Surface energy for brittle fracture of alkali halides from lattice dynamics

A lattice dynamics approach to the surface energy γ for brittle fracture of several ionic crystals is presented, based on recent work on surface dynamics and a reformulation of a model previously worked out for metals. The model requires the knowledge of the crystal structure, the eigenfrequencies and eigenvectors of the normal modes of vibration, as well as an analytical definition of the critical interplanar displacement appropriate to the cleavage mode. Some temperature dependent values of γ are also computed for the (100) and (110) planes. Qualitatively the results indicate the correct cleavage systems for all cases and quantitively are reasonably consistent with the available experimental values.     

Femtosecond studies of charge-transfer mediated proton transfer in 2-butylamino-6-methyl-4-nitropyridine N-oxide

We have unraveled the effects of an amino substituent in the ortho position on the excited-state dynamics of 4-nitropyridine N-oxide by studying the picosecond fluorescence kinetics and femtosecond transient absorption of a newly synthesized compound, 2-butylamino-6-methyl-4-nitropyridine N-oxide, and by quantum chemical calculations. Similar to the parent compound, the S(1) state of the target molecule has significant charge-transfer character and shows a large (approximately 8000 cm(-1)) static Stokes shift in acetonitrile. Analysis of the experimental and the theoretical results leads, however, to a new scenario in which this intramolecular charge transfer triggers in polar, aprotic solvents an ultrafast (around 100 fs) intramolecular proton transfer between the amino and the N-O group. The electronically excited N-OH tautomer is subsequently subject to solvent relaxation and decays with a lifetime of approximately 150 ps to the ground state.     

Highly enantioselective conjugate addition of nitromethane to chalcones using bifunctional cinchona organocatalysts

Cinchona alkaloid-derived chiral bifunctional thiourea organocatalysts were synthesized and applied in the Michael addition between nitromethane and chalcones with high ee and chemical yields.