Possibilities and limitations of synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction with double crystal and double multilayer monochromators for microscopic speciation studies

The performance of a combined microbeam X-ray fluorescence/X-ray powder diffraction (XRF/XRPD) measurement station at Hamburger Synchrotronstrahlungslabor (HASYLAB) Beamline L is discussed in comparison to that at European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) ID18F/ID22. The angular resolution in the X-ray diffractograms is documented when different combinations of X-ray source, optics and X-ray diffraction detectors are employed. Typical angular resolution values in the range 0.3–0.5° are obtained at the bending magnet source when a ‘pink’ beam form of excitation is employed. A similar setup at European Synchrotron Radiation Facility beamlines ID18F and ID22 allows to reach angular resolution values of 0.1–0.15°. In order to document the possibilities and limitations for speciation of metals in environmental materials by means of Hamburger Synchrotronstrahlungslabor Beamline L X-ray fluorescence/X-ray powder diffraction setup, two case studies are discussed, one involved in the identification of the crystal phases in which heavy metals such as chromium, iron, barium and lead are present in polluted soils of an industrial site (Val Basento, Italy) and another involved in the speciation of uranium in depleted uranium particles (Ceja Mountains, Kosovo). In the former case, the angular resolution is sufficient to allow identification of most crystalline phases present while in the latter case, it is necessary to dispose of an angular resolution of ca. 0.2° to distinguish between different forms of oxidized uranium.     

Degradation of ionized OV(OCH3)3 in the gas phase. From the neutral compound all the way down to the quasi-terminal fragments VO+ and VOH+

The consecutive fragmentation of ionized trimethyl vanadate(V), OV(OCH3)3 (1), is examined by experiment and theory. After an elimination of formaldehyde from the molecular ion 1+, subsequent dissociations proceed via losses of first H2 and then two molecules of formaldehyde to finally yield the VOH+ cation; these redox reactions involve the V(II)/V(IV) manifold. At elevated energies, expulsion of CH3O* from 1+ can efficiently compete to afford OV(OCH3)2+, a formal V(V) compound, from which subsequent losses of H2 and two units of CH2O lead to bare VO+, thereby exploring the V(III)/V(V) redox manifold. Experiments using complementary mass spectrometric techniques, i.e., neutralization-reionization experiments and ion/molecule reactions, in conjunction with extensive computational studies provide deep insight into the ion structures and the relative energetics of these dissociation reactions. In particular, a quantitative energetic scheme is obtained that ranges from neutral OV(OCH3)3 all the way down to the quasi-terminal fragment ions VOH+ and VO+, respectively.     

Early stages of ZnS growth studied by stopped-flow UV absorption spectroscopy: effects of educt concentrations on the nanoparticle formation

The growth of ZnS nanoparticles by precipitation from supersaturated aqueous solution is studied by stopped-flow UV absorption spectroscopy. The average size, size distribution, and concentration of the particles are monitored within the sub-second time regime with a resolution of 1.28 ms. Particle growth at these early stages is governed by pronounced ripening. The UV absorption data strongly suggest that growth occurs by preferential adsorption of HS- anions relative to Zn(2+) or ZnOH(+) cations. Correspondingly, the initial sulfide concentration has a much more pronounced influence on the growth kinetics than the initial zinc concentration. These findings are verified by zeta-potential measurements which confirm that the particle surfaces are negatively charged under near-neutral pH conditions.     

Azanonaboranes containing imidazole derivatives for boron neutron capture therapy: synthesis, characterization, and in vitro toxicity evaluation

A number of azanonaboranes containing imidazole derivatives have been synthesized by a ligand-exchange reaction. The exo-NH(2)R group of the azanonaborane of the type [(RH(2)N)B(8)H(11)NHR] can be exchanged by one hetero-nitrogen atom of the imidazole ring. In the case of histamine, the exchange takes place on the aliphatic amino group, the hetero-nitrogen atom of the imidazole ring or both of them. The products were confirmed by NMR, IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and mass spectrometry. The electron-withdrawing effect of the nitro group in 2-nitroimidazole is the main hindrance to achieve the exchange reaction. In vitro experiments were performed with B16 melanoma cells. A comparison of the biological properties of the products in which the B(8)N cluster is connected to the hetero-nitrogen atom of imidazole ring or the aliphatic NH(2) group showed that incorporation of B(8)N cluster unit into primary amino group increases the compound's toxicity. In contrast, this specificity for cytotoxicity effect was not observed in the case of histamine containing two B(8)N clusters which was relatively nontoxic and did not inhibit colony formation up to concentrations of 2 mM.     

ChemInform Abstract: Structure Determination of Gold Clusters by Trapped Ion Electron Diffraction: Au‐14—Au‐19.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.     

