Study of chemical bonds in a-B/C:H films by electron probe microanalysis

This paper describes the study of chemical bonds in amorphous hydrogen rich boron/carbon (a-B/C:H) films by electron probe microanalysis. The films were deposited on Si single crystals by plasma chemical vapour deposition with a precursor-carborane (C₂B₁₀H₁₂) in a laboratory setup. A film thickness and B/C ratio up to a value of 8000 Å and 4, respectively, have been obtained. The analysis of boron and carbon X-ray emission spectra has shown that the nearest order in the films is characterized by the coexistence of C-C, B-C and B-B bonds for B/C 1 and of B-B and B-C bonds for B/C 4. After two years exposure in air the oxygen content in the films increases from 2–5 to 15–20 at.%.     

Time-resolved chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization studies of structure and reactivity of methionine radical cations in aqueous solution as a function of pH

Using time-resolved chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP) techniques, we have studied the mechanism of the photoreactions of triplet excited 4-carboxybenzophenone (CBP) with l-methionine (Met) and 3-(methylthio)propylamine (MTPA) in aqueous solution and the details of the formation of CIDNP at pH from 6.7 to 13.6. At a pH below the pKa of the nitrogen atom of Met, the CIDNP is strongly affected by degenerate electron exchange between the S-S cationic radical dimer and the zwitterionic form of Met with the rate constant kex = 3.4 x 10(8) s(-1) providing an exhaustive explanation of the pH dependence of steady-state CIDNP that was previously interpreted as a manifestation of fast interconversion among three different methionine radical species (Goez, M.; Rozwadowski, J. J. Phys. Chem. A 1998, 102, 7945-7953). By analyzing the polarization of different protons formed in geminate recombination as a function of the pH, we obtained the branching ratio between two reaction pathways for oxidative quenching of (T)CBP via electron transfer from the sulfur and nitrogen atoms of Met and MTPA. Nuclear spin-lattice relaxation times were determined in the dimeric cation radical of Met (T1,S = 8.5 micros). In the cyclic radical cation of MTPA with a three-electron two-center S-N bond, the estimated paramagnetic relaxation is comparatively slow for all protons. Fast deprotonation of the primary aminium radical cation of MTPA and Met in strongly basic solution takes place on the submicrosecond time scale leading to efficient formation of CIDNP in the neutral aminyl radical.     

EPR Study of Ligand Effects in Spin Triads of Bis(o-Semiquinonato)Copper(II) Complexes

We report the X-band (9 GHz) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study of series of bis(o-semiquinonato)copper(II) complexes with different ligands. It was found previously, that exchange interactions in spin triads of these compounds are very sensitive to the structure of the ligand coordinated to the central copper(II) ion. Ligand moderates the copper–radical and radical–radical exchange interactions and strongly changes the magnetic properties of the compound. Depending on a ligand, ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic character of exchange dominates in the system. The EPR study of these complexes allowed us to obtain information on zero-field splitting parameters and their distributions in the studied compounds. The EPR results compliment previously obtained spectroscopic data on these compounds and suggest the pronounced plasticity of the clusters manifested in the broad distributions of their rhombicity parameters.     

Reduction of Guanosyl Radicals in Reactions with Proteins Studied by TR-CIDNP

Pulsed-field-gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) combined with time-resolved chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (TR-CIDNP) was applied to study the reduction of guanosyl radicals in reactions with the proteins hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) and bovine α-lactalbumin (BLA) in their native state. Guanosyl radicals were generated photochemically in the reaction of guanosine-5′-monophosphate with photosensitizer, triplet-excited 2,2′-dipyridyl. In this reaction, at pH 5 guanosyl cation radical is formed, which deprotonates to yield the neutral guanosyl radical. To minimize the contribution of the cation radical, phosphate buffer was added, which accelerates the deprotonation of guanosyl cation radical. From model simulations of CIDNP kinetics the rate constants of the reduction were found to be (3.1 ± 0.5) × 10⁷ M^?1s^?1 for HEWL and (1.6 ± 0.4) × 10⁷ M^?1s^?1 for BLA. Also, experiments were carried out at the conditions for denatured HEWL, i.e., at 50 °C in the presence of 10 M urea-d₄. The rate constant of the reduction of guanosyl radical in this case was (3.6 ± 0.5) × 10⁸ M^?1s^?1.     

