Sodium-23 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

With the availability of Fourier transform spectrometers, ²³Na-NMR spectroscopy has become an important tool. It affords direct insight into solvation and ion pairing phenomena, both in organic and in bio-inorganic systems. Monitoring the chemical shifts and linewidths of ²³Na signals gives access to binding constants, reorientational correlation times and the microdynamics of the sodium coordination shell. The binding of other cations can also be studied by ²³Na-NMR spectroscopy, in competition experiments.     

CHEMILUMINESCENCE AND ENERGY TRANSFER FROM SINGLET OXYGEN PAIRS

Abstract— Chemiluminescence and photochemiluminescence of systems generating excited (singlet) molecular oxygen has been studied at low temperature in fluid media. A possible interpretation is proposed: that dimers of singlet oxygen are directly or indirectly responsible for the observed emission, the species [¹δg +¹σg⁺] predominating. Energy transfer to a fluorescent molecule is possible only when conditions of spectral overlap, required for transfer by inductive resonance, are fulfilled. Evidence is also presented for the formation of a transient complex between oxygen and a sensitiser or acceptor molecule [S…O₂], which is the precursor of singlet oxygen in these systems. However, other possible mechanisms cannot be excluded.     

Spontaneous dissolution of a single-wall carbon nanotube salt

Upon reduction with alkali metals, single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTS) are shown to form polyelectrolyte salts that are soluble in polar organic solvents without any sonication, use of surfactants, or functionalization whatsoever, thus forming true thermodynamically stable solutions of naked SWNTs.     

Direct Clay-Catalyzed Friedel-Crafts Arylation and Chlorination of the Hydrocarbon Adamantane

Multiple chlorinations and arylations at the tertiary positions of adamantane are promoted by FeCl₃-doped K10 montmorillonite in CCl₄ or in aromatic solvents. The process, remarkably easy to implement, can be tailored to selective formation of monosubstituted 1-adamantyl derivatives or 1,3-disubstituted adamantanes. The process achieves alkylation at the meta- and para-positions of toluene leading to a purely statistical distribution and displays no substrate specificity in competition experiments between toluene and benzene.     

Kinetics of thermal decomposition of Co3O4 powder and single crystals

Kinetics of thermal decomposition in vacuum of Co₃O₄ powder as well as single crystals has been investigated. Discrepancies with the results of previous authors have been discussed. Decomposition of Co₃O₄ proceeds through formation of a compact layer of CoO and hence diffusion is the rate-limiting factor. The experimental curves α(t) be described for 0.05 < α < 0.85 using a modified Ginstling-Brounshtein equation: 1 ? 2α/3 ? (1 ? α)^2/3 = ktⁿ where the activation energy varies with the degree of decomposition.     

Biscarbene-ruthenium complexes in catalysis: novel stereoselective synthesis of (1E,3E)-1,4-disubstituted-1,3-dienes via head-to-head coupling of terminal alkynes and addition of carboxylic acids

The reaction of a variety of alkynes RCtbd1;CH with a variety of carboxylic acids R(1)CO(2)H, in the presence of 5% of RuCl(COD)C(5)Me(5), selectively leads to the dienylesters (1E,3E)-RCH(1)=CH(2)-CH(3)=C(R)(O(2)CR(1)). The reaction also applies to amino acid and dicarboxylic acid derivatives. It is shown that the first step of the reaction consists of the head-to-head alkyne coupling and of the formation of the metallacyclic biscarbene-ruthenium complex isolated for R = Ph and catalyzing the formation of dienylester. D-labeled reactions show that the alkyne protons remain at the alkyne terminal carbon atoms and carboxylic acid protonates the C(1) carbon atom. QM/MM (ONIOM) calculations, supporting a mixed Fischer-Schrock-type biscarbene complex, show that protonation occurs preferentially at the carbene carbon C(1) adjacent to Ru, in the relative cis position with respect to the Ru-Cl bond, to give a mixed C(1)alkyl-C(4)carbene complex in which the C(4) carbene is conjugated with the noncoordinated C(2)=C(3) double bond. This 16-electron intermediate has a weak stabilizing alpha agostic C-H bond. This most stable isomer appears to have a C(4) center more accessible to the nucleophilic addition which accounts for the experimentally observed product.     

Surface-tension-driven instabilities of a pure liquid layer evaporating into an inert gas

A theoretical model of the evaporation of a pure liquid layer is developed. We focus on the influence of an inert gaseous component, in addition to vapor, on surface-tension-driven Bénard instabilities. It is assumed that the gas phase is perfectly mixed at some distance from the liquid-gas interface (given composition, pressure, and temperature). If this distance is not much larger than the liquid layer thickness, it is shown that a reduction of the full two-layer problem to a one-layer problem is possible, provided the evaporation rate is not too large. An analytical expression is given for the corresponding dimensionless heat transfer coefficient (a generalized, wavenumber-dependent Biot number) at the evaporating interface. The approach is validated through a comparison with a direct numerical resolution of the full two-layer problem.     

An improved procedure for the conversion of indolines into indoles

The addition of a sacrificial enamine (such as indole), or of a vinyl ether (like dihydropyran) to an indoline during dehydrogenation by phenylseleninic anhydride dramatically improves the yield of the corresponding indole. This is due to scavenging of Se¹¹ phenylselenenating species.     

Crystal growth and electrical properties of lithium,rubidium, and cesium molybdenum oxide bronzes

Crystals of Li_0.33 MoO₃ (blue), Rb_0.23MoO₃ (blue) and Cs_0.31MoO₃ (red) were grown by electrolysis from MoO₃M₂MoO₄ melts (M =alkali metal) with composition 70–77 mole% MoO₃. Melts richer in M₂MoO₄ produced MoO₂ only. Correlation is made between bronze formation and the coordination of Mo in the melt and in the equilibrium solid phase M₂Mo₄O₁₃. Li_0.33MoO₃ and Cs_0.31MoO₃ are semiconductors with high-temperature-range activation energies 0.16 and 0.12 eV. Rb_0.23MoO₃ has an electrical behavior similar to that of blue K_xMoO₃ with a semiconductor-metal transition at (170 ± 5) K. ESR spectra observed in Li_0.33MoO₃ and Rb_0.23MoO₃ single crystals at 4.2 K show extensive delocalization of the 4d¹ electron associated with Mo(V) centers. Attempts to grow molybdenum bronzes containing Ca or Y were unsuccessful.     

Face Selectivity of the Diels-Alder Reaction of 5,6-Bis((D)methylidene)-2-bicyclo[2.2.2]octene

The face selectivity (endo-face vs. exo-face attack onto the exocyclic s-cis-butadiene moiety) of the [4+2]cycloadditions of 5,6-bis((D)methylidene)-2-bicyclo-[2.2.2]octene ( 11 ) to strong dienophiles has been determined in benzene at 25°. It is ca. 95/5, 75/5, 70/30, 60/40 and 50/50 for N-phenyltriazolinedione (NPTAD), tetracyanoethylene (TCE), dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD), maleic anhydride (MA) and singlet oxygen (¹O₂), respectively. The endo-face preference is probably due to a participation of the homoconjugated double bond at C(2), C(3) which makes the etheno bridge more polarizable than the ethano bridge in 11. The absence of face selectivity with ¹O₂ is consistent with an entropy-controlled mechanism involving the intermediacy of an exciplex.