Correlating second harmonic optical responses of single Ag nanoparticles with morphology

Femtosecond laser excited second harmonic (SH) activity from single Ag nanoparticles is reported. A correlation of SH single-particle measurements with high-resolution imaging of particle morphology by TEM was achieved by creating position markers on an optical and electron transparent substrate (Si3N4 thin film, approximately 100 nm). We compared the SH activity of single Ag nanoparticles (nanospheres versus nanorods) and cluster structures (composed of two or multiple particles, e.g., dimers and trimers). The direct correlation of single-particle structures and SH activity, spectral and power dependence, strongly suggests one-photon resonant driven nonlinear oscillator response mechanism.     

Influence of extended π-conjugation units on carrier mobilities in conducting polymers

Carrier mobilities in thin films of copolymers with repeat units consisting of oligothiophenes bridged by Si atoms are measured over a range of doping levels, where the numbers of thienylenes in the repeat unit are 7, 8, 10, 12, and 14. The mobilities for these polymer films increased with the increase in doping level and the mobility enhancement followed an increasing order of the π-conjugation length. The magnitude of the mobility increase for the Si polymer comprising 14 thiophene units reached ca. 10⁴, implying that this π-conjugation length is almost sufficient to reproduce transport properties of polythiophenes.     

Preparation and use of 18-fluorine labelled inorganic compounds

2,2,6,6-Tetrakis(trifluoromethyl)-5,6-dihydro-2H-1,3,5-oxadiazines 3 on thermolysis undergo a retro Diels Alder reaction. On elimination of hexafluoroacetone 2 4,4-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,3-diazabuta-1,3-dienes are formed, which are transformed into 4,4-bis(trifluoromethyl)-3,4-dihydro-quinazolines 6, 4,4-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,4-dihydro-1,3,5-triazines 11, and hexahydro-1,3,5-triazines 20, respectively, depending on the substituents present at the heterodiene skeleton.     

Synthesis of 5,6,8,9,14,14a-hexahydroisoquino[1,2-b][3]benzazepines

Syntheses of 5,6,8,9,14,14a-hexahydroisoquino[1,2-b][3]benzazepine-2,3,11,12-tetrol and related compounds are described. Key steps involve an initial construction of the isoquinoline ring under the Bischler-Napieralski conditions, which is followed by the building of the azepine ring via an intramolecular lactam formation on to the isoquinoline nucleus.     

Use of long-chain alkylamines for preconcentration and determination of traces of molybdenum, tungsten and rhenium by atomic-absorption spectroscopy-II: molybdenum in soils, sediments and natural waters

Molybdenum is extracted as the thiocyanate complex with the quaternary long-chain aliphatic amine Aliquat 336 in chloroform, followed by evaporation of the solvent, dissolution in MIBK, and atomic-absorption spectroscopy. The method is simple, rapid and sensitive, with few interference problems for the determination of the Mo content of soils and sediments in the range 0.1-1.0 ppm with a relative standard deviation better than 5% when 1-g samples are used. Quantitative extraction from large volumes of aqueous solution has also been confirmed, allowing the determination of Mo in natural waters in the ppM range.     

Metallacycloalkanes: I. Preparation and characterisation of α,α′-bipyridyl-5-nickela-3,3,7,7-tetramethyl-trans-tricyclo[4.1.0.02,4]heptane

Oxidative addition of 2 molecules of 3,3-dimethylcyclopropene (I) to α,α′-bipyridyl(1,5-cyclooctadiene)nickel(0) (III) gave the title compound (IV) in over 90% yield. Complex IV was characterized by mass, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Its structure was determined by X-ray diffraction (a 13.7081(2), b 14.638(2), c 9.5139(1) Å, β 110.82(1)°, C2/c, R = 0.05 for 1614 reflections).     

Synthesis and antiinflammatory activity of the sulfoxides of 4-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl] - 3,4- dihydro- 2-(1-hydroxyethyl)-3-phenyl-2H-1,4-benzothiazine

Oxidation of 4-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]-3,4-dihydro-2-(1-hydroxyethyl)-3-phenyl-2H-1,4-benzothiazine, hydrochloride (I) with hydrogen peroxide yielded a mixture of two sulfoxides (II). Since this mixture exhibited antiinflammatory activity, the two components (Isomers A and B) were prepared in purified form by oxidation of I with N-chlorosuccinimide and hydrogen peroxide, respectively. Isomer A was more potent than Isomer B in the carrageenin-induced edema test.     

Hydrophilic polymer membranes containing carboxylic groups—I. Acrylic acid—methyl methacrylate—glycidyl methacrylate copolymers

Copolymers of acrylic acid, methyl methacrylate and glycidyl methacrylate have been synthesized and converted into cross-linked hydrophilic membranes by successive treatments with heat, alkali solution and acidic solution. The copolymerization was carried out in solution using tetrahydrofuran and p-dioxane as solvents. The polymer was obtained as a clear viscous solution at yields of approximately 95%. The polymerization was stopped before gelation took place. This gelation resulted from the reaction of epoxy and carboxylic groups of the polymeric chain. The polymerization time ranged from 3.5 to 7 hr depending on the content of the glycidyl methacrylate in the feed. The monomer mixture consisted of 25–45 mol% of acrylic acid, 40–70 mol% of methyl methacrylate and 2.5–15 mol% of glycīdyl methacrylate. With increasing content of acrylic acid, the membranes became soft and elastic; with decreasing content, they became brittle and hydrophobic. The swelling of the cured polymeric film increased with increase in the acrylic acid content of the monomer mixture and decreased with increasing glycidyl methacrylate content. Dialysis runs were conducted with sodium chloride, urea and a series of ethylene glycols with molecular weights up to 600. The permeability coefficients through the membranes for the ethylene glycols were similar to those through a commercial cellulose membrane (Cuprophane). The permeability proportional to $\text{(permeant molecular wt)}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>?</mtext><mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$. The membranes showed very low permeabilities to sodium chloride compared with those of commercial nonionic membranes. This appears to be due to the ionic exclusion mechanisms expected for ion exchange membranes.     

Dynamic behaviour of river colloidal and dissolved organic matter through cross-flow ultrafiltration system

Through cross-flow filtration (CFF) with a 1-kDa regenerated cellulose Pellicon 2 module, the ultrafiltration characteristics of river organic matter from Longford Stream, UK, were investigated. The concentration of organic carbon (OC) in the retentate in the Longford Stream samples increased substantially with the concentration factor (cf), reaching approximately 40 mg/L at cf 15. The results of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and colloidal organic carbon (COC) analysis, tracking the isolation of colloids from river waters, show that 2 mg/L of COC was present in those samples and good OC mass balance (77-101%) was achieved. Fluorescence measurements were carried out for the investigation of retentate and permeate behaviour of coloured dissolved organic materials (CDOM). The concentrations of CDOM in both the retentate and permeate increased with increasing cf, although CDOM were significantly more concentrated in the retentate. The permeation model expressing the correlation between log[CDOM] in the permeate and logcf was able to describe the permeation behaviour of CDOM in the river water with regression coefficients (r(2)) of 0.94 and 0.98. Dry weight analysis indicated that the levels of organic colloidal particles were from 49 to 71%, and between 29 and 51% of colloidal particles present were inorganic. COC as a percentage of DOC was found to be 10-16% for Longford Stream samples.