Photoionization and photodissociation dynamics of the B 1sigmau + and C 1Piu states of H2 and D2

The photoionization and photodissociation dynamics of H(2) and D(2) in selected rovibrational levels of the B (1)Sigma(u) (+) and C (1)Pi(u) states have been investigated by velocity map ion imaging. The selected rotational levels of the B (1)Sigma(u) (+) and C (1)Pi(u) states are prepared by three-photon excitation from the ground state. The absorption of fourth photon results in photoionization to produce H(2)(+) X (2)Sigma(g)(+) or photodissociation to produce a ground-state H(1s) atom and an excited H atom with n >or= 2. The H(2) (+) ion can be photodissociated by absorption of a fifth photon. The resulting H(+) or D(+) ion images provide information on the vibrational state dependence of the photodissociation angular distribution of the molecular ion. The excited H(n >or= 2) atoms produced by the neutral dissociation process can also be ionized by the absorption of a fifth photon. The resulting ion images provide insight into the excited state branching ratios and angular distributions of the neutral photodissociation process. While the experimental ion images contain information on both the ionic and neutral processes, these can be separated based on constraints imposed on the fragment translational energies. The angular distribution of the rings in the ion images indicates that the neutral dissociation of molecular hydrogen and its isotopes is quite complex, and involves coupling to both doubly excited electronic states and the dissociation continua of singly excited Rydberg states.     

Miniemulsion copolymerization of styrene–methyl methacrylate

Miniemulsion copolymerization of 50 : 50 weight fraction of styrene–methyl methacrylate monomer, using hexadecane as the cosurfactant, was carried out in both unseeded and seeded polymerizations. Effects of the hexadecane concentration and the ultrasonification time on the conversion–time curves and particle size of the final latex were investigated for unseeded polymerization. The kinetic and particle size distribution results showed that an increase in hexadecane concentration and ultrasonification time cause faster polymerization rate and smaller particle size. The mechanism of mass transport from miniemulsion droplets to polymer particles was also investigated for seeded polymerization. For this purpose a monomer miniemulsion was mixed with a fraction of a previously prepared miniemulsion latex particles prior to initiation of polymerization, using residual oil-soluble initiator in the seed latex. The concentration of hexadecane and a water-insoluble inhibitor (2,5 di-tert-butyl hydroquinone) in the miniemulsions were the main variables. Seeded polymerizations were also carried out in the presence of miniemulsion droplets containing a water-insoluble inhibitor and water-soluble initiator. The inhibitor concentration and the agitation speed during the course of polymerization were the experimental variables. The kinetic and particle size results from these seeded experiments suggested that collision between miniemulsion droplets and polymer particles may play a major role in the transport of highly water-insoluble compounds.     

Mimicking primary processes in photosynthesis—covalently linked porphyrin quinones

Porphyrin quinones (P-Qs), covalently linked via different aliphatic bridges, have been synthesized and studies in their (porphyrin) cationic and (semiquinone) anionic radical states by EPR, ENDOR and TRIPLE resonance techniques. Electron transfer (ET) from the porphyrin donor to the quinone acceptor could be observed by time-resolved picosecond fluorescence spectroscopy (singlet ET) and by time-resolved EPR spectroscopy (triplet ET) in isotropic fluid solution and in anisotropic media (liquid crystals and reversed micelles). Steady-state in situ photoexcitation of P-Qs in CTAB cationic reversed micelles yielded the corresponding semiquinone radical anions. In TRITON X-100 reversed micelles both the radical cation of the porphyrin and the radical anion of the semiquinone could be detected, which occured in complete emission. In covalently linked porphyrin flavins ET from the photoexcited porphyrin fragment to the flavin and, in addition, energy transfer from the photoexcited flavin to the porphyrin could be observed.     

On some multiplicative product of kth derivative of Dirac's delta in x0+|x| and x0−|x|

In this paper we give a sense to the products $${{\left| x \right|^{(n - 2)/2} }} \cdot \frac{{\delta ^{(k - 1)} (x_0 + \left| x \right|)}} {{\left| x \right|^{(n - 2)/2} }}$$ and $\delta ^{(k - 1)} (x_0 - \left| x \right|) \cdot \delta ^{(k - 1)} (x_0 + \left| x \right|)$ . The first of them is a generalization of the product $${{\left| x \right|^{(n - 2)/2} }} \cdot \frac{{\delta (x_0 + \left| x \right|)}} {{\left| x \right|^{(n - 2)/2} }}{\text{ }}$$ given in [1, p. 158].     

