Synthesis of PhTAD-substituted dihydropyrrole derivatives via stereospecific C–H amination

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Stereospecific α-amination has been accomplished via addition of N-phenyltriazolinedione (PhTAD) to the allylic position of dihydropyrroles. The aim of...     

Nanotopography and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of palladium deposited on different electrode materials

The objective of this work was to describe the characteristics of chemically and electrochemically deposited Pd surface layers on HOPG and polycrystalline gold electrode, using in situ ECSTM and EIS measurements, and SEM-EDX element analysis. Pd surface layers were deposited, in successive voltammetric cycles, and anodically dissolved in 0.01 M HCl+0.01 M (NH₄)₂PdCl₄ aqueous electrolyte. Both of the electrode materials used in the study were treated as standard testing electrodes: (i) HOPG for STM/ECSTM measurements, and (ii) polycrystalline Au as the well known working electrode in various electro-analytical applications. The elements surface analysis and nano-surface pictures were used to interpret the EIS diagrams and electrical equivalent circuits. Pd chemical and electrochemical deposition on the HOPG surface was compared with the same process on the polycrystalline gold electrode, on which palladium can be electrodeposited only by means of electrochemical cathodic deposition. Surface topographies of the electrodeposited palladium layers on HOPG and Au were completely different. The equivalent electrical circuits were fitted and the surface roughness of the investigated electrodes calculated. Relations between the surface topography, EIS and SEM-EDX, and interface model of the electrolyte solution electrodeposited Pd layer matrix electrode were proposed.     

On the Shape of the Ground State Eigenfunction for Stable Processes

We prove that the ground-state eigenfunction for symmetric stable processes of order α∈(0,2) killed upon leaving the interval (?1,1) is concave on $(-\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2})We prove that the ground-state eigenfunction for symmetric stable processes of order α∈(0,2) killed upon leaving the interval (−1,1) is concave on . We call this property “mid-concavity”. A similar statement holds for rectangles in ℝ^d, d>1. These result follow from similar results for finite-dimensional distributions of Brownian motion and subordination. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000) 30C45. Rodrigo Ba?uelos: R. Ba?uelos was supported in part by NSF grant # 9700585-DMS. Tadeusz Kulczycki: T. Kulczycki was supported by KBN grant 2 P03A 041 22 and RTN Harmonic Analysis and Related Problems, contract HPRN-CT-2001-00273-HARP.     

Silica xerogel-hydrogen peroxide composites: their morphology, stability, and antimicrobial activity

Hydrogen peroxide was incorporated into silica xerogel matrix over the concentration range from 3.8 to 68.0 wt% via the sol–gel route. The obtained composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The release rates of H₂O₂ from the composites into the aqueous phase were examined. In most cases, a 90% release was attained after ca. 10 min, and it was only slightly dependent on H₂O₂ concentration and particle size. The antimicrobial activity of the composite containing 3.59% H₂O₂ was evaluated against Escherichia coli and Micrococcus luteus. A comparative assay was carried out for aqueous solution of H₂O₂ of the same concentration. The results demonstrated a potent microbicidal efficacy of the composite. Furthermore, diffusion range of the hydrogen peroxide from the solid composite into an agar medium matched that of the H₂O₂ in aqueous solution. The stability tests with the xerogels containing 3.8, 26.4, and 68.0% of H₂O₂ showed that after 63 days respective losses of the H₂O₂ at 3 °C were 8.8, 9.7, and 6.2%. Both the DSC results and the stability tests have shown that the molecular water present in the pores stabilizes the composite, probably through improving the binding of the H₂O₂ molecules onto the silica surface.     

Application of AIM parameters at ring critical points for estimation of pi-electron delocalization in six-membered aromatic and quasi-aromatic rings

The AIM parameters at the ring critical point (the electron density and its Laplacian, the total electron energy density and both its components, potential and kinetic electron energy densities), have been intercorrelated with aromaticity indices: the geometry-based HOMA and the magnetism-based NICS, NICS(1), and NICS(1)(zz). A set of 33 phenylic rings having possibly a diversified aromatic character, and a set of 20 quasi-rings formed by intramolecular hydrogen and lithium bonds, have been taken into consideration. It has been found that the density of total electron energy, H, may serve as a new quantitative characteristic of pi-electron delocalization. The dependences between H values and aromaticity indices are correlated (cc(H/HOMA)=0.99, cc(H/NICS(1)zz)=0.95).     

