Dynamics of self-assembled chaining in magnetorheological fluids

The aggregation dynamics of paramagnetic spherical particles embedded in a viscous fluid is investigated via numerical simulations using a fully coupled three-dimensional model. Particles experience simultaneously Brownian motion, dipolar magnetic attraction, and multibody hydrodynamic interactions. When the dipole strength characterizing the ratio of magnetic attraction to random diffusion exceeds a critical value, particles join together forming supraparticle structures. As time evolves, particle/chain and chain/ chain interactions lead to a continuous increase of the cluster size. The mean length of particle chains has a power-law dependence with respect to time, as predicted by the theory of diffusion-limited aggregation. Both the exponent and the characteristic time scale agree very well with the experimental results of Promislow et al.     

IR laser-induced dehydrohalogenation of halogenated ethanes

Pulsed IR radiation from a CO₂ TEA laser has been shown to cause dehydrohalogenation of CF₃CH₃, CF₂ClCH₃ and C₂H₅Cl under collisionless conditions. IR emission has been observed and is attributed to HF² and CF₂CH₂² from CF₃CH₃, and to HF² and HCl² from CF₂ClCH₃.     

Photochemical and thermal transformations of 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]Heptadiene and 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene systems

2,3-Dicarbomethoxy-7,7-dimethyl-7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene (III) on photolysis gave dimethyl tetraphenylphthalate whereas the photolysis of 7,7-dimethyl-7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hep-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride (XIa) resulted in the formation of 1,1-dimethyl-2,3,4,5-tetraphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene (XIIIa). The thermolysis of XIa also gave rise to XIIIa. Similarly, the photolysis as well as thermolysis of 1,4,5,6,7,7-hexaphenyl-7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride (XIb) led to hexaphenylsilacyclopentadiene (XIIIb). Attempts to detect radical intermediates in these thermal and photochemical transformations by carrying out the reaction in the presence of hydroquinone, hydrazobenzene, 3,6-diphenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine, cumene and tolan were unsuccessful. An attempted preparation of 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta2,5-dienes by the reaction of silacyclopentadienes such as 1-methyl-1-vinyl2,3,4,5-tetraphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene (XV) and 1-methyl-1,2,3,4,5-pentaphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene (XVI) with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate resulted in the isolation of dimethyl tetraphenylphthalate indicating that the corresponding 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-dienes are thermally unstable.     

Single nanocrystal arrays on patterned poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer microstructures using selective wetting and drying

Single nanocrystal arrays were fabricated on sub-microwells of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) copolymer using selective wetting on the hydrophilic regions of the exposed substrate surface and subsequent drying. Templates were produced by molding a thin film of a PEG-based random copolymer on hydrophilic substrates such as glass or silicon dioxide. The polymeric microstructures provide a topographical barrier around the well, which makes it possible to create nanocrystal arrays with controlled geometrical features. The size of the nanocrystal was found to decrease with decreasing well size and also decrease with decreasing topological height. A simple empirical equation was derived to predict the size of the crystal as a function of the pattern size and height, which is in good agreement with the experimental data.     

Electronic detection of the enzymatic degradation of starch

[reaction: see text] The enzymatic degradation of starch can be monitored electronically using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as semiconducting probes in field-effect transistors (FETs). Incubation of these devices in aqueous buffer solutions of amyloglucosidase (AMG) results in the removal of the starch from both the silicon surfaces and the side walls of the SWNTs in the FETs, as evidenced by direct imaging and electronic measurements.     

Self-assembling structures of long-chain phenyl glucoside influenced by the introduction of double bonds

Four long-chain phenyl glucoside amphiphiles possessing a saturated or unsaturated long alkyl chain group as the self-assembling unit of a highly organized molecular architecture were synthesized. Their self-assembling properties were investigated by EF-TEM, SEM, CD, FT-IR, and XRD. Compound 2 possessing one double bond in the lipophilic portion showed twisted helical fibers, which formed a bilayered structure with a 3.59 nm period, while compound 3 showed the helical ribbons and left-handed nanotubular structures with 150-200 nm inner diameters and ca. 20 nm of wall. Very interestingly, compound 4 possessing three double bonds showed a nanotubular structure with ca. 70 nm of inner diameter through a helical ribbon, which formed a loose bilayered structure with 4.62 nm. These results indicate that self-assembling properties strongly depend on the number of cis double bonds.     

Reactions of dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate—VI : Reaction with aldehyde and ketone phenylhydrazones

Benzaldehyde phenylhydrazone with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate gives dimethyl 1,3-diphenylpyrazoline-4,5-dicarboxylate, dimethyl 1,3-diphenylpyrazole-4,5-dicarboxylate and trimethyl 1-phenylpyrazole-3,4,5-tricarboxylate; p-chlorobenzaldehyde phenylhydrazone gives trimethyl 1-phenyl-3,4,5-tricarboxylate and 1,2-(bis-phenylazo)-1,2-di-p-chlorophenylethane. Under similar conditions, p-tolualdehyde phenylhydrazone gives only trimethyl 1-phenylpyrazole-3,4,5- tricarboxylate. Acetophenone phenylhydrazone with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate gives dimethyl 1,3-diphenylpyrazole-4,5-dicarboxylate. Benzophenone phenylhydrazone, on the other hand, gives a mixture of dimethyl 1,3-diphenylpyrazoline-4,5-dicarboxylate and dimethyl 1,3-diphenylpyrazole-4,5- dicarboxylate. Benzyl methyl ketone and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate gives an enamine maleate, which is the Michael addition product.     

Symmetry allowed π4s+π2s additions silacyclopentadienes

π⁴s+π²s cycloaddition of hexaphenylsilacyclopentadiene with ethyl acrylate gives rise to a bicyclosilaheptene derivative. High resolution NMR studies have shown that the ester group in this adduct is in the endo position and that the ester methylene protons are magnetically inequivalent. Similar cycloadditions of hexaphenylsilacyclopentadiene, 1,1-dimethyl-2,3,4,5-tetraphenylsilacyclopentadiene, 1-methyl-1,2,3,4,5-pentaphenylsilacyclopentadiene, and 1-methyl-1-vinyl-2,3,4,5-tetra-phenylsilacyclopentadiene with dienophiles like acrylonitrile, maleic anhydride and dibenzoylacetylene have been carried out. The stereochemistry of these adducts has been deduced on the basis of NMR studies. Mass spectral fragmentation studies of some of the silabicycloheptenes have been carried out.     

Semiclassical approach to collision-induced emission in the presence of intense laser radiation: An aspect in the study of cooperative chemical and optical pumping

Collion-induced emission in molecular systems in an intense laser field is studied using the semiclassical approach, with a view towards cooperative chemical and optical pumping in laser production. The formalism is developed with the electronic-field representation, which treats collision and radiative interaction on the same footing. Electronic-field surfaces can be regarded as forming spectra for spontaneous emission; and particular emission events can be accounted for by propagating classical trajectories on emission electronic-field surfaces. Pre-emission loss from the excited state is dealt with by propagating classical trajectories on a loss surface along a complex contour of emission branch points. This loss surface is derived on the basis of localized radiative couplings between electronic-field states and provides a framework to treat the general problem of discrete state-continuum interactions. The formalism is applied to a two-state, collinear exponential model to compute S-matrix elements and transition probabilities between asymptotic states.