Revisiting Y2Si2O7 and Y2SiO5 polymorphic structures by Y MAS-NMR spectroscopy

This paper describes the ⁸⁹Y MAS-NMR spectra for all the established polymorphs of Y₂Si₂O₇ (y, α, β, γ and δ) and Y₂SiO₅ (X1 and X2). The combination of our spectroscopic data with the structural information published up to now from diffraction data permits the revision and correction of mistakes which appear in the literature. Finally, the influence of different structural factors, such as yttrium coordination number and Y-O distances on the ⁸⁹Y NMR isotropic chemical shift is analyzed.     

Comparative X-ray standing wave analysis of metal-phosphonate multilayer films of dodecane and porphyrin molecular square

The nanoscale structures of multilayer metal-phosphonate thin films prepared via a layer-by-layer assembly process using Zr(4+) and 1,12-dodecanediylbis(phosphonic acid) (DDBPA) or porphyrin square bis(phosphonic acid) (PSBPA) were studied using specular X-ray reflectivity (XRR), X-ray fluorescence, and long-period X-ray standing wave (XSW) analysis. The films were prepared in 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 layer series on both Si(001) substrates for XRR and on 18.6 nm period Si/Mo layered-synthetic microstructure X-ray mirrors for XSW. After functionalizing the SiO(2) substrate surfaces with a monolayer film terminated with phosphonate groups, the organic multilayer films were assembled by alternating immersions in (a) aqueous solutions containing Zr(4+)or Hf(4+) (final metal layer only) cations and then (b) organic solvent solutions of PO(3)-R-PO(3)(4-), where R was DDBPA or PSBPA spacer molecule. The Hf(4+) cation served as the marker for the top surface of the films, whereas the Zr(4+) cation was present in all other layers. The PSBPA also contained Zn and Re atoms at its midline which served as heavy-atom markers for each layer. The long-period XSW generated by the 0th- (total external reflection) through 4th-order Bragg diffraction conditions made it possible to examine the Fourier transforms of the fluorescent atom distributions over a much larger q(z) range in reciprocal space which permitted simultaneous analysis of Hf, Zn/Re, and Zr atomic distributions.     

2-methoxyethanol as a solvent for conductometric acid-base titrations

Conductometric titrations of a series of organic acids in 2-methoxyethanol were performed with 1,3-diphenylguanidine (DPG) as titrant. For benzoic, p-chlorobenzoic and picric acids, phenylphenol and barbital, excellent recoveries were obtained from well-defined conductance vs. volume plots. Results for the dicarboxylic phthalic and adipic acids were also good. However, the titration curves for the difunctional salicylic and p-hydroxybenzoic acids were not clearly defined. The results are discussed and compared with cnductometric titrations of acids in other non-aqueous solvents. Several determinations of electrolyte conductance as a function of concentration revealed that, as expected, the selected substances are weak electrolytes in methoxyethanol.     

Stoichiometric and catalytic activation of the alpha- and beta-2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-5-thioxylopyranosyl bromide inside the cavity of the Pd3(dppm)3(CO)2+ cluster

The title cluster (Pd(3)(2+)) exhibits a pronounced affinity for Br(-) ions to form the very stable Pd(3)(Br)(+) adduct. Upon a 2-electron reduction, a dissociative process occurs generating Pd(3)(0) and eliminating Br(-) according to an ECE mechanism (electrochemical, chemical, electrochemical). At a lower temperature (i.e. -20 degrees C), both ECE and EEC processes operate. This cluster also activates the C-Br bond, and this work deals with the reactivity of Pd(3)(2+) with 2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-5-thioxylopyranosyl bromide (Xyl-Br), both alpha- and beta-isomers. The observed inorganic product is Pd(3)(Br)(+) again, and it is formed according to an associative mechanism involving Pd(3)(2+).Xyl-Br host-guest assemblies. In an attempt to render the C-Br bond activation catalytic, these species are investigated under reduction conditions at two potentials (-0.9 and -1.25 V vs SCE). In the former case, the major product is Xyl-H, issued from a radical intermediate Xyl(*) abstracting an H atom from the solvent. Evidence for Xyl(*) is provided by the trapping with TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy) and DMPO (5,5'-dimethylpyrroline-N-oxyde). In the second case, only one product is observed, 3,4-di-O-acetyl-5-thioxylal, which is issued from the Xyl(-)() intermediate anion.     

Periodic marangoni instability in surfactant (CTAB) liquid/liquid mass transfer

Periodic Marangoni convective instability has been observed in a biphasic system during the mass transfer of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) from an aqueous to a dichloromethane organic phase. Visualization of the convective fluxes was possible thanks to the CTAB crystals that are formed in the aqueous phase at a temperature below the Krafft point. Surface tension and electrical potential oscillations have been shown to be correlated with the fluid motion. Surface tension measurements, representative of the adsorption state, showed fast adsorption during the convective stage, followed by a slower desorption process in the quiet stage. To account for the electrical potential data, two components need to be taken into account. In the quiet stage, the signal was comparable to surface tension, and the main contribution would result from the electrical double layer formed at the interface by charged surfactants. In the convective stage, the electrical potential was furthermore related to the velocity of the fluid in the aqueous layer. Perturbations of the charge distribution in the Gouy-Chapman layer due to tangential flows could be at the origin of the phenomenon.     

