A New Route to the Synthesis of N-Formyl Lactams Using Vilsmeier Reagent

A convenient synthesis of N-formyl lactams from the corresponding tetralone and flavanone oximes using Vilsmeier reagent is described.     

Atomic force microscopic studies of novel arborescent block and linear triblock polystyrene-polyisobutylene copolymers

This paper reports the investigation of the nanostructured surface morphology of novel arborescent polyisobutylene-block-polystyrene (PIB-PS) copolymers, in comparison with linear PS-PIB-PS triblock copolymers, using atomic force microscopy (AFM) in tapping mode. Arborescent PIB-PS samples displayed interesting new phase morphologies, which changed dramatically upon annealing but remained irregular. Linear PS-PIB-PS samples showed morphologies similar to those previously found by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in cryomicrotomed bulk samples, ranging from spherical/cylindrical to lamellar nanometer-sized discreet PS phases dispersed in a continuous PIB matrix. Annealing the samples resulted in more ordered structures.Three-dimensional AFM image and section analysis indicated a height difference between PIB and PS in the block copolymers, which became more prominent during annealing. This feature was verified on compression moulded and protein coated samples. The arborescent PIB-PS materials displayed thermoplastic elastomeric behaviour with a tensile strength between 7 and 10 MPa and elongation ranging from 1000% to 1830%. In comparison, linear triblock samples had a tensile strength between 7 and 20 MPa and elongation ranging from 380% to 640%. Block copolymers with irregular elastomeric midsegments may emerge as a new class of TPEs.     

Cerium oxide stoichiometry alteration via Sn deposition: Influence of temperature

Cerium oxide layers grown on Cu(1 1 1) were studied by conventional X-ray and resonant photoelectron spectroscopy with synchrotron radiation. A quantitative method of determining the cerium chemical state from the Ce 3d photoelectron spectra is described in detail. After the preparation of the ceria layer, Sn films of different thickness were evaporated onto the surface at temperatures of 120, 300 and 520 K. In all three cases, the deposited Sn was oxidized, CeO₂ was partially reduced, and a mixed Sn–Ce–O oxide was formed. The quantitative extent of these reactions was found to be determined by limited diffusion of the deposited Sn atoms into the ceria layer at low temperature. The excess of tin formed a metallic overlayer on the sample surface.     

THE REACTION CENTER OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC BACTERIA

Abstract. Investigations on the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center have recently made several important steps forward. Progress has been made in measuring the time course of the light-driven reactions, and in understanding the thermodynamics of these processes, in determining the chemical-structural properties of the protein and its constituents, and in elucidating the functional relationship of the reaction center with the chromatophore membrane. Although the well-characterized Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides reaction center has been the main exploratory vehicle in many of these studies, we now have an ever increasing body of information from bacteria of other species and genera. This work is providing information from which we can underline features that are common to bacterial reaction centers, but it also reveals differences which may reflect different selection pressures on the separate species.
In this report we shall describe the early photochemical events of the reaction center, summarize the comparative biology of the reaction center, and discuss some of the current physical-chemical problems pertaining to the redox components of the reaction center.     

AMO Experiments with Seeded FELs

Free electron lasers (FELs) originated with the idea of John Madey that stimulated emission, normally associated with discrete transitions of bound electrons, can also occur with free electrons undergoing bremsstrahlung, the process responsible for synchrotron radiation [1 J.M.J. Madey, J. Appl. Phys. 42, 1906–1913 (1971).[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]]. Because the wavelength can be continuously tuned by adjusting the electron beam energy and the magnetic field that causes bremsstrahlung, a characteristic advantage of FELs is their easy, extremely wide-range wavelength tunability, presently ranging from a few μm to below 0.1 nm [2 sbfel3.ucsb.edu/www/fel_table.html [Google Scholar]]. Indeed, the first FEL was operated at 3.4 μm and, like a conventional laser, relied on a two-mirror cavity to provide the necessary feedback (i.e., gain) [3 D.A.G. Deacon, Phys. Rev. Lett. 38, 892–894 (1977).[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]]. The long-wavelength range takes the most credit for the remarkable development of FELs (seeded FELs in particular, because of the availability of feedback optics and/or seeding sources) and, in that range, FELs still have some desirable features, such as pulsed operation, compared to laboratory lasers.     

A terahertz time-domain study on the estimation of opto-mechanical properties of pharmaceutical tablets using the Hashin–Shtrikman bounds for refractive index: a case study of microcrystalline cellulose and starch acetate compacts

This work highlights the use of Hashin–Shtrikman (H–S) bounds in the prediction and verification of the effective refractive index, the height and the Young’s modulus of given training sets of pharmaceutical compacts using the measured time delay of a THz pulse traversing the compacts. Set A consisted of 13 microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) compacts whereas set B was made up of 5 starch acetate (SA) compacts. MCC is a typical ingredient of many pharmaceutical tablets. In the case of the MCC compacts, tight and closely matched bounds were obtained between the experimental, the calculated upper, lower bound values for the effective refractive index, and the height values. This promising outcome has shown the high possibility of utilizing H–S bounds in the verification and prediction of the decision level of useful parameters, which can serve as a quality check for pharmaceutical tablets. For the SA compacts, although less tight bounds were observed, the experimental values for the effective refractive index and the Young’s modulus were closely matched with the upper and the lower bounds, respectively. We therefore speculate based on the above observations that the MCC tablets contain an almost evenly distributed spherically shaped air voids whereas in the SA compacts, this assumption might not necessary be true.