Chemistry of azoimidazoles. Synthesis,spectral characterization and redox studies of N(1)-benzyl-2-(arylazo)imidazolepalladium(II)chloride

Arylazoimidazoles (2) are N,N-chelating ligands. The polymerization trend of the azolate system is restricted via N(1)-benzylation. The parent molecules (2), N(1)-benzylated products (3) and palladium complexes (4) were made by standard methods. The ligands (3) and complexes (4) are new. They have been characterized by elemental analysis, i.r., u.v.-vis. and high resolution 1H-n.m.r. spectral data. Redox studies were carried out by cyclic voltammetry. On complexation, azo reduction is shifted anodically.     

Keggin ion mediated synthesis of hydrophobized Pd nanoparticles for multifunctional catalysis

Development of simple and reliable protocols for the synthesis of organically soluble catalytically active metal nanoparticles is an important aspect of research in nanomaterials. We demonstrate herein the formation of Pd nanoparticles by reduction of aqueous Pd(NO(3))(2) by photoexcited Keggin ions (phosphotungstate anions). This results in the formation of Pd nanoparticles capped with with Keggin ions that render the particles negatively charged. The Keggin ion capped Pd nanoparticles may then be phase transferred into nonpolar organic solvents such as toluene by electrostatic complexation with cationic surfactants such as octadecylamine at the liquid-liquid interface. This results in a new class of catalyst wherein both the Pd core and Keggin ion shell may be used in a range of catalytic reactions leading to a truly multifunctional catalyst dispersible in organic solvents.     

Origins of the differences in solvation by alkanes and perfluoroalkanes Evidence from the S2-S0 spectra of jet-cooled van der Waals complexes of xanthione and azulene

The S₂-S₀ fluorescence excitation spectra ofxanthione (XT) and azulene (AZ) complexed with 1 or 2 molecules of the C₁ to C₁₀ n-alkanes and the C₁ to C₆ perfluoro-n-alkanes have been measured. The 1:1 complexes exhibit microscopic solvent shifts, Δ gn, which are larger for the alkanes than the corresponding perfluoroalkanes, despite the larger molecular polarizability of the latter. The values of Δ gn increase monotonically with carbon number of the adduct to C₁₀ in 1:1 n-alkane complexes with XT and to C₅ in 1:1 n-alkane complexes with AZ. However, Δ gn exhibits no further increase beyond C₂ in 1:1 perfluoro-n-alkane complexes with XT and beyond C₃ in 1:1 perfluoro-n-alkane complexes with AZ. The results are interpreted in terms of a model in which the n-alkanes stretch out along the long axis of the chromophore and ‘wet’ its surface whereas the perfluoro-n-alkanes with carbon numbers 3 away from the surface of the chromophore and are ‘non-wetting’.     

Retroaldol-aldol isomerization of perhydroazulenic hydroxyketones

The retroaldol-aldol isomerization of the epimeric hydroxyketones $\text{3}$ and $\text{5}$ was found to yield predominantly $\text{4}$ and $\text{6}$, respectively, under kinetic conditions in the presence of chelating lithium cations. In hydroxylic medium $\text{4}$ is the preferred kinetic product. Under equilibration conditions $\text{4}$ and $\text{5}$ predominate.     

Fluctuating boundary layers in combined convection flows along a vertical surface

The effect of buoyancy force on laminar boundary layer in two dimensional flow and heat transfer along a semi-infinite vertical surface, when the velocity of the on-coming stream oscillates in magnitude about a steady mean, is analysed. Two separate solutions valid for low and high frequency ranges are developed. It is found that for low frequency oscillations the phase angles of oscillatory components of skin friction and the rate of heat transfer increase as the Grashof number increases. For very high frequencies, the velocity field is of shear-wave type unaffected by the mean flow; the phase lead in the skin friction is, then, /4 and the rate of heat transfer fluctuation indicates a phase lag of /2 over that of the free stream oscillations.The authors are thankful to referee for many useful suggestions.     

