Dynamics of nanoscopic water: vibrational echo and infrared pump-probe studies of reverse micelles

The dynamics of water in nanoscopic pools 1.7-4.0 nm in diameter in AOT reverse micelles were studied with ultrafast infrared spectrally resolved stimulated vibrational echo and pump-probe spectroscopies. The experiments were conducted on the OD hydroxyl stretch of low-concentration HOD in the H2O, providing a direct examination of the hydrogen-bond network dynamics. Pump-probe experiments show that the vibrational lifetime of the OD stretch mode increases as the size of the reverse micelle decreases. These experiments are also sensitive to hydrogen-bond dissociation and reformation dynamics, which are observed to change with reverse micelle size. Spectrally resolved vibrational echo data were obtained at several frequencies. The vibrational echo data are compared to data taken on bulk water and on a 6 M NaCl solution, which is used to examine the role of ionic strength on the water dynamics in reverse micelles. Two types of vibrational echo measurements are presented: the vibrational echo decays and the vibrational echo peak shifts. As the water nanopool size decreases, the vibrational echo decays become slower. Even the largest nanopool (4 nm, approximately 1000 water molecules) has dynamics that are substantially slower than bulk water. It is demonstrated that the slow dynamics in the reverse micelle water nanopools are a result of confinement rather than ionic strength. The data are fit using time-dependent diagrammatic perturbation theory to obtain the frequency-frequency correlation function (FFCF) for each reverse micelle. The results are compared to the FFCF of water and show that the largest differences are in the slowest time scale dynamics. In bulk water, the slowest time scale dynamics are caused by hydrogen-bond network equilibration, i.e., the making and breaking of hydrogen bonds. For the smallest nanopools, the longest time scale component of the water dynamics is approximately 10 times longer than the dynamics in bulk water. The vibrational echo data for the smallest reverse micelle displays a dependence on the detection wavelength, which may indicate that multiple ensembles of water molecules are being observed.     

Applications of synchrotron radiation in forensic trace evidence analysis

Synchrotron radiation sources have proven to be highly beneficial in many fields of research for the characterization of materials. However, only a very limited proportion of studies have been conducted by the forensic science community. This is an area in which the analytical benefits provided by synchrotron sources could prove to be very important. This review summarises the applications found for synchrotron radiation in a forensic trace evidence context as well as other areas of research that strive for similar analytical scrutiny and/or are applied to similar sample materials. The benefits of synchrotron radiation are discussed in relation to common infrared, X-ray fluorescence, tomographic and briefly, X-ray diffraction and scattering techniques. In addition, X-ray absorption fine structure analysis (incorporating XANES and EXAFS) is highlighted as an area in which significant contributions into the characterization of materials can be obtained. The implications of increased spatial resolution on microheterogeneity are also considered and discussed.     

Microstructure and Magnetic Behaviour of Nanosized Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> Powders and Polycrystalline Films

Summary.  The object of investigation were the magnetic interactions in nanostructured Fe₃O₄ assemblies of two kinds (powder and film) where particles of similar size present nearly uniform domains in a close to planar arrangement with spacings sufficient for magnetic interactions. We discuss the use of the soft-chemistry method, i.e. the modified ‘ferrite plating’ (MFP) technique, for the synthesis of polycrystalline films of magnetite with nanosized crystallites. Received October 22, 2001. Accepted January 21, 2002     

Binding of environmental pollutants to the corn protein zein studied by high-performance liquid chromatography

The interaction of 16 ring-substituted phenols and anilines with the corn protein zein was studied by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography by preparing silica- and alumina-based stationary phases coated with various concentrations of zein. The relationship between the strength of interaction and the physicochemical parameters of solutes was elucidated by principal component analysis followed by the nonlinear mapping technique. The binding of each phenol and aniline derivative to zein has been demonstrated. It was established that the electrostatical parameters of solutes exert the highest influence on the interaction and the involvement of hydrophobic binding forces is of secondary importance. The binding characteristics of phenol and aniline derivatives were different.     

Molecular recognition by β-cyclodextrin derivatives: molecular dynamics, free-energy perturbation and molecular mechanics/ Poisson–Boltzmann surface area goals and problems

 The complexation of p-tert-butylphenyl p-tert-butylbenzoate and N-(p-tert-butylphenyl)-p-tert-butylbenzamide with a β-cyclodextrin derivative formed by two cyclodextrin units linked by a disulfide bridge on one of the C6 atoms has been studied by computational methods. The better amide solubility and the better internal interactions of the ester complex explain the experimentally observed better association constant for the ester. The free-energy perturbation methodology and molecular mechanics/Poisson–Boltzmann surface area analysis have been used to explain the problem and to compare the results. Received: 14 April 2002 / Accepted: 11 August 2002 / Published online: 4 November 2002 Acknowledgements. The Kollman group at the University of California San Francisco is gratefully acknowledged for support and encouragement throughout all this study. The authors thank UAB for inland and outland fellowships to I.B.. Financial support was obtained from grant no. PPQ2000-0369 from the “Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologia” (Spain). Intensive computations were performed either with the computers of the Kollman group or with those of CESCA-C⁴ (Catalonia, Spain). Correspondence to: C. Jaime e-mail: carlos.jaime@uab.es     

