Textured thin films grown at room temperature by laser ablation

Thin films of SrFe₁₂O₁₉, BaFe₁₂O₁₉, Pb_0.76La_{0.16 0.08}Zr_0.53Ti_0.47O₃and Sr_0.3Ba_0.7Nb₂O₆ were grown on monocrystalline silicon substrates by pulsed laser deposition using a 20-ns Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm). The deposited thin films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction in the grazing incidence configuration. The analysis showed evidence of textured growth even though the films were grown at room temperature. Emission spectroscopy was used to establish the time of flight of the species within the plasma plume. Velocities of the order of 10⁶ cm/s were obtained. The high kinetic energy of the species is thought to be responsible for the film texture, as it is released in the substrate–film system, favoring a preferential growth. For all the ablated ceramics, singly ionized species were shown to expand at higher velocities than neutrals. For ions, no consistency in the mass–speed relation was obtained, suggesting both the presence of electric fields during the plasma formation and an evaporation of the target that depends on the vapor pressure of the elements. In this way species that are firstly evaporated will be attracted strongly by fast electrons, allowing heavy ions to acquire higher velocities than lighter ones. PACS 81.15.Fg; 52.38.Mf; 68.55.Jk; 52.38.Kd; 52.70.Kz     

Solid-state structure of (+)-phendimetrazine bitartarate,an anorexic drug

The anorexic drug (+)-(2S, 3S, 4S)-phendimetrazine-2R, 3R)-bitartarate crystallized in the orthorhombic space groupP2₁2₁2₁ and at 293 Ka=7.7710(4),b=13.1379(7),c=15.9913(9) Å,V=1632.6(2) ų,Z=4,R(F)=0.062, andR _w (F)=0.026. A chair conformation 2,3-trans-1,4-oxazine ring with equatorially oriented 2-phenyl,3-methyl, andN-methyl substituents was found as predicted by an earlier reported solid-state CP-MAS¹³C-NMR investigation of crystalline (±)-phendimetrazine bitartarate. The O-CH₂-CH₂-N torsion angle of –58.4(6)° in the solid-state agrees nicely with the 56.0(7)° dihedral angle value estimated by¹H NMR spectroscopy for the major (equatorialN-methyl) phendimetrazine mesylate species in CD₂Cl₂ solution. A common solid-state conformational arrangement was found for (+)-phendimetrazine and a series of six other anorexic drugs structurally analogous to (+)-(2S, 3S)-pseudoephedrine. In this arrangement, NCH(Me)CPh has (S)-configuration, there is a (–)-gaucheMe-CH-C-Ph torsion angle, an antiperiplanarN-CH-C-Ph torsion angle, and the phenyl ring approximately eclipses the C-H bond of the attached carbon (e.g., H-C-C_ipso-C_ortho ca. 4° for 2,3-transphendimetrazine). Nonbonded interactions involving the 3-methyl and the 2-phenyl groups open up the H-C-C_ipso-C_ortho angle in a series of solid-state structures containing the epimeric (–)-(2R, 3S)-ephedrine moiety (e.g., ca. 45° for molecular mechanics calculated 2,3-cis-phendimetrazine model).     

Evolution in microfluidic droplet

High-throughput screening (HTS) of enzymatic activity is important for directed evolution-based enzyme engineering. However, substrate and product diffusion can severely compromise these HTS assays. In this issue of Chemistry & Biology, Kintses and coworkers describe a microfluidic platform for the directed evolution of enzymes in droplets that allows for the screening of 10(7) mutants per round of evolution.     

Papieruntersuchung

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Schrödinger’s cat

We show that the classical framework of probability spaces, which does not admit a model-theoretical treatment, is equivalent to that of probability algebras, which does. We prove that the category of probability algebras is a stable cat, where non-dividing coincides with the ordinary notion of independence used in probability theory.     

Goldanskii effect in quadrupole Mössbauer spectra of the 89 keV gamma ray of 156Gd

Unusual relative line intensities in the recoilless absorption spectra of the 89 keV gamma ray of ¹⁵⁶Gd in Gd₂Ti₂O₇ have been observed at various temperatures. The results prove that the unusual intensities are mainly due to lattice vibrational anisotropy.     

Points with large α-depth

We show that for every ?>0 there exists an angle α=α(?) between 0 and π, depending only on ?, with the following two properties: (1) For any continuous probability measure in the plane one can find two lines ?₁ and ?₂, crossing at an angle of (at least) α, such that the measure of each of the two opposite quadrants of angle π−α, determined by ?₁ and ?₂, is at least . (2) For any set P of n points in general position in the plane one can find two lines ?₁ and ?₂, crossing at an angle of (at least) α and moreover at a point of P, such that in each of the two opposite quadrants of angle π−α, determined by ?₁ and ?₂, there are at least points of P.