The reactivity of the cis-RuCl2 fragment in Ru(P)2(TaiMe)Cl2 with N,O; O,O and S,S-chelators (P = PPh3; TaiMe = 1-methyl-2-(p-tolylazo)imidazole)

Ru(P)₂(TaiMe)Cl₂ [P = PPh₃; TaiMe = 1-methyl-2-(p-tolylazo)imidazole] possesses a cis-RuCl₂ configuration. Dechlorination was carried out in acetone solution by Ag⁺ and the solvated species reacted with N,O-[oxinate (ox), -picolinate (pic)], O,O-[salicylate (sa), 3-formylsalicylate (3-fsa), 5-formylsalicylate (5-fsa)] and S,S-[xanthate (xan), dithiocarbamate (dtc)] chelators to yield [Ru(P)₂(TaiMe)(N,O/O,O/S,S)] (ClO₄) _n (n = 1 for N,O- and S,S-chelators; n = 0 for O,O-chelators). The complexes were characterised by microanalysis, molar conductance, i.r., u.v.–vis. and ¹H-n.m.r. data. Isomeric structures in some complexes were identified by ¹H-n.m.r. spectra. The electronic spectra show a high intensity ( 10⁴) m.l.c.t. transition in the visible region together with a weak shoulder ( 10³) at longer wavelength. Redox studies exhibit a Ru^III/Ru^II couple and quasireversible azo reduction.     

A mild conversion of phenylpropropnoid into rare phenylbutanoids: (E)-4-(2,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)but-1,3-diene and (E)-4-(2,4,5-trimethozypheny)but-1-ene occuring in Zingiber cassumunar

(E)-4-(2',4',5'-trimethoxyphenyl)but-1,3-diene (4) and (E)-4-(2',4',5'-trimethoxyphenyl)but-1-ene (6), bioactive phenylbutanoids of Zingiber cassumunar, were synthesized exclusively with trans geometry. Treatment of methylmagnesium iodide with (E)-2',4',5'-trimethoxycinnamaldehyde (2), an oxidized product of abundantly available toxic (Z)-phenylpropanoid (1) of Acorus calamus, gave (E)-4-(2',4',5'-trimethoxyphenyl)but-3-en-2-ol (3) which upon dehydration with copper sulphate/silica gel under microwave irradiation for 3 min afforded 4 in 58% yield. Further, catalytic hydrogenation of 4 with 10% Pd/C afforded 4-(2',4',5'-trimethoxyphenyl)butane (5) which upon dehydrogenation with DDQ/SiO2 afforded hypolipidemic 6 in 54% yield.     

State-resolved unimolecular dissociation of cis-cis HOONO: Product state distributions and action spectrum in the 2nuOH band region

Nascent OH fragment product state distributions arising from unimolecular dissociation of room temperature HOONO, initiated by excitation in the region of the 2nu(OH) band, are probed using laser-induced fluorescence at sub-Doppler resolution. Phase-space simulations of the measured OH rotational distributions are consistent with the dissociation dynamics being statistical and confirm that all major features in the room temperature action spectrum belong to the cis-cis conformer. The phase-space simulations also allow us to estimate the HO-ONO bond dissociation energy of cis-cis HOONO to be D(0)=19.9+/-0.5 kcal/mol, which when combined with the known heat-of-formation data for the OH and NO(2) fragments gives DeltaH(f) (0)(cis-cis HOONO)=-2.5 kcal/mol. In addition to fragment energy release, spectral features in the cis-cis HOONO action spectrum are examined with respect to their shifts upon (15)N isotope substitution and through ab initio spectral simulation using a two-dimensional dipole surface that takes into account the influence of HOON torsional motion on the OH stretching overtone. The two-dimensional spectral simulations, using CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ dipole surface, qualitatively reproduces features appearing in the action spectrum and suggest that the strong broad feature occurring approximately 570 cm(-1) to the blue of the cis-cis HOONO 2nu(OH) peak, likely involve excitation of HOON-torsion/OH-stretch combination bands originating from thermally populated excited torsional states. A closer examination of the predictions of the two-dimensional model with experiments also reveals its limitations and suggests that a more elaborate treatment, one which includes several additional modes, will likely be required in order to fully explain the room temperature action spectrum. Ab initio calculations of the HOON torsional potential at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ level of theory are also presented and confirm that cis-perp configuration does not correspond to a bound localized minimum on the HOONO potential energy surface.