Sonochemically prepared platinum-ruthenium bimetallic nanoparticles

Colloidal bimetallic nanoparticles of Pt-Ru have been synthesized by sonochemical reduction of Pt(II) and Ru(III) in aqueous solutions. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images indicate that sequential reduction of the Pt(II) followed by the Ru(III) produces particles with a core shell (Pt@Ru) morphology. In the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS, as a stabilizer, the particles have diameters between 5 and 10 nm. When polyvinyl-2-pyrrolidone, PVP, is used as the stabilizer, the rate of reduction is much faster, giving ultrasmall bimetallic particles of approximately 5 nm diameter.     

Asymmetric addition of trimethylsilylcyanide to N-benzylimines catalyzed by recyclable chiral dimeric V(V) salen complex

Chiral dimeric vanadium (V) salen complex (10 mol%) derived from 5,5-Methylene di-[(S,S)-{N-(3-tert-butyl salicylidine)-N′-(3′,5′-di-tert-butyl salicylidene)]-1,2-cyclohexanediamine] with vanadyl suphate followed by auto oxidation was used as efficient catalyst for enantioselective Strecker reaction of N-benzylimines with TMSCN at −30 °C. Excellent yield (92%) of α-aminonitrile and high chiral induction was achieved (ee up to 94%) in case of 2-methoxy substituted N-benzylimines in 10 h. The catalytic system worked well up to four cycles with retention of enantioselectivity.     

Open-mouthed metallic microcapsules: exploring performance improvements at agglomeration-free interiors

Although artificial capsule structures have been thoroughly investigated, functionality at the surfaces of their interiors has been surprisingly overlooked. In order to exploit this aspect of capsular structure, we here report the breakthrough fabrication of metallic (platinum) microcapsules with sufficient accessibility and electroactivity at both interior and exterior surfaces (open-mouthed platinum microcapsules), and also we demonstrate improvements in electrochemical and catalytic functions to emphasize the practical importance of our concept. The open-mouthed platinum microcapsules were prepared by template synthesis using polystyrene spheres, where surface-fused crystalline nanoparticles formed a capsule shell. Subsequent removal of the polystyrene spheres induced formation of mouth-like openings. The open-mouthed platinum microcapsules exhibit a substantial increase of their electrode capability for methanol oxidation and catalytic activities for carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation. Notably, activity loss during CO oxidation due to undesirable particle agglomeration can be drastically suppressed using the open-mouthed microcapsules.     

Determination of temperatures within acoustically generated bubbles in aqueous solutions at different ultrasound frequencies

Mean acoustic bubble temperatures have been measured using a methyl radical recombination (MRR) method, at three ultrasound frequencies (20, 355, and 1056 kHz) in aqueous tert-butyl alcohol solutions (0-0.5 M). The method is based on yield measurements of some of the hydrocarbon products formed from the recombination of methyl radicals that are thermally generated within collapsing bubbles containing tert-butyl alcohol vapor. The mean bubble temperatures were found to decrease substantially with increasing tert-butyl alcohol concentration at 355 and 1056 kHz but only to a small extent at 20 kHz. Extrapolating the mean temperatures measured to zero concentration of tert-butyl alcohol, at a bulk solution temperature of 20 degrees C, gave the order 355 kHz (4300 +/- 200 K) > 1056 kHz (3700 +/- 200 K) > 20 kHz (3400 +/- 200 K). It is also concluded that the temperature derived from the MRR method is a useful diagnostic parameter for sensing the thermal conditions within an active acoustic bubble. However, attention must be given to the fact that the temperature derived from the MRR method is not theoretically well defined.     

The influence of acoustic power on multibubble sonoluminescence in aqueous solution containing organic solutes

The effect of varying the applied acoustic power on the extent to which the addition of water-soluble solutes affect the intensity of aqueous multibubble sonoluminescence (MBSL) has been investigated. Under most of the experimental conditions used, the addition of aliphatic alcohols to aqueous solutions was found to suppress the MBSL intensity, although an enhancement of the MBSL intensity was also observed under certain conditions. In contrast, the presence of an anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in aqueous solutions generally enhanced the observed MBSL intensity. For a series of aliphatic alcohols and SDS, a strong dependence of the MBSL intensity on the applied acoustic power (in the range of 0.78-1.61 W/cm(2)) at 358 kHz was observed. The relative SL quenching was significantly higher at higher acoustic powers for the alcohol solutions, whereas the relative SL enhancement was lower at higher acoustic powers in SDS solutions. These observations have been interpreted in terms of a combination of material evaporation into the bubble, rectified diffusion, bubble clustering and bubble-bubble coalescence.     

A comparison between multibubble sonoluminescence intensity and the temperature within cavitation bubbles

Cavitation bubble temperatures have been measured using a methyl radical recombination method and compared with the changes in the sonoluminescence intensity in aqueous ethanol solutions over a range of concentrations. Whereas the sonoluminescence intensity was decreased by more than 90% at low ethanol concentrations (<0.1 M), the measured bubble temperatures seem to be unaffected at this level of additive. The cavitation bubble temperatures were noticeably decreased at substantially higher ethanol concentrations (0.5 M). It has been concluded that the methyl radical recombination method does not report on the true sonoluminescence temperatures. However, it does report on the average bubble temperatures at which sonochemical reactions occur.     

Crystal Structure of 1-(4-(5,6-Dihydropyridazin-1(4H)-yl)Phenyl)-N-Methylmethanesulfonamide

Crystallography Reports - The title compound, 1-(4-(5,6-dihydropyridazin-1(4H)-yl)phenyl)-N-methylmethanesulfonamide (C12H17N3O2S), was isolated as an impurity during the preparation of sumatriptan...     

A cis‐stilbene derivative

The title compound, 4′‐methoxy‐α,2,3′,4‐tetra­nitro­stilbene, C₁₅H₁₀N₄O₉, crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group P2₁/c with one mol­ecule in the asymmetric unit. The phenyl rings are inclined to one another and form a dihedral angle of 57.4 (1)°. The size of this angle is a result of intermolecular C—H⃛O interactions involving the phenyl H atoms. The torsion angle between the phenyl rings, −7.5 (3)°, indicates a cis geometry between them. The methoxy group is almost coplanar with the phenyl ring, and the nitro groups are twisted with respect to the phenyl rings because of the short H⃛O contacts. The crystal packing is stabilized by C—H⃛O hydrogen bonds, and the intermolecular hydrogen bonds form a C(12) graph‐set chain running along the [010] direction.