Electronic structure of adducts of Eu(III) <Emphasis Type="Italic">TRIS</Emphasis>-β—diketonates with phenanthroline: photoelectron and theoretical studies

By UPS spectroscopy of vapor, XPS spectroscopy of the condensed phase, and quantum chemical methods the adducts of tris-β-diketonates Eu(асас)₃Phen and Eu(hfас)₃Phen are studied. The electronic structure and features of the nature of chemical bonds in the adducts are established. The geometric structure of the studied compounds in the gas phase is determined. A procedure is developed that helps to assign the bands in gas-phase HeI photoelectron spectra and also in the valence band of the XPS spectra. Quantum chemical calculations (DFT) make it possible to find the regular changes in the electronic structure of the chelate complexes depending on ligand fluorination, to study the effect of a 1,10-phenanthroline molecule on the electronic structure of the chelate rings, and also to analyze the electronic effects caused by trifluoromethyl substitution for methyl groups in the ligand.     

Molecular kinetic aspects of vaporization of volatile coordination compounds with organic ligands

We present results of the experimental study and numerical simulation of radiation-convective heat and mass transfer during the sublimation of spherical particles of metal β-diketonates in a high-temperature inert gas flow (argon or helium). The sublimation process is visualized, and experimental data on the temperature variation dynamics and particle size are obtained. It is shown that at stable transfer of the compound from the particle surface the sublimation proceeds with the formation of large pores in its structure. The effect of inert gas properties on the kinetics of the vaporization process of precursor particles with various initial diameters is analyzed in the temperature range from 200 °C to 330 °C. Due to a higher thermal conductivity and heat capacity of helium as compared with argon, the choice of helium as carrier gas causes an increase in the sublimation intensity.     

Manifestation of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">gauche</Emphasis> effect in conformers of benzenesulfonic acid hydrazide

Conformational properties of a benzenesulfonic acid hydrazide molecule and its para-nitro and para-methyl derivatives, which have found wide application as porofors and biologically active compounds, are studied. It is found that the benzenesulfonic acid hydrazide molecule has six conformers with relative energies of 0//0 kcal/mol, 0.34//0.98 kcal/mol, 2.51//2.25 kcal/mol, 2.54//2.56 kcal/mol, 2.90//3.28 kcal/mol, 6.64//6.43 kcal/mol (MP2//DFT(B3LYP) with the cc-pVTZ basis set), each conformer has enantiomer. The conformers differ from each other in the relative orientation of the fragments of the–SO2NHNH2 group, the energies of the frontier orbitals, the direction and value of the dipole moments. It is shown that the introduction of a nitro or methyl group into the para-position practically does not affect the conformational properties of the sulfonyl hydrazide group. Change in the structure of benzenesulfonic acid hydrazide during the crystal–gas transition is considered and it is revealed that in the crystal the conformation similar in structure to one of the high-energy conformers of the free molecule is stabilized. The NBO analysis of the electron density distribution is performed and it is shown that the occurrence of the gauche effect in all conformers of the molecules under study can be interpreted by the manifestation of the total action of strong anomeric effects between the lone pairs of nitrogen atoms and antibonding orbitals of S=O, N–H, C–S, and N–S bonds.     

X-ray photoelectron and X-ray emission study of the electronic structure of hexanuclear Mn(II,III) pivalate complexes

The electronic structure of hexanuclear Mn(II,III) pivalate complexes with tetrahydrofuran and isonicotinamide are studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray emission spectroscopy. It is shown that when isonicotinamide substitutes for tetrahydrofuran the spin state of manganese ions is retained; the electron density increases on the manganese and oxygen atoms of the [Mn₆(O)₂Piv₁₀] core.     

Properties of methylammonium lead iodide perovskite single crystals

The technique for growing CH₃NH₃PbI₃ single crystals from saturated solutions in concentrated hydroiodic acid is improved by introducing a reducing agent (hypophosphorous acid). The structure of perovskite is confirmed by single crystal XRD. By energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy it is established that the stoichiometry of the grown crystals corresponds to the CH₃NH₃PbI₃ compound. Changes in the photoluminescence intensity during in-air measurements show that the crystals synthesized using the reducing agent are more stable in the external environment with laser exposure than without it.     