Fullerene–Interfaced Porphyrin Ligand in Affinity Chromatography of Membrane Proteins

To purify the mammalian cell membrane porphyrin binding proteins (PBP), an original affinity chromatographic technique is proposed. The method is based on the application of an agarose attached fullerene-porphyrin ligand connected to a polysaccharide gel matrix through the epoxy-cyclohexyl residue interface. A selective PBP-stationary phase coupling has been managed in a single column chromatographic run leading to a complete purification of the 17.6 kDa monomer protein from the rat myocardium mitochondria membranes. A synchronous pH and ionic strength linear gradients were used to separate this protein with a high specific affinity to the porphyrin K related structures from all non-specific sorption retained membrane proteins.     

para-Hydrogen-induced polarization in heterogeneous hydrogenation reactions

We demonstrate the creation and observation of para-hydrogen-induced polarization in heterogeneous hydrogenation reactions. Wilkinson's catalyst, RhCl(PPh3)3, supported on either modified silica gel or a polymer, is shown to hydrogenate styrene into ethylbenzene and to produce enhanced spin polarizations, observed through NMR, when the reaction was performed with H2 gas enriched in the para spin isomer. Furthermore, gaseous phase para-hydrogenation of propylene to propane with two catalysts, the Wilkinson's catalyst supported on modified silica gel and Rh(cod)(sulfos) (cod = cycloocta-1,5-diene; sulfos = -O3S(C6H4)CH2C(CH2PPh2)3) supported on silica gel, demonstrates heterogeneous catalytic conversion resulting in large spin polarizations. These experiments serve as a direct verification of the mechanism of heterogeneous hydrogenation reactions involving immobilized metal complexes and can be potentially developed into a practical tool for producing catalyst-free fluids with highly polarized nuclear spins for a broad range of hyperpolarized NMR and MRI applications.     

Electron paramagnetic resonance of three-spin nitroxide-copper(II)-nitroxide clusters coupled by a strong exchange interaction

The complex of Cu(2+) hexafluoroacetylacetonate with two pyrazol-substituted nitronyl nitroxides represents an unusual exchange-coupled three-spin system. The antiferromagnetic exchange coupling, which already atT < 150 K is larger than the thermal energy kT, induces the transition from a total spin state S = (3)/(2) to a state S = (1)/(2) and produces static spin polarization. Anomalous electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of an S = (1)/(2) state were detected experimentally and described theoretically. The effective g factor of the three-spin system is smaller than 2, despite the fact that all the individual components have g > 2. The observed signals with g < 2 are highly informative and can be employed for determination of the sign and value of the exchange interaction in three-spin nitroxide-copper-nitroxide clusters.     

Functional MRI and NMR spectroscopy of an operating gas-liquid-solid catalytic reactor

A dynamic in situ study of alpha-methylstyrene catalytic hydrogenation on a single catalyst pellet or in a granular bed is performed using 1H MRI and spatially resolved 1H NMR spectroscopy. Owing to reaction exothermicity, a reciprocating motion of the liquid front within the pellet accompanied by pellet temperature oscillations has been observed. Spatially resolved information on the reactant to product conversion within the catalyst bed has been obtained for a steady-state regime. Two-dimensional 27Al NMR images of alumina catalyst supports and other alumina-containing materials have been detected using moderate magnetic field gradients (80 G/cm) and a two-pulse spin-echo sequence. Temperature dependence of signal intensity and 27Al T1 time of alumina are considered as possible temperature sensors for NMR thermometry applications.     

Solid-state 27Al MRI and NMR thermometry for catalytic applications with conventional (liquids) MRI instrumentation and techniques

Multidimensional images of Al2O3 pellets, cordierite monolith, glass tube, polycrystalline V2O5 and other materials have been detected by 27Al, 51V, and 23Na NMR imaging using techniques and instrumentation conventionally employed for imaging of liquids. These results demonstrate that, contrary to the widely accepted opinion, imaging of "rigid" solids does not necessarily require utilization of solid state NMR imaging approaches, pulse sequences and hardware even for quadrupolar nuclei which exhibit line widths in excess of 100 kHz, such as 51V in polycrystalline V2O5. It is further demonstrated that both 27Al NMR signal intensity and spin-lattice relaxation time decrease with increasing temperature and thus can potentially serve as temperature sensitive parameters for spatially resolved NMR thermometry.