High-resolution infrared spectroscopy of HCN-Znn (n = 1-4) clusters: structure determination and comparisons with theory

High-resolution infrared laser spectroscopy has been used to obtain rotationally resolved spectra of HCN-Zn(n) (n = 1-4) complexes formed in helium nanodroplets. In the present study the droplets passed through a metal oven, where the zinc vapor pressure was adjusted until one or more atoms were captured by the droplets. A second pickup cell was then used to dope the droplets with a single HCN molecule. Rotationally resolved infrared spectra are obtained for all of these complexes, providing valuable information concerning their structures. Stark spectra are reported and used to determine the corresponding permanent electric dipole moments. Ab initio calculations are also reported for these complexes for comparison with the experimental results.     

Temperature-dependent rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of OH radicals with 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, triethyl phosphate, and a series of alkylphosphonates

Rate constants for the reactions of OH radicals with dimethyl methylphosphonate [DMMP, (CH3O)2P(O)CH3], dimethyl ethylphosphonate [DMEP, (CH3O)2P(O)C2H5], diethyl methylphosphonate [DEMP, (C2H5O)2P(O)CH3], diethyl ethylphosphonate [DEEP, (C2H5O)2P(O)C2H5], triethyl phosphate [TEP, (C2H5O)3PO] and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene have been measured over the temperature range 278-348 K at atmospheric pressure of air using a relative rate method. alpha-Pinene (for DEMP, DEEP, TEP and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene) and di-n-butyl ether (for DMMP and DMEP) were used as the reference compounds, and rate constants for the reaction of OH radicals with di-n-butyl ether were also measured over the same temperature range using alpha-pinene and n-decane as the reference compounds. The Arrhenius expressions obtained for these OH radical reactions (in cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1) units) are 8.00 x 10(-14)e(1470+/-132)/T for DMMP (296-348 K), 9.76 x 10(-14)e(1520+/-14)/T for DMEP (296-348 K), 4.20 x 10(-13)e(1456+/-227)/T for DEMP (296-348 K), 6.46 x 10(-13)e(1339+/-376)/T for DEEP (296-348 K), 4.29 x 10(-13)e(1428+/-219)/T for TEP (296-347 K), and 4.40 x 10(-12)e(738+/-176)/T for 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (278-347 K), where the indicated errors are two least-squares standard deviations and do not include the uncertainties in the rate constants for the reference compounds. The measured rate constants for di-n-butyl ether are in good agreement with literature data over the temperature range studied (278-348 K).     

Kinetic and product study of the gas-phase reactions of OH radicals, NO(3) radicals, and O(3) with (C(2)H(5)O)(2)P(S)CH(3) and (C(2)H(5)O)(3)PS

Rate constants for the reactions of OH radicals and NO3 radicals with O,O-diethyl methylphosphonothioate [(C(2)H(5)O)(2)P(S)CH(3); DEMPT] and O,O,O-triethyl phosphorothioate [(C(2)H(5)O)(3)PS; TEPT] have been measured using relative rate methods at atmospheric pressure of air over the temperature range 296-348 K for the OH radical reactions and at 296 +/- 2 K for the NO(3) radical reactions. At 296 +/- 2 K, the rate constants obtained for the OH radical reactions (in units of 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1)) were 20.4 +/- 0.8 and 7.92 +/- 0.27 for DEMPT and TEPT, respectively, and those for the NO(3) radical reactions (in units of 10(-15) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1)) were 2.01 +/- 0.20 and 1.03 +/- 0.10, respectively. Upper limits to the rate constants for the reactions of O(3) with DEMPT and TEPT of <6 x 10(-20) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) were determined in each case. Rate constants for the OH radical reactions, measured relative to k(OH + alpha-pinene) = 1.21 x 10(-11) e(436/T) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), resulted in the Arrhenius expressions k(OH + DEMPT) = 1.08 x 10(-11) e(871+/-25)/T cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) and k(OH + TEPT) = 8.21 x 10(-13) e(1353+/-49)/T cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) over the temperature range 296-348 K, where the indicated errors are two least-squares standard deviations and do not include the uncertainties in the reference rate constant. Diethyl methylphosphonate was identified and quantified from the OH radical and NO(3) radical reactions with DEMPT, with formation yields of 21 +/- 4%, independent of temperature, from the OH radical reaction and 62 +/- 11% from the NO(3) radical reaction at 296 +/- 2 K. Similarly, triethyl phosphate was identified and quantified from the OH radical and NO(3) radical reactions with TEPT, with formation yields of 56 +/- 9%, independent of temperature, from the OH radical reaction and 78 +/- 15% from the NO(3) radical reaction at 296 +/- 2 K.     

