Two-component heterogeneous nucleation kinetics and an application to Mars

We develop a two-component heterogeneous nucleation model that includes exact calculation of the Stauffer-type [D. Stauffer, J. Aerosol Sci. 7, 319 (1976)] steady-state kinetic prefactor using the correct heterogeneous Zeldovich factor for a heterogeneous two-component system. The model, and a simplified version of it, is tested by comparing its predictions to experimental data for water-n-propanol nucleating on silver particles. The model is then applied to water-carbon dioxide system in Martian conditions, which has not been modeled before. Using the ideal mixture assumption, the model shows theoretical possibilities for two-component nucleation adjacent to the initial stages of one-component water nucleation, especially with small water vapor amounts. The numbers of carbon dioxide molecules in the critical cluster are small in the case of large water amounts (up to 300 ppm) in the gas phase, but larger when there is very little water vapor (1 ppm).     

Interplay of intrinsic, environmental, and dynamic effects in tuning the EPR parameters of nitroxides: further insights from an integrated computational approach

The role of stereoelectronic, environmental, and short-time dynamic effects in tuning the hyperfine and gyromagnetic tensors of a prototypical nitroxide spin probe has been investigated by an integrated computational approach based on extended Lagrangian molecular dynamics and discrete-continuum solvent models. Trajectories were generated in two protic solvents as well as in the gas phase for reference; structural analysis of the dynamics, and comparison with optimized solute-solvent clusters, allowed for the identification of the prevailing solute-solvent hydrogen-bonding patterns and helped to define the strategy for the computation of magnetic parameters. This was performed in a separate step, on a large number of frames, by a high-level DFT approach coupling the PBE0 hybrid functional with a tailored basis set and with proper account of specific and bulk solvent effects. Remarkable changes in solvation networks are found on going from aqueous to methanol solution, thus providing a rationalization of indirect experimentally available evidence. The computed magnetic parameters are in satisfactory agreement with the available measured values and allow for an unbiased evaluation of the role of different effects in tuning the overall EPR observables. Apart from their intrinsic interest, our results pave the route toward the development of tunable detection protocols based on specific spectroscopic signatures.     

Self-assembled hydrogen-bonded coordination networks in two copper(II) carboxylates with 4-pyridylmethanol

The crystal and molecular structure of [Cu(nif)₂(4-PM)₂]·CH₃OH (1) and [Cu(2-Clbz)₂(4-PM)₂(H₂O)] (2), (where nif = niflumate anion, 2-Clbz = 2-chlorobenzoate anion and 4-PM is the 4-pyridylmethanol), have been determinated by X-ray crystallography. The Cu²⁺ cation in (1), is coordinated by two pairs of oxygen atoms from asymmetric bidentate niflumate anions and by a pair of pyridine nitrogen atoms from monodentate 4-pyridylmethanol ligands in trans position forming an extremely elongated bipyramid. The Cu²⁺ cation in (2), is coordinated by a pair of oxygen atoms from monodentate 2-chlorobenzoate anions, further by a pair of pyridine nitrogen atoms from monodentate 4-pyridylmethanol ligands and finally by a water oxygen atom forming a tetragonal-pyramidal coordination polyhedron. The molecules of both complexes in crystal structures are linked by O-H…O hydrogen bonds, which created a three-dimensional hydrogen-bonding networks. The Π-Π stacking interactions are also observed in crystal structures of complex 2. The spectral properties (IR and electronic spectra) of both complexes were also investigated.     

Modules and extremal completely positive maps

Convex sets of completely positive maps and positive-(semi)definite kernels are considered in a very general context of modules over $C^*$ -algebras and a complete characterization of their (regular) extremal points is obtained. As a byproduct, we determine extremal autocorrelation functions. We present a generalization for the Choi isomorphism widely used in quantum information theory and generalize the concept of a completely positive quantum instrument.     

Quantitative linear independence of an infinite product and its derivatives

We establish measures for the rational linear independence of 1 and the values of the product and its derivatives at finitely many rational points, q ≠ 0,±1 being a fixed integer. This is a quantitative improvement upon Bézivin’s very recent result in this journal. In contrast to his procedure, we use the method of Padé approximations of the second kind to get the above-mentioned improvement, some generalizations, and several irrationality measures.     

Nuclear magnetic shielding and quadrupole coupling tensors in liquid water: a combined molecular dynamics simulation and quantum chemical study

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) shielding tensors for the oxygen and hydrogen nuclei, as well as nuclear quadrupole coupling tensors for the oxygen and deuterium nuclei of water in the liquid and gaseous state, are calculated using Hartree-Fock and density functional theory methods, for snapshots sampled from Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics trajectories. Clusters representing local liquid structures and instantaneous configurations of a single molecule representing low-density gas are fed into a quantum chemical program for the calculation of the NMR tensors. The average isotropic and anisotropic tensorial properties of 400 samples in both states, averaged using a common Eckart coordinate frame, are calculated from the data. We report results for the gas-to-liquid chemical shifts of (17)O and (1)H nuclei, as well as the corresponding change in the nuclear quadrupole couplings of (17)O and (2)H. Full thermally averaged shielding and quadrupole coupling tensors are reported for the gaseous and liquid-state water, for the first time in the case of liquid. Electron correlation effects, the difference of classical vs quantum mechanical rovibrational averaging, and different methods of averaging anisotropic properties are discussed.     

