Collision-energy-resolved Penning ionization electron spectroscopy of p-benzoquinone: study of electronic structure and anisotropic interaction with He(*)(2 (3)S) metastable atoms

Collision energy dependence of partial ionization cross sections (CEDPICS) of p-benzoquinone with He(*)(2 (3)S) metastable atoms indicates that interaction potentials between p-benzoquinone and He(*)(2 (3)S) are highly anisotropic in the studied collision energy range (100-250 meV). Attractive interactions were found around the C==O groups for in-plane and out-of-plane directions, while repulsive interactions were found around CH bonds and the benzenoid ring. Assignment of the first four ionic states of p-benzoquinone and an analogous methyl-substituted compound was examined with CEDPICS and anisotropic distributions of the corresponding two nonbonding oxygen orbitals (n(O) (+),n(O) (-)) and two pi(CC) orbitals (pi(CC) (+),pi(CC) (-)). An extra band that shows negative CEDPICS was observed at ca. 7.2 eV in Penning ionization electron spectrum.     

1,4‐Addition polymerization of 1,4‐bis(4‐benzylpyridinium)butadiyne triflate in a dipolar aprotic solvent

1,4‐Bis(4‐benzylpyridinium)butadiyne triflate was aggregated in dimethylformamide and spontaneously converted into the 1,4‐addition type of polydiacetylene. The polymerization took place in a dipolar aprotic solvent with a large dielectric constant that could enhance the aggregation of the ionic diacetylene salt through the electrostatic interaction. The molecular weight of the diacetylene was leveled off after 30 h at 80 °C to reach 1.5 × 10⁴ (number‐average molecular weight) that consisted of the 1,4‐addition type of polydiacetylene similar to polydiacetylenes obtained in the conventional solid‐state polymerization. Electron spin resonance spectra revealed that diradicals were generated at the earlier state aggregation to give rise to a solution polymerization. The UV spectra also suggested the presence of the activated aggregation associated with the polymerization as well as the eximer emission spectra. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3534–3541, 2002     

Photoelectron and penning ionization electron spectroscopic investigation of trimethylsilyl- and t-butyl-thiophenes

Penning ionization electron spectroscopy and CNDO/S calculations have been successfully applied to the analyses of the UV photoelectron spectra of 2- and 2,5-bistrimethylsilylthiophene and 2-t-butylthiophene. The relative intensities of the π type bands are greatly enhanced in the Penning spectra compared with those of the UV photoelectron spectra.     

Thermal behavior of ternary Sm2Fe17Nx magnets

The Mössbauer spectra of Sm₂Fe₁₇N_x, prepared by the nitrogenation of Sm₂Fe₁₇ powders in an ammonia and hydrogen atmosphere, were observed at elevated temperatures to shed light on the thermal behavior of nitrogen in the compounds Sm₂Fe₁₇N_x. It was found that there were large differences in thermal behavior between the starting Sm₂Fe₁₇, crystalline Sm₂Fe₁₇N_x (x≈1.7) and amorphous Sm₂Fe₁₇N_x(x～7). The thermal decomposition behavior of Sm₂Fe₁₇N_3.2, developed as one of the most promising hard magnetic materials, was found to be different under different atmospheres.     

Infrared spectra of the water-nitrogen complexes (H2O)2-(N2)n(n = 1-4) in argon matrices

The infrared spectra of the water-nitrogen complexes trapped in argon matrices have been studied with Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy. The absorption lines of the H20-N2 1:1, 1:2, 1:n, and 2:1 complexes have been confirmed on the basis of the concentration effects. In addition, we have observed a few lines and propose the assignments for the 2:2, 2:3, and 2:4 complexes in the nu1 symmetric stretching and nu2 bending regions of the proton-acceptor molecule, and in the bonded OH stretching region of the proton-donor molecule. The redshifts in the bonded OH stretching mode and blueshifts in the OH bending mode suggest that the hydrogen bonds in the (H2O)2-(N2)n complexes with n = 1-4 are strengthened by the cooperative effects compared to the pure H2O dimer. Two absorption bands due to the 3:n complexes are also observed near the bonded OH stretching region of the H2O trimer.     

Solvent-free reactions of fullerenes and N-alkylglycines with and without aldehydes under high-speed vibration milling

The solvent-free reactions of fullerenes and N-alkylglycines with and without aldehydes (RCHO) 2a-e under high-speed vibration milling (HSVM) conditions have been investigated. Fulleropyrrolidines 4a-e (C₆₀(CH₂N(CH₃)CHR), R=H (4a), C₆H₅ (4b), p-NO₂-C₆H₄ (4c), p-CH₃O-C₆H₄ (4d), p-(CH₃)₂N-C₆H₄ (4e)) were obtained in moderate yields from reactions of C₆₀ with aldehydes 2a-e and N-methylglycine (Prato reaction). In all these solvent-free reactions, 4a was found to be formed besides 4b-e, indicating that fullerenes can react with N-substituted glycines in the absence of aldehyde to give fulleropyrrolidines. For this novel reaction, a possible reaction mechanism involving an electron transfer process has been proposed. Intrigued by this observation, the dependence of the yield on the reagent ratio for the reaction of C₆₀ with paraformaldehyde and/or N-methylglycine was examined to search the optimal conditions. The reaction of C₇₀ with paraformaldehyde and/or N-methylglycine under HSVM conditions was also studied and was found to give the positional isomers of [70]fulleropyrrolidines.     

