High-temperature thermal behaviour of Cr-Doped LiMn<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> spinels synthesized by the sucrose-aided combustion method

Chromium doped spinels LiCr_YMn_2−YO₄ (0.2≤Y≤0.8) has been synthesized by the sucrose-aided combustion procedure. The thermal behaviour, phase homogeneity and structural characteristics of the samples were studied by thermal analysis, coupled mass spectrometry, and room-and high-temperature X-ray diffraction methods. It was found that the ‘as prepared’ samples contained residual organic impurities undetectable for X-ray diffraction, that burn out completely at 400°C. Samples treated between 400 and 750°C are single phase spinels, whose crystallites size increase from 10 to 50 nm on increasing the temperature. Cr-doping enhances the thermal stability of the spinels, which augments on increasing the Cr content Y. The enhanced thermal stability of the spinels has been accounted for based on the high excess stabilization energy of Cr³⁺ in octahedral ligand field.     

Halonickel(I) complexes

Summary The reduction of nickel(II) halides with NaBH₄ in the presence of different ligands, L=PPh₃, AsPh₃, SbPh₃, has been studied. With a molar ratio L/Ni=3, new complexes NiX(SbPh₃)₃, X=Cl, Br, I, were obtained. With a molar ratio L/Ni=2, dimeric species [NiXL₂]₂, X=Cl, Br, I; L=PPh₃, AsPh₃, SbPh₃, were isolated. They are unstable and decompose easily in the solid and rapidly in solution, so that pure samples were only identified for X=Cl, L=PPh₃, AsPh₃, SbPh₃; X=Br, L=PPh₃ and X=I, L=PPh₃. With a molar ratio L/Ni=1, complexes [NiXL]_n (probably polymeric) were obtained. They are very unstable and pure samples could only be isolated when X=Cl, L=PPh₃. Impure substances containing variable amounts of decomposition products were obtained in all the remaining cases. The chemical and structural behaviour of these complexes is discussed.     

Negative dipole potentials of uncharged langmuir monolayers due to fluorination of the hydrophilic heads

The dipole potential, affecting the structure, functions, and interactions of biomembranes, lipid bilayers, and Langmuir monolayers, is positive toward the hydrocarbon moieties. We show that uncharged Langmuir monolayers of docosyl trifluoroethyl ether (DFEE) exhibit large negative dipole potentials, while the nonfluorinated docosyl ethyl ether (DEE) forms films with positive dipole potentials. Comparison of the Delta V values for these ethers with those of the previously studied(37-39) monolayers of trifluoroethyl ester (TFEB) and ethyl ester of behenic acid (EB) shows that the reversal of the sign of Delta V causes the same change Delta(Delta V) = -706 +/- 16 mV due to fluorination of heads. The Delta V values of both TFEB and EB films differ by -122 +/- 16 mV from those of DFEE and DEE monolayers, respectively, with the same density. Such quantitative coincidence points to a common mechanism of reversal of the sign of the dipole potential for the ether and ester films despite the different structure of their heads. The mechanical properties and phase behaviors of these monolayers show that both fluorinated heads are less hydrated, suggesting that the change of the sign of Delta V could, at least partially, be related to different hydration water structure. The same negative contribution of the carbonyl bond in both TFEB and EB films contrasts with the generally accepted positive contribution of the C(delta+)=O(delta-) bond in condensed Langmuir monolayers of fatty acids, their alcohol esters, glycerides, and phospholipids but concurs with the theoretical analysis of Delta V of stearic acid monolayers. Both results question the literature values of the molecular dipole moments of these substances calculated via summation of bonds and atomic group contributions. Mixed monolayers of DFEE and DEE show smooth monotonic variation of Delta V from +450 to -235 mV, indicating a way for adjustment of the sign and magnitude of the dipole potential at the membrane-water boundary and regulation of such membrane behaviors as binding and translocation rate of hydrophobic ions and ion-carriers, adsorption and penetration of amphiphilic peptides, polarization of hydration water, and short-range repulsion. The interaction of the hydrophobic ions tetraphenylboron TPhB- and tetraphenylphosphonium TPhP+ with DFEE and DEE monolayers qualitatively follows the theory of binding of such ions to lipid bilayers, but the shifts Delta(Delta V) from the values obtained on water are much smaller than those for DPPC monolayers. This difference seems to be due to the solid (polycrystalline) character of the DFEE and DEE films that hampers the penetration of TPhB- and TPhP+ in the monolayers and reduces the attractive interaction with the hydrophobic moiety. This conclusion orients the future synthesis of amphiphiles with fluorinated heads to those which could form liquid-expanded Langmuir monolayers.     

