Neutron diffraction study of [H(4)Co(4)(C(5)Me(4)Et)(4)], a tetrahedral metal cluster complex with four face-bridging hydride ligands

A single-crystal neutron diffraction analysis of the cluster complex [H(4)Co(4)(C(5)Me(4)Et)(4)] was carried out on the new quasi-Laue diffractometer VIVALDI at the Institut Laue-Langevin. The structure consists of four face-bridging hydrides attached to a tetrahedral cobalt metal core. Average distances and angles in the core of the molecule are as follows: Co-Co = 2.571(8), Co-C = 2.158(6), Co-H = 1.749(7), H.H = 2.366(9) A; Co-H-Co = 94.6(3), H-Co-H = 85.1(3) degrees. The hydride ligands are located off the Co-Co-Co planes by an average distance of 0.923(8) A. It is suggested that the dimensions of the HCo(3) fragments found in this molecule provide reasonable estimates for analogous distances and angles associated with chemisorbed H atoms situated on the 3-fold hollows of a cobalt surface. Crystallographic details: space group P2(1)/a (monoclinic); a = 21.979(2), b = 10.924(1), c = 34.406(2) A; beta = 90.81(1) degrees; Z = 8. Final agreement factor: R(F) = 0.099 for 3779 reflections [I > 2sigma(I)] collected at 20 K.     

An order-disorder transition in Sr2IrD5: Evidence for square pyramidal IrD5 units from powder neutron diffraction data

Neutron diffraction data have been collected on a powdered sample of Sr₂IrD₅ over a range of temperatures. The compound, which is cubic at room temperature, has been found to exhibit a gradual transformation to a tetragonal phase in the temperature range 200-140 K. As a result of the transition, deuterium atoms which randomly occupy sixfold positions in the cubic phase, become tetragonally ordered. A small fraction of the cubic phase remained untransformed at 4.2 K. Both the cubic and tetragonal structures are consistent with square pyramidal IrD₅ units with average Ir---D distances of 1.714 and 1.718 Å, respectively. Agreement factors, R₁, for the two structural analyses are 3.44 and 4.94%.     

Neutron Diffraction Analysis of H3Co2[C5H2(t-Bu)3]2, a Molecule with a Triply Hydrogen-Bridged Metal–Metal Bond: Some Comments on Structural Patterns in M(μ-H)nM Systems (n=1, 2, 3, 4)

The structure of H₃Co₂[C₅H₂(t-Bu)₃]₂ has been analyzed by low-temperature single-crystal neutron diffraction techniques, and shown to consist of two CoCp moieties with three hydride ligands bridging the central Co–Co bond. Despite a fairly extensive twinning problem, the structure could be solved and successfully refined to a final R factor of 9.2% for 2024 reflections. Average molecular parameters in the H₃Co₂ core of the molecule are as follows: Co–Co=2.275(21) Å, Co–H=1.637(16) Å, HH=2.050(20) Å, Co–H–Co=88.0(9)°, H–Co–H=77.0(7)°. Also included in this paper is a discussion on the molecular dimensions of symmetric hydride-bridged dinuclear systems (M(-H)_nM, n=1, 2, 3, 4) that have been studied to date by neutron diffraction.     

Light absorption by free semiconductor carriers in the presence of a laser wave

Within the framework of the conditions ; » ^–1 ( ^–1 is the mean time of momentum relaxation), the coefficient of absorption () of a weak electromagnetic wave by the free carriers of a polar semiconductor is calculated in the presence of a strong wave (of frequency ), for arbitrary values of and . Photon absorption by band electrons is due to these latter interacting with optical phonons (of frequency _o). The problem is solved by using an analogous approach to the theory of the linear Kubo reaction. The results are valid in the absence of electron heating, when a strong wave only influences the scattering probability. The appearance of a photostimulated tail of absorption is predicted for < _o, including the jump () for ( – _o + ) ₀T as well as peaks in the function () at the points _s=s (s=1, 2, 3,...). The value (₁) is determined by the formula for the absorption coefficient for one strong wave.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 7, pp. 105–109, July, 1981.The authors are grateful to É. M. Épshtein and Sh. M. Kogan for useful discussions.     

The crystal structure of Mn(NO)3P(C6H5)3: The first x-ray analysis of a mononuclear metal trinitrosyl complex

The structure of Mn(NO)₃PPh₃ has been analyzed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. It shows a tetrahedral geometry with essentially linear nitrosyl groups, and an eclipsed configuration around the MnP bond. Average distances and angles are: MnN 1.686(7) Å, MnP 2.315(2) Å, NO 1.165(10) Å, PC 1.815(4) Å, MnNO 177.2(7)°, PMnN 103.6(2)°, NMnN 114.7(4)°. Final R factor 7.3% for 2064 non-zero reflections. The structure of the five-coordinate nitrito complex Mn(NO)₂(ONO)(PEt₃)₂ is also mentioned briefly.     

