Gold nanocomposites with rigid fully conjugated heteroditopic ligands shell as nanobuilding blocks for coordination chemistry

Monodisperse and solvent adaptable gold nanoparticles stabilized by rigid and fully conjugated modified neocuproinium and terpyridinium salts have been characterized and further used as nanobuilding blocks for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles functionalized by polypyridyl ruthenium complexes.     

Separation of bulk Pb and Bi from proton irradiated lead bismuth eutectic (LBE) target by DGA-N and TK-200 resins

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Poly (vinyl alcohol)-ethylene glycol (PVA-EG) composites were geared up using casting method. The PVA-EG composite films have been irradiated at...     

Differences Between Individual ZSM‐5 Crystals in Forming Hollow Single Crystals and Mesopores During Base Leaching

After base treatment of ZSM‐5 crystals below 100 nm in size, TEM shows hollow single crystals with a 10 nm shell. SEM images confirm that the shell is well‐ preserved even after prolonged treatment. Determination of the Si/Al ratios with AAS and XPS in combination with argon sputtering reveals aluminum zoning of the parent zeolite, and the total pore volume increases in the first two hours of base treatment. In corresponding TEM images, the amount of hollow crystals are observed to increase during the first two hours of base treatment, and intact crystals are visible even after 10 h of leaching; these observations indicate different dissolution rates between individual crystals. TEM of large, commercially available ZSM‐5 crystals shows inhomogeneous distribution of mesopores among different crystals, which points to the existence of structural differences between individual crystals. Only tetrahedrally coordinated aluminum is detected with ²⁷Al MAS NMR after the base leaching of nano‐sized ZSM‐5.     

Thermochemistry and infrared spectroscopy of neutral and cationic iron-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon complexes of astrophysical interest: fundamental density functional theory studies

This paper reports extensive calculations on the structural, thermodynamic, and mid-infrared spectroscopic properties of neutral and cationic model iron-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) complexes of astrophysical interest for three PAHs of increasing size, namely, naphthalene (C10H8), pyrene (C16H10), and coronene (C24H12). Geometry optimizations and frequency calculations were performed using hybrid Hartree-Fock/density functional theory (DFT) methods. The use of DFT methods is mandatory in terms of computational cost and efficiency to describe the electronic and vibrational structures of such large organometallic unsaturated species that present several low-energy isomers of different structures and electronic and spin states. The calculated structures for the low-energy isomers of the model Fe-PAH and Fe-PAH+ complexes are presented and discussed. Iron-PAH binding energies are extracted, and the consequences of the coordination of iron on the infrared spectra of neutral and cationic PAHs are shown with systematic effects on band intensities and positions being demonstrated. The first results are discussed in terms of astrophysical implications. This work is the first step of an ongoing effort in our group to understand the photophysics and spectroscopy of iron-PAH complexes in the conditions of the interstellar medium using a synergy between observations, laboratory experiments, and theory.     

Vibrational absorption and circular dichroism studies of (-)-camphanic acid

Vibrational absorption and circular dichroism (VCD) spectra of (-)-(1S,3R)-camphanic acid have been measured in deuterated chloroform solutions at different concentrations (0.005, 0.045, and 0.200 M) in the mid-infrared spectral range. Experimental spectra have been compared with the density functional theory (DFT) absorption and VCD spectra, calculated using the B3PW91 functional and cc-pVTZ basis set for three conformers of both the monomer and the dimer forms of (-)-(1S,3R)-camphanic acid. These calculations indicate that, in the dilute solution, the conformer with intramolecular hydrogen-bonding between the hydroxyl and lactone groups is of lowest energy and represents 70% of the different monomer conformers at room temperature, whereas, in concentrated solution, the dimer formed by intermolecular hydrogen-bonding of carboxyl groups of the two distinct monomer conformations is stabilized. The vibrational absorption and circular dichroism spectra calculated from the Boltzmann population of the individual monomer and dimer conformers are in very good overall agreement with the corresponding experimental spectra, allowing the absolute conformation and configuration of (-)-(1S,3R)-camphanic acid in dilute and concentrated solution, respectively. Experiments were also performed on (-)-(1S,3R)-camphanic chloride for which the populations predicted by DFT calculations are found to be in disagreement with those deduced from experimental spectra.     

Structure and magnetic properties of a new cobalt(II) thiophenedicarboxylate coordination polymer showing unprecedented coordination

A new carboxylato-bridged CoII network of formula {Co((kappa1-kappa1)-(kappa1-mu2)-mu4-TDC)(mu2-H2O)0.5(H2O)}n (H2TDC=2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid) has been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and IR and UV-visible spectroscopies. The title compound is made of chains of CoII dimers interconnected by TDC2- ligands, showing an unprecedented asymmetric tetradentate coordination mode of the carboxylate functions. Magnetic measurements show weak ferromagnetic interactions between the Co ions within the dimers.     

