An Improved Method for the Mono-Hydroxymethylation of Pyridines. A Modification of the Minisci Procedure

The reaction of N-methoxy-derivatives of pyridines in methanol with ammonium persulphate gives improved yields of mono-hydroxymethylated products. In contrast to the original Minisci procedure the reaction requires only catalytic amounts of ammonium persulphate. Evidence is presented which establishes that the reaction does not proceed via an intramolecular pathway.     

Preparation of Sec-Alkyl Isouronium Salts

Eight examples of sec-alkyl isouronium salts were readily prepared from sec-alcohols, cynamide, and methanesulfonic acid (or CF₃SO₃H or HBF₄).     

Gold bearing ore assays using 197Au(γ,n)196Au photonuclear reaction

We performed computational and experimental studies of the feasibility of the gold bearing ore assay utilizing the ¹⁹⁷Au(γ,n)¹⁹⁶Au photonuclear reaction. Gold bearing silicate samples were irradiated using bremsstrahlung produced by an electron accelerator with endpoint energies ranging from 25 to 40 MeV. ¹⁹⁶Au yield simulations were benchmarked and experimental results were in good agreement with the predictions. Optimum electron beam energy for photon activation analysis was found to be around 32 MeV which corresponded to a detection limit of 80 ppb. Two-hour gamma-spectroscopy measurements were repeated every 24 h and the optimum sample cooling time was found to be about 100–160 h.     

Arginine-hydrolyzing enzymes for electrochemical biosensors

Since l-Arginine (Arg) is a semi-essential amino acid for humans, its adequate amount must be consumed in the diet to prevent certain negative consequences related to insufficient synthesis of this amino acid under specific physiological conditions. Arg metabolism results in the production of a biochemically diverse range of such products as urea, some amino acids, creatine, polyamines, nitric oxide, etc. Arg, an important biomarker in clinical diagnostics, is also used for prevention/treatment of different diseases, including cancer and COVID-19. Furthermore, it serves as an indicator of food and beverages quality.A variety of optic and electrochemical methods for Arg determination have already been suggested. The biosensor systems based on the enzymes of Arg metabolism were shown to be the most promising tools for Arg assay. This review focuses on the peculiarities of electrochemical biosensors for Arg assay based on the use of Arg-degrading enzymes and on the analysis of their advantages as compared to other approaches.     

Analysis of conditions for determining the thermophysical characteristics of energetic materials by the laser pulse method

An analysis of conditions for determining the thermophysical characteristics of energetic materials by the laser pulse method is performed. Based on the results of numerical solution of the heat conduction problems for a sample of a material irradiated with a short heating laser pulse corresponding to actual experimental conditions, the time dependences on the sample surface temperature are determined. The heat pulse duration required to determine the thermophysical properties of materials and the ignition delay time are compared. It is shown that the determination of the thermophysical characteristics of a typical energetic material by the laser pulse method is possible at pulse durations of no longer than 0.24 s.     

1/f Flux noise in Josephson phase qubits

We present a new method to measure 1/f noise in Josephson quantum bits (qubits) that yields low-frequency spectra below 1 Hz. A comparison of the noise taken at positive and negative bias of a phase qubit shows the dominant noise source to be flux noise and not junction critical-current noise, with a magnitude similar to that measured previously in other systems. Theoretical calculations show that the level of flux noise is not compatible with the standard model of noise from two-level state defects in the surface oxides of the films.     

Schatten class Toeplitz operators on generalized Fock spaces

In this paper we characterize the Schatten p   class membership of Toeplitz operators with positive measure symbols acting on generalized Fock spaces for the full range 0<p<∞$0<p<\infty$.     

Simple but Precise Engineering of Functional Nanocapsules through Nanoprecipitation

A general, rapid, and undemanding method to generate at will functional oil‐filled nanocapsules through nanoprecipitation is reported. On the basis of polymer and hexadecane/water/acetone phase diagrams, the composition can be set so that polymer chains preferentially stick at the interface of the oil droplets to create nanocapsules. The nanocapsules can be decorated with biorelevant molecules (biotin, fluorescent tags, metal nanoparticles) within the shell and loaded with hydrophobic molecules in a simple one‐pot procedure.     

A Supramolecular Sorting Hat: Stereocontrol in Metal–Ligand Self‐Assembly by Complementary Hydrogen Bonding

A combination of self‐complementary hydrogen bonding and metal–ligand interactions allows stereocontrol in the self‐assembly of prochiral ligand scaffolds. A unique, non‐tetrahedral M₄L₆ structure is observed upon multicomponent self‐assembly of 2,7‐diaminofluorenol with 2‐formylpyridine and Fe(ClO₄)₂. The stereochemical outcome of the assembly is controlled by self‐complementary hydrogen bonding between both individual ligands and a suitably sized counterion as template. This hydrogen‐bonding‐mediated stereoselective metal–ligand assembly allows the controlled formation of nonsymmetric discrete cage structures from previously unexploited ligand scaffolds.     

Colloidal Nanocrystals of Lithiated Group 14 Elements

The synthesis of colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) of lithiated group 14 elements (Z=Si, Ge, and Sn) is reported, which are Li_4.4Si, Li_3.75Si, Li_4.4Ge, and Li_4.4Sn. Li_xZ compounds are highly reactive and cannot be synthesized by existing methods. The success relied on separating the surface protection from the crystal formation and using a unique passivating ligand. Bare Li_xZ crystals were first produced by milling elemental Li and Z in an argon‐filled jar. Then, under the assistance of additional milling, hexyllithium was added to passivate the freshly generated Li_xZ NCs. This ball‐milling‐assisted surface protection method may be generalized to similar systems, such as Na_xZ and K_xZ. Moreover, Li_4.4Si and Li_4.4Ge NCs were conformally encapsulated in carbon fibers, providing great opportunities for studying the potential of using Li_xZ to mitigate the volume‐fluctuation‐induced poor cyclability problem confronted by Z anodes in lithium‐ion batteries.