Sampling the structure of calcium carbonate nanoparticles with metadynamics

Metadynamics is employed to sample the configurations available to calcium carbonate nanoparticles in water, and to map an approximate free energy as a function of crystalline order. These data are used to investigate the validity of bulk and ideal surface energies in predicting structure at the nanoscale. Results indicate that such predictions can determine the structure and morphology of particles as small as 3-4 nm in diameter. Comparisons are made to earlier results on 2 nm particles under constant volume conditions which support nanoconfinement as a mechanism for enhancing the stability of amorphous calcium carbonate. Our results indicate that crystalline calcitelike structure is thermodynamically preferred for nanoparticles as small as 2 nm in the absence of nanoconfinement.     

Synthesis of Some Novel Nonionic Ethoxylated Surfactants Based on α-Amino Acids and Investigation of Their Surface Active Properties

Eight novel ethoxylated nonionic surfactants were prepared based on oil soluble α-amino acids. The L-phenylalanine and L-leucine were esterified and amidated with cetyl alcohol and palamitic acid, respectively; two amides and two esters of α-amino acids were obtained. The ethylene oxide was condensed with the prepared amides and esters to get three different polyethylene oxide units (40, 60, and 100) as phenylalanine derivatives. The amide and ester of α-L-leucine were ethoxylated at (60 ethylene oxides units). The analytical micro analysise, FTIR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, mass spectra were carried out to confirm the chemical structures. The surface tension of the water soluble prepared compounds was measured at 25°C, further the surface active properties were determined and calculated. Such that critical micelle concentration (CMC), surface excess (Γ_max); area per molecule (A_min), effectiveness (γ_CMC) free energy of micellization and adsorption (ΔG_mic, ΔG_ad). From the data obtained it was found that the CMC of phenylalanine esters is greater than that obtained for the amide derivatives. The Γ_max decreased as the ethylene oxide units (EO) increased. It was found also that the ΔG_ad was greater than the ΔG_mic. The obtained data and discrepancy were discussed on the light of surfactant chemical structure.     

Orthomodularity of Decompositions in a Categorical Setting

We provide a method to construct a type of orthomodular structure known as an orthoalgebra from the direct product decompositions of an object in a category that has finite products and whose ternary product diagrams give rise to certain pushouts. This generalizes a method to construct an orthomodular poset from the direct product decompositions of familiar mathematical structures such as non-empty sets, groups, and topological spaces, as well as a method to construct an orthomodular poset from the complementary pairs of elements of a bounded modular lattice. Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000): 06C15, 81P10, 03G12, 18A30     

Quinoxaline sensitised lanthanide ion luminescence: Syntheses,spectroscopy and X-ray crystal structure of Na{1,4,7-tris[(N-diethyl)carbamoylmethyl]-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-10-(2-methylquinoxaline)}I3 C7H8

The synthesis of a quinoxaline-appended aza-macrocyclic ligand together with corresponding Ln^III complexes are described. The luminescence properties of the complexes show that the quinoxaline unit sensitises both visible (Eu^III) and near-IR (Nd^III and Yb^III) emitting lanthanide ions. UV–Vis absorption and time-resolved photophysical studies together with X-ray structural data suggest that as well as contributing chromophorically, the quinoxaline moiety generally participates in the first coordination sphere of Ln^III. The luminescent pH response of the Eu^III complex is also reported. The form of the steady state spectrum changes profoundly in the pH range 2–12, implying a change in the coordination environment, which was confirmed with time-resolved lifetime measurements that suggest an increase in europium inner sphere hydration at acidic pH.     

Highly conducting transmembrane pores formed by aromatic oligoamide macrocycles

Oligoamide macrocycles 1d and 1e, which carry membrane-compatible side chains and contain a hydrophilic, noncollapsible cavity, were found to mediate high ion flux across a lipid bilayer, as demonstrated by results from (23)Na NMR and planar bilayer conductance measurements. The measured transmembrane single channel currents are very high, rivaling those typically associated with pore-forming protein toxins. The obtained results have demonstrated the promise of developing large, highly conducting channels based on nanopores formed by oligoamide macrocycles.     

