Microhydration of X2 gas (X = Cl, Br, and I): a theoretical study on X2.nH2O clusters (n = 1-8)

Structure and properties of hydrated clusters of halogen gas, X2.nH2O (X = Cl, Br, and I; n = 1-8) are presented following first principle based electronic structure theory, namely, BHHLYP density functional and second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation (MP2) methods. Several geometrical arrangements are considered as initial guess structures to look for the minimum energy equilibrium structures by applying the 6-311++G(d,p) set of the basis function. Results on X2-water clusters (X = Br and I) suggest that X2 exists as a charge separated ion pair, X+delta-X-delta in the hydrated clusters, X2.nH2O (n > or = 2). Though the optimized structures of Cl2.nH2O clusters look like X2.nH2O (X = Br and I) clusters, Cl2 does not exist as a charge separated ion pair in the presence of solvent water molecules. The calculated interaction energy between X2 and solvent water cluster increases from Cl2.nH2O to I2.nH2O clusters, suggesting solubility of gas-phase I2 in water to be a maximum among these three systems. Static and dynamic polarizabilities of hydrated X2 clusters, X2.nH2O, are calculated and observed to vary linearly with the size (n) of these water clusters with correlation coefficient >0.999. This suggests that the polarizability of the larger size hydrated clusters can be reliably predicted. Static and dynamic polarizabilities of these hydrated clusters grow exponentially with the frequency of an external applied field for a particular size (n) of hydrated cluster.     

Complete structure determination of the astrophysically important nucleus Na below the proton threshold

The fusion–evaporation reaction ¹⁰B(¹²C, 2n) was used to make the first observation of in-beam γ decays from the astrophysically important nucleus ²⁰Na, lying adjacent to the proton drip-line. All states below the proton threshold in ²⁰Na were populated and identified in the experiment. These include new levels, previously unresolved levels, and states located with improved energy precision. The level structure of ²⁰Na, and its γ transitions, are compared to the mirror partner ²⁰F measured simultaneously in this experiment. In particular, a high degree of energy stability is found for all negative parity states. These results are discussed in the context of the nuclear shell model.     

Twisting dynamics in the excited singlet state of Michler's ketone

Ultrafast relaxation dynamics of the excited singlet (S(1)) state of Michler's ketone (MK) has been investigated in different kinds of solvents using a time-resolved absorption spectroscopic technique with 120 fs time resolution. This technique reveals that conversion of the locally excited (LE) state to the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state because of twisting of the N,N-dimethylanilino groups with respect to the central carbonyl group is the major relaxation process responsible for the multi-exponential and probe-wavelength-dependent transient absorption dynamics of the S1 state of MK, but solvation dynamics does not have a significant role in this process. Theoretical optimization of the ground-state geometry of MK shows that the dimethylanilino groups attached to the central carbonyl group are at a dihedral angle of about 51 degrees with respect to each other because of steric interaction between the phenyl rings. Following photoexcitation of MK to its S1 state, two kinds of twisting motions have been resolved. Immediately after photoexcitation, an ultrafast "anti-twisting" motion of the dimethylanilino groups brings back the pretwisted molecule to a near-planar geometry with high mesomeric interaction and intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) character. This motion is observed in all kinds of solvents. Additionally, in solvents of large polarity, the dimethylamino groups undergo further twisting to about 90 degrees with respect to the phenyl ring, to which it is attached, leading to the conversion of the ICT state to the TICT state. Similar characteristics of the absorption spectra of the TICT state and the anion radical of MK establish the nearly pure electron transfer (ET) character of the TICT state. In aprotic solvents, because of the steep slope of the potential energy surface near the Franck-Condon (FC) or LE state region, the LE state is nearly nonemissive at room temperature and fluorescence emission is observed from only the ICT and TICT states. Alternatively, in protic solvents, because of an intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interaction between MK and the solvent, the LE region is more flat and stimulated emission from this state is also observed. However, a stronger hydrogen-bonding interaction between the TICT state and the solvent as well as the closeness between the two potential energy surfaces due to the TICT and the ground states cause the nonradiative coupling between these states to be very effective and, hence, cause the TICT state to be weakly emissive. The multi-exponentiality and strong wavelength-dependence of the kinetics of the relaxation process taking place in the S1 state of MK have arisen for several reasons, such as strong overlapping of transient absorption and stimulated emission spectra of the LE, ICT, and TICT states, which are formed consecutively following photoexcitation of the molecule, as well as the fact that different probe wavelengths monitor different regions of the potential energy surface representing the twisting motion of the excited molecule.     