Structures and bonding nature of small monoligated copper clusters (HCN-Cun, n = 1-3) through high-resolution infrared spectroscopy and theory

The structures, C-H stretching frequencies, and dipole moments of HCN-Cun (n = 1-3) clusters are determined through high-resolution infrared spectroscopy. The complexes are formed and probed within superfluid helium droplets, whereby the helium droplet beam is passed over a resistively heated crucible containing copper shot and then through a gas HCN pickup cell. All complexes are found to be bound to the nitrogen end of the HCN molecule and on the "atop site" of the copper cluster. Through the experimental C-H vibrational shifts of HCN-Cun and ab initio calculations, it was found that the HCN-metal interaction changes from a strong van der Waals bond in n = 1 to a partially covalent bond in HCN-Cu3. Comparisons with existing infrared data on copper surfaces show that the HCN-Cun bond must begin to weaken at very large copper cluster sizes, eventually returning to a van der Waals bond in the bulk copper surface case.     

Photophysical properties of a rhodium tetraphenylporphyrin-tin corrole dyad. The first example of a through metal-metal bond energy transfer

The luminescence spectroscopy study and the determination of the photophysical parameters for the M-M'-bonded rhodium meso-tetraphenylporphyrin-tin(2,3,7,13,17,18-hexamethyl-8,12-diethylcorrole) complex, (TPP)Rh-Sn(Me6Et2Cor) 1, was investigated. The emission bands as well as the lifetimes (tau(e)) and the quantum yields (Phi(e); at 77 K using 2MeTHF as solvent) were compared with those of (TPP)RhI 2 (TPP = tetraphenylporphyrin) and (Me6Et2Cor)SnCl 3 (Me6Et2Cor = 2,3,7,13,17,18-hexamethyl-8,12-diethylcorrole) which are the two chemical precursors of 1. The energy diagram has been established from the absorption, fluorescence and phosphorescence spectra. The Rh(TPP) and Sn(Me6Et2Cor) chromophores are the energy donor (D) and acceptor (A), respectively. The total absence of fluorescence in 1 (while fluorescence is observed in the tin derivative 3) indicates efficient excited state deactivation, presumably due to heavy atom effect and intramolecular energy transfer (ET). The large decreases in tau(P) and Phi(P) of the Rh(TPP) chromophore going from 2 to 1 indicate a significant intramolecular ET in the triplet states of 1 with an estimated rate ranging between 10(6) and 10(8) s(-1). Based on the comparison of transfer rates with other related dyads that exhibit similar D-A separations and no M-M' bond, and for which slower through space ET processes (10(2)-10(3) s(-1)) operate, a through M-M' bond ET has been unambiguously assigned to 1.     

Spectroscopic detection of Saxitoxin: an alternative to mouse bioassay

Herein, we report the surface modification of quartz with a coumaryl-aza-crown-6 derivative to detect Saxitoxin using fluorescence enhancement through Photoinduced Electron Transfer and the sensitivity with this system approaches the limit of the mouse bioassay which is the current benchmark for Saxitoxin detection.     

To achieve stable spherical clusters: general principles and experimental confirmations

General principles for designing stable highly symmetrical clusters are proposed. This approach takes advantage of both the extra stability of cage aromaticity and the good geometrical balance between the outer cage and the endohedral atom. The applicability of these design principles was confirmed by gas-phase experimental observations on group 14 element cages with endohedral Al's and also is illustrated by many literature examples of diverse systems.     

The Schrödinger-Virasoro Lie Group and Algebra: Representation Theory and Cohomological Study

This article is devoted to an extensive study of an infinite-dimensional Lie algebra , introduced in [14] in the context of non-equilibrium statistical physics, containing as subalgebras both the Lie algebra of invariance of the free Schr?dinger equation and the central charge-free Virasoro algebra Vect(S¹). We call the Schr?dinger-Virasoro Lie algebra. We study its representation theory: realizations as Lie symmetries of field equations, coadjoint representation, coinduced representations in connection with Cartan’s prolongation method (yielding analogues of the tensor density modules for Vect(S¹)). We also present a detailed cohomological study, providing in particular a classification of deformations and central extensions; there appears a non-local cocycle. Communicated by Petr Kulish Daniel Arnaudon, in memoriam Submitted: January 17, 2006; Accepted: March 21, 2006