Isotope and temperature effects in liquid water probed by x-ray absorption and resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy

High-resolution x-ray absorption and emission spectra of liquid water exhibit a strong isotope effect. Further, the emission spectra show a splitting of the 1b1 emission line, a weak temperature effect, and a pronounced excitation-energy dependence. They can be described as a superposition of two independent contributions. By comparing with gas phase, ice, and NaOH/NaOD, we propose that the two components are governed by the initial state hydrogen bonding configuration and ultrafast dissociation on the time scale of the O 1s core hole decay.     

Potential Screening at Electrode/Ionic Liquid Interfaces from In Situ X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

A new approach to investigate potential screening at the interface of ionic liquids (ILs) and charged electrodes in a two-electrode electrochemical cell by in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been introduced. Using identical electrodes, we deduce the potential screening at the working and the counter electrodes as a function of applied voltage from the potential change of the bulk IL, as derived from corresponding core level binding energy shifts for different IL/electrode combinations. For imidazolium-based ILs and Pt electrodes, we find a significantly larger potential screening at the anode than at the cathode, which we attribute to strong attractive interactions between the imidazolium cation and Pt. In the absence of specific ion/electrode interactions, asymmetric potential screening only occurs for ILs with different cation and anion sizes as demonstrated for an imidazolium chloride IL and Au electrodes, which we assign to the different thicknesses of the electrical double layers. Our results imply that potential screening in ILs is mainly established by a single layer of counterions at the electrode.     

Efficient conical emission of stimulated Raman Stokes light generated by a Bessel pump beam

Stimulated Raman scattering in H(2) gas was studied with a Bessel pump beam, which was generated with a binary phase grating. The first Stokes light was emitted along the surface of a cone, the angle of which was equal to the cone angle of the Bessel pump beam multiplied by the ratio of the wavelengths of the Stokes and pump beams. High conversion efficiency into the first Stokes light of as much as 60% was achieved, indicating that the complete Bessel J(0) mode of the pump beam is involved in the stimulated scattering process.     

Zur katalytischen Reduktion von Chloriden zweibasischer Säuren

Monatshefte für Chemie - Chemical Monthly -     

High carbon doping of Ga1−xInxAs (x≈0.01) grown by molecular beam epitaxy

We have grown layers of Ga_1−xIn_xAs:C (x ≈ 0.01) on (100) GaAs by molecular beam epitaxy. As C source a graphite filament was used. Structures coherent with the substrate were obtained by adjusting properly the In and C concentrations. With simultaneous incorporation of In and C the strain is compensated and, consequently, the defect density is reduced. A maximum hole concentration value of p = 6×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ was achieved, which is twice higher than the saturation value of C doping of GaAs produced under the same conditions. There is evidence that this value is not in the saturation limit. The product of the hole density times the mobility increases, so the resistance decreases with higher C doping. Raman spectra show that the C_As peak broadens and shifts to lower frequencies for increasing concentration of indium. In H-passivated samples, Raman spectroscopy shows that C_As is surrounded by Ga atoms only. Indium atoms are thus present only in the second group III shell.     

Biaryl formation from 5-(2-bromobenzyl)-substituted piperidin-2-ones via palladacycles

The reaction of piperdin-2-ones with a 2-bromobenzyl substituent in the 5-position in the presence of a palladium catalyst leads to biaryl compounds. Their formation can be explained via initial C-H insertion of the aryl palladium species into the allylic C-H bond of the piperidinone. This eventually leads to a metallacycle containing Pd(II) that inserts another aryl bromide, promoting the formation of the biaryl bond.     

Formal total synthesis of neopeltolide

A concise synthesis of the core structure of the macrolide neopeltolide was developed featuring a Prins cyclization to fashion the pyran ring. Key steps in the synthesis of aldehyde 16 were a Leighton allylation and a Feringa-Minnaard asymmetric methyl cuprate addition to an unsaturated thioester. For lactonization, a classical Yamaguchi macrolactonization was used. The longest linear sequence consists of 17 steps providing lactone 26 with an overall yield of 23%.     

How Is Oxygen Incorporated into Oxides? A Comprehensive Kinetic Study of a Simple Solid‐State Reaction with SrTiO3 as a Model Material

The kinetics of stoichiometry change of an oxide--a prototype of a simple solid-state reaction and a process of substantial technological relevance--is studied and analyzed in great detail. Oxygen incorporation into strontium titanate was chosen as a model process. The complete reaction can be phenomenologically and mechanistically understood beginning with the surface reaction and ending with the transport in the perovskite. Key elements are a detailed knowledge of the defect chemistry of the perovskite as well as the application of a variety of experimental and theoretical tools, many of them evolving from this study. The importance of the reaction and transport steps for (electro)chemical applications is emphasized.     

Aluminium-doped LiFePO4 single crystals. Part I. Growth, characterization and total conductivity

Single crystals of Al-doped LiFePO4 (1% Al) were grown by an optical floating zone technique. After cleaving from the as-grown ingot they exhibited a blackish-green color. The grown crystals have been characterized by the Laue X-ray technique, single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. Phase composition has been determined by chemical analysis to be Li0.985+/-0.009Fe0.984+/-0.12Al0.0126PO3.993+/-0.06. Secondary ion beam spectroscopy (SIMS) indicates a homogeneous distribution of doped Al in the single crystal block. The total conductivities are shown to be electronic conductivities and have been measured along different directions with the help of the cell Ti/LiFe(Al)PO4/Ti. The samples exhibit effectively two-dimensional electronic conductivities along b- and c-directions similar as in pure LiFePO4. This decrease of conductivity on Al-doping compared with undoped crystals is in agreement with our previous conclusion of p-type conductivity of LiFePO4. Unlike nominally pure material not only the association of holes with lithium vacancies plays an important role but also purely ionic association.     

Microwave-assisted extraction of decabromodiphenylether from polymers

Contrary to its lower brominated congeners, the flame retardant decabromodiphenylether (DecaBDE) is not banned by the decision 2005/717/EG of the European Union. But the question of the bioavailability and bioaccumulation of this second most used flame retardant worldwide becomes subject of more intense research. In the present study, we developed a microwave-assisted method for the extraction of DecaBDE from polymers. Owing to its main use in electrical and electronic appliances and according to the fire safety standard UL94 V-0, the extraction procedure was carried out for the model compounds polyethylene and polystyrene. Special emphasis has been given to an accurate optimization by an experimental response surface design. Quantification was performed by means of HPLC-DAD. In order to achieve comparable data, extraction was also performed with classic Soxhlet extraction. To compare these results with an independent technique, microwave-induced oxygen combustion and ion chromatography complete this study.