Performance and early applications of a versatile double aberration-corrected JEOL-2200FS FEG TEM/STEM at Aalto University

Applications relevant to carbon based nano-materials have been explored using a newly installed JEOL-2200FS field emission gun (FEG) (scanning) transmission electron microscope (S)TEM which is integrated with two CEOS aberration correctors for both the TEM image-forming and the STEM probe-forming lenses. The performance and utility of this newly commission hardware has been reviewed with a particular focus on operation at an acceleration voltage of 80 kV, thus bringing the primary electron beam voltage below the knock-on threshold for carbon materials and opening up a range of possibilities for the study of carbon-based nanostructures in the aberration-corrected electron microscope. The ability of the microscope to obtain both atomic TEM images and high-quality electron diffraction patterns from carbon nanotubes was demonstrated. The chiral structure of a double-walled carbon nanotube was determined from its diffraction pattern. The aberration corrected TEM imaging technique facilitates a unique approach to accurate determination of single-walled carbon nanotube diameters. On the other hand, the probe-corrected high angle annular dark field (HAADF) STEM imaging performance allows for the detection of single gold atoms at 80 kV and was used to study the graphite interlayer spacing in a multi-walled carbon nanotube.     

Estimation of the Relative Stabilities of the E,Z-Isomers of α,β-Dialkylsubstituted Methyl Vinyl Ethers by Various Computational Methods

The relative thermodynamic stabilities (relative enthalpies) of the E,Z-isomers of ,-dialkylsubstituted methyl vinyl ethers MeOC(R₁)=CHR₂ have been estimated by various computational methods including molecular mechanics, semiempirical, ab initio, and DFT calculations. The best performance, approaching the accuracy of the experimental method of chemical equilibration, is shown by the DFT calculations. Ab initio methods, provided that electron correlation is taken into account, are also satisfactory, but clearly less successful than the DFT calculations. The reliability of the semiempirical methods AM1 and PM3 is considerably less good, and varies in an unpredictable manner from case to case. The poorest general performance is shown by the MM2 and MM3 calculations, which may overestimate the relative stability of the Z isomer by as much as 18 kJ mol^–1.     

Relative thermodynamic stabilities of allyl vinyl and propenyl vinyl ethers

The relative thermodynamic stabilities of a number of isomeric allyl vinyl and propenyl vinyl ethers were determined by chemical equilibration in DMSO solution with KOBu-t as catalyst. From the temperature dependence of the values of the equilibrium constant the parameters G _m , H _m and S _m of isomerization at 298.15 K were evaluated. Propenyl vinyl ethers, owing to their low enthalpy contents, are much more stable than the isomeric allyl vinyl ethers. It appears that in the parent propenyl vinyl ether, the Me group attached to C- of the divinyl ether skeleton has a strong stabilizing effect, comparable to that of alkyl groups in ordinary olefins, on the unsaturated system. In more heavily alkyl-substituted divinyl ethers, however, the stabilizing effects of alkyl groups are less prominent, being comparable to the low stabilization energies of alkyl groups in vinyl ethers, and depend moreover, on the pattern of substitution.     

A Thermodynamic, 13C NMR,and 17O NMR Study of Isomeric 4,7-Dihydro-1,3-dioxepins and 4,5-Dihydro-1,3-dioxepins

The relative thermodynamic stabilities of 4,7-dihydro-1,3-dioxepin (4,6-dioxacycloheptene, 1a) and 4,5-dihydro-1,3-dioxepin (3,5-dioxacycloheptene, 1b), and of a number of their 2-substituted derivatives, have been determined by base-catalyzed chemical equilibration in DMSO solution. Without exception, the 4,5-dihydro isomer is the dominating species at thermodynamic equilibrium. The relative stability of the b form is promoted by the presence of a single alkyl group on C-2, whereas two alkyl groups on C-2 have an opposite effect. In general, the thermodynamic parameters H _m and _Sm , of isomerization vary unexpectedly with the pattern of substitution at C-2. These trends appear to be derived from significant substituent-induced conformational changes in the b isomer, as suggested by ¹³C and ¹⁷O NMR chemical shift data.     

Electron impact mass spectra of 2-(2-pyridyl)methylene-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds: Unusual abundance of the [M + 1]+ ion and the effect of stereochemistry

Electron impact mass spectra of 2-(2-pyridyl)methylene-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and related heteroaryl species have been investigated. In 3-(2-pyridyl)methylene-2,4-pentanedione, its 6′-methyl and 6′-methoxycarbonyl derivatives and in E- and Z-ethyl 3-oxo-2-(2-pyridyl)methylenebutanoates the base peak arises from the loss of methyl radical from the molecular ion to produce a 3-oxo-3H-indolizinium ion. A marked difference is observed in the behaviour of the geometric isomers of the keto esters. The diketones and E-keto ester carrying a 2-pyridyl substituent and ketone functionality on the same side of the carbon-carbon double bond exhibit an unusually high [M + 1]⁺/[M]^+˙ ratio (about 2.5) under normal ionization conditions (pressure 10–100 μPa). This abnormality is a function of pressure only and independent of temperature. In the case of the Z-keto ester, the corresponding malonate, 3- and 4-(2-pyridyl)methylene-2,4-pentanediones, and 2-furyl, 2-thienyl and phenyl diketone analogues, the ratio does not differ much from that due to the natural isotope abundance. Results for 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexadeuterio-2-(2-pyridyl)-methylene-2,4-pentanedione (strong M + 2 peak) suggest one mass unit transfer as an intermolecular proton shift from a methyl group to give a 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-3H-indolizinium ion. This real mass spectrometric phenomenon is a unique example of low pressure self-chemical ionization.     

Relative Stabilities and Molecular Structures of Isomeric Dihalobenzenes. A DFT Study

The molecular structures, total energies, and other computational data of benzene, and its monoand dihalogenated derivatives (halogen = F, Cl, Br) have been studied by DFT calculations. The main aim of the study was to estimate the relative stabilities (energies) of the ortho, meta, and para isomers of the six series of dihalobenzenes investigated. The computational data show that the ortho isomers always have the highest, and the meta isomers usually, but not always, the lowest total energies. Thus, 1,2-difluorobenzene is ca. 16.6 kJ mol^–1, and 1,4-difluorobenzene 2.5 kJ mol^–1 less stable than 1,3-difluorobenzene. Among the other isomeric dihalobenzenes, the differences in stability are less pronounced. For the dibromo-, dichloro-, and bromochlorobenzenes, the para compounds are calculated to be slightly (0.2–0.4 kJ mol^–1) more stable than their meta isomers. In addition to the thermochemical aspect of the study, the computational molecular structures of the halobenzenes are compared with available experimental data and discussed in terms of the substituent-induced deformation of the ideal geometry of the benzene ring. The computational electric dipole moments, especially for the fluorine-containing compounds, compare favorably with the respective experimental (gas-phase) values.