Quantum ratchets in dissipative chaotic systems

Using the method of quantum trajectories, we study a quantum chaotic dissipative ratchet appearing for particles in a pulsed asymmetric potential in the presence of a dissipative environment. The system is characterized by directed transport emerging from a quantum strange attractor. This model exhibits, in the limit of small effective Planck constant, a transition from quantum to classical behavior, in agreement with the correspondence principle. We also discuss parameter values suitable for the implementation of the quantum ratchet effect with cold atoms in optical lattices.     

Boundary effects on the electrical conductivity of pure and doped cerium oxide thin films

Thin films of CeO(2) (both nominally pure and 10 mol% gadolinium-doped) grown via pulsed-laser deposition were studied. The electrical conductivity of the samples was measured as a function of thickness, temperature and oxygen partial pressure (pO(2)) using impedance spectroscopy. As expected, undoped CeO(2) exhibits electronic conductivity (with activation energy between 1.4 and 1.6 eV) whereas the highly doped samples are oxygen vacancy conductors (activation energy around 0.7 eV for epitaxial films). In order to investigate the influence of the nature of the substrate the thin films were grown on two different substrates, Al(2)O(3) (0001) and SiO(2) (0001), and compared. While the films grown on SiO(2) exhibit a microstructure characterized by columnar grains, the films grown on Al(2)O(3) are epitaxial. Notably, for films on both substrates the conductivity and activation energy vary with film thickness and exhibit remarkable differences when the films on different substrates are compared. In the case of the polycrystalline films (SiO(2) substrate), the space charge layer effects of the grain boundaries dominate over the substrate-film interface effect. In the case of the epitaxial films (Al(2)O(3) substrate), a small interface effect, probably due to a space charge layer or structural strain, is observed.     

Synthesis of Methyl α-D-Kijanoside

Abstract

In 1981, Mallams and coworkers reported¹ the discovery of - D-kijanose 1, a branched-chain nitro sugar, isolated from the antitumor antibiotic kijanimicin by acid hydrolysis. The structure of this unusual carbohydrate was established ^1,2 as 2,3,4,6-tetadeo xy-4 - (methoxy carbony1 amino 1-3-c-methyl - 3 -nitro - D-xylo-hexopyranose by spectroscopic and crystallographic analysis, and comparison with D-rubranitrose 2, a carbohydrate found in the antibiotic rubradirin .³Two other nitro sugars, L-evernitrose 3 and - L-decilonitrose 4⁵, have been discoveredas components of antibiotics.     

Pyrrole-Annulated Heterocyclic Systems. Synthesis of 2H-Pyrrolo[3,4-b][1,5]benzothiazepine 4,4-Dioxide Derivatives

Condensation of 2-nitrothiophenol with ethyl propiolate afforded 3-(2-nitrophenylthio)propenoate. Oxidation of sulfur atom to sulfone group gave ethyl 3-(2-nitrophenylsulfonyl)propenoate, which underwent condensation with tosyl methylisocyanide (TosMIC) to yield ethyl 4-(2-nitrophenylsulfonyl)pyrrole-3-carboxylate. Reduction of nitro group afforded ethyl 4-(2-aminophenylsulfonyl)-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylate, which was cyclized to 2H-pyrrolo[3,4-b][1,5] benzothiazepin-10(9H)-one 4,4-dioxide. Similar procedure was used for the synthesis of 9,10-dihydro-10-methyl-2H-pyrrolo[3,4-b][1,5]benzothiazepine 4,4-dioxide.     

Multivariate monitoring of soybean oil ethanolysis by FTIR

In this work, an analytical procedure was developed to monitor the ethanolysis of degummed soybean oil (DSO) using Fourier-transformed mid-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and methods of multivariate analysis such as principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares regression (PLS). The triglycerides (reagents) and ethyl esters (products) involved in ethanolysis were shown to have similar FTIR spectra. However, when the FTIR spectra derived from seven standard mixtures of triolein and ethyl oleate were treated by PCA at the region that represents the CO stretching vibration of ester groups (1700-1800 cm⁻¹), only two principal components (PC) were shown to capture 99.95% of the total spectral variance (92.37% for the former and 7.58% for the latter PC). This observation supported the development of a multivariate calibration model that was based on the PLS regression of the FTIR data. The prevision capability of this model was measured against 40 reaction aliquots whose ester content was previously determined by size exclusion chromatography. Only small discrepancies were observed when the two experimental data sets were treated by linear regression (R²=0.9837) and these deviations were attributed to the occurrence of non-modeled transient species in the reaction mixture (reaction intermediates), particularly at short reaction times. Therefore, the FTIR/PLS model was shown to be a fast and accurate method to predict reaction yields and to follow the in situ kinetics of soybean oil ethanolysis.     

