Ruthenium(III) complexes of amine-bis(phenolate) ligands as catalysts for transfer hydrogenation of ketones

Twelve ruthenium(III) complexes bearing amine-bis(phenolate) tripodal ligands of general formula [Ru(L¹–L³)(X)(EPh₃)₂] (where L¹–L³ are dianionic tridentate chelator) have been synthesized by the reaction of ruthenium(III) precursors [RuX₃(EPh₃)₃] (where E = P, X = Cl; E = As, X = Cl or Br) and [RuBr₃(PPh₃)₂(CH₃OH)] with the tripodal tridentate ligands H₂L¹, H₂L² and H₂L³ in benzene in 1:1 molar ratio. The newly synthesized complexes have been characterized by analytical (elemental and magnetic susceptibility) and spectral methods. The complexes are one electron paramagnetic (low-spin, d⁵) in nature. The EPR spectra of the powdered samples at RT and the liquid samples at LNT shows the presence of three different ‘g’ values (g_x ≠ g_y ≠ g_z) indicate a rhombic distortion around the ruthenium ion. The redox potentials indicate that all the complexes undergo one electron transfer process. The catalytic activity of one of the complexes [Ru(pcr-chx)Br(AsPh₃)₂] was examined in the transfer hydrogenation of ketones and was found to be efficient with conversion up to 99% in the presence of isopropanol/KOH.     

Proximinal subspaces of finite codimension in direct sum spaces

We give a necessary and sufficient condition for proximinality of a closed subspace of finite codimension in c₀-direct sum of Banach spaces.     

Ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes of dehydroacetic acid thiosemicarbazone: Synthesis, structure, light emission and biological activity

The reaction of [RuHCl(CO)(B)(EPh₃)₂] (where E = As, B = AsPh₃; E = P, B = PPh₃, py, pip, or mor) and dehydroacetic acid thiosemicarbazone (abbreviated as H₂dhatsc where H₂ stands for the two dissociable protons) in benzene under reflux afford a series of new ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes containing dehydroacetic acid thiosemicarbazone of general formula [Ru(dhatsc)(CO)(B)(EPh₃)] (where E = As, B = AsPh₃; E = P, B = PPh₃, py, pip or mor; dhatsc = dibasic tridentate dehydroacetic acid thiosemicarbazone). All the complexes have been characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR, UV-Vis, and ¹H NMR spectral methods. The thiosemicarbazone of dehydroacetic acid behaves as dianionic tridentate O, N, S donor and coordinates to ruthenium via phenolic oxygen of dehydroacetic acid, the imine nitrogen of thiosemicarbazone and thiol sulfur. In chloroform solution, all the complexes exhibit metal-to-ligand charge transfer transitions (MLCT). The crystal structure of one of the complexes [Ru(dhatsc)(CO)(PPh₃)₂] (1) has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction which reveals the presence of a distorted octahedral geometry in the complexes. All the complexes exhibit an irreversible oxidation (Ru^III/Ru^II) in the range 0.76-0.89 V and an irreversible reduction (Ru^II/Ru^I) in the range −0.87 to −0.97 V. Further, the free ligand and its ruthenium complexes have been screened for their antibacterial and antifungal activities. The complexes show better activity in inhibiting the growth of bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and fungus Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. These results made it desirable to delineate a comparison between free ligand and its ruthenium complexes.     

l-Proline-catalysed three-component domino reactions for the diastereoselective synthesis of 5,6-disubstituted 3-thiomorpholinones

l-Proline-catalysed three-component domino reactions of ethyl 2-[(2-oxo-2-arylethyl)sulfanyl]acetate, aromatic aldehydes and ammonia provide a rapid and facile access to novel trans-6-aroyl-5-aryl-3-thiomorpholinones. This diastereoselective reaction presumably proceeds via a domino sequence comprising enamine formation, Mannich reaction and intramolecular amidation individual steps and resulting in the generation of one C-C and two C-N bonds in a one-pot operation. The reaction also creates two contiguous stereocenters with complete diastereoselectivity.     

Etching and dielectric studies on L‐lysine monohydrochloride dihydrate single crystal

The nonlinear optical single crystals of L‐Lysine monohydrochloride dihydrate (L‐LMHCl) have been grown and examined by High‐resolution X‐ray diffraction and etching studies for their perfection. The vibrational frequencies have been identified by the micro‐Raman studies and the dielectric behaviour has been studied and the results are presented in detail. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Polarised structure functions

This talk discusses the current understanding in some aspects of polarised lepton-nucleon deep inelastic scattering. The first section focuses on the non-singlet part of available spin dependent structure function data. The results, though consistent with theoretical predictions in this sector, are extremely sensitive to extrapolation of the data to thex→1 region and seem to indicate that the quarksdo carry a very small fraction of the nucleon spin. We then review the formalism of DIS processes with emphasis on the gluon sector.     

Real-time measurement of stress and damage evolution during initial lithiation of crystalline silicon

Crystalline to amorphous phase transformation during initial lithiation in (100) Si wafers is studied in an electrochemical cell with Li metal as the counter and reference electrode. During initial lithiation, a moving phase boundary advances into the wafer starting from the surface facing the lithium electrode, transforming crystalline Si into amorphous Li(x)Si. The resulting biaxial compressive stress in the amorphous layer is measured in situ, and it was observed to be ca. 0.5 GPa. High-resolution TEM images reveal a very sharp crystalline-amorphous phase boundary, with a thickness of ～1 nm. Upon delithiation, the stress rapidly reverses and becomes tensile, and the amorphous layer begins to deform plastically at around 0.5 GPa. With continued delithiation, the yield stress increases in magnitude, culminating in a sudden fracture of the amorphous layer into microfragments, and the cracks extend into the underlying crystalline Si.     

Preparation and characterization of a novel mercury(II) telluride chloride Hg5TeCl8

Telluride ion forms polynuclear soluble cationic complexes with excess Hg(II) in sulphuric acid media. Compounds Hg₅TeCl₈ and Hg₄Te(SO₄)₃ were prepared and characterised.     

India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)

We present some physics possibilities with an iron calorimeter detector (ICAL) and a status report on the feasibility study to construct such a detector at a future possible India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO). This talk was given at the workshop on high energy physics phenomenology, WHEPP-8, in Jan. 2004, at IIT Bombay.