Cavity ring-down technique for measurement of reflectivity of high reflectivity mirrors with high accuracy

A simple, accurate and reliable method for measuring the reflectivity of lasergrade mirrors (R > 99.5%) based on cavity ring-down (CRD) technique has been successfully demonstrated in our laboratory using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. A fast photomultiplier tube with an oscilloscope was used to detect and analyse the CRD signal. The cavity decay times were measured for three cavities formed by a combination of three mirror pairs. The absolute reflectivities R ₁, R ₂, R ₃ were determined to be 99.94%, 99.63%, 99.52% at normal incidence. The reflectivity of mirrors is measured to an accuracy of 0.01%.     

L-Proline Catalyzed Solvent-Free Knoevenagel Condensation for the Synthesis of 3-Substituted Coumarins

L-Proline was utilized as an efficient organo-catalyst for the environmentally benign synthesis of 3-substituted coumarins by the Knoevenagel condensation of substituted 2-hydroxybenzaldehydes with reactive methylene compounds under solvent free conditions.     

Mössbauer effect studies on sodium hexa/carboxylato/ ferrates/III/

Mössbauer spectra of a series of the complexes of the type Na₃[Fe/RCOO/₆]xH₂O /R=H, CH₃, C₂H₅, C₆H₅/ has been recorded at 298±2 K. All display a quadrupole doublet with isomer shift and quadrupole splitting values in agreement with high spin iron/III/ octahedral geometry. The quadrupole splitting show an increasing trend with increasing polarizability of the substituent anion /RCOO^–/. A linear correlation between quadrupole splitting values and the /Fe–O/ stretching frequencies has also been observed.     

A nonadditive methanol force field: bulk liquid and liquid-vapor interfacial properties via molecular dynamics simulations using a fluctuating charge model

We study the bulk and interfacial properties of methanol via molecular dynamics simulations using a CHARMM (Chemistry at HARvard Molecular Mechanics) fluctuating charge force field. We discuss the parametrization of the electrostatic model as part of the ongoing CHARMM development for polarizable protein force fields. The bulk liquid properties are in agreement with available experimental data and competitive with existing fixed-charge and polarizable force fields. The liquid density and vaporization enthalpy are determined to be 0.809 g/cm3 and 8.9 kcal/mol compared to the experimental values of 0.787 g/cm3 and 8.94 kcal/mol, respectively. The liquid structure as indicated by radial distribution functions is in keeping with the most recent neutron diffraction results; the force field shows a slightly more ordered liquid, necessarily arising from the enhanced condensed phase electrostatics (as evidenced by an induced liquid phase dipole moment of 0.7 D), although the average coordination with two neighboring molecules is consistent with the experimental diffraction study as well as with recent density functional molecular dynamics calculations. The predicted surface tension of 19.66+/-1.03 dyn/cm is slightly lower than the experimental value of 22.6 dyn/cm, but still competitive with classical force fields. The interface demonstrates the preferential molecular orientation of molecules as observed via nonlinear optical spectroscopic methods. Finally, via canonical molecular dynamics simulations, we assess the model's ability to reproduce the vapor-liquid equilibrium from 298 to 423 K, the simulation data then used to obtain estimates of the model's critical temperature and density. The model predicts a critical temperature of 470.1 K and critical density of 0.312 g/cm3 compared to the experimental values of 512.65 K and 0.279 g/cm3, respectively. The model underestimates the critical temperature by 8% and overestimates the critical density by 10%, and in this sense is roughly equivalent to the underlying fixed-charge CHARMM22 force field.     

Synthesis of N-heterocyclic diols by diastereoselective pinacol coupling reactions

A series of 5-8 membered N-heterocyclic diols have been prepared from acyclic dicarbonyls via diastereoselective pinacol reactions whereby cis- or trans-diol stereoselectivity is controlled by the choice of low-valent metal reagent used.     

Structures of cleomiscosins,coumarinolignoids of cleome viscosa seeds1

Structures of cleomiscosins A, B and C, three new coumarino-lignoids isolated from the seeds of Cleome viscosa Linné, have been established as 1a, 2a and 1f irrespectively, on the basis of spectral and chemical evidence. The compounds exhibited liver-protective properties.     

Solid state photodecomposition of alkaline earth tris/malonato/ferrates/III/

Solid state photolysis of alkaline earth tris/malonato/ferrates/III/, i.e., M₃[Fe(CH₂C₂O₄)₃]₂.xH₂O /M=Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba/ has been investigated employing Mössbauer, infrared and reflectance spectroscopic techniques. The complexes were irradiated for 400 h using a medium pressure mercury vapour lamp of 250 Watts. Photoreduction led to the formation of M[Fe^II(CH₂C₂O₄)₂(H₂O)₂]. The extent of photoreduction showed the following order: Ca>Sr>Mg>Ba. The results have been compared with those of analogous alkaline earth tris/oxalato/ferrates/III/.     

Thermal analysis of lithium tris (malonato) ferrate(III) tetrahydrate

Thermal decomposition of lithium tris (malonato) ferrate (III) tetrahydrate i.e. Li₃[Fe(CH₂C₂O₄)₃].4H₂O has been studied in the temperature range of 353–873 K in static air atmosphere using Mössbauer, infrared spectroscopy and nonisothermal techniques (TG-DTG-DTA). The anhydrous complex decomposed into ferric oxide of varying particle sizes and alkali metal malonates/carbonates in succesive stages. Fimally a solid state reaction between -Fe₂O₃ and alkali metal carbonate gives fine particles of lithium ferrite (LiFeO₂) at a temperature lower than for oxalate precursor and for ceramic method.     

CHARMM fluctuating charge force field for proteins: II protein/solvent properties from molecular dynamics simulations using a nonadditive electrostatic model

A fluctuating charge (FQ) force field is applied to molecular dynamics simulations for six small proteins in explicit polarizable solvent represented by the TIP4P-FQ potential. The proteins include 1FSV, 1ENH, 1PGB, 1VII, 1H8K, and 1CRN, representing both helical and beta-sheet secondary structural elements. Constant pressure and temperature (NPT) molecular dynamics simulations are performed on time scales of several nanoseconds, the longest simulations yet reported using explicitly polarizable all-atom empirical potentials (for both solvent and protein) in the condensed phase. In terms of structure, the FQ force field allows deviations from native structure up to 2.5 A (with a range of 1.0 to 2.5 A). This is commensurate to the performance of the CHARMM22 nonpolarizable model and other currently existing polarizable models. Importantly, secondary structural elements maintain native structure in general to within 1 A (both helix and beta-strands), again in good agreement with the nonpolarizable case. In qualitative agreement with QM/MM ab initio dynamics on crambin (Liu et al. Proteins 2001, 44, 484), there is a sequence dependence of average condensed phase atomic charge for all proteins, a dependence one would anticipate considering the differing chemical environments around individual atoms; this is a subtle quantum mechanical feature captured in the FQ model but absent in current state-of-the-art nonpolarizable models. Furthermore, there is a mutual polarization of solvent and protein in the condensed phase. Solvent dipole moment distributions within the first and second solvation shells around the protein display a shift towards higher dipole moments (increases on the order of 0.2-0.3 Debye) relative to the bulk; protein polarization is manifested via the enhanced condensed phase charges of typical polar atoms such as backbone carbonyl oxygens, amide nitrogens, and amide hydrogens. Finally, to enlarge the sample set of proteins, gas-phase minimizations and 1 ps constant temperature simulations are performed on various-sized proteins to compare to earlier work by Kaminsky et al. (J Comp Chem 2002, 23, 1515). The present work establishes the feasibility of applying a fully polarizable force field for protein simulations and demonstrates the approach employed in extending the CHARMM force field to include these effects.     

Automated analysis of proton NMR spectra from combinatorial rapid parallel synthesis using self-organizing maps

It is now quite routine to acquire proton NMR spectra of compounds in 96-well plates prepared in a rapid parallel synthesis fashion using a flow-NMR automation setup. However, the analysis of 96 NMR spectra obtained in this manner is often laborious and painstakingly slow. We have developed a new, automated method for rapidly analyzing 96 NMR spectra of compounds synthesized in an 8 x 12 matrix using self-organizing maps (SOM). This unsupervised neural network is capable of clustering together NMR spectra containing a common pattern of -R groups and identifying outliers from within such clusters. Analysis of these outlier spectra can quickly help indicate the presence of undesired products, impurities, starting materials, and other unexpected errors in a 96-well plate synthesis by focusing the chemists' attention on the aberrant NMR spectra. Thus, SOM can be a valuable tool in performing efficient quality control on combinatorial libraries.