal with the nitrates forming an equatorial band. When Ln = Dy, Er, and Lu two distinct molecules are present in the unit cell. A major isomer (70%) has a (P)O-Ln-O(P) angle of less than 180° with one of the nitrate ligands twisted out of the plane of the other nitrates while the lower abundance isomer is more symmetric with the (P)O-Ln-O(P) angle of 180° and the nitrate ligands coplanar giving a hexagonal bipyramidal geometry. These isomers cannot be observed by variable temperature solution (31)P NMR measurements but are clearly seen in the solid-state NMR spectrum of the Lu complex. Variable temperature solid-state NMR indicates that the isomers do not interconvert at temperatures up to 100 °C. Attempts to prepare cationic species [Ln(NO(3))(2)L(3)](+)[PF(6)](-) have not been totally successful and led to the isolation of crystals of Lu(NO(3))(3)L(2) and Tb(NO(3))(3)L(2).CH(3)CN (8).     

Molecular mechanism(s) for UV-B irradiation-induced glutathione depletion in cultured human keratinocytes

Glutathione (GSH) plays a central role in maintenance of cellular redox homeostasis and protection against oxidative injury. Ultraviolet B (UV-B) irradiation-induced GSH depletion is believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of several cutaneous disorders. In this study, the molecular mechanism(s) of UV-B-induced GSH depletion was investigated in cultured human keratinocytes, HaCaT cells. We found that UV-B irradiation caused GSH depletion in a dose- and time-dependent manner in HaCaT cells. The mechanistic studies showed that UV-B-induced GSH depletion did not result from the GSH efflux. UV-B irradiation appeared to cause a slight decrease in enzymatic activity of gamma-glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL), a rate-limiting enzyme in GSH biosynthesis. UV-B irradiation resulted in the GCL cleavage through the activation of a caspase cascade. Inhibition of total caspase activity by the general caspase inhibitor, zVAD-fmk, partially reversed the UV-B-induced GSH depletion. More importantly, we found that UV-B irradiation could dramatically decrease the cystine uptake through the functional inhibition of the system Xc(-), a cystine transporter on the cell membrane. The results suggest that the inactivation of cystine transporter system Xc(-) was a major contributor to the UV-B-mediated decrease of GSH levels in human keratinocytes.     

Heterolysis of H2 Across a Classical Lewis Pair, 2,6‐Lutidine⋅BCl3: Synthesis,Characterization, and Mechanism

We report that 2,6‐lutidine?trichloroborane (Lut?BCl₃) reacts with H₂ in toluene, bromobenzene, dichloromethane, and Lut solvents producing the neutral hydride, Lut?BHCl₂. The mechanism was modeled with density functional theory, and energies of stationary states were calculated at the G3(MP2)B3 level of theory. Lut?BCl₃ was calculated to react with H₂ and form the ion pair, [LutH⁺][HBCl₃^?], with a barrier of ΔH^≠=24.7 kcal mol^?1 (ΔG^≠=29.8 kcal mol^?1). Metathesis with a second molecule of Lut?BCl₃ produced Lut?BHCl₂ and [LutH⁺][BCl₄^?]. The overall reaction is exothermic by 6.0 kcal mol^?1 (Δ_rG°=?1.1). Alternate pathways were explored involving the borenium cation (LutBCl₂⁺) and the four‐membered boracycle [(CH₂{NC₅H₃Me})BCl₂]. Barriers for addition of H₂ across the Lut/LutBCl₂⁺ pair and the boracycle B?C bond are substantially higher (ΔG^≠=42.1 and 49.4 kcal mol^?1, respectively), such that these pathways are excluded. The barrier for addition of H₂ to the boracycle B?N bond is comparable (ΔH^≠=28.5 and ΔG^≠=32 kcal mol^?1). Conversion of the intermediate 2‐(BHCl₂CH₂)‐6‐Me(C₅H₃NH) to Lut?BHCl₂ may occur by intermolecular steps involving proton/hydride transfers to Lut/BCl₃. Intramolecular protodeboronation, which could form Lut?BHCl₂ directly, is prohibited by a high barrier (ΔH^≠=52, ΔG^≠=51 kcal mol^?1).     

