The Series of Rare Earth Complexes [Ln2Cl6(μ‐4,4′‐bipy)(py)6], Ln=Y,Pr, Nd,Sm‐Yb: A Molecular Model System for Luminescence Properties in MOFs Based on LnCl3 and 4,4′‐Bipyridine

A series of 12 dinuclear complexes [Ln₂Cl₆(μ‐4,4′‐bipy)(py)₆], Ln=Y, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, ( 1 – 12 , respectively) was synthesized by an anhydrous solvothermal reaction in pyridine. The complexes contain a 4,4′‐bipyridine bridge and exhibit a coordination sphere closely related to luminescent lanthanide MOFs based on LnCl₃ and 4,4‐bipyridine. The dinuclear complexes therefore function as a molecular model system to provide a better understanding of the luminescence mechanisms in the Ln‐N‐MOFs ${\hbox{}{{\hfill 2\atop \hfill \infty }}}$ [Ln₂Cl₆(4,4′‐bipy)₃] ? 2(4,4′‐bipy). Accordingly, the luminescence properties of the complexes with Ln=Y, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, ( 1 , 4 – 8 ) were determined, showing an antenna effect through a ligand–metal energy transfer. The highest efficiency of luminescence is observed for the terbium‐based compound 7 displaying a high quantum yield (QY of 86 %). Excitation with UV light reveals typical emission colors of lanthanide‐dependent intra 4f–4f‐transition emissions in the visible range (Tb^III: green, Eu^III: red, Sm^III: salmon red, Dy^III: yellow). For the Gd^III‐ and Y^III‐containing compounds 6 and 1 , blue emission based on triplet phosphorescence is observed. Furthermore, ligand‐to‐metal charge‐transfer (LMCT) states, based on the interaction of Cl^? with Eu^III, were observed for the Eu^III compound 5 including energy‐transfer processes to the Eu^III ion. Altogether, the model complexes give further insights into the luminescence of the related MOFs, for example, rationalization of Ln‐independent quantum yields in the related MOFs.     

Theory of B→K(?)l+l? decays at high q2: OPE and quark–hadron duality

We develop a systematic framework for exclusive rare B decays of the type B→K ^(∗) l ⁺ l ⁻ at large dilepton invariant mass q ². It is based on an operator product expansion (OPE) for the required matrix elements of the nonleptonic weak Hamiltonian in this kinematic regime. Our treatment differs from previous work by a simplified operator basis, the explicit calculation of matrix elements of subleading operators, and by a quantitative estimate of duality violation. The latter point is discussed in detail, including the connection with the existence of an OPE and an illustration within a simple toy model.     

Ageing of a microscopic sliding gold contact at low temperatures

Nanometer-scale friction measurements on a Au(111) surface have been performed at temperatures between 30 and 300?K by means of atomic force microscopy. Stable stick slip with atomic periodicity is observed at all temperatures, showing only weak dependence on temperature between 300 and 170?K. Below 170?K, friction increases with time and a distortion of the stick-slip characteristic is observed. Low friction and periodic stick slip can be reestablished by pulling the tip out of contact and subsequently restoring the contact. A comparison with molecular dynamics simulations indicates that plastic deformation within a growing gold junction leads to the observed frictional behavior at low temperatures. The regular stick slip with atomic periodicity observed at room temperature is the result of a dynamic equilibrium shape of the contact, as microscopic wear damage is observed to heal in the sliding contact.     

Identification of arsenic species in sheep‐wool extracts by different chromatographic methods