The dimeric "hand-shake" motif in complexes and metallo-supramolecular assemblies of cyclotriveratrylene-based ligands

A series of clathrate and metal complexes with cyclotriveratrylene-like molecular host ligands show a similar dimeric homomeric inclusion motif in which a ligand arm of one host is the intra-cavity guest of another and vice versa. This "hand-shake" motif is found in the trinuclear transition metal complex [Cu(3)Cl(6)(1)]CH(3)CN1.5 H(2)O in which 1 is tris(4-[2,2',6',2'-terpyridyl]benzyl)cyclotriguaiacylene; in the self-included M(4)L(4) tetrahedral metallo-supramolecular assembly [Ag(4)(2)(4)] (BF(4))(4) in which 2 is tris-(2-quinolylmethyl)cyclotriguaiacylene; in the 1D coordination chains [Ag(4)]ReO(4) CH(3)CN and [Ag(5)]SbF(6)3 DMFH(2)O in which 4 is tris(1H-imidazol-1-yl)cyclotriguaiacylene and 5 is tris{4-(2-pyridyl)benzyl}cyclotriguaiacylene; and in the acetone clathrate of tris{4-(2-pyridyl)benzyl-amino}cyclotriguaiacylene. Clathrates of ligands 2 and 5 do not show the same dimeric motif, although 2 has an extended homomeric inclusion motif that gives a hexagonal network.     

Quantitative prediction of gas-phase 19F nuclear magnetic shielding constants

Benchmark calculations of (19)F nuclear magnetic shielding constants are presented for a set of 28 molecules. Near-quantitative accuracy (ca. 2 ppm deviation from experiment) is achieved if (1) electron correlation is adequately treated by employing the coupled-cluster singles and doubles (CCSD) model augmented by a perturbative correction for triple excitations [CCSD(T)], (2) large (uncontracted) basis sets are used, (3) gauge-including atomic orbitals are used to ensure gauge-origin independence, (4) calculations are performed at accurate equilibrium geometries [obtained from CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ calculations correlating all electrons], and (5) vibrational averaging and temperature corrections via second-order vibrational perturbation theory (VPT2) are included. For the CCSD(T)/13s9p4d3f calculations corrected for vibrational effects, mean and standard deviation from experiment are -1.9 and 1.6 ppm, respectively. Less elaborate theoretical treatments result in larger errors. Consideration of relative shifts can reduce the mean deviation (through an appropriately chosen reference compound), but does not change the standard deviation. Density-functional theory calculations of absolute and relative (19)F nuclear magnetic shielding constants are found to be, at best, as accurate as the corresponding Hartree-Fock self-consistent-field calculations and are not improved by consideration of vibrational effects. Molecular systems containing fluorine-oxygen, fluorine-nitrogen, and fluorine-fluorine bonds are found to be more challenging than the other investigated molecules for the considered theoretical methods.     

Synthesis and structures of new binuclear zinc alkyl,aryl and aryloxo complexes

The synthesis of a series of binuclear zinc complexes with Cl, N and O bridges is reported. The reaction of EtZnCl with B(C₆F₅)₃ in the presence of hexamethylbenzene affords the arene complex [Zn(μ-Cl)(C₆F₅)(η-C₆Me₆)]₂ in which the C₆Me₆ ligand may be regarded as η³-bonded. The comproportionation of Zn[N(SiMe₃)₂]₂ with ZnBu^t₂ or Zn(C₆F₅)₂ · toluene gave [Bu^tZn{μ-N(SiMe₃)₂}]₂ and [C₆F₅Zn{μ-N(SiMe₃)₂}]₂, respectively, with three-coordinate zinc. The reaction of ZnEt₂ with C₆F₅OH in the presence of pyridine gave [EtZn(μ-OC₆F₅)(py)]₂, while ZnMe₂ and C₆F₅OH followed by recrystallisation from THF gave [Zn(OC₆F₅)(μ-OC₆F₅)(THF)₂]₂ with five-coordinate zinc in a trigonal-bipyramidal geometry. The structures of these compounds have been determined.