Valence Changes at High Pressure in Systems Containing Lanthanoids

Pressure-induced valence change in samarium sulfide SmS is reminiscent of alchemy, for when the electronic transition has taken place, the originally dull looking substance glitters like gold. Although it is not the realization of the alchemist's dream in the true sense, the material in the new state exhibits extraordinarily interesting behavior. As a novel feature, the valence state of the samarium fluctuates between two electronic configurations at a very fast rate. The physical properties of systems containing lanthanoids can be profoundly altered by manipulating the valence state by pressure or by chemical substitution. These phenomena will be described and discussed in the present article.     

Stannoxanes and phosphonates: New approaches in organometallic and transition metal assemblies

Phosphonate ligands, [RPO₃]^2-, are extremely versatile in the assembly of multi-tin and multi-copper architectures. We have used organostannoxane cores for supporting multi-ferrocene and multi-porphyrin peripheries. The copper-metalated multi-porphyrin compound is an excellent reagent for facile cleavage of DNA, even in the absence of a co-oxidant. Reaction oft-BuPO₃H₂ with Cu(C10₄)₂. 6H₂O in the presence of 2-pyridylpyrazole (2-Pypz) leads to the synthesis of a decanuclear copper (II) assembly.     

Picosecond time-resolved laser emission of coumarin 102: Solvent relaxation

The time-resolved laser emission of coumarin 102 was investigated in various aprotic and protic solvents at picosecond resolution by frequency upconversion technique. The spectral shift of the transient emission spectrum is attributed to solvent reorientation and the results are discussed.     

NDDO MO calculations: isotropic hyperfine coupling constants and nuclear spin-spin coupling constants

The nonempirical NDDO MO method in its unrestricted form has been used to evaluate isotropic hyperfine coupling constants and nuclear spin-spin coupling constants. Satisfactory agreement with INDO and experimental results is obtained.     

Some recent studies of liquid crystals: A review

The following topics are reviewed briefly: (i) The first experimental determination of the decrease in the smectic A-nematic transition temperature brought about by a twist deformation, an effect which is the analog of the influence of a magnetic field on the superconductor-normal metal transition; (ii) the similarity between the hydrodynamics of cholesteric liquid crystals and superfluid hydrodynamics, and some of its consequences, e.g., the possibility of a temperature wave attending second sound in the cholesteric phase; and (iii) the nematicsmectic A-smectic C multicritical point.     

Comparative substoichiometric extraction of silver with potassium salts of ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl and benzyl xanthates

A rapid and sensitive substoichiometric radiochemical method has been developed for the comparative extraction and quantification of silver with potassium salts of ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl and benzyl xanthates from hydrochloric, nitric and sulfuric acid media into chloroform. The effect of 0.1–4M H⁺ ion concentration of the respective acid on the substoichiometric extraction of silver was critically studied. The efficiency of the method developed was tested by the determination of 10–100 g silver in standard solutions with an average percentage of error better than 2. The methods developed have been utilized to determine silver content in photofilm washing collected from various photostudios in Tirupati, India.     

Crystal structure of N-m-tolyl phthalimide

N-m-tolyl phthalimide, C₁₅NO₂H₁₁ crystallizes in the space group Cc with unit cell dimensions,a=8·54(1),b=19·89(2),c = 7·59(1)A, β=114·53(1)° andZ=4.V=1173(2)A³,D _m =1·35(1),D _c = 1·344 mg.m⁻³,M _r =237 λCoK_a=1·7903A. The structure was solved byMULTAN and refined to an R-factor of 0·116 for 632 counter reflections. The molecules are held together by van der Waal’s forces. The angle between the tolyl plane and the plane through the phthalimide group is 53·4(4)°. Contribution No. 607.