Fractal structure of asphaltene aggregates

A photographic technique coupled with image analysis was used to measure the size and fractal dimension of asphaltene aggregates formed in toluene-heptane solvent mixtures. First, asphaltene aggregates were examined in a Couette device and the fractal-like aggregate structures were quantified using boundary fractal dimension. The evolution of the floc structure with time was monitored. The relative rates of shear-induced aggregation and fragmentation/restructuring determine the steady-state floc structure. The average floc structure became more compact or more organized as the floc size distribution attained steady state. Moreover, the higher the shear rate is, the more compact the floc structure is at steady state. Second, the fractal dimensions of asphaltene aggregates were also determined in a free-settling test. The experimentally determined terminal settling velocities and characteristic lengths of the aggregates were utilized to estimate the 2D and 3D fractal dimensions. The size-density fractal dimension (D(3)) of the asphaltene aggregates was estimated to be in the range from 1.06 to 1.41. This relatively low fractal dimension suggests that the asphaltene aggregates are highly porous and very tenuous. The aggregates have a structure with extremely low space-filling capacity.     

Corrosion depth profiles of nitrided titanium alloy in acidified sulphate solution

Thick (400 µm) glow-discharge nitrided layers, TiN+Ti₂N + αTi(N) type, have been produced on the Ti-1Al-1Mn titanium alloy. Using a progressive thinning method, the polarization characteristics at different depths of nitrided layers have been measured. From the plots of obtained potentiodynamic polarization curves the depth profiles of characteristic anodic and cathodic currents (at potentials corresponding to (a) hydride formation, (b) hydrogen evolution, (c) primary passivation, (d) oxygen evolution and (e) secondary passivation) as well as polarization resistance have been determined in 0.5 M Na₂SO₄ solution acidified to pH = 2. The anomalously high slope of the polarization curves in the cathodic region has been ascribed to the formation of titanium hydride. It has been shown that outer nitrided layers (up to 25 µm) exhibit excellent acid corrosion resistance owing to strong inhibition of the anodic process by TiN phase. Corrosion resistance of deeper situated layers gradually decreases and at depths of 250–370 µm the corrosion process is accelerated by presence of TiO₂ precipitations. Nitrided layers, unlike the alloy core, allow oxygen evolution on the oxy-nitrided surface at potential of +1.6 V and at more positive potentials gradual transformation of the surfacial film into TiO₂ takes place. Secondary passivation on nitrided titanium is less efficient than that in the absence of Ti-N species.      

Structural and luminescence studies of nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes with (1R,2R)-cyclohexanediamine derived unsymmetric Schiff base

Unsymmetrical Schiff base obtained by the condensation reaction of (1R,2R)(-)cyclohexanediamine with 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde and 2-hydroxynaphthaldehyde was used as a ligand for copper(II) and nickel(II). The ligand and complexes were characterized by circular dichroism (CD), UV-VIS, fluorescence, IR and (1)H (NOE diff), NOESY and (13)C NMR (ligand) spectra. The X-ray crystal structures solved for (1R,2R)(-)chxn(salH)(naftalH) and Cu(II)(1R,2R)(-)chxn(sal)(naftal) revealed tetrahedral distortion of coordination sphere in the solid phase. The [Cu(1R,2R)(-)chxn(sal)(naftal)]·0.5EtOH·1.25H(2)O complex crystallized in the monoclinic chiral C2 space group with two molecules in the asymmetric unit as well as disordered ethanol and water molecules. For both molecules Cu(II) ions were found in square-planar environments and adopts conformation described as "semi-open armed", because of distinctly oriented arms according to cyclohexane ring defined by three torsion angles. The thin layers of the ligands, copper(II) and nickel(II) complexes were deposited on Si(111) by a spin coating method and characterized with scanning electron microscopy SEM/EDS and fluorescence spectra. The ligand layers exhibit the most intensive fluorescence band at 498 nm, which can be assigned to emission transition π* → n of Schiff base ligand. For copper(II) layers the most intensive band from intraligand transition at 550 nm was observed. The highest intensity band was registered for the layer obtained when rotation speed was 1000 rpm and time 20 s. The nickel(II) complex layers fluorescence spectra exhibit an intensive band at 564 nm. The emission maxima of the copper(II) and nickel(II) complexes are shifted towards longer wavelength in comparison to the free ligand layers. CD spectra of the complexes in solution are characteristic for tetrahedral planar distortion of the chelate ring. The (1)H NMR NOE diff were measured and the position of the nearest hydrogen atoms in the cyclohexane and aromatic rings were discussed, suggesting the tetrahedral distortion of the central ion of the coordination sphere in solution.