Facile Method for Trimethylsilylation of Alcohols using Hexamethyldisilazane and Ammonium Thiocyanate under Neutral Conditions

A highly efficient method for trimethylsilylation of primary, secondary, tertiary, allylic, and a variety of sugar‐derived alcohols using hexamethyldisilazane in the presence of a catalytic amount of ammonium thiocyanate under neutral conditions is reported.     

Synthesis of 1‐(2‐Hydroxy‐phenyl)‐3‐piperidin‐1‐yl‐propenone by Ultrasonic Irradiation

Different 1‐(2‐hydroxy‐phenyl)‐3‐piperidin‐1‐yl‐propenones have been synthesized by ultrasonic activation from differently substituted 3‐formyl chromones and piperidine.     

Synthesis of eight-membered iminocyclitols from d-glucose

The Baylis-Hillman reaction of 3-O-benzyl-α-d-xylo-pentodialdo-1,4-furanose 2 afforded a diastereomeric mixture of l-ido- and d-gluco-configurated α-methylene-β-hydroxy esters 3a and 3b, respectively, in 1:1 ratio. Conjugate addition of benzyl amine on 3a gave adduct 4a as a major product while, addition of benzyl amine to 3b gave only one diastereomer 4b. Reduction of ester functionality in 4a/4b, opening of 1,2-acetonide functionality followed by reductive amino-cyclization under hydrogenation condition afforded azocanes 1c/1d in good yield.     

Direct transfer of micro-molded electrodes for enhanced mass transport and water management in PEMFC

Soft lithography technique is used to micropattern the electrodes on the electrolyte membrane of polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEMFC) in order to alleviate the issues due to poor water management and inadequate reactant distribution in the fuel cell environment. Membrane electrode assembly with the micropatterned electrode has shown an increase in power density at a higher temperature as well as at a higher relative humidity when compared to a flat electrode. Consistency in cell performance is observed in the case of micropatterned electrodes.     

Crocetin from the tubular calyx of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis

A carotenoid aglycone Ag-NY1 was isolated from the orange coloured tubular calyx of flowers of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis. The elucidation of the structure through a detailed spectroscopic study revealed that the carotenoid molecule is crocetin, which is the major aglycone present in the stigma of Crocus sativus. The compound exhibited a good membrane stabilising activity as compared to the corresponding glycoside crocin.     

Mechanical characterization of sintered piezo-electric ceramic material using scanning acoustic microscope

Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) is a piezo-electric ceramic material that needs to be characterized for its potential use in microelectronics. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) is conducted to determine the chemical composition of the PZT ceramics. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is performed to study the surface morphology, grain structure and grain boundaries. The SEM image helps us to understand the surface wave propagation and scattering phenomena by the PZT and the reason for its anisotropy and inhomogeneity due to the grain structure. In this paper scanning acoustic microscopy at 100 MHz excitation frequency is conducted for determining mechanical properties of PZT. Earlier works reported only the longitudinal wave speed in PZT while in this paper longitudinal, shear and surface acoustic wave speeds of sintered PZT are measured from its acoustic material signature (AMS) curves, also known as V(z) curves. AMS or V(z) curve is the variation of the output voltage as a function of the distance between the acoustic lens focal point and the reflecting surface. The average velocities of longitudinal, shear and surface acoustic waves in a PZT specimen are determined from its V(z) curve generated at 100 MHz excitation frequency and found to be over 5000 m/s, over 3000 m/s and between 2500 and 3000 m/s, respectively. From these velocities all elastic constants of the specimen are obtained.     

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activities of Novel Series of 1-((4-Methyl-2-Substituted Thiazol-5-yl)Methyleneam INO)-2-Substituted Isothiourea Derivatives

A novel series of 1-((4-methyl-2-substituted thiazol-5-yl)methyleneamino)-2-substituted isothiourea derivatives was synthesized by alkylation of (Z/E)-1-((4-methyl-2-substituted thiazol-5-yl)methylene)thiosemicarbazide with alkylhalide in acetone. All the newly synthesized compounds were characterized by spectral (IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and mass spectrometry) methods. The newly synthesized compounds were screened for in vitro antimicrobial activity. Most of the compounds show moderate to excellent antimicrobial activity.

[Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Phosphorus, Sulfer, and Silicon and the Related Elements for the following free supplemental files: Additional figures and tables.]     

Structural, optical and electrical properties of cadmium zinc oxide films for light emitting devices

Structural, optical and electrical properties of Cd_yZn_1-yO (y=0–0.1) ternary alloy thin films have been investigated for the films prepared using the spin coating method on the glass substrate. XRD pattern confirmed the nano-size polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure for all the samples. The size of nano-crystals was found to be varied in between 21 and 30 nm. Optical band gap calculated from the absorption coefficient signifies the shift in direct band gap from 3.2 to 2.97 eV with cadmium composition. Through EDAX spectrum, it was confirmed that Cadmium was successfully incorporated into ZnO. SEM studies make clear that even after Cadmium incorporation, the surface morphology of the films remained smooth. The current–voltage characteristics obtained from semiconductor characterization system reveals that resistance of the films was found to be decreased with the increase in cadmium composition. Our investigations lead to the applicability of CdZnO as an active layer in CdZnO/ZnO heterostructure for light emitting devices.     

Skew Disperson and Continuity of Local Time

Results are provided that highlight the effect of interfacial discontinuities in the diffusion coefficient on the behavior of certain basic functionals of the diffusion, such as local times and occupation times, extending previous results in (Appuhamillage et al., Ann Appl Probab 21:183–214, 2011; Water Resour Res 46:W07511, 2009) on the behavior of first passage times. The main goal is to obtain a characterization of large scale parameters and behavior by an analysis at the fine scale of stochastic particle motions. In particular, considering particle concentration modeled by a diffusion equation with piecewise constant diffusion coefficient, it is shown that the continuity of a natural modification of local time is the individual (stochastic) particle scale equivalent to continuity of flux at the scale of the (macroscopic) particle concentrations. Consequences of this involve the determination of a skewness transmission probability in the presence of an interface, as well as corollaries concerning interfacial effects on occupation time of the associated stochastic particles.