Voltammetry at partially covered electrodes: Part III. Faradaic impedance measurements at model electrodes

Faradaic, impedances at model electrodes partially covered with a photoresist layer have been studied theoretically and experimentally. Equations for the faradaic impedance are derived based on the theoretical model and approach described in Part I of this series of papers. Experimental data for the hexacyanoferrate system at various model electrodes give excellent agreement, with theoretical predictions for the diffusion impedance behavior, and the applicability of the derived equations to the estimation of the degree of coverage and the size of the active regions is confirmed. Furthermore, the application of such model electrodes to the kinetic study of electrode reactions with high heterogeneous charge transfer rates is suggested.     

Spectroscopic identification of the CO-H2O 2-1 cluster trapped in an argon matrix

The infrared spectra of the carbon monoxide-water cluster as well as the CO monomer and dimer in an argon matrix at cryogenic temperatures have been reinvestigated on the basis of the isotope substitution experiment with 12CO and 13CO. Lines due to the CO-H2O 2-1 cluster in the matrix have been unambiguously identified in the CO and OH stretching regions. The isotope effect on the vibrational frequency of the cluster is observed in the CO stretching vibration but neither in the symmetric nor antisymmetric OH stretching vibrations. Each of the two vibrational lines due to the two CO vibrations of the CO-H2O 2-1 cluster is examined by comparing the expected spectral features at a 12CO/13CO ratio on a simulation with those observed experimentally. The migration of the trapped molecules (CO and H2O) in the matrix is discussed, in which the observed spectral change with the deposition temperature from 14 K to 30 K is explained.     

Synthesis and structural, electronic, and optical properties of oligo(thienylfuran)s in comparison with oligothiophenes and oligofurans

[structure: see text] Alternate thiophene/furan oligomers having four and six heterocycles, i.e., oligo(thienylfuran) dimer and trimer 2 (n = 4 and 6), were newly synthesized by repetitive Stille coupling reactions. The structural, electronic, and optical properties of these oligomers were investigated by X-ray crystallography (for n = 4), cyclic voltammetry (CV), UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, and DFT calculations, and the results were compared with those of corresponding oligothiophenes (1) and oligofurans (3). The inter-ring torsional energy profiles calculated for bithiophene 1 (n = 2), thienylfuran 2 (n = 2), and bifuran 3 (n = 2) at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level indicated that the most stable conformers of 2 (n = 2) and 3 (n = 2) are fully coplanar with transoid structure while that of 1 (n = 2) is twisted with a dihedral angle of 158 degrees . In accord with this, X-ray crystallographic analysis of 2 (n = 4) revealed that the pi-conjugated system is nearly planar with the inter-ring C=C-C=C dihedral angles between the thiophene and furan rings of 173.6(7) degrees , -177.0(7) degrees , and 172.6(6) degrees . In the packing structure, these nearly planar molecules are arranged in a herringbone pattern. The CV on a series of oligo(thienylfuran)s 2 showed irreversible oxidation peaks at +0.90, +0.42, and +0.29 V vs Fc/Fc(+) for n = 2, 4, and 6, which were 0.15-0.18 V lower than those for corresponding oligothiophenes 1 and were closer to those for oligofurans 3. On the other hand, the UV-vis spectra of 2 showed the longest wavelength absorption to be almost identical with those of the corresponding 1, and more bathochromically shifted than those of the corresponding 3. The results of CV and UV-vis measurements were supported by DFT calculations (B3LYP/ 6-311+G(2d,p)//B3LYP/6-31G(d)). Thus, oligo(thienylfuran)s 2 have HOMOs which are higher than those of oligothiophenes 1 and close to those of 3, and HOMO-LUMO gaps which are close to those of 1 and smaller than those of 3. In fluorescence spectra, the quantum yield of 2 increased with elongation of the pi-system (n = 2 (3.5%), 4 (19%), 6 (24%)).     

Molecular numbers in core and shell: structural dependence of reactivity of alkylcarboxylate-stabilized silver nanoparticles

Spectroscopic, chemical, thermal, and voltammetric analyses on six kinds of alkylcarboxylate-stabilized silver nanoparticles 4.7 nm in diameter were carried out with an aim to reveal the effect of alkylcarboxylates on the optical, thermal, geometric, and electrochemical properties of the nanoparticles. These nanoparticles are composed of silver atoms and silver alkylcarboxylates having even numbers, m, of carbon atoms from 8 to 18. As a measure of the structure of the nanoparticles, the ratio of the number of silver atoms (nAg) to that of alkylcarboxylates (ns) per nanoparticle was evaluated by means of titration through chemical oxidation, voltammetric currents, and thermal gravimetric analysis. It increased with an increase in m and ranged from 1.3 to 9.8. Properties of the nanoparticle have been exhibited in absorbance of the UV-vis spectra at the point of the proportionality to n(Ag), voltammetric currents of which values were close to the theoretical values at the diffusion of particle itself, and the m-independent kinetic energy of the thermal decomposition and the overpotential of the reduction. They are not observed for the composed species, that is, silver atoms and silver alkylcarboxylate molecules.