Preliminary 1H NMR study on archaeological waterlogged wood

Magnetic Resonance Relaxation (MRR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are powerful tools to obtain detailed information on the pore space structure that one is unlikely to obtain in other ways. These techniques are particularly suitable for Cultural Heritage materials, because they use water 1H nuclei as a probe. Interaction with water is one of the main causes of deterioration of materials. Porous structure in wood, for example, favours the penetration of water, which can carry polluting substances and promote mould growth. A particular case is waterlogged wood from underwater discoveries and moist sites; in fact, these finds are very fragile because of chemical, physical and biological decay from the long contact with the water. When wood artefacts are brought to the surface and directly dried in air, there is the collapse of the cellular structures, and wood loses its original form and dimensions and cannot be used for study and museum exhibits. In this work we have undertaken the study of some wood finds coming from Ercolano's harbour by MRR and MRI under different conditions, and we have obtained a characterization of pore space in wood and images of the spatial distribution of the confined water in the wood.     

Anchoring sulphur-headgroup organic molecules at Cu(1 0 0): Tailoring the interface electronic states

Sulphur-headgroup organic molecules have been chemisorbed on Cu(1 0 0) as self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) in highly-ordered two-fold symmetry structures, and the electronic states induced at the interface have been measured by photoemission: a close similarity of the main interface states for methane-thiolate and mercaptobenzoxazole on Cu(1 0 0) in the same p(2 × 2)-phase is observed. The bonding states for methane-thiolate/Cu(1 0 0) in the p(2 × 2) and c(2 × 2) structures have been compared to ab-initio calculation of the total density of states (DOS) for the S/Cu(1 0 0) system in the same phases. The major role of the S-Cu bonding to determine the density of state evolution at the interface is brought to light. The observed differences in the two phases depend mainly on the charge distribution associated to the different molecular packing, with a minor role of the radical group.     

Degradation of imazosulfuron in different soils-HPLC determination

Imazosulfuron, 1-(2-chloroimidazo [1,2-a] pyridin-3-ylsulfonyl)-3-(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)urea, is a new sulfonylurea herbicide applied once per growing season. It is highly active at low application levels and is used to control most annual and perennial broad-leaf weeds and some grasses in cereal crop. In this work the degradation of imazosulfuron in four different soils was investigated under aerobic laboratory conditions to evaluate its environmental fate. Test soils were treated with this herbicide in acetonitrile to obtain a final concentration of 0.2 mg kg(-1) (100 g ha(-1)), extracted with methylene chloride and analyzed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) using a C(18) column coupled with UV detection. Recoveries of spiked soils ranged from 84.3 to 99.8% (RDS 0.0-4.9%; n = 4). The limits of quantitation ranged from 0.002 to 0.004 mg kg(-1). Imazosulfuron half-life, t(1/2), was calculated in each of the investigated soil. In aerobic conditions it ranged between 1 and 50 days.     

Tricarbonyl rhenium(I) complexes containing a bridging 2,5-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole ligand: structural, spectroscopic, electrochemical, and computational characterization

The three complexes [Re2(mu-X1)(mu-X2)(CO)6(mu-ppd-kappaN3:kappaN4)] (X1, X2 ) H, 1; X1 ) H, X2 ) Cl, 2; X1, X2 ) Cl, 3; ppd) 2,5-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole) have been synthesized by different routes, involving the reaction of [Re4(mu3-H)4(CO)12]with ppd for 1, the reaction of 1 with HCl for 2, and the reaction of [ReCl(CO)5] with ppd for 3. The three complexes possess a different number of valence electrons, so the formal Re-Re bond order varies from 2 to 1 to 0 in complexes 1, 2, and 3, respectively. This is reflected in the Re-Re bond distance (277.9, 297.9, and 358.5 pm in the same series)and in the stability of the complexes in the coordinating solvent acetonitrile (t1/2 for ppd displacement 13.6, 4.5, and 3.7 h,for 1, 2, and 3, respectively). Both experimental and calculated structures indicates that coordination induces a distortion from planarity of the diphenyloxadiazole moiety due to the interaction of the equatorial carbonyls with the bridging ppd,which increases on going from 1 to 2 to 3 (dihedral angle between the oxadiazole and the phenyl rings 18.4 degrees, 23.3 degrees, and 45.0 degrees, respectively). The UV spectra show pi-pi* transitions of the oxadiazole ligand (which shift to higher energy on increasing the distortion from the planarity, from 252 to 267 nm) and metal-to-ligand charge transfer absorptions (from 300 to 362 nm). Upon irradiation between 340 and 380 nm, complex 2 only features a weak broad emission at 527 nm(phi)0.02%), whereas upon excitation at 300 nm, the emission typical of free ppd is observed, suggesting photodissociation.Cyclic voltammetry investigations in acetonitrile showed that the three complexes exhibit ligand-centered irreversible reduction peaks (from -1.83 to -1.93 V vs Fc+|Fc), shifted to more positive values with respect to free ppd (-2.50 V). The shift however is smaller than in the analogous derivatives containing 1,2-diazines, suggesting a smaller electron depletion of the heterocycle ligand upon coordination. The complexes also show a metal-centered, bi-electronic, irreversible oxidation peak (from 1.05 to 1.37 V vs Fc+/Fc). A combined density functional and time-dependent density functional (TD DFT)study allowed us to understand the factors affecting the stability of the three complexes and to rationalize their electrochemical and photophysical properties in terms of their electronic structure.     

