Collective and individual plasmon resonances in nanoparticle films obtained by spin-assisted layer-by-layer assembly

Nanoscale uniform films containing gold nanoparticle and polyelectrolyte multilayer structures were fabricated by the using spin-assembly or spin-assisted layer-by-layer (SA-LbL) deposition technique. These SA-LbL films with a general formula [Au/(PAH-PSS)nPAH]m possessed a well-organized microstructure with uniform surface morphology and high surface quality at a large scale (tens of micrometers across). Plasmon resonance peaks from isolated nanoparticles and interparticle interactions were revealed in the UV-visible extinction spectra of the SA-LbL films. All films showed the strong extinction peak in the region of 510-550 nm, which is due to the plasmon resonance of the individual gold nanoparticles redshifted because of a local dielectric environment. For films with sufficient density of gold nanoparticles within the layers, the second strong peak was consistently observed between 620 and 660 nm, which is the collective plasmon resonance from intralayer interparticle coupling. Finally, we suggested that, for certain film designs, interlayer interparticle resonance might be revealed as an independent contribution at 800 nm in UV-visible spectra. The observation of independent and concurrent individual, intralayer, and interlayer plasmon resonances can be critical for sensing applications, which involve monitoring of optomechanical properties of ultrathin optically active compliant membranes.     

Oxidative coupling of malononitrile with formation of 1,1,2,3,3-pentacyanopropene salts

A simple and convenient route for the synthesis of 1,1,2,3,3-pentacyanopropene salts is reported. These salts are formed by interaction of malononitrile with SeO₂ in presence of organic N-containing bases or pyridinium salts.     

On the mechanism of proton transfer in imidazole

The force fields, in-plane vibrations, and relative intensities of Raman spectra have been calculated and analyzed for the N₁H and N₃H tautomers of imidazole, imidazolium cation, and their model structures. The results obtained for the isolated state of imidazole correspond to the intramolecular mechanism of proton transfer.     

Reduction of 1,4-dichlorobut-2-yne by titanocene to a 1,2,3-butatriene. Formation of a 1-titanacyclopent-3-yne and a 2,5-dititanabicyclo[2.2.0]hex-1(4)-ene

The 2,5-dititanabicyclo[2.2.0]hex-1(4)-ene (bis-titanocene-mu-(Z)-1,2,3-butatriene complex)3 is formed starting from [Cp2Ti(eta2-Me3SiC2SiMe3)] by in situ generated titanocene and 1,4-dichlorobut-2-yne via the 1-titanacyclobut-3-yne (2).     

Infrared absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance studies of vinyl radical in noble-gas matrices

Vinyl radicals produced by annealing-induced reaction of mobilized hydrogen atoms with acetylene molecules in solid noble-gas matrices (Ar, Kr, and Xe) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies. The hydrogen atoms were generated from acetylene by UV photolysis or fast electron irradiation. Two vibrational modes of the vinyl radical (nu7 and nu5) were assigned in IR absorption studies. The assignment is based on data for various isotopic substitutions (D and 13C) and confirmed by comparison with the EPR measurements and density-functional theory calculations. The data on the nu7 mode is in agreement with previous experimental and theoretical results whereas the nu5 frequency agrees well with the computational data but conflicts with the gas-phase IR emission results.     

SPECTROCSOPIC STUDIES OF PURINES—III. PROPERTIES OF PURINES SUBSTITUTED AT THE SIXTH AND NINTH POSITIONS*

Abstract— We have investigated the effects of solvent and pH on the absorption and emission propertied of various 6- and 9-substituted purines as a means of examining the nature of the directed not only at deteriming the relative energies of (π,π*) and (π,π*) states, but in particular, at examining the nature and energies of the two lowest-lying (π,π*) states. For examplem, the attachment of a methyl or ribosyl group to the N9 of purine does not change the relative energies of the lowest-lying (π,π*) and (π,π*) states; thus, the latter is the singlet of lowest energy. However, the lowest singles in derivatives formed by substitution at C6 are(π,π*) states—i.e. there is no long-wavelength tail in the absorption spectra and florescence is comparable in intensity to phosphorescence. Further the absence of emission from neutaral adenine at room temperature is due to temperature quenching. Both lowest (π–π*) transtions. are contained under a common envelope and cannot be resolved in the absorption spectra. The shoulder observed in some of these compounds on the long-wavelength slope of absorption envelope is vibrational in nature. Consideration of the effects of solvents on absorption and the analysis of luminescence spectra make it possible to locate the relative position of these (π–π*) transitions within the common envelope. In compounds with an -H on N9 and a free (aza) N1 (e.g. adenine, anionic hupoxanthine) the weaker, solvent-sensitive (W) band has a higher energy then the more intense, solvent-insensitive (S) band. When N1 is protonated, (e.g., in hypoxanthine or cationic adenine) and/or when methyl or ribosyl is substituted at N9, the order of these bands is inverted due ot a red shift of the W band. This shift is most apparent in the 9-substituted hypoxanthines, where in non-polar solvents the W band can be readily resolved in the absoption spectra. This inversion results in a red shift of both fluorescence and phophorescence and an increase of the P/F ratio. When chlorine or iodine is attached at C6 only phosphorescence having a very short lifetime appears due to heavy atom enhancement of single—triplet transitions.     

Carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen coupling reactions catalyzed by palladium nanoparticles derived from a palladium substituted Keggin-type polyoxometalate

Palladium 15-20 nm particles stabilized by a Keggin-type polyoxometalate were prepared by reduction of K(5)PPdW(11)O(39) with H(2). The nanoparticles were shown to be effective catalysts for Suzuki-, Heck-, and Stille-type carbon-carbon coupling and carbon-nitrogen coupling reactions of bromoarenes in aqueous media. Chloroarenes were also reactive in reaction media without solvent. [reaction: see text]     

The dielectric model function. An evidence for the nu3(SO4-) phonon mixing in gypsum using polarized IR specular reflectance spectroscopy

A complete investigation of the phonon mixing in the nu3(SO4(2-)) frequency region was made, under experimental geometry where the reflecting crystal plane and the plane of incidence contain two principal dielectric axes. It was shown that although it is monoclinic, in the frequency region under inspection, gypsum could be treated as an orthorhombic crystal. More sophisticated model dielectric functions were introduced for the explanation of the Evans holes in the reflectance spectra. Using the model dielectric function, an appearance of the shoulder at the higher frequency part of the reflectance band was explained in terms of longitudinal and quasilongitudinal phonons. A possibility for Evans type interaction was encountered between the nu3(SO4(2-)) Au symmetry type mode and probably some of the combination modes.     

Propylene oxidation by palladium nitro and nitrato complexes: in situ NMR and IR studies

The mechanism of the propylene oxidation by Pd(NO_n)Cl_2 − m(CH₃CN)₂ complexes (n = 2, 3; m = 0, 1, 2) in chloroform solutions has been studied by ¹H NMR and IR spectroscopy. The main reaction products are acetone and 2-nitropropylene, with their ratio depending on the equilibrium existing in the reaction solutions between palladium complexes containing NO_n ligands bonded to a palladium atom via either an oxygen or a nitrogen atom. Reactivities of the oxygen bonded nitrato and nitrito complexes are significantly higher than that of the nitrogen bonded nitro complex. Various new organopalladium intermediates have been observed and monitored in situ. A reversible insertion of the coordinated propylene into the Pd-O or Pd-N bonds results in nitrato-, nitrito- and nitropalladation intermediates, which then decompose via a β-hydrogen elimination. Two isomers of the nitritopalladation intermediate have been detected, i.e., a palladium metallacycle and an open ring complex, with the latter being much more reactive towards the β-hydrogen elimination than the former. The decomposition of the nitrato- and nitritopalladation intermediates results in the organometallic precursor of acetone, i.e., an acetonylpalladium complex, and then in acetone itself. On the other hand, the nitropalladation intermediate originates 2-nitropropylene. In the presence of dioxygen, which re-oxidizes the nitrosyl groups, the acetone formation becomes a catalytic reaction with respect to both palladium and nitrogen.     

Theory of the implementation of the fundamental parameter method for the X-ray fluorescence determination of low-atomic-number elements

The theory of X-ray fluorescence generation in elements with a low atomic number Z is extended to the case of host matrices with high Z. The total contribution of the selective excitation effects is estimated with regard to the cascade K-L transitions. The influence of the elemental composition of the matrix and the excitation conditions on the X-ray fluorescence intensity of the elements in study is assessed. The accuracy of the model of X-ray fluorescence generation in the low-atomic-number elements is confirmed by the agreement of the experimental and calculated intensities of carbon in various carbon-containing compounds.