The rheology of hydrogels based on chitosan–gelatin (bio)polyelectrolyte complexes

Influence of the chitosan concentration in the low-concentrated acidic hydrogels formed by (bio)polyelectrolyte chitosan–gelatin complexes (at a constant gelatin concentration of 1%) was studied by shearing in steady flow and linear oscillations. These complexes, including native gelatin, demonstrate clearly expressed viscoelastic properties. Viscoelastic properties correlated well with the non-Newtonian behavior of hydrogels (according to the Cox–Merz rule). Increasing the chitosan concentration (from 0.1% to 0.6%) results in exponential growth of the apparent viscosity, yield stress, and storage modulus. However, a further increase in chitosan concentration to 0.8% leads to a reduction in these rheological parameters due to the electrostatic repulsion of similarly charged polyelectrolyte complexes under the high concentration of these complexes. The macro-rheological properties of chitosan–gelatin gels are mainly determined by the colloidal structure of sol-precursors in solutions. The yield stress dependence on the radius of the dispersed particles is of square type. Electron photomicrographs showed that the introduction of even small quantities of chitosan leads to radical changes in the supramolecular structure of the gelatin gel.     

Influence of thermal load on the characteristics of a flow with evaporation

The two-layer flows of a liquid and a gas in a horizontal channel are investigated under condition of given gas flow rate. Evaporation on the thermocapillary interface is taken into account. An exact solution is constructed of the Navier–Stokes equations in the Boussinesq approximation, taking into account the Dufour effect in the gas-vapor layer. Within the framework of linear theory, the stability of the obtained solutions and the characteristics of the arising perturbations are studied. The influence is considered of the thickness of the liquid layer and the magnitude of the longitudinal temperature gradient on the structure of the basic flow and perturbations.     

Polymerization of trimethylene carbonate and lactones in the presence of magnesium monoionolate: A comparative theoretical and experimental study

Using quantum-chemical calculations (DFT, program Priroda), the formation of a catalyst species on the basis of magnesium complexes with 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol is discussed. A comparative theoretical and experimental study of the ring-opening polymerization of trimethylene carbonate, 1,4-dioxanone, δ-valerolactone, and ε-caprolactone in the presence of the monoionolate magnesium complex is performed. It is shown that the calculated values of activation barriers correlate with the observed order of activity of cyclic esters. The maximum rate of polymerization is exhibited by trimethylene carbonate.     

A polymer regulator of enzyme activity

The reaction of the amino group of α-chymotrypsin with poly(N,N-diethylacrylamides) bearing terminal carboxyl groups which have the degree of polymerization ranging from 30 to 180 and which possess an LCST of 34–29°C affords polymer derivatives of the enzyme. It is found that, upon an increase in the temperature of the aqueous solution of the resulting derivatives to 40°C, the derivative with a degree of polymerization of 180 precipitates at 34°C, while the derivatives with a degree of polymerization of 30–80 remain in solution. The activity of α-chymotrypsin as a part of the derivatives with a degree of polymerization of 30 does not change with increasing temperature, whereas the activity of the enzyme as a part of the derivatives with degrees of polymerization of 60 and 80 decays almost to zero near the LCST of the initial polymers. Such a change in the enzyme activity is reversible (the activity fully recovers with a decrease in temperature).     

Synthesis of pillar[5]arenes with a PH-containing fragment

The reactions of phosphorus(III) chloride and 2-chloro-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane with monohydroxypillar[5]arene afforded for the first time the corresponding PH-phosphonates. It was found that the newly formed P–O(Ar) bond is characterized by considerably reduced reactivity, which was rationalized by essential shielding of the phosphorus atom by the pillar[5]arene macrocycle. The pillar[5]arene scaffold stabilizes the highly reactive P^III–Cl fragment, so that the formation of macrocyclic dichlorophosphite can be detected under normal conditions.