Ultrafast photofragmentation dynamics of molecular iodine driven with timed XUV and near-infrared light pulses

Photofragmentation dynamics of molecular iodine was studied as a response to the joint illumination with femtosecond 800 nm near-infrared and 13 nm extreme ultraviolet (XUV) pulses delivered by the free-electron laser facility FLASH. The interaction of the molecular target with two light pulses of different wavelengths but comparable pulse energy elucidates a complex intertwined electronic and nuclear dynamics. To follow distinct pathways out of a multitude of reaction channels, the recoil of created ionic fragments is analyzed. The delayed XUV pulse provides a way of following molecular photodissociation of I(2) with a characteristic time-constant of (55 ± 10) fs after the laser-induced formation of antibonding states. A preceding XUV pulse, on the other hand, preferably creates a 4d(-1) inner-shell vacancy followed by the fast Auger cascade with a revealed characteristic time constant τ(A2)=(23±11) fs for the second Auger decay transition. Some fraction of molecular cationic states undergoes subsequent Coulomb explosion, and the evolution of the launched molecular wave packet on the repulsive Coulomb potential was accessed by the laser-induced postionization. A further unexpected photofragmentation channel, which relies on the collective action of XUV and laser fields, is attributed to a laser-promoted charge transfer transition in the exploding molecule.     

Modified SBA-15 as the carrier for metoprolol and papaverine: Adsorption and release study

A series of modified SBA-15 materials were applied in drug delivery systems. The internal surface of siliceous hexagonal structure of SBA-15 was modified with different amount of (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) and oxidized in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The sulfonated material was loaded with metoprolol tartrate or papaverine hydrochloride. Both drugs indicated strong chemical interaction with modified mesoporous surface. The characteristic of the obtained materials was performed with XRD and DRUV-vis spectrometry, themogravimetry and nitrogen adsorption (BET) measurements. The obtained results show that modification of the mesoporous materials leads towards significant decrease of the drug delivery rate.     

Dual Palladium(II)/Tertiary Amine Catalysis for Asymmetric Regioselective Rearrangements of Allylic Carbamates

The streamlined catalytic access to enantiopure allylic amines as valuable precursors towards chiral β‐ and γ‐aminoalcohols as well as α‐ and β‐aminoacids is desirable for industrial purposes. In this article an enantioselective method is described that transforms achiral allylic alcohols and N‐tosylisocyanate in a single step into highly enantioenriched N‐tosyl protected allylic amines via an allylic carbamate intermediate. The latter is likely to undergo a cyclisation‐induced [3,3]‐rearrangement catalysed by a planar chiral pentaphenylferrocene palladacycle in cooperation with a tertiary amine base. The otherwise often indispensable activation of palladacycle catalysts by a silver salt is not required in the present case and there is also no need for an inert gas atmosphere. To further improve the synthetic value, the rearrangement was used to form dimethylaminosulfonyl‐protected allylic amines, which can be deprotected under non‐reductive conditions.     

Quantitative Spektralanalyse

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Analytical solution for the depolarization of hyperpolarized nuclei by chemical exchange saturation transfer between free and encapsulated xenon (HyperCEST)

We present an analytical solution of the Bloch-McConnell equations for the case of chemical exchange saturation transfer between hyperpolarized nuclei in cavities and in solvent (HyperCEST experiment). This allows quantitative investigation of host-guest interactions by means of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and, due to the strong HyperCEST signal enhancement, even NMR imaging. Hosts of interest can be hydrophobic cavities in macromolecules or artificial cages like cryptophane-A which was proposed as a targeted biosensor. Relevant system parameters as exchange rate and host concentration can be obtained from the monoexponential depolarization process which is shown to be governed by the smallest eigenvalue in modulus. For this dominant eigenvalue we present a useful approximation leading to the depolarization rate for the case of on- and off-resonant irradiation. It is shown that this rate is a generalization of the longitudinal relaxation rate in the rotating frame. We demonstrate for the free and cryptophane-A-encapsulated xenon system, by comparison with numerical simulations, that HyperCEST experiments are precisely described in the valid range of this widely applicable analytical approximation. Altogether, the proposed analytical solution allows optimization and quantitative analysis of HyperCEST experiments but also characterization and optimal design of possible biosensors.     

