Photophysical Studies on Terpyridine-Eu3+ Complexes in Sol-Gel Nanocomposite Materials

The luminescence of the terpyridine-Eu³⁺-complex associated with poly(ethyleneoxide) or poly(propyleneoxide) chains has been studied in various fluid or solid environments including silica/poly(alkyleneoxide) nanocomposite materials. Strongly luminescent materials are obtained. Their emission can be tuned by varying the organic/inorganic content and, generally, the structure of the host material. In this respect, the complex luminescence itself is a sensor of the structural aspects of the host material.     

Photophysical behavior of terpyridine-lanthanide ion complexes incorporated in a poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) hydrogel

Poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) hydrogel forms complexes with terpyridine and various trivalent ions, like Eu(3+), Tb(3+), Gd(3+), and In(3+). The hydrogel can be obtained in three different phases: swollen with water, lyophilized (i.e., dried by freeze-drying), where it loses the solvent but preserves the swollen configuration, and dried in the air where it shrinks. The three hydrogel phases affect the type of complex formed between terpyridine and the metal ion. Thus, in the swollen and lyophilized phases, metal-centered emission can be obtained by energy transfer from the excited ligand. In the shrunk phase, an intense green fluorescence is emitted, which is ligand-centered and is independent of the complexed ion. In the absence of any ion, the ligand emits blue luminescence, independently of the hydrogel phase. In the presence of europium(III) ions, blue, green, or red emission can be thus produced at appropriate compositions and hydrogel phases. Analysis of the photophysical behavior of the polymer-ligand-metal ion complex is related with the photophysical behavior of the ligand and its complexes in various pure solvents.     

Study of poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide)/CdS nanocomposite organic/inorganic gels

CdS nanoparticles have been synthesized and stabilized in poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) hydrogels. The properties of the composite material have been characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and steady-state and time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy. This material can be obtained in three different states: swollen, shrunk, and freeze-dried. The swollen and the freeze-dried states correspond to a nanocomposite organic/inorganic (wet or dry) gel containing CdS nanoparticles of approximately 50 nm diameter while the shrunk state is a two-phase system containing CdS crystals, which precipitate forming interesting geometrical shapes.     

Lecithin organogels used as bioactive compounds carriers. A microdomain properties investigation

Organogels were obtained by adding small amounts of water to a solution of lecithin in organic solvents. Either isooctane or isopropyl palmitate and isopropyl myristate were used as the continuous organic phase of the gels. EPR spectroscopy using both DSA membrane-sensitive and lipophilic spin probes was applied to define the dynamic structure of the surfactant monolayer and the continuous oil phase of lecithin organogels. It was found that by increasing the water quantity, an increase of the polar head area per lecithin molecule was induced, and as a consequence the total interface expanded. It was found that the use of esters as organic solvents induced a decrease of the size of the dispersed structures. The interconnection of the aqueous microdomains and their dynamics were monitored by both static and time-resolved fluorescence quenching spectroscopy using Ru(bipy)32+ as fluorophore and Fe(CN)63- as quencher. It was found that the rates of inter- and/or intra-micellar exchange of water molecules were very slow because they appeared quite immobilized close to the lecithin polar heads. According to the results of the dynamic studies, appropriate organogels were formulated and used to incorporate model bioactive compounds with medicinal or cosmetic interest such as caffeine and theophylline. When these systems were tested for trans-membrane diffusion, they showed a 24 h permeation of 20% and 35%, respectively.     