Vapor-liquid equilibria for the system water + tert.-pentanol at 4 temperatures

Precise isothermal vapor-liquid equilibrium data at 10, 30, 55 and 70°C for the system water + tert.-pentanol were measured using a computer-operated differential static apparatus. Activity coefficients at infinite dilution were derived from the experimental P − x data in the dilute region using a flexible Legendre polynomial, and the vapor-liquid-liquid locus was derived directly from the P − x data near the liquid-liquid phase boundary. Heteroazeotropic points were measured directly by distillation using a rotating band column. Furthermore the UNIQUAC and the NRTL models were used to correlate the experimental P − x data and to derive the azeotropic data.

Experimental H^E data were taken from literature and used together with the experimental P − x data to simultaneously fit temperature dependent interaction parameters for UNIQUAC and NRTL. The parameters were used to predict the azeotropic composition over a large temperature range. The results were compared with those of a simple analytical thermodynamic equation using only the pure component vapor pressure data, heats of mixing in the heterogeneous region and the azeotropic composition at one temperature.

Heats of mixing were measured at 140°C with the help of a flow calorimeter in order to determine the slope of H^E vs. x₁ in the heterogeneous region. The H^E data were used to check the reliability of the G^E model parameters and the equation to calculate the temperature dependence of the heteroazeotropic composition.     

Multinuclear NMR Study of the Structure and Intramolecular Dynamics of (eta(2)-Acetone phenylhydrazonato)tetrafluorooxotungsten(VI)

Using one- and two-dimensional techniques of (1)H, (13)C, (15)N, and (19)F NMR spectroscopy, it was proved that acetone phenylhydrazone (H-aph) acts as a two-center N,N-donor ligand in the complex [WOF(4)(aph)](-). As a result of the coordination to tungsten, the ligand conformation changes from E to Z, and at the same time the phenyl ring is turned out of the >N-N=C< plane. At low temperatures (-30 degrees C), the equatorial plane of the pentagonal-bipyramidal tungsten polyhedron comprises two donor nitrogen atoms of hydrazone and three fluoro ligands. At elevated temperatures, stereoisomeric interconversion caused by hindered intramolecular rotation of the aph(-) ligand occurs. The mechanism of this process was elucidated on the basis of the dynamic effects in (19)F spectra and line-shape analysis of the trans-CH(3) resonance in (13)C spectra split due to direct "through-space" coupling with the proximate fluoro ligand.     

A dimeric cobalt(II)–suberate complex with 3‐amino­pyridine

The title complex, μ‐octane‐1,8‐dioato‐bis[bis(3‐aminopyridine)chloro(methanol)cobalt(II)], [Co₂(C₈H₁₂O₄)Cl₂(C₅H₆N₂)₄(CH₄O)₂], is located on a crystallographic centre of inversion. The coordination around each of the Co centres is distorted octa­hedral, involving two N, three O and one Cl atom. Discrete dimers are connected in a three‐dimensional arrangement through N—H⋯O, N—H⋯Cl and O—H⋯O hydrogen‐bond inter­actions.     

Spectroscopic investigation of a new hybrid glass formed by the interaction between croconate ion and calcium polyphosphate

In this work, a new organic-inorganic hybrid material has been synthesized by the incorporation of croconate ion into a calcium polyphosphate coacervate. The hybrid so obtained was characterized by means of electronic and vibrational spectroscopies. The material is a homogeneous mixture described by a structural model, which includes helical chains of polyphosphate ions, where the calcium ion occupies the internal vacancies of the structure. The croconate ion appears to be occupying the regions outside the polymeric structure, surrounded by several water molecules. The electronic spectrum of the incorporated material shows a broad band peaking at the same wavelength region (363 nm) observed for the aqueous solution of croconate ion, and manifesting the Jahn-Teller effect as evidenced by the doublet structure of the band. The infrared spectrum is widely dominated by the absorption bands of the polyphosphate ion and the appearance of the carbonyl stretching band at ca. 1550 cm(-1) indicates the presence of croconate ion incorporated in the structure. The Raman spectrum of the material shows several vibrational bands related to the oxocarbon moiety; most of them are shifted in comparison with the free ion. These shifts can be understood in terms of strong hydrogen bonding interactions between water molecules and the oxocarbon moiety. The low temperature methodology proposed here can be well used in the preparation of new phosphate glasses containing organic moieties opening the route to an entirely new class of hybrid glasses.