Large-area organization of pNIPAM-coated nanostars as SERS platforms for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons sensing in gas phase

Here, a new surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) platform suitable for gas phase sensing based on the extended organization of poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (pNIPAM)-coated nanostars over large areas is presented. This system yields high and homogeneous SERS intensities, and simultaneously traps organic chemical agents as pollutants from the gas phase. pNIPAM-coated gold nanostars were organized into parallel linear arrays. The optical properties of the fabricated substrates are investigated, and applicability for advanced sensing is demonstrated through the detection in the gas phase of pyrene traces, a well-known polyaromatic hydrocarbon.     

Adsorption of plutonium oxide nanoparticles

Adsorption of monodisperse cubic plutonium oxide nanoparticles ("Pu-NP", [Pu(38)O(56)Cl(x)(H(2)O)(y)]((40-x)+), with a fluorite-related lattice, approximately 1 nm in edge size) to the muscovite (001) basal plane from aqueous solutions was observed in situ (in 100 mM NaCl background electrolyte at pH 2.6). Uptake capacity of the surface quantified by α-spectrometry was 0.92 μg Pu/cm(2), corresponding to 10.8 Pu per unit cell area (A(UC)). This amount is significantly larger than that of Pu(4+) needed for satisfying the negative surface charge (0.25 Pu(4+) for 1 e(-)/A(UC)). The adsorbed Pu-NPs cover 17% of the surface area, determined by X-ray reflectivity (XR). This correlates to one Pu-NP for every 14 unit cells of muscovite, suggesting that each particle compensates the charge of the unit cells onto which it adsorbs as well as those in its direct proximity. Structural investigation by resonant anomalous X-ray reflectivity distinguished two different sorption states of Pu-NPs on the surface at two different regimes of distance from the surface. A fraction of Pu is distributed within 11 ? from the surface. The distribution width matches the Pu-NP size, indicating that this species represents Pu-NPs adsorbed directly on the surface. Beyond the first layer, an additional fraction of sorbed Pu was observed to extend more broadly up to more than 100 ? from the surface. This distribution is interpreted as resulting from "stacking" or aggregation of the nanoparticles driven by sorption and accumulation of Pu-NPs at the interface although these Pu-NPs do not aggregate in the solution. These results are the first in situ observation of the interaction of nanoparticles with a charged mineral-water interface yielding information important to understanding the environmental transport of Pu and other nanophase inorganic species.     

A quantitative LC/MS method targeting urinary 1-methyl-4-imidazoleacetic acid for safety monitoring of the global histamine turnover in clinical studies

Anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening condition triggered mainly by the release of inflammatory mediators, notably histamine. In pharmaceutical research, drug discovery, and clinical evaluation, it may be necessary to accurately assess the potential of a compound, event, or disorder to promote the release of histamine. In contrast to the measurement of plasma histamine, determination of the stable metabolite 1-methyl-4-imidazoleacetic acid (tele-MIAA) in urine provides a noninvasive and more reliable methodology to monitor histamine release. This study presents a repeatable high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS) method where tele-MIAA is baseline separated from its structural isomer 1-methyl-5-imidazoleacetic acid (pi-MIAA) and an unknown in human urine. The ion-pairing chromatography method, in reversed-phase mode, based on 0.5 mM tridecafluoroheptanoic acid demonstrated high repeatability and was applied in a clinical development program that comprised a large number of clinical samples from different cohorts. The inter- and intra-run precision of the method for tele-MIAA were 8.4 and 4.3 %, respectively, at the mean urinary concentration level, while method accuracy was between ?16.2 and 8.0 % across the linear concentration range of 22–1,111 ng mL^?1. Overall, method precision was greater than that reported in previously published methods and enabled the identification of gender differences that were independent of age or demography. The median concentration measured in female subjects was 3.0 μmol mmol^?1 of creatinine, and for male subjects, it was 2.1 μmol mmol^?1 of creatinine. The results demonstrate that the method provides unprecedented accuracy, precision, and practicality for the measurement of tele-MIAA in large clinical settings.

Post‐Metallocenes in the Industrial Production of Polyolefins

Research on “post‐metallocene” polymerization catalysis ranges methodologically from fundamental mechanistic studies of polymerization reactions over catalyst design to material properties of the polyolefins prepared. A common goal of these studies is the creation of practically useful new polyolefin materials or polymerization processes. This Review gives a comprehensive overview of post‐metallocene polymerization catalysts that have been put into practice. The decisive properties for this success of a given catalyst structure are delineated.