Analytical block-diagonalization of matrices using unit spherical tensors

A new method for block-diagonalizing large Hamiltonian matrices, in closed form, is described. The method is based on (i) a general unitary transformation due to Slichter, and (ii) Fano's unit spherical operatorsÛ _Q ^K (I _i,I _i). The method is illustrated with a simple three spin 1/2 dipolar coupled spin system, characterized by off-block-diagonal unit spherical tensorsÛ ₀ ² (3/2,1/2,) andÛ ₀ ² (3/2,1 /2,). In addition, it is pointed out that any Hamiltonian matrix can be re-labelled in terms of fictitious spin labels, enabling a wide variety of unit spherical tensors to be used in block-diagonalization. For example, a single spin 5/2 matrix can be re-labelled using three spin labels 1/2, 1/2, and 1/2, respectively. Thus the tensor algebra required to block-diagonalize a 6 x 6 matrix is determined solely by the properties of the Pauli spin matrices. Finally, it is shown that re-labelling within the unit spherical tensor framework provides a unifying framework for standard basis operators, fictitious spin 1/2 and 1 operators, and others. The fictitious spin 1 / 2 unit spherical operators discussed in this paper differ from those of Vega and Pines.     

Macroscopic,Hierarchical, Two-Dimensional Self-Assembly

By tailoring capillary interactions at a fluid–fluid interface, a hierarchical two-dimensional self-assembly of hexagonal millimeter-sized poly(dimethylsiloxane) plates has been demonstrated (see picture). The strength and direction of capillary forces between plates was controlled by patterning of the surfaces of the plates to be hydophobic or hydrophilic. The thick lines indicate hydrophobic faces whose mutual attraction forms the basis of capillarity.     

NMRON studies of MnBr2 \cdot 4H2O in applied magnetic fields

NMRON studies for the ⁵⁴Mn transitions in antiferromagnetic MnBr₂ 4H₂O, in the millikelvin regime, are presented and discussed. New values are given for (i) the sum of the effective molecular exchange and magnetic anisotropy fields acting on the Mn²⁺ ions, =2.23(2) T, and (ii) the magnetic dipole hyperfine splitting, A=-201.99(1) MHz, electric quadrupole hyperfine splitting P=0.049(8) MHz and pseudoquadrupole splitting =1.63(2) MHz for the ⁵⁴Mn nuclei.     

169Tm Mössbauer experiments in the paramagnetic phase of Tm2 Al

Magnetic and Mössbauer measurements have been made on the intermetallic compound Tm₂ Al from 1.4 to 300 K. The susceptibility data show Curie—Weiss behaviour with an effective magnetic moment of 7.7(1) μ_B per atom, cf. the free ion value of 7.56 μ_B. No evidence of magnetic ordering is found down to 1.4 K. By way of contrast, however, the¹⁶⁹Tm Mössbauer data at 1.4 K reveal two fully split six-line spectra, with differing magnetic and quadrupole hyperfine parameters. By 4.2 K, the weaker of the two sub-spectrum has collapsed to form a peak in the centre of the Mössbauer spectrum. At higher temperatures the intensity of the split sub-spectrum slowly disappears, while retaining a virtually temperature-independent magnetic splitting. Both the Tm sites in Tm₂Al therefore exhibit typical para-magnetic relaxation behaviour, with little or no cross-talk between the two Tm species. As with both TmAl and Tm₃Al₂, Tm₂Al exhibits unusually long relaxation times for a metallic material.     

Effects of local fields on spontaneous emission in dielectric media

The local-field renormalization of the spontaneous emission rate in a dielectric is explicitly obtained from a fully microscopic quantum-electrodynamical, many-body derivation of Langevin-Bloch operator equations for two-level atoms embedded in an absorptive and dispersive, linear dielectric host. We find that the dielectric local-field enhancement of the spontaneous emission rate is smaller than indicated by previous studies.