Non-destructive in situ determination of pigments in 15th century wall paintings by Raman microscopy

Raman microscopy has been applied to the study of 15th century wall paintings in a chapel of St. Orso Priory palace (Aosta, Italy) in view of their restoration. The use of a transportable instrument has made it possible to work non-destructively in situ without sampling. The main inorganic pigments used by the unknown artist, namely mercury sulphide, azurite, white lead, red and yellow ochre, carbon black and lead tin yellow type I have been identified, and the presence of organic substances and of some decay products (calcium sulphate and oxalate) has been observed.     

Photochromic crown ethers

An amphiphilic crown-containing styryl dye (1) was synthesized, and the effects of irradiation, temperature, and alkali and alkali-earth metal ions on the conductivity and optical spectra of its solutions in dioctyl phthalate were studied. Compound1 in thetrans-form almost completely exists as ion pairs (IP). Irradiation at a long-wavelength absorption maximum (λ_max) results in a reversible increase in the conductivity and, hence, a degree of dissociation of IP (α); these parameters decrease when complexes with metal ions are formed. The relaxation times for the photoinduced conductivity coincide with a decrease in the extinction within experimental error in the 20–60°C temperature range. The photoinduced increase in α is caused bytrans—cis-isomerization and an increase in steric hindrances for the interaction of the ClO₄ ⁻ anion with the N⁺ atom of benzothiazolium in thecis-form of1. The activation energies for the darkcis—trans-relaxation, absolute α values, and thermodynamic parameters of dissociation of IP in thetrans-form, as well as the α values in a photostationary mixture ofcis—trans-isomers, were estimated. The decrease in α after binding with metal ions is likely caused by the redistribution of the positive charge to benzothiazolium through the conjugated system of1. Correlations between the decrease in conductivity (decrease in α) and the hypsochromic shift Δλ_max after the formation of complexes between1 and metal ions were observed. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1296–1301, July, 1997.     

Ion pairing, H-bonding, and π–π interactions in copper(II) complex-organo-networks derived from a proton-transfer compound of the 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxylic acid

The one-pot reaction between the novel proton transfer compound (pydaH₂)²⁺(phendc)²⁻, LH₂, and Cu(II) afforded the compounds (pydaH)₂[Cu(phendc)₂]·10H₂O, 1, and (pydaH)₂[Cu(phendc)(phendcH)]₂·5H₂O, 2, where pyda=2,6-diaminopyridine, and phendcH₂=1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxylic acid. The single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of 1 and 2 revealed that these are two novel self-assembled 3D Cu(II) complex-organo-networks, in which (pydaH)⁺ ions and [Cu(phendc)₂]²⁻ or complex units are held together by ion pairing, H-bonding, and π–π interactions. Magnetic measurements over the temperature range 1.8–310 K revealed no significant magnetic coupling between Cu(II) centers in 1 or 2.     

The mixed valent tellurate SrTe3O8: Electronic lone pair effect of Te

A novel mixed valent tellurium oxide, SrTe₃O₈, has been synthesized and its crystal structure was determined ab initio from powder X-ray diffraction data. This oxide, which crystallizes in a tetragonal unit-cell, P4₂/m space group, with very close a and c cell parameters (6.8257(1) and 6.7603(1) Å, respectively), exhibits a very original structure built up of corner-sharing TeO₆ (Te⁶⁺) octahedra and Te₂O₈ (Te⁴⁺) twin-pyramidal units. The latter ones form [Te₃O₈]_∞ chains running along the [001] and the [110] directions. Besides the four sided tunnels where the Sr²⁺ cations are located, there are very large four sided tunnels running along the c-axis which are obstructed by the electronic lone pairs of the Te⁴⁺ cations.     

Optochemical Sensor for Ammonia Based on a Lipophilized pH Indicator in a Hydrophobic Matrix

Abstract

An optical sensor for the determination of ammonia in water based on ion pairing has been investigated. A pH-sensitive dye is immobilized as an ion pair in a silicone matrix. The colour of the dye changes from yellow to blue depending on the concentration of ammonia in the sample solution. This change is reversible. The concentration of ammonia can be determined by measuring the transmittance at a given wavelength.

All measurements were performed with a dual-beam optical meter. The measurement range was from 5.9 × 10^?7 to 1 × 10^?3 M (0.01 to 17 mg/l) in 0.1 M phosphate buffer of pH 8. The detection limit was 10 μg/l. The response times at a flow rate of 2.5 ml/min were 4 min for t₉₀ and 10 min for t₁₀₀ at a change from 41.9 to 82.5 μM ammonia and 12 min for t₉₀ and 48 min for t₁₀₀ at a change from 160 to 0 μM ammonia. The operational lifetime of the ammonia sensor was limited to a period of a few days only. A continuous decrease in baseline signal and relative signal change was observed over the whole measurement. The storage stability was more than 10 months (dry). With respect to possible application of the ammonia sensor to environmental analysis, the influence of pH, typical interferences, such as amines and various detergents on the sensor response was investigated. No interference due to pH was observed in the range from pH 5 to pH 9. With methyl- and ethylamine the response was not completely reversible. The sensor was affected by cationic detergents, but not by anionic or neutral detergents.     

Propagation of a pre-existing turbulent fluid fracture

The propagation of rough and smooth wall pre-existing turbulent fluid fractures is investigated. The laminar fluid fracture is included as a special case for comparison. Lubrication theory is assumed to apply in the fracture and turbulence is introduced through the wall shear stress. The Perkins–Kern–Nordgren approximation is made in which the fluid pressure is proportional to the half-width of the fracture. The fracture half-width satisfies a non-linear diffusion equation. By using a linear combination of the Lie point symmetries of the non-linear diffusion equation a group invariant solution for the fracture length, volume and half-width is derived. The evolution of the length, half-width and mean flow velocity is analysed for a range of working conditions at the fracture entry. It is found that the mean flow velocity increases approximately linearly along the fracture.     

A Frustrated Phosphane–Borane Lewis Pair and Hydrogen: A Kinetics Study

The energy profile of a frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) dihydrogen splitting system was determined by a combined experimental kinetic and DFT study. A trimethylene‐bridged phosphane–borane FLP was converted into its endothermic H₂‐cleavage product by sequential H⁺/H^? addition. The system could be handled at low temperature, and the kinetics of the H₂ elimination were determined to give a rate constant of k_HH,exp(299 K)=(2.87±0.1)×10^?4 s^?1 in solution. The primary kinetic isotope effects were determined; for example, (k_HH/k_DD)_exp=3.19. The system was accurately analyzed by DFT calculations.     

Reversible Activation of Water by an Air- and Moisture-Stable Frustrated Rhodium Nitrogen Lewis Pair

[Cp*Rh(κ³N,N′,P- L )][SbF₆] (Cp*=C₅Me₅), bearing a guanidine-derived phosphano ligand L , behaves as a “dormant” frustrated Lewis pair and activates H₂ and H₂O in a reversible manner. When D₂O is employed, a facile H/D exchange at the Cp* ring takes place through sequential C(sp³)−H bond activation.