Alphabet‐Inspired Design of (Hetero)Aromatic Push–Pull Chromophores

Push–pull molecules represent a unique and fascinating class of organic π‐conjugated materials. Herein, we provide a summary of their recent extraordinary design inspired by letters of the alphabet, especially focusing on H‐, L‐, T‐, V‐, X‐, and Y‐shaped molecules. Representative structures from each class were presented and their fundamental properties and prospective applications were discussed. In particular, emphasis is given to molecules recently prepared in our laboratory with T‐, X‐, and Y‐shaped arrangements based on indan‐1,3‐dione, benzene, pyridine, pyrazine, imidazole, and triphenylamine. These push–pull molecules turned out to be very efficient charge‐transfer chromophores with tunable properties suitable for second‐order nonlinear optics, two‐photon absorption, reversible pH‐induced and photochromic switching, photocatalysis, and intercalation.

     

Collective diffusion in the presence of substrate inhomogeneities and particle–particle interactions

A novel variational analytic approach to collective diffusion allowing the density dependent collective diffusion coefficient to be calculated in systems of interacting particles adsorbed on a crystalline substrate is presented. The approach, based on a kinetic lattice gas model extracts the diffusion coefficient directly from the master equations which account for the microscopic kinetics of the system in which microscopic processes underlying the diffusion are particle jumps between neighboring adsorption sites. Variational parameters minimizing the evaluated diffusional eigenvalue of the microscopic rate matrix are ‘geometrical’ and ‘correlational’ phases accounting, for the local potential energy landscape experienced by the adsorbed particle and the local correlations, respectively, i.e. an instantaneous occupation pattern of adsorption sites around the particle. Selected results, collective diffusion as a function of particle coverage, for the system of interacting particles adsorbed on a one dimensional non-homogeneous substrate with steps and for a system of non-interacting particles adsorbed on a two dimensional striped–stepped surface are presented and discussed. It is demonstrated in the latter case that the mean field approach which is known in the literature overestimates the diffusion coefficient and corresponds to the variational result in the limit of infinitely fast hopping kinetics in the direction parallel to steps.     

High-resolution laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry imaging of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxic side effects

Two-dimensional elemental mapping (bioimaging) via laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was performed on 5 μm thick formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded kidney tissue sections from Cynomolgus monkeys administered with increasing pharmacological doses of cisplatin. Laterally resolved pixels of 1 μm were achieved, enabling elemental analysis on a (sub-)cellular level. Zones of high Pt response were observed in the renal cortex, where proximal tubules are present, the epithelium of which is responsible for partial reabsorption of cisplatin. Histopathological evaluation, of hematoxylin and eosin-stained serial sections, adjacent to the sections probed via LA-ICP-MS, revealed minimal to mild cisplatin-related lesions (<100 μm) in the renal cortex. Necrotic proximal tubules with sloughed epithelial cells in their lumen could be linked directly to the areas with the highest accumulation of cisplatin, indicating a direct link between cellular concentration and toxicity, thereby providing more insight into the mechanisms through which renal damage occurs.     

Observation of a Doppler broadening of the 4438 keV gamma-line of12C in processes12C(n,n′γ)12C and9Be(α, nγ)12C

A Doppler broadening is described of the 4438 keV spectral gamma-line observed by means of a Ge(Li) detector during the deexcitation of nuclei of¹²C in an inelastic scattering¹²C(n, n′γ)¹²C using an²⁴¹Am−Be source as well as during the reaction⁹Be(α, nγ)¹²C taking place in the Am−Be source. The FWHM of the spectral line is equal to (90±4) keV in the latter reaction and (64±8) keV in the former process. Experimental values agree well with theoretical ones. Presented at the Instrumental Activation Analysis Conference, IAA 79, June 4–8, 1979, Klučenice, Czechoslovakia.     