Determination of aflatoxins in hazelnuts by various sample preparation methods and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive and reliable liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric with electrospray ionization method for determining aflatoxins in hazelnuts has been developed. Three different extraction techniques, such as homogenization, ultrasonic extraction, and matrix solid phase dispersion have been tested and compared in terms of recovery, matrix effect, accuracy and precision. Ultrasound extraction was the most performing sample preparation method. Absolute recoveries for analytes and I.S. ranged from 93 to 101%. Accuracy and precision were calculated using matrix matched calibration, and ranged 91-102% and 2-11%, respectively. CC alpha and CC beta for aflatoxin B1 (EU limit=2 microg/kg) were 2.15 and 2.33 microg/kg, respectively. A ruggedness test performed on three other matrices demonstrated that sonication time was critical and a matrix matched calibration must be constructed for every sort of matrix.     

Chirality in the Absence of Rigid Stereogenic Elements: The Absolute Configuration of Residual Enantiomers of C3‐Symmetric Propellers

Two new tris(aryl)phosphane oxides existing as configurationally stable residual enantiomers have been synthesised and their racemates resolved by semipreparative HPLC on a chiral stationary phase (CSP HPLC). One of them, recognised as a conglomerate, could be resolved by fractional crystallisation at a preparative scale level. In this case, the absolute configuration of the propeller‐shaped molecule was determined by anomalous X‐ray scattering. The problem of the correlative assignment of the absolute configuration to all known C₃‐symmetric three‐bladed propeller‐shaped molecules existing as stable residual enantiomers is discussed. The configurational stability of the new chiral phosphane oxides and of the corresponding phosphanes was evaluated by CD signal decay kinetics and dynamic ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The racemisation barriers in phosphanes were found about 10 kcal mol^?1 lower than those found for the corresponding oxides, though geometry and inter‐ring gearing would be very similar in the two series. Configurational stability of residual tris(aryl)phosphanes was found to be influenced by the electronic availability of the phosphorus centre, as evaluated by electrochemical CV experiments.     

Improved extraction of vegetable oils under high-intensity ultrasound and/or microwaves

Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) techniques have been employed as complementary techniques to extract oils from vegetable sources, viz, soybean germ and a cultivated marine microalga rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Ultrasound (US) devices developed by ourselves, working at several frequencies (19, 25, 40 and 300 kHz), were used for US-based protocols, while a multimode microwave (MW) oven (operating with both open and closed vessels) was used for MAE. Combined treatments were also studied, such as simultaneous double sonication (at 19 and 25 kHz) and simultaneous US/MW irradiation, achieved by inserting a non-metallic horn in a MW oven. Extraction times and yields were compared with those resulting from conventional procedures. With soybean germ the best yield was obtained with a ‘cavitating tube’ prototype (19 kHz, 80 W), featuring a thin titanium cylinder instead of a conventional horn. Double sonication, carried out by inserting an immersion horn (25 kHz) in the same tube, improved the yield only slightly but halved the extraction time. Almost comparable yields were achieved by closed-vessel MAE and simultaneous US/MW irradiation. Compared with conventional methods, extraction times were reduced by up to 10-fold and yields increased by 50–500%. In the case of marine microalgae, UAE worked best, as the disruption by US of the tough algal cell wall considerably improved the extraction yield from 4.8% in soxhlet to 25.9%. Our results indicate that US and MW, either alone or combined, can greatly improve the extraction of bioactive substances, achieving higher efficiency and shorter reaction times at low or moderate costs, with minimal added toxicity.     

Results from the UA 2 experiment at the CERN p¯p Collider

This paper presents results on the production and decay properties of the Intermediate Vector Bosons (IVB)W and Z⁰ and on the search of the top quark in the upgraded UA 2 detector at the CERNp¯p Collider. The analysed data have been taken in the 1988 and 1989 Collider running periods at the centre of mass energy of 630 GeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 7·4 pb^–1.     

Effects of potassium on the supramolecular structure and electronic properties of eumelanin thin films

The role of potassium in the formation of synthetic eumelanin aggregates is investigated by atomic force microscopy and soft-X-ray spectroscopy. Control over the thin film granularity is achieved by using K salts, in both drop casting and electrodeposition of eumelanin thin films. Further control over orientation is made possible by a suitable choice of the substrate: evidence of self-assembly is found for thin films deposited on gold. Finally, it is shown that the potassium content affects not only the samples morphology, but also the low-lying states in the valence band, where a transfer of spectral weight across the HOMO-LUMO gap is observed, disclosing possible applications of this multifunctional biomacromolecule.