Mass spectrometric analysis of low molecular mass polyesters by laser desorption/ionization on porous silicon

A low molecular mass polyester was analyzed by desorption/ionization on porous silicon (DIOS) mass spectrometry. The results were compared with those of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry using matrixes of alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA) and 10,15,20-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin (F20TPP). The CHCA matrix was not suitable for characterization of low molecular mass components of the polyester because the matrix-related ions interfered with the component ions. On the other hand, the F20TPP matrix showed no interference because no matrix-related ions appeared below m/z 822. However, the solvent selection for determining optimal conditions of sample preparation was limited, because F20TPP does not dissolve readily in any of the available organic solvents. In the DIOS spectra, the polymer ions were observed at high sensitivity without a contaminating ion. No matrix is needed for DIOS spectra of low molecular mass polyesters, facilitating sample preparation and selectivity of a precursor ion in post-source decay measurements.     

Difference systems of sets and cyclotomy

Difference systems of sets (DSS) are combinatorial configurations that arise in connection with code synchronization. A method for the construction of DSS from partitions of cyclic difference sets was introduced in [V.D. Tonchev, Difference systems of sets and code synchronization, Rend. Sem. Mat. Messina, Ser. II, t. XXV 9 (2003) 217–226] and applied to cyclic difference sets (n,(n-1)/2,(n-3)/4) of Paley type, where is a prime number. This paper develops similar constructions for prime numbers that use partitions of the set of quadratic residues, as well as more general cyclotomic classes.     

Structural and magnetic ordering in the VxNb1+yS2 system

The influence of composition on the structural ordering and magnetism in the V_xNb_1+yS₂ system has been investigated by X-ray diffraction and magnetic measurements. Stoichiometric V_1/3NbS₂ did not exhibit the structural ordering of vanadium between the NbS₂ layers. In the ordered structure, the vanadium composition deviated from the ideal value of to both higher and lower values, while the niobium composition was in the range of 0.05?y?0.18. Excess niobium, y>0, is thought to play an essential role in the structural ordering in this system. For samples with excess niobium and ordered structures, a magnetic transition was observed at 20-50 K, depending on the composition. The spontaneous magnetization of 3-5×10⁻³ μ_B/V atom is thought to be intrinsic to this system. The magnetization curves consisted of a constant and a proportional parts of the magnetic field, which correspond to the spontaneous magnetization and high-field susceptibility, respectively. The magnetization curves and the temperature dependencies of the high-field susceptibility were quite similar to those of the canted antiferromagnetic NiS₂. A correlation between the structural and magnetic ordering is suggested.     

A chemical scale for evaluating the electron transfer ability of alkylcopper reagents

In order to evaluate the electron transfer ability of organocopper reagents, the reactions of appropriate Michael acceptors with methyl and butylcopper reagents were investigated. The ratio of the conjugate adduct and reduction product was used as a chemical scale for evaluating the electron transfer ability of the alkylcopper reagents. Consequently, the electron transfer ability of methyl and butylcopper reagents is in the following order; Me₃CuLi₂ > Me₂CuLi >> Me₂Cu(CN)Li₂ > MeCu > MeCu(CN)Li; Bu₂CuLi > BuCu(CN)Li - Bu₂Cu(CN)Li₂ > BuCu.     

Addition reaction of zinc acetylides to thioiminium salts leading to 3-amino-1-sulfenyl-1,4-enynes

The reaction of thioiminium salts with zinc acetylides took place at 60 °C to give 3-amino-1-sulfenyl-1,4-enynes in moderate to good yields. Two molecules of acetylides were incorporated into the products. Nucleophilic attack of zinc acetylides to thioiminium salts may initially occur to form alkynyl S,N-acetals, followed by their [1,3]-rearrangement to give 3-sulfenyl-1-aminoallenes.     

Size-controlled synthesis of monodispersed silver nanoparticles capped by long-chain alkyl carboxylates from silver carboxylate and tertiary amine

Monodispersed silver nanoparticles capped by long-chain alkyl carboxylates were prepared by the reaction of silver carboxylate with tertiary amine at 80 degrees C for 2 h. This approach is a unique, size-controlled synthetic method for the large-scale preparation of silver nanoparticles. Long-chain alkyl carboxylate derived from a precursor acts as a stabilizer to avoid the aggregation of silver nanoparticles and to control particle size. In addition, amine plays an important role both as a reagent to form a thermally unstable, amine-coordinated intermediate, bis(amine)silver(I) carboxylate, and as a mild reducing agent for the intermediate to produce nanoparticles at a low temperature. The silver core and carboxylate-capping ligand of silver nanoparticles were characterized by various techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, optical absorption spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, gas chromatograph mass spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. The diameter of the nanoparticles can be strongly influenced by the alkyl chain length and the structure of the carboxylate. The average diameters of the silver nanoparticles were controlled to less than 5 nm in the case of silver carboxylate with a single alkyl chain length of 13 or 17 carbon atoms. On the contrary, the average diameters of silver nanoparticles became large and polydisperse in the case of silver carboxylate with a chain length of 7 carbon atoms or a branched chain. In comparing triethylamine with trioctylamine, there was no obvious effect to regulate the size distribution of the nanoparticles because they could not function as a capping ligand of the nanoparticles due to their weak coordination to silver. In addition, the heat treatment of silver nanoparticles in solution rather than in the solid state was effective for the growth of particles while maintaining narrow size distributions.     

