TG and DSC investigation of gallstone samples collected from patients submitted to cholecystectomy

In the present work are performed the TG and DSC study of gallstone samples collected from patients submitted to cholecystectomy at the Hospital Universitário Onofre Lopes of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil. The gallstone samples were characterized by elemental analysis and infrared spectroscopy. Standard cholesterol was used for all analysis as comparison with the gallstones. Is verified that cholesterol is the main chemical component of all studied gallstone samples. The thermoanalytical study was performed on air and nitrogen atmospheres. The presence of cholesterol as the main chemical component of all gallstone samples is confirmed by TG and DSC results.     

Enantioselective allylation of aldehydes promoted by chiral sulfur reagents

The addition of allylzinc bromide to aldehydes was studied with different chiral sulfur compounds acting as a catalyst. Yield differences and enantiomeric excesses were observed.     

Relativistic effects on nuclear magnetic shielding constants in HX and CH3X (X=Br,I) based on the linear response within the elimination of small component approach

Numerical calculations of relativistic effects on nuclear magnetic shielding constants sigma corresponding to all one-body operators obtained within a formalism developed in previous work were carried out. In this formalism, the elimination of small component scheme is applied to evaluate all quantities entering a four-component RSPT(2) expression of magnetic molecular properties. HX and CH3X (X=Br,I) were taken as model compounds. Calculations were carried out at the Hartree-Fock level for first-order quantities, and at the random-phase approximation (RPA) level for second- and third-order ones. It was found that values of sigma(X) are largely affected by several relativistic corrections not previously considered in the bibliography. sigma Values of the H nucleus are in close agreement with four-component RPA ones. Overall relativistic effects on the shift of sigma(X) from HX to CH3X are smaller than the nonrelativistic shifts.     

Photochemistry and photophysics of thienocarbazoles

Two methylated thienocarbazoles and two of their synthetic nitro-precursors have been examined by absorption, luminescence, laser flash photolysis and photoacoustic techniques. Their spectroscopic and photophysical characterization involves fluorescence spectra, fluorescence quantum yields and lifetimes, and phosphorescence spectra and phosphorescence lifetimes for all the compounds. Triplet-singlet difference absorption spectra, triplet molar absorption coefficients, triplet lifetimes, intersystem crossing S1 --> T1 and singlet molecular oxygen yields were obtained for the thienocarbazoles. In the case of the thienocarbazoles it was found that the lowest-lying singlet and triplet excited states, S1 and T1, are of pi,pi* origin, whereas for their precursors S1 is n,pi*, and T1 is pi,pi*. In both thienocarbazoles it appears that the thianaphthene ring dictates the S1 --> T1 yield, albeit there is less predominance of that ring in the triplet state of the linear thienocarbazole, which leads to a decrease in the observed phiT value.     

Synthesis and H+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ coordination behavior of a bis(fluorophoric) bibrachial lariat aza-crown

The synthesis, protonation behavior, and Cu2+ and Zn2+ coordination chemistry of the novel bibrachial aza lariat ether (naphthalen-1-ylmethyl)[2-(20-[2-[(naphthalen-1-ylmethyl)amino]ethyl]-3,6,9,17,20,23,29,30-octaazatricyclo[23.3.1.1*11,15*]triaconta-1(29),11(30),12,14,25,27-hexaen-6-yl)ethyl]amine (L) are discussed. The macrocycle, which has two aminoethyl naphthyl moieties symmetrically appended to a 2:2 azapyridinophane structure, displays, in the pH range 2-11, six protonation steps that correspond to the protonation of the secondary amino groups. Steady-state fluorescence measurements show emissions due to the monomer and to the excimer formed between the two naphthalene fragments of the macrocycle. The time-resolved fluorescence data, obtained by the time-correlated single photon counting technique, show that a significant percentage of excimer is preformed as ground-state dimers. The ligand L forms with the metal ions Cu2+ and Zn2+ mono- and dinuclear complexes in aqueous solution. The influence of metal coordination in the fluorescence emission of L is analyzed. The acid-base, coordination capabilities, and emissive behavior of L are compared with those presented by its synthetic precursor L1, which has a tripodal tris(2-aminoethyl)amine structure functionalized at one of its terminal amino groups with a naphthyl moiety.     

Photosensitive Materials for Integrated Optic Applications

This article presents results of device fabrication using UV processing of materials and integrated optic components produced by flame hydrolysis deposition and hybrid sol-gel technology. Photosensitive materials were employed in the fabrication of channel waveguides and channel photo-imprinted waveguides incorporating Bragg gratings through single and double-step exposure.