Noether's Theorem on Surfaces

In this article we prove a version of Noether's Theorem (of Calculus of Variations) which is valid for a general regular (compact) surface. As a special feature, the Lie group of transformations is allowed to act on the Cartesian product of the surface and the functional space. Additionally, we apply the Theorem to a problem in Classical Differential Geometry of surfaces. The given application is actually an example showing how Noether's Theorem can be used to construct invariant properties of the solutions to variational problems defined on surfaces, or equivalently, of the solutions to the associated Euler-Lagrange equations resulting from them.     

Micro-composites based on polylactic acid with kaolinite or rice husk particles and their performance on water vapor permeability

In this work, the effect of addition of kaolinite and rice husk microparticles on the water vapor permeability of polylactic acid (PLA) was evaluated. The PLA-composites materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and optical microscopy. For the composite preparation, an experimental design was established using two factors: additive type and concentration. When evaluating the water vapor permeability of the composites, it was found that the incorporation of kaolinite at 1% and 5% reduced the permeability coefficient of PLA. Furthermore, the inclusion of 5% kaolinite showed an increase on the tensile strength of the material. By contrast, the addition of rice husk produced an increase on water vapor permeability of the material and a decrease of both the tensile strength and ductility (percent of elongation at fracture). The higher dispersion and more regular morphology of the kaolinite particles could explain the enhancement of the gas barrier. A similar thermal behavior was observed for both PLA and composite materials, confirming that no damage of these properties was caused with the incorporation of the filler particles.     

Effect of methoxyl groups on the NMR spectra: configuration and conformation of natural and synthetic indanic and tetralinic structures

Here, we studied the influence of the methoxyl groups attached at C‐7 and C‐2′ of natural and synthetic 1‐arylindanes on the chemical shift of the signal of bibenzylic hydrogen and carbon atoms and J_1,2 coupling constants. This influence was also analysed in natural 1‐aryltetralins and related compounds that possess methoxyl and/or hydroxyl groups bound at C‐8 and C‐2′. The methoxyl groups attached at C‐7 in indanes or at C‐8 in tetralins produce a deshielding signal at H‐1 and shield at C‐1 and a strong decrease in the value of J_1,2 due to the pseudoequatorial location adopted by the aryl group bound at C‐1, avoiding an ‘A^1,3 strain’. Furthermore, compounds with hydroxyl or methoxyl groups in C‐2′, in the absence of substituents of C‐7 or C‐8, present a strong deshielding signal at H‐1, strong shield of the C‐1 signal and a decrease in the value of J_1,2. This is attributed to the stereoelectronic effects of the methoxyl or hydroxyl groups, which we have called ‘Asarone effect’. NOESY experiments were conducted to confirm the configuration and conformation of some of the compounds included in this work. This study shows that both effects, A^1,3 strain and Asarone effect, must be taken into account when the structure of natural indanes and tetralins is analysed by using ¹H‐NMR and ¹³C‐NMR spectra. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Four Oxidation States in a Single Photoredox Nickel‐Based Catalytic Cycle: A Computational Study

The computational characterization of the full catalytic cycle for the synthesis of indoline from the reaction between iodoacetanilide and a terminal alkene catalyzed by a nickel complex and a photoactive ruthenium species is presented. A variety of oxidation states of nickel, Ni⁰, Ni^I, Ni^II, and Ni^III, is shown to participate in the mechanism. Ni⁰ is necessary for the oxidative addition of the C?I bond, which goes through a Ni^I intermediate and results in a Ni^II species. The Ni^II species inserts into the alkene, but does not undergo the reductive elimination necessary for C?N bond formation. This oxidatively induced reductive elimination can be accomplished only after oxidation to Ni^III by the photoactive ruthenium species. All the reaction steps are computationally characterized, and the barriers for the single‐electron transfer steps calculated using a modified version of the Marcus Theory.     

Butylated hydroxytoluene enediyne: access to diradical and electrophilic quinone methide intermediates

A theoretical study was carried out on the unimolecular reaction of an enediyne with a fused butylated hydroxytoluene to internally scavenge the p‐benzyne diradical sites formed after the Bergman cyclization. The calculations revealed that the conversion of the p‐benzyne diradical (2‐tert‐butyl‐4‐methyl‐5,8‐didehydro‐1‐naphthalenol) to p‐quinone methide is favored over the conversion to a phenoxy/benzene diradical 4 in an approximate 95:5 ratio. Based on this model, the Bergman cyclization leads in a bifunctional manner to intermediates for competing reactivity with intermolecular H‐atom abstraction. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.