Correlation between ablation efficiency and nanoparticle generation during the short-pulse laser ablation of metals

The mechanisms of material ablation and nanoparticle generation from metal samples exposed to intense short laser pulses are experimentally investigated. We performed measurements of the ablated volume using optical microscopy and the analysis of the ablation plume by fast imaging. The results confirm the existence of two distinguished ablation regimes as a function of the laser fluence, and give a deeper insight in the involved physical mechanisms. Thus, both regimes are found to be related to the relative amount of atoms and nanoparticles within the plume. Comparing the results obtained for copper and gold, it is possible to determine the influence of electron-lattice coupling on the sample heat regime and the resulting plume properties.     

Cure of epoxy resins with cyanoacetamides

Cyanoacetamides are a novel class of curing agents for epoxy resins. Since reaction products of epoxy compounds with cyanoacetamides have not yet been described, we investigated the reaction of phenyl-glycidylether (PGE) and N-isobutylcyanoacetamide (NICA) under the conditions of the epoxy cure (120–150°C). Twenty-two fractions of the reaction product have been separated by preparative TLC and characterized by FD and MS mass spectroscopy. The structures of 10 reaction product have been elucidated by MS, NMR, and IR techniques. They belong to the classes of cyclic urethanes, spiro-dilactones, cyclo-oxa-1-hepten-4-one-2, pyrimidones, aminocrotononitrile, and tertiary amine. This complex model reaction mixture does not enable us to propose a curing mechanism. However practical cure of Bisphenol A diglycidylether (BADGE) yields clear and tough solids with a glass transition temperature up to 200°C, good mechanical strength, and high adhesion to metal surface. Cyanoacetamides are latent hardeners requiring a curing initiator. Since N-4-chlorophenyl-N′-dimethylurea is a latent initiator, liquid, homogeneous, storage stable “one shot” systems can be formulated which harden quickly above 120°C. Heat aging properties of cured specimens are reported. A series of novel liquid, resinous, and crystalline cyanoacetamides and their potential as curing agent are described.     

An efficient new route to dihydropyranobenzimidazole inhibitors of HCV replication

A class of dihydropyranobenzimidazole inhibitors was recently discovered that acts against the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a new way, binding to the IRES-IIa subdomain of the highly conserved 5' untranslated region of the viral RNA and thus preventing the ribosome from initiating translation. However, the reported synthesis of these compounds is lengthy and low-yielding, the intermediates are troublesome to purify, and the route is poorly structured for the creation of libraries. We report a streamlined route to this class of inhibitors in which yields are far higher and most intermediates are crystalline. In addition, a key variable side chain is introduced late in the synthesis, allowing analogs to be easily synthesized for optimization of antiviral activity.     

Combining ethnopharmacology and virtual screening for lead structure discovery: COX-inhibitors as application example

Virtual screening of large libraries of organic compounds combined with pharmacological high throughput screening is widely used for drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry. Our aim was to explore the efficiency of using a biased 3D database comprising secondary metabolites from antiinflammatory medicinal plants as a source for the virtual screening. For this study pharmacophore models of cyclooxygenase I and II (COX-1, COX-2), key enzymes in the inflammation process, were generated with structure-based as well as common feature based modeling, resulting in three COX hypotheses. Four different multiconfomational 3D databases limited in molecular weight between 300 and 700 Da were applied to the screening in order to compare and analyze the obtained hit rates. Two of them were created in-house (DIOS, NPD). The database DIOS consists of 2752 compounds from phytochemical reports of antiinflammatory medicinal plants described by the ethnopharmacological source 'De material medica' of Pedanius Dioscorides, whereas NPD contains almost 80,000 compounds gathered arbitrarily from natural sources. In addition, two available multiconformational 3D libraries comprising marketed and development drug substances (DWI and NCI), mainly originating from synthesis, were used for comparison. As a test of the pharmacophore models' capability in natural sources, the models were used to search for known COX inhibitory natural products. This was achieved with some exceptions, which are discussed in the paper. Depending on the hypothesis used, DWI and NCI library searches produced hit rates in the range of 6.6% to 13.7%. A slight increase of the number of molecules assessed for binding was achieved with the database of natural products (NPD). Using the biased 3D database DIOS, however, the average increase of efficiency reached 77% to 133% compared to the hit rates resulting from WDI and NCI. The statistical benefit of a combination of an ethnopharmacological approach with the potential of computer aided drug discovery by in silico screening was demonstrated exemplified on the applied targets COX-1 and COX-2.     

