Incorporation of trivalent cations in synthetic garnets A3B5O12 (A = Y, Lu-La, B = Al, Fe, Ga)

Static-lattice atomistic calculations have been used to study the solution energy for the incorporation of 13 foreign cations at 3 different lattice positions of 12 synthetic garnets. Trends have been obtained as a function of the ionic radius of the dopant cation, and the predictions about site preference have been compared with both literature and experimental data. The preferred substitution site is mainly determined by the ionic size and has been correctly predicted in all cases. Moreover, the energy difference between the preferred substitution site and the next favored site is relatively small in several cases, and hence the foreign ions can be inserted at two different positions by using the correct stoichiometry. A remarkably different behavior has been encountered for Al garnets, due to the smaller size of the unit cell. In particular, some cations, such as Fe3+ and Ga3+, can be inserted at the dodecahedral position usually occupied by the rare-earth ion. Despite the limitations of the static-lattice approach, the results of the present simulations help in the understanding of the defect chemistry of garnets, which is strongly responsible for the physicochemical properties (such as luminescence and ferrimagnetism) that make garnets interesting for technological applications. Such results lead to the possibility of tuning the optical and luminescence properties of garnets by the formation of different types of solid solutions.     

Radiation-induced formation of DNA intrastrand crosslinks between thymine and adenine bases: A theoretical approach

The role of local geometric and stereo-electronic effects in tuning the radiation-induced formation of intrastrand crosslinks between adenine and thymine has been analyzed by a computational approach rooted in density functional theory. Our study points out that together with steric accessibility, stereo-electronic effects play a major role in determining the reaction mechanism and the observed predominance of the thymine-adenine lesion over the opposite sequence isomer.     

Multi-residue determination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug residues in animal serum and plasma by HPLC and photo-diode array detection

The European Union regulated the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in animal production and set the official analytical controls to detect their residues in plasma, serum, and milk within the frame of national monitoring programs in each member state. In this work, a multi-residue reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (DAD) method is described for the simultaneous determination of 13 NSAIDs in serum and plasma of farm animals. Chromatographic separation by a C12 stationary phase column with a linear gradient is able to resolve all the compounds considered: salicylic acid, ketoprofen, flurbiprofen, phenylbutazone and its metabolite (oxyphenbutazone), carprofen, ibuprofen, naproxen, niflumic acid, suxibutazone, diclofenac, mefenamic acid, and tolfenamic acid. These compounds are chosen as the most representative of the different NSAID chemical sub-classes. The DAD analysis allows the confirmation of all drugs on the basis of their own UV-vis spectrum, according to the requirements of the European Council Decision 2002/657/EC. Moreover, the method is in-house validated, evaluating mean recoveries, specificity, repeatability, and within-laboratory reproducibility as the performance parameters required by the Decision. The results of this study indicate the method is specific and repeatable, with the mean percentage recoveries of the drugs ranging between 72.5% and 104.5%. Only salicylic acid has poor recovery, with results ranging between 36.3% and 54.9%.     

Aggregation of cesium perfluorooctanoate on poly(ethylene glycol) oligomers in water

The interaction of cesium perfluorooctanoate (CsPFO) with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) of different molecular weight (300 < or = MW < or = 20000 Da) has been investigated at 298.15 K by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), density, viscosity, and conductivity measurements. Calorimetric titrations exhibited peculiar trends analogous to those already observed for sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Micelles of the perfluorosurfactant, as compared to those of SDS, yield complexes with the polymer of similar thermodynamic stability but are able to interact with shorter PEG oligomers. The average number of surfactant molecules bonded per polymer chain at the saturation is about twice that observed for SDS. ITC data at 308.15 K indicate a larger thermodynamic stability of the aggregates but an almost constant stoichiometry. The peculiar thermal effects and the viscosity trend observed during the titration of an aqueous PEG solution with the surfactant appear consistent with a conformational change of the polymer. The PEG chain would evolve from a strained to an expanded conformation, induced by the growing of the surfactant micellar clusters bonded to the polymer, as suggested in a previous study of the PEG/SDS/H2O system.     

Solid-state phase transition induced by pressure in LiOH x H2O

When the free energy surface of the lithium hydroxide monohydrate crystal was explored, the high-pressure solid-state phase transition was determined. The high-pressure phase has been obtained through ab initio Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulation in the isothermic-isobaric ensemble. The recent metadynamics method has been applied to overcome the high activation energy barriers typical of rare events, like solid-state phase transition at high pressures. In the LiOH x H2O system, there are two kinds of H bonds: water-water and hydroxyl-water. The effect of the pressure has been investigated, to give further insight into the high-pressure phase. The strengthening of the H bonds of the system produces modifications in the water and the hydroxyl ion dipole electronic environment. The infrared spectra of both phases have been calculated and compared with experiments, and the assignment of the external modes has been discussed.     

Unlocking Access to Enantiopure Fused Uracils by Chemodivergent [4+2] Cross-Cycloadditions: DFT-Supported Homo-Synergistic Organocatalytic Approach

The discovery of chemical methods enabling the construction of carbocycle-fused uracils which embody a three-dimensional and functional-group-rich architecture is a useful tool in medicinal chemistry oriented synthesis. In this work, an unprecedented amine-catalyzed [4+2] cross-cycloaddition is documented; it involves remotely enolizable 6-methyluracil-5-carbaldehydes and β-aryl enals, and chemoselectively produces two novel bicyclic and tricyclic fused uracil chemotypes in good yields with a maximum level of enantiocontrol. In-depth mechanistic investigations and control experiments support an intriguing homo-synergistic organocatalytic approach, where the same amine organocatalyst concomitantly engages both aldehyde partners in a stepwise eliminative [4+2] cycloaddition, whose vinylogous iminium ion intermediate product may diverge—depending upon conditions—to either bicyclic targets by hydrolysis or tricyclic products by a second homo-synergistic trienamine-mediated stepwise [4+2] cycloaddition.     

Structural control design and defective systems

The intersection between the two concepts of structural control and defectiveness is discussed. Two simple oscillators differently connected by serial spring-dashpot arrangement are used to simply simulate technically relevant cases: dissipatively coupled adjacent free-standing structures, structures equipped by TMD and base-isolated structures. Eigensolution loci of the two classes of systems are tracked against one or more significant parameters to determine the potential benefits realized by different combinations of stiffness and viscosity. In both studied cases, codimension-two manifolds in the four-parameter space corresponding to coalescing eigenvalues are determined by analytical expressions. Conditions to discern semi-simple eigenvalues from defective ones confirm that the latter is the generic case laying in a two-parameter space while the former span a one-parameter subspace. The knowledge of the location of the defective systems in the parameter space permits to determine regions with specific dynamical properties useful for control design purpose.     

Understanding anion transport in an aminated trimethyl polyphenylene with high anionic conductivity

An alkaline exchange membrane (AEM) based on an aminated trimethyl poly(phenylene) is studied in detail. This article reports hydroxide ion conductivity through an in situ method that allows for a more accurate measurement. The ionic conductivities of the membrane in bromide and carbonate forms at 90 °C and 95% RH are found to be 13 and 17 mS cm⁻¹ respectively. When exchanged with hydroxide, conductivity improved to 86 mS cm⁻¹ under the same experimental conditions. The effect of relative humidity on water uptake and the SAXS patterns of the AEM membranes were investigated. SAXS analysis revealed a rigid aromatic structure of the AEM membrane with no microphase separation. The synthesized AEM is shown to be mechanically stable as seen from the water uptake and SAXS studies. Diffusion NMR studies demonstrated a steady state long-range diffusion constant, D_∞ of 9.8 × 10⁻⁶ cm² s⁻¹ after 50–100 ms. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2013, 51, 1743–1750, 2013