Simple procedures for assessing and exploiting the selectivity of anion extraction and transport

The strength and selectivity of anion-binding by metal salt extractants have been assessed by defining the pH-dependence of anion uptake into a water-immiscible solution of the "metal-only" complexes; high Cl-/SO4(2-) selectivity of transport has been developed.     

pi bonding in second and third row molecules: testing the strength of Linus's blanket

The flexibility of valence bond (VB) theory provides a new method of calculating pi-bond energies in the double-bonded species H(m)A=BH(n), where A, B = C, N, O, Si, P, S. This new method circumvents the problems usually associated with obtaining pi-bond strengths by targeting only the pi bond, while all other factors remain constant. In this manner, a clean separation between sigma- and pi effects can be achieved which highlights some expected trends in bond strength upon moving from left to right and up and down the Periodic Table. Intra-row pi bonds conform to the classic statement by Pauling [L. Pauling, The Natiure of the Chemical Bond, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 1960, 3rd edition] regarding the relationship of heteronuclear bond strengths to their homonuclear constituents whereas inter-row pi bonds do not. This variance with Pauling's statement is shown to be due to the constraining effect of the underlying sigma bonds which prevents optimal p(pi)-p(pi) overlap. While Pauling's statement was based on the assumption that the resonance energy (RE) would be large for heteronuclear and small for homonuclear bonds, we have found large REs for all bonds studied herein; this leads to the conclusion that REs are dependent not only on the electronegativity difference but also the electronegativity sum of the constituent atoms. This situation where the bond is neither covalent nor ionic but originates in the covalent-ionic mixing has been termed charge shift (CS) bonding [S. Shaik, P. Maitre, G. Sini, P. C. Hiberty, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1992, 114, 7861]. We have shown that CS bonding extends beyond single sigma bonds in first row molecules, thus supporting the idea that CS-bonding is a ubiquitous bonding form.     

The ν2 + ν4 band of 12CF4

From a high-resolution diode laser spectrum of cooled ¹²CF₄, line assignments in ν₂ + ν₄ at 1066.4 cm^?1 have been made for tetrahedral subspecies to J = 20, and in many cases to higher J. Spectroscopic constants have been obtained from a least-squares fit of the Hamiltonian, and the relative intensities of the assigned lines have been calculated. The ground- and excited-state rotational constants, Coriolis constant, and splitting of the F₁ and F₂ vibrational substates have the values a.The CF bond length in the ground vibrational state is thus $\text{r}{}_0\text{= 1.31752 ± 0.00007}\text{A}\text{?}$. The analysis of a combination band such as this provides a method of obtaining ground-state spectroscopic constants of spherical-top molecules directly from the infrared spectrum, without the necessity of measuring weak “forbidden” transitions. The assignments allow accurate predictions of the frequencies emitted by the CO₂-pumped CF₄ laser.     

Measurements of the double polarisation parameters G and H in neutral pion photoproduction

Measurements have been made of the double polarisation parameters G and H in the photoproduction of neutral pions from protons, for incident photon energies between 1300 MeV and 2300 MeV and for pion c.m. angles between 50δ and 80δ. The results are compared with predictions from a recent comprehensive analysis of earlier photoproduction data.     

Charge-Shift Bonding: A New and Unique Form of Bonding

Charge-shift bonds (CSBs) constitute a new class of bonds different than covalent/polar-covalent and ionic bonds. Bonding in CSBs does not arise from either the covalent or the ionic structures of the bond, but rather from the resonance interaction between the structures. This Essay describes the reasons why the CSB family was overlooked by valence-bond pioneers and then demonstrates that the unique status of CSBs is not theory-dependent. Thus, valence bond (VB), molecular orbital (MO), and energy decomposition analysis (EDA), as well as a variety of electron density theories all show the distinction of CSBs vis-à-vis covalent and ionic bonds. Furthermore, the covalent–ionic resonance energy can be quantified from experiment, and hence has the same essential status as resonance energies of organic molecules, e.g., benzene. The Essay ends by arguing that CSBs are a distinct family of bonding, with a potential to bring about a Renaissance in the mental map of the chemical bond, and to contribute to productive chemical diversity.     

Charge‐Shift Bonding: A New and Unique Form of Bonding

Charge‐shift bonds (CSBs) constitute a new class of bonds different than covalent/polar‐covalent and ionic bonds. Bonding in CSBs does not arise from either the covalent or the ionic structures of the bond, but rather from the resonance interaction between the structures. This Essay describes the reasons why the CSB family was overlooked by valence‐bond pioneers and then demonstrates that the unique status of CSBs is not theory‐dependent. Thus, valence bond (VB), molecular orbital (MO), and energy decomposition analysis (EDA), as well as a variety of electron density theories all show the distinction of CSBs vis‐à‐vis covalent and ionic bonds. Furthermore, the covalent–ionic resonance energy can be quantified from experiment, and hence has the same essential status as resonance energies of organic molecules, e.g., benzene. The Essay ends by arguing that CSBs are a distinct family of bonding, with a potential to bring about a Renaissance in the mental map of the chemical bond, and to contribute to productive chemical diversity.     

Cosmically Lipschitz Set-Valued Mappings

This paper introduces a kind of sub-Lipschitz continuity for set-valued mappings based on the cosmic metric. This type of Lipschitz behavior has applications with regards to necessary optimality conditions, the Hamilton–Jacobi equation, and invariance of unbounded differential inclusions. Cosmically Lipschitz assumptions allow for broader applications than previously allowed under Lipschitz assumptions. It is also shown that a cosmically Lipschitz mapping can be characterized by the normal cones to its graph using the coderivative, and various rules are presented in order to more easily identify such a mapping.     

Fluorescent boron bis(phenolate) with association response to chloride and dissociation response to fluoride

Addition of chloride ions to boron bis(phenolate) 5 in dichloromethane solution produces a selective fluorescence decrease. The fluorescence change is believed to be caused by associative hydrogen bonding between the chloride ion and two boronic acid groups. While addition of fluoride ions to bis(phenolate) 5 generates a purple colorimetric response, the colorimetric response is caused by fluoride induced B-O bond cleavage and air oxidation of the phenolate anion formed by this dissociation.     

Optical excitations in star-shaped fluorene molecules

A detailed study of the low-energy optical transitions in two families of star-shaped molecules is presented. Both families have 3-fold rotational symmetry with oligofluorene arms attached to a central core. In one family, the core of the molecule is a rigid meta-linked truxene, while the other is a meta-linked benzene moiety. The low-energy transitions were studied both experimentally and using time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). The optical transitions of these new star-shaped molecules were compared with corresponding linear oligofluorenes. Both families of star-shaped molecules showed higher absorption and fluorescence dipoles and photoluminescence quantum yields than straight chain oligofluorenes. TD-DFT calculations show that absorption takes place across the entire molecule, and after excited state relaxation, the emission results from a single arm. In both theory and experiment the transition dipole moments show an approximate n(0.5) dependence on the number of fluorene units in each arm.