Unusual molecular conformation in dissymmetric propyl­ene‐linker compounds containing pyrazolo­[3,4‐d]­pyrimidine and phthalimide moieties

The crystal structure of 4,6‐bis(methylsulfanyl)‐1‐phthalimidopropyl‐1H‐pyrazolo[3,4‐d]pyrimidine, C₁₈H₁₇N₅O₂S₂, (VI), reveals an unusual folded conformation due to an apparent intramolecular C—H⃛π interaction between the 6‐methyl­­sul­fanyl and phenyl groups. However, the closely related compound 6‐methyl­sulfanyl‐1‐phthalimido­propyl‐4‐(pyrroli­din‐1‐yl)‐1H‐pyrazolo­[3,4‐d]­pyrimidine, C₂₁H₂₂N₆O₂S, (VII), exhibits a fully extended structure, devoid of any intramol­ecular C—H⃛π or π–π interactions. The crystal packing of both mol­ecules involves intermolecular stacking interactions due to aromatic π–π interactions. In addition, (VI) exhibits intermolecular C—H⃛O hydrogen bonding and (VII) exhibits dimerization of the mol­ecules through intermolecular C—H⃛N hydrogen bonding.     

Properties of amorphous silicon films— Dependence on deposition conditions

We report measurements on the electrical conductivity, optical absorption, electron spin resonance, Raman spectrum and electron diffraction of a set of a-Si films vaccum deposited at room temperature. As revealed by absorption at about 10 μm some of the films grown at deposition rates of about 0.4 Å/sec contain considerable amounts of oxygen. All the properties, except Raman spectra and electron diffraction, are found to vary strongly with the deposition rate and the background pressure during evaporation. Qualitatively, these variations show significant correlations. For instance, if the electrical conductivity is higher so is the spin density, the optical absorption and the low-frequency refractive index. Also, increasing oxygen content leads to lower conductivity. In addition, we have tried to establish a rough quantitative relation between the shift in the optical gap and the change in the spin density by connecting each of these changes to the variation in the low-frequency refractive index. The temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity was also measured and it was found that below about 150 K the data are consistent with recent theoretical predictions, i.e., log σ exhibits a ($\text{1/T)}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>4</mtext>}}$ dependence.     

Kinetics of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate adsorption on hematite and its interaction with polyacrylamide

This article describes the adsorption of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate, an anionic surfactant, on a hematite surface and that when the surface is preadsorbed with polyacrylamide. The adsorption of surfactant on a hematite surface has been studied through equilibration and during kinetics measurements at three pH levels, viz. 4.0, 7.0, 8.9. The surfactant adsorbs strongly on the hematite surface. The adsorption density at equilibrium as well as the rate of adsorption are dependent on the suspension pH. The maximum adsorption density has been observed at pH 4, which reflects strong adsorption of negatively charged sulfonate ions on the oppositely charged Fe₂O₃ surface (point of zero charge, 6.4). The adsorption density reaches its equilibrium value sooner in the case of an alkaline suspension and later in the case of acidic pH. The polymer surfactant interaction has been noticed in the present study and is also a function of pH. The hematite mineral when preadsorbed with the polymer draws fewer of the surfactant molecules at lower surface coverage (during the initial period of the kinetics measurement) irrespective of the pH. When the adsorption of the surfactant reaches a value which is near the equilibrium one, the pH effect is evident. In the case of acidic pH, the surfactant adsorbs more on the hematite surface when preadsorbed with the polymer compared to the bare surface. In the case of neutral or alkaline pH, however, the density of surfactant adsorption remains lower throughout the kinetics measurement when the surface is preadsorbed with the flocculant compared to the bare surface. The particles also remain flocculated till the end of the experiment, whereas at pH 4 the particles are deflocculated. In addition to pH, the electrostatic nature of the adsorbent and the presence of anionic surfactant have an influence on the flocculation–deflocculation phenomena. The polymer–surfactant interaction has been schematically represented. The surfactant is bound with polymeric chains as a combination of its monomeric form as well as in the form of association in the case of acidic media and in competition with polymer in the case of alkaline media. Received: 18 April 2000/Accepted: 2 August 2000     

Synthesis of flexible silica aerogels using methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) precursor