Sheep on the island of North Ronaldsay (Orkney, UK) feed mostly on seaweed, which contains high concentrations of dimethylated arsenoribosides. Wool of these sheep contains dimethylated, monomethylated and inorganic arsenic, in addition to unidentified arsenic species in unbound and complexed form. Chromatographic techniques using different separation mechanisms and detectors enabled us to identify five arsenic species in water extracts of wool. The wool contained 5.2 ± 2.3 µg arsenic per gram wool. About 80% of the arsenic in wool was extracted by boiling the wool with water. The main species is dimethylarsenic, which accounted for about 75 to 85%, monomethylated arsenic at about 5% and the rest is inorganic arsenic. Depending on the separation method and condition, the chromatographic recovery of arsenic species was between 45% for the anion exchange column, 68% for the size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and 82% for the cation exchange column. The SEC revealed the occurrence of two unknown arsenic compounds, of which one was probably a high molecular mass species. Since chromatographic recovery can be improved by either treating the extract with CuCl/HCl (CAT: 90%) or longer storage of the sample (CAT: 105%), in particular for methylated arsenic species, it can be assumed that labile arsenic–protein‐like coordination species occur in the extract, which cannot be speciated with conventional chromatographic methods. It is clear from our study of sheep wool that there can be different kinds of ‘hidden’ arsenic in biological matrices, depending on the extraction, separation and detection methods used. Hidden species can be defined as species that are not recordable by the detection system, not extractable or do not elute from chromatographic columns. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Volatile metal and metalloid species in gases from municipal waste deposits

We have detected volatile species of silicon, vanadium, arsenic, bromine, tin, antimony, tellurium, iodine, mercury, lead and bismuth in gases released from domestic waste deposits, using inductively coupled argon plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS). By concurrent aspiration of a multielement standard solution for calibration, the element concentrations in deposit gas are found to be in the range from 0.1 ng m^?3 to 10 μg m^?3 gas. The global amount of some metal species emitted by this process may be of the order of several tons per year. These results suggest a biogeochemical pathway for the transfer of metals into the atmosphere via volatile species. This process may have significant influence on atmospheric cycling of metals as well as on metal toxicity within ecosystems.     

Can we trust mass spectrometry for determination of arsenic peptides in plants: comparison of LC–ICP–MS and LC–ES-MS/ICP–MS with XANES/EXAFS in analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunbergia alata</Emphasis>

The weakest step in the analytical procedure for speciation analysis is extraction from a biological material into an aqueous solution which undergoes HPLC separation and then simultaneous online detection by elemental and molecular mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/ES-MS). This paper describes a study to determine the speciation of arsenic and, in particular, the arsenite phytochelatin complexes in the root from an ornamental garden plant Thunbergia alata exposed to 1 mg As L(-1) as arsenate. The approach of formic acid extraction followed by HPLC-ES-MS/ICP-MS identified different As(III)-PC complexes in the extract of this plant and made their quantification via sulfur (m/z 32) and arsenic (m/z 75) possible. Although sulfur sensitivity could be significantly increased when xenon was used as collision gas in ICP-qMS, or when HR-ICP-MS was used in medium resolution, the As:S ratio gave misleading results in the identification of As(III)-PC complexes due to the relatively low resolution of the chromatography system in relation to the variety of As-peptides in plants. Hence only the parallel use of ES-MS/ICP-MS was able to prove the occurrence of such arsenite phytochelatin complexes. Between 55 and 64% of the arsenic was bound to the sulfur of peptides mainly as As(III)(PC(2))(2), As(III)(PC(3)) and As(III)(PC(4)). XANES (X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy) measurement, using the freshly exposed plant root directly, confirmed that most of the arsenic is trivalent and binds to S of peptides (53% As-S) while 38% occurred as arsenite and only 9% unchanged as arsenate. EXAFS data confirmed that As-S and As-O bonds occur in the plants. This study confirms, for the first time, that As-peptides can be extracted by formic acid and chromatographically separated on a reversed-phase column without significant decomposition or de-novo synthesis during the extraction step.     

{[P(o-tolyl)3]Br}2[Cu2Br6](Br2)--an ionic compound containing molecular bromine

Dark green cuboid-shaped crystals of the composition {[P(o-tolyl) 3]Br} 2[Cu 2Br 6](Br 2) are obtained by the reaction of P(o-tolyl) 3 and CuBr 2 with Br 2 in the ionic liquid [NMeBu 3][N(Tf) 2]. The bromocuprate crystallizes triclinic [space group P1; Z = 1; a = 10.667(2) A; b = 10.695(2) A; c = 11.582(2) A; alpha = 74.42(3) degrees ; beta = 75.64(3) degrees ; and gamma = 85.68(3) degrees ]. The title compound is constituted of {[P(o-tolyl) 3]Br} (+) cations and [Cu 2Br 6] (2-) anions and contains molecular dibromine [d Br-Br = 2.341(1) A]. The latter is verified by thermogravimetry and mass spectrometry.