Epoxidation and deoxygenation of single-walled carbon nanotubes: quantification of epoxide defects

Epoxidation of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) may be carried out by the reaction of SWNTs with either trifluorodimethyldioxirane or 3-chloroperoxybenzoic acid; the resulting O-SWNTs are spectroscopically similar to those formed by ozonolysis. Quantification of the epoxide substituents is possible through the catalytic de-epoxidation reaction using MeReO3/PPh3 and the 31P NMR spectroscopy. The de-epoxidation methodology may be used to determine that wet air oxidation is preferable to either acid or O2/SF6 purification. We have demonstrated that previously assumed "pure" SWNTs are actually "doped" to a level of at least 1 oxygen per 250 carbon atoms.     

Spectrophotometric studies of complexation of [60]fullerene with series of aromatic hydrocarbon molecules containing flexible phenyl substituents

The absorption spectra of the electron donor-acceptor complexes of [60]fullerene with five different aromatic hydrocarbon (AH) molecules containing flexible phenyl substituents have been investigated in toluene medium. An absorption band due to charge transfer (CT) transition is observed in each case in the visible region. The experimental CT transition energies are well correlated with the vertical ionization potentials of the AHs studied (through Mulliken's equation) from which we extract degrees of charge transfer, oscillator and transition dipole strengths of the CT complexes. The degrees of CT in the ground state of the complexes have been found to be very low (0.49-0.55%). The formation constants (K) for the complexes of [60]fullerene with the aromatic hydrocarbons have been determined by UV-vis spectroscopy. Both K values and PM3 calculations on [60]fullerene/AH complexes reveal that nature of substitution in the donor moiety as well as steric compatibility with the acceptor molecule govern the process of EDA complex formation.     

Synthesis,structure and magnetic properties of mono- and di-nuclear nickel(II) thiocyanate complexes with tridentate N3 donor Schiff bases

The 1:1 condensation of N-methyl-1,3-diaminopropane and N,N-diethyl-1,2-diminoethane with 2-acetylpyridine, respectively at high dilution gives the tridentate mono-condensed Schiff bases N-methyl-N′-(1-pyridin-2-yl-ethylidene)-propane-1,3-diamine (L¹) and N,N-diethyl-N′-(1-pyridin-2-yl-ethylidene)-ethane-1,2-diamine (L²). The tridentate ligands were allowed to react with methanol solutions of nickel(II) thiocyanate to prepare the complexes [Ni(L¹)(SCN)₂(OH₂) (1) and [{Ni(L²)(SCN)}₂] (2). Single crystal X-ray diffraction was used to confirm the structures of the complexes. The nickel(II) in complex 1 is bonded to three nitrogen donor atoms of the ligand L¹ in a mer orientation, together with two thiocyanates bonded through nitrogen and a water molecule, and it is the first Schiff base complex of nickel(II) containing both thiocyanate and coordinated water. The coordinated water initiates a hydrogen bonded 2D network. In complex 2, the nickel ion occupies a slightly distorted octahedral coordination sphere, being bonded to three nitrogen atoms from the ligand L², also in a mer orientation, and two thiocyanate anions through nitrogen. In contrast to 1, the sixth coordination site is occupied by a sulfur atom from a thiocyanate anion in an adjacent molecule, thus creating a centrosymmetric dimer. A variable temperature magnetic study of complex 2 indicates the simultaneous presence of zero-field splitting, weak intramolecular ferromagnetic coupling and intermolecular antiferromagnetic interactions between the nickel(II) centers.     

Syntheses and crystal structures of cadmium(II)X2-hexamethylenetetramine (X = Br/I/SCN) coordination polymers having different dimensionality

Four new coordination polymers of cadmium(II) with hexamethylenetetramine (htm) have been synthesized and characterized by routine physicochemical techniques as well as by X-ray single crystal structure analysis. They are [CdBr(htm)(SCN)(H₂O)₂·CH₃OH]_n (1), [CdI(htm)(SCN)(H₂O)₂·0.5(CH₃OH)]_n (2), [Cd₂(htm)₃(SCN)₄(H₂O)]_n·nH₂O (3) and [Cd₃Br₆(htm)₂(H₂O)₅·(htm)(H₂O)₆]_n (4). Complexes 1, 2 and 3 exhibit 1D polymeric structure and complex 4 shows a 2D undulated layered arrangement, containing Cd₆(htm)₆ hexagonal units as building block, which extended to a 3D supramolecular architecture through hydrogen bonding. Thorough thermal investigation suggest that as far as the thermal stability of Cd(II)-htm bond is concerned it attains the maximum in complex 1 and minimum in complex 4. In case of complex 3 the thermal study inferred that CdS end product was obtained at ∼730 °C, whereas in case of other complexes the thermally stable end product remained unidentified. Solid state fluorescence study shows that all the complexes are luminescent at room temperature except complex 3.     

Synthesis and catalytic epoxidation potential of oxodiperoxo molybdenum(VI) complexes with 2-hydroxybenzohydroxamate and 2-hydroxybenzoate: the crystal structure of PPh<Subscript>4</Subscript>[MoO(O<Subscript>2</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>(HBA)]

(PPh₄)₂[MoO(O₂)₂(SHAH)]·H₂O and PPh₄[MoO(O₂)₂(HBA)] (SHAH₃ = 2-hydroxybenzohydroxamic acid and HBAH = 2-hydroxybenzoic acid) have been synthesized and characterized by physico-chemical and spectroscopic methods. In addition, the second complex has been structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. We have compared the catalytic activities of these two new complexes, together with the previously reported PPh₄[MoO(O₂)₂(BZ)] (BZH = benzoic acid), with respect to the epoxidation of alkenes. The hydroxamate complex is the most efficient catalyst among the three complexes, showing excellent catalytic activity for the substrates cyclohexene, cyclooctene, cinnamyl alcohol, pent-4-en-1-ol and hex-1-ene.     

Strangeness enhancement in Cu-Cu and Au-Au collisions at √S(NN)=200 GeV

We report new STAR measurements of midrapidity yields for the Λ, Λ[over ˉ], K(S)(0), Ξ(-), Ξ[over ˉ](+), Ω(-), Ω[over ˉ](+) particles in Cu+Cu collisions at √S(NN)==200 GeV, and midrapidity yields for the Λ, Λ[over ˉ], K(S)(0) particles in Au+Au at √S(NN)==200 GeV. We show that, at a given number of participating nucleons, the production of strange hadrons is higher in Cu+Cu collisions than in Au+Au collisions at the same center-of-mass energy. We find that aspects of the enhancement factors for all particles can be described by a parametrization based on the fraction of participants that undergo multiple collisions.