The experimental results on the synthesis of flexible and superhydrophobic silica aerogels using methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) precursor by a two-step (acid-base) sol-gel process followed by the supercritical drying, are reported. The effects of various sol-gel parameters on the flexibility of the aerogels have been investigated. The aerogels of different densities were obtained by varying the molar ratio of MeOH/MTMS (S) from 14 to 35, with lower densities for larger S values. It has been observed that the Young's modulus (Y) decreased from 14.11 x 10(4) to 3.43 x 10(4) N/m(2) with the decrease in the density of the aerogels from 100 to 40 kg/m(3). Simultaneously, the aerogels are superhydrophobic with a contact angle as high as 164 degrees . The superhydrophobic aerogels are thermally stable up to a temperature of 530 K, above which they become hydrophilic. The aerogels have been characterized by bulk density, percentage volume shrinkage, and porosity measurements. The microstructures of the aerogels have been studied using the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The Young's modulus of the aerogels has been determined by an uniaxial compression test. The variation of physical properties of the aerogels has been explained by taking into consideration the hydrolysis, condensation reactions, the resulting colloidal clusters and their network formation.     

Rational approaches for the design of various GABA modulators and their clinical progression

Molecular Diversity - GABA (γ-amino butyric acid) is an important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Attenuation of GABAergic neurotransmission plays an important role...     

Convenient synthesis of imidazolium based dicationic ionic liquids

Research on Chemical Intermediates - A series of imidazolium based Dicationic Ionic Liquids (ILs) have been prepared and characterized successfully. Derivatives are prepared keeping the alkyl chain...     

Molecular iodine preconcentration and determination in aqueous samples using poly(vinylpyrrolidone) containing membranes

Membranes for preconcentration of molecular iodine were developed by two different routes: (i) UV-grafting of 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone in the pores of microporous poly(propylene) host membrane (grafted membrane), and (ii) physical immobilization of preformed poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) in a plasticized cellulose triacetate matrix to form the polymer inclusion membrane (PVP-PIM). The UV-grafted PVP-membrane was found to be hydrophilic (water uptake capacity = 166 wt.%), while the PVP-PIM was found to be highly hydrophobic (≈2 wt.%). PVP-PIM was found to uptake only I₂ from aqueous sample whereas I₂ and I₃⁻ were sorbed in the grafted membrane. This selectivity of PVP-PIM towards I₂ was attributed to its hydrophobicity that allows only neutral I₂ to interact with PVP in the membrane matrix. Thus, the selective preconcentration and quantitative determination of I₂ in aqueous sample was carried out using PVP-PIM. As PVP-PIM was optically transparent, the characteristic absorbance of PVP–I₂ complex (λ_max = 361 nm) could be used for quantitative determination of I₂ in the membrane. The instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of the I₂-loaded PIM samples indicated that 82% could be sorbed into the PIM samples from the solution within 10 min of equilibration time. This membrane was applied to I₂ determinations in the samples of ¹³¹I radiotracer. The concentration level of iodine species in these samples were in sub-ppb level. Therefore, these samples were ideal for testing the preconcentration efficiency of the membrane towards I₂ by monitoring the radioactivity of ¹³¹I. The amounts of I₂ in the aqueous samples were standardized by conventional solvent extraction of I₂ with the chloroform for validating the preconcentration efficiency of PVP-PIM. The detection limit of I₂ in aqueous samples by INAA hyphenated with PVP-PIM was found to be 0.3 ppb for a sample size of 25 mL.     

Photodefinable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for rapid lab-on-a-chip prototyping

In this paper, we introduce a new and simple method of patterning polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) directly using benzophenone as a photoinitiator. The photodefinable PDMS mixture (photoPDMS) is positive-acting and only sensitive to light below 365 nm, permitting processing under normal ambient light. Features of the order of 100 microm, which are sufficiently small for most microfluidic applications, were successfully fabricated using this novel process. A parametric study of process parameters was performed to optimize the fabrication. As a demonstration, microfluidic channels of varying dimensions were successfully fabricated using this process and experimentally characterized using fluorescence microscopy. To further demonstrate photoPDMS potential, thin (<30 microm) free-standing films with through patterns were fabricated and successfully used as shadow masks. The photoPDMS process completely eliminates the need for a master, permits processing under normal ambient light conditions, and makes fabrication fast and simple. This process for rapid prototyping of low-cost, disposable LOCs can be accomplished without cleanroom facilities and thus can be employed for a wide range of applications.     

Virgin response of field induced microwave absorption in the high Tc ceramic superconductor BSCCO — RSJ model

Field induced microwave absorption is recorded at low fields (<20mT) in a high T_c ceramic superconductor (Bi,Pb)---Sr---Ca---Cu---O, after cooling in zero field to 54,77 and 90 K at 9.9 GHz and to 77K at 36.4 GHz. The results are discussed in conjunction with the dc magnetization data obtained on the same sample. It is argued that the observed features do not follow the predictions of the flux flow model while they give qualitative evidence in support of the resistively shunted Josephson junction model.