Sm3Cl[SiO4]2: Ein chlorarmes Chloridorthosilicat des Samariums

Sm₃Cl[SiO₄]₂: A Chlorine‐poor Chloride Orthosilicate of Samarium Pale yellow, plate‐like single crystals of Sm₃Cl[SiO₄]₂ (orthorhombic, Pnma; a = 701.74(8), b = 1800.8(2), c = 626.63(7) pm; Z = 4) are obtained upon the reaction of SmCl₃, Sm₂O₃ and SiO₂ (”︁Kieselgel”︁”︁) in 1 : 4 : 6 molar ratios, most advantageously in the presence of substantial amounts of NaCl as fluxing agent, after seven days at 850 °C in evacuated silica ampoules. The B‐type crystal structure (isotypic with e. g. Yb₃Cl[SiO₄]₂) contains discrete orthosilicate tetrahedra [SiO₄]^4– which form anionic double layers ({(Sm1)₂[SiO₄]₂}^2–) with (Sm1)³⁺. These are alternatingly sheethed along [010] with cationic monolayers ({(Sm2)Cl}²⁺) consisting of (Sm2)³⁺ and Cl^–. Both crystallographically independent Sm³⁺ cations exhibit coordination numbers of eight (Sm1: 1 Cl + 7 O; Sm2: 2 Cl + 6 O) with respect to the involved electronegative particles.     

Modelling issues of a holistic finite element approach in the virtual engineering design process

In the paper methods for the coupling of different meshed local domains of a product model, which occur in an adaptivity process are compared. The properties of the applied coupling methods are demonstrated on finite element models from structural mechanics to point out the advantages and disadvantages of the methods in a model adaptivity process in the field of automotive engineering. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Synthesis of aryliminoacetonitriles under FVT conditions or by dehydrogenation of arylaminoacetonitriles: an NMR and UV-photoelectron spectroscopy study

The synthesis of [(E)-arylimino]-acetonitriles 3 has been described. It was found that the title compounds can be obtained on the three ways, namely by: (i) dehydrogenation of arylaminoacetonitriles 1, (ii) thermal fragmentation of 1-aryl-4-cyano-β-lactams 4 and (iii) retro-ene reaction of (allyl-p-methoxyphenyl-amino)-acetonitrile (7a) under FVT conditions. ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra of compounds 3, 5 and 6, and all their precursors 1 and 4, were recorded and analysed in detail using chemical shifts δ_H and δ_C [from GIAO DFT B3LYP/6-31(d) calculations] and J-couplings predicted at the DFT B3LYP/IGLO-II level. Also, UV-photoelectron spectra of 4a,d and 3a,d were measured and analysed considering the theoretical evaluation of their ionisation potentials.     

Pathway for the stereocontrolled Z and E production of alpha,alpha-difluorine-substituted phenyl butenoates

An efficient preparation of pure ethyl Z- and E-alpha,alpha-difluoro-4-phenyl-3-butenoate 1a and 1b together with the corresponding acids 2a and 2b is described. The procedures involve stereocontrolled additions of *CF2CO2Et to phenylacetylene or beta-bromostyrene. Compound 1a is easily obtained by addition of *CF2CO2Et to phenylacetylene via a mechanism where the stereochemistry is controlled by an electron-transfer process to produce predominantly the Z vinyl anion. The product 1b is obtained by *CF2CO2Et addition-elimination to Z- or E-beta-bromostyrenes via a mechanism where the stereochemistry is controlled by steric factors in the conformational equilibration of the intermediates.     

Delimiting the Unconceived

It has been argued in Dawid (String theory and the scientific method, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, [4]) that physicists at times generate substantial trust in an empirically unconfirmed theory based on observations that lie beyond the theory’s intended domain. A crucial role in the reconstruction of this argument of “non-empirical confirmation” is played by limitations to scientific underdetermination. The present paper discusses the question as to how generic the role of limitations to scientific underdetermination really is. It is argued that assessing such limitations is essential for generating trust in any theory’s predictions, be it empirically confirmed or not. The emerging view suggests that empirical and non-empirical confirmation are more closely related to each other than one may expect at first glance.     

Ergodic Directions for Billiards in a Strip with Periodically Located Obstacles

We study the size of the set of ergodic directions for the directional billiard flows on the infinite band ${\mathbb{R}\times [0,h]}$ with periodically placed linear barriers of length 0 < λ < h. We prove that the set of ergodic directions is always uncountable. Moreover, if λ/h ∈ (0, 1) is rational, the Hausdorff dimension of the set of ergodic directions is greater than 1/2. In both cases (rational and irrational) we construct explicitly some sets of ergodic directions.     

