Collisionally assisted spectroscopy of water from 27,000 to 34,000 cm(-1)

We report here an experimental approach that enables measurement of weak transitions to a wide range of rovibrational levels of water in the energy region 27,000-34,200 cm(-1). We have previously demonstrated the use of laser double-resonance overtone excitation to access highly excited vibrational levels from single rovibrational states. Although this approach simplifies the assignment of the spectra, it strongly reduces the number of observed transitions and hence our ability to test theoretical predictions. Here, we increase significantly the number of observed transitions by allowing rotational relaxation of H2O at intermediate levels of the double-resonance excitation scheme to the levels of the same nuclear spin (ortho or para). Our recently developed semiempirical potential energy surface PES12 enables assignment of the resulting complex spectra and reproduction of the measured transitions with accuracy better than 1 cm(-1).     

Surface transfer doping of hydrogen-terminated diamond by C60F48: energy level scheme and doping efficiency

Surface sensitive C1s core level photoelectron spectroscopy was used to examine the electronic properties of C(60)F(48) molecules on the C(100):H surface. An upward band bending of 0.74 eV in response to surface transfer doping by fluorofullerene molecules is measured. Two distinct molecular charge states of C(60)F(48) are identified and their relative concentration determined as a function of coverage. One corresponds to ionized molecules that participate in surface charge transfer and the other to neutral molecules that do not. The position of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of neutral C(60)F(48) which is the relevant acceptor level for transfer doping lies initially 0.6 eV below the valence band maximum and shifts upwards in the course of transfer doping by up to 0.43 eV due to a doping induced surface dipole. This upward shift in conjunction with the band bending determines the occupation of the acceptor level and limits the ultimately achievable hole concentration with C(60)F(48) as a surface acceptor to values close to 10(13) cm(-2) as reported in the literature.     

Biomimetic synthesis and proposal of relative and absolute stereochemistry of heronapyrrole C

The first synthesis of (-)-heronapyrrole C, the enantiomer of a unique farnesylated 2-nitropyrrole natural product is described. With none of the chiral centers of heronapyrrole C originally assigned, we proposed the most likely natural configuration on the basis of a putative biosynthetic pathway. The key step of the synthesis is a biomimetic polyepoxide cyclization cascade to establish the bis-THF moiety. Thus, (-)-heronapyrrole C is synthesized in eight steps from commercially available starting materials.     

A new insight on hydrogen bond donor property of bridged B–H–B protons in the interaction of diborane with some hydrogen bond acceptor molecules

Structural Chemistry - Ab initio calculations at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) computational level were used to analyze the interactions between a molecule of B2H6 with some small molecules which often...     

Ionic liquid applications in peptide chemistry: synthesis, purification and analytical characterization processes

This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the recent advances made in the field of ionic liquids in peptide chemistry and peptide analytics.     

Formation of Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites from Carbon Dioxide Using Ammonia Borane

To efficiently recycle CO(2) to economically viable products such as liquid fuels and carbon nanomaterials, the reactivity of CO(2) is required to be fully understood. We have investigated the reaction of CO(2) with ammonia borane (AB), both molecules being able to function as either an acid or a base, to obtain more insights into the amphoteric activity of CO(2). In the present work, we demonstrate that CO(2) can be converted to graphene oxide (GO) using AB at moderate conditions. The conversion consists of two consecutive steps: CO(2) fixation (CO(2) pressure < 3 MPa and temperature < 100 °C) and graphenization (600-750 °C under 0.1 MPa of N(2)). The first step generates a solid compound that contains methoxy (OCH(3)), formate (HCOO) and aliphatic groups while the second graphenization is the pyrolysis of the solid compound to produce graphene oxide-boron oxide nanocomposites, which have been confirmed by micro-Raman spectroscopy, solid state (13)C and (11)B magic angle spinning-nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS-NMR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Our observations also show that the mass of solid product in CO(2) fixation process and raw graphene oxide nanocomposites is twice and 1.2 times that of AB initially charged, respectively. The formation of aliphatic groups without using metal-containing compounds at mild conditions is of great interest to the synthesis of various organic products starting from CO(2.).     

Dynamics of fracture in drying suspensions

We investigate the dynamics of fracture in drying films of colloidal silica. Water loss quenches the nanoparticle dispersions to form a liquid-saturated elastic network of particles that relieves drying-induced strain by cracking. These cracks display intriguing intermittent motion originating from the deformation of arrested crack tips and aging of the elastic network. The dynamics of a single crack exhibits a universal evolution, described by a balance of the driving elastic power with the sum of interfacial power and the viscous dissipation rate of flowing interstitial fluid.