Core excitations of naphthalene: vibrational structure versus chemical shifts

High-resolution x-ray photoelectron emission (XPS) and near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra of naphthalene are analyzed in terms of the initial state chemical shifts and the vibrational fine structure of the excitations. Carbon atoms located at peripheral sites experience only a small chemical shift and exhibit rather similar charge-vibrational coupling, while the atoms in the bridging positions differ substantially. In the XPS spectra, C-H stretching modes provide important contributions to the overall shape of the spectrum. In contrast, the NEXAFS spectrum contains only vibrational progressions from particular C-C stretching modes. The accuracy of ab initio calculations of absolute electronic transition energies is discussed in the context of minute chemical shifts, the vibrational fine structure, and the state multiplicity.     

Stereoselective synthesis of erythro-β-chloroamines and their conversion into functionalized trans-oxazolidin-2-ones

New erythro-β-chloroamines were synthesized by a mild and efficient stereoselective chlorination of unprotected amino alcohol diesters. These products are shown to be excellent building blocks for the synthesis of new substituted trans-oxazolidin-2-ones.     

X-ray emission spectroscopy of hydrogen bonding and electronic structure of liquid water

We use x-ray emission spectroscopy to examine the influence of the intermolecular interaction on the local electronic structure of liquid water. By comparing x-ray emission spectra of the water molecule and liquid water, we find a strong involvement of the a(1)-symmetry valence-orbital in the hydrogen bonding. The local electronic structure of water molecules, where one hydrogen bond is broken at the hydrogen site, is separately determined. Our results provide an illustration of the important potential of x-ray emission spectroscopy for elucidating basic features of liquids.     

Observation of a continuum-continuum interference hole in ultrafast dissociating core-excited molecules

The femtosecond dissociation of HCl after core excitation has been studied through the resonant Auger decay. The spectra contain contributions from decay occurring at both "molecular" and "atomic" internuclear distances. We have observed a new interference mechanism in these spectra: An atomic spectral line develops into a negative spectral contribution, a "hole," when detuning the excitation energy from the maximum of the Cl2p(-1)sigma(*) resonance. Resonant x-ray scattering theory quantitatively explains this behavior as due to a novel destructive continuum-continuum interference between molecular and atomic contributions to the Auger decay.     

Doppler splitting of In-flight auger decay of dissociating oxygen molecules: the localization of delocalized core holes

By exploiting the core-excitation-induced dissociation of O2, we find that the Auger emission exhibits a Doppler-like energy shift. We show this to be a manifestation of localization of the core hole and propose that the problem of core-hole localization versus delocalization in core-hole spectroscopies may be resolved by considering the nature of the measurement.     

Antimicrobial,Antioxidant, Anti-Acetylcholinesterase,Antidiabetic, and Pharmacokinetic Properties of Carum carvi L. and Coriandrum sativum L. Essential Oils Alone and in Combination

Herbs and spices have been used since antiquity for their nutritional and health properties, as well as in traditional remedies for the prevention and treatment of many diseases. Therefore, this study aims to perform a chemical analysis of both essential oils (EOs) from the seeds of Carum carvi (C. carvi) and Coriandrum sativum (C. sativum) and evaluate their antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-acetylcholinesterase, and antidiabetic activities alone and in combination. Results showed that the EOs mainly constitute monoterpenes with γ-terpinene (31.03%), β-pinene (18.77%), p-cymene (17.16%), and carvone (12.20%) being the major components present in C. carvi EO and linalool (76.41%), γ-terpinene (5.35%), and α-pinene (4.44%) in C. sativum EO. In comparison to standards, statistical analysis revealed that C. carvi EO showed high and significantly different (p < 0.05) antioxidant activity than C. sativum EO, but lower than the mixture. Moreover, the mixture exhibited two-times greater ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) (IC₅₀ = 11.33 ± 1.53 mg/mL) and equipotent chelating power (IC₅₀ = 31.33 ± 0.47 mg/mL) than the corresponding references, and also potent activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (IC₅₀ = 19.00 ± 1.00 mg/mL), β-carotene (IC₅₀ = 11.16 ± 0.84 mg/mL), and superoxide anion (IC₅₀ = 10.33 ± 0.58 mg/mL) assays. Antimicrobial data revealed that single and mixture EOs were active against a panel of pathogenic microorganisms, and the mixture had the ability to kill more bacterial strains than each EO alone. Additionally, the anti-acetylcholinesterase and α-glucosidase inhibitory effect have been studied for the first time, highlighting the high inhibition effect of AChE by C. carvi (IC₅₀ = 0.82 ± 0.05 mg/mL), and especially by C. sativum (IC₅₀ = 0.68 ± 0.03 mg/mL), as well as the mixture (IC₅₀ = 0.63 ± 0.02 mg/mL) compared to the reference drug, which are insignificantly different (p > 0.05). A high and equipotent antidiabetic activity was observed for the mixture (IC₅₀ = 0.75 ± 0.15 mg/mL) when compared to the standard drug, acarbose, which is about nine times higher than each EO alone. Furthermore, pharmacokinetic analysis provides some useful insights into designing new drugs with favorable drug likeness and safety profiles based on a C. carvi and C. sativum EO mixture. In summary, the results of this study revealed that the combination of these EOs may be recommended for further food, therapeutic, and pharmaceutical applications, and can be utilized as medicine to inhibit several diseases.     

Measurements of core hole localization in x-ray Raman scattering

The problem of core hole localization in symmetrical systems is a fundamental problem of x-ray spectroscopy and concerns some basic aspects of quantum theory. Recent theoretical as well as experimental investigations of resonant x-ray Raman scattering indicate that the solution to this problem depends on the measurement. In the present work we propose an experimental scheme which allows a direct measurement of the atom to which the core hole is localized. The idea behind the proposal is based on the electron Doppler effect and the photoelectron-photoion coincidence technique. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 12, 1005–1008 (25 June 1998) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Edited by Steve Torstveit.     

MC SCF optimization using the direct,restricted step,second-order norm-extended optimization method

The potential of a direct, restricted step, second order MC SCF computer program is illustrated with a large configuration space calculation containing 24156 configuration state functions on the ³B₁ state of methylene.     

Interplay of one- and two-step channels in electrovibrational two-photon absorption

We present a theory of two-photon absorption that addresses the formation of spectral shapes taking the vibrational degrees of freedom into account. The theory is used to rationalize the observed differences between the spectral shapes of one- and two-photon absorption. We find that the main cause of these differences is that the two-step and coherent two-photon spectral bands are different even considering a single final state. Our formalism is applied to the N101 molecule (p-nitro-p'-diphenylamine stilbene), which was recently studied experimentally. Simulations show that the two-step two-photon electrovibrational absorption results in a blue shift of the absorption spectrum in agreement with the measurements.