Monomeric oxovanadium(IV) compounds of the general formula cis-[V(IV)(=O)(X)(L(NN))(2)](+/0) [X = OH(-), Cl(-), SO(4)(2)(-) and L(NN) = 2,2'-bipyridine (bipy) or 4,4'-disubstituted bipy

Reaction of [V(IV)OCl(2)(THF)(2)] in aqueous solution with 2 equiv of AgBF(4) or AgSbF(6) and then with 2 equiv of 2,2'-bipyridine (bipy), 4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine (4,4'-dtbipy), or 4,4'-di-methyl-2,2'-bipyridine (4,4'-dmbipy) affords compounds of the general formula cis-[V(IV)O(OH)(L(NN))(2)]Y [where L(NN) = bipy, Y = BF(4)(-) (1), L(NN) = 4,4'-dtbipy, Y = BF(4)(-) (2.1.2H(2)O), L(NN) = 4,4'-dmbipy, Y = BF(4)(-) (3.2H(2)O), and L(NN) = 4,4'-dtbipy, Y = SbF(6)(-) (4)]. Sequential addition of 1 equiv of Ba(ClO(4))(2) and then of 2 equiv of bipy to an aqueous solution containing 1 equiv of V(IV)OSO(4).5H(2)O yields cis-[V(IV)O(OH)(bipy)(2)]ClO(4) (5). The monomeric compounds 1-5 contain the cis-[V(IV)O(OH)](+) structural unit. Reaction of 1 equiv of V(IV)OSO(4).5H(2)O in water and of 1 equiv of [V(IV)OCl(2)(THF)(2)] in ethanol with 2 equiv of bipy gives the compounds cis-[V(IV)O(OSO(3))(bipy)(2)].CH(3)OH.1.5H(2)O (6.CH(3)OH.1.5H(2)O) and cis-[V(IV)OCl(bipy)(2)]Cl (7), respectively, while reaction of 1 equiv of [V(IV)OCl(2)(THF)(2)] in CH(2)Cl(2) with 2 equiv of 4,4'-dtbipy gives the compound cis-[V(IV)OCl(4,4'-dtbipy)(2)]Cl.0.5CH(2)Cl(2) (8.0.5CH(2)Cl(2)). Compounds cis-[V(IV)O(BF(4))(4,4'-dtbipy)(2)]BF(4) (9), cis-[V(IV)O(BF(4))(4,4'-dmbipy)(2)]BF(4) (10), and cis-[V(IV)O(SbF(6))(4,4'-dtbipy)(2)]SbF(6) (11) were synthesized by sequential addition of 2 equiv of 4,4'-dtbipy or 4,4'-dmbipy and 2 equiv of AgBF(4) or AgSbF(6) to a dichloromethane solution containing 1 equiv of [V(IV)OCl(2)(THF)(2)]. The crystal structures of 2.1.2H(2)O, 6.CH(3)OH.1.5H(2)O, and 8.0.5CH(2)Cl(2) were demonstrated by X-ray diffraction analysis. Crystal data are as follows: Compound 2.1.2H(2)O crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pbca with (at 298 K) a = 21.62(1) A, b = 13.33(1) A, c = 27.25(2) A, V = 7851(2) A(3), Z = 8. Compound 6.CH(3)OH.1.5H(2)O crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/a with (at 298 K) a = 12.581(4) A, b = 14.204(5) A, c = 14.613(6) A, beta = 114.88(1) degrees, V = 2369(1), Z = 4. Compound 8.0.5CH(2)Cl(2) crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pca2(1) with (at 298 K) a = 23.072(2) A, b = 24.176(2) A, c = 13.676(1) A, V = 7628(2) A(3), Z = 8 with two crystallographically independent molecules per asymmetric unit. In addition to the synthesis and crystallographic studies, we report the optical, infrared, magnetic, conductivity, and CW EPR properties of these oxovanadium(IV) compounds as well as theoretical studies on [V(IV)O(bipy)(2)](2+) and [V(IV)OX(bipy)(2)](+/0) species (X = OH(-), SO(4)(2)(-), Cl(-)).     

