The crystal and molecular structure of 9-methylphenanthro[4,3-a]dibenzothiophene

The crystal structure of 9-methylphenanthro[4,3-a]dibenzothiophene, C₂₅H₁₆S, M_r = 348.47, has been determined. Monoclinic, P2₁/c, a = 11.364(3), b, = 14.257(3), c = 11.575(2)Å, β = 116.26(2)°, V = 1681.9(7)ų, Z = 4, D_x = 1.38 g/cc, MoKα radiation λ = .71069 Å, F(000) = 728, T = 163K, R = .0458 for 2330 reflections. The structure compares favorably with that of hexahelicene and methylated derivatives. The thiophene moiety increases the helical core radius and decreases the pitch with respect to hexahelicene and its derivatives.     

A new controlled release system of chlorhexidine and chlorhexidine:βcd inclusion compounds based on porous silica

The purpose of this study was to prepare and characterize a controlled release system based on porous silica loaded with chlorhexidine (Cx) and its inclusion compounds in β-cyclodextrin (βcd), and to evaluate its antimicrobial activity. Acetate chlorhexidine (CxA), gluconate chlorhexidine (CxG), βcd:chlorhexidine acetate 2:1 (βcd:CxA) and βcd:chlorhexidine gluconate 2:1 (βcd:CxG) were incorporated into porous silica. Drug loading was characterized by FTIR, powder X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis and BET, and was shown to be in an amorphous state and porous matrix. The kinetics release parameter of the drug was established, which showed that the Cx systems release profile followed zero order release until 400 h and Higuchi model release until 750 h, after the burst effect at the first 8 h. Chlorhexidine therapeutic range was reached near first hour for all systems. The chlorhexidine porous silica system was biologically active against Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans in vitro. The systems showed an efficient Cx controlled release modulated by the presence of the β-cyclodextrin and by the porous silica matrices, providing effective antimicrobial activity.     

Growth, optical and thermal studies on organic nonlinear optical crystal: 2-Furoic acid

2-Furoic acid (2FA), an organic third order nonlinear optical single crystal, has been synthesized and grown successfully by slow solvent evaporation technique. The space group and lattice parameters of the grown crystals were obtained by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The presence of the functional groups was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Optical absorption studies reveal low absorption in the UV and visible regions and the UV cut-off wavelength is found to be at 240 nm. The thermal stability of the material examined by TGA analysis, reveals that the material is thermally stable up to 130 °C. The third order nonlinear optical parameters (nonlinear refractive index, nonlinear absorption coefficient and real and imaginary parts of the third order nonlinear optical susceptibility) were derived by Z-scan technique. This reveals that the crystal has a negative refractive index, which indicates the defocusing nature of the material.     

Growth, optical, mechanical and dielectric studies on NLO active pure and metal ion doped single crystals of bis-thiourea zinc chloride

Good quality single crystals of pure and metal ion (Ni²⁺) doped bis-thiourea zinc chloride (BTZC) possessing excellent nonlinear optical properties have been grown from aqueous solution by the slow solvent evaporation technique. The lattice parameters of the grown crystals are determined by single crystal X-ray analysis. The well defined sharp peaks in the powder X-ray diffraction pattern reveals the crystalline perfection and the EDAX spectrum confirms the presence of dopant in the lattice of the parent crystal. The DRS UV-visible spectral study reveals improved transparency for the doped crystal, ascertaining the inclusion of metal ion in the lattice. The optical band gap of the pure and doped crystals was calculated to be 4.8 and 5.2 eV respectively from the UV transmission spectrum. The vickers hardness test brings forth higher hardness value for Ni²⁺doped BTZC as compared to pure BTZC crystal. The dielectric measurement exhibits very low dielectric constant and dielectric loss at higher frequencies for both the pure and Ni²⁺doped BTZC. The existence of second harmonic generation signals in the crystal also has been confirmed by performing the Kurtz powder test.     

Physical properties of SrSn(4) single crystals

We present detailed thermodynamic and transport measurements on single crystals of the recently discovered binary intermetallic superconductor, SrSn(4). We find this material to be a slightly anisotropic three-dimensional, strongly coupled, possibly multiband, superconductor. Hydrostatic pressure causes a decrease in the superconducting transition temperature at the rate of ≈?-?0.068?K?kbar(-1). Band structure calculations are consistent with experimental data on the Sommerfeld coefficient and upper superconducting critical field anisotropy, and suggest a complex, multi-sheet Fermi surface formed by four bands.     

Reasonable scope for change

Recent proposals to redefine four of the base units of the SI, including the mole, have triggered a wide-ranging debate about the terminology as well as the definitions that form the SI. Since the SI is a practical system that is used worldwide, the reasonable scope for changing it must avoid leaving large numbers of users with obsolete implementations or significantly changed values. Changes that go beyond these limits would require consultation processes that might take decades and whose cost and complexity would be difficult to justify in view of the likely benefits.     

Homogenization of the Three-dimensional Hall Effect and Change of Sign of the Hall Coefficient

The notion of a Hall matrix associated with a possibly anisotropic conducting material in the presence of a small magnetic field is introduced. Then, for any material having a microstructure we prove a general homogenization result satisfied by the Hall matrix in the framework of the H-convergence of Murat–Tartar. Extending a result of Bergman, we show that the Hall matrix can be computed from the corrector associated with the homogenization problem when no magnetic field is present. Finally, we give an example of a microstructure for which the Hall matrix is positive isotropic almost everywhere, while the homogenized Hall matrix is negative isotropic.