Spectroscopy and photophysics of self-organized zinc porphyrin nanolayers. 3. Fluorescence detected magnetic resonance of triplet States

Fluorescence detected magnetic resonance (FDMR) has been applied to approximately 25-nm-thick porphyrin films, containing ordered domains of zinc tetra-(p-octylphenyl)-porphyrin (ZnTOPP) spin-coated onto quartz slides. Illuminating the films at 1.4 K with 457.9-nm light from a continuous wave Ar(+) laser produces at least two different, Jahn-Teller-distorted, ZnTOPP triplet species, labeled i and ii. Microwave-induced magnetic resonance of i and ii in the absence or presence of an externally applied magnetic field affects the fluorescence intensity of ZnTOPP, thus allowing FDMR. For triplet species i, formed in films spin-coated from toluene solution, the zero-field splitting (ZFS) parameters were determined as |D| = (316.9 +/- 0.1) x 10(-4) cm(-1) and |E| = (32.0 +/- 0.5) x 10(-4) cm(-1). By exposure of the spin-coated films to chloroform vapor at room temperature, triplet i is converted into species ii, with |D| = (295 +/- 3) x 10(-4) cm(-1) and |E| = (121 +/- 3) x 10(-4) cm(-1). For the excited triplet state of ZnTOPP in a toluene glass, ZFS parameters with values of |D| = (295 +/- 1) x 10(-4) cm(-1) and |E| = (91 +/- 1) x 10(-4) cm(-1) are found. From a combined study of the FDMR- and microwave-induced fluorescence spectra, i and ii are identified as unligated and ligated ZnTOPP triplet species, respectively. From the asymmetrically shaped zero-field FDMR signals of i, we conclude that the local crystal field perturbations of the stacked molecules are anisotropic. The FDMR results of the ZnTOPP films are compared with those for a film of zinc tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP), which lacks the octyl substituents, and therefore is nonordered. Upon illumination, the ZnTPP films contain only a single, ligated, triplet species with ZFS parameters very similar to those of ligated ZnTOPP. At approximately 5 K, the lifetime of triplet i is considerably shortened compared to that of ZnTOPP in a glass at the same temperature.     

Determination of residual solvents and reagents in X-ray contrast media by automatic static headspace capillary gas chromatography

A specific, sensitive, and simple method for the quantitation of residual methanol, 2-propanol, 2-butanol, 2-methoxy-1-ethanol, 1-chloro-3-methoxy-2-propanol, 3-chloro-2-methoxy-1-propanol, and 1,3-dimethoxy-2-propanol in two non-ionic X-ray contrast media, has been developed. The headspace of a 25 % w/V aqueous solution of contrast media, obtained at 90–110°C in 15 min, was injected onto a capillary column coated with cyanopropyl, phenyl, dimethylpolysiloxane polymer. The internal standards used were 2-pentanol and 3-methoxy-1-butanol. The limits of detection were below 5 μg/g. The repeatability of the method at 50 μg/g of each solvent was below 5 %; and at 100 μg/g of the methoxypropanol compounds and 2-methoxy-1-ethanol, below 10 % (RSD, N = 5).     

IUCLID: an information management tool for existing chemicals and biocides

Because of the large number of chemicals to be risk assessed within the European Union, an electronic data reporting and management tool, IUCLID, was developed supporting all three steps of the risk assessment process, namely data collection, priority-setting, and risk assessment. This paper gives an overview of the IUCLID software, which has been updated and adapted to also be used for the notification phase of the Biocides Program of the European Commission.     

Intrinsic Josephson junctions in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ single crystals

We report on thec-axis superconducting energy gap parameter Δ _c (T) of intrinsic Josephson tunnel junctions inBi ₂ Sr ₂ CaCu ₂ O _8+δ (Bi2212) single crystals. Δ _c (4.2K)≈10−13 meV, which is approximately a factor of two smaller than reported in the majority of tunneling experiments. Δ _c (T) deviates strongly from the BCS temperature dependence. These observations may be explained by a multilayer model of Bi2212 which assumes that theBi−O layers are superconducting due to the proximity effects. The Josephson tunneling then takes place between adjacentBi−O layers while there is a strong proximity coupling betweenBi−O andCu−O layers. The work is supported by Swedish Supercon-ductivity Consortium and NUTEK, and, in part, by Russian Foundation for Basic Research, grant #95-02-04307     

Some limit theorems for the eigenvalues of a sample covariance matrix

Limit theorems are given for the eigenvalues of a sample covariance matrix when the dimension of the matrix as well as the sample size tend to infinity. The limit of the cumulative distribution function of the eigenvalues is determined by use of a method of moments. The proof is mainly combinatorial. By a variant of the method of moments it is shown that the sum of the eigenvalues, raised to k-th power, k = 1, 2,…, m is asymptotically normal. A limit theorem for the log sum of the eigenvalues is completed with estimates of expected value and variance and with bounds of Berry-Esseen type.     