NMR and theoretical investigations on the structures and dynamics of octahedral bis(chelate)dichloro V(III) compounds isolated by an unusual reduction of non-oxo V(IV) species

Reaction of the non-oxo V(IV) species [V(IV)Cl(2)(L(OO))(2)] [L(OO) = acetylacetonate (acac(-)) or benzoylacetonate (bzac(-))] with a chelate nitrogen-donor ligand L(NN) in acetonitrile leads to the reduction of V(IV) to V(III) and the formation of the mononuclear V(III) compounds of the general formula [V(III)Cl(2)(L(OO))(L(NN))] (L(OO) and L(NN) are acac(-) and bipy for 1; acac- and 5,5'-me(2)bipy for 2; acac(-) and 4,4'-tb(2)bipy for 3; acac(-) and phen for 4; bzac(-) and bipy for 5; bzac(-) and phen for 6). The reduction of the V(IV) complexes was monitored by GC-MS and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Both one- and two-dimensional (2D COSY and 2D EXSY) (1)H NMR techniques were used to assign the observed (1)H NMR resonances of 1-6 in CD(2)Cl(2) or CDCl(3) solution. It appeared that in solution these V(III) complexes form two isomers which are in equilibrium: cis-[V(III)Cl(2)(L(OO))(L(NN))] <==> trans-[V(III)Cl(2)(L(OO))(L(NN))]. 2D EXSY cross-peaks were clearly observed between bipy- and acac-hydrogen atoms of the two geometrical isomers of 1-3 as well as between bipy and acac(-) protons of the cis isomer, indicating a dynamic process that corresponds to cis-trans isomerization and a cis-cis racemization. The thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of the equilibrium between these two isomers were calculated for compounds 1 and 2 by using variable temperature (VT) NMR data. Both cis-trans isomerization and cis-cis racemization processes probably proceed with an intramolecular twist mechanism involving a trigonal prismatic transition state. Density functional calculations (DFT) also indicated such a rearrangement mechanism.     

Enhanced passive targeted energy transfer in strongly nonlinear mechanical oscillators

Single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) nonlinear energy sinks (NESs) can efficiently mitigate broadband disturbances applied to primary linear systems by means of passive targeted energy transfer (TET), but for a rather limited range of energies. We demonstrate that the TET can be significantly enhanced for broad range of energies by introducing additional internal degrees of freedom to the NES in a highly asymmetric fashion. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the enhanced performance is due to a positive synergistic effect of the internal degrees of freedom of the proposed NES with highly asymmetric stiffnesses.     

A computational evaluation of some free mathematical software for scientific computing

The purpose of this paper is to present a computational comparison of some well-known free mathematical programs. Specifically, these programs are FreeMat, Mathnium, Octave, R and Scilab. All these programs are designed in order to be used either in the scientific community or the industry. Moreover, an additional aim of this paper is to propose open source alternative software which can replace commercial mathematical software. Several issues concerning available operating system platforms, data structures, languages’ structure, matrix operations, program modularization, libraries, packages, profiling tools and online help facilities are addressed in this paper. Discussions on their weaknesses and strengths characteristics are presented. Finally, a speed comparison of some frequently used algorithms, procedures and operations within software is also presented.     

Polyoxomolybdenum(V/VI)-sulfite compounds: synthesis, structural, and physical studies