Structural studies on lithocholyl-N-(2-aminoethyl)amide in the solid state

The synthetic procedure of lithocholyl-N-(2-aminoethyl)amide yielded a mixture of several forms detected by solid state ¹³C CP/MAS NMR although the solution state NMR unambiguously ascertained that the compound was pure. By recrystallization from various solvents one pure polymorph alongside with four solvates were isolated. The structures of the pure polymorph and the solvates were characterized by ¹³C and ¹⁵N CP/MAS NMR and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) methods. Variable contact time and dipolar dephasing experiments were employed to obtain optimized CP parameters and to distinguish various CH _n (n = 0–3) resonances. CSA analyses of spinning side bands at different spinning rates showed small variations in the shielding tensor values of the carbonyl group between the pure polymorph (recrystallized from acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran and 1,4-dioxane) and p-xylene solvate.     

Hydrothermal syntheses,crystal structures,and properties of two-dimensional homo- and heterometallic cyanide-bridged complexes: [Cu2(CN)2(bpym)] and [Fe(bipy)2(CN)4Cu2] (bpym = 2,2'-bipyrimidine,bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine)

The hydrothermal reaction of K(3)[Fe(CN)(6)], CuCl(2), and 2,2'-bipyridine (bipy) resulted in the formation of a 2D cyanide-bridged heterobimetallic Fe(II)-Cu(I) complex, [Fe(bipy)(2)(CN)(4)Cu(2)], 1. Working in the same conditions, but using 2,2'-bipyrimidine (bpym) instead of bipy and methanol as solvent, we obtained the homometallic Cu(I) complex [Cu(2)(CN)(2)(bpym)](2), 2. The structure of 1 consists of cyanide-bridged Fe(II)-Cu(I) layers, constructed from alternately fused 6 (Fe(2)Cu(4)) and 10 (Fe(2)Cu(8)) metal-membered centrosymmetric rings, in which copper(I) and iron(II) ions exhibit distorted trigonal planar and octahedral cooordination environments, respectively. The formation of 1 can be explained by assuming that, under high pressure and temperature, iron(III) and copper(II) ions are reduced with the simultaneous and/or subsequent substitution of four cyanide ligands by two bipy molecules in the ferricyanide anions. It is interesting to note that 1 is the first cyanide-bridged heterobimetallic complex prepared by solvothermal methods. The structure of 2 consists of neutral 2D honeycomb layers constructed from fused Cu(6)(CN)(4)(bpym)(2) rings, in which copper(I) atoms exhibit distorted tetrahedral geometry. The isolation of 1 and 2, by using K(3)[Fe(CN)(6)] as starting material, demonstrates that hydrothermal chemistry can be used not only to prepare homometallic materials but also to prepare cyanide-bridged bimetallic materials. The temperature dependence of chi(M)T and M?ssbauer measurements for 1 reveal the existence of a high spin <--> low spin equilibrium involving the Fe(II) ions.     

Determination of P/Al ratio in phosphorus-doped aluminium oxide thin films by XRF,RBS and FTIR

Phosphorus-doped aluminium oxide thin films were deposited in a flow-type ALE reactor from AlCl₃, H₂O and from either P₂O₅ or trimethyl-phosphate. Structural information of the films was obtained from Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) was used to quantitatively determine the composition of the films. The P/Al intensity ratios calculated from X-ray fluorescence (XRF) results were in a linear relation with the P/Al concentration ratios calculated from RBS results. For comparison, the intensity ratios of the phosphorus peak (P=O) at about 1250 cm^–1 and the aluminium peak (Al-O) at about 950 cm^–1 were determined from the IR absorption spectra. The calibration of FTIR peak intensities was done by plotting the intensity ratios of phosphorus and aluminium peaks against the P/Al concentration ratios measured by RBS. FTIR gave also a linear calibration curve with RBS but the method is less suitable for routine analysis of P/Al ratio than XRF.     

13C, 15N and 113Cd NMR and Molecular Orbital Studies of Novel Bile Acid N-(2-aminoethyl)amides and Their Cd2+-complexes

Lithocholic acid N-(2-aminoethyl)amide (1) and deoxycholic acid N-(2-aminoethyl)amide(2) have been prepared and characterized by¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR. The accurate molecular masses of 1 and 2 have been determined by ESI MS. The formation of the Cd²⁺-complexes (1+Cd and 2+Cd) in CD₃OD solution have been detected by ¹H,¹³C, ¹⁵N and ¹¹³Cd NMR. The ¹³C NMR chemical shift assignments of 1 and 2 and their Cd²⁺-complexes are based on DEPT-135 and z-GS ¹H,¹³C HMQC experiments as well as comparison with the assignments of the related structures. The ¹⁵N NMR chemical shiftassignments of the ligands and theirCd²⁺-complexes are based on z-GS¹H,¹⁵N HMBC experiments. ¹³C NMR chemical shift differences between 1and its 1:1 Cd²⁺-complex based on ab initiocalculations at Hartree-Fock SCI-PCM level using3-21G(d) basis set are in agreement with theexperimental shift changes observed onCd²⁺-complexation.