Studies on Hybrid Organic/Inorganic Nanocomposite Gels Using Photoluminescence Techniques

Summary.  Transparent nanocomposite gels made of hybrid organic/inorganic polymers, synthesized through the sol-gel method, composed of poly-(ethylene oxide) or poly-(propylene oxide) chains, and grafted on silica through urea bridges, have been studied by steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence techniques. These nanocomposite materials consist of two distinguished subphases, an organic and an inorganic one. The volume fraction of the organic (polyether) subphase is larger than that of the inorganic (silica) subphase, and it increases with increasing polyether chain size. The condensation of the silica subphase provides luminescent entities emitting light by electron-hole recombination on delocalized states associated with the active chemical species of the urea bridges. Materials with smaller polyether chains are more luminescent than such with longer polyether chains. Divalent or trivalent cations introduced into these materials enhance the luminescence intensity by solubilization close to the silica cluster surface and thus by decreasing surface defects and the ensuing quenching mechanism. Received June 23, 2000. Accepted (revised) July 18, 2000     

Investigation of the zinc(II)-benzoate-2-pyridinealdoxime reaction system

The employment of pyridine-2-carbaldehyde oxime (paoH) in zinc(II) benzoate chemistry, in the absence or presence of azide ions, is described. The syntheses, crystal structures and spectroscopic characterization are reported for the complexes [Zn(O(2)CPh)(2)(paoH)(2)] (1), [Zn(12)(OH)(4)(O(2)CPh)(16)(pao)(4)] (2) and [Zn(4)(OH)(2)(pao)(4)(N(3))(2)] (3). The Zn(II) centre in octahedral 1 is coordinated by two monodentate PhCO(2)(-) groups and two N,N'-chelating paoH ligands. The metallic skeleton of 2 describes a tetrahedron encapsulated in a distorted cube. The {Zn(12)(μ-OH)(4)(μ(3)-ΟR)(4)}(16+) core of the cluster can be conveniently described as consisting of a central {Zn(4)(μ(3)-ΟR)(4)}(4+) cubane subunit (RO(-) = pao(-)) linked to four {Zn(2)(μ-OH)}(3+) subunits via the OH(-) group of each of the latter, which becomes μ(3). The molecule of 3 has an inverse 12-metallacrown-4 topology. Two triply bridging hydroxido groups are accommodated into the metallacrown ring. Each pao(-) ligand adopts the η(1)?:?η(1)?:?η(1)?:?μ coordination mode, chelating one Zn(II) atom and bridging a Zn(II)(2) pair. Complexes 1 and 2 display photoluminescence with maxima at ～355 nm and ～375 nm, upon maximum excitation at 314 nm; the origin of the photoluminescence is discussed.     

Dinuclear Lanthanide(III) Complexes from the Use of Methyl 2-Pyridyl Ketoxime: Synthetic,Structural, and Physical Studies

The first use of methyl 2-pyridyl ketoxime (mepaoH) in homometallic lanthanide(III) [Ln(III)] chemistry is described. The 1:2 reactions of Ln(NO₃)₃·nH₂O (Ln = Nd, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy; n = 5, 6) and mepaoH in MeCN have provided access to complexes [Ln₂(O₂CMe)₄(NO₃)₂(mepaoH)₂] (Ln = Nd, 1; Ln = Eu, 2; Ln = Gd, 3; Ln = Tb, 4; Ln = Dy, 5); the acetato ligands derive from the Ln^III—mediated hydrolysis of MeCN. The 1:1 and 1:2 reactions between Dy(O₂CMe)₃·4H₂O and mepaoH in MeOH/MeCN led to the all-acetato complex [Dy₂(O₂CMe)₆(mepaoH)₂] (6). Treatment of 6 with one equivalent of HNO₃ gave 5. The structures of 1, 5, and 6 were solved by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Elemental analyses and IR spectroscopy provide strong evidence that 2–4 display similar structural characteristics with 1 and 5. The structures of 1–5 consist of dinuclear molecules in which the two Ln^III centers are bridged by two bidentate bridging (η¹:η¹:μ₂) and two chelating-bridging (η¹:η²:μ₂) acetate groups. The Ln^III atoms are each chelated by a N,N’-bidentate mepaoH ligand and a near-symmetrical bidentate nitrato group. The molecular structure of 6 is similar to that of 5, the main difference being the presence of two chelating acetato groups in the former instead of the two chelating nitrato groups in the latter. The geometry of the 9-coordinate Ln^III centers in 1, 5 and 6 can be best described as a muffin-type (MFF-9). The 3D lattices of the isomorphous 1 and 5 are built through H-bonding, π⋯π stacking and C-H⋯π interactions, while the 3D architecture of 6 is stabilized by H bonds. The IR spectra of the complexes are discussed in terms of the coordination modes of the organic and inorganic ligands involved. The Eu(III) complex 2 displays a red, metal-ion centered emission in the solid state; the Tb^III atom in solid 4 emits light in the same region with the ligand. Magnetic susceptibility studies in the 2.0–300 K range reveal weak antiferromagnetic intramolecular Gd^III…Gd^III exchange interactions in 3; the J value is −0.09(1) cm⁻¹ based on the spin Hamiltonian Ĥ = −J(Ŝ_Gd1·Ŝ_Gd2).     