Reaction of Na(2)Mo(VI)O(4) x 2H(2)O with (NH(4))(2)SO(3) in the mixed-solvent system H(2)O/CH(3)CN (pH = 5) resulted in the formation of the tetranuclear cluster (NH(4))(4)[Mo(4)(VI)SO(16)] x H(2)O (1), while the same reaction in acidic aqueous solution (pH = 5) yielded (NH(4))(4)[Mo(5)(VI)S(2)O(21)] x 3H(2)O (2). Compound {(H(2)bipy)(2)[Mo(5)(VI)S(2)O(21)] x H(2)O}(x) (3) was obtained from the reaction of aqueous acidic solution of Na(2)Mo(VI)O(4) x 2H(2)O with (NH(4))(2)SO(3) (pH = 2.5) and 4,4'-bipyridine (4,4'-bipy). The mixed metal/sulfite species (NH(4))(7)[Co(III)(Mo(2)(V)O(4))(NH(3))(SO(3))(6)] x 4H(2)O (4) was synthesized by reacting Na(2)Mo(VI)O(4) x 2H(2)O with CoCl(2) x 6H(2)O and (NH(4))(2)SO(3) with precise control of pH (5.3) through a redox reaction. The X-ray crystal structures of compounds 1, 2, and 4 were determined. The structure of compound 1 consists of a ring of four alternately face- and edge-sharing Mo(VI)O(6) octahedra capped by the trigonal pyramidal sulfite anion, while at the base of the Mo(4) ring is an oxo group which is asymmetrically shared by all four molybdenum atoms. Compound 3 is based on the Strandberg-type heteropolyion [Mo(5)(VI)S(2)O(21)](4-), and these coordinatively saturated clusters are joined by diprotonated 4,4'-H(2)bipy(2+) through strong hydrogen bonds. Compound 3 crystallizes in the chiral space group C2. The structure of compound 4 consists of a novel trinuclear [Co(III)Mo(2)(V)SO(3)(2-)] cluster. The chiral compound 3 exhibits nonlinear optical (NLO) and photoluminescence properties. The assignment of the sulfite bands in the IR spectrum of 4 has been carried out by density functional calculations. The cobalt in 4 is a d(6) octahedral low-spin metal atom as it was evidenced by magnetic susceptibility measurements, cw EPR, BVS, and DFT calculations. The IR and solid-state UV-vis spectra as well as the thermogravimetric analyses of compounds 1-4 are also reported.     

Dynamically orthogonal field equations for continuous stochastic dynamical systems

In this work we derive an exact, closed set of evolution equations for general continuous stochastic fields described by a Stochastic Partial Differential Equation (SPDE). By hypothesizing a decomposition of the solution field into a mean and stochastic dynamical component, we derive a system of field equations consisting of a Partial Differential Equation (PDE) for the mean field, a family of PDEs for the orthonormal basis that describe the stochastic subspace where the stochasticity ‘lives’ as well as a system of Stochastic Differential Equations that defines how the stochasticity evolves in the time varying stochastic subspace. These new evolution equations are derived directly from the original SPDE, using nothing more than a dynamically orthogonal condition on the representation of the solution. If additional restrictions are assumed on the form of the representation, we recover both the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition equations and the generalized Polynomial Chaos equations. We apply this novel methodology to two cases of two-dimensional viscous fluid flows described by the Navier–Stokes equations and we compare our results with Monte Carlo simulations.     

Determination of anabolic steroids in muscle tissue by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A specific and sensitive multi-method based on liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (LC–APCI–MS/MS) has been developed for the determination of 20 anabolic steroids in muscle tissue (diethylstilbestrol, β-estradiol, ethynylestradiol, α/β-boldenone, α/β-nortestosterone, methyltestosterone, β-trenbolone, triamcinolone acetonide, dexamethasone, flumethasone, α/β-zearalenol, α/β-zearalanol, zearalenone, melengestrol acetate, megestrol acetate and medroxyprogesterone acetate). The procedure involved hydrolysis, extraction with tert-butyl methyl ether, defattening and final clean-up with solid phase extraction (SPE) on Oasis HLB and Amino cartridges. The analytes were analyzed by reversed-phase LC–MS/MS, in positive and negative multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, acquiring two diagnostic product ions from each of the chosen precursor ions for the unambiguous confirmation of the hormones. The method was validated at the validation level of 0.5 ng/g. The accuracy and precision of the method were satisfactory. The decision limits CCα ranged from 0.03 to 0.14 ng/g while the detection capabilities CCβ ranged from 0.05 to 0.24 ng/g. The developed method is sensitive and useful for detection, quantification and confirmation of these anabolic steroids in muscle tissue and can be used for residue control programs.     