Anomalous behaviour in the SmA*–SmCA* pre‐transitional regime of a chiral swallow‐tailed antiferroelectric liquid crystal

The temperature‐ and electric field‐dependent dielectric relaxation and polarisation of a new chiral swallow tailed antiferroelectric liquid crystal, i.e. 1‐ethylpropyl (S)‐2‐{6‐[4‐(4′‐decyloxyphenyl)benzoyloxy]‐2‐naphthyl}propionate (abbreviated as EP10PBNP), were investigated. The electric field‐induced dielectric loss spectra of EP10PBNP revealed electroclinic and anomalous dielectric behaviour in the chiral smectic A (SmA*)–chiral antiferroelectric smectic C (SmC_A*) pre‐transitional regime. From an analysis of thermal hysteresis of the dielectric constant, electric field‐induced polarisation and dielectric loss spectra, the appearance of a ferrielectric‐like mesophase is observed followed by an unstable SmC_A* phase in the SmA*–SmC_A* pre‐transitional regime.     

Thermogravimetric studies on the reduction of hematite ore fines by a surrounding layer of coal or char fines: Part 2. Non-isothermal kinetic studies

A kinetic study on the non-isothermal reduction of a column of iron ore fines by a surrounding layer of char fines is the main theme of this paper. A study on isothermal reduction by coal/char fines was described in Part 1 of this communication.In the present work the degree of reaction at a given instant has been described as in Part 1, i.e., as the ratio of weight loss at that instant to the maximum possible weight loss. Reduction experiments have been carried out on three different sample sizes. Samples of ~1 g were used in a thermogravimetric set-up and continuous measurements of weight loss analysed in terms of the degree of reaction. Some fixed time reduction experiments have been carried out on large (~15 g) samples where the reduced sample was chemically analysed for the degree of reduction. In addition, a thermal analyser was used to study reduction in a thoroughly mixed ore-char system (sample size, ~30 mg).It is shown that while the reaction in a mixed system is characterized by uniform internal reduction, reduction in an unmixed system is characterized by diffusion of gases through a porous product layer, the reaction being controlled by gasification of carbon.     

Osmotic and activity coefficients at 25°C for tetraalkylammonium bromides in deuterium oxide

Earlier work by Lindenbaum and Boyd has demonstrated the important role of hydrophobic interactions involving the water solvent in determining the osmotic coefficients and properties of aqueous solutions of the tetraalkylammonium halides. Osmotic coefficients of solutions of tetramethyl-, tetraethyl-, tetrapropyl-, and tetrabutylammonium bromides in the more highly structured solvent D₂O have now been determined by the gravimetric isopiestic method, using reference solutions of NaCl in D₂O. The data were fitted to the Rush-Johnson and Pitzer equations. Satisfactory agreement with the results for aqueous solutions at comparable concentrations indicates that the solution chemistry of these quaternary ammonium bromides is not highly dependent on the degree of structure of the pure solvents. Supplementary data for mixtures of Me₄NBr with Et₄NBr, Pr₄NBr, or Bu₄NBr in both H₂O and D₂O are consistent with this conclusion.On leave 1980–82 from Banaras Hindu University, India     

Hydrophobic Shielding of Outer Surface: Enhancing the Chemical Stability of Metal–Organic Polyhedra

Metal–organic polyhedra (MOP) are a promising class of crystalline porous materials with multifarious potential applications. Although MOPs and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have similar potential in terms of their intrinsic porosities and physicochemical properties, the exploitation of carboxylate MOPs is still rudimentary because of the lack of systematic development addressing their chemical stability. Herein we describe the fabrication of chemically robust carboxylate MOPs via outer‐surface functionalization as an a priori methodology, to stabilize those MOPs system where metal–ligand bond is not so strong. Fine‐tuning of hydrophobic shielding is key to attaining chemical inertness with retention of the framework integrity over a wide range of pH values, in strong acidic conditions, and in oxidizing and reducing media. These results are further corroborated by molecular modelling studies. Owing to the unprecedented transition from instability to a chemically ultra‐stable regime using a rapid ambient‐temperature gram‐scale synthesis (within seconds), a prototype strategy towards chemically stable MOPs is reported.     

