Nitriding of titanium with plasma jet under reduced pressure

The nitriding of titanium with argon-nitrogen (3%) and argon-nitrogen (3%)-hydrogen (2%) plasma jets at pressures of 190 torr was studied. The reaction kinetics obeyed mainly a parabolic law. The parabolic kinetic constants were 10^–10–10^–8 g² cm^–4 s^–1, which were 2–3 orders of magnitude larger than those in R.F. discharges. From emission spectroscopy, nitrogen atoms in the excited states were observed. The nitrogen atoms can promote the nitriding reaction. The effect of the addition of hydrogen to nitrogen is also briefly discussed.     

Preparation and properties of SiO2-TiO2 thin films from silicic acid and titanium tetrachloride

The preparation of SiO₂-TiO₂ thin films by the sol-gel method using silicic acid and titanium tetrachloride as starting materials was studied. The homogeneous sols were obtained by the condensation reaction of silicic acid with titanium tetrachloride in methanol-tetrahydrofuran. The dipcoating of slide glasses and silicon wafers followed by heat treatment gave oxide thin films of 88–93% transmittance, 3000–4500 Å thickness, and 1.45–1.80 refractive index, depending on heat-treatment temperature and TiO₂ content. FT-IR measurement showed that the Si-O-Ti bond is formed even in the sol and films. The variations of film thickness and refractive index on transformation from the gels into the oxides were found to be quite low.     

Linear silver clusters in aqueous solution (clusterites): radiation-induced chemical synthesis and properties

The formation and properties of the products of the radiation-induced chemical reduction of silver ions in aqueous solutions containing sodium polyacrylate were investigated. The absorption spectra of these species exhibit a band at 290 mn and a band in the visible region. The latter shifts from 470 nm to -800 nm with time or after the addition of silver ions. The species obtained (clusterites) arc linear silver clusters bound to the carboxyl groups of the ion exchanger. The red shift of the visible band is due to the increase in their size. The mechanism of the formation and the structure of the clusterites are discussed.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1429–1435, June, 1996.     

Phenol O–H bond dissociation energy in water clusters

We are reporting ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) calculations for the phenol O–H bond dissociation energy in the gas phase and in phenol–water clusters. We have tested a series of recently proposed functionals and verified that DFT systematically underestimates the O–H bond dissociation energy of phenol. However, O–H bond dissociation energies in water clusters are in reasonable agreement with experimental data for phenol in solution. We have evaluated electronic difference densities in phenol–water, phenoxy–water, and water, and we are suggesting that the representation of this quantity gives an interesting picture of the electronic density rearrangement induced by hydrogen bond interactions in phenol–water clusters. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2001     

Anab initio investigation of Cu2Se and Cu4Se2

Summary Experimentally known copper selenium clusters show extraordinary geometrical features, especially short Cu-Cu distances. We report the first theoretical investigation of Cu₂Se and Cu₄Se₂. Various quantum chemical methods (SCF, MP2, CPF, CCSD, CCSD(T), LDF) are applied to determine the importance of dynamic electron correlation. We find that inclusion of correlation does not essentially change the electronic structure of the clusters but has a strong influence on geometries. To reduce the computational effort we apply effective core potentials (ECPs) in combination with small, but carefully optimized basis sets. The applicability of simple modellings of correlation energies for approximate inclusion of correlation effects in SCF geometry optimizations is tested.     

Mixed-Metal Clusters of Palladium

The importance of palladium complexes in catalytic processes is well-demonstrated by its applications in hydrogenation processes in industry. Mixed metal clusters of palladium are of interest as the palladium ion can attain either a 16- or 18-electron configuration which is an important feature for catalytic processes. Recent developments in the preparation, characterization, chemical and physical properties of these clusters are discussed in this review.     

Self-Assembly of Gold Nanoclusters on Molecularly Modified GaAs

The elaboration of closed-packed monolayers of Au₅₅(PPh₃)₁₂Cl₆ clusters on oxidized and non-oxidized GaAs surfaces is reported. The first part of this work describes the use of silanethiol modified GaAs oxide surfaces to trap 18 nm gold colloids and Au₅₅(PPh₃)₁₂Cl₆ clusters. The surfaces characterized by AFM measurements present high-quality coverage on a quite long range for both metallic species. The second part is devoted to the elaboration of Au₅₅(PPh₃)₁₂Cl₆ cluster monolayers on non-oxidized p-type GaAs substrates, functionalized with dithiol molecules. AFM measurements demonstrate the presence of closed-packed two-dimensional arrangements of Au₅₅ clusters.     

Study of Structures and Electronic Properties of Pdn–1Pb and Pdn （n≤8） Clusters

Geometric and electronic properties of Pdn–1Pb and Pdn (n≤8) clusters have been studied by using density functional theory with effective core potentials, focusing on the differences between mono- and bimetallic clusters. The average bond length of Pdn–1Pb (n≤8) bimetallic clusters is longer than that of pure palladium clusters except for n = 2 and 3. The most stable structure of Pdn–1Pb (n≤7) is the singlet where there is at least a Pd or Pb atom on its excited state. The energy gaps of Pd–Pb binary clusters are narrower than those of Pdn clusters, and then the chemical activity is strengthened when Pdn clusters are doped with Pb.     

A novel arylation of arylacetic acid esters using tertiary arylamines and TiCl4

The reactions of arylacetic acid esters with tertiary arylamines in the presence of TiCl₄ give α-arylated products in 65-90% yields, as well as 10-20% yields of the corresponding benzidines.     

Reaction of ruthenium carbonylcarbide cluster Ru6C(CO)17 with nickelocene and pentamethylcyclopentadiene

The reaction of cluster Ru₆C(CO)₁₇ (1) with nickelocene is studied. Five CO ligands rather than a metal-ligand crown are substituted for two cyclopentadienyl groups to give a new complex Ru₆C(⁵-Cp)₂(CO)₁₂ (2). The reaction of cluster1 with entamethylcyclopentadiene leads to new complex Ru₆C(-¹⁵-CH₂C₅Me₄)(CO)₁₄ (3) containing the cr-bond CH₂-Ru, along with an ⁵-coordinated cyclopentadienyl ring.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1171–1172, June, 1995.