The reaction of H2Os3(CO)10 with trifluoroacetonitrile and the x-ray crystal structure of HOs3(CO)9(μ3-η2-HNCCF3)

The reaction of H₂Os₃(CO)₁₀ with CF₃CN in hexane at 80°C leads to two isomeric products. The isomer constituting the major product contains a 1,1,1-tri-fluoroethylidenimido ligand which bridges one edge of the Os₃ triangle via the nitrogen, atom and may be formulated as (μ-H)Os₃(CO)₁₀(μ-NC(H)CF₃) (I). The minor product, formulated as (μ-H)Os₃(CO)₁₀(μ-η²-HNCCF₃) (II), contains a 1,1,1-trifluoroacetimidoyl ligand which is also edge-bridging, being N-bonded to one Os atom and C-bonded to the other. Thermolysis of I and II in solution results in loss of a CO group in each case to give (μ-H)Os₃(CO)_9^? (μ₃-η²-NC(H)CF₃) (III) and (μ-H)Os₃(CO)₉(μ₃-η²-HNCCF₃) (IV), respectively, which, it is proposed, are structurally related to I and II, but with the CN group coordinated also to the third Os atom in place of a CO group. In the case of IV this proposal has been confirmed by an X-ray crystallographic analysis. The compound crystallises in space group C2/c with a = 14.258(7), b = 13.486(10), c = 18.193(8) Å, β = 92.68(4)°, and Z = 8. The structure was solved by a combination of direct methods and Fourier difference techniques, and refined by full-matrix least squares to R = 0.054 for 2489 unique observed diffractometer data. Reaction of I with Et₃P gives a 1 : 2 adduct which is formulated as (μ-H)Os₃(CO)₁₀[μ-N?C(H)(CF₃)PEt₃] (V) on the basis of NMR evidence.     

Nucleoside H-Phosphonates. 17. Synthetic and (31)P NMR Studies on the Preparation of Dinucleoside H-Phosphonothioates

Formation of H-phosphonothioate diesters via condensation of H-phosphonate monoesters with a hydroxylic component in the presence of various coupling agents and possible side reactions that may accompany this process were studied using (31)P NMR spectroscopy. Optimal reaction conditions, which eliminate or significantly suppress the side reactions, have been designed and assessed in syntheses of dinucleoside H-phosphonothioate diesters.     

Synthesis,anti‐migration and burning rate catalytic mechanism of ferrocene‐based compounds

One of the most important components of solid rocket propellant is the burning rate catalysts (BRC) which enhance burning rate of solid composite propellant. Low‐pressure exponents and stable burning rate are the key features of an excellent solid propellant. Addition of BRC to the propellant results in the increase of burning rate of the propellant and decrease in pressure exponents. Among all BRC, ferrocene‐based BRC have attracted much attention because of their better microscopic homogeneities in distribution, ignitability of the propellants and good compatibility with organic binder. However, the main barrier for the development and practical applications of ferrocene‐based BRC is their migration property. This article reviews the field and highlights recent progress. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Regression and ANN models for estimating minimum value of machining performance

Surface roughness is one of the most common performance measurements in machining process and an effective parameter in representing the quality of machined surface. The minimization of the machining performance measurement such as surface roughness (R_a) must be formulated in the standard mathematical model. To predict the minimum R_a value, the process of modeling is taken in this study. The developed model deals with real experimental data of the R_a in the end milling machining process. Two modeling approaches, regression and Artificial Neural Network (ANN), are applied to predict the minimum R_a value. The results show that regression and ANN models have reduced the minimum R_a value of real experimental data by about 1.57% and 1.05%, respectively.     

Ion chromatograph with three-dimensional printed absorbance detector for indirect ultraviolet absorbance detection of phosphate in effluent and natural waters

An ion chromatography system employing a low-cost three-dimensional printed absorbance detector for indirect ultraviolet detection towards portable phosphate analysis of environmental and industrial waters has been developed. The optical detection cell was fabricated using stereolithography three-dimensional printing of nanocomposite material. Chromatographic analysis and detection of phosphate were carried out using a CS5A 4 × 250 mm analytical column with indirect ultraviolet detection using a 255 nm light-emitting diode. Isocratic elution using a 0.6 mM potassium phthalate eluent combined with 1.44 mM sodium bicarbonate was employed at a flow rate of 0.75 mL/min. A linear calibration range of 0.5 to 30 mg/L PO₄³⁻ applicable to environmental and wastewater analysis was achieved. For retention time and peak area repeatability, relative standard deviation values were 0.68 and 4.09%, respectively. Environmental and wastewater samples were analyzed with the optimized ion chromatography platform and the results were compared to values obtained by an accredited ion chromatograph. For the analysis of environmental samples, relative errors of <14 % were achieved. Recovery analysis was also carried out on both freshwater and wastewater samples and recovery results were within the acceptable range for water analysis using standard ion chromatography methods.     