Cobalt(II), nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes of a hexadentate pyridine amide ligand. Effect of donor atom (ether vs. thioether) on coordination geometry, spin-state of cobalt and M(III)-M(II) redox potential

Using an acyclic hexadentate pyridine amide ligand, containing a -OCH(2)CH(2)O- spacer between two pyridine-2-carboxamide units (1,4-bis[o-(pyrydine-2-carboxamidophenyl)]-1,4-dioxabutane (H(2)L(9)), in its deprotonated form), four new complexes, [Co(II)(L(9))] (1) and its one-electron oxidized counterpart [Co(III)(L(9))][NO(3)]·2H(2)O (2), [Ni(II)(L(9))] (3) and [Cu(II)(L(9))] (4), have been synthesized. Structural analyses revealed that the Co(II) centre in 1 and the Ni(II) centre in 3 are six-coordinate, utilizing all the available donor sites and the Cu(II) centre in 4 is effectively five-coordinated (one of the ether O atoms does not participate in coordination). The structural parameters associated with the change in the metal coordination environment have been compared with corresponding complexes of thioether-containing hexadentate ligands. The μ(eff) values at 298 K of 1-4 correspond to S = 3/2, S = 0, S = 1 and S = 1/2, respectively. Absorption spectra for all the complexes have been investigated. EPR spectral properties of the copper(II) complex 4 have been investigated, simulated and analyzed. Cyclic voltammetric experiments in CH(2)Cl(2) reveal quasireversible Co(III)-Co(II), Ni(III)-Ni(II) and Cu(II)-Cu(I) redox processes. In going from ether O to thioether S coordination, the effect of the metal coordination environment on the redox potential values of Co(III)-Co(II) (here the effect of spin-state as well), Ni(III)-Ni(II) and Cu(II)-Cu(I) processes have been systematically analyzed.     

Preparation, characterization, surface modification and redox reactions of silver nanoparticles in the presence of tryptophan

The synthesis and characterization of water-soluble dispersions of Ag nanoparticles by the reduction of AgNO(3) using tryptophan under alkaline synthesis conditions are reported. The Ag nanoparticle formation was very slow at low concentration and rapid at extremes. For surface modification and redox reactions, manipulating the interparticles interaction controlled the size of Ag nanoparticles aggregates. Our results suggest that the replacement of the BH(4)(-) ions adsorbed on the nanoparticle surface by tryptophan destabilizes the particles and further caused aggregation. A mechanism is proposed for the formation of silver nanoparticles by tryptophan. The experimental results are supported by theoretical calculations. The Ag nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis absorption, dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy techniques.     

System-oriented dispersion models of general-shaped electrophoresis microchannels

This paper presents a system-oriented model for analyzing the dispersion of electrophoretic transport of charged analyte molecules in a general-shaped microchannel, which is represented as a system of serially connected elemental channels of simple geometry. Parameterized analytical models that hold for analyte bands of virtually arbitrary initial shape are derived to describe analyte dispersion, including both the skew and broadening of the band, in elemental channels. These models are then integrated to describe dispersion in the general-shaped channel using appropriate parameters to represent interfaces of adjacent elements. This lumped-parameter system model offers orders-of-magnitude improvement in computational efficiency over full numerical simulations, and is verified by results from experiments and numerical simulations. The model is used to perform a systematic parametric study of serpentine channels consisting of a pair of complementary turn microchannels, and the results indicate that dispersion in a particular turn can contribute to either an increase or decrease of the overall band broadening. The efficiency and accuracy of the system model is further demonstrated by its application to general-shaped channels that occur in practice, including a serpentine channel with multiple complementary turns and a multi-turn spiral-shaped channel. The results indicate that our model is an accurate and efficient simulation tool useful for designing optimal electrophoretic separation microchips.