First π-electron transitions in finite polymethine chains

In the present article, polymethine and annulene electronic spectra are described in a unique way by means of the Pariser-Parr-Pople method. The analytical expressions were derived for the first π-electron transitions energies. The character of the annulene spectra, like the character of the open-chain spectra, was shown to be dependent on the ratio between electron and site numbers. The Dahne's triad theory and the existence of finite energy gap in polymethines are discussed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Amidoalkylation of nonactivated terminal double bond in polyalkenes

Amidoalkylations of polybutenes and of ethene-propene copolymer, catalyzed by trifluoroacetic acid, result in 5,6-dihydro-4H,1,3-oxazino-substituted polyalkenes with the 2-position of the oxazine ring unsubstituted or occupied by a vinyl or a phenyl group. The vinyl-substituted dihydrooxazino polymers thus obtained readily add butylamine to the vinyl fragment yielding alkylamino-substituted derivatives. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Molecular Characteristics and Antioxidant Activity of Spruce (Picea abies) Hemicelluloses Isolated by Catalytic Oxidative Delignification

Spruce (Picea abies) wood hemicelluloses have been obtained by the noncatalytic and catalytic oxidative delignification in the acetic acid-water-hydrogen peroxide medium in a processing time of 3–4 h and temperatures of 90–100 °C. In the catalytic process, the H₂SO₄, MnSO₄, TiO₂, and (NH₄)₆Mo₇O₂₄ catalysts have been used. A polysaccharide yield of up to 11.7 wt% has been found. The hemicellulose composition and structure have been studied by a complex of physicochemical methods, including gas and gel permeation chromatography, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The galactose:mannose:glucose:arabinose:xylose monomeric units in a ratio of 5:3:2:1:1 have been identified in the hemicelluloses by gas chromatography. Using gel permeation chromatography, the weight average molar mass M_w of hemicelluloses has been found to attain 47,654 g/mol in noncatalytic delignification and up to 42,793 g/mol in catalytic delignification. Based on the same technique, a method for determining the α and k parameters of the Mark–Kuhn–Houwink equation for hemicelluloses has been developed; it has been established that these parameters change between 0.33–1.01 and 1.57–472.17, respectively, depending on the catalyst concentration and process temperature and time. Moreover, the FTIR spectra of the hemicellulose samples contain all the bands characteristic of heteropolysaccharides, specifically, 1069 cm⁻¹ (C–O–C and C–O–H), 1738 cm⁻¹ (ester C=O), 1375 cm⁻¹ (–C–CH₃), 1243 cm⁻¹ (–C–O–), etc. It has been determined by the thermogravimetric analysis that the hemicelluloses isolated from spruce wood are resistant to heating to temperatures of up to ~100 °C and, upon further heating, start destructing at an increasing rate. The antioxidant activity of the hemicelluloses has been examined using the compounds simulating the 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radicals.     

Interface Shape Studies for Fluoride- and Silicon Rods Grown by the E.F.G. Method

The influence of the die geometry and of the thermal conductivity of materials on the solid-liquid interface shape in Edge-defined Film-fed Growth has been studied.     

The Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of the Fluorinated Palladium β-Diketonate Derivatives: Structure and Physicochemical Properties

To search for new suitable Pd precursors for MOCVD/ALD processes, the extended series of fluorinated palladium complexes [Pd(CH₃CXCHCO(R))₂] with β-diketone [tfa−1,1,1-trifluoro-2,4-pentanedionato (1); pfpa−5,5,6,6,6-pentafluoro-2,4-hexanedionato (3); hfba−5,5,6,6,7,7,7-heptafluoro-2,4-heptanedionato (5)] and β-iminoketone [i-tfa−1,1,1-trifluoro-2-imino-4-pentanonato (2); i-pfpa−5,5,6,6,6-pentafluoro-2-imino-4-hexanonato (4); i-hfba-5,5,6,6,7,7,7-heptafluoro-2-imino-4-heptanonato (6)] ligands were synthesized with 70–80% yields and characterized by a set of experimental (SXRD, XRD, IR, NMR spectroscopy, TG) and theoretical (DFT, Hirshfeld surface analysis) methods. Solutions of Pd β-diketonates contained both cis and trans isomers, while only trans isomers were detected in the solutions of Pd β-iminoketonates. The molecules 2–6 and new polymorphs of complexes 3 and 5 were arranged preferentially in stacks, and the distance between molecules in the stack generally increased with elongation of the fluorine chain in ligands. The H…F contacts were the main ones involved in the formation of packages of molecules 1–2, and C…F, F…F, NH…F contacts appeared in the structures of complexes 4–6. The stability of complexes and their polymorphs in the crystal phases were estimated from DFT calculations. The TG data showed that the volatility differences between Pd β-iminoketonates and Pd β-diketonates were minimized with the elongation of the fluorine chain in the ligands.     