Model Investigations for Vanadium-Protein Interactions. Synthetic, Structural, and Physical Studies of Vanadium(III) and Oxovanadium(IV/V) Complexes with Amidate Ligands

Reaction of the amide ligand N-[2-((2-pyridylmethylene)amino)phenyl]pyridine-2-carboxamide (Hcapca) with VCl(3) affords the compound trans-[VCl(2)(capca)] (1), the first example of a vanadium(III) complex containing a vanadium-deprotonated amide nitrogen bond, while reaction of bis(pentane-2,4-dionato)oxovanadium(IV) with the related ligands N-[2-((2-phenolylmethylene)amino)phenyl]pyridine-2-carboxamide (H(2)phepca), 1-(2-hydroxybenzamido)-2-(2-pyridinecarboxamido)benzene (H(3)hypyb), and 1,2-bis(2-hydroxybenzamido)benzene (H(4)hybeb) yields the complexes [VO(phepca)] (2), Na[VO(hypyb)].2CH(3)OH (4.2CH(3)OH), and Na(2)[VO(hybeb)].3CH(3)OH (5.3CH(3)OH) respectively. The preparation of the complex {N-[2-((2-thiophenoylmethylene)amino)phenyl]pyridine-2-carboxamido}oxovanadium(IV) (3) has been achieved by reaction of N-(2-aminophenyl)pyridine-2-carboxamide and 2-mercaptobenzaldehyde with [VO(CH(3)COO)(2)](x)(). Oxidation of complex 5.3CH(3)OH with silver nitrate gives its vanadium(V) analogue (8.CH(3)OH), which is readily converted to its corresponding tetraethylammonium salt (10.CH(2)Cl(2)) by a reaction with Et(4)NCl. The crystal structures of the octahedral 1.CH(3)CN, and the square-pyramidal complexes 3, 4.CH(3)CN, 5.2CH(3)OH, and 10 were demonstrated by X-ray diffraction analysis. Crystal data are as follows: 1.CH(3)CN, C(18)H(13)Cl(2)N(4)OV.CH(3)CN M(r) = 464.23, monoclinic, P2(1)/n, a = 10.5991(7) ?, b = 13.9981(7) ?, c = 14.4021(7) ?, beta = 98.649(2)(o), V = 2112.5(3) A(3), Z = 4, R = 0.0323, and R(w) 0.0335; 3, C(19)H(13)N(3)O(2)SV, M(r) = 398.34, monoclinic, P2(1)/n, a = 12.1108(10) ?, b = 19.4439(18) ?, c = 7.2351(7) ?, beta = 103.012(3) degrees, V = 1660.0(4) ?(3), Z = 4, R = 0.0355, and R(w) = 0.0376; 4.CH(3)CN, C(19)H(12)N(3)O(4)VNa.CH(3)CN, M(r) = 461.31, monoclinic, P2(1)/c, a = 11.528(1) ?, b = 11.209(1) ?, c = 16.512(2) ?, beta = 103.928(4)(o), V = 2071.0(5) ?(3), Z = 4, R = 0.0649, and R(w) = 0.0806; 5.2CH(3)OH, C(20)H(10)N(2)O(5)VNa(2).2CH(3)OH, M(r) = 519.31, triclinic, P1, a = 12.839(1) ?, b = 8.334(1) ?, c = 12.201(1) ?, alpha = 106.492(2) degrees, beta = 105.408(2) degrees, gamma = 73.465(2) degrees, V = 1175.6(3) ?(3), Z = 2, R = 0.0894, and R(w) = 0.1043; 10, C(28)H(32)N(3)O(5)V M(r) = 541.52, monoclinic, P2(1)/c, a = 11.711(3) ?, b = 18.554(5) ?, c = 12.335(3) ?, beta = 95.947(9) degrees, V = 2666(2) ?(3), Z = 4, R = 0.0904, and R(w) = 0.0879. In addition to the synthesis and crystallographic studies, we report the optical, infrared, magnetic, and electrochemical properties of these complexes. Electron paramagnetic resonance [of oxovanadium(IV) species] and (1)H, (13)C{(1)H}, and (51)V nuclear magnetic resonance [of oxovanadium(V) complex] properties are reported as well. This study represents the first systematic study of vanadium(III), V(IV)O(2+), and V(V)O(3+) species containing a vanadium-deprotonated amide nitrogen bond.