Structure and photophysical properties of porphyrin-modified metal nanoclusters with different chain lengths

Three-dimensional porphyrin-monolayer-protected gold clusters with different chain lengths (MPCs) have been prepared to examine the structure and photophysical properties, in comparison with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of the porphyrins on a flat gold surface. The three-dimensional porphyrin MPCs exhibit electrochemical and photophysical properties that are much closer to those of a porphyrin reference compound in solution than those of two-dimensional porphyrin SAMs on the flat gold surface. The three-dimensional architectures of porphyrin MPCs with large surface area have improved the light-harvesting efficiency relative to the corresponding porphyrin SAM on the two-dimensional flat gold surface. Time-resolved single photon counting fluorescence and transient absorption spectroscopic studies have demonstrated that undesirable quenching of the porphyrin excited singlet state via energy transfer to the gold surface of the three-dimensional MPCs is much suppressed, as compared to the quenching of the porphyrin SAMs on the two-dimensional flat gold surface. Both the quenching rate constants of the porphyrin excited singlet state by the surfaces of bulk gold and gold nanoclusters reveal weak chain length dependence of the energy transfer quenching.     

Long-lived charge-separated state generated in a ferrocene-meso,meso-linked porphyrin trimer-fullerene pentad with a high quantum yield

A meso,meso-linked porphyrin trimer, (ZnP)3, as a light-harvesting chromophore, has been incorporated for the first time into a photosynthetic multistep electron-transfer model including ferrocene (Fc) as an electron donor and fullerene (C60) as an electron acceptor, to construct the ferrocene-meso,meso-linked porphyrin trimer-fullerene system Fc-(ZnP)3-C60. Photoirradiation of Fc-(ZnP)3-C60 results in photoinduced electron transfer from both the singlet and triplet excited states of the porphyrin trimer, 1(ZnP)3* and 3(ZnP)3*, to the C60 moiety to produce the porphyrin trimer radical cation-C60 radical anion pair, Fc-(ZnP)3*+-C60*-. Subsequent formation of the final charge-separated state Fc+-(ZnP)3-C60*- was confirmed by the transient absorption spectra observed by pico- and nanosecond time-resolved laser flash photolysis. The final charge-separated state decays, obeying first-order kinetics, with a long lifetime (0.53 s in DMF at 163 K) that is comparable with that of the natural bacterial photosynthetic reaction center. More importantly, the quantum yield of formation of the final charge-separated state (0.83 in benzonitrile) remains high, despite the large separation distance between the Fc+ and C60*- moieties. Such a high quantum yield results from efficient charge separation through the porphyrin trimer, whereas a slow charge recombination is associated with the localized porphyrin radical cation in the porphyrin trimer. The light-harvesting efficiency in the visible region has also been much improved in Fc-(ZnP)3-C60 because of exciton coupling in the porphyrin trimer as well as an increase in the number of porphyrins.     

Long-range order in the XXZ model

The existence of long-range order is proved under certain conditions for the antiferromagnetic quantum spin system with anisotropic interactions (XXZ model) on the simple cubic or the square lattice. In three dimensions (the simple cubic lattice), finite long-range order exists at sufficiently low temperatures for any anisotropy(0) ifS1, and for 0<0.29 (XY-like) or>1.19 (Ising-like) ifS=1/2. In two dimensions (the square lattice), ground-state long-range order exists under the following conditions: for any anisotropy (0) ifS3/2; 0<0.032 (XY-like) or 0.67<<1.34 (almost isotropic) or>1.80 (Ising-like) ifS=1;>1.93 (Ising-like) ifS=1/2. We conjecture that the two-dimensional spin-1/2XY model (=0) has finite ground-state long-range order. Numerical evidence supporting this conjecture is given.     

"ON-OFF" switching of europium complex luminescence coupled with a ligand redox process

A triarylamine-functionalized terpyridine ligand formed a highly coordinated complex with europium tris(β-diketonate), which displayed reversible 'ON-OFF' luminescence switching coupled with a ligand redox process of triarylamine/triarylaminium cations.