Synthesis and single-crystal X-ray characterization of 4,4"-functionalized 4'-(4-bromophenyl)-2,2':6',2"-terpyridines

To expand the utility of bis(terpyridine) metal connectivity, the selective symmetrical and unsymmetrical 4,4"-functionalization (-CN, -Me, -CO2Me) of 4'-(4-bromophenyl)-2,2':6',2"-terpyridines was achieved using the Kr?hnke synthesis. The final substituted 2,2':6',2"-terpyridines along with their corresponding intermediates, 4a-c, were recrystallized and characterized by 1H NMR and 13C NMR as well as X-ray crystallography; COSY correlations were also conducted to permit definitive proton assignment.     

Surface spin disorder and spin-glass-like behaviour in manganese-substituted cobalt ferrite nanoparticles

Due to the increasing use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in consumer products, it is essential to understand how variables, such as light exposure, may change the physical and chemical characteristics of AgNP suspensions. To this end, the effect of 300?nm ultraviolet (UV) light on (20, 40, 60 and 80)?nm citrate-capped AgNP suspensions has been investigated. As a consequence of irradiation, the initial yellow hue of the AgNP suspensions is transformed towards a near colorless solution due to the loss of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorbance. The decrease in SPR absorbance followed a first-order decay process for all particle sizes with a rate constant that increased linearly with the AgNP specific surface area and non-linearly with light intensity. The rate of loss of the SPR absorbance decreased with increasing citrate concentration, suggesting a surface-mediated transformation. Absorbance, atomic force microscopy, and dynamic light scattering results all indicated that AgNP photolysis was accompanied by a diameter decrease and occasional aggregation. Furthermore, in situ transmission electron microscopy imaging using a specialized liquid cell also showed a decrease in the particle size and the formation of a core?Cshell structure in UV-exposed AgNPs. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis suggested that this shell consisted of oxidized silver. The SPR in UV-exposed AgNP suspensions could be regenerated by addition of a strong reducing agent (NaBH₄), supporting the idea that oxidized silver is present after photolysis. Evidence for UV-enhanced dissolution and the production of silver ions was obtained with the Donnan membrane technique. This study reveals that the physico-chemical properties of aqueous AgNP suspensions will change significantly upon exposure to UV light, with implications for environmental health and safety risk assessments.     

Transformation of femtoliter metal cups to oxide cups: chemical mapping by scanning Auger spectroscopy

Cup-like structures of In, Sn and Nb on Si substrates with femtoliter capacity obtained by pulsed laser ablation, have been subjected to different oxidation treatments and examined employing spatially resolved scanning Auger spectroscopy and microscopy (SR-AES and SAM). The as-prepared cups, when exposed to ambient conditions are found to have a native oxide layer at the surface that could be easily removed by Ar ion sputtering, resulting in clean metal cups, suitable for functionalization. In the case of In cups, the thin metal layer at the bottom of the cups could be easily removed by sputtering to form In rings. Cups subjected to an external oxidation treatment have a thicker oxide layer in comparison to in-situ dosing of oxygen. In the case of Nb cups, the high temperature treatment employed during oxidation resulted in the segregation of Si to the surface of the cups. There is also evidence for the formation of a metal-silicon alloy at the center of the cups, especially in the case of Sn and Nb, during the oxidation treatment at elevated temperatures. PACS 68.37.Xy; 68.47.De; 81.15.Fg; 81.65.Mq; 81.70.Jb     

Highly fluorescent pyreno[2,1-b]pyrroles: first syntheses, crystal structure, and intriguing photophysical properties

A series of pyrrole analogues of benzo[a]pyrene have been synthesized in which pyreno[2,1-b]pyrrole exhibits highly fluorescent properties in solution as well as in crystalline form even possessing strong pi-pi stacking. The pi-stacking-induced fluorescence spectral changes lead to future applications such as molecular recognition feasible upon chemical modification.     

Hessenberg matrices and the Pell and Perrin numbers

In this paper, we investigate the Pell sequence and the Perrin sequence and we derive some relationships between these sequences and permanents and determinants of one type of Hessenberg matrices.     

Reliable gain‐scheduled control design for networked control systems

In this article, the problem of reliable gain‐scheduled H_∞ performance optimization and controller design for a class of discrete‐time networked control system (NCS) is discussed. The main aim of this work is to design a gain‐scheduled controller, which consists of not only the constant parameters but also the time‐varying parameter such that NCS is asymptotically stable. In particular, the proposed gain‐scheduled controller is not only based on fixed gains but also the measured time‐varying parameter. Further, the result is extended to obtain a robust reliable gain‐scheduled H_∞ control by considering both unknown disturbances and linear fractional transformation parametric uncertainties in the system model. By constructing a parameter‐dependent Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional, a new set of sufficient conditions are obtained in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The existence conditions for controllers are formulated in the form of LMIs, and the controller design is cast into a convex optimization problem subject to LMI constraints. Finally, a numerical example based on a station‐keeping satellite system is given to demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed reliable control law. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 214–228, 2015     

AN EFFICIENT SYNTHESIS OF DIHYDRO SELENOLO (2,3-b)QUINOLINE-2-CARBOXYLIC ETHYL ESTERS AND 2-SELENOXO-1, 2-DIHYDRO-3-CARBETHOXY ETHYL QUINOLINES—THEIR ANTI-BACTERIAL STUDIES

The compounds dihydro selenolo(2,3-b)quinoline-2-carboxylic ethyl esters and 2-selenoxo-1, 2-dihydro-3-carbethoxy ethyl quinolines were synthesized in varying yields upon reacting 3-(2-chloro-3-quinolyl)acrylic methyl esters with the nucleophilic reagent sodium hydrogen selenide in ethanol medium under nitrogen atmosphere.     

Microwave Assisted One Pot Synthesis of Substituted 3-Formyl Benzoates Using Vilsmeier Reagent

A facile one pot conversion of alkyl diacylacetates to 2,6-dichloro-3-formyl benzoates using Vilsmeier reagent in a two pronged strategy - conventional heating and microwave irradiation method is reported. The reaction time has been brought down from hours to seconds in microwave irradiation method.     

Synthesis and magnetic properties of a porphine-based photosynthesizer with magnetic nano-carriers

The coupling of benzyl protected dopamine with meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphine (m-TCPP) and a simple deprotection by hydrogenation under catalyst (Pd/C) to remove the benzyl groups afforded the meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphine-dopamine conjugate, m-TCPPD (1). Previously prepared superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) were coated with m-TCPPD by sonication in methanol, and then the m-TCPPD coated SPIONs (2) were separated with a permanent magnet. The microstructure and magnetic properties of the m-TCPPD coated SPIONs were characterized by UV, ¹H NMR, MALDI MS, XRD, TEM, FT-IR, TGA and VSM. The crystallite size obtained from X-ray line profile fitting is comparable with the particle size obtained from TEM. Magnetization measurements reveal that m-TCPPD coated SPIONs do not reach saturation even at high fields. The absence of remanance and weak magnetization, which are characteristic features of superparamagnetics, has been observed. The average particle size has been determined, by fitting the Langevin function to the experimental M−H hysteresis curves, as approximately 8 nm.