Mixed ligand complexes of AEE hexafluoroacetylacetonates with diglyme: Synthesis,crystal structure and thermal behavior

The novel mixed ligand complexes [Ca(hfa)₂(diglyme)(H₂O)] (I), [Sr(hfa)₂(diglyme)(H₂O)] (II) and [Ba(hfa)₂(diglyme)₂] (III) (Hhfa = 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoropentane-2,4-dione, diglyme = 2,5,8-trioxanonane) were synthesized by the reactions of the alkaline earth element (AEE) carbonates in n-hexane with a mixture of Hhfa and diglyme, and they were characterized by elemental analysis, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, and FTIR spectroscopy. The crystal structures of I–III, consisting of mononuclear isolated molecules, have been determined. The thermal behavior and composition of the vapor phase have been studied for I–III by thermal analysis at low pressure and mass spectrometry using a Knudsen cell. The stability of the mixed ligand complexes [M(hfa)₂(diglyme)_n] to the removal of diglyme molecules under heating decreases in the row I > II ≈ III, and only I evaporates as the mixed ligand complex after water removal.     

Novel Highly Energetic Pyrazoles: N‐Trinitromethyl‐Substituted Nitropyrazoles

A new family of energetic compounds, nitropyrazoles bearing a trinitromethyl moiety at the nitrogen atom of the heterocycle, was designed. The desirable high‐energy dense oxidizers 3,4‐dinitro‐ and 3,5‐dinitro‐1‐(trinitromethyl)pyrazoles were synthesized in good yields by destructive nitration of the corresponding 1‐acetonylpyrazoles. All of the prepared compounds were fully characterized by multinuclear NMR and IR spectroscopy, as well as by elemental analysis. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction studies show remarkably high density. Impact sensitivity tests and thermal stability measurements were also performed. All of the pyrazoles possess positive calculated heats of formation and exhibit promising energetic performance that is the range of 1,3,5‐trinitroperhydro‐1,3,5‐triazine and pentaerythritol tetranitrate. The new pyrazoles exhibit positive oxygen balance and are promising candidates for new environmentally benign energetic materials.     

Elemental Chemometrics as Tools to Depict Stalked Barnacle (Pollicipes pollicipes) Harvest Locations and Food Safety

The stalked barnacle Pollicipes pollicipes is an abundant species on the very exposed rocky shore habitats of the Spanish and Portuguese coasts, constituting also an important economical resource, as a seafood item with high commercial value. Twenty-four elements were measured by untargeted total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (TXRF) in the edible peduncle of stalked barnacles sampled in six sites along the Portuguese western coast, comprising a total of 90 individuals. The elemental profile of 90 individuals originated from several geographical sites (N = 15 per site), were analysed using several chemometric multivariate approaches (variable in importance partial least square discriminant analysis (VIP-PLS-DA), stepwise linear discriminant analysis (S-LDA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), random forests (RF) and canonical analysis of principal components (CAP)), to evaluate the ability of each approach to trace the geographical origin of the animals collected. As a suspension feeder, this species introduces a high degree of background noise, leading to a comparatively lower classification of the chemometric approaches based on the complete elemental profile of the peduncle (canonical analysis of principal components and linear discriminant analysis). The application of variable selection approaches such as the VIP-PLS-DA and S-LDA significantly increased the classification accuracy (77.8% and 84.4%, respectively) of the samples according to their harvesting area, while reducing the number of elements needed for this classification, and thus the background noise. Moreover, the selected elements are similar to those selected by other random and non-random approaches, reinforcing the reliability of this selection. This untargeted analytical procedure also allowed to depict the degree of risk, in terms of human consumption of these animals, highlighting the geographical areas where these delicacies presented lower values for critical elements compared to the standard thresholds for human consumption.     

Ionic liquid matrices for MALDI mass spectrometry of lignin

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry - The use of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry for the study of lignin is still extremely limited due to its low...     

Diastereoselective cycloaddition of (S)-N-(1-phenylethylimino)trifluoropropionate and trifluoroethylphosphonate with diazomethane

The cycloaddition reaction of (S)-(α-phenylethylimino)trifluoropropionate with diazomethane leads to a diastereomeric mixture (4.5:1) of 5-trifluoromethyl-1,2,3-triazoline-5-carboxylates. Enantiopure diastereomers were isolated by column chromatography and converted into their respective non-racemic 2-trifluoromethyl-aziridine-2-carboxylates and carboxylic acids. The absolute configuration of newly formed stereogenic centers was determined by XRD analysis. The stereoselective reaction between (S)-N-(α-phenylethyl)trifluoroacetimidoylphosphonate and diazomethane produces a diastereomeric mixture (2.5:1) of 5-trifluoromethyltriazoline-5-phosphonates readily separated by column chromatography in diastereomerically pure forms.