Preparation and x-ray structure analysis of [Rh2Cl2(μ-CO)(μ-vdpp)2] [vdpp=H2C=C(PPh2)2]

Summary The complex [Rh₂Cl₂(-CO)(-vdpp)₂] (1) (vdpp=H₂C=C(PPh₂)₂) was prepared by reaction of [Rh₂(CO)₄-(-Cl)₂] with vdpp. When (1) is allowed to stand overnight under an atmosphere of CO without stirringtrans-[Rh₂Cl₂(CO)₂(-vdpp)₂] is formed as a red precipitate in low yields. On rapid addition of CO the tricarbonyl complex [Rh₂(CO)₂(-CO)(-Cl)(-vdpp)₂]-Cl is formed instead. The chemical behaviour of the vdpp-substituted complex (1) is very similar to that of the corresponding dppm-substituted complex [Rh₂(Cl₂-(-CO)(-dppm)₂] (dppm=H₂C(PPh₂)₂). this similarity also extends to the molecular structures of both compounds. Unit cell parameters of (1): space group Pben (Z=8),a=2344.7(5),b=1506.9(7),c=3021.6(9)pm. Rh-Rh 267.4(1) pm.     

Spray-drying as a tool to disperse conductive carbon inside Na<Subscript>2</Subscript>FePO<Subscript>4</Subscript>F particles by addition of carbon black or carbon nanotubes to the precursor solution

In this work, Na₂FePO₄F-carbon composite powders were prepared by spray-drying a solution of inorganic precursors with 10 and 20 wt% added carbon black (CB) or carbon nanotubes (CNTs). In order to compare the effect of CB and CNT when added to the precursor solutions, the structural, electrochemical, and morphological properties of the synthesized Na₂FePO₄F-xCB and Na₂FePO₄F-xCNT samples were systematically investigated. In both cases, X-ray diffraction shows that calcination at 600 °C in argon leads to the formation of Na₂FePO₄F as the major inorganic phase. ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy was used as complementary technique to probe the oxidation states, local environment, and identify the composition of the iron-containing phases. The electrochemical performance is markedly better in the case of Na₂FePO₄F-CNT (20 wt%), with specific capacities of about 100 mAh/g (Na₂FePO₄F-CNT) at C/4 rate vs. 50 mAh/g for Na₂FePO₄F-CB (20 wt%). SEM characterization of Na₂FePO₄F-CB particles revealed different particle morphologies for the Na₂FePO₄F-CNT and Na₂FePO₄F-CB powders. The carbon-poor surface observed for Na₂FePO₄F-CB could be due to a slow diffusion of carbon in the droplets during drying. On the contrary, Na₂FePO₄F-CNT shows a better CNT dispersion inside and at the surface of the NFPF particles that improves the electrochemical performance.     

Gadolinium(III) complexes as MRI contrast agents: ligand design and properties of the complexes

Magnetic resonance imaging is a commonly used diagnostic method in medicinal practice as well as in biological and preclinical research. Contrast agents (CAs), which are often applied are mostly based on Gd(III) complexes. In this paper, the ligand types and structures of their complexes on one side and a set of the physico-chemical parameters governing properties of the CAs on the other side are discussed. The solid-state structures of lanthanide(III) complexes of open-chain and macrocyclic ligands and their structural features are compared. Examples of tuning of ligand structures to alter the relaxometric properties of gadolinium(III) complexes as a number of coordinated water molecules, their residence time (exchange rate) or reorientation time of the complexes are given. Influence of the structural changes of the ligands on thermodynamic stability and kinetic inertness/lability of their lanthanide(III) complexes is discussed.     

Optical detection of electron spin resonance in CdTe

We report the optical detection of electron spin resonance in p-type CdTe at 1.7 K in optical pumping conditions. The Overhauser shift of the electronic resonance, of the order of 45 G, is related to the sign of the electron g-factor g¹. We measure $\text{g}{}^1\text{= -1.59±0.02}$. Using this g¹ value and the previous results on the Knight shift, we deduce the value of the electron wavefunction on Cd in CdTe, which is consistent with the value in CdS.