Study on the influence of temperature on IR continua of easily polarizable hydrogen bonds

The temperature dependence of the infrared continuum due to easily polarizable hydrogen bonds is studied with aqueous HCl solutions. It is shown that this continuum is almost entirely independent of temperature in the range 293–333 K. As discussed, the experimental fact is in good agreement with the theory.     

Study of Cadmium Extraction with Aliquat 336 from Highly Saline Solutions

A large number of model solutions with high ionic strength were synthesised to mimic industrial conditions and were used as a first approach to study Cd extraction in the presence of chloride at high salinity, as experienced in real industrial solutions. The extractant used throughout in this work was Aliquat 336, a quaternary ammonium salt well known to the hydrometallurgical industry. The effects of some selected anions in addition to chloride (i.e., perchlorate, nitrate, and sulfate) were studied. The distribution of cadmium was measured using ¹⁰⁹Cd as a tracer. Liquid-scintillation spectroscopy quantified the concentration of ¹⁰⁹Cd in both phases. Raman and NMR spectroscopy were employed to gain further insight into the extraction chemistry. A careful analysis of all Cd extraction data showed that within specific windows of the reactant concentrations the chemical reactions could be represented by simplified equations, as discussed thoroughly in the text. Equilibrium constants for the extraction of \({\text{CdCl}}_{3}^{ - }\) from chloride and chloride/sulfate media were determined to be log₁₀K_ext?=?4.9?±?0.8 and log₁₀K_ext?=?5.7?±?0.5, respectively. For the nitrate environment, an exchange reaction involving a LiNO₃ ion pair is proposed and agrees with the experimental data, but was not proven. ¹⁴N-NMR and Raman spectroscopy confirmed that the relative affinity of Aliquat 336 for the relevant anions followed the order: perchlorate?>?nitrate?>?chloride?>?sulfate. Finally, ¹⁴N-NMR enabled the equilibrium constant of the exchange reaction between nitrate and chloride for Aliquat 336 to be determined.     

Polymer–Albumin Conjugate for the Facilitated Delivery of Macromolecular Platinum Drugs

The delivery of macromolecular platinum drugs into cancerous cells is enhanced by conjugating the polymer to albumin. The monomers N‐(2‐hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) and Boc protected 1,3‐diaminopropan‐2‐yl acrylate (Ac‐DAP‐Boc) are copolymerized in the presence of a furan protected maleimide functionalized reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent. The resulting polymer with a composition of P(HPMA₁₄‐co‐(Ac‐DAP‐Boc)₉) and a molecular weight of M_n = 7600 g mol⁻¹ (Đ = 1.24) is used as a macromolecular ligand for the conjugation to the platinum drug. Thermogravimetric analysis reveals full conjugation. After deprotection of the maleimide functionality of the polymer, the reactive polymer is conjugated to albumin using the Cys34 functionality. The conjugation is monitored using size exclusion chromatography, MALDI–TOF (matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight), and SDS Page (sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis). The polymer–albumin conjugates self‐assemble in water into nanoparticles of sizes of around 80 nm thanks to the hydrophobic nature of the platinum drugs. The albumin coated nanoparticles are readily taken up by ovarian cancer cell lines and they show superior toxicity compared to a control sample without protein coating.

     

A new synthetic route to Mg(2)Na(2)NiH(6) where a [NiH(4)] complex is for the first time stabilized by alkali metal counterions

Mg2Na2NiH6 was synthesized by reacting NaH and Mg2NiH4 at 310 degrees C under hydrogen pressure. The novel structure type was refined from neutron-diffraction data in the orthorhombic space group Pnma (No. 62), with unit cell dimensions of a = 11.428(2), b = 8.442(2), and c = 5.4165(9) Angstrom and a unit cell volume = 523 Angstrom(3) (Z = 4). The structure can be described by (Mg2H2)(2+) layers intersected by (Na2NiH4)(2-) layers. The [NiH4](4-) complex is approximately tetrahedral, indicating formal zerovalent nickel. This is the first example of a solid-state hydride where a [NiH4](4-) complex is directly stabilized by alkali metal ions instead of the more polarizing Mg(2+) ions. A rather long nickel-hydrogen bond distance of 1.65 Angstrom indicates a weaker Ni-H bond as a result of the weaker support from the less polarizing alkali metal counterions.