Clean and atom-economic synthesis of octahydroacridines: application to essential oil of citronella

A green and efficient method for the synthesis of octahydroacridine (OHA) has been developed by a simple one-pot hetero-Diels-Alder reaction starting from (+)-citronellal and N-arylamines in the presence of a solid supported catalyst (SiO₂/ZnCl₂), under MW irradiation and without any solvent. The method was used in the direct preparation of OHA from citronella oil in good yield.     

Nanostructural damage associated with isostatic compression of silica aerogels

Isostatic compression of silica aerogels is known to allow densification of these highly porous materials. However, at the onset of compression, hydrophobic and consequently slightly reacting aerogels, exhibit a decrease in bulk modulus. This unusual behavior is associated with damage occurring at low pressures which recovers with further density increase. Damage development and healing are analyzed measuring elastic modulus and, for the first time, internal friction as a function of compression. It is proposed that the origin of damage and healing could be associated with the rupture of tenuous links between clusters of dense silica particles at low density levels, and with the creation of new links between the resulting arms and reacting species that are revealed at cluster interface under higher pressure.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of fac-BrMn(CO)3{PH(C6H5)2}2

In attempts to find appropriated methods for preparation of unstable sulfinyl and sulfonylphosphane complexes we have synthesized the diphenylphosphine complexes of Mn(I), BrMn(CO)₄PHPh₂, (1) and BrMn(CO)₃(PHPh₂)₂ (2). Both should undergo electrophilic substitution in the presence of an adequated base. Parallel to the reactions of stabilization of phosphanes we have studied by means of x-ray analysis the structure of fac-BrMn(CO)₃(PHPh₂)₂ (2). The compound crystallizes in the triclinic space group P, a = 9.840(2), b = 11.207(2), c = 13.083(3) Å, = 72.00(3), = 69.59(3), = 81.41(3)°, U = 1284.7(4) ų, and Z = 2. In this complex the manganese atom shows an octahedral coordination geometry, with three carbonyl ligands in a fac arrangement, and one bromide and two diphenylphosphine ligands cis to each other.     

Higher-order Hamiltonian fluid reduction of Vlasov equation

From the Hamiltonian structure of the Vlasov equation, we build a Hamiltonian model for the first three moments of the Vlasov distribution function, namely, the density, the momentum density and the specific internal energy. We derive the Poisson bracket of this model from the Poisson bracket of the Vlasov equation, and we discuss the associated Casimir invariants.     

Transport properties of long monofilamentary Bi(2223) tapes

Summary Monofilamentary Bi(2223) tapes withJ _c(77 K, 0 tesla) up to 30 000 A/cm² have been prepared by cold rolling using the powder-in-tube method. An optimization of the precursor powders has led to a higher phase purity after the reaction heat treatment. The deformation process has been optimized in order to increase the oxide density and to reduce sausaging effects on the oxide thickness. The transport properties of these tapes have been studied in a wide range of temperature (4.2K-T _c) and magnetic fields (up to 28 tesla). The critical-current values at 77 K fields of 0.5 T and 1 T parallel to the tape surface are 10 000 A/cm² and 5400 A/cm², respectively. At 4.2 K theJ _c value decreases from 1.6·10⁵ A/cm² at 0 T to 6·10⁴ A/cm² at 15 T. At fields higher than 15 tesla a very low field dependence ofJ _c has been found, regardless of the tape orientation. Transport properties have also been studied by cutting small sections of the tape in order to investigate the local critical-current distribution. It has been found that, even in rolled tapes of good quality (J _c (77 K, 0 T)>20000 A/cm²), theJ _c distribution is homogeneous: the critical current density increases gradually from the centre of the tape to the sides, the latter exhibiting much higherJ _c (46000 A/cm²) than in the centre (18000 A/cm²). Paper presented at the ?VII Congresso SATT?, Torino, 4–7 October 1994.     

