Isolation of a new two-dimensional honeycomb carbonato-bridged copper(II) complex exhibiting long-range ferromagnetic ordering

Atmospheric CO2 fixation by an aqueous solution containing Cu(ClO4)2.6H2O and 4-aminopyridine (4-apy) yields a novel example of a two-dimensional mu3-CO3 bridged copper(II) complex {[Cu(4-apy)2]3(mu3-CO3)2(ClO4)2.(1/2)CH3OH}n that has been characterized by IR, UV and X-ray crystallography; preliminary magnetic measurements show that complex exhibits long-range ordered ferromagnetic coupling.     

Formal total synthesis of salicylihalamides A and B

An efficient synthesis of the macrolactone 3 of the salicylihalamides in 10 linear steps from alkene 6 is described. The key steps involved a Stille coupling between the chiral stannane 5 and benzyl bromide 4, which produced alkene 15 in good yield, and subsequent base-induced macrolactonization then gave compound 3. Macrolactone 3 was then converted into the known salicylihalamide A intermediate 18 in a three-step sequence. Compound 3 was also converted into another known salicylihalamide A and B intermediate 23 in a five-step sequence.     

Intra- vs intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The crystal structure of 5-methyl-2-hydroxyacetophenone thiosemicarbazone monohydrate and salicylaldehyde-2-methylthiosemicarbazone monohydrate

The crystal structure of 5-methyl-acetophenonethiosemicarbazone monohydrate,A, and salicylaldehyde-2-methylthiosemicarbazone monohydrate,B, were determined using single crystal X-ray diffraction.A crystallizes in the monoclinic space groupC2/c, with lattice parametersa=14.161(2),b=15.753(1) Å,c=11.084(1) Å, β=112.59(1)° andZ=4, yielding a calculated density ofD _calc=1.352 mg/m³.B crystallizes in the triclinic space groupP1, witha=7.233(2) Å,b=7.371(2) Å,c=11.841(2) Å, α=82.77(2)°, β=78.33(2)°, γ=63.06(2)° andD _calc=1.371 mg/m³ forZ=2,. In bothA andB the immine nitrogen and the sulfur atom areanti with respect to N2-C8. WhileA presents the usual intramolecular six membered hydrogen bond ring,B has instead an intermolecular hydrogen bond between the hydroxy moiety of the salicyladehyde and a water molecule. AM1 calculations agree with the experimental conformations observed in both compounds.     

The crystal and molecular structures of 2-hydroxy-1-naphthalenecarboxaldehyde and 3-hydroxy-2-naphthalenecarboxaldehyde

The crystal and molecular structures of 2-Hydroxy-1-naphthalenecarboxaldehyde (I) and 3-Hydroxy-2-naphthalenecarboxaldehyde (II) were determined. Compound (I) crystallizes in the space groupP2 ₁/n witha+5.589(2),b+9.352(2), andc+15.490(3) Å, =98.14(3)°, andZ+4. Compound (II) crystallizes inP2 ₁/n witha+16.831(11),b+5.936(3), andc+8.295(3) Å =97.24(5)°. andZ+4. The structures were solved by direct methods, and refined by fullmatrix least squares toR+0.071 andR _w+0.083 forI, andR+0.047 andR _w+0.061 forII.     

Reorientational transition and stripe domains in Co films

We have grown, by sputtering, Co films on (1 1 1) Si substrate, with the aim to find the critical thickness of the reorientational transition of the magnetization from the plane to out of the plane as the hcp axis is oriented perpendicular to the film. Stripe Domains (SD) by Magnetic Force Microscopy, characteristic signature of Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy, have been found only in samples grown in some series while samples grown with the same growth parameters do not show stripe domains, indicating an in-plane orientation of the magnetization. These apparently controversial results will be explained in terms of the system fundamental parameters, magnetization, exchange stiffness constant and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of the sample, which play a crucial role especially in Co films.     

Polaritonic stop-band transparency via exciton-biexciton coupling in CuCl

Radiation is almost completely reflected within the exciton-polariton stop band of a semiconductor, as in the typical case of CuCl. We predict, however, that a coherently driven exciton-biexciton transition allows for the propagation of a probe light beam within the stop band. The phenomenon is reminiscent of electromagnetically induced transparency effects occurring in three-level atomic systems, except that it here involves delocalized electronic excitations in a crystalline structure via a frequency and wave-vector selective polaritonic mechanism. A well-developed transparency, favored by the narrow linewidth of the biexciton, is established within the stop band where a probe pulse may propagate with significant delays. The transparency window can be controlled via the pump beam detuning and intensity.     

Ultrafast all optical switching via tunable Fano interference

Tunneling induced quantum interference experienced by an incident probe in asymmetric double quantum wells can easily be modulated by means of an external control light beam. This phenomenon, which is here examined within the dressed-state picture, can be exploited to devise a novel all-optical ultrafast switch. For a suitably designed semiconductor heterostructure, the switch is found to exhibit frequency bandwidths of the order of 0.1 THz and response and recovery times of about 1 ps.