Analytical method development and validation of anticancer agent, 5-fluorouracil,and its metabolites in biological matrices: An updated review

Abstract

5-fluorouracil (5-FU) refers to a fluorinated pyrimidine analogue that has been widely used as an anticancer agent for colon, head, and neck cancers. Detection of 5-FU and its metabolites; 5-fluorouridine and 5-fluoro-2-deoxyuridine in biological samples allows optimization of pharmacotherapy and encourages fundamental investigations of this medication. The development of accurate and reliable sample preparation, as well as analytical methods, is critical to isolate targeted analytes from complex matrices, apart from increasing detection sensitivity of analytes. With that, this paper presents a review of prior studies pertaining to chromatographic and electrophoretic methods that focused on the analysis of 5-FU and its metabolites in biological matrices such as plasma and urine. This paper concentrates on HPLC, GC and CE systems, which are the most commonly used strategies for analytical separation of 5-FU and its metabolites from samples. Detection of these antineoplastic agents at trace level demands highly sensitive and selective analytical methodologies. Application of these analytical techniques to biological matrices is reviewed with a focus on method development strategies, including types of mobile phases and background electrolytes employed in LC and CE systems.     

Comparison of confinement characters between porous silicon and silicon nanowires

Confinement character and its effects on photoluminescence (PL) properties are theoretically investigated and compared between porous silicon (p-Si) and silicon nanowires (Si-NWs). The method is based on the application of the tight-binding technique using the minimal sp³-basis set, including the second-nearest-neighbor interactions. The results show that the quantum confinement (QC) is not entirely controlled by the porosity, rather it is mainly affected by the average distance between pores (d). The p-Si is found to exhibit weaker confinement character than Si-NWs. The confinement energy of charge carriers decays against d exponentially for p-Si and via a power-law for Si-NWs. This latter type of QC is much stronger and is somewhat similar to the case of a single particle in a quantum box. The excellent fit to the PL data demonstrates that the experimental samples of p-Si do exhibit strong QC character and thus reveals the possibility of silicon clustering into nano-crystals and/or nanowires. Furthermore, the results show that the passivation of the surface dangling bonds by the hydrogen atoms plays an essential role in preventing the appearance of gap states and consequently enhances the optical qualities of the produced structures. The oscillator strength (OS) is found to increase exponentially with energy in Si-NWs confirming the strong confinement character of carriers. Our theoretical findings suggest the existence of Si nanocrystals (Si-NCs) of sizes 1-3 nm and/or Si-NWs of cross-sectional sizes in the 1-3 nm range inside the experimental p-Si samples. The experimentally-observed strong photoluminescence from p-Si should be in favor of an exhibition of 3D-confinement character. The favorable comparison of our theoretical results with the experimental data consolidates our above claims.     

Tris(2‐aminoethyl)amine‐based ferrocene‐terminated dendrimers as burning rate catalysts for ammonium perchlorate‐based propellant decomposition

Ferrocene‐based derivatives show potential application as burning rate catalysts (BRCs) for solid composite propellants. However, migration problems of simple ferrocene‐based derivatives limit their application as BRCs in solid composite propellants. To overcome the migration problems of ferrocene‐based BRCs and to enhance the burning rate of ammonium perchlorate (AP)‐based propellants, zero‐ to second‐generation tris(2‐aminoethyl)amine‐based ferrocene‐terminated dendrimers (G0, G1 and G2) were synthesized. The structures of G0, G1 and G2 were confirmed using ¹H NMR, Fourier transform infrared and UV–visible spectroscopies. The electrochemical behavior of G0, G1 and G2 was investigated using cyclic voltammetry. It was found that G0, G1 and G2 showed redox behavior due to the presence of ferrocene and this redox behavior was diffusion controlled over the investigated scan range. The burning rate catalytic effect of G0, G1 and G2 on thermal decomposition of AP was investigated using thermogravimetry and differential thermogravimetry. G0, G1 and G2 showed good catalytic effect on the thermal decomposition of AP. Anti‐migration studies showed that migration of G0, G1 and G2 was much slower than that of 2,2‐bis(ethylferrocenyl)propane (catocene) and ferrocene.     

Electronic structures of carbazole and its derivatives: A semi-empirical study on the substitution effects of carbazole

The electronic structures of carbazole, N-phenylcarbazole (NPC), cyanophenylcarbazole (CPC) and N-ethylcarbazole (NEC) have been calculated using the quantum chemical semi-empirical MINDO/3 method. In this paper, electronic ground states and first singlet excited states of the systems mentioned were investigated. It is observed that the excitation energy of carbazole based on the calculated difference in heats of formation agrees quite well with experimental data obtained from supersonic expansion studies. Calculated energy levels of molecular orbitals and their graphical forms are used qualitatively in elucidating the S₀ → S₁ excitation electronic origin red shifts observed in carbazole derivatives with respect to the electronic origin of the parent carbazole. It is noted that the red shifts are not just a result of the destabilization of the HOMO of carbazole but are also determined by the nature of the substituting moieties. It is also observed that the LUMO of CPC is not derived from the parent carbazole which partially explains the difference in electronic behaviour as compared with the other derivatives.