Copper(I) complexes with bipyridyl and phosphine ligands: a systematic study

Phosphorescent copper(I) complexes carrying 2,2'-bipyridyl derivatives and phosphine ligands have been prepared and fully characterised. The role of the bipyridyl as well as the phosphine ligands in defining the optical, as well as the chemical properties of the complexes, are discussed. The light emission of these complexes is investigated as a function of the molecular geometry: rigid complexes with restricted freedom to rearrange in the excited state are found to show a quantum yield of phosphorescence one order of magnitude higher than those complexes with no steric constraint. The complexes have been extruded in a polymer matrix as a proof of principle of their processability.     

Long-term diffusive samplers for the indoor air quality evaluation

Three kinds of diffusion samplers, conceived to perform long-term samplings in indoor sites are illustrated in this work. Two of them, in part deriving from the previous "Analyst for VOC" device, extend the field of application up to the semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC), PAHs and nicotine in particular. A third device, which employs a basic barium hydroxide solution as an absorbing medium, is proposed for the determination of carbon dioxide levels which indicate the air change quality in the indoor sites. Laboratory and field experiments, performed in order to assess the reliability of the proposed devices, are shown. A monthly monitoring campaign, performed at three private apartments in Rome and its outskirts highlights that the indoor pollution levels are a complex function of various concurrent and opposite factors, like external air pollution, internal sources, air change rate and sink effect of surfaces, which contribute to depletion phenomena through adsorption and/or decomposition processes.     

Recycling asymmetric hydrogenation catalysts by their immobilisation onto ion-exchange resins

New systems based on cationic chiral phosphine-rhodium complexes anchored to a commercial cation-exchange gel-type resin showed high efficiency and easy recycling in the asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral olefins.     

Derivatives of 2,3‐dihydroimidazo[1,5,4‐ef][1,2,5]‐benzothiadiazepin‐6(4h,7h)‐thione 1,1‐dioxide,a new heterocyclic system related to tibo

The synthesis of derivatives of 2,3‐dihydroimidazo[1,5,4‐ef][1,2,5]benzothiadiazepin‐6(4H,7H)‐thione 1,1‐dioxide is reported starting from N‐substituted ethyl 2‐(5‐chloro‐2‐nitrobenzenesulfonamido)‐2‐alkyl‐acetates. Fundamental steps of the synthetic pathway were: i) intramolecular cyclization of N‐substituted 2‐(2‐amino‐5‐chlorobenzenesulfonamido)‐2‐alkylacetic acids in the presence of N‐(3‐dimethyl‐aminopropyl)‐N′‐ethyl carbodiimide hydrochloride‐N,N‐dimethylaminopyridine complex; ii) building of imidazole ring from 2‐alkyl‐8‐chloro‐2,3‐dihydro‐3‐methyl‐1,2,5‐benzothiadiazepin‐4(5H)‐one 1,1‐dioxide to achieve 2‐alkyl‐9‐chloro‐2,3‐dihydro‐3‐methylimidazo[1,5,4‐ef][1,2,5]benzothiadiazepin‐6(4H,7H)‐one 1,1‐dioxide; iii) preparation of thiocarbonyl derivative by treatment with Lawesson's reagent. Introduction of a 3‐methyl‐2‐butenyl chain at position 2 of above imidazobenzothiadiazepinone required protection at the 7 position with thermally removable tert‐butoxycarbonyl moiety, due to the fact that alkylation of unprotected structure proved to be regioselective for the 7 position.     

Palladium-catalyzed pseudo-domino cyclizations: An easy entry toward polycondensed pyrrolidone derivatives

A new type I palladium-catalyzed pseudo-domino process is developed, in which a single Pd-based catalytic system promotes two mechanistically unrelated, sequential catalytic cycles in chronologically distinct order. Suitable precursors undergo an allylic alkylation and a Heck coupling in sequence, affording polycondensed pyrrolidone derivatives. Depending on the starting precursors, intra/inter or doubly intramolecular processes can be obtained. The allylic alkylation process takes place always very smoothly. On the other hand, the Heck coupling turns out to be rather difficult either when the process is intermolecular, or when an intramolecular process generates polycondensed structures featuring three fused bonds connected to a common carbon atom. In such difficult cases, use of the Herrmann-Beller phosphapalladacycle allowed to catalyze the coupling. This study demonstrates also that allylic alkylations can be catalyzed by the Herrmann-Beller phosphapalladacycle.