X=Y-ZH Systems as potential 1,3-dipoles : Part 13. Prototropic generation of azomethine imines from hydrazones

Hydrazones of aldehydes and ketones undergo intermolecular cycloaddition to electronegative olefins via azomethine imines, formed by a formal 1,2-prototropic shift, in low to moderate yield on heating in xylene or ethanol. In some instances the reaction is diverted to give products derived (at least formally) from an ene reaction. Similar intramolecular cycloadditions occur with unactivated terminal alkenes and alkynes.     

On the contribution of vibrational anharmonicity to the binding energies of water clusters

The second-order vibrational perturbation theory method has been used together with the B3LYP and MP2 electronic structure methods to investigate the effects of anharmonicity on the vibrational zero-point energy (ZPE) contributions to the binding energies of (H2O)n, n = 2-6, clusters. For the low-lying isomers of (H2O)6, the anharmonicity correction to the binding energy is calculated to range from -248 to -355 cm(-1). It is also demonstrated that although high-order electron correlation effects are important for the individual vibrational frequencies, they are relatively unimportant for the net ZPE contributions to the binding energies of water clusters.     

Side-chain crystallinity. III. Influence of side-chain crystallinity on the glass transition temperatures of selected copolymers incorporating n-octadecyl acrylate or vinyl stearate

The influence of side-chain crystallinity on the glass transition temperatures of selected copolymers was investigated. The copolymers were selected, in part, from those whose crystallinity was treated in the preceding paper. These included the lower amorphous acrylate esters, such as methyl, ethyl, n-butyl, and 2-ethylhexyl acrylates, together with methyl methacrylate and acrylonitrile, each copolymerized with n-octadecyl acrylate over the range of composition. The decline in the glass transition temperature was linear with increasing weight fraction of n-octadecyl acrylate for all systems in the composition range where the copolymers were essentially amorphous. The extrapolated T_g for the amorphous state of poly(n-octadecyl acrylate), and for amorphous poly(oleyl acrylate), was close to ?111°C. This coincided with a value previously obtained by an extrapolation of data on homologs. Beyond a critical fraction of octadecyl acrylate (0.3 to 0.5), developing side-chain crystallinity in n-octadecyl acrylate raised the glass temperature steadily for all systems, up to a value of 17-C, obtained for the crystalline homopolymer. Crystallinity did not develop in stiff copolymers until T_g was about 30°C below the melting point of the most perfect crystals. In compositionally heterogeneous copolymers incorporating vinyl stearate, blocks of crystalline units appeared to be dispersed in a glassy matrix of amorphous co-units. An empirical equation was derived which fitted the experimental data for random copolymers, over all composition ranges, with fair accuracy.     

Crystal structure and nontrivial magnetic properties of CuII binuclear complex based on 4-methyl-2,6-bis{[2-(4,6-dimethyl-pyrimidin-2-yl)hydrazono]methyl}phenol

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Ranking Oxidant Sensitiveness: A Guide for Synthetic Utility

Common oxidants used in chemical synthesis, including newly developed perruthenates, were evaluated in the context of understanding (and better appreciating) the sensitiveness and associated potential hazards of these reagents. Analysis using sealed cell differential scanning calorimetry (scDSC) facilitated Yoshida correlations, which were compared to impact sensitiveness and electrostatic discharge experiments (ESD), that enabled sensitiveness ranking. Methyltriphenylphoshonium perruthenate (MTP3, 8 ), isoamyltriphenylphosphonium perruthenate (ATP3, 7 ) and tetraphenylphosphonium perruthenate (TP3, 9 ) were found to be the most sensitive followed by 2-iodoxybenzoic acid (IBX, 2 ) and benzoyl peroxide (BPO, 10 ), whereas the most benign were observed to be Oxone ( 12 ), manganese dioxide (MnO₂, 13 ), and N-bromosuccinimide (NBS, 17 ).