A new reaction of vicinal sulfonyliminocarboxylates with phosphites

The reaction of alkyl trifluoro(organylsulfonylimino)propionates with phosphites occurs with NC transfer of the RSO₂ group and leads to sulfonyl-substituted trifluoroalanine derivatives. The novel rearrangement is interpreted as cheletropic 1,4-cycloaddition of the phosphite and subsequent 1,2-shift of the sulfonyl group in the intermediate cyclic phosphorane.     

A catalyst-free one-step synthesis of N-pyrimidinyl amidines from endocyclic enamines and 4-azidopyrimidines

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Determination of microquantities of thiosulfate by kinetic method

A new redox indicator reaction between Cu(2+), Mn(2+) and S(2)O(3)(2-) in the presence of 2,2'-bicinchoninic acid is investigated. Optimum reaction conditions are determined. The influence of nonaqueous solvents on the reaction rate is studied. It is shown that in the presence of acetone the S(2)O(3)(2-) determination limit is lowered 0.005 mug ml(-1). Random errors lie within the limits allowable at the determination of microconcentrations. To raise the sensitivity of the determination of S(2)O(3)(2-) in some inorganic salts (KCl, KNO(3), CsNO(3)), this impurity was concentrated by low-temperature directed crystallisation. Metrologic characteristics of the developed technique are presented.     

Effective synthesis of 5-aryl-3-ethylidene-3H-pyrrol-2-ones

Substituted 5-aryl-3-ethylidene-3H-pyrrol-2-ones were synthesized by the reaction of the corresponding 4-aryl-4-oxobutanoic acids with ketones in the presence of aminating agents. The conditions of this reaction were developed with the use of both the conventional condensation technique and microwave activation. The structures of the reaction products were con-firmed by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 693–696, April, 2006.     

Control of Protonated Schiff Base Excited State Decay within Visual Protein Mimics: A Unified Model for Retinal Chromophores

Artificial biomimetic chromophore-protein complexes inspired by natural visual pigments can feature color tunability across the full visible spectrum. However, control of excited state dynamics of the retinal chromophore, which is of paramount importance for technological applications, is lacking due to its complex and subtle photophysics/photochemistry. Here, ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations are combined for the study of highly tunable rhodopsin mimics, as compared to retinal chromophores in solution. Conical intersections and transient fluorescent intermediates are identified with atomistic resolution, providing unambiguous assignment of their ultrafast excited state absorption features. The results point out that the electrostatic environment of the chromophore, modified by protein point mutations, affects its excited state properties allowing control of its photophysics with same power of chemical modifications of the chromophore. The complex nature of such fine control is a fundamental knowledge for the design of bio-mimetic opto-electronic and photonic devices.     

Synthesis, fluorescent properties and aggregation of 2,3-dihydroisoindolenylcalix[4]arenes

New derivatives of calix[4]arenes, containing two isoindole fragments in distal positions of the macrocycle upper rim were synthesized. According to NMR and molecular modeling data, the obtained calixarenes exist in “flattened cone” conformation with inclination angles of benzene rings to the macrocycle plane equal to 133–140° and 92–100°. Fluorometric studies showed the presence of self-aggregation of isoindolenylcalixarenes in acetone solutions starting from micromolar concentrations.     

Interfacial behavior of water bound to nitrocellulose containing residual nitric and sulfuric acids

To prepare nitrocellulose (NC), microcrystalline cellulose was treated in a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acids. Prepared NC containing a small amount of acids was studied at a different hydration degree (h = 10–1000 mg g^?1) in different dispersion media (chloroform-d, acetone-d₆ or their mixtures) using low-temperature ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The hydration degree and the presence of residual acids affected the temperature dependence of the chemical shifts of proton resonance of water bound to NC. The Gibbs free energy of bound water became less negative with increasing hydration rate. The chloroform and acetone media affect the behavior of bound-to-NC water unfrozen at T<273 K differently. Quantum chemical calculations were performed using ab initio (HF/6-31G(d,p)), DFT (B3LYP/6-31G(d,p)) and semiempirical PM7 methods to analyze the interfacial behavior of water interacting with NC containing residual amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids.      

Photoluminescence and optical absorption properties of silicon quantum dots embedded in Si-rich silicon nitride matrices

Silicon nitride (SiN_x) films were prepared with a gas mixture of SiH₄ and NH₃ on Si wafers using the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and infrared absorption have been used to reveal the existence of the Si quantum dots (Si QDs) and to determine the chemical composition of the silicon nitride layers. The optical properties of these structures were studied by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and indicate that emission mechanisms are dominated by confined excitons within Si QDs. The peak position of PL could be controlled in the wavelength range from 1.5 to 2.2 eV by adjusting the flow rates of ammonia and silane gases. Absorbance spectra obtained in the transmission mode reveal optical absorption from Si QDs, which is in good correlation with PL properties. These results have implications for future nanomaterial deposition controlling and device applications.