Gaseous rust: thermochemistry of neutral and ionic iron oxides and hydroxides in the gas phase

The experimental and theoretical thermochemistry of the gaseous neutral and ionic iron oxides and hydroxides FeO, FeOH, FeO(2), OFeOH, and Fe(OH)(2) and of the related cationic water complexes Fe(H(2)O)(+), (H(2)O)FeOH(+), and Fe(H(2)O)(2)(+) is analyzed comprehensively. A combination of data for the neutral species with those of the gaseous ions in conjunction with some additional measurements provides a refined and internally consistent compilation of thermochemical data for the neutral and ionic species. In terms of heats of formation at 0 K, the best estimates for the gaseous, mononuclear FeO(m)H(n)(-/0/+/2+) species with m = 1, 2 and n = 0-4 are Delta(f)H(FeO(-)) = (108 +/- 6) kJ/mol, Delta(f)H(FeO) = (252 +/- 6) kJ/mol, Delta(f)H(FeO(+)) = (1088 +/- 6) kJ/mol, Delta(f)H(FeOH) = (129 +/- 15) kJ/mol, Delta(f)H(FeOH(+)) = (870 +/- 15) kJ/mol, Delta(f)H(FeO(2)(-)) = (-161 +/- 13) kJ/mol, Delta(f)H(FeO(2)) = (67 +/- 12) kJ/mol, Delta(f)H(FeO(2)(+)) = (1062 +/- 25) kJ/mol, Delta(f)H(OFeOH) = (-84 +/- 17) kJ/mol, Delta(f)H(OFeOH(+)) = (852 +/- 23) kJ/mol, Delta(f)H(Fe(OH)(2)(-)) = -431 kJ/mol, Delta(f)H(Fe(OH)(2)) = (-322 +/- 2) kJ/mol, and Delta(f)H(Fe(OH)(2)(+)) = (561 +/- 10) kJ/mol for the iron oxides and hydroxides as well as Delta(f)H(Fe(H(2)O)(+)) = (809 +/- 5) kJ/mol, Delta(f)H((H(2)O)FeOH(+)) = 405 kJ/mol, and Delta(f)H(Fe(H(2)O)(2)(+)) = (406 +/- 6) kJ/mol for the cationic water complexes. In addition, charge-stripping data for several of several-iron-containing cations are re-evaluated due to changes in the calibration scheme which lead to Delta(f)H(FeO(2+)) = (2795 +/- 28) kJ/mol, Delta(f)H(FeOH(2+)) = (2447 +/- 30) kJ/mol, Delta(f)H(Fe(H(2)O)(2+)) = (2129 +/- 29) kJ/mol, Delta(f)H((H(2)O)FeOH(2+)) = 1864 kJ/mol, and Delta(f)H(Fe(H(2)O)(2)(2+)) = (1570 +/- 29) kJ/mol, respectively. The present compilation thus provides an almost complete picture of the redox chemistry of mononuclear iron oxides and hydroxides in the gas phase, which serves as a foundation for further experimental studies and may be used as a benchmark database for theoretical studies.     

The CeO(2)(+) Cation: Gas-Phase Reactivity and Electronic Structure

"Bare" CeO(2)(+) ions can be prepared in the gas phase by consecutive oxidation of Ce(+) with O(2) and NO(2). The ability to activate saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons is investigated by use of Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. In the reactions of CeO(2)(+) with linear and branched alkanes C-H bond activation is observed almost exclusively. In contrast, both oxygen-atom transfer and C-H bond activation processes occur when thermalized CeO(2)(+) cations react with simple alkenes and aromatic compounds. C-C bond activation is not observed at all. Insight into the structural and electronic properties of neutral CeO(2) and cationic CeO(2)(+) is provided by means of quasirelativistic density-functional and ab initio pseudopotential calculations. They reveal a (2)Sigma(u)(+) ground state for CeO(2)(+) which is best described as a linear cerium dioxide with a resonating pi bond. Finally, we discuss the influence of oxo ligands on the chemistry of the cationic CeO(n)()(+) (n = 0-2) species toward hydrocarbons.     

Modeling hyperfine parameters observed from the charge-ordered to valence-mixed state of NdBaFe(2)O(5)

Orbital populations of the minority-spin Fe(2+) electron in NdBaFe(2)O(5) are extracted from electric and magnetic hyperfine parameters of (57)Fe M?ssbauer spectra across the temperature interval where charge ordering of the valence state 2.5?+ of iron occurs. The previously used approach that assigns the minority-spin population to a single lowest-energy d orbital is expanded to three orbitals by setting up a system of equations in terms of the Fe(2+)/Fe(3+) balance from isomer shift, a point-charge model for the valence and ligand contributions to the electric-field gradient, a point-dipole model for the dipolar contribution and an iterative scheme for small orbital contributions to the internal magnetic field. This allows us to model the hyperfine fields (electric and magnetic) in the intermediate temperature range of partial charge ordering between T(V )?≈?210?K and T(p)?≈?285?K, for which the one-orbital model was insufficient.     

Solid-state photodimerization of 4-aryl-1,4-dihydropyridines studied by C CPMAS NMR spectroscopy

¹³C CPMAS NMR spectroscopy has been applied to monitor the solid-state reaction of two different photodimerizing 4-phenyl-1,4-dihydropyridines yielding a cage dimer in one case and an anti-dimer in the other case. The spectra of the reacting monomers exhibit a magnetical inequivalence of chemically equivalent CO and C2/4 carbon atoms caused by a rotation of the pseudoaxially oriented 4-phenyl substituent out off the plane through N1, C3, C8 which could be determined by X-ray crystal structure analyses of the centrosymmetrically arranged monomers. The ¹³C CPMAS NMR monitoring of the cage dimer formation proves that the reaction takes place in two steps via a syn-dimer for which a non-symmetrical structure was derived from the spectrum. The non-symmetrical structure was confirmed by X-ray crystal structure analysis of one structurally related derivative. A centrosymmetric structure for both the finally formed cage dimer and the anti-dimer of the other monitored photoreaction was proved by their spectra with one set of signals for each half of the dimers, respectively. Thus, conformational properties of the molecules as well as the symmetry of the products can be directly derived from the ¹³C CPMAS NMR spectra.