Recent advances in the use of phosphorus-centered radicals in organic chemistry

This tutorial review aims at presenting recent contributions dealing with organic chemistry of organophosphorus radicals. The first part briefly lays out the physical organic background of such intermediates. In a second part the use of organophosphorus radicals possessing a P-H bond that can undergo homolytic cleavage as alternative mediators is detailed. The third part is focused on radical additions of phosphorus-centered radicals to unsaturated compounds, an old reaction that is being rejuvenated. Lastly, radical eliminations of phosphorus-centered radical are introduced in the fourth part. Most of the latter are relatively novel reactions, and have never been reviewed previously.     

Comparison of excited-state energy transfer in arrays of hydroporphyrins (chlorins, oxochlorins) versus porphyrins: rates, mechanisms, and design criteria

A set of chlorin-chlorin and oxochlorin-oxochlorin dyads has been prepared with components in the same or different metalation states. In each case a 4,4'-diphenylethyne linker spans the respective 10-position of each macrocycle. The dyads have been studied using static and time-resolved absorption and emission spectroscopy, resonance Raman spectroscopy, and electrochemical techniques. Excited-state energy transfer from a zinc chlorin to a free-base (Fb) chlorin occurs with a rate constant of (110 ps)(-1) and an efficiency of 93%; similar values of (140 ps)(-1) and 83% are found for the corresponding oxochlorin dyad. Energy transfer in both dyads is slower and less efficient than found previously for the analogous porphyrin dyad, which displays a rate of (24 ps)(-1) and a yield of 99%. The slower rates and diminished efficiencies in the ZnFb chlorin and oxochlorin dyads versus the ZnFb porphyrin dyad are attributed to substantially weaker linker-mediated through-bond (TB) electron-exchange coupling (as indicated by resonance Raman data). Although the through-space (TS, i.e., dipole-dipole) coupling in the ZnFb-chlorin and -oxochlorin dyads is enhanced relative to the ZnFb porphyrin dyad (as indicated by F?rster calculations), this enhancement is insufficient to compensate for the greatly diminished TB coupling. Taken together, the chlorin and oxochlorin dyads examined herein serve as benchmarks for elucidating the energy-transfer, electrochemical, and other properties of light-harvesting arrays containing multiple chlorins or oxochlorins.     

The Pd3(dppm)3(CO)2+ cluster: an efficient electrochemically assisted Lewis acid catalyst for the fluorination and alcoholysis of acyl chlorides

The dicationic palladium cluster Pd3(dppm)3(CO)2+ (dppm = bis(diphenylphosphino)methane) reacts with acid chlorides RCOCl (R = n-C6H13, t-Bu, Ph) to afford quantitatively the chloride adduct Pd3(dppm)3(CO)(Cl)+ and the acyl cation RCO+ as the organic counterpart. The dicationic reactive cluster can be reformed by electrolyzing the chloride complex with a copper anode leaving CuCl as a byproduct. The combination of these two reactions provides an electrocatalytic way to form the acylium from the acid chloride. Indeed, in CH2Cl2, 0.2 M NBu4PF6, or NBu4BF4, the electrolysis of the acid chloride in the presence of a catalytic amount of the cluster (1%) gives in good yields the acid fluoride RCOF, arising from the coupling of the acylium with a F(-) issued from the fluorinated supporting electrolyte. Alternatively, in CH2Cl2 or 0.2 M NBu4ClO4, by operating with an alcohol R'OH as the nucleophile, the electrolysis gives the ester RC(O)OR' as the only final product.     

Effect of helium/neon laser irradiation on nerve growth factor synthesis and secretion in skeletal muscle cultures

Low energy laser irradiation therapy in medicine is widespread but the mechanisms are not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the mechanism by which the light might induce therapeutic effects. Skeletal muscle cultures were chosen as a target for light irradiation and nerve growth factor (NGF) was the biochemical marker for analysis. It was found that there is a transient elevation of intracellular calcium in the myotubes immediately after irradiation (P<0.001). Preincubation of the myotubes with either the photosensitizers 5-amino-levulinic acid (5-ALA), or with hematoporphyrin (Hp) enhanced the elevation of cytosolic calcium (P<0.001) after helium/neon irradiation (633 nm) with an energy of 3 J/cm(2). In addition, helium/neon irradiation augmented the level of NGF mRNA fivefold and increased NGF release to the medium of the myotubes. Thus, it is speculated that transient changes in calcium caused by light can modulate NGF release from the myotubes and also affect the nerves innervating the muscle. The NGF is probably responsible for the beneficial effects of low-level light.     

Deoxygenation of Nitrosobenzene by the Electrogenerated Pd<Subscript>3</Subscript>(dppm)<Subscript>3</Subscript>(μ<Subscript>3</Subscript>-CO) Cluster

The 2-electron reduction of the unsaturated Pd₃(dppm)₃(CO)²⁺ cluster ([Pd₃]²⁺) affords the highly reactive neutral cluster [Pd₃]⁰, which reacts with nitrosobenzene (PhNO) yielding the organic azoxybenzene product (PhN(O)NPh) via the formation of “triplet” nitrene “PhN”. The formation of [Pd₃(μ₃-O)] as a possible (relatively unstable) intermediate is also postulated based on MALDI-TOF findings, but not formally demonstrated. Concurrently, no reaction between [Pd₃]⁰ and OPPh₃ occurs. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi: ) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. This paper is dedicated to Professor Dieter Fenske.