The synthesis of a new polycyclic heterocyclic ring system: Pyrimido[5,6,1-d,e]acridine

The synthesis of a new heterocylic ring system is reported. The condensation of 9,10-dihydro-9-oxo-4-acridine carboxamide (7) with diethoxymethyl acetate gave pyrimido[5,6,1-d,e]acridine-3,7-dione (8). The amide 7 reacts with ethyl chloroformate to afford 2H-pyrimido[5,6,1-d,e]acridine-1,3,7-trione (9).     

Portable X-ray fluorescence device reveals the artistic palette of Carlo Bononi,Baroque artist from Ferrara

The principal aim of the in situ X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis on the canvas “The Coronation of the Virgin” was to characterise the colour palette of Carlo Bononi (Ferrara, 1580–1632), a lesser-known artist of the early Baroque period in Ferrara. More than 100 points were collected by means of an XRF spectrometer, but the presence of many overlapping painted layers left some doubts about the preparation and the background layers. The scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometer analysis on two samples resolved some of these doubts. The results obtained indicate the use of typical 17th century pigments, such as lead white, vermilion, azurite and a copper-based green. For yellow pigments, the artist used the yellow ochre in some cases, while in others he used lead-tin yellow. We also individuated at least three different shades of umber. Almost all the pigments have been identified and they are the first step in establishing the technical apparatus necessary to understand the modus operandi of the Ferrarese artist.     

Strain engineering of topological properties in lead‐salt semiconductors

Rock‐salt chalcogenide SnTe represents the simplest realization of a topological insulator where a crystal symmetry allows for the appearance of surface metallic states. Here, we theoretically predict that strain, as realized in thin films grown on (001) substrates, may induce a transition to a topological crystalline insulating phase in related lead‐salt chalcogenides. Furthermore, relevant topological properties of the surface states, such as the location of the Dirac cones on the surface Brillouin zone or the decay length of edge states, appear to be tunable with strain, with potential implications for technological devices benefiting from those additional degrees of freedom. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Sorption of benzene derivatives onto insolubilized humic acids

New environmental friendly sorption materials were synthesized and studied to remove organic contaminants in wastewater purification. Humic acids extracted from green-waste compost (HA_comp) and from leonardite (HA_leo) were chemically characterized by infrared spectroscopy, carbon nitrogen and hydrogen analysis, ash content, hydrophobicity tests, and molecular weight distribution. Humic acids were thermally immobilized at 330 °C for 1.5 h and their sorbent properties towards of some benzene derivatives (toluene, o-xylene, phenol, and benzyl alcohol) with the batch equilibrium method were studied. HA_comp was found to be less rich in aromatic rings and more hydrophobic than HA_leo. The maximum amount of sorbate bound at the equilibrium was consistently higher for the immobilized HA from compost than from leonardite and increased with the n-octanol/water partition coefficient of the adsorbate. The data point to hydrophobic interactions as the main force involved in the sorption of the compounds tested. The results showed that these materials can have potential applications in wastewater purification.     

Synthesis of substituted 1,4-diazepino[5,6,7-kl]acridines and imidazo[4,5,1-de][1,4]diazepino[5,6,7-mn]acridines

The synthesis of some substituted ll-methoxy-7-nitro-4H,8H-2,3-dihydro-1,4-diazepino[5,6,7-kl]acridines 4 with more diversified chains at position 4 is described. A convenient method for transformation of these compounds into the corresponding 4-substituted 12-methoxy-4H-2,3-dihydroimidazo[4,5,1-de][1,4]diazepino-[5,6,7-mn]acridine (5) is reported.     

Polymerization of Bisacrylic Monomers within a Liquid-Crystalline Smectic B Solvent

Abstract

A smectic B (S,) solvent may provide a very highly ordered, and possibly oriented, host medium for polymerization processes. Photochemical polymerizations of two bisacrylic monomers were therefore carried out in a S_B medium. The process conditions were chosen on the basis of a preliminary study of the monomer-solvent binary system carried out by differential scanning calorimetry (D.S.C.), optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The polymerization was then studied by D.S.C. at different reaction times. These measurements showed clearly that there is a point along the reaction path at which the growing polymer chains start segregating from the solvent and the mesomorphic bulk no longer acts as a reaction solvent but only as a reservoir for the ponomer. The polymer chains from that point keep growing only upon or between the faces of the S_B layers. Electron microscopy observations showed that the morphology of the final polymer is affected by this interlayer process.     

Panchromatic Fluorescence Emission from Thienosquaraines Dyes: White Light Electrofluorochromic Devices

Electrofluorochromic devices (EFCDs) that allow the modulation of the light emitted by electroactive fluorophores are very attractive in the research field of optoelectronics. Here, the electrofluorochromic behaviour of a series of squaraine dyes was studied for the first time. In solutions, all compounds are photoluminescent with maxima located in the range 665–690 nm, characterized by quantum yields ranging from 30% to 4.1%. Squaraines were incorporated in a polymer gel used as an active layer in all-in-one gel switchable EFCDs. An aggregation induced quenching occurs in the gel phase, causing a significant decrease in the emission quantum yield in the device. However, the squaraines containing the thieno groups (thienosquaraines, TSQs) show a panchromatic emission and their electrofluorochromism allows the tuning of the fluorescence intensity from 500 nm to the near infrared. Indeed, the application of a potential difference to the device induces a reversible quenching of their emission that is significantly higher and occurs at shorter switching times for TSQs-based devices compared to the reference squaraine dye (DIBSQ). Interestingly, the TSQs fluorescence spectral profile becomes more structured under voltage, and this could be explained by the shift of the aggregates/monomer equilibrium toward the monomeric species, due to electrochemical oxidation, which causes the disassembling of aggregates. This effect may be used to modulate the colour of the fluorescence light emitted by a device and paves the way for conceiving new electrofluorochromic materials based on this mechanism.