Metal chelate exchange in the organic phase-I Theory: application in spectrophotometry and complex chemistry

Metal chelates, extracted from an aqueous phase by organic solvents, can react with other chelating agents (or their metal chelates) dissolved in the same solvent. This exchange of metal chelates in the organic phase can be used for (1) investigation of the exchange equilibrium and composition of the metal chelates formed, (2) determination of the extraction constants, (3) preparation of new inner-complexes soluble in organic solvents, and (4) spectrophotometric determination of small amounts of metals. The theory and experimental verification of this phenomenon are given. The extraction constants of silver and zinc diethyldithiocarbamates in carbon tetrachloride have been determined by means of the extraction constants of the corresponding dithizonates. A mixed complex of arsenic(III) with dithizone and diethyldithiocarbamic acid has been prepared and its properties studied. A simple method for spectrophotometric determination of microgram quantities of arsenic is proposed.     

Heterogeneous reactions of solid nickel(II) complexes. XVIII

The Stoichiometry of thermal decomposition was studied for the following compounds: Ni(NCS)₂(2-Mepy)₂ (I), (Me=methyl, py=pyridine), Ni(NCS)₂(2-Etpy)₂ (II) (Et=ethyl), Ni(NCS)₂(2-Clpy)₂ (III), Ni(NCS)₂(2-Brpy)₂ (IV), Ni(NCS)₂(2-NH₂py)₂ (V), Ni((NCS)₂(2-NH₂py)₂·3/4 (C₂H₅)₂O (VI). The release of volatile ligands 2-Rpy is a one-step process for complexes I, II, III and IV, while for V and VI it is a two-step process, Ni(NCS)₂(2-NH₂py)₁ (VII) being formed as an intermediate complex. It was found that complexes I and II are square-planar; the others exhibited pseudo-octahedral geometry. The differences in stereochemistry of the above complexes are explained by the different electronic properties of 2-Rpy.     

Conformational flexibility of L-alanine zwitterion determines shapes of Raman and Raman optical activity spectral bands

Detailed analysis of Raman and Raman optical activity (ROA) of L-alanine zwitterion (ALAZW) revealed that shapes of the spectral bands are to a large extent determined by the rotation of the NH(3)(+), CO(2)(-), and CH(3) groups. Aqueous solution ALAZW spectra were measured down to 100 cm(-1) and compared to complex simulations based on ab initio (B3LYP/CPCM/6-31++G**) computations of molecular energies and spectral parameters. The bands exhibit different sensitivities to the motion of the rotating group; typically, for more susceptible bands the Raman signal becomes broader and the ROA intensity decreases. When these dynamical factors are taken into account in Boltzmann averaging of conformer contributions, simulated spectra not only better agree with the experiment, but shapes of the rotational potentials can be estimated. Effects of the molecular flexibility could be also demonstrated on differences in Raman spectra of the solution, crystalline, and glass (gellike) solid states of ALAZW. Experimental Raman and ROA spectra of four model dipeptides of different rigidities (Ala-Pro, Pro-Ala, Pro-Gly, and Gly-Pro) indicate that the broadening of spectral lines can be used as a general site-specific indicator of molecular rigidity or flexibility.     

Stabilization effect of potential antioxidants on the thermooxidative stability of styrene–butadiene rubber

Effects of several heterocyclic compounds containing nitrogen, trisubstituted amines and diamines and molecules based on N,N,N′,N′,N′′,N′′-substituted-[1,3,5]triazine-2,4,6-triamine in preventing thermooxidative degradation of styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) have been studied using non-isothermal DSC measurements. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the stabilizing effect of individual compounds and to select the structures with the best antioxidative properties. In order to compare the stabilizing effect of the compounds, induction periods and protection factors have been calculated. The treatment of the experimental data was carried out using a method based on a non-Arrhenian temperature function. The results show that better antioxidative properties can be assigned to heterocyclic compounds. On the other hand, molecules containing triazine structures exhibited only negligible stabilizing effect on SBR at lower temperatures and even destabilizing effect at higher temperatures.     

Synthesis and photophysical properties of α,ω-bis(terpyridine)oligothiophenes

Four novel fully π-conjugated α,ω-bis(terpyridine)oligothiophenes characterized by NMR, IR, and HR-mass spectroscopy are presented and their electronic absorption/emission and redox properties are described based on both experiments and theoretical calculations. These compounds can be potentially utilized as building blocks for preparation of conjugated metallo-supramolecular polymers or dynamers and related functional materials.