XRD and AFM studies of ZnS thin films produced by electrodeposition method

The structure and morphology of ZnS thin films were investigated. ZnS thin films have been grown on an indium tin oxide glass substrate by electrodeposition method using zinc chloride and sodium thiosulfate solutions at room temperature. The X-ray diffraction patterns confirm the presence of ZnS thin films. From the AFM images, grain size decreases as the cathodic potential becomes more negative (from ?1.1 to ?1.3 V) at various deposition periods. Comparison between all the samples reveals that the intensity of the peaks increased, indicating better crystalline phase for the films deposited at ?1.1 V. These films show homogeneous and uniform distribution according to AFM images. On the other hand, XRD analysis shows that the number of ZnS peaks increased as deposition time was increased from 15 to 30 min at ?1.1 V. The AFM images show thicker films to be formed at ?1.1 V indicating more favourable condition for the formation of ZnS thin films.     

SYNTHESIS AND SPECTRAL CHARACTERIZATION OF DIETHYL 2-[ARYL(4-ARYL-1,2,3-SELENADIAZOL-5-YL)METHYL]MALONATE

Synthesis and characterization of several diethyl 2-[aryl(4-aryl-1,2,3-selenadiazol-5-yl)methyl]malonates are reported.     

Tandem Ring Opening and Oximation of Ethyl 3‐Aroyl‐1‐cyano‐4‐hydroxy‐2,4,6‐triarylcyclohexanecarboxylate by Hydroxylamine

The reaction of hydroxylamine hydrochloride with ethyl 3‐aroyl‐1‐cyano‐4‐hydroxy‐2,4,6‐triarylcyclohexanecarboxylate has led to the formation of ethyl 2‐[amino(hydroxyimino)methyl]‐3‐aryl‐5‐(hydroxyimino)‐5‐arylpentanoate via a tandem ring opening and oximation process. The structures of the products are confirmed by NMR and X‐ray techniques, and the conformational features of the product arrived at are compared with a molecular dynamics simulation study.     

Pressure-induced interband optical transitions in an InAs0.8P0.2/InP quantum wire

Hydrostatic pressure-induced exciton binding energy in an InAs_0.8P_0.2/InP quantum well wire is investigated taking into account the geometrical confinement effect. Numerical calculations are carried out using variational approach within the single-band effective-mass approximation. The compressive strain contribution to the confinement potential is included throughout the calculations. The energy difference of the ground and the first excited state is found with the consideration of spatial confinement effect in the influence of pressure. The second-order susceptibility of harmonic generation is carried out using the compact density method. The optical gain as a function of incident photon energy is computed in the presence of the hydrostatic pressure. The result shows that the range of wavelength for the potential applications of telecommunications (1.3–1.55 μm) can be obtained by the application of the hydrostatic pressure. We believe that the obtained results can be applied for tuning the ranges of fibre optical wavelength in telecommunications.     

Biocatalytic deracemization of alkyl-2-hydroxy-4-arylbut-3-ynoates using whole cells of Candida parapsilosis ATCC 7330

Racemic alkyl-2-hydroxy-4-arylbut-3-ynoates were deracemized to the (S)-alkyl-2-hydroxy-4-arylbut-3-ynoates in excellent enantiomeric excesses (up to >99%) and good isolated yields (up to 81%) with the biocatalyst Candida parapsilosis ATCC 7330. The absolute configuration of the resulting enantiomer was assigned by ¹H NMR using Mosher’s method.     

A confocal laser scanning microscopic study on thermoresponsive binary microgel dispersions incorporated with CdTe quantum dots

Monodisperse poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) particles loaded with cadmium telluride (CdTe) quantum dots (QDs) of two different sizes (4.7 nm and 5.6 nm) were synthesized in aqueous medium by bonding the capping agent on the quantum dots to the amide groups of PNIPAM and incubating the samples at 45°C. A huge increase in the photoluminescence (PL) intensity (green and red regions) is observed for the PNIPAM-CdTe QDs composites compared to the parent CdTe QDs. We report here for the first time the imaging of binary dispersion of green and red luminescent PNIPAM-CdTe QDs composites using a fluorescence confocal laser scanning microscope. These composites have potential applications both in material science and biology.     

Spectral, redox and catalytic studies of triphenylphosphine/triphenylarsine complexes of Ru(III) with N, O donor ligands derived from 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde and primary amines

A series of new mixed ligand hexacoordinated ruthenium(III) Schiff base complexes of the type [RuX(2)(EPh(3))(2)(LL')] (X=Cl, E=P; X=Cl or Br, E=As and LL'=anion of the Schiff bases derived from the condensation of 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde with aniline, 4-chloroaniline, 2-methyl aniline and 4-methoxy aniline) are reported. All the complexes have been characterized by analytical and spectral (IR, electronic and EPR) data. The redox behavior of the complexes has also been studied. The complexes exhibit catalytic activity in the oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde in the presence of N-methyl morpholine-N-oxide (NMO). An octahedral structure has been proposed for all of the complexes.     

Asymmetric addition of trimethylsilylcyanide to N-benzylimines catalyzed by recyclable chiral dimeric V(V) salen complex

Chiral dimeric vanadium (V) salen complex (10 mol%) derived from 5,5-Methylene di-[(S,S)-{N-(3-tert-butyl salicylidine)-N′-(3′,5′-di-tert-butyl salicylidene)]-1,2-cyclohexanediamine] with vanadyl suphate followed by auto oxidation was used as efficient catalyst for enantioselective Strecker reaction of N-benzylimines with TMSCN at −30 °C. Excellent yield (92%) of α-aminonitrile and high chiral induction was achieved (ee up to 94%) in case of 2-methoxy substituted N-benzylimines in 10 h. The catalytic system worked well up to four cycles with retention of enantioselectivity.     

Purification,crystallization, and X-ray diffraction analysis of succinyl-diaminopimelate desuccinylase from Wolbachia endosymbiont of Brugia malayi

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a debilitating mosquito-borne parasitic disease caused by Brugia malayi in humans in the lymphatic system. Although limited drugs are available to treat this disease, these drugs are only effective against the larvae of Brugia malayi. As resistance has been reported to the available drugs, a new antifilarial drug is needed with better prognostic features, a short period of time of use, and efficiency at preventing adult worm survival. In this study, we have targeted succinyl-diaminopimelate desuccinylase (DapE) from the Wolbachia endosymbiont of Brugia malayi (WBm), which is involved in the production of lysine and meso-diaminopimelic acid, an essential component for the formation of bacterial cell walls, and plays a vital role in pathogen survival. Deletion of DapE gene is lethal to WBm since the organism has no alternative pathway for lysine biosynthesis. Here, the expression, purification, and crystallization of DapE are reported. The crystals of DapE, with an estimated solvent content of 50.76%, diffract synchrotron X-rays to a resolution of 2.3 Å and belong to the space group C222₁, with unit-cell parameters of a = 51.78, b = 78.83, and c = 216.20 Å. The X-ray absorption spectroscopy further confirms that zinc atoms are incorporated in DapE.     

Photophysical Behaviour of Novel Quaternary Pyrenoyl Salts and Their Sensitivity Towards Bile Salt Micellization

The present work describes the synthesis and characterization of pyrene derivatives, N-(1-Pyrenoylmethyl) pyridinium bromide (PM-PB) and N-(1-Pyrenoylmethyl)-N,N,N-triethylammonium bromide (PM-TAB). The photophysical behavior of these molecules has been studied in various protic and aprotic solvents. Using steady state fluorescence intensity, fluorescence anisotropy and dynamic fluorescence lifetime studies, the sensitivity of these molecules towards the micellization process of bile salts has been monitored. These derivatives have been effectively used in estimating critical micellar concentration (CMC) of bile salt, sodium deoxycholate (NaDC).