Heavy metal phosphate nanophases in silica: influence of radiolysis probed via f-electron state properties

We have assessed the feasibility of carrying out time- and wavelength-resolved laser-induced fluorescence measurements of radiation damage in glassy silica. The consequences of alpha decay of Es-253 in LaPO₄ nanophases embedded in silica were probed based on excitation of 5f states of Cm³⁺, Bk³⁺, and Es³⁺ ions. The recorded emission spectra and luminescence decays showed that alpha decay of Es-253 ejected Bk-249 decay daughter ions into the surrounding silica and created radiation damage within the LaPO₄ nanophases. This conclusion is consistent with predictions of an ion transport code commonly used to model ion implantation. Luminescence from the ⁶D_7/2 state of Cm³⁺was used as an internal standard. Ion-ion energy transfer dominated the dynamics of the observed emitting 5f states and strongly influenced the intensity of observed spectra. In appropriate sample materials, laser-induced fluorescence provides a powerful method for fundamental investigation of alpha-induced radiation damage in silica.     

Ab initio Computational Modeling of Glyphosate Analogs: Conformational Perspective

A historical perspective on the application of conformational analysis to structure-based ligand design approach is presented. The application of isodensity molecular electrostatic potential surfaces with the conformational energy surfaces (CES) have allowed us to reach pertinent conclusions for aiding synthetic and biochemical studies. Here we illustrate such an application on the modeling of the potent analogs of an important, environmentally stringent herbicidal compound glyphosate by constructing conformational energy surfaces. The systems were modeled by substituting F, Cl, and NH— OH moiety to the position of pharmacophoric nitrogen center in glyphosate structure. All the calculations were thoroughly performed with ab initio MO theory at Hartree–Fock method using 3-21G(d) basis functions. On the basis of the results, we identified the bioactive conformations for N-fluoro-glyphosate, N-chloro-glyphosate, and N-hydroxyamino-glyphosate as (−38^∘, 77^∘), (−61^∘, 111^∘), and (−167^∘, −169^∘), respectively. Geometry optimization of certain selected conformations of these compounds using hybrid DFT method with 6–31+G(d) basis functions provides nearly equal values of φ and ψ. Moreover, the results indicate that the global minimum structures of N-fluoro and N-chloro analogs of glyphosate show cyclic conformation whereas the N-hydroxyamino-glyphosate global minimum structure shows spyrocyclic and zig-zag conformation. Also, the predicted bioactive conformation of N-hydroxyamino analog optimally overlaps with glyphosate backbone in EPSPS complex with 0.1 Å RMSD value. However, the other two compounds slightly deviate from the backbone of glyphosate with RMSD of 0.92 Å for N-fluoro-glyphosate and 0.83 Å for N-chloro-glyphosate. The linear N-hydroxyamino-glyphosate exhibits relatively more number of intermolecular hydrogen bond interactions as compared to the other two analogs. Further, comparison of CES of previously studied glyphosate analogs such as N-hydroxy-glyphosate (2.2 μM) and N-amino-glyphosate (0.61 μM) with the present systems reveals the order of activity as: N-hydroxyamino-glyphosate > N-fluoro-glyphosate > N-chloro-glyphosate based on CES flexibility. Also, the calculated heats of formation of N-fluoro-glyphosate, N-chloro-glyphosate, and N-hydroxyamino-glyphosate are −288, −209, and −288 kcal/mol, respectively, which clearly indicate that the N-hydroxyamino and N-fluoro analogs of glyphosate are thermodynamically more stable than N-amino-glyphosate (−278 kcal/mol).     

Lipids from Five Cotton Varieties

Seed characteristics and the lipid and fatty-acid compositions were determined for the new cotton varieties ASh-25, Omad, 9771-I, Termez-43, and Bukhara-6.     

Three-dimensional aromaticity in deltahedral boranes and carboranes

Methods derived from topology and graph theory indicate that the deltahedral boranes B _n H _n ^2– and the corresponding carboranes C₂B_n–2H _n (6 n 12) may be regarded as three-dimensional delocalized aromatic systems in which surface bonding and core bonding correspond to -bonding and -bonding, respectively, in planar polygonal two-dimensional hydrocarbons CinnH _n ^(n–6)+ (n=5/7). The two extreme types of topologies which may be used to model core bonding in deltahedral boranes and carboranes are the deltahedral (D _n ) topology based on the skeleton of the underlying deltahedron and the complete (K _n ) topology based on the corresponding complete graph. Analyses of the Hoffmann-Lipscomb LCAO extended Hückel computations, the Armstrong—Perkins—Stewart self-consistent molecular orbital computations, and SCF MOab initio GAUSSIAN-82 computations on B₆H₆ ^2– indicate that the approximation of the atomic orbitals by the sum of the molecular orbitals, as is typical in modernab initio computations, leads to significantly weaker apparent core bonding approximated more closely by deltahedral (D _n ) topology than by complete (K _n ) topology.This work was presented at the Workshop The Modern Problems of Heteroorganic Chemistry sponsored by the A. N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences (May 8–13, 1993).Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1353–1360, August, 1993.     