Determining the effective density of airborne nanoparticles using multiple charging correction in a tandem DMA/ELPI setup

The cysteamine-modified hyaluronic acid (HA) polymer was employed to coat quantum dots (QDs) through a convenient one-step reverse micelle method, with the final QDs hydrodynamic size of around 22.6 nm. The HA coating renders the QDs with very good stability in PBS for more than 140 days and resistant to large pH range of 2–12. Besides, the HA-coated QDs also show excellent fluorescence stability in BSA-containing cell culture medium. In addition, the cell culture assay indicates no significant cytotoxicity for MD-MB-231 breast cancer cells, and its targeting ability to cancer receptor CD44 has been demonstrated on two breast cancer cell lines. The targeting mechanism was further proved by the HA competition experiment. This work has established a new approach to help solve the stability and toxicity problems of QDs, and moreover render the QDs cancer targeting property. The current results indicate that the HA polymer-coated QDs hold the potential application for both in vitro and in vivo cancer imaging researches.     

Organometallic complexes as hole-transporting materials in organic light-emitting diodes

The use of metal complexes fac-tris(1-phenylpyrazolato-N,C(2)('))cobalt(III) [fac-Co(ppz)(3)], fac-tris(2-phenylpyridinato-N,C(2)(') cobalt(III) [fac-Co(ppy)(3)], and [tris[2-((pyrrole-2-ylmethylidene)amino)ethyl]amine]gallium(III) [Ga(pma)] as materials for hole-transporting layers (HTL) in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is reported. Co(ppz)(3) and Co(ppy)(3) were prepared by following literature procedures and isolated as mixtures of facial (fac) and meridional (mer) isomers. The more stable fac isomers were separated from the unstable mer forms via column chromatography and thermal gradient sublimation. Crystals of fac-Co(ppz)(3) are monoclinic, space group P2(1)/c, with a = 13.6121(12) A, b = 15.5600(12) A, c = 22.9603(17) A, beta = 100.5 degrees, V = 4781.3(7) A(3), and Z = 8. [Tris[2-((pyrrol-2-ylmethylidene)amino)ethyl]amine]gallium [Ga(pma)] was prepared by the reaction of gallium(III) nitrate with the pmaH(3) ligand precursor in methanol. Ga(pma) crystallizes in the cubic space group I3d with cell parameters a = 20.2377(4) A, b = 20.2377(4) A, c = 20.2377(4) A, beta = 90.0 degrees, V = 8288.6(3) A(3), and Z = 16. These cobalt and gallium complexes are pale colored to colorless solids, with optical energy gaps ranging 2.6-3.36 eV. A two-layer HTL/ETL (ETL = electron-transporting layer) device structure using fac-Co(ppz)(3) and fac-Co(ppy)(3) as the HTL does not give efficient electroluminescence. However, the introduction of a thin layer of a hole-transporting material (N,N'-bis(1-naphthyl)-N,N'-diphenylbenzidine, NPD) as an energy "stair-step" and electron/exciton-blocker dramatically improves the device performance. Both fac-Co(ppz)(3) and fac-Co(ppy)(3) devices give external quantum efficiencies higher than 1.0%, with brightness 5000 and 7000 Cd/m(2) at 10 V, respectively. Ga(pma) also functions as an efficient interface layer, giving device performances very similar to those of analogous devices using NPD as the interface layer. Stability tests have been carried out for Co(ppz)(3)/NPD/Alq(3) and Co(ppy)(3)/NPD/Alq(3) devices. While fac-Co(ppy)(3) gave stable OLEDs, the fac-Co(ppz)(3)-based devices had very short lifetimes. On the basis of the experimental results of chemical oxidation of fac-Co(ppz)(3), the major cause for the fast decay of the fac-Co(ppz)(3) device is proposed to be the decomposition of fac-Co(ppz)(3)(+) in the HTL layer during the device operation.     

Dispersion in retentive pillar array columns

The method of volume averaging is applied to estimate the Taylor–Aris dispersion tensor of solute advected in columns consisting of ordered pillar arrays with wall retention of the type used in chromatographic separation. The appropriate closure equations are derived and solved in a unit cell with periodic boundary conditions to obtain the dispersion tensor (or the reduced plate height) as a function of the Peclet number (reduced velocity); pillar pattern, shape and size; partition coefficient; and resistance to mass transfer. The contributions of the velocity profile, the wall adsorption, and the mass transfer resistance to the dispersion tensor are identified and delineated. The model is verified by comparing its predictions and obtaining favorable agreement with results of direct numerical simulations and with experimental data for columns containing ordered pillars. The model is then used to study the effect of pillars’ shape and pattern on the longitudinal dispersion coefficient (plate height).