Effect of 3<Emphasis Type="Italic">d</Emphasis>-metal dopants on the electronic properties of hexagonal titanium dioxide nanotubes

The electronic structure of hexagonal TiO₂ nanotubes doped with 3d transition metals from Sc to Zn was calculated by the linearized augmented cylindrical wave method. The calculated densities of states demonstrate that the substitution of Sc, V, Co, Cu, or Fe atoms for a part of Ti atoms leads to the decrease in the band gap width of the material from 4 to 2 eV. Such nanotubes are promising materials for creation of electrodes for electrochemical photolysis of water.     

Copper(II), nickel(II), and zinc(II) complexes with <Emphasis Type="Italic">o</Emphasis>-tozylaminobenzaldehyde 4,6-dimethylpyrimidyl hydrazone

o-Tosylaminobenzaldehyde dimethylpyrimidyl hydrazone and its copper(II), nickel(II), and zinc(II) complexesare synthesized and studied. According to the X-ray diffraction data, the zinc(II) complex has the structure of a tetragonal pyramid with the N₃O donor ligand environment. According to EPR and magnetochemistry data, the copper(II) complex has a similar structure of the chelate core. In the nickel(II) complex, the solvent molecule completes the coordination core to an octahedron.     

Structural features of SnCl<Subscript>4</Subscript>–<Emphasis Type="Italic">ortho</Emphasis>-dimethoxybenzene complexes as derived from ab initio computations

Computations for the possible structures of SnCl₄–ortho-dimethoxybenzene complexes and initial components have been performed by MP2/LANL2DZ method. Computation results have been compared with experimental data of ³⁵Cl nuclear quadrupole resonance. cis-Octahedral structure of the complex through the coordination of both oxygen atoms has been confirmed. This complex differs considerably from the majority of studied tetrachlorostannane complexes of cis-octahedral structure in terms of the ratios of axial and equatorial Sn–Cl bond distances, p _σ electron density, and ³⁵Cl NQR frequencies for axial and equatorial chlorine atoms.     

Theoretical study of V<Subscript>20</Subscript>O<Subscript>50</Subscript> oxovanadate cluster compounds with alkali metal atoms

The energies and structural and spectroscopic characteristics of model М _n V₂₀O₅₀ systems corresponding to compounds of the V₂₀O₅₀ oxovanadate cluster with alkali metal atoms (M = Li, K; n = 1–20) have been calculated by the density functional theory method (B3LYP). It has been demonstrated that, in the K _n V₂₀O₅₀ compounds, all the metal atoms are coordinated in the outer sphere to the edges of the hollow dodecahedral V₂₀O₅₀ cage to form three-center O_t?K?O_t bridges with terminal oxygen atoms. In the Li _n V₂₀O₅₀ compounds, the metal atoms can be coordinated both outside and inside the V₂₀O₅₀ cage. At n = 4, the most favorable isomer is endohedral Li₄O₄@V₂₀O₄₆ in the quintet state (S = 5), in which the four Li atoms are located in the inner cavity of the inverted O₄@V₂₀O₄₆ isomer of the oxovanadate cluster with four O atoms oriented to the cage center and form with them a corrugated eight-membered ring Li₄O₄. The decrease in energy caused by the formation of the endohedral isomer (4Li + V₂₀O₄₅₀ → Li₄O₄@V₂₀O₄₆) is estimated at ~377 kcal/mol. The exohedral isomer 4Li ? V₂₀O₅₀ (S = 5), in which the Li atoms are coordinated to the outside of the V₂₀O₅₀ cage, is ~23 kcal/mol less favorable. For the other members of the Li series with n from 4 to 20, the endohedral isomers with the inner Li₄O₄ ring remain preferable. At n > 4, the extra Li atoms fill the outer sphere of the cage, being coordinated to its edges to form three-center O_t?Li?O_t bridges with terminal oxygen atoms. The specific energy of formation of Li _n V₂₀O₅₀ (by the scheme nLi + V₂₀O₄₅₀ → Li₄O₄@V₂₀O₄₆Li_n-4) per Li atom monotonically decrease from ~98 (n = 2) to ~80 kcal/mol (n = 20). For K _n V₂₀O₅₀, these energies are ~20?25 kcal/mol lower than for the lithium analogues and decrease from ~80 (n = 2) to ~64 kcal/mol (n = 12). The atoms of both alkali metals in the M _n V₂₀O₅₀ systems have large positive effective charges (0.85e?0.92e for K and 0.65e?0.78e for Li), which also monotonically decrease with increasing n. The addition of each alkali metal atom is accompanied by its ionization (М → М⁺) along with the reduction of one of the neighboring pentavalent vanadium atoms to the tetravalent state (V^V → V^IV) and localization of the unpaired electron in its 3d shell. For all Li _n V₂₀O₅₀ complexes, the states with maximal multiplicity and parallel spins are the most preferable.     

