From zirconium to titanium: the effect of the metal in propylene polymerisation using fluxional unbridged bicyclic catalysts

Catalytic systems based on unbridged substituted indenyl systems are becoming of interest in the production of elastomeric polypropylene. A full understanding of the structural features necessary to control this kind of behaviour has not yet been achieved, since relatively slight changes in the molecular architecture can lead to polymers with remarkably different properties. We report here our recent findings regarding the study of bicyclic zirconium and titanium complexes as fluxional catalysts in propylene polymerisation. Most of them have been synthesised according to a synthetic procedure that allowed us to prepare a series of complexes in which the ring fused to the cyclopentadienyl moiety is saturated and of different sizes, thus introducing a flexibility parameter that can be finely tuned. The results obtained show that the stereoselectivity induced by this class of catalysts strongly depends both on the structure of the ligand and on the nature of metal atom (Zr vs. Ti). The titanium-based catalysts yield polypropylenes with new and interesting microstructures, in particular when an higher stability is achieved through a careful choice of the substitution pattern of the ligands.     

Groups whose cyclic subgroups have bounded permutability properties

It follows from classical results of Neumann and Macdonald that a group G has finite commuator subgroup if and only if either the normalizers of cyclic subgroups of G have boundedly finite indices or cyclic subgroups of G have bounded indices in their normal closures. In this paper, groups with a similar condition are considered, when normality is replaced by permutability.      

Aspects of cell production in mantle tissue of Ciona intestinalis L. (Tunicata, Ascidiacea)

Renewal of cell population is needed in the tunic of ascidians, as the tunic cells are involved in many biological functions. Tunic cells are thought to arrive by migrating across the mantle epithelium into the tunic from the blood lacunae or the mesenchymal space. Electron microscope observations show that the mantle epithelium of Ciona intestinalis shares some proliferative characteristics, releasing cells into the tunic and thus providing an increase renewal of tunical cells in restricted zones of adult animals.     

New high-nuclearity Ni-Pt carbonyl clusters: synthesis and X-ray structure of the ordered [HNi24Pt17(CO)46]5- and the substitutionally Ni/Pt disordered [Ni32Pt24(CO)56]6- cluster anions

Condensation between preformed Ni-Pt and Pt carbonyl clusters leads to the new [H(6-n)Ni(24)Pt(17)(CO)(46)](n-)(n= 5, 6) and the substitutionally Ni/Pt disordered [Ni(24)(Ni(12-x)Pt(x))Pt(20)(CO)(56)](6-) (x = 4) carbonyl clusters, the latter of which represents the highest nuclearity homoleptic carbonyl cluster anion so far reported.     

A data-driven model of the COVID-19 spread among interconnected populations: epidemiological and mobility aspects following the lockdown in Italy

Nonlinear Dynamics - An epidemic multi-group model formed by interconnected SEIR-like structures is formulated and used for data fitting to gain insight into the COVID-19 dynamics and into the role...     

Trace metal concentration in wild avian species from Campania,Italy

This study was conducted to determine heavy metals concentrations in tissues of 94 birds belonging to different species from coastal areas of Naples and Salerno (Southern Italy) in order to provide baseline data concerning trace element levels in wild birds living in or close to an area characterized by high anthropogenic impact. Additional aim of this study was to verify if diet influenced metal accumulation, so birds were classified as birds of prey, fish eating birds and insectivorous birds.     

Use of a hand-portable gas chromatograph-toroidal ion trap mass spectrometer for self-chemical ionization identification of degradation products related to O-ethyl S-(2-diisopropylaminoethyl) methyl phosphonothiolate (VX)

The chemical warfare agent O-ethyl S-(2-diisopropylaminoethyl) methyl phosphonothiolate (VX) and many related degradation products produce poorly diagnostic electron ionization (EI) mass spectra by transmission quadrupole mass spectrometry. Thus, chemical ionization (CI) is often used for these analytes. In this work, pseudomolecular ([M+H]⁺) ion formation from self-chemical ionization (self-CI) was examined for four VX degradation products containing the diisopropylamine functional group. A person-portable toroidal ion trap mass spectrometer with a gas chromatographic inlet was used with EI, and both fixed-duration and feedback-controlled ionization time. With feedback-controlled ionization, ion cooling (reaction) times and ion formation target values were varied. Evidence for protonation of analytes was observed under all conditions, except for the largest analyte, bis(diisopropylaminoethyl)disulfide which yielded [M+H]⁺ ions only with increased fixed ionization or ion cooling times. Analysis of triethylamine-d₁₅ provided evidence that [M+H]⁺ production was likely due to self-CI. Analysis of a degraded VX sample where lengthened ion storage and feedback-controlled ionization time were used resulted in detection of [M+H]⁺ ions for VX and several relevant degradation products. Dimer ions were also observed for two phosphonate compounds detected in this sample.