Structure and photophysical behavior of 2,2′-bipyrimidine/lanthanide ion complexes in various environments

The photophysical behavior of 2,2′-bipyrimidine has been studied alone and in the presence of several lanthanide or other metal ions. This substance, which is employed as bridging ligand in homo- and hetero-dinuclear complexes, can form stable complexes with luminescent lanthanide ions like Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺. Complexes precipitated from common solvents are crystalline with a structure that consists of discrete, centrosymmetric dinuclear entities with a planar ligand configuration. These complexes are strongly luminescent. Luminescence is sensitized by ligand-to-metal energy transfer. However, when the ligand and metal ions are mixed in an unconventional solvent, like a poly(ethylene glycol) oligomer, all reagents stay in solution and produce a different type of complex where only an enhanced ligand-centered fluorescence can be observed. It is possible that such fluorescence is emitted by 2,2′-bipyrimidine in a non-planar configuration. This behavior has also been observed with other heterocyclic ligands that can exist in different conformers, like terpyridine, and it may explain why some ligand-lanthanide complexes sometimes fail to sensitize efficient photoluminescence.     

Fluorescence Probing of Composite Organic/Inorganic Transparent Matrices

Transparent composite SiO2/organic matrices have been made by the sol-gel method using tetramethoxysilane and either cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide (CTAB) or a polyethylene glycol oligomer (PEG-200) or a cationic polyelectrolyte. We have investigated conditions under which transparent xerogel matrices are possible and we have characterized them mainly by time-resolved fluorescence probing using stretched exponentials. CTAB creates a hydrophobic and PEG-200 a hydrophilic subphase in the matrix. An important property of these composite matrices is that they allow molecular diffusion contrary to matrices made in the absence of surfactants or polymers.     

Structural Identification of Metalloproteomes in Marine Diatoms,an Efficient Algae Model in Toxic Metals Bioremediation

The biosorption of pollutants using microbial organisms has received growing interest in the last decades. Diatoms, the most dominant group of phytoplankton in oceans, are (i) pollution tolerant species, (ii) excellent biological indicators of water quality, and (iii) efficient models in assimilation and detoxification of toxic metal ions. Published research articles connecting proteomics with the capacity of diatoms for toxic metal removal are very limited. In this work, we employed a structural based systematic approach to predict and analyze the metalloproteome of six species of marine diatoms: Thalassiosira pseudonana, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Fragilariopsis cylindrus, Thalassiosira oceanica, Fistulifera solaris, and Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata. The results indicate that the metalloproteome constitutes a significant proportion (~13%) of the total diatom proteome for all species investigated, and the proteins binding non-essential metals (Cd, Hg, Pb, Cr, As, and Ba) are significantly more than those identified for essential metals (Zn, Cu, Fe, Ca, Mg, Mn, Co, and Ni). These findings are most likely related to the well-known toxic metal tolerance of diatoms. In this study, metalloproteomes that may be involved in metabolic processes and in the mechanisms of bioaccumulation and detoxification of toxic metals of diatoms after exposure to toxic metals were identified and described.