Oxidation of hydrogen on palladium: Chemicurrents in the Schottky nanodiode

The oxidation of hydrogen on palladium was studied by the chemicurrents method using the nanosized catalytic Pd/n-Si Schottky diode. The chemicurrent was found to be generated when the reactions H₂+O₂ and H + O + H₂ + O₂ occurred on the palladium surface, occasionally in the auto-oscillation mode. A model was created that describes the complex kinetic behavior of the reaction. Mathematical modeling was performed and showed the possibility of complex auto-oscillations of chemicurrent similar to those obtained in experiments. The catalytic Schottky nanodiode method was shown to be effective for reaction visualization and can be used as a new physical method for investigating the chemical processes on the catalyst surface.     

Resonant electron capture by orotic acid molecules

Resonant electron attachment by orotic acid molecules (6-COOH-uracil) are studied in the energy range of 0–14 eV via negative ion mass spectrometry. Molecular ions, whose lifetimes relative to electron autodetachment are found to be ~300 μs are recorded in the region of thermal electron energies; they form in the valence state through a vibration-excited resonance mechanism. Unlike unsubstituted uracil, most dissociative processes occur in the low-energy region of <4 eV and are due to carboxylic anions. An absolute cross section of 2.4 × 10^?17 cm² is found for the most intense fragment ions [M–H]^– at an output energy of 1.33 eV. The kinetics of decarboxylation is considered for these ions. This could be a model reaction for the last stage of uridine monophosphate biosynthesis.     

Local atomic and electronic structure of quantum dots based on Mn- and Co-doped ZnS

Solid solutions of zinc sulfide with manganese and cobalt are synthesized. Based on the analysis of X-ray diffraction profiles the conclusion is drawn about the formation of a hexagonal wurtzite type structure in the synthesized quantum dot (QD) solutions. The average crystallite sizes are 8 nm and 22 nm for the samples with manganese and cobalt respectively. Results of IR and optical spectroscopy are consistent with the powder X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence data. The question about particle aggregation in isopropanol and DMF solutions is considered. The QD structures based on ZnS particles doped with Mn and Co transition metal atoms are modeled. The possibility to apply X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to verify the atomic structure parameters around the positions of doping transition metal atoms in QDs of the ZnS family is shown. Partial densities of ZnS:Mn and ZnS:Co electronic states are calculated.     

Forms of solid solution ordering upon decreasing temperature

The work reports different forms of solid solution ordering: from the well-known atom redistribution processes over positions and the decomposition of the solid solution to the formation of superstructures, modulated structures, rotation of atomic groups, splitting of sites. For each ordering form as a crystal chemical phenomenon the position of atoms, molecules, and vacancies in the crystal structure of the solid solution is considered and the place of these processes among the main crystal chemical phenomena is determined. The manifestation of order–disorder processes in phase diagrams of systems is also analyzed: from the classical heterogeneous decomposition of solid solutions to the formation of ordered chemical compounds and other phase transitions. The necessity of a thorough study of the atomic-molecular nature of the solid solution ordering by modern X-ray diffraction crystallographic methods and high-resolution electron microscopy is demonstrated. For each ordering form examples are given, the driving force of the process is distinguished, and a brief literature review is presented.     

Crystal structures of binuclear Bi(III) chloride and bromide complexes with some cations — Alkylated pyridine derivatives

By a reaction of [BiX₆]^3– with salts of various N-alkylated pyridine derivatives in 2M HX (X = Cl, Br), (N-BzPy)₄[Bi₂X₁₀] complexes (X = Cl (1), Br (2), (4-MePyH)₄[Bi₂Cl₁₀] (3)) are obtained and structurally characterized.     

Mathematical simulation of the formation of liquid products from catalytic cracking gases over a zeolite-containing catalyst modified with Group VI and VIII metals

The kinetics of the formation of liquid products from catalytic cracking gases over a zeolite-containing catalyst in a flow reactor in the temperature range from 260 to 420°C at GHSV = 30–264 h^–1 and an on-stream time of 5–25 s has been investigated. A kinetic model for the process proceeding according to a likely scheme is proposed. The rate constants and activation energies of certain reactions involved in the process have been determined. A mathematical model of the process taking into account the mass and heat balances, as well as hydrodynamic conditions, has been developed. The concentration and temperature fields and the pressure over the catalyst bed height have been calculated. The target product yield on has been plotted as a function of the on-stream time.