Structure, spectroscopy, and spectral tuning of the gas-phase retinal chromophore: the beta-ionone "handle" and alkyl group effect

The low-lying singlet states (i.e. S0, S1, and S2) of the chromophore of rhodopsin, the protonated Schiff base of 11-cis-retinal (PSB11), and of its all-trans photoproduct have been studied in isolated conditions by using ab initio multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory. The computed spectroscopic features include the vertical excitation, the band origin, and the fluorescence maximum of both isomers. On the basis of the S0-->S1 vertical excitation, the gas-phase absorption maximum of PSB11 is predicted to be 545 nm (2.28 eV). Thus, the predicted absorption maximum appears to be closer to that of the rhodopsin pigment (2.48 eV) and considerably red-shifted with respect to that measured in solution (2.82 eV in methanol). In addition, the absorption maxima associated with the blue, green, and red cone visual pigments are tentatively rationalized in terms of the spectral changes computed for PSB11 structures featuring differently twisted beta-ionone rings. More specifically, a blue-shifted absorption maximum is explained in terms of a large twisting of the beta-ionone ring (with respect to the main conjugated chain) in the visual S-cone (blue) pigment chromophore. In contrast, the chromophore of the visual L-cone (red) pigment is expected to have a nearly coplanar beta-ionone ring yielding a six double bond fully conjugated framework. Finally, the M-cone (green) chromophore is expected to feature a twisting angle between 10 and 60 degrees. The spectroscopic effects of the alkyl substituents on the PSB11 spectroscopic properties have also been investigated. It is found that they have a not negligible stabilizing effect on the S1-S0 energy gap (and, thus, cause a red shift of the absorption maximum) only when the double bond of the beta-ionone ring conjugates significantly with the rest of the conjugated chain.     

Interlaboratory comparison study for the determination of methyl tert-butyl ether in water

This is the first publication which describes the evaluation of the analytical performance and state-of-the-art of the determination of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in water at ng L^–1 concentrations. An interlaboratory comparison study for the determination of MTBE in water was carried out. Twenty-eight laboratories from seven European countries participated in the study. Twenty of those finally transmitted results to the organiser. Italian spring water, containing no detectable amounts of MTBE was fortified to yield two samples with MTBE concentrations of 0.074±0.004 µg L^–1 and 0.256±0.010 µg L^–1. The laboratories applied their regular in-house methods to analyse the water samples. Static headspace, Purge & Trap, solid-phase microextraction (SPME) or direct aqueous injection were used as sample preparation techniques. Subsequent separation and detection of MTBE were performed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or gas chromatography/flame ionisation detection (GC/FID). After rejection of outliers, the overall arithmetic mean of laboratory results corresponded to recoveries of 78±20% (Sample A) and 88±20% (Sample B) of the reference concentrations. The between laboratory coefficients of variation (CV) were 32% and 31%, respectively. The organisation of the study and quality assurance measures at the organiser's laboratory are described. Moreover, the measurement results of the participants and the analytical methods used for the determination of MTBE are presented and the correlation between selected method parameters and data quality is discussed.     

New results on the reactivity of 5,6‐diamino‐4‐hydroxy‐2‐mercaptopyrimidine

The reaction of 5,6‐diamino‐4‐hydroxy‐2‐mercaptopyrimidine with mono‐ and α,ω‐dihalocompounds has been reinvestigated. Alkyl derivatives of 5‐amino group, not previously described, have been obtained as reaction products. A comparison with the reactivity of 6‐amino‐4‐hydroxy‐2‐mercaptopyrimidine has been also performed.     

A theoretical determination of the electronic spectrum of Methylenecyclopropene

The vertical electronic spectrum of methylenecyclopropene, the prototype of the nonalternant hydrocarbons known as fulvenes, has been studied using multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory. The calculations comprise three valence states and the 3s, 3p, and 3d members of the Rydberg series converging to the first ionization limit. Vertical excitation energies to three valence states are found at 4.13, 6.12, and 6.82 eV. The second of them corresponds to an excitation from the highest occupied orbital to a ^* orbital, while the other two are ^* excitations. The third transition gives rise to the most intense feature in the electronic spectrum. The results are rationalized within the scheme of two interacting double bonds. Comparisons are made between this and the previous theoretical calculations of the electronic spectra of related systems and also between the available experimental data of methylenecyclopropene in solution.     

A Determination of Standard Potentials and Related Primary pH Standards in the 50 Mass Percent (N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidinone + Water) Mixture at Various Temperatures

Following the IUPAC-endorsed procedure, the primary pH standards offered by the equimolal phosphate buffer (Na₂HPO₄ (0.01 mol⋅kg⁻¹) + KH₂PO₄ (0.01 mol⋅kg⁻¹)) in the (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone + water) solvent mixture of 50 mass percent composition at various temperatures have been determined from potential difference measurements with the reversible Harned cell. Since the essential prerequisite of the above procedure is the knowledge of the (hitherto unknown) standard potential difference of Harned’s cell, a parallel supplementary series of potential difference measurements has been carried out with the reversible cell, Pt|H₂|HCl(m)|AgCl|Ag|Pt according to the classical thermodynamic procedure. The problem of comparability of the pH scale in the (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone + water) solvent with that in the pure water solvent is duly discussed in terms of primary medium effects.     

Some aspects of topological descent

The paper deals with (effective) descent morphisms for subfibrations X of the basic fibration Top/X, for topological spaces X and classes of continuous functions stable under pullback. For a category with pullbacks, we prove the stability under pullback of effective -descent morphisms for a class satisfying some suitable conditions. This plays a rôle in relating effective -descent to effective global-descent and enables us to obtain a criterion for effective étale-descent. We also show that the inclusion of the class of effective global-descent maps in the class surjective effective étale-descent is strict.Partial financial support by Centro de Matemática da Universidade de Coimbra is gratefully acknowledged.     

A logic of implications in algebra and coalgebra

Implications in a category can be presented as epimorphisms: an object satisfies the implication iff it is injective with respect to that epimorphism. G. Ro?u formulated a logic for deriving an implication from other implications. We present two versions of implicational logics: a general one and a finitary one (for epimorphisms with finitely presentable domains and codomains). In categories Alg Σ of algebras on a given signature our logic specializes to the implicational logic of R. Quackenbush. In categories Coalg H of coalgebras for a given accessible endofunctor H of sets we derive a logic for implications in the sense of P. Gumm.     

MW-assisted Er(OTf)3-catalyzed mild cleavage of isopropylidene acetals in Tricky substrates

Erbium(III) trifluoromethane sulfonate is proposed as a very gentle Lewis acid catalyst in a MW-assisted chemoselective method for the cleavage of isopropylidene acetals in awkward substrates by using pure water as the solvent.