Experimental details of the Stopped Beam RISING campaign

The RISING (Rare ISotope INvestigations at GSI) project constitutes a major pan-european initiative to study nuclear structure in exotic nuclei. A brief outline of the technical details specific to studies of isomeric decays following relativistic projectile fragmentation reactions is presented.     

Subpicosecond hard x-ray streak camera using single-photon counting

We have developed and characterized a hard x-ray accumulating streak camera that achieves subpicosecond time resolution by using single-photon counting. A high repetition rate of 2 kHz was achieved by use of a readout camera with built-in image processing capabilities. The effects of sweep jitter were removed by using a UV timing reference. The use of single-photon counting allows the camera to reach a high quantum efficiency by not limiting the divergence of the photoelectrons.     

Synthesis and Structure of Ionic Liquids Containing the ­[Al(OC6H4CN)4]– Anion

The synthesis, structure, and physical properties of ionic liquids (IL) bearing the novel [Al(O–C₆H₄–CN)₄]^– ion as counterion to the commonly used [NR₄]⁺, [PR₄]⁺ and imidazolium ions are reported. Both the influence of the alkyl chain length as well as the functionalization with cyano groups is studied. These ILs are easily obtained by reaction of Ag[Al(O–C₆H₄–CN)₄] with the corresponding ammonium, phosphonium, and imidazolium halides. The stability towards electrophilic cations was investigated. All prepared salts have a window for the liquid phase of ca. 200 °C and are thermally stable up to 450 °C. The solid‐state structures reveal only weak cation ··· anion and anion ··· anion interactions in accord with the observed low melting points (glass transition points).     

An online nano‐LC‐ESI‐FTICR‐MS method for comprehensive characterization of endogenous fragments from amyloid β and amyloid precursor protein in human and cat cerebrospinal fluid

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is the precursor protein to amyloid β (Aβ), the main constituent of senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Endogenous Aβ peptides reflect the APP processing, and greater knowledge of different APP degradation pathways is important to understand the mechanism underlying AD pathology. When one analyzes longer Aβ peptides by low‐energy collision‐induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), mainly long b‐fragments are observed, limiting the possibility to determine variations such as amino acid variants or post‐translational modifications (PTMs) within the N‐terminal half of the peptide. However, by using electron capture dissociation (ECD), we obtained a more comprehensive sequence coverage for several APP/Aβ peptide species, thus enabling a deeper characterization of possible variants and PTMs. Abnormal APP/Aβ processing has also been described in the lysosomal storage disease Niemann–Pick type C and the major large animal used for studying this disease is cat. By ECD MS/MS, a substitution of Asp7 → Glu in cat Aβ was identified. Further, sialylated core 1 like O‐glycans at Tyr10, recently discovered in human Aβ (a previously unknown glycosylation type), were identified also in cat cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). It is therefore likely that this unusual type of glycosylation is common for (at least) species belonging to the magnorder Boreoeutheria. We here describe a detailed characterization of endogenous APP/Aβ peptide species in CSF by using an online top‐down MS‐based method. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of cationic rhenium(V) and technetium(V) dioxo complexes containing four N-heterocyclic carbene ligands

Cationic dioxorhenium and dioxotechnetium complexes of the composition [MO(2)(L(1))(4)](+) (L(1) = 1,3-diisopropyl-4,5-dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene) have been prepared from various starting materials and studied spectroscopically and by X-ray crystallography. The metal-carbon distances range from 2.216(4) to 2.232(4) A indicating mainly sigma-bonding.     

Precision infrared spectroscopy in CF379Br by means of infrared-microwave double resonance

From the observation of double resonance effects on the microwave spectrum two coincidences between 9.4 μm CO₂ laser lines and infrared transitions of the ν₆ → (ν₆ + ν₁) band of CF₃⁷⁹Br have been determined: R(30) laser line coincident with ^qR₂(7), F = 17/2→17/2 transition, R(28) laser line coincident with all four ΔF = 0 hyperfine components of the ^qQ₈(13) transition. In both cases other infrared transitions lay within the tuning range of the laser. The frequencies of these two laser lines allowed calculations of the band center frequency ν₀ = 1083.530 ± 0.001cm^?1 and α_A = 11.93 ± 0.3MHz, for the ν₆ → (ν₆ + ν₁) band.α_B constants were determined for the vibrational states v₆, (v₆ + v₁), v₁, and v₃.     

Temperature-dependent crystal structure of the isopropanol clathrate of Dianin's compound

The title compound undergoes two order-disorder transitions between 15 and 299 K, dictated by ordering of the guest molecules in the host cages, and resulting in three related crystal structures. We anticipate behaviour of this kind to be widespread, and speculate that the concept of "the crystal structure" for individual Dianin's clathrates may be elusive.