New versatile organyltellurium(IV) halides: Synthesis and X-ray structural features of the telluronium tellurolate salts [PhTe(CH3)2]2[TeX6] (X = Cl, Br) and [Ph3Te][PhTeX4] (X = Cl, Br, I)

TeX₄ (X = Cl, Br) react in HCl/HBr with [Ph(CH₃)₂Te]X (X = Cl, Br) to give [PhTe(CH₃)₂]₂[TeCl₆] (1) and [PhTe(CH₃)₂]₂[TeBr₆] (2). The reaction of PhTeX₃ (X = Cl, Br, I) in cooled methanol with [(Ph)₃Te]X (X = Cl, Br, I) leads to [Ph₃Te][PhTeCl₄] (3), [Ph₃Te][PhTeBr₄] (4) and [Ph₃Te][PhTeI₄] (5). In the lattices of the telluronium tellurolate salts 1 and 2, octahedral TeCl₆ and TeBr₆ dianions are linked by telluronium cations through Te?Cl and Te?Br secondary bonds, attaining bidimensional (1) and three-dimensional (2) assemblies. The complexes 3, 4 and 5 show two kinds of Te?halogen secondary interactions: the anion-anion interactions, which form centrosymmetric dimers, and two identical sets of three telluronium-tellurolate interactions, which accomplish the centrosymmetric fundamental moiety of the supramolecular arrays of the three compounds, with the tellurium atoms attaining distorted octahedral geometries. Also phenyl C-H?halogen secondary interactions are structure forming forces in the crystalline structures of compounds 3, 4 and 5.     

Preparation of bis(2-pyridyl) diselenide derivatives: Synthesis of selenazolo[5,4-b]pyridines and unsymmetrical diorganyl selenides,and evaluation of antioxidant and anticholinesterasic activities

We describe here an alternative method to prepare bis(2-pyridyl) diselenide derivatives using reduced selenium species, generated in situ, and different 2-chloropyridines promoted by p-TSOH in PEG-400 as solvent. This is a straightforward protocol to prepare bis(3-amino-2-pyridyl) diselenides unprecedented to date. Still, this article describe the employment of synthesized bis(3-amino-2-pyridyl) diselenide and a diverse array of aryl aldehydes to afford the corresponding 2-aryl-selenazolo[5,4-b]pyridines in satisfactory yields and, in a short reaction time under basic condition. Furthermore, when the bis(3-amino-2-pyridyl) diselenide reacted with aliphatic halides, in the presence of NaBH₄, a wide range of unsymmetrical diorganyl selenides was obtained. To complete this investigation the bis(3-amino-2-pyridyl) diselenide was evaluated for its inhibitory effect on the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and free radical-scavenging capacity. Results demonstrated that this compound was antioxidant and inhibitor of the AChE activity, being a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.     

Base-free oxidation of thiols to disulfides using selenium ionic liquid

We present here the results on the use of 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium methylselenite, [bmim][SeO₂(OCH₃)], in the synthesis of symmetrical disulfides starting from thiols. This efficient and improved method is general for aromatic, aliphatic, and functionalized thiols affording the disulfides in good to excellent yields after easy work up. The use of a microwave accelerates the reaction and the [bmim][SeO₂(OCH₃)] was reused for further oxidation reactions.     

Thermal and environmental effects on Oligothiophene low-energy singlet electronic excitations in dilute solution: a theoretical and experimental study

The absorption spectra in dilute dichloromethane solution at 300 K of four Oligotiophenes (OT), namely 2,2′:5′,2″-Terthiophene, 2,2′:5′,2″:5″,2″′-Quaterthiophene, 4,4″′-Didodecyl-2,2′:5′,2″:5″,2″′-quaterthiophene and 5,5′′′′′-Dihexyl-2,2′:5′,2′′:5′′,2′′′:5′′′,2′′′′:5′′′′,2′′′′′-sexithiophene, have been studied both experimentally and theoretically by using a combination of molecular dynamics simulations, time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) and perturbed matrix method calculations. A deep analysis of the theoretical results, affected by a systematic although not dramatic underestimation of the absorption maxima due to the well-documented TD-DFT limitations, clearly indicates that both the environmental (solvent) and thermal effects significantly alter the Oligotiophenes photophysical properties mainly because of the wide repertoire of the S₀–S₁ energy gaps and electronic densities experienced in solution by the different conformers actually populated. In particular, all the investigated OT display a very high flexibility resulting in a very high repertoire of sampled conformations. The comparison of the calculated and experimental lineshape of the S₀–S₁ electronic transition has clearly indicated that for a correct modeling of OT spectral features, the lack of an exhaustive sampling of semiclassical configurational space of the overall system, i.e., solute in interaction with the solvent, might result in an incomplete picture even in the presence of well-documented important aspects such as reliable definition of excited electronic states and the inclusion of quantum vibronic effects.