Protein secondary structure prediction with SPARROW

A first step toward predicting the structure of a protein is to determine its secondary structure. The secondary structure information is generally used as starting point to solve protein crystal structures. In the present study, a machine learning approach based on a complete set of two-class scoring functions was used. Such functions discriminate between two specific structural classes or between a single specific class and the rest. The approach uses a hierarchical scheme of scoring functions and a neural network. The parameters are determined by optimizing the recall of learning data. Quality control is performed by predicting separate independent test data. A first set of scoring functions is trained to correlate the secondary structures of residues with profiles of sequence windows of width 15, centered at these residues. The sequence profiles are obtained by multiple sequence alignment with PSI-BLAST. A second set of scoring functions is trained to correlate the secondary structures of the center residues with the secondary structures of all other residues in the sequence windows used in the first step. Finally, a neural network is trained using the results from the second set of scoring functions as input to make a decision on the secondary structure class of the residue in the center of the sequence window. Here, we consider the three-class problem of helix, strand, and other secondary structures. The corresponding prediction scheme "SPARROW" was trained with the ASTRAL40 database, which contains protein domain structures with less than 40% sequence identity. The secondary structures were determined with DSSP. In a loose assignment, the helix class contains all DSSP helix types (α, 3-10, π), the strand class contains β-strand and β-bridge, and the third class contains the other structures. In a tight assignment, the helix and strand classes contain only α-helix and β-strand classes, respectively. A 10-fold cross validation showed less than 0.8% deviation in the fraction of correct structure assignments between true prediction and recall of data used for training. Using sequences of 140,000 residues as a test data set, 80.46% ± 0.35% of secondary structures are predicted correctly in the loose assignment, a prediction performance, which is very close to the best results in the field. Most applications are done with the loose assignment. However, the tight assignment yields 2.25% better prediction performance. With each individual prediction, we also provide a confidence measure providing the probability that the prediction is correct. The SPARROW software can be used and downloaded on the Web page http://agknapp.chemie.fu-berlin.de/sparrow/ .     

A holistic finite element and multi-body systems approach for the virtual product development

This article describes the creation of a holistic modeling of a machine tool using a multi-body-systems approach with an integrated flexible body. This lower order model is validated by a detailed finite element model and its eigenvalues are improved by a model-updating algorithm. The improved model is used for investigation of the machine vibration during the cutting process and the prediction of chatter. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Cellulosic Ethanol Production Using Waste Wheat Stillage after Microwave-Assisted Hydrotropic Pretreatment

One of the key elements influencing the efficiency of cellulosic ethanol production is the effective pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of microwave-assisted pretreatment of wheat stillage in the presence of sodium cumene sulphonate (NaCS) hydrotrope used for the production of second-generation bioethanol. As a result of microwave pretreatment, the composition of the wheat stillage biomass changed significantly when compared with the raw material used, before treatment. Microwave-assisted pretreatment with NaCS effectively reduced the lignin content and hemicellulose, making cellulose the dominant component of biomass, which accounted for 42.91 ± 0.10%. In post pretreatment, changes in biomass composition were also visible on FTIR spectra. The peaks of functional groups and bonds characteristic of lignins (C–O vibration in the syringyl ring, asymmetric bending in CH₃, and aromatic skeleton C–C stretching) decreased. The pretreatment of the analyzed lignocellulosic raw material with NaCS resulted in the complete conversion of glucose to ethanol after 48 h of the process, with yield (in relation to the theoretical one) of above 91%. The highest observed concentration of ethanol, 23.57 ± 0.10 g/L, indicated the high effectiveness of the method used for the pretreatment of wheat stillage that did not require additional nutrient supplementation.     

The Structure of [HSi9]3− in the Solid State and Its Unexpected Highly Dynamic Behavior in Solution

We report on the first unambiguous detection of the elusive [HSi₉]^3? anion in solutions of liquid ammonia by various ²⁹Si and ¹H NMR experiments including chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST). The characteristic multiplicity patterns of both the ²⁹Si and ¹H resonances together with CEST and a partially reduced ¹H,²⁹Si coupling constant indicate the presence of a highly dynamic Si₈ entity and a Si?H moiety with slow proton hopping. Theoretical calculations corroborate both reorganization of Si₈ on the picosecond timescale via low vibrational modes and proton hopping. In addition, in a single‐crystal X‐ray study of (K(DB[18]crown‐6))(K([2.2.2]crypt))₂[ HSi₉ ]?8.5 NH₃, the H atom was unequivocally localized at one vertex of the basal square of the monocapped square‐antiprismatic cluster. Thus experimental studies and theoretical considerations provide unprecedented insight into both the structure and the dynamic behavior of these cluster anions, which hitherto had been considered to be rigid.