Theoretical Study of Weakly Bound Dimers between Hydrogen Fluoride and Some Polar Molecules

Weakly bound linear and bent dimers, FH—X (where X = CO, OC, CNH, NCH, N₂O and ON₂), are investigated using the DFT B3LYP and ab initio MP2 methods with the same basis sets (6–311++G(3df,2pd)). The strengths of the H—C or H—N H‐bonds in dimers FH—CO, FH—CNH, and FH—N₂O are compared with those of the H—O or H—N H‐bonds in dimers FH—OC, FH—NCH, and FH—ON₂. The results obtained for the H‐bond distances, the elongation effect of the HF bond, the red shift of the HF stretching frequency, and the energy difference between the dimer and the charge transfer reveal that the H‐bonds of the first group of dimers are stronger than those of the second. The Gibbs energies calculated for the six dimer formations indicate that the weakly bound dimers are unstable at room temperature (T = 298 K) (FH—X's → FH + X's, ΔG < 0).     

Systematics of f-element crystal-field interaction

Systematic behaviors of free-ion and crystal-field interactions are elucidated as a function of N, the number of f electrons in a lanthanide or actinide ion. Experimentally determined values of the free-ion interaction parameters are compared with those calculated based on Hartree-Fock theory. Comparison is also made between the lanthanide series in 4f^N configurations and the actinide series in 5f^N configurations. Variation in intra-ionic electrostatic interaction, spin-orbit coupling, and ion-ligand interaction is analyzed in comparison between the iso-f-electron lanthanide and actinide ions. Based on an exchange-charge model of crystal-field theory, crystal-field parameters of the f-element ions in various crystals are summarized in terms of point charge contribution and covalence effect. A systematic correlation is found between the free-ion parameters and the crystal-field strength. Increase of the crystal-field interaction results in a reduction in the free-ion parameters.     

Thermodynamic properties of alkali halides. V. Temperature and pressure dependence of excess free energies in water

A simple equation has been derived relating the temperature dependence of activity functions with excess enthalpies and excess heat capacities. Using experimentally determined parameters at 298.15°K, it is possible to predict osmotic coefficients and mean activity coefficients of alkali halides in water up to 1 m from 273°K to about 350°K. In general, the predicted functions agree with the measured values within the uncertainty of the activity data. An equation is also given for the pressure dependence of the excess free energies, but it was not possible to check the limitation of this equation due to lack of activity data at various pressures.To whom correspondence should be addressed.     

Orbital correlation effects: The independent pair-potential approximation with application to the ground state and first ionized state of boron hydride

A new method is proposed for calculating correlation effects in atomic and molecular systems. The basis of the method is the formulation of a set of partial configuration expansions which yield directly variational orbital correlation corrections which are appropriately summed in order to obtain an estimate of the total correlation energy. This method is applied to the ground state of boron hydride and its cation at the equilibrium distance of BH. The results of the method are compared in detail with independent electron pair results and second order CI results. It is further shown that multiple substitutions are approximately accounted for in this method and the extent to which they are included is compared with other approximations. Finally, three methods of increasing accuracy, aimed at reducing the necessary computational effort, are given for determining the vertical ionization potential. The most economical method yields an IP of 9.70 eV or 0.03 eV less than the experimental IP. Completion of the basis is estimated to improve this value to 9.77 eV.     

The relaxation field for the general case of electrolyte mixtures

The relaxation field for solutions of mixed electrolytes of any type is calculated. the calculation is based on the well-known treatment due to Fuoss-Onsager with the same distance parameter for all the ions in solution. A general conductance-continuity equation has been established and an improved iterative method of calculation, using Laplace transforms, is proposed. The relaxation-field results are derived to the second iteration in the perturbation method of integration.     

Studies on the properties of ionic liquid EMIInCl4

This paper reports that an ionic liquid (IL) has been prepared by directly mixing InCl₃ and 1-methyl-3-ethylimidazolium chloride (EMIC) with molar ratio 1/1 under dry argon atmosphere. The densities, and surface tension of the pure IL were determined at temperature range of 293.15 to 343.15 ± 0.1 K. The volumetric properties and the properties of surface for ionic liquid based on group III were discussed by Glasser's theory and Yang's interstice model.