Asymmetric syntheses of 2,5-dideoxy-2,5-imino-d-glucitol [(+)-DGDP] and 1,2,5-trideoxy-1-amino-2,5-imino-d-glucitol [(+)-ADGDP]

The asymmetric syntheses of 2,5-dideoxy-2,5-imino-d-glucitol [(+)-DGDP] and 1,2,5-trideoxy-1-amino-2,5-imino-d-glucitol [(+)-ADGDP] were achieved via the ring-closing iodoamination of an enantiopure bishomoallylic amine, followed by functionalisation of the resultant iodomethyl substituted pyrrolidine. In the case of (+)-DGDP, formation of the corresponding aziridinium ion followed by regioselective ring-opening with H₂O gave the desired hydroxymethyl substituted pyrrolidine as a single diastereoisomer (>99:1 dr), with subsequent deprotection giving (+)-DGDP in good yield. Whereas in the case of (+)-ADGDP, displacement of iodide with NaN₃ proved to be optimal, giving (+)-ADGDP in good yield after reduction and deprotection.     

Enantioselective complexation of chiral propylene oxide by an enantiopure water-soluble cryptophane

ECD and NMR experiments show that the complexation of propylene oxide (PrO) within the cavity of an enantiopure water-soluble cryptophane 1 in NaOH solution is enantioselective and that the (R)-PrO@PP-1 diastereomer is more stable than the (S)-PrO@PP-1 diastereomer with a free energy difference of 1.7 kJ/mol. This result has been confirmed by molecular dynamics (MD) and ab initio calculations. The enantioselectivity is preserved in LiOH and KOH solutions even though the binding constants decrease, whereas PrO is not complexed in CsOH solution.     

Conformational effects induced by guest encapsulation in an enantiopure water-soluble cryptophane

A new water-soluble cryptophane 1 derivative (penta-hydroxyl cryptophane-A) has been synthesized from cryptophanol-A and the chiroptical properties of its two enantiomers MM-1 and PP-1 have been studied by polarimetry, electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD). Cryptophane 1 shows specific circular dichroism responses upon complexation that depend on the size of the guest and on the nature of the counterion (Li(+), Na(+), K(+), Cs(+)) present in the solution. In LiOH and NaOH solutions, chiroptical changes induced by the encapsulation of guests and by the presence of cations in the vicinity of hosts can be interpreted from molecular dynamics (MD) and ab initio calculations by subtle conformational changes of the bridges. In KOH solution, the exchange dynamics is dependent on the size of the guest molecules, whereas in CsOH solution no encapsulation effect is observed whatever the size of the guest molecule. This last behavior comes from the fact that host 1 exhibits a very high affinity for cesium cations.     

Ultra‐thin SiO2 on Si IX: absolute measurements of the amount of silicon oxide as a thickness of SiO2 on Si

Results from a study conducted between National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) for the measurements of the absolute thicknesses of ultra‐thin layers of SiO₂ on Si are reported. These results are from a key comparison and associated pilot study under the auspices of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance. ‘Amount of substance’ may be expressed in many ways, and here the measurand is the thickness of the silicon oxide layers with nominal thicknesses in the range 1.5–8 nm on Si substrates, expressed as the thickness of SiO₂. Separate samples were provided to each institute in containers that limited the carbonaceous contamination to approximately < 0.3 nm. The SiO₂ samples were of ultra‐thin on (100) and (111) orientated wafers of Si. The measurements from the laboratories which participated in the study were conducted using ellipsometry, neutron reflectivity, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy or X‐ray reflectivity, guided by the protocol developed in an earlier pilot study. A very minor correction was made in the different samples that each laboratory received. Where appropriate, method offset values attributed to the effects of contaminations, from the earlier pilot study, were subtracted. Values for the key comparison reference values (agreed best values from a Consultative Committee study) and their associated uncertainties for these samples are then made from the weighted means and the expanded weighted standard deviations of the means of these data. These results show a dramatic improvement on previous comparisons, leading to 95% uncertainties in the range 0.09–0.27 nm, equivalent to 0.4–1.0 monolayers over the 1.5–8.0 nm nominal thickness range studied. If the sample‐to‐sample uncertainty is reduced from its maximum estimate to the most likely value, these uncertainties reduce to 0.05–0.25 nm or ～1.4% relative standard uncertainties. The best results achieve ～1% relative standard uncertainty. It is concluded that XPS has now been made fully traceable to the SI, for ultra‐thin thermal SiO₂ on Si layers, by calibration using wavelength methods in an approach that may be extended to other material systems. © Crown copyright 2009. Reproduced with the permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.