Hydrogen isotope effects in electron donor-acceptor systems

The charge-transfer (CT) transition of complexes involving alkylated aromatic electron donors shifts hypsochromically upon benzylic deuteration. This is attributed to hyperconjugative effects.     

Fabrication and characterization of high-temperature microreactors with thin film heater and sensor patterns in silicon nitride tubes

In this paper the fabrication and electrical characterization of a silicon microreactor for high-temperature catalytic gas phase reactions, like Rh-catalyzed catalytic partial oxidation of methane into synthesis gas, is presented. The microreactor, realized with micromachining technologies, contains silicon nitride tubes that are suspended in a flow channel. These tubes contain metal thin films that heat the gas mixture in the channel and sense its temperature. The metal patterns are defined by using the channel geometry as a shadow mask. Furthermore, a new method to obtain Pt thin films with good adhesive properties, also at elevated temperatures, without adhesion metal is implemented in the fabrication process. Based on different experiments, it is concluded that the electrical behaviour at high temperatures of Pt thin films without adhesion layer is better than that of Pt/Ta films. Furthermore, it is found that the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and the resistivity of the thin films are stable for up to tens of hours when the temperature-range during operation of the microreactor is below the so-called "burn-in" temperature. Experiments showed that the presented suspended-tube microreactors with heaters and temperature sensors of Pt thin films can be operated safely and in a stable way at temperatures up to 700 degrees C for over 20 h. This type of microreactor solves the electrical breakdown problem that was previously reported by us in flat-membrane microreactors that were operated at temperatures above 600 degrees C.     

Treating singularities present in the Sutcliffe-Tennyson vibrational Hamiltonian in orthogonal internal coordinates

Two methods are developed, when solving the related time-independent Schrodinger equation (TISE), to cope with the singular terms of the vibrational kinetic energy operator of a triatomic molecule given in orthogonal internal coordinates. The first method provides a mathematically correct treatment of all singular terms. The vibrational eigenfunctions are approximated by linear combinations of functions of a three-dimensional nondirect-product basis, where basis functions are formed by coupling Bessel-DVR functions, where DVR stands for discrete variable representation, depending on distance-type coordinates and Legendre polynomials depending on angle bending. In the second method one of the singular terms related to a distance-type coordinate, deemed to be unimportant for spectroscopic applications, is given no special treatment. Here the basis set is obtained by taking the direct product of a one-dimensional DVR basis with a two-dimensional nondirect-product basis, the latter formed by coupling Bessel-DVR functions and Legendre polynomials. With the basis functions defined, matrix representations of the TISE are set up and solved numerically to obtain the vibrational energy levels of H3+. The numerical calculations show that the first method treating all singularities is computationally inefficient, while the second method treating properly only the singularities having physical importance is quite efficient.     

Characterisation of fatty acids in biological oil samples using comprehensive multidimensional gas chromatography

Comprehensive multidimensional gas chromatography can adequately resolve very complex mixtures of analytes such as the fatty acid mixtures which are contained in, e.g., fish and vegetable oils. Well-ordered patterns are obtained in the two-dimensional separation plane which can be used to tentatively identify peaks when no standard is available. The technique which can also be used for quantification, i.e., quantitative ratio analysis, should be especially useful for fingerprinting purposes. Unravelling the composition of complex mixtures such as fish oils appears to be highly rewarding.     

Comparison between adsorption isotherm determination techniques and overloaded band profiles on four batches of monolithic columns

The adsorption isotherms of 4-tert.-butyl phenol were measured on four different monolithic columns, using three different techniques, classical frontal analysis (FA), the perturbation on a plateau method (PP) and the recently introduced numerical procedure known as the inverse numerical method (IN). This last approach requires only the recording of a few overloaded profiles and has the potential advantage of affording a dramatic decrease of the amounts of compounds, solvent, and time needed to determine accurate estimates of the coefficients of the isotherm. The reproducibility of the adsorption data measured on the four columns is discussed with reference to the specific techniques used for obtaining these data and to the most suitable equation used for modeling them. The data obtained for the different columns were highly consistent. The inverse numerical approach was confirmed to provide a powerful, accurate, and economic method for measuring single component adsorption data.     

Modeling of overloaded gradient elution of nociceptin/orphanin FQ in reversed-phase liquid chromatography

The Reversed-phase (RP) gradient elution chromatography of nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ), a neuropeptide with many biological effects, has been modeled under linear and non-linear conditions. In order to do this, the chromatographic behavior has been studied under both linear and nonliner conditions under isocratic mode at different mobile phase compositions--ranging from 16 to 19% (v/v) acetonitrile (ACN) in aqueous trifluoracetic acid (TFA) 0.1% (v/v)-on a C-8 column. Although the range of mobile phase compositions investigated was quite narrow, the retention factor of this relatively small polypeptide (N/OFQ is a heptadecapeptide) has been found to change by more than 400%. In these conditions, gradient operation resulted thus to be the optimum approach for non-linear elution. As the available amount of N/OFQ was extremely reduced (only a few milligrams), the adsorption isotherms of the peptide, at the different mobile phase compositions examined, have been measured through the so-called inverse method (IM) on a 5 cm long column. The adsorption data at different mobile phase compositions have been fitted to several models of adsorption. The dependence of the isotherm parameters on the mobile phase composition was modeled by using the linear solvent strength (LSS) model and a generalized Langmuir isotherm that includes the mobile phase composition dependence. The overloaded gradient separation of N/OFQ has been modeled by numerically solving the equilibrium-dispersive (ED) model of chromatography under a selected gradient elution mode, on the basis of the previously determined generalized Langmuir isotherm. The agreement between theoretical calculations and experimental overloaded band profiles appeared reasonably accurate.     

Analysis of cyanobacterial toxins (anatoxin-a, cylindrospermopsin, microcystin-LR) by capillary electrophoresis

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) were applied to the simultaneous separation of cyanobacterial toxins (anatoxin-a, microcystin-LR, cylindrospermopsin). The analytical performance data of both methods, optimized for the three toxins, were similar with a precision of migration times smaller than 0.8 RSD% and a detection limit in the range of 1-4 microg/mL, using spectrophotometric detection at 230 nm. Both methods were applied to an analysis of cyanotoxins in water bloom samples and crude cyanobacterial extracts. The results obtained indicate that, for complex matrices, the sequential application of CZE and MEKC is necessary. It is recommended to use both CE techniques for the analysis of the same sample in order to confirm the results by an orthogonal approach.     

Mass spectometry of aralkyl compounds with a functional group—VI1: Mass spectra of 1-phenylethyanol-1, 2-phenylethanol-1 and 1-phenylpropanol-2

Mass spectra of 1-phenylethanol-1 and its analogues, specifically deuterated in the aliphatic chain, suggest that the [M? CH₃]⁺ ion is represented partly by an α-hydroxybenzyl fragment. Moreover, the molecular ion loses successively—after scrambling of all hydrogen atoms, except those of CH₃? a hydrogen atom and C₆H₆, generation the CH₃CO⁺ ion. Diffuse peaks, found in the spectra of of 2-phenylethanol-1 and its analogues, specifically deuterated in the aliphatic chain and in the phenyl ring, show that the molecular ion loses C₂H₄O, possibly via a four-center mechanism, after an exchange of aromatic and hydroxylic hydrogens. Mass spectra of 1-phenylpropanol-2 and its analogues, specifically, deuterated in the aliphatic chain, demonstrate that in the molecular ion exclusively the hydroxyl hydrogen atom is transferred to one of the ortho-positions of the phenyl ring via a McLafferty rearrangement, generating the [M ? C₂H₄O]⁺ ion. Furtherore, an eight-membered ring structure is proposed for the [M ? CH₃]⁺ ion to explain the loss of H₂O and C₂H₂O from this ion after an extensive scrambling of hydrogen atoms.     

Preparation and structural studies on the Bu2Sn(IV) complexes with aromatic mono- and dicarboxylic acids containing hetero {N} donor atom

Nine complexes of ^tBu₂Sn(IV)²⁺ were obtained in the solid state with ligands containing -COOH group(s) and aromatic {N} donor atom. The binding sites of the ligands were identified by FT-IR spectroscopic measurements. It was found that in most cases the -COO⁻ groups are co-ordinated in monodentate manner. Nevertheless, in some of our complexes, the -COO⁻ group forms bridges between two central {Sn} atoms resulting in the formation of an oligomeric structure, a motif that is characteristic only to the nicotinate compound. These pieces of information and the rationalisation of the experimental ¹¹⁹Sn Mössbauer nuclear quadrupole splittings, Δ, - according to the point charge model formalism - support the formation of octahedral (O_h) or trigonal bipyramidal (TBP) molecular structures. The X-ray diffraction analysis of one complex obtained as single crystal revealed the distortion of the TBP geometry towards square pyramidal (SP) one. This was rationalised by PM3 molecular modelling of the ^tBu₂Sn(pdc) complex. In the asymmetric unit, the two chemically similar but symmetry independent molecules form pseudo-dimers, in which the Sn?Sn separation amounts to ca. 6.4 Å. The crystal lattice is stabilised by C-H?O hydrogen bonding between individual molecules.     

The one-particle green's function: The minimal basis set description of the two-electron bond

The ionization potential (IP), electron affinity (EA), one-matrix and correlation energy of a two-electron chemical bond are calculated in a minimal basis set using one-particle, many-body Green's function theory. Results obtained using the second-order self-energy (Σ) and higher-order Σ's proposed by (1) Pickup and Goscinski, (2) Tsui and Freed, (3) Simons and Smith are compared with each other and with the exact values in the basis. The relationship between these methods and with configuration interaction is discussed